Dorothy gave a passionate and thought-provoking talk on the many, often subtle, forms that family abuse may take.  She encouraged us to be proactive in responding to abuse of which we become aware by adopting the three ‘Rs’:

1. 1.    Recognise the signs of abuse.
2. 2.    Raise your concerns ‘safely’ with the victim.
3. 3.    Refer to professional support or make the call yourself.  

See below for a full report on Dorothy’s talk.

Member milestones 

Last week I managed to overlook two birthdays – Denbigh Richards on 23 November and Dennis Shore on 28 November.

This week two more members celebrate their birthdays - Delphine Genin on 29 November and Noel McInnes on 1 December.

Many Happy Returns to all of you.

Presentation 

Another special guest today was PDG Murray Verso, District Chair of the Rotary Foundation, who presented a banner to Immediate Past President Tilak for being the third top donating club per capita in District 9800 in the 2020-2021 Rotary year.

He also presented Katrina Flinn with a District Service Award for her work as the District Stewardship Chair.

I thank all those Club members who give so generously each year to the Rotary Foundation and congratulate Katrina for this further recognition of her untiring efforts in support of Rotary causes. 

Special interest groups

The Club’s special interest groups will meet on Monday 6 December. The Bookworms will be discussing a recent publication, Enid by Robert Wainwright, and the Fixers will be discussing whether public transport should be free.  New members are always welcome – contact me if you’d like to join us.

Port of Melbourne Tour

Forty-one members, partners and friends have booked for the Port of Melbourne Tour which will take place next Tuesday in lieu of a Club meeting. The bus will leave from Zelman Cowan Park (opposite Kooyong LTC) at 8:30 am sharp and we ask that you aim to get there and parked by 8:20 am.  The bus will arrive back at Kooyong at approximately 12.30 pm.

Christmas Dinner 16 December

Don’t forget to register for the Club’s final event for this calendar year, the Christmas Dinner at Kooyong on Thursday 16 December. Invitations have been emailed to members.

Taverners Raffle

Details of this year’s Taverners raffle have been sent to everyone, including the Club specific link for purchasing tickets online. The raffle is an important source of funds for the Club since we received $2.50 for each $5 ticket sold. The money raised through ticket purchases will go towards Community Projects and the Lift the Lid on Mental Illness lunch in March. Please encourage family and friends to buy tickets.

Thought for the Week

Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. 

- Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer. Born sometime around the 6th-5th Century BC he is considered to be the father of Taoism. While Lao Tzu was a contemporary of Confucius, their respective philosophies, Taoism and Confucianism, were distinct responses to the social and political conditions in China at the time. While Confucianism addresses conduct, social relationships and society, Taoism deals more with individualistic character and a spiritual, nature-centred approach to life.