Dinner held in conjunction with the Australian Intercultural Society [AIS] at the AIS Office, 441 St Kilda Road from 4.45pm to 7.30 PM
Following the success of our inaugural Iftar Dinner , last year, RCCMS again co-hosted a dinner this year with the AIS. While fasting and self discipline are the most recognizable features of the month of Ramadan, hospitality, sharing and charitable works are also intrinsic to the observance of its traditions.
So it was that over 60 people including 30 or so Rotarians, partners and family shared a meal at sunset, when Muslims break their day long fast. This time was signaled by a call to prayer by Mustafa Kadioglu, Religion and Values Teacher at Sirius College. This was followed by a toast to Rotary International and the traditional partaking of dates and water.
The MC for the evening was
Superintendent Charlie Allan, from the Priority Communities Division of Victoria Police, a former Rotary International Peace Fellow. Guests included
The Hon Daniel Mulino, Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury and Finance,
DG Julie Mason of District 9800,
Mr Ahmet Keskin, Executive Director of AIS and
President of RCCMS
George Mackey,
with other community, business and government representatives.
A recurrent theme of the night, advanced in the opening remarks of President George and Mr Ahmet Keskin were the commonalities between the Rotary values and the key tenets of Islam, ethics, hospitality and giving.
Keynote speaker for the evening was Azmeena Hussain, an Associate at Maurice Blackburn, Vice President of the Muslim Women’s Council and external advisor to the Victoria Police Human Rights Advisory Committee. She started the practice of Iftar dinners at Maurice Blackburn in 2010, a practice that has spread from Melbourne to interstate branches. She values Ramadan as an opportunity to “detox” and for training in self discipline. She also remarked on the strong emphasis on charitable works. Her abiding message was, it is not where we come from that is important, it is what we do when we are here.
A reading from the Holy Quran , Ch2 : Ar-Bagara Verses 183 – 86 by Mustafa Kadioglu also provided a valuable insight into the theology behind the observance of Ramadan.
second keynote speaker for the evening was
DG Julie Mason who stated that one of her objectives was for Rotary in D9800 to be more reflective of the communities they serve. She reflected that the school at which she is a principal has 1800 students fro 60 different cultural / language groups. She also spoke of the efforts of the Rotary Club of Flemington, which has sponsored cultural group leaders in their area to join the club.
A lighter note was introduced through a video clip highlighting the performances of 60 students from 19 countries at Australia’s first International Festival for Language and Culture organized by AIS.
A series of reflections from the floor emphasized the value that those attending saw in the night and a willingness for it to continue in future years.
Following a series of presentations, the evening concluded with a vote of thanks from Daniel Mulino MP. He remarked that there was a universal enjoyment of sharing food with others and this was a key plank of our multiculturalism. He also reiterated the common values of sharing, charity and tolerance .
Our new President, George Mackey, was quick off the mark when he received an offer from Princes Hill Secondary College of some 144 school desks, to be collected by Rotary with the caveat that they could only be collected during the current school holidays. Frank O'Brien liaised with Margaret Fry, the Assistant School Principal, and Margaret was very happy that the desks would find their way overseas through Donations-in-Kind. 
