Stories

by Aidan O’Leary Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa

“There’s something about the whole idea of eradicating polio that grabs the imagination,” says Aidan O’Leary. “Most people talk about making steps toward achievements, and it’s almost always into the never-never. Eradication is a zero-sum game; anything short of zero is failure. You keep getting closer and closer, but ultimately the only number that actually matters is zero.”

We believe that exemplifying and embracing diversity,  equity, and inclusion (DEI) should be a part of everything we do at Rotary.   

To ensure we live up to that ideal, the Board of Directors and our DEI Taskforce acted to strengthen the DEI statement originally adopted in 2019.  The result is in a new commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion:

(taken from rotary.org here)

The call went out from New Zealand, and Rotaractors in places as far away as Denmark, Jamaica, Mexico, and Uganda answered. Over 30 days in October and November, they took part in relay races, practiced yoga on the beach, danced, and did pushup and squat challenges, raising awareness — and about NZ$7,000 — for a project to vaccinate 100,000 children in nine countries and territories against three deadly pathogens.

“They were inspired by our story to say, ‘We want to be involved in this. We want to help see these illnesses erased,’” says Becky Giblin, a member of the Rotaract Club of Auckland City, New Zealand

Volunteers work to keep the community of Kingston, Ontario, healthy and safe

by Arnold R. Grahl

Tips to have that talk

Taken from rotary.org

By Joseph Epstein Illustrations by Davide Bonazzi

I only recently learned of The Four-Way Test, one of Rotary’s central principles. It is of special interest in the current day, when truth — or, more precisely, truthfulness — seems to be losing its prestige in public life.  

Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors worked together in a nationwide project that promoted behavior change and initiated safety standards for businesses

by Ryan Hyland

This club develops presentations on a particular subject - conflict, migration, and refugees - to help other clubs improve their projects

by Vanessa Glavinskas

Quentin Wodon, an economist at the World Bank, joined Rotary to share his expertise, to network, and to help others. He has remained a member because he enjoys it. “I have been a Rotarian for 10 years,” says Wodon. “My father was a Rotarian, and I was a Rotaractor in Belgium. I also did Rotary Youth Exchange, so I’ve known Rotary for a long time.”

The people who fill the truly essential roles in society are often in short supply. By Joe Queenan Illustrations by Sébastien Thibault from the RI website

From time to time, societies run low on the things — and the people — they really need. We wake up one day and realize that there are too few doctors. Or far, far, far too few nurses. Or it suddenly dawns on us that there aren’t enough teachers, engineers, or plumbers to go around. There are certainly never enough guys who work well with sheetrock.

by Ryan Hyland rotary.org

Rotary’s 2020 World Polio Day Online Global Update program on 24 October hails this year’s historic achievement in polio eradication: Africa being declared free of the wild poliovirus.

Paralympic medalist and TV presenter Ade Adepitan, who co-hosts this year’s program, says that the eradication of polio in Africa was personal for him. “Since I was born in Nigeria, this achievement is close to my heart,” says Adepitan, a polio survivor who contracted the disease as a child. “I’ve been waiting for this day since I was young.”

The cairn marks the site of Victoria's first quarantine station which was established in 1840. It was erected as a project to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the State of Victoria.

By Rotary Voices staff rotary.org
The COVID-19 crisis has created significant challenges in education. Developing remote learning plans and using new technology compounds the already complex task of teaching children and achieving the desired educational outcomes. Rotarians are quick to want to help, but not all responses have the same kind of impact. Read these suggestions for Rotary clubs wanting to support education sustainably through a global grant project.

“For Ricardo, supporting the community was intrinsic in his DNA, whether it was through his businesses which always seemed to find some way of paying back to the community or in areas such as the Rotary Club, Ricardo was only to happy to lend a hand. Whether it was flipping sausages at Bunnings to raise funds or lobbying politicians, he was always there doing his part to provide support.

• every second Tuesday at 10.30 am - Morning Tea with Alma
• and the following Sunday at 4pm - Sunday Sundowners

EVANSTON, Ill. (October 1,  2020) — Jennifer Jones, member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, will become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a groundbreaking selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the service organization’s 115-year existence.

Last Thursday 22^nd August, we had a most wonderful evening to enjoy and to partake of delicious Cordon Bleu French cooking prepared by 9 cookery students well on their way of their course and 8 front of house students who have almost finished the course and who waited on us superbly! Geoff Gartly was MC and the room was decorated with French flags and serviettes. Clemence Vandercruyssen was introduced to us and we all introduced our friends and partners. There was a very relaxed atmosphere.

There is a photo album of this event here.

The ‘Run for Change’ community event started about 6:00 to 6:30am on Sunday morning.  The event is always well organised and was again assisted by the RCBMC along with students from Holmesglen Training facility

The RCBMC had in attendance Greg O’S (Chef supreme), the versatile Grant P (without whom the BBQ’s and storage unit would not have been there), Peter O’B ( rubbing shoulders with the upcoming chefs), Margaret M ( learning new cooking skills), Terry K (who travelled from St Albans to provide her expertise in BBQing) and of course the club photographer and President IB

The house the Club owns in a Bayside suburb of Melbourne was damaged by fire late last year. After a complex insurance claim it has now been restored, And is now ready to hand back to ‘Launch Housing’ to accommodate a family escaping domestic violence. To get ready for this the Club had a working bee on Saturday. Ron B organised this which was attended by Pres Ian, Peter O’B, Grant P, John and Margaret M, Marilyn B, with Geoff Gledhill doing an early shift as he was busy in the arvo. Work completed included tree and shrub pruning, planter bed edging, window cleaning, general tidying up of the garden and grounds and some planting, and filling the Hopper with the rubbish.

Belola (Balilbo) School Project 65% Complete

Please see pictures below, courtesy of Terry Bracks at BHT. Our Belola School project is at 65% of construction and progressing fast. It is now a race between the builders finishing and our fit-out container arriving in Balibo/Belola. We are still confident it will all come together by end of October 2018.

The youth of today are tomorrow’s future and it is important that we support them.

McKinnon Secondary college’s Interact club which RCBMC proudly sponsors and supports held its major annual fund-raising event on Friday last 17^th August in the school grounds starting at 9am and concluding at 6pm.

This day was brilliantly organised by the team, supported by all school students, teachers, staff, families and friends.

At the Bentleigh Sunday Community Market on Sunday 20^th May 2018 for the third time under difficult conditions, stoic club members Grant Perry, Margaret Mason and Linda O’Brien gathered under a stormy, dark and challenging Melbourne’s weather pattern that was very cold, windy and not really fit for man nor beast, however, these RCBMC members were extremely determined to set up various stalls with items donated by club members and raise funds to continue the rotary support of the Rotary Oceanic Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) program.

This week has been an opportunity for the Rotary Club of Bentleigh Moorabbin Central and the Glen Eira City Council to engage with the broader community to be able to provide various forums that will be become necessary for residents and the council to assess the requirements of both the council and community in the future.

So the Glen Eira City Council ran a number of informative sessions for people considering their lifestyle choices as they grow older.

On Sunday 22^nd April 2018, RCBMC members Linda O’B, Grant P, Margaret & John M, Jo I and myself had a number of stalls at the market to sell donated items from various club members that included soft toys and other children’s games (from Grant Perry) , miscellaneous items including glass wares, plates, crockery (from Linda O’Brien), other items including books (from Margaret & John Mason), some items (from Helen Nodrum), fashion items including leather boots and shoes (from Jo Impey) and some items that went unsold from a previous fund raiser held at the market  – thank you to all that contributed.