Pres Chat 18/8

BUGSY’S BANTER 25th AUGUST 2021

National Youth Science Forum
NYSF Coordinator Rotarian Allan McKinnon informed me that Will Glisner will now go before a selection panel and be interviewed to ensure he a suitable candidate. However Allan informed me that the work assignments that Will submitted as part of his selection requirement was exceptional. Will’s principal at Emmanuel could not speak highly enough of Will’s attitude, work ethic and manners and recommended that Will be taken on for the NYSF 2021.

    Scholarship
    I spoke with Rotarian Bruce Smith of the Torquay Rotary Club about their scholarship they run for the schools in their area. Bruce was not completely up with the program but informs me he will email me all the correspondence of their scholarship program once he finds out more.

    Ian Watson
    Ian is once again building a vehicle for his PNG project and hopes to have this completed by Christmas so that it can be shipped to PNG early in the New Year.

    Fire Warning - Summer Fire Seasons
    The number of high-risk bushfire days could triple in some parts of Victoria by the end of the century, caused by human induced climate change.

    The research, published this month in the International Journal of Wildland Fire, found that under different emissions scenarios both mean and extreme fire danger are expected to increase in Victoria.
     
    State-wide, research modelling indicates a 10 to 20 per cent increase in extreme Forest Fire Danger Index, with the greatest change projected in the north-west region.
     
    However, the greatest relative change in the number of 'Very High' days per year will be in central and eastern parts of the state where there is a projected doubling and tripling, respectively in the number of 'Very High' days. Report co-author, CFA Manager Research and Development Dr Sarah Harris, said scenarios used in the research show increased temperature, caused by human-induced climate change, to be the main driver of hightened fire danger.
     
    Changes in temperature, humidity and rainfall during spring and early summer mean the fire season will continue to start earlier and run longer. As a flow-on effect, springtime opportunities for prescribed burning could reduce," she said.
     
    CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said he was proud of CFA's robust research program which he said brought further understanding of the impacts of climate change in the contest of firefighting.
     
    "As firefighters, we see the effects of these longer and more severe fire seasons and it's important that we turn our minds towards what firefighting looks like in the not-too-distant future," he said.
     
    "CFA is undertaking work to identify challenges brought on by climate change and increased fire risk, and ways to solve them through adaptation and mitigation.
     
    BIRTHDAYS
    Peter Cassady August 27
    Geoff Grec August 27
     
    MEALS ON WHEELS
    27 Aug         Jan Read
    3 Sept           Barry Moran
    10 Sept         Fiona Steenhuis
    17 Sept         Jan Read
    24 Sept         Cheryl Bellman
     
    ROTARY CLUB OF WARRNAMBOOL, DAYBREAK    
    Minutes of Meeting 25th August 2021
    Format: Zoom at 7am
    Attendance: 21 members, 2 junior Guests
    Apologies:  2 no.
    Presidents Chat:
    - NYSF - Our nominee to Selection Panel, lot of paperwork, 2,000 applicants.
    - Contacted Torquay RC re School Scholarship they run, awaiting further info
    - Met with Ian Watson, preparing truck for delivery to New Guinea at Xmas time
    - Long Term Fire Warning Prediction
     Strategic Plan:
    Jennie conducted a session on Strategic Planning - Opportunities & Threats.
    Sought input from those in attendance.
    Opportunities -
    ·       Molding the club into something more modern and appealing, adapting to change, investigating what other clubs are doing
    ·       Attracting new members with targeted approaches for differing member categories such as the young, active retirement group
    ·       Tap into past members for project support, alumni network
    ·       Merging existing Rotary clubs in Warrnambool
    ·       Use community notice boards, flyers/cards in venues such as motels for advertising & promotion
    ·       Use social media more effectively, advertising for new members, boosting existing programs
    ·       Broaden activities through working with other groups
    o   Expand Friends of Rotary
    o   Joining with other rotary groups to undertake large scale projects
    o   Tap into schools e.g. Clontarf Academy
    ·       Capitalise on virtual activities during COVID e.g. invite a friend to listen in
    ·       Offer a hybrid approach once face-to-face meetings resume
         ·       Applying for grants for projects
     
    Threats - external factors over which we have little control
    ·       Impact of COVID
    ·       Competition for new members e.g. other Rotary Clubs, Probus
    ·       Aging profile of current membership
    ·       Current busy lifestyle of target groups
    ·       Lack of appeal of Rotary
    ·       No signature projects to attract media attention
    ·       Early morning meetings may be a barrier
    ·       Whole of Rotary becoming top heavy and bureaucratic
     
    Member Announcements:
    Care Program - not happening due to Lockdown
    Serge’s Fishing Report: See below. Fish not caught by Serge.
    Meeting Closed: 8.35am