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WHAT'S IN THIS BULLETIN
 
07 May 2024

  • Next Meeting 

  • Guest Speaker - 7 May 2024

  • President's Announcements

  • Drive for Life L2P Program

  • Old Mobile Phones Wanted

  • Sleeping Bags Needed Now for Homeless Youth

  • South Sudan Health Matters Fundraiser Event

  • RI President Visit

  • Invitation - Guest Speaker RIPE Stephanie Urchik

  • Gallery

Meeting Responsibilities
Chair
LEBBOS, Elias
 
Greeter/Zoom Host
SWANN, Millie
 
Reporter
JOHN, Rebecca
 
Photographer
THORNTON, Roger
 
Bulletin Editor
OEI, Nicholas
 
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NEXT MEETING

This is a face-to-face meeting at the RACV Club.
 
If you would like to visit our meeting, you are welcome to join us at the Theatrette, Chancery Level of the RACV Club. There is no charge for attending the meeting.
 
If you would like a more general discussion about attending a Rotary meeting, please contact the club secretary at rotaryclubcentralmelbourne@gmail.com
 
The meeting will commence at 7:40am and conclude no later than 8:30. Members and guests are invited to stay for coffee or breakfast in the RACV Club Bistro following the meeting.
 
GUEST SPEAKER - 7 MAY 2024
Mazin Qumsiyeh: A Rotarian view of doing humanitarian and environmental work in a region of conflict
 

 
Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh previously served at US universities including Tennessee, Duke and Yale. He is founder and volunteer director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University (http://palestinenature.org).
 
He has published over 180 scientific papers, over 30 book chapters, hundreds of articles, and several books on topics ranging from environmental impact of colonisation on environmental and climate justice to cultural heritage to human rights to biodiversity conservation to environmental health. He has overseen a number of projects ranging from formulating the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to environmental and climate justice and empowerment projects with farmers, women, and children that benefited tens of thousands.
 
Mazin is president of the Rotary Club of Bethlehem and will speak about their positive work in areas of environment and health while situated in an unstable regional situation.
PRESIDENT'S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chair Elias Lebbos made the following announcements on behalf of President Michelle Crawford.
  • The recent Board meeting noted the ongoing fundraising by the BBQs, currently looking to be ahead of the past year’s results.
     
  • The value of the BBQ fundraising events is well acknowledged by the Board members and all members volunteering are thanked, with special mention of the organisers who established this activity some years ago and the current organisers. 
     
  • District Assembly is set for 19 May, contact Rhys Williams for information.
     
  • Elias announced that he will be taking the baton from Alan Seale to organise the music student exchange program. A viola student has been accepted, to be due here later this year. More later.
     
  • Members:
    • Rob Soros has resigned from the club.
    • Trevor Dymond’s membership has ended.
       
  • Forum 3000 Community Showcase. Together with the Rotary Club of Melbourne, we have been invited to a forum for Melbourne residents on Thursday, 2 May to share information about potential opportunities for volunteering and social interaction.  The Board has agreed to participate.
     
  • Elias noted, with appreciation, the firefighting capabilities of Rohan Williams working behind the scenes in many aspects of managing the smooth running of the club.
DRIVE FOR LIFE L2P PROGRAM
This excellent Salvos program may interest some members. It will certainly assist young people.
 
 
OLD MOBILE PHONES WANTED
Do you have old mobile phones?  Can you donate them for our DV Safe Phone project?
 
Our Club has a focused project to support DV (domestic violence) Safe Phone Group (based in Mooloolaba) which has a national plan to end violence against women and children and to end gender based violence within one generation. Nikki Firman addressed the Club on 12 March 2024. We can support this project by gathering in your discarded old mobile phones, which will be passed on to women in need – victims of domestic violence.
 
Phones should have content erased, although DV Safe Phone will ensure that occurs in any event. For iPhones, it is important to sign out of iCloud and iTunes and App Store. For Android or Samsung Galaxy, it is important to sign out of accounts and encrypt old data before erasing device. We can provide a link for detailed instructions.
 
Next steps:
  • Look for your old phones.
  • Email Tom Callander if you can donate them.
  • Erase data – ask for link if required.
  • Bring them to our in person meetings either on 30 April 2024 at Emerald Hotel or on 7 May 2024 at RACV (alternatively make other arrangements with Tom Callander).
  • We will then deliver all phones to DV Safe Phone.
 
SLEEPING BAGS NEEDED NOW FOR HOMELESS YOUTH
Rotary Central Melbourne supports “Youth Projects” (located in Hosier Lane) which provides a wide range of services to homeless young people, particularly in the CBD. 
 
This time last year, we provided a large number of sleeping bags to Youth Projects. These were quickly distributed and much appreciated.
 
We want to do so again; the need is real; temperatures are dropping.
 
Our objective is to collect or purchase at least 50 sleeping bags.
 
We already have support from Bunnings. We also need, and seek, your support in the following ways:
 
1.  Donate any unwanted sleeping bags your family, your friends or you may have (in good condition).
2.  Scour your local op shops to see if you can purchase sleeping bags (in good condition) for modest prices.
3.  Purchase sleeping bags from outdoor shops or Bunnings ($50 each at Bunnings) and donate to the Club.
4.  Make a cash donation to Rotary Central Melbourne by putting funds into RCM’s bank account (details in the Bulletin or the Club’s website) – mark as “sleeping bags”.

You can bring your sleeping bags to the Club’s “in person” meeting on Tuesday 7 May 2024.

Alternatively, contact any of the following Community Service committee members either to drop sleeping bags off at their places or for pick up from you, by 7 May 2024:

·         Tom Callander tcallander@rigbycooke.com.au (East Malvern)
·         Rebecca John beng1@iprimus.com.au (Eaglemont)
·         Rohan Williams rdwrcm@gmail.com (St Kilda)
·         Peter Duras peter.duras@bigpond.com (Southbank)

Sleeping bags should, preferably, be “zero or minus 4 degrees centigrade” grade, but all will be gratefully accepted.

Our close off date for all sleeping bags and cash donations (to the Club’s bank account) is by our in person meeting on Tuesday, 7 May 2024. There has been strong support so far, please assist if you can.
 
Contact Tom Callander if you can assist or if you have any query.
 
PROMOTION OF A SOUTH SUDAN HEALTH MATTERS FUNDRAISER EVENT
Several years ago, one of our members, Mawien Ariik created South Sudanese Health Matters to help with health, hygiene and education in his native South Sudanese village of Lou Ariik,  RCM recently supported South Sudanese Health Matters Inc (SSHMI) with their menstrual hygiene project that provided 1,200 school girls with access to related education and materials which has helped improve their ability to attend school. SSHMI are conducting a fundraising event to highlight the work done so far and planned in the near future. There will be plenty of entertainment as well as Eastern African-inspired cuisine. Special items will be auctioned on the night and all funds will be used to support an isolated community that is water locked due to floods during the wet season. Details are in the flyer below.
 
 
RI PRESIDENT VISIT
The combined Rotary Districts in Victoria are honoured to be hosting Rotary International President Gordon McInally at two different events in June.
 
RI President Gordon has been a strident advocate in promoting Mental Health initiatives that help communities and individuals rebuild their resilience.
 
We are also delighted to advise that Professor Pat McGorry AO a psychiatrist known worldwide for his development and scaling up of early intervention and youth mental health services, will be joining us to compliment RI President Gordon.
 
The first event is on Sunday 2 June, at the RACV in Cape Schanck, 12.00 noon for a 12.30pm start, tickets are: $95 pp (plus booking fee) incl GST for 2 course lunch, $1,200 for Rotary or Corporate Tables of 8 with naming rights.
 
This is an amazing opportunity to meet the RI President in person and to hear of his passion in helping our youth, individuals, and communities.  
 
Please book using the following link:
 
The second event is a Community and Leaders Breakfast on Monday 3 June at the Frankston Arts Centre with tickets costing $38 per person.  The keynote speaker will be Professor Pat McGorry AO. 
 
Please book using the following link:
 
 
 
INVITATION - GUEST SPEAKER RIPE STEPHANIE URCHIK
We'd like to extend our invitation to each of your clubs to join the Rotary E-Club of Melbourne for a very special guest speaker, RI President-Elect Stephanie Urchik, who will be joining us on Wednesday 12th June at 9PM AEST.
Our meeting will be held on Zoom, with the details below, and also in the attached image.
 
Date & Time: 
Wednesday 12th June 2024 at 9PM AEST (Find Your Timezone) 
Zoom URL here
 
Meeting ID: 313 497 0027
Passcode: 970027
 
With the Rotary E-Club of Melbourne transitioning to the new E-Clubs Community Group made up of clubs across Zone 8, we especially wanted to emphasise both links to our new collaborators across the Zone, and our close and continuing friendship with the clubs of the Batman Cluster, which has been our home for many years, and with whom we look forward to continuing to serve.
 
Rotary E-Club of Melbourne (D9800)