Guest Speakers 2019 - 2020
Throughout the year we invite many people from the community, and beyond, to speak about topics that are of interest to the members. Below are some of the speakers that we have had during the current Rotary year.
If you wish to see who are the upcoming speakers then have a look in the calendar where you will find our Wednesday meetings and who the guest speaker will be. Click on the item and more detail will be revealed. If you are not a member of Rotary but would like to attend a meeting then please contact either our Secretary or our President (details on the home page of the website).
Sonia Fowler & Sandra Schober - Riverland West Chamber of Commerce
9th October 2019
Their marketing includes business, tourism and lifestyle. They have support festivals which takes in the Street, Orange and Rock and Roll with added attractions such as Movie Nights which will be held quarterly for a gold coin donation.
They also extensively advertise, covering areas such as Mount Gambier, The Riverland and Adelaide. They have a Facebook Page and Website.
Paul Wurst - Local Pistachio Grower
25th Sept 2019
He told us of the suitability of Pistachios to our climate and flat land, also to our composition of soil.
Origin: The pistachio tree is native to western Asia and Asia Minor, from Syria to the Caucasus and Afghanistan. Archaeological evidence in Turkey indicates the nuts were being used for food as early as 7,000 B.C. The pistachio was introduced to Italy from Syria early in the first century A.D.
They require very little water, and cold winters and hot summers. Summers are when they need the water. It takes 6-10 years to generate a cash flow. He showed how Pistachios are grafted and also the process of shaking the tree to collect the nuts. Pistachio 'nuts' are in fact a seed.
This was a great insight to the growing and production of Pistachios.
Charles Tambiah - Australian National University
28th Aug 2019
Charles Tambiah gave us an insight in his work on science photography and his work with turtles. As he spoke he displayed many of his award winning photographs. He is employed at the Australian National University, where he is an ARC Researcher with the School of Art and a Science-Art Research/Science Photographer at the Research School of Earth Sciences. Charles' ongoing research focuses on the nexus between Science and Art. He is an accomplished science photographer, with his images being used in research, education and science communication, and exhibited and published in Australia and the USA.
Charles is also an established facilitator in research management and researcher development, specializing in foundation knowledge/skills and frameworks required for successful research practice in the university sector. With an international research background in wildlife management and community engagement, Charles has over 20 years of experience in over 15 countries. His publications include the topics of marine turtle research and conservation, community engagement and participation, ecotourism, art and the environment, and research methods and management.
Melody Trimble - Past Exchange Student
17th July 2019
Melody Trimble grew up in Michigan and was an exchange student through Rotary twenty years ago. Melody lived with a total of 4 families while over here, one of which was with our own Jan Centofante and her husband Tony. As at the time Melody was an only child she found that she had plenty of siblings within the families she stayed with and to this day they are in contact with each other. She also has many friends in town. Melody also thanked Jan and Tony for taking her on a trip to Cairns - something she will never forget. She also mentioned a Polio blazer the students wore and they collected badges along the way, this made the Blazer quite heavy in the end. Hers is still at her parents’ house.Melody now lives in Rochester Minnesota she is now married and has a son Andrew. Her husband Art is Chemistry and Physics teacher. He is also a Wrestling Coach and coaches 100 kids. They also have a Youth Program which has 50-80 kids.
They are active members of Rotary and in Rochester, a city of 110 000 people, they have three clubs.
Melody is working at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. There are nine divisions of the clinic with 3300 employees of which Melody is in charge of fifty. They do 55000 tests a day. She works on genes and DNA in relation to cancers.
Jacqui Isaacson - JAX and CO
3rd July 2019
Jacqui gave her brief history – local girl who travelled extensively – settled back in Waikerie after her second child was born. She and Richard are pistachio growers. Her creative flair drew her into her present activities where she works with mallee tree burls, resin, moulds, shaping, shaving and energetically turning out much sought after pieces of jewellery, spheres (some containing the ashes / hair of much loved pets!), salad servers, individual cheese boards which include the use of shells and sand to others including native blossoms.
They say we are only limited by our imagination – and Jacqui’s imagination never rests and she is continually being challenged by her perspectives and by requests from customers. She supplies eleven shops in SA and four interstate, attends selected two day markets and uses Facebook and modern media for advertising. She believes that being back in Waikerie is where she belongs. In the next twelve months she is cataloguing a Flora calendar for our Waikerie area. Her colourful and creative mandalas show great potential for her catalogue.
