In keeping with Rotary’s August theme of membership and Club development, it was exciting that we were able to induct Grant King as a new member of our Club. Congratulations, Grant. That makes three new members so far, this new Rotary year! His partner, Corinne, was present to share the event. She and Co-President, Jillian Woinarski, had plenty to talk about as they discovered friends in common.
With so many new members joining our club in the last 12 months, many existing members have taken on the role of mentor for a new member. Mentors keeping in regular contact with their mentee, getting to know them and their interests, answering questions, as well as introducing them to other members and club projects, is an important part of helping a new member bond with our club. Thank you to all our mentors for this important service.
Co-President, Jillian, was happy to report healthy numbers for our movie night, partnering with RC Kew on 25 August 25 at the Lido Cinema in Hawthorn, followed by dinner for those who wish at the Glenferrie Hotel. Look for the link below to Humantix to pay for your tickets.
Steve Clarke is quite the artist as evidenced by the illustrations on his notice about the new collection of pantry items for struggling families. Everyone present was given a laminated list of the 10 items to buy for the monthly collection (first collection at the 1 September meeting) which will then be delivered by Wayne Dong. Thank you, Wayne for taking on this role. Thank you all in anticipation of your donations.
Our speaker on Monday, Steve Bouris, gave a most engaging presentation who challenged us to be more thoughtful about people you meet/know with some kind of challenge or burden. He urges us to ask the person, “What is life like for you?”, so that the person feels that they matter, and to encourage them to tell their story, making them feel less burdened and less ‘other’. In so many cases, what we imagine (mostly negative things) others are thinking, is just not true. Asking questions of people, instead of silently worrying,"what if", can also reduce the burdens we all carry.
On the theme of thoughtfulness- please read the Buzz and emails, marking dates of events and rostered duties on your calendar (digital or hard copy). Let John P know in advance if you are unavailable for certain dates, and if necessary arrange swaps then let John know of the change.
Finally, it was with great excitement that, on Tuesday, I attended the launch of the newly chartered (from RC Balwyn) Satellite Club, Balwyn Blue made up of Police and Emergency Services members. More members of Rotary to provide Service Above Self in our community!
Cheers
Elizabeth
Below is a photo of Narelle Bakyew being inducted at the Club meeting on 4 August.
Monday night's speaker, Steven Bouris, a man with a congenital disease which produced a birthmark on his face, told us the story of his life and how he came to terms with the way he was, and how he would deal with it. His life is all about resilience and action to not only acknowledge, but to triumph over his fears.
This journey began with the tale of a school photo, and a black line drawn on Steven's face, to hide his birthmark. The only lesson he derived from this was that he would carry a burden for thirty years. So he rightly pointed out, a collection of small incidents built up over a long period of time, leading him to question the motives of others and fearing them.
Ninety percent of all Australians are susceptible to anxiety and depression. Our world is speeding up and change happens to overturn our lives on a daily basis. Steven had his moment, when he reacted to a normal work day as an aircraft maintenance engineer at Melbourne Airport. He snapped, and could not function. this was the last time he undertook this burdensome job. Another watershed in the life of Steven came when a young girl asked him directly about his birthmark and how it affected him. It triggered all his memories and his anxieties, but it led to a number of significant questions which emerged from his mind.
1. Share with someone, one of your burdens
2. Help someone by asking how they are
3. Asking someone you trust - is this fear real or just perceived?
He also asked how we can educate ourselves to help understand others.
Steven has transformed into a man of action and purpose about his birthmark and the consequences it had on his life. After attending a conference in 2024, and meeting young Levi, he returned to Australia with fresh motivation:-
1. To establish the annual Nevis Family Picnic
2. To establish the Nevis Australasia Foundation.
If you want to learn more about Steven Bouris, you can go online to:-
Mike is a Director of TeamSports4All and comes from an engineering background. He co-founded a Melbourne tech startup that became a global leader in managing environmental impact. It was acquired by a London listed conglomerate so then his focus moved onto mentoring early-stage businesses and community service work focused on youth disadvantage.
Mike joined the TS4A team in 2017 to help drive its scale up from supporting around 50 kids then to helping over 1,000 kids today.
TeamSports4All and Canterbury Rotary
TeamSports4All helps kids from disadvantaged backgrounds break the cycle of social isolation by engaging them in community team sports.
These kids come from the poorest and most marginalised parts of our society and are more likely to have:
worse physical and metal health
lower educational and employment outcomes
higher rates of drug and alcohol issues
higher participation in the criminal justice system
Team sport connects these kids into a healthy tribe with teamwork, role models and goals helping them to engage into their communities and overcome these disadvantages.
From humble beginning in Bayside in 2011, TS4A has embarked on a major scale up, now supporting over 1,000 kids across the Melbourne metro area. Our plans will see the organisation continue to expand across Melbourne metro then into regional Victoria and ultimately across the country.
A key enabler of the expansion success has been partnerships with local Rotary Clubs. Not just in helping us secure funding but through leveraging Rotary’s extensive local knowledge and connections. Rotary has been incredibly helpful in connecting TS4A with local government, businesses, potential sponsors and sporting clubs. Many Rotary members are also active TS4A volunteers.
TS4A is thrilled that the Rotary Club of Canterbury has chosen to support our work and we’re excited to be working together to help at risk kids
Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre (SHNC) run a pantry to supplement the needs of a small group of local folks struggling to afford enough food. The pantry includes fresh fruit, vegetables and bread which are picked up from Coles’ waste room by volunteers. These are supplemented with donated pantry staples such as rice, pasta, tuna and cooking oils. Clients are mainly single mums and pensioners. Food sources are Coles and donations from the Centre’s members.
The purpose of this new project is for Rotary Club of Canterbury (RCC) to supplement the supply of foodstuffs. members are asked to donate items at nominated meetings and these will be transported onto the SHNC.
The first collection will be at the Club meeting on Monday 1 September.
The type of products that would be useful include:
A successful day were held on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 August at MacRob at Albert Park.160 girls packed 19,500 meals in 3 hours which will be distributed in Somaliland later this year.
I must say much easier days for us all since we have capped the student numbers.
We appreciate the contribution of the MacRob maintenance staff, the students and the six Port Phillip Rotary members. And we thank the catering team for the lovely lunch. A big thank you are extended to our setup and event team of Alex, David, Kyle, Ant & Bianca. A big welcome to Bianca who attended an event for the first time.
The next event was on Tuesday 12 August at Melbourne Uni with the RC Melbourne and Melbourne University Rotaract members. There is a saying go with your gut feeling – which I unfortunately ignored. Some brave souls got a little wet as if you may recall it rained in the late afternoon and continued into the evening on Tuesday.
The promised 50 – 55 participants didn’t arrive instead we only had the original 33 and they managed to pack 9,870 meals. Thanks to our team of Alex, Helen, Pat, Kylie, Justine, Tahlia and Kyle for all your assistance. We appreciate your ongoing support.
The following photos are from the event held on 12 August. The participants were assisted by a very young and keen junior volunteer, Gladys, pictured below.
The Canterbury Rotary Club lunch usually meets bi-weekly at 12.30 for a meal and some fun. That's some of the group having lunch on Wednesday 12 August.
David Zrna looks after the reservations for the lunch group. Please contact David at david.zrna@canterburyrotary.org or on 0467033092 to advise that you will be coming to a lunch.
Most of us are familiar with the reference to the “Twelve Days of Christmas” but did you know about the “Twelve Months of Rotary”?
Rotary has identified a theme for each month. July is the first month of the Rotary year and is when the annual theme kicks in. It is also the month when new leadership takes over at Clubs, Districts and at Rotary International. July’s theme is “Maternal and Child Health”.
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