Rotary Club of Leeton - Bulletin (Oct 26, 2023)

Much like the earlier versions of the leading man’s breathing devices and mobility aids, the film was shown using a Rube Goldberg machine of laptops, televisions, and phones. A similar set of technological hiccups as our plucky hero experienced were endured by we viewers.

The full majesty of the art did not fail to register with the audience, however.

‘Breathe’ showed the ups and downs of severe disability, in a time where most people suffering the effects of paralysis and dependent on life support were written off as effectively doomed to die very quickly. This true story followed the family of the remarkable Robin Cavendish and his and his friends and wife, as they advocated for the integration and de-institutionalisation of the severely disabled patients who, in the post war era, were confined to hospital wards - and in the case of Germany, what were technically prisons.

Robin was the first person to use a portable ventilator built into a wheelchair, and proved to the medical community that a better life for people like him was possible and should be worked towards.

The movie also explored the concept of voluntary assisted dying, as part of the same arc of self empowerment and self determination for disabled people. It was a very personal and moving story, and at heart, one of family and love.

‘Breathe’ conveys the important fact that disability, particularly for rich societies like ours, is a social phenomenon. We choose, collectively, through our politics, through our institutions, and through our daily choices, how much any person experiences barriers to living a full life as an individual.

So, while we through Rotary continue our work to eliminate the cause of one of the most challenging forms of disability, we should be mindful of how we choose to relate to people who experience it.

End Polio works at one end of the journey Robin started at the beginning of the movie. So many other great organisations and people work at every other stage.

“Eliminating Polio is Rotary’s greatest mission” was our President Peter’s final statement for the evening.

Good News Story

In 1963 Yanco Agricultural College graduated a pioneering course in Agriculture for rural youth of the day.

A group of 30 odd revisited the Tocal College at Yanco to celebrate 60 Years since graduation.

The Rotary Club catered a grand breakfast on Sunday to finish their weekend.

Congratulations To Kevin Watts and his band for returning to the Yanco Agricultural Institute.

Mental Health

Last week on Wednesday Leeton Rotary was represented at Junee presentation on Are You Bogged Mate? by Brian and Nick.

We had the pleasure of meeting a couple of blokes from the Wagga based Murrumbidgee Mens Group (MMG).

Mary O'Brien presented a compelling alternative to conventional mental health 'talk therapy' which she believes will be more effective for rural men.

Many of the one-size-fits all techniques for helping to coach someone through a difficult patch. Men often don't respond in the same way, and so Mary explored a range of different techniques for helping a mate who seems "bogged".

Closer to home, Rotarians Brian Munro and Nicholas Wright have been collaborating with the Leeton Business Chamber and Leeton Connect to organise the first of four (4) AusPost funded Stories of Resilience networking breakfasts.

The next of these events is scheduled for Wednesday morning the 15th of November at 7.00am.

You can register for the Breakfast by following this link: https://events.humanitix.com/stories-of-resilience-breakfast-15-nov-2023

Free Legal Assistance For Leetonians Experiencing Disadvantage

If you or someone you know need help with a legal issue, but due to your financial situation or other reason, have not been able to access those services, there will be a free legal clinic hosted by the Leeton TAFE on Thursday the 16th November.

Bookings are essential, so please call 1300 488 226 or email: community@intereach.com.au to determine if you are eleigible in a confidential discussion.

Roxy Theatre Progresses Under Local Management

Rotarian Greg Brown assisted the new Project Manager, Katherine Herrmann, as she showed groups of Leeton residents around the Roxy Theatre construction site.

Residents were able to see the current state of the building, including the almost complete steel structural framing.

Almost all the demolition phases have been complete, and with the complex nature of the job, each time demolition occurs it has to be signed off by the engineer.

All the original aesthetic features still present are staying in the final build. The colours of the joinery and other features will be based on both paint scrapings, which revealed the layers underneath from 100 years ago, and heritage investigations. The paint samples were tested and the colours of the original Roxy interior were confirmed to align with the description found in a 1930s news article, and will be rich baroque reds and golds, with a lot of metalic paints being used.

When it is finished, we will be using words like 'sumptuous' and 'luxurious' when we talk about the interior.

District 9705 Conference - Queanbeyan

Three of our Leeton club members, Nicholas, Jennifer, and George, as well as our exchange student Javier, went to the annual District Conference last weekend.

Many interesting topics were covered over the two days, with the resounding favourite being Craig Foster, the keynote speaker, and his presentation about racism and inclusion.

The discussion addressed a wide variety of issues including the recent No vote, Australia's treatment of refugees, and the immigrant experience here and around the world.

Please feel free to approach any of us to discuss what we heard - the emphasis was on humanity, human rights, and nuance. So let's continue that in any discussions we have about these topics in our club.

The weather was beautiful apart from the extremely high pollen count!

Queanbeyan club put on a great event and were very welcoming.