"Back from the Brink: Restoring Australia’s Lost and Declining Biodiversity"
Across the continent, many of Australia’s precious natural assets are in steep decline: 25 native terrestrial mammals have gone extinct since European settlement, giving Australia the worst rate of recent mammal extinctions in the world. A further 1,700 surviving animals and plants are threatened with extinction and every year more species are being added to this tragic list. Even our most heavily protected natural areas have not escaped: Kakadu National Park for example has experienced a 75% decline in species richness in the last 15 years. This highlights an urgent need for a new approach to conservation in Australia.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is an independent, non-profit organisation that is transforming conservation on the ground. AWC is dedicated to saving Australia’s threatened wildlife and habitats. During this presentation you will learn the key factors that are driving the decline of Australia’s natural assets and about some major new initiatives that are stopping and reversing the decline of Australia’s biodiversity.
Zac Lewis is a Development Executive with AWC. Before joining AWC, Zac was a natural resource manager with the Victorian state government, where he gained significant experience in environmental management and policy. Prior to that, he was an environmental scientist undertaking a number of research projects across Victoria and New South Wales.
We have a male Rotary exchange student from Japan District 2610 [Honshu, central west coast] who has not yet been placed in Melbourne.
Hosts are sought to share an Australian experience with this young man who will be undertaking possibly the most exciting experience so far in his life.
Hosting will be shared between [say] four homes over the twelve months this student will have in our great city.
Hosts do not need to be Rotarian members - maybe you have children who will be pleased share their home and benefit from this two way and worthy exchange.
Around 40 Rotarians from Kew, Melbourne Central Sunrise, Carlton, Melbourne and Balwyn Rotary clubs were among the 160 guests at International House, Parkville, for its Festivals of the World cabaret evening on May 9th.
The evening featured nine acts ranging from a Hawaiian dance quartet to blues and folk numbers by International and Australian participants.
Café Internationale is the annual fundraising event run entirely by the students of International House. Café coordinator Amelia Boland (aged 20 and a Patisserie/Professional Cookery Student) said the evening raised about $6000 from tickets, the raffle, and a silent auction, to be equally split between the IH Student Club and WWF Australia. “Previously we’ve been putting the proceeds to Rotary’s End Polio Now and we thought we needed fresh goals this year,” she said.
Loreto Sister Trish Franklin retires in July 2015 after 18 years running the Loreto Vietnam-Australia Program (LVAP) for poor and disadvantaged Vietnamese children.
The Program has been helped by Rotary Clubs across Australia. Many Loreto schools, other interested school bodies and an array of interested donors in Australia have continued to support Loreto Program in Vietnam. The Program has also received support from many corporate bodies within Vietnam. With Trish’s retirement, the Program will be run by her Vietnamese Team.
Trish has no retirement plans as yet.
One remote “kindergarten” she came across was a shack previously used for buffalos. LVAP improvements to such conditions typically include 3 – 4 classrooms for children of kindergarten age, toilets attached to each classroom, safe electricity systems, each room well resourced with educational supplies and a kitchen and eating area to ensure that the kindergarten children have at least two nutritious meals per day.
A further example of how fellow clubs are applying Rotary.
Down with kerosene! Go solar electric!
That’s how Melbourne Rotary Club is helping people on Tanna Island, Vanuatu to lift their living standards and health.
The club is financing solar power there through community micro-loans. They’ve done this so successfully that Arlington RC, Texas templated the system for solar-light conversions in Honduras, involving USD30,000.
Remarkably, the same entrepreneur is behind both the Vanuata and Solomon projects – Stewart Craine, a Sydney-based Australian who founded Barefoot Power for affordable solar energy in the third world. Stewart on-lends to villagers and handles the repayments. Melbourne RC solar project manager Wolfgang Kissel says Craine initially sought funding for African villages, outside Melbourne RC’s reach, but the club switched him to Vanuatu where it was already running a school book project.
Visiting Rotarian Neville Page, District MUNA Chair
Inductee Paul Fraser
Prospective member Dr Cecily Neil
Announcements
Alan Driver reminded members of the opportunity to attend the Echuca Steam Rally on the June long weekend to assist the RC of Echuca-Moama in running this event.
George Mackey advised that there were still a couple of places available for the wine lunch at TarraWarra on Sunday May 24.
President Roy informed the meeting that the Board will be meeting on Thursday and asked for contributions to the annual report by the end of the month.
Foundation Director Doug Robertson provided a report on recent activities, including the recommendation to the Board to donate $2250 to Polio Plus that will be matched 2 for 1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He reminded members of the opportunity to donate directly to the Foundation.
District MUNA Chair Neville Page thanked the club for hosting the upcoming Model United Nations event that will be attended by 56 local students and 4 exchange students. He extended an invitation to interested members to attend some of the sessions.
Induction of Paul Fraser
President Roy inducted Paul Fraser to the club. Paul will join the Community Service Committee and will be mentored by Roger Thornton. Paul thanked the club for the invitation to join and said that while he had worked professionally for a not for profit organisation, he was keen to experience work as a volunteer. [photo]
Launch of Membership Drive
PP Richard Stone officially launched our membership drive with the goal of getting back to a membership of 60. Three potential markets have been identified, potential business leaders, business executives and people contemplating a transition to retirement. Specific materials to support the drive have been produced.
Guest Speaker
Herb Greenwood “Trends in Residential Architecture in Melbourne”
Herb has practiced as an architect for over 40 years in Melbourne and China and has been involved in the design of some of the most significant buildings in Melbourne.
Herb observed that inner Melbourne is in the middle of a residential property construction boom, a shift from the traditional commercial / retail construction in this area.
He put this down to increased demand for convenience and ease of travel but also to permissive standards – requirements here are much less onerous than in China.
Across the continent, many of Australia’s precious natural assets are in steep decline: 25 native terrestrial mammals have gone extinct since European settlement, giving Australia the worst rate of recent mammal extinctions in the world. A further 1,700 surviving animals and plants are threatened with extinction and every year more species are being added to this tragic list. Even our most heavily protected natural areas have not escaped: Kakadu National Park for example has experienced a 75% decline in species richness in the last 15 years. This highlights an urgent need for a new approach to conservation in Australia.
The evening featured nine acts ranging from a Hawaiian dance quartet to blues and folk numbers by International and Australian participants.
The Program has been helped by Rotary Clubs across Australia. Many Loreto schools, other interested school bodies and an array of interested donors in Australia have continued to support Loreto Program in Vietnam. The Program has also received support from many corporate bodies within Vietnam. With Trish’s retirement, the Program will be run by her Vietnamese Team.
That’s how Melbourne Rotary Club is helping people on Tanna Island, Vanuatu to lift their living standards and health.
President Roy inducted Paul Fraser to the club. Paul will join the Community Service Committee and will be mentored by Roger Thornton. Paul thanked the club for the invitation to join and said that while he had worked professionally for a not for profit organisation, he was keen to experience work as a volunteer. [photo]
