Ralph Befort introduced his old friend from Ski-Patrol and current Aussie Rotarian Cathy Tait from the Rotary Club of Sydney. Ralph and Cathy go way back and we are honored to have her speak to our club with reference to her journey to OZ as well as her Rotary journey and involvement in programs. Cathy Began by explaining how she as a director at Xerox and her retired partner at Deloitte ended up with the opportunity to follow their daughter to Australia and to keep her husband working for Deloitte. The Sydney club is the oldest in Austrailia and was founded with the help of Canadian Rotarians. Cathy joined the club as a way to get involved and to meet people in her new country. Her club has three main committees, Peacebuilders, Youth and Awards(scholarships). These avenues have spearheaded many projects but the one the Cathy came to speak about is the CSWP Clean Slate Without Prejustice program. This is a outside program supported by her Rotary Club, that tackles inner city issues related to violence and poverty in the Redfern area in Sydney. This is a primarily indigenous population that deals with a lot of drugs and violence. The group meets every morning at 6 to fit box and deal deal with social and personal issues. Since it was started with strong support of the Governor General David Hurely and Rotary and other funders, the area of concern has seen a 68% decline in police actionable issues. Incredible.
President Mora thanked Cathy and presented her with an Inukshuk and a thank-you acknowledging a $100 contribution to Polio Plus in her name.