District Governor 9510 David Jones Area Governor (Group 10) Shiralee Judge
Club President Shawn Hutchinson Club Immediate Past President Rod Cooper
Club President Elect James Hawker Club Secretary Florence Yeardley
Meeting Monday, 01/03/2021
Number 2528
Mount Barker Summit. Photo by Ray Taylor.
Rotary International President Holger Knaack and Susanne Knaack and District 9510 Governor David Jones and Lyn Jones
Report of the Meeting
Sergeant Ian Rose opened the meeting.
Invocation: Michael Bagshaw
Loyal Toast: Karen Nolan
President Shawn Hutchinson
President Shawn welcomed Rotarians and guests: Friend Of Rotary, Kathy Horn, Judy Hawker and Mark Clemow.
Thanked IPP Rod for standing in at last week's meeting.
Pres. Shawn, Peter Baur, Jack Cooper and Bob Gower travelled to Operation Flinders' Yankanina Station last week as part of a 28 person work party. They were tasked with putting a roof on one of the Royal Adelaide Hospital donated sheds. It was windy , the shed is over 6 metres in height and some of the iron sheets were over 3 metres in length.
On the first day, Peter and Shawn tried to use the cherry picker which they had taken up. It was jerky and slow and would not operate well. Our team then went back to using the crates on the forklift.
On the second day, the team was joined by Jamie, a very experienced cherry picker driver, who could readily manoeuvre the machine and this meant that they could finally begin the roofing. The work was hot and tiring and Peter, as usual, worked very hard from on top of the roof. They were able to fully finish one roof but were unable to complete the second one as they ran out of roofing iron.
Overall, the team was excellent, a great time was had and the Op Flinders staff and volunteers looked after our team very well.
Our club should be proud as this was the 4th largest shed, our club built the rain water tank and partially funded the tractor and fully funded the motor bike and the goat trailer. Our club's bond with Op Flinders is strong and they appreciate what we do for them.
Op Flinders' 30th birthday party is to be held on 12th March at the Sir Thomas Elder Rotunda at the Adelaide Zoo from 7-10pm. Cost is $60 for including food and beverages. Please see Shawn if you would like to attend.
If the new members think the club is getting busy, a reminder that in recent years we have volunteered at 60 events in 51 weeks.
The change over dinner for this year will be held on Saturday, 26th June. Put this date in your diaries.
Shed not finished but this is how it looks now. A BIG shed.
In Yankanina, Shawn and Peter in the boom lift with Bob Gower supervising and Jack Cooper taking the photograph.
The Op Flinders theme bracelet "No Courage Without Fear" was presented to the team.
Jack Cooper proudly wearing his Op Flinders shirt
The shirt back view.
Rotary Overseas Recycled Playgrounds
Rotary Overseas Recycled Playgrounds began as a project of the Rotary Club of Flemington Kensington, collecting unwanted playgrounds from councils and schools and sending them to disadvantaged overseas communities. This is environmental sustainability in action. Starting with a single playground to a girls school in Sri Lanka, this project has now collected over 50 playgrounds from across Victoria and sent them to Timor Leste, the Philippines and Tanzania as well as Sri Lanka. The RORP story continues to grow and has now expanded across Victoria to encompass all Rotary Districts and has seen 4 containers shipped to date.
Our club now has the opportunity to begin this project in South Australia. Peter attended a meeting on Tuesday with the council and a contractor to establish logistics at Anembo playground.
Interestingly, our own Jack Cooper remembers building this playground with other members of our club in days gone by.
Two other councils, Murray Bridge and Marion, have been in touch with Peter regarding playgrounds. Peter advised the club that a sub committee needs to be set up to handle this venture as it is very involved and time consuming.
The Anembo Park playground is situated in the sporting and recreation grounds in Littlehampton.
Community Service and Fund Raising Director
Peter Baur
Thanks to Jack, Mike, Richard and Paul who helped clean the donut van
Yankanina Trip-Shawn, Jack, Bob Gower and Peter attended. Towed up a boom lift paid for by the RC Mt Barker. Found a boom lift operator, Jamie, at Yankanina who was very helpful. Finished wall, dug holes for Roll-a -Door posts, built cages and concreted them in place. When the wind eased able to install insulation and roof on shed#2 and part of shed #1. Next working party 22/3-26/3.
Carola's Cleanup-Tuesday 4th march 0900. 4 people, 2 trailers required.
Mt Barker Show -Saturday 27th March. Cook bbq, sausages, egg and bacon sandwiches and hamburgers.
OnkaBrix-Also Saturday 27th March and Sunday 28th. Cook donuts. As this date clashes with the show the club has declined this request.
Conquer the Summit-Sunday 21st March
Membership Director James Hawker
Remember the upcoming network evening on the 15th March. An email will be sent around. Costs are $25 for Rotarians. This includes $15 for food and $6 for drinks. Please give James your guest numbers by the 5th March . Directors, please give the names of your speakers to James.
Format- Pres. Shawn will represent the club. Speakers will include new member, Michael Bagshaw, the Operation Flinders club director, Jack Newton will speak about "Why I Joined Rotary", Karen will speak about Youth Projects, Lachlan Peter form the RC Blakiston will speak. There will be a raffle. Please bring in a bottle of wine or a contribution for this. On arrival all will receive a voucher for a free drink. Then the bar will be open.
Hungry No More
Club coordinator, Judy hawker, reminded us that 9 people are involved with this project to be held on the 21st March. She thinks she has enough volunteers. If you can't be there you may wish to donate. The menu will be chicken, lettuce, tomato, beetroot and potato salad, icecream and fruit salad. Judy will be grateful for donations of tomatoes and/ or shredded lettuce. The shift begins at 5:00 pm at the Uniting Church. 60 plates of food are required. Chlldren attend for a meal every week. There is a commercial dishwasher to be operated.
Operation Flinders Michael Bagshaw
A full complement of students attended. All were presented with the theme bracelet, No Courage Without Fear, which sums up all that they do. The attendees are at first fearful and then when they get there at the end they are courageous kids! The organisation needs funds.
Youth Programs Director Karen Nolan
The Women in Rotary breakfast will be held on Wednesday 3rd March. 2 students from De La Salle College, 2 from Cornerstone college and 2 from Mont Barker High School will attend. This is an opportunity for both students and teachers to find out a little more about Rotary. Jane Doyle will be the guest speaker. The students will adress our club at a later date.
Conquer the Summit
Paul Wagener, committee member, reminded us that this event will be held on the 21st March. Shifts will be from 0800 til late morning. Peter will send around a roster. Please volunteer for positions as Traffic or COVID Marshalls.
Foodbank
Did you know that Foodbank was started by a Queensland Rotarian?
A request for $1,000 has been made for Foodbank to purchase food.
Carola explained that the money could be used to buy food here and then take it to Foodbank, Murray Bridge, or donate the funds and Foodbank will purchase.
Members agreed that they already assist local communities with food supplies.
Pres. Shawn asked the club members to vote. All were in favour of donating the above funds to Foodbank.
Area Governor Group 10 Shiralee Judge
Shiralee attended Area Governor training last weekend. Helen Charles, Past President of this club, has been appointed as Area Governor of Group 9.
Shiralee explained that some clubs have a box where members can donate a food or toiletry item which is then donated to communities in need.
Guest Speaker Mike McDonald
Mike was introduced by Jack Cooper.
Mike is a Director and shareholder of McDonald Patafta Group Pte Ltd (Singapore) and heads our Australian office based in Adelaide as well as working closely with our offices in Singapore, Belgium and Lao PDR.
He has had a career spanning over 40 years as a corporate advisor and lawyer working and advising in many corporate and business sectors worldwide.
He has fulfilled roles as an executive and in house counsel within the Bell Group and at TVW Channel 7 in Perth where he was company secretary. He then worked as corporate counsel within Delhi Petroleum and CSR Limited in Adelaide, before founding McDonald Steed McGrath Lawyers in 1988 in Australia specialising in corporate advisory, international trade and business law, overseas direct investment between Australia and the ASEAN region , energy and resources and migration law. Mike retired as a partner of the firm in 2011.
In 2008 he founded McDonald Steed McGrath Lawyers (now McDonald Patafta & Associates Lawyers) as the first Australian law firm to be established in Lao PDR with it’s office based in Vientiane and is Managing
Director of that firm.
Mike advises on project start ups, governmental relations, joint ventures, foreign investment and trade, transactional corporate/commercial matters and in facilitating strategic business alliances. He is skilled in dealing with cross
jurisdictional issues and in the negotiation of acquisitions and disposals.
He has served as a director on both private and public companies and has participated as a promoter and shareholder in new business start ups including the listing of public companies.
Mike has also served as advisor/consultant to the Government of South Australia on energy contracting matters and negotiations, the Australian Government on international trade matters and as legal advisor to the Government of Lao on its participation in hydroelectric and energy projects.
Present Laos traces its historic and cultural identity to Lan Xang, which existed from the 14th century to the 18th century as one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia.
Because of its central geographical location in Southeast Asia, the kingdom became a hub for overland trade and became wealthy economically and culturally. After a period of internal conflict, Lan Xang broke into three separate kingdoms—Luang Phrabang, Vientiane, and Champasak. In 1893, the three territories came under a French protectorate and were united to form what is now known as Laos. It briefly gained independence in 1945 after Japanese occupation but was recolonised by France until it won autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in 1953, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. A post-independence civil war began, which saw the communist resistance, supported by the Soviet Union, fight against the monarchy that later came under influence of military regimes supported by the United States.
After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the communistPathet Lao came to power, ending the civil war. Laos was then dependent on military and economic aid from the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991.
The politically and culturally dominant Lao people make up 53.2% of the population, mostly in the lowlands. Mon-Khmer groups, the Hmong, and other indigenous hill tribes live in the foothills and mountains. Laos' strategies for development are based on generating electricity from rivers and selling the power to its neighbours, namely Thailand, China, and Vietnam, as well as its initiative to become a "land-linked" nation, as evidenced by the construction of four new railways connecting Laos and neighbours.
Laos has been referred to as one of Southeast Asia and Pacific's fastest growing economies by the World Bank with annual GDP growth averaging 7.7% since 2009.
Laos is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast and Thailand to the west and southwest
Mike says that as the people are Buddhists they are very happy.
The Laos government and conservation groups estimate there are only about 800 elephants left in the country — 400 wild elephants, 400 in captivity.
One of the most rugged, unspoiled countries on earth, Laos is like a lost world that has breathtaking mountain vistas, colorful mountain tribes, and majestic Buddhist temples around every corner.
According to the World Bank, Laos has one of the highest poverty rates in Southeast Asia. Approximately 80 percent of the rural population works in subsistence farming. The economy relies heavily on such capital-intensive natural resource exports as copper, gold, and timber.
A week in Laos can cost you about $189 (per person)
Yes, there is a Rotary Club in Laos. The Rotary Club of Vientiane. Chartered 18 October 2006. The population of Laos is around 7 million, population of Vientiane about 900,000.
There is only one Rotary Club in Laos which meets every 2nd Monday at Tetchan-net Training Centre from 6.30pm to 7.30pm The club has about 12 members.
Projects include:
Goods for Handicapped Centres
Sports equipment for a primary School
Mentoring for University Students helping them get jobs
Attending a Snail disease fever protection seminar
Have you registered for the Conference yet?
Registrants will celebrate 100 years of Rotary in Australia and are choosing a decade and dressing up for the Gala Dinner at the Convention Centre. Our club has decided on 1921- the flapper era!
Sergeant at Arms - Ian Rose
As always, ran a successful session raising much needed funds for club extras.
And a word of advice. Beware of shops where they take your temperature. They are actually erasing your memory. He recently went in for a bottle of milk and came out with 6 bottles of wine!
President Shawn's thought for the week:
" You are not merely here to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."
