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Meeting Report September 10th Guests David Laurie Francesco Federer Announcements Sarah OVERTON was welcomed back (as was Addy!). PP Neville Taylor presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Yanpu for her tireless Bunnings barbecuing and many other hands-on contributions. Peter Duras reported that two Bunnings barbecues at Port Melbourne over the last month generated about $2200 despite being short on volunteers. Peter reminded us how this program is essential to the club’s capacity to carry out its service program and encouraged us to volunteer. Russell Rolls announced the next DIK working bee in on October 26. Membership Update PDG Nev1 outlined the development of the Docklands branch which focuses on engagement asking members to contribute what time they can. A club visioning session is to be held on October 2nd. The aim is to contribute to building a Docklands community. They have a strong relationship with the City of Melbourne and an active project to support a proposed medical centre in Malawi. The Inquisition Alice Miller was the willing interviewee and talked about her upbringing, family of husband and two boys, and career in strategic management in the health sector. Induction David Laurie was welcomed to the club with Suvam as mentor and Elias as his Committee chair. David then displayed his marketing skills with a great video presentation about him which included being a Georgia Rotary Student Program participant in 2007/8. Guest Speaker Hardly a guest, Kevin Love presented a really good news story about the redevelopment of the visitors centre at the Philip Island penguin parade. It is one of several features in the PI Nature Park and is one of Victoria’s top tourist attractions with 1.3m visitors in 2018/9. Park management undertook a major campaign to reverse what had been a declining population of fairy penguins by actually buying back residential land to return it to its natural state thus expanding the penguin habitat. They also succeeded in eliminating foxes from the area and are now “rewilding” the region aiming to protect the threatened Eastern Barred Bandicoot. Penguin numbers have grown from 12,000 in 1984 to 32,000 today. The new centre was a major step in reducing human impact on the penguin colony by relocating it and the associated traffic further back from the foreshore. With a $48m grant from the state the new centre was originally designed by Peter Elliot but the final build was designed by Terroir, a Tasmanian architectural firm and is laid out in a linear format so that visitors walk along the building rather than just through it. Kane Constructions did a great job delivering the building on time, on budget and without a single lost time injury. It can handle up to 4000 visitors in an evening and finally cost $58m. |
Sarah & Adelaide Overon
