PRESIDENT'S POST

Posted by Andrew Crockett
This week President Andrew reports on the presentation of some awards for notable contributions to the Club in 2021/22, and thanks members for their generous support of the Camcare Food Project in its first week.
 
Numbers were down at today’s Club meeting due to illness and several members travelling interstate and overseas.
 
Our speaker today was Natalie Johnson, a social worker and Team Leader of the Salvation Army's Homelessness East Community Connections Program.  Natalie spoke about their work supporting homeless people, and people in risk of homelessness, to find accommodation and access other services they need.  One of the Program’s partners is Reclink which runs sports and arts programs for disadvantaged people, including those with physical or mental disabilities, or recovering from addictions. One of the teams that play in the Reclink AFL series, the Salvo Hawks, has been sponsored by our Club since 2017.  Natalie thanked the Club for its continuing support and encouraged members to attend matches when the Salvo Hawks play on their home ground in Hawthorn.  See a report on Natalie’s talk below.
 
Another welcome guest at today’s meeting was Rotarian James Carter, the President of the RC Camperdown who was visiting Melbourne.
 
Later in the meeting Youth Service Director, Geoff Wright, gave us an update on the Club’s programs for students at Auburn High School.  Geoff’s report is below.
 
Presentations
It was my pleasure today to recognise notable contributions to the Club last year by three members who had been unable to attend the Changeover Dinner on 25 June.  
 
            
  • Sue Zidziunas received Avenue of Service Awards for Club Service and Community Service.
  • Geoff Wright received the Avenue of Service Award for Youth Service and a Certificate of Appreciation for Service as a member of the Board in 2021/22.
  • Noel Halford received the Avenue of Service ward for Vocational Service, the Bulletin Contributors award and a Certificate of Appreciation for Service as a member of the Board in 2021/22.
Camcare Food project
Today’s meeting was the first opportunity for members to donate non-perishable foodstuffs to Camcare.  This is a new community project for the Club which will run during July and August.  The donated products will be distributed by Camcare through its Emergency Assistance service.
Our thanks to all those members who generously donated produce at today’s meeting (see accompanying photo). The Camcare Food trolly will be next to the Front Desk at each Kooyong meeting during July and August so please bring along one or two items each week.
 
Forthcoming events
Club meetings and events
The schedule of Club meeting and events from July to December has been posted on the homepage of the Club’s website.  Please note the dates. 
 
‘Lift the Lid’ on Mental Illness Lunch 
Charlotte England reminded members to book for the ‘Lift the Lid’ on Mental Illness Lunch on Friday 7 October.  This is the most important event in the Club’s calendar over the next six months and will be the Club’s main fundraiser for the year.  We hope that members will invite several guests to join them at the dinner.
 
Fixer’s meeting 11 July
The Fixers will meet next Monday evening by Zoom to discuss the topic ’What is the future of Europe and has the European Union outlived its usefulness’. 
If you haven’t been to one of our Special Interest Group meetings before and would like to see what it’s like please contact me so I can send you the Zoom link for the meeting which runs for one hour from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm.
 
Board meeting 12 July
The Club’s Board will hold its first meeting for 2022/23 next Tuesday.  Items of special business on the agenda include a proposal to join with Rotary Glenferrie and Rotary Camberwell to host a Dinner at Kooyong for RI Convention delegates in May next year, and the Vocational Service Committee’s plans to hold some Enterprise Forums during the year. 
I will report on the outcome of the meeting at the Club meeting on 19 July.
 
Next Club meeting
There is no Club meeting next week being the second Tuesday and so our next meeting is at Kooyong on 19 July. The speaker at that meeting will be our International Service Director, Dr Peter Lugg, who will talk about how his work as an Orthopaedic Surgeon in Cambodia has changed in recent years.  A talk not to be missed.
Until then please stay safe, warm and well.  
 
 
 
 
Thought for the Week
Given our talk today was about homelessness in the community I thought a reflection on the needs of homeless people would be appropriate.
 
Don’t try to drive the homeless into places we find suitable. Help them survive in places they find suitable. 
- Daniel Quinn
 
Daniel Quinn (1935-2018) was an American author, cultural critic, and publisher of educational texts, best known for his novel Ishmael, which won the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award in 1991.  Ishmael was the first of a loose trilogy of novels that included The Story of B and My Ishmael which brought him increasing fame during the 1990s. One of Quinn's most controversial ideas was his claim in Ishmael and The Story of B, that the total human population grows and shrinks according to food availability, and the catastrophic real-world conclusions he drew from this.