We received the following note from Steven Wells:

I wish to again say a huge thank you to all of your members who came along to the working bee on Saturday. We are so appreciative and thankful for your ongoing support and your willingness to give us your time and effort to help make a difference. The annual garden working bee is a highlight for us and we thank you all for the great success of the day. Staff and patients from the spinal rehabilitation ward have all been looking and chatting about it with enthusiasm and excitement which is fantastic.

We will now spend some time preparing the soil for future planting and will enjoy dreaming and planning about what we will re-plant into this area.

I have also posted a note on our Gardens and Grounds at Austin Health Facebook and Instagram page acknowledging the day and your support.

Please pass on our sincere thanks to all members.

Many thanks

Regards, Steven

Tony Muller spoke about his involvement in the B-24 Liberator Restoration Project.

In 1940, Australia needed bombers and had to choose between three – B-17, B-24 or the Lancaster.  The B-17 didn’t have sufficient range and the Lancaster was impossible to obtain, so the B-24 was selected.  It had a range of 3000 miles and could carry twice the pay load of the B-17.  It included radar, was versatile and could carry passengers (Churchill had one, because it was the only plane that could cross the Atlantic without refuelling).  Australia bought 300.

19,700 B-24s were made, of which 18,300 were of the twin tail variety.  Only 10 remain today.  A group in Werribee decided to rebuild one, so set out to source spare parts wherever they could.  In PNG, a wreck was discovered sitting in kunai grass at the end of an abandoned airstrip.  With the help of Australian Navy personnel and helicopters, the fuselage and wings were recovered and delivered to Port Moresby.  From there, they were shipped to Australia via a sugar ship.  With equipment sourced from elsewhere, sufficient parts have been recovered to fully rebuild the plane.  Currently, it is 70% complete.

The B-24 cannot be fully reconstructed until a new, larger, hangar has been rebuilt. 1.2ha of land have been acquired and $5 million has been allocated to the project.  The hangars themselves are heritage listed because they were made of Australian blackwood during the war when steel was unavailable.  The timber frames were built on the ground, plated together and then lifted into place.

Tony, who has an automotive engineering background, has been working on the project for 18 years and it’s very much a family affair.  Both his brother and his wife are involved, along with 7 other members of his Probus club.  On any particular day, 20-25 men turn up to work, while ladies run the shop.

The B-24 Restoration Project is totally self-funded and relies on donations and bequeaths.  Visitors are most welcome ($5 entry plus a guided tour) to the site on the corner of Farm Road and Princes Highway, Werribee.

Acting President: Tom Callander.

Chairman: Stuart Ellis

Visiting Rotarians & Guests

• Gabriel del Rio Clavija, Rotary Club of Santafe de Bogota, with interpreter Catalina Novoa.
• Stuart Cardell, Rotary Club of Southbank.
• Meghan Bergamin.
• Trang Du, from Two Square Pegs, representing Cities of Yarra and Morelands’ Youth Entrepreneur Program.

Announcements

• Stuart Ellis: Flavia Minikus is currently on safari and will be back to talk to us again soon.  The Melbourne Star visit was a success even though the cabin windows steamed up!!
• Russell Rolls: Bob Glindemann has been overwhelmed by more than 60 people responding to his call for DIK volunteers on Saturday, April 28, so needs only those who can attend for the whole day.
• Peter Duras: Sue and he assisted RC Albert Park last Saturday with a sausage sizzle at Bunnings Port Melbourne.  RCM has now been offered four more dates, including Sunday, April 29.  Peter will send an email with dates, seeking volunteers.
• Tom Callander exchanged banners with Gabriel del Rio Cavijo.  Gabriel, who will be AG in his District (4281) next year, talked about his club, Santafe de Bogota, and two of its main projects -
• - the provision of prosthetics to Colombian landmine victims through a Foundation Global Grant.           
• - treatment and rehabilitation of cleft pallet sufferers.
• President’s Announcements
  • The next vocational visit will be to the College of Anaesthetists on May 23.  If you wish to attend, either contact Kevin Love or book through our website.
  • Two new member applications have been received, from Dominic Varrasso and Malcolm Fielden, both of whom have visited the club a number of times.
  • Rotary Youth Volunteer Information and Declaration Form.  Everyone needs to complete one of these forms, either in hard copy or on line.
  • Last weekend, Anne and Tom visited Deniliquin, location of the WWII 7^th Flying Training School, and discovered a war grave cemetery there with graves of 27 young trainee pilots, who never even made it to the theatre of war.

Member Talk – Rohan Williams

Rohan talked about the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF), which his daughter Kate attended two years ago.  The NYSF runs three times a year, either at ANU or the University of Queensland.  Rotary has been involved since the program’s inception 34 years ago.  Its role is to select and support Year 12 school students interested in STEM subjects, who have been accepted onto the program.

Students attending NYSF attend lectures, participate in experiments and interact with scientists, engineers and researchers in an environment that simulates Years 1 & 2 university activities.  Potential benefits from the program:
            - it provides excellent information for selecting a university course.
            - it helps to improve interpersonal skills.
            - it motivates students to excel through school, university and life.

Closing

Once again, the joker escaped discovery in the swindle pack.  Tom Callander closed the meeting at 8:45am.