Welcome to the Rotary Club of Berwick
Serving the Berwick Community and the surrounding District since 1961
President - Geoff Double
 
 
Connect and experience The Rotary Club of Berwick!
I invite you to come along to the Rotary Club of Berwick’s weekly meetings to find out what it is all about.
Anyone can join Rotary and we are looking for the next generation of strong members.Young Professionals, Educators, Business owners, Retired people, active Seniors and everyone in between are welcome. If you don't have any time, you are extra welcome!
Do you want to make our world a better place? Come and be part of a bigger picture.
Want more information, why not ask me a question! CLICK HERE.
Do you want to serve the Community and make long lasting friendships? 
Could Rotary be the organisation that is right for you?
Club Contact: For Dinner bookings contact: 
Secretary
P.O. Box 30, Berwick 3806 
email: secretary@rotaryberwick.org
 
Book into a meeting: CLICK HERE
Wednesday nights, 6:30pm for 7:00pm
The Beaconsfield Football Club
  
We are an enthusiastic group of people from many walks of life looking to make some else's life that little bit better. There is nothing greater than to give to another. Rotary makes things happen. Watch this: Click Here (Video)
Friendship Exchange to India
Our main guest speaker this week was Denis Heslin Jnr, who talked about the Friendship Exchange in January to India.
 
The Friendship Exchange involved 12 members from District 9820, who represented 8 clubs.  Over 14 days, they were hosted by Rotarians from District 2980, the anagram of District numbers was found quite humorous by our hosts.  Aside from being guests of honour at many Club Meetings, including 6 Cluster Meetings, they were guided to many Rotary projects within the State of Tamil Nadu.  
 
Denis reported that the hospitality of their hosts was very generous and food became an issue, as when they cleared their plates the host would produce more food thinking that they were still hungry.  Therefore, they quickly learned to leave some food on the plate to signify that they were finished.
 
The Rotary meetings were all very different, some were very structured, alcohol free and vegetarian, yet others were very informal banquets.  Furthermore, gender equality has a long way to go in India.  Generally, their Rotary Clubs are either entirely male or female.
 
One club owns approximately 160 acres and provides housing in ‘nursing home’ style for the elderly.
 
Adequate education is a problem in India, as teacher salaries are very low.  As a result, mothers tend to do the teaching.  It costs $260 a year to teach a child.  Schools make use of "Smart Boards", which are linked to a computer presentation on a rear projector.  In this way, they try to standardise the education.
 
Denis's favourite visit was to the SOS Children's Village in Nagapattinam.  SOS is located all over the world and helps in creating a family unit for children to live under the house guidance of a ‘house mother’, who is more than likely a woman who is a widow, or has been subjected to domestic violence and is in need of a safer environment. 
 
He plans to return to SOS Nagapattinam in 2020 to provide a sporting program to local schools that he has recently established with some like minded friends.
 
The Pongal Festival was celebrated while they were there.  Pongal is the celebration of harvest and is a time for families and communities to gather for four days of celebration.  The energy and atmosphere they experienced at these rural festivals was a highlight of the trip. The local people were so giving of their environment with no expectation of anything in return, other than for the visitors to enjoy their culture.
 
Denis found the experience very humbling.  The Indians were very easy to bond with, particularly on the subject of cricket and he found their energy amazing, regardless of their age or level of wealth.
 
One interesting point he discovered was that both Australia and India celebrate the 26th January.  Australia Day celebrates the arrival of the British, whereas the Indians celebrate their departure from the sub-continent.
 
One of the best outcomes of the Friendship Exchange in his view, was the fellowship generated between Rotarians.
Free Men's Health Day
Free Men’s Health Event:
 
St John of God Hospital in Berwick is hosting a free Men’s Health information evening at the hospital with Cardiologist, Dr James Sapontis, as part of Men’s Health Week – see attached poster for details.
 
Tuesday 11th June
5.30pm – 7pm (light bites & refreshments on arrival)
Granada Room, Level 1, 75 Kangan Drive
 
Please RSVP to me by Tuesday morning (11th June).
Ph: 03 87845009
 
Art Screen Hire
PP Laury Gordyn gave us a quick insight into the hectic schedule of the Art Screen Delivery and Recovery Crew. This elite squad of people is working hard to get the Art Screens in and out with the minimum of fuss. They are getting a great reputation for being punctual, organised, helpful with layouts and happy.
 
Please recommend them to anyone who is in need of an art screen! 
Presentation of a Paul Harris Fellow
President Geoff outlined the purpose of a Paul Harris Fellow (PHF), which is the Rotary Foundation’s way of expressing its appreciation for a someone whose life and achievements reflect its' purpose and mission to promote good in the world.  It is named for Rotary’s founder, a Chicago lawyer, who started Rotary with three business associates in 1905.
 
Geoff then called a very surprised Susan Magee, Executive Officer of the Casey North Community Information and Suppport Service (CNCISS) to the podium. 
 
Susan commenced her work with Casey North Community Information & Support Service in 1997.
 
At that time the original steering committee had just been successful in lobbying for funding to establish the centre and had registered as a Board of Management.
 
Since that time Susan has established the service to be one of the primary services in Casey, responding to the vulnerable and disadvantaged in the community.
 
Susan has formal qualifications, including a Bachelor of Arts and an Advanced Diploma of Welfare Studies together with a wealth of experience, as she has worked in the community sector for over 30 years.
 
In response, Susan stated that she felt unworthy of this honour, as she is simply doing her job.  She added that CNCISS would not be as successful at what its does without the support of other organisations, such as the Rotary Club of Berwick and the Berwick & District Benevolent Society. 
 
She thanked the Club for this PHF recognition.
New Dental Hospital for the Solomon Islands

The Rotary Club of Berwick has partnered with the Rotary Clubs of Ballarat West and the Rotary Club of Honiara to equip a major dental centre that will improve 1000's of lives in the Solomon Islands. 

Using the expertise of Dr David Goldsmith (RC Ballarat West) and his team of volunteer dental equipment experts combined with the sourcing and shipping power of Rotary Donations in Kind (DIK) and then added to the tax-deductible Rotary Australia World Community Service, Project 29/2018-19, we have an opportunity to make a lot of peoples lives a whole lot better. Please read on.

The Solomon Islands has a population of over 625,000 scattered over more than 900 islands but Government services and most facilities are centered on the capital, Honiara.  The Solomon Islands is one of the world’s poorest nations with a GDP that has been ranked 173rd. of 185 nations. The National Referral Hospital (NRH) in the capital, Honiara, is the largest hospital in the Solomon Islands and looks after the most acute cases from all over the country with over 300 beds and over 50 doctors. This hospital sees the vast majority of the medical cases in the Solomon Islands and is often overstretched, and at times at bursting point

The NRH Dental clinic was closed in 2012 . Dental Services at the NRH are currently being provided out of a single dental chair caravan parked in the hospital grounds.   Public dental services are rudimentary, even in Honiara, and are mostly limited to extractions and pain relief. Each morning over 100 pain patients attend the only public dental clinic in Honiara, which is located in the Police Station in Chinatown. It has 4 chairs so they only see the first 30 patients and send the others away. There is a high level of edentulism but the public dental prosthetic lab. has been closed for 4 years. In addition, Betel Nut chewing, which is common in the Solomon Islands, results in one of the highest incidences of Oral Cancer in the world

However, there is no shortage of dental professionals. The Head of Population Oral Health Research, Dr Ellison Vane, tells me there are 40 qualified dentists in the Solomon Islands, but the lack of facilities means many are working part time, or not at all, and they are losing their skills. In addition, there are 15 dental students currently training to graduate at the Fiji and PNG dental schools.

 BETEL NUT IN HOSPITAL Grounds
TEMPORARY CITY PUBLIC DENTAL CLINIC IN CHINATOWN POLICE STATION
 KULUM DENTAL CLINIC, HONIARA(since closed)

 

Read more...
Canning Stock Route
PE Isobel Caulfield and PP Laury Gordyn presented an very informative summary of their experiences on the Canning Stock Route.  Isobel used a very professional PowerPoint presentation to convey the essence of the trip.
 
The Canning Stock Route is a track that runs from Wiluna in the mid-west region to Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.  With a total distance of around 1,850 km it is the longest historic stock route in the world.  There is a string of 51 wells along the route that were used to water stock.
 
To get to the starting point at Wiluna, they had to travel 3,500 km from Melbourne, making the overall journey to Halls Creek 5,350 km - a massive undertaking.  However, they set off with anticipation taking their trusty Ford Ranger (Caulfields) and Toyota Sahara (Gordyns), both of which were customised with sleeping quarters and a kitchen in the back box.
 
Some interesting facts on the two vehicles were provided, as follows:
 
Toyota SaharaFord Ranger
230 litre of fuel capacity145 litre fuel capacity
100 litres of fuel carried on the roof60 litres of fuel carried on the roof
Averaged 20 litres of fuel/100 kmAveraged 17 litres of fuel/100 km
Carried 130 litres of waterCarried 70 litres of water
 
Despite the fuel the vehicles carried, at one point both had to be topped up at $3.21 per litre, thus making a sale for the outback Bowser of $600 in one hit.
 
A feature of the trip was that 'sand flags' had to be displayed on both vehicles to warn oncoming vehicles of their position in the high dunes, or high spinifex.
 
Many interesting people were met during the trip, as people traveling North to South stopped to compare notes in the middle of nowhere.  This included people who knew someone in Berwick, or who were actually from this locality.
 
No major problems were encountered on the long journey, although the Ford Ranger did get bogged once and had to be pulled out by the Sahara.  On another occasion, the Sahara had to be towed up a dune by the Ford Ranger, thus providing reciprocated appreciation.
 
By the end of the journey the vehicles and their passengers were badly in need of a good wash to get rid of the red dust that clung everywhere.
 
The journey was thoroughly enjoyed by both families and the level of camaraderie that it produced was exceptional.
 
In conclusion, Laury thanked Isobel for putting together such a professional presentation.
Balibo Project in Timor Leste
Belola School Opening
 
Please take a few moments to read the information attached. The school mentioned is one we paid transport costs for a container of materials last year. That container also had equipment for other projects in Balibo.

As you may pick up, Rotary, through the efforts of Ricardo Krauskopf has built an effective network in Balibo which has started to reach into the government.

The Rotary Club of Berwick is a strong part of the Balibo story. Hopefully we will still support the work we have started into the future.
 

Belola Opening Day
Belola Opening Day
Belola School with 3 classrooms 
and a teachers' room
Belola School toilets
 
 
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Club Executives & Directors
President
Geoff Double
Treasurer
Gary Castricum
President Elect
Isobel Caulfield
Secretary
David Button
International Service Director
Di Double
Youth and New Ideas
Gaetano Fina
Rotary Foundation Chair
Di Double
Vice President
Gerald Treasure
Membership Chair
Jim Wilson
Public Image Chair
Ricardo Balancy
Club Administration Chair
Isobel Caulfield
Avenues of Service Chair
Bob Lay AM
Fundraising Chair
Gus Dominguez
Club Protection Officer
Graham Johnstone
 

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