Birthday		Induction
17 March	Malcom Price	2 Mar 1970	Alan Bowes
28 March	Jim Dwyer	5 Mar 1957	Ron Rauert
31 March	Duncan Stalker	9 Mar 2010	Marie Bennett
		20 Mar 1979	Ron Bishop
		16 Mar 2010	Jane Chislett

Rotarians are reminded that if you are unable to attend on the night you are rostered, it is your responsibility to find someone to fill your role.
Role	17 March	24 March
Invocation	Rachel Furnell	Tony Austin
Fellowship	Jim Hanrahan	Bunny Hinchcliff
Attendance	Ian Cairns	John Stuckey
Attendance	Tony Austin	Robert Cuzens
Properties	Terry O'Neill	Brian Trenery
Properties	John Nisbet	Jim Dwyer
Fines	Doug Maclean	Ian Cairns
Chair	Svet Lineham	TBA
Reporter	Jim Hanrahan	Mary Fitzgerald
Reporters
1st Tuesday	Andrew Womersley
2nd Tuesday	Isobel Siebel
3rd Tuesday	Jim Hanrahan
4th Tuesday	Mary Fitzgerald
5th Tuesday	Svet Lineham

President Marie welcomed everyone to the meeting, including Mitch Mitchell, a friend of Alan Bowes and is a regular visitor, and PDG Ray Welsford OAM, our guest speaker and who is also a member of the Warrnambool East Rotary Club.

 

The Chair, PDG Brian Trenery introduced PDG Ray Welsford OAM. Ray's background is in education and he was the Principal of Warrnambool College until his retirement in 1996. Ray is a member of the Rotary Club of Warrnambool East and has been a Rotarian for many years. Many will remember him as this District's Governor during 1998-99. Ray has been a great help to Brian in his Rotary career and served as Brian's District Trainer during his year as Governor.

Since retiring from full time employment, Ray has almost been working full time with his various volunteer commitments which have included being a part of the TAFE Board, the SEAL Board, Rotary, and Flagstaff Hill. Hi is also an active member of the local genealogical society and spends a lot of time helping people uncover information about their relatives with connections to the local area. Another of his passions is the local cemetery where he regularly runs tours, focusing on the stories of the many interesting people who are buried there.

Ray was recognised for his contributions to Rotary and the community with an Order of Australia Medal in January 2011.

Ray provided an extremely interesting presentation on the Warrnambool cemetery which dates back to 1847 when Warrnambool was gazetted. The first Trustees of the Warrnambool Cemetery (the "Burying Ground") were appointed on 13 June 1854. There are a number of soldier's graves in the cemetery which have the government standard issue bronze plaque. Other family graves bear the names of soldiers whose bodies were never recovered. One grave of note was that of John Wickenton and the gravestone states that he served at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. Although the Battle of Waterloo occurred on this date, there are some who doubt that he had enlisted by 1815.

With the centenary of the outbreak of World War 1, Ray has been seeking to identify graves in the cemetery where family have recorded name and other details of men who died and are buried overseas. There is no list, so Ray walks and reads. So far 40 graves have been found.

Our cemetery is the resting place of two Policemen who died in the line of duty. Constable William M Sharrock who posthumously received the Police Gold Medal for Bravery. He lost his life when trying to rescue a number of people when the pleasure boat NESTOR sank shortly after leaving on an afternoon cruise up th Hopkins to Jubilee Park. The other Policemen was Constable Daniel O'Boyle who was on duty preparing the Court House for sittings later in the day of 5 August 1863, when he was struck on the head with a stonemason's hammer by a prisoner. He later died in hospital from his wounds. Following a publication of a book detailing Police Officers killed on duty, both these graves, which were in disrepair, were brought to the attention of the Police Force which has since renovated the graves. O'Boyle's grave was difficult because the plot had since been sold to another family who had been buried on top of his grave, and the cemetery had his name recorded incorrectly as Boyle.

There were graves for convicts, a Dr Boyd who was buried in a tomb, and also parliamentarians John Murray and Sir Ronald Mack. John Murray was the 23rd Premier of Victoria from 8 January 1909 to 18 May 1912 (3 years 131 days). His headstone recognises his role as MLA but not Premier. This grave is in very bad repair and is earmarked for future renovation.

PDG thanked Ray for his interesting presentation and presented him with a certificate representing a mosquito net donated to a family in Papua New Guinea on his behalf.

There was one grave for William and Anne Bartlett which had the appearance of a tomb and could possibly house the coffin above ground.

District 9780, 2015 Conference is fast approaching and Rotarians and partners are reminded to register as soon as possible. If accommodation is required, it is suggested you book, as availability is very limited. Please refer to the Conference website for registration and accommodation arrangements.

www.rotary9780conference.com.au (or click on the image above).

 

Rotarians and friends of District 9780.

In my role as district Foundation Fundraising Chair regularly I am asked questions and also make some observations which I am going to share with you. Firstly The Rotary Foundation is our charity and we should know what its and our goals are:

Eradicate polio, our top priority/.

Build a sense of ownership of our Foundation among Rotarians through their contributions to the Annual Programs Fund, the Permanent Fund, and our Rotary Peace Centres .

Continue our progress on the Future Vision plan and align our service projects with the six areas of focus

 Peace and conflict prevention/ resolution

 Disease prevention and treatment

 Water and sanitation

 Maternal and child health

 Basic education and literacy

 Economic and community development

Source: http://www.rotary.org.au/en/FOUNDATION/Pages/default.html

Secondly being the engine room of Rotary it needs fuel. Rotarians are not good fuel but what is in their and others pockets is. In district 9780 we have some very generous Rotarians who contribute to TRF, but it is a few who are carrying the many. Ideally we would like every Rotarian contribute USD100 to The Rotary Foundation in our district annually, "EREY - Every Rotarians Every Year", this is $2 per week, less than a cup of coffee a week. If every Rotarian in district was a Centurion (contribute AUD100) to the foundation would could contribute over $190000 to The Rotary Foundation by this simple act before any other contributions from clubs and others.

OK here are my observations and general responses to questions:

Q. Do I get sent an account or reminder for my Centurion renewal? A. No, it is due annually and relies on the Rotarian to forward their contribution to the District Fundraising Chair. This is your reminder!

Q. Which Foundation Fund do I contribute to?

A. You get to choose but most goes to two of The Foundation Funds being:

o SHARE Fund (Annual Fund); where is invested with RI and 3 year later the district receives 50% back to use for our District projects as D.D.F. Remainder is used for RI programs and for Polio Eradication if Polio Plus Fund is short.

o Polio Plus Fund; goes directly to the eradication of Polio.

Q. Can I contribute towards my PHF? A. The PHF is the recognition of the contribution of US$1000 to The Rotary Foundation. All individual contributions are credited to the individual’s contribution account. When it reaches US$1000 the individual may apply for their PHF in their or some other individual’s name. And yes, you can have more than one PHF. If you have been given a PHF, build on it to become a multiple PHF by contribution to The Rotary Foundation.

Q. If I purchase a PHF am I buying a Rotary award? A. A PHF is not an award, never has been and should not be used as such. Any person or club can contribute to any accredited The Rotary Foundation funds for a PHF. Contribution via Australian Rotary Foundation Trust are Tax Deductable.

Q. Where does a club or individual forward contributions for The Rotary Foundation? A. All club and individual contributions should be sent to the District 9780 Fundraising Chair (see top of page) for processing. It should be with either the club contribution form if a club is sending club or individual contributions or, on an individual form if a Rotarian or person is sending a contribution. Cheque (crossed)), Visa and MasterCard can be used for any contributions. See bottom of page to get form.

Q. Are contributions to The Rotary Foundation Tax deductable? A. All contributions made to "The Australian Rotary Foundation Trust" over $2 are tax deductable in AU. Cheque needs to be made out to: The Australian Rotary Foundation Trust and made not negotiable or crossed.

Q. I have sent off my Centurion form but never received a badge and certificate? A. Any contribution form sent directly to Parramatta (RI offices in Sydney) are not recorded in our district records as only Districts manages the Centurion Program. If a club wishes to send contributions directly to RI Parramatta, ensure the district chair is sent copy please. As Fund Raising Chair, we are not given any details of contributions sent directly to Parramatta other than financial reports.

Q. What happens when I send a contribution form that is missing my Rotary ID and / or Club ID or a contribution without a form? A. This delays processing. Missing information needs to be included on contribution form and I have to go and find this information and include it. RI only knows Rotarian by their Club ID and their individual ID unless you are Bill Gates. Your Rotary ID is on your RDU magazine, otherwise your club secretary can supply your club ID and your individual ID to you.

Q. What is the Paul Harris Society? A. The Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who contribute US$1,000 or more annually to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or approved Global Grants, whilst they are in a position to do so. District 9780 has 12 PHS members but we have many more who are eligible now who just need to apply.

Q. Why do some people have different PHF badges and some have gemstones? A. There are two different types of PHF badge. The earlier one was small and very plain badge where the later ones are larger. Badges with stones signify multiple PHF status. The number and types of stones indicate how many PHF recognitions they have.

Q. When can I contribute to The Rotary Foundation? A. Anytime in the financial year but to avoid the rush in June I and RI need your contributions to me by the end of May to process and then to forward to Parramatta to be included in the same club year.

Q. Can any person contribute to The Rotary Foundation? A. Yes, Rotaractors, Probus, etc. and others who have no Rotary affiliation can contribute to The Rotary Foundation.

If all else fails go to the District 9780 Web site http://www.rotary9780.org/ click on Foundation and the for the correct forms click on Centurion for the moment. Just down load and complete the form for your individual or your club situation and forward to me as per the instructions on the bottom of the printed form. If you have a question that is not covered here please contact me or PDG Brian Trenery for assistance.

GOLF MATCH

The Pope met with his Cardinals to discuss a proposal made by Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of Israel.

"Your Holiness ", said one of his Cardinals, Mr. Netanyahu wants to challenge you to a game of golf to show the friendship and ecumenical spirit shared by the Jewish and Catholic faiths."

The Pope thought this was a good idea, but he had never held a golf club in his hand. "Don't we have a Cardinal to represent me?" he asked.

"None that plays very well," a Cardinal replied. "But," he added, "There is a man named Jack Nicklaus, an American golfer who is a devout Catholic. We can offer to make him a Cardinal, and then ask him to play Mr. Netanyahu as your personal representative. In addition to showing our spirit of cooperation, we'll also win the match. "

Everyone agreed it was a good idea, and the call was made. Of course, Nicklaus was honored to be made a Cardinal, and agreed to play.

The day after the match, Cardinal Nicklaus reported to the Vatican to inform the Pope of the result. "I have some good news and some bad news, your Holiness," said the golfer.

"Tell me the good news first, Cardinal Nicklaus," said the Pope.

"Well, your Holiness, I don't like to brag, but even though I've played some pretty terrific rounds of golf in my life, this was the best I have ever played, by far. I must have been inspired from above. My drives were long and true, my irons were accurate and purposeful, and my putting was perfect. With all due respect, my play was truly miraculous."

"And what's the bad news?" the Pope asked.

Nicklaus sighed. "I lost to Rabbi Tiger Woods by three strokes."