Opening:
President Roy opened with a welcome to our guest , Cecily Neil and a toast to Rotary International and to Wolfgang Jacobs who is heading off to Germany to celebrate 50 years since he graduated as an engineer.He followed this immediately by inducting Dr Cecily Neil as our newest Club Member. Dr Neil is a social scientist with a Ph.D. in Sociology. She will be mentored by Tom Callander and will join the International Committee chaired by Frank O’Brien. Cecily created Club history by rapidly transitioning from Guest to Club Member to Guest Speaker within a few minutes.
Club announcements:
- George Mackey thanked Neil Salvano and Gerard Hogan for collecting chairs for the Collingwood Neighbourhood House at short notice. Mick Wells and his partner are making good progress to Fitzroy Crossing despite a boken windscreen.
- Tom Callander and President Roy informed us that past member Dr Robert Neil Roy (paediatrician) and Roderick Douglas Fraser ( instrumental in our link with Cambodia through the “Your Own Two Hands Foundation”) both received A.M.s in the Queen’s Birthday honours list.
- Roger Thornton reminded members of the Club’s Chang-over Dinner on 26th June. He urgently needs members to act now and enrol. Similarly he and Doug need numbers for the Vic Police Leadership Mentoring Program breakfast next Tuesday a.s.a.p.
- Alan Seale is also seeking numbers for the IFTAR Dinner on Thursday July 2. This meeting will also take the place of our regular Tuesday breakfast. Please support Alan with this innovative and extremely worthwhile Club venture.
Frank O’Brien’s International Service Report:
Our 2 newest initiatives have been the close involvement with the C.E.O.’s Circle through Rob Hines and our first indigenous people’s project which takes place next week at Fitzroy Crossing. Led by Rob, this will involve the men’s shed and the social resource centre.
Continuing projects include the Luang Prababang Laos at Ban Buang Aor withy the building of 2 new classrooms and a new water supply. The cost of $31,600 is largely being met by the CEO’s Circle and a District Grant.
Our Sister Club relationships with R.C. of Osaka Midosuje Hominuchi in Japan and with R.C. of Echuca Moama have been strengthened as has our tie with International House.
We have had a working bee at DIK [Donations in Kind]and also used DIK to source clothing for Fitzroy Crossing.
The Club has financially supported Rotarians Against Malaria ($500), Disaster Aid Australia ($3600), and continued our work with the House Orphanage in Siem Riep in Cambodia.
Frank and his Committee can be justifiably proud of the year’s work.
Sergeant’s Session:
Sergeant Bernie congratulated Doug Robertson on his birthday and Kevin Walklate on his Rotary anniversary, before plumbing the depths of members ignorance of Rotary history. The punchline of his joke was “At least I’m not lost. ” Is there a link there?
Guest Speaker:
Chairman David Jones reintroduced Dr Cecily Neil who graduated in G.B. and spent over 20 years working with the CSIRO. She left to become an independent consultant to a number of international aid agencies. Much of her work has been concentrated on the Republic of Kiribati.Kiribati is a collection of 34 coral islands, 3 hours flight from Fiji. Between flights, locals walk and drive on the runway. 50,000, about half of Kiribati’s population, live on the main island of South Tarawa making it the centre of government, education and commerce. The highest point is 3 metres above sea level. The soil is poor, and local production consists of abundant fish, eggs, pigs, bananas and coconuts. All other food and supplies are imported and expensive. Unemployment is over 50%. The economy depends on international aid, fishing, fishing licences to other countries, remittances from Kiribati working overseas, and some tourism.
Health is poor with an infant mortality rate of 4%, diarrhoea and dysentery endemic and epidemics of typhoid and cholera. This situation is not improving.
Water is scarce. Water is piped for 2 hours day but even this, like the uncovered wells and the underground water lenses are often polluted. 30 % of households have no access to sanitary toilets (adding new meaning to “On the Beach”). Programs to rehabilitate sewerage systems have been attempted but are not sustainable due to lack of maintenance. The Government is underfunded, it is difficult to transfer essential skills to locals and there is no willingness to apply the user pays principle. Projects are often short term and over ambitious and do not marry rigid donor requirements with local expectations. Cecily in question time indicated that some these issues are due to rising population and loss of phosphate income, while erosion is a greater problem than climate change.
Cecily was thanks for her presentation and President Roy closed the meeting.
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