"There are two types of people in the world. Those that think governments are doing a good job and those that think"
Pres Edda's notifications
Firstly a welcome to all our guests on the evening including our ex-members and there were a fair few of those.
Bill Grainger
Jenni Nankervis and her husband Bill
Cherry Taylor
Gerry Cross
John Richards
Helen Hartner and Pat Little
David Robinson
Brian Wawn
Rod Kemp
David Crow
and our presenter on the night Ian Plimer
June 6th there is an Antiques Road Show Event, Menzies Malvern - bring 2 items for appraisal. NB this is a fundraising event for the club as well so why not bring out those heirlooms - who knows you could be wealthier than you think!!
We are seeking a new speaker team (of three people) for the upcoming year as our current team will retire from their duties. Interested? please see PE Tony
As noted in the last bulletin there is a call for blankets, doonas and fan heaters for Rochester, Weed Killer too! If you have any of these items, please bring them to next weeks meeting where Edda will collect them and deliver to Lili
For-a-Meal events:
Hawthorn Town Hall yesterday where some 240 students from schools in the Eastern suburbs packed between 10 am and 1.30pm - more details on that in next weeks bulletin
Swinburne Atrium - 27/4/2023 - let Nora know if you can assist
Special call out for the major packing event at Federation Square on Saturday May 27th where up to 1,000 members of the public are likely to attend a showcase packing event for RICON. As advised in the previous bulletin there is a need for volunteers across the district to be trained in supervising the packing events. This is critical as we will also have smaller packing events in the House of Friendship at the same time!
Steve, Ted and PE Tony will be focusing on promoting FORaMEAL to corporates as a team building activity. Are there any out there who you can suggest?
and lastly on the subject of FORaMEAL - Doug attended ITFAR last Friday - this is a multicultural event with hundreds of attendees. Doug and Val have been speaking to a member of RC Footscray who is hoping to set up an event and pack 100,000 meals for distribution to Ethiopia - this event to take place in July/August
We had a special event at the meeting where Pres Edda took the opportunity to present Paul Harris awards to the members of Busy Feet who have had to cease operating due to lack of volunteers - they have done a fantastic job over the years and these awards are testament to their efforts in improving the lives of the children.
Congratulations to Jenni Nankervis, Bill Grainger, Cherry Taylor and Ciska Syauta (in her absence). Here are Jenni Bill and Cherry pictured with the Pres
No speaker next week as we will be holding a members forum - the topic - Rotary in Action following the presentation by PDG Julie Mason last Thursday.
Early notice that the Speaker on the following Monday is Jane Stewart Co-Founder of Its the Little Things Community - more details and a bio to follow next week - spread the word and lets get a good turnout - this organision has done fantastic things during the pandemic and afterwards.
"if green activism achieves its aims, the Third World will remain in poverty. Western countries will become impoverished and even more reliant on China which uses climate change as a weapon against the West. " (Introduction to "Green Murder")
"Australia's net contribution to global atmospheric carbon dioxide is negative. We are already Net Zero" ( The Spectator Australia, Australia is already Net Zero, page 2)
" Net Zero has nothing to the environment and climate change and is all about power and the transfer of hard earned wealth" ( The Spectator Australia, Australia is already Net Zero, page 3)
Our planet is dynamic. We, as humans, cannot influence a major planetary process. Continents can drift or pull apart, and leak out gasses, which go into the atmosphere. Cycles of climate occur every 400 million years. It is a fact that after warming, we see an increase in carbon dioxide. We are currently in an ice age. Glaciation began 20,000 years ago. Warmer times on the Earth have already finished. Furthermore, every 43,000 years, the Earth's axis shifts. It is a general truth that solar cycles heat the Earth.
During question time, Ian responded to a query about carbon dioxide and its relationship with climate by arguing that no-one has shown this connection.
In fact, carbon dioxide only increases after warming of the Earth. It is dangerously low, with insufficient levels in the atmosphere, to sustain the greening of the planet. To prove that we are heading in the wrong direction , Ian argued that "Humans have no effect on the way the climate changes, in terms of the planet as a whole"
The process of consensus inevitably leads to the lack of thrashing out a policy. Predictions made about the state of the environment never happen, and not one of the predictions has proved to be correct. This leads to two possibilities :- firstly, that population is being controlled and secondly, that the population is kept scared. Another point which Ian raised on at least two occasions, during his presentation , was the correlation between belief and religion and the total lack of deference for politics and politicians. Above all, understanding history and historical periods of time is essential to deal with the patterns of climate. As he said, " Narrative is not acceptable because we do not teach history". His observations were repeated throughout the presentation, that global warming is a religion in the Western World and the view that politicians are followers and not leaders. When you argue that 97% of scientists all agree about climate change, then you have become a poltician.
Finally, Rob Simpson raised a very good point. None of us are trained scientists. Where do we obtain our views about climate change, if not from the media? Ian gave the response : that we should not believe, but rather that we should apply common sense and ask " Who is pushing the line?"
An invitation below sent to Edda and the members of our club
As you know, our grass-roots community organisation seeks to address the continuing hidden poverty in the City of Boroondara – sadly it’s best-kept secret. The most recent Census reported that there are 5,500 families in Boroondara living at or below the poverty line. If you are disadvantaged in Boroondara, you are doubly disadvantaged as there are not the local support services in place, and one is surrounded by ‘advantaged’ students.
Each year we disburse over 100 scholarships to educationally promising and talented, yet disadvantaged young people, between the ages of 12 and 25 years, who live or study in Boroondara. There are no other organisations in Boroondara that provide the holistic service that Education CHANCES provides for its recipients.
We are pleased to invite you to join us at an Education CHANCES Foundation breakfast ‘Boroondara’s best-kept secret’ to be held at the Kooyong Tennis Club on Tuesday 9 May at 6.45am for 7.00am – 8.30am.
The aims of our breakfast include: -
To build awareness about the vital work done by the Education CHANCES Foundation within the Boroondara community
To provide an update, commissioned by the ECF Board, about recent Social Return on Investment research conducted by the leading Australian social impact and sustainability advisory firm Think Impact
To outline the transformative effects that philanthropy can have on our recipient students and their families
To acknowledge and thank our donors for their generous support – (you!!)
We do hope that you will join us at this important event.
Whether you are attending RICON23 or not, and whether you are an ESRAG member or not, we have organised a number of Environmental activities for your participation and involvement.
So if you are in Melbourne or able to commute please consider the following:
Environment tours - visit environmental projects around Melbourne. To be advertised shortly and to learn about these tours and to register ESRAG at RICON; or email: <ted waghorne@canterburyrotary.org>
The Green Line – learn about the City of Melbourne visionary Green Line along the northern side of the Yarra with Rotary involvement. Its environmental aspirations are to improve river health, create a connected ecological river corridor, provide environmental education, increase tree canopy and mitigate impacts of flooding and sea level rise. See the innovative wetlands and other sustainable solutions being implemented in the CBD.
Wednesday 24th afternoon and again on Thursday 25th morning.Cost USD10.
Visit Donations in Kind: Rotary West Footscray -This Rotary volunteer recycling facility, collects and redistributes goods, principally donated by companies, hospitals and schools. The goods are destined for developing countries and to disadvantaged individuals in the local community and are distributed through Rotary club and the wider NGO network. Thursday 25th. Morning tea / coffee provided. Cost USD10
Go to an Australian Bush setting and off-the grid living: Within an hour from Melbourne is the charming Daylesford / Hepburn Springs area. The visit will include morning tea at a sustainable, off grid home and if we are lucky see mobs of Kangaroos. We plan lunch with discussions about Hepburn Energy, the first community owned windfarm.
Friday 26th.Cost USD50.
Visit the Botanic Gardens: - The Royal Botanic Gardens of Victoria is a leading plant science organisation specialising in biodiversity and conservation research, taxonomy, and identification services for plants and fungi.
Friday 26th.Cost USD10.
Visit a bat colony in Melbourne: There is a large Grey Headed Flying Fox colony living on the banks of the Yarra. These native megabats have their camp in Yarra Bend Park with colony numbers rising to around 35,000 in summer.
Friday 26th afternoon Cost USD10.
For those attending RICON23 there are additional environmental activities:
RAGTime (Thursday 25th at 7pm(). this is an event that members of a RAG will not want to miss. Register
Breakout Sessions – support our ESRAG presenters on rivers, plastics, plant rich diets
RICON ESRAG House of Friendship Booth – volunteers needed ESRAG at RICON
ESRAG Gathering – meet with fellow ESRAG volunteers and Board Directors. Bring your own lunch (Saturday 27 May, 12.30 pm -1.30 pm AEST) ESRAG at RICON
ESRAG Dinner at a Melbourne Restaurant (Sunday 28th May, 7 pm AEST) ESRAG at RICON
Thanks to David Zrna for organising the bi-weekly lunches. David has provided the dates for 2023. If you are free on the day get along and join past and current members
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