Andrew Gai Protecting at-risk children through the Safe & Together™ Model With its mission to create, nurture and sustain a global network of domestic violence-informed child welfare professionals, communities and systems, the Safe & Together™ Model is an internationally recognised suite of tools and interventions designed to help child welfare professionals become domestic violence-informed. Continuously refined through years of experience implementing the Model across the United States and other countries, it can help improve competencies and cross-system collaboration.
This child-centred model derives its name from the concept that children are best served when we can work toward keeping them safe and together with the non-offending parent (the adult domestic violence survivor). The Model provides a framework for partnering with domestic violence survivors and intervening with domestic violence perpetrators in order to enhance the safety and wellbeing of children.
Anglicare Victoria and VACCA are specifically trialling the Safe & Together model, through their A Better Way program, as the foundation for a flexible community-based perpetrator intervention program which can respond to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal fathers using violence against their families. The Men’s Therapeutic Practitioner role works within a culturally safe environment and include the provision of intake assessments, safety planning, individual contracts and goals, therapeutic counselling and tailored responses to the individual and family.
Andrew Gai is a youth and family support worker with Anglicare Victoria. He holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Youth Work) and a Master of Public Policy from RMIT University.
Andrew was born in South Sudan and migrated to Australia as a young refugee in 2006. Andrew co-founded the South Sudanese-Australian Academic Society Inc. (SSAS) Inc. He was recognised by the Friends of Refugees for the “Future Leader” category at the Refugees and Asylum Seeker Recognition Awards night during the Refugee Week 2016.
His community service began over 9 years ago, working with young people in school and residential care; refugees/asylum seekers; and disadvantaged families.
He is a member of the Regional Advisory Council to the Victorian Multicultural Commission on issues and challenges faced by people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
Sharing his knowledge and experience through public speaking, writing opinion articles and guest lecturing at RMIT University, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, Andrew provides deep insight to multicultural issues in Australia.
I was in an Op Shop recently, looking for nothing in particular, maybe extra tongs for our Sausage Sizzles when...........I happened across a book entitled “ The Man in White – 100 Years of Umpiring with the VFL and AFL”.
Little did I know that inside the 376 page book was a photo of the full complement of Umpires of the 1949 Grand Final, pictured below. How times have changed....there is no such thing as The Men in White or black for that matter. They now have reinforcements, like triple the number!!! They wear advertising on their coloured clothes... spectators are not allowed inside the arena...i could go on.
The reason for this preamble is to interest you in looking closely at the umpires, particularly the boundary umpire on the right. If you think it resembles our former Club member and stalwart, Brian Downie, you are right. Brian was umpiring his 2nd of 3 consecutive Grand Finals he officiated in. Brian was only 20 at the time and is now the oldest surviving Grand Final Umpire.
For the record, Brian advised that Essendon comfortably beat Carlton that day, thanks to a 6 goal haul from first year player John Coleman which brought up his 100 goals for the season.
Brian sends his regards to Club members and is still hoping for a Demons flag in the not too distant future!!!
Kerry Kirk, cybersecurity businesswoman and last year’s president of Sunbury Rotary Club, enjoyed a tour backstage at Broadmeadows Police Station. Chatting as mentor to Senior Sergeant Brad Towers, she agreed that police ”were never going to arrest their way out of the drug-addiction problem”. That’s how they got thinking about a hidden group needing support – the parents of offspring who are battling addictions. These parents are often withdrawn and nervous. Support services focus on the addicted person while parents typically bear their strife and heartache unaided. Kerry and Brad were one pair in a Rotary-led Victorian Police Leaders’ Mentoring Program, now in its 13th year and covering four Rotary districts 9800, 9820, 9780 and 9790. They told the graduation breakfast run by Rotary Central Melbourne on September 17 about how they brought parents together for a meeting called “You Are Not Alone.” They explained community resources and inspired them with speakers confiding their own struggles and successes. Parents got answers to their distress call – “We don’t know who to turn to!” Brad, a 30-year police veteran, said they marketed the forum throughout the Macedon Ranges and from Sunbury to Broadmeadows. But up to the last minute they didn’t know if any parent would show up. Police and the drug scene are not always a comfortable mix and many parents want to stay unknown. Happily, about 50 parents turned up on the Tuesday evening to hear the eight speakers. “Someone said, ‘We’re all parents here’ and we felt the tension in the room relax because people felt they wouldn’t be judged,” Brad says. Two parents burst into tears afterwards and one said, “If we’d had this help ten years ago we wouldn’t be in our predicament.” Speakers included Mark Eustice, a former AFL footballer who conquered post-footie addictions, and the manager of an ice-addiction clinic who’s had more than half a dozen referrals since the forum. A speaker from the Family Drug Help group also got a good hearing.
Kerry says, “We put about 150 hours work into it but our club’s only cost was $200 for venue hire.” VicPol Assistant Commissioner Kevin Stacey, himself a mentoring graduate, says the program is VicPol’s longest sustained leadership development course. It links Senior Sergeants, who typically manage a suburban station, with Rotarians skilled in business and community initiatives.
I've processed and uploaded the virtual reality video onto our Facebook page, and it looks amazing! Not sure if any clubs is using this technology yet.
Feel free to rotate your mobile or laptop or ipad to view the video at 360 degrees, pause and anytime, and view at any angle you wish :) Perhaps this would be great to include this in the bulletin so everyone who has facebook is able to watch the video, and perhaps increase the number of fans.
Date: Saturday 26 October for lunch Time: From midday Place: 3 Outlook Drive, Eaglemont (Rebecca and Neville's home) If you are travelling from the West, head along the Eastern Freeway and take the Burke Road exit. Head left along Burke Road North and at the main roundabout, keep going straight (it becomes Maltravers Road) and in 200 metres turn right into Outlook Drive. Number 3 is third house on the left from the corner. Cost: It’s a social gathering so no cost. Meat and bread will be provided but BYO refreshments. What else can you bring? - bring a salad; dessert or whatever else to share or talk to Neville if you have other ideas. RSVP Neville John by 4th October on email nrjohn@iprimus.com.au, or mobile 0417 387216 If you are coming, please let Neville know what food you to plan bring so that we don’t all end up eating dessert for lunch. Also advise any dietary restrictions.
Maternal health care in Africa- an Australian intervention
Dr Andrew Browning spent 17 years living with his family in Ethiopia and Tanzania amongst some of the poorest people in the world.
He specialises in treating a devastating birth injury called obstetric fistula. This results from women giving birth at home, without medical help. In labour for four or five days they deliver a stillborn child and the tissues in their pelvis are destroyed, leaving them with large holes (fistula) to their bladder and bowel. Leaking continually they are shunned, depressed and suicidal.
Andrew is one of only a handful of surgeons in the world who have dedicated their lives to helping treat and prevent this. His charity has now built three maternity hospitals in Africa and aims to build many more.
All funds raised will be used to support Rotary Foundation projects
that make lives better in your community and around the world
The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International has received 12 consecutive 4-star ratings, the top rating, from Charity Navigator as at January 2019.
Charity Navigator also rates The Rotary Foundation as Number One in their list of the 10 of the Best Charities Everyone's Heard Of.
It also received an A+ from Charity Watch its highest rating in 2017 (the most recent rating).
The Association of American Fundraising Professionals named The Rotary Foundation as the outstanding Foundation for 2016.
We look forward to welcoming all Rotarians, partners, friends and colleagues to this special event
A new Rotary year and suddenly the first Bunnings sausage sizzle at Port Melbourne was successfully completed on Friday 12th July.
If you are able to help on any of the future dates listed below, could you please email me at peter.duras@bigpond.com indicating your preference for morning, lunchtime or afternoon? We'll run from shortly after 8am to 4.
Remaining dates for Port Melbourne this calendar year are:
About 78 members and visitors gathered for the Police Mentor breakfast and the raffle raised $790 for Police Legacy. Assistant Commissioner Kevin Casey and past district governor Neville John presented certificates to 12 police graduates and 14 mentors from the latest year (two police couldn’t attend).
The current cohort is 16 police with their mentors. The program involves police senior sergeants, each normally managing a police station or an equivalent front-line operational role. The senior sergeants manage 75% of VicPol’s police workforce, indicating their grass-roots importance in community engagement. Some get promoted to Acting Inspector level during the course.
Assistant Commissioner Kevin told the meeting he was a one-time graduate of the program. The hugely successful mentor scheme, now in its 13th year, was VicPol’s longest sustained leadership development program. He gave our club special thanks as initiator and supporter. The program has made a real difference to the communities involved, he said.
The senior sergeants had grown from the mentoring, changing their approach to community engagement and giving them better insight into community needs and expectations. They also gained stronger networks and knowledge of community resources and programs. He thanked the mentors for giving up so much time despite demanding roles and busy schedules. He also gave special thanks to retiree Commander Neville Taylor, who has been with the program since inception. He started as a mentee and become a syndicate leader supporting five cohorts over five years and later as a steering committee member.
Neville John, representing DG Grant Hocking, said that over 12 years the program had connected all five Rotary districts in Victoria.. It had met its goals of developing leadership skills in a community service setting; improving community engagement; and helping police apply business management to local service.
