Way back on March 30th 2021, we, along with many of our Rotary Family from our neighbouring Clubs, were dining in a greenhouse while on a vocational visit.
Vocational Service is the cornerstone of Rotary and was the key to the beginning of the Rotary ethos of service above self. Rotary's founder, Paul Harris, recognised that people could use their vocations to help others in the community. Thus, Rotary was formed and has been serving its local and international community for over 100 years.
While the setting was a little rural, it was a great night to bring Rotarians together to enjoy a relaxing night doing something completely different and perhaps learning something new along the way. You can see a few more photos of the night by CLICKING HERE
What a wonderful meeting at Rotary Club Berwick this week.
We were joined by many of our friends from both Casey and Narre Warren Rotary Clubs. We were fortunate to hear from Stuart Yates, a key leader in the Disabled Surfer’s Association, Bass Coast. We heard about the terrific work they do with those who deal with a range of disabilities. His presentation was well supported by commentary from young Jamie Fullaway, who volunteers with the group.
Members from all 3 clubs wholeheartedly agree that we should do more of these group nights and I’m sure all that were there agree. For those who couldn’t make it, I want to share a couple of important things that we shared.
Firstly we have agreed to participate in Mock Interviews for Nossall High School again this year. Interviews are scheduled for Thursday 2 May and Friday 3 May. There are 4 sessions that we are going to participate in, 9.30am to 10.45am and 11.30am to 1.00pm each day. For the interviews to run smoothly and to meet goals we are looking for 10 people to be part of each session.
I’ve put a table into this note and if you can make it, please put your name and availability into the table and send to Di Scheepers at di.scheepers@gmail.com
Name
Days available (Thursday / Friday)
Sessions Available
There is an old adage that sounds like this…..If you want to do something, say yes within 5 seconds, and then the only thing that needs to occupy your mind is how to arrange things to make it happen. I encourage you to say yes quickly and then just arrange yourself.
I have participated in these Mock Interviews every year since joining the club and I find it most rewarding and satisfying being able to positively impact a young person’s life.
This Friday Night, Gus is attending the Casey Community Awards on the Club’s behalf as we have been nominated for a Community Award. I would love to have joined him on your behalf as well but I’m out at the airport picking my son up at the time the ceremony is being held. More to come I suspect.
Paul from Casey Rotary told us about an upcoming event they are working on, The Holland Festival
Cheryl, President of RC Narre Warren, reminded us that they will be catering the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Bunjil Place and will need our help.
Next week, Sadiya from Casey Council will join us in sharing the story of multiculturalism in the City Of Casey. This aligns with Harmony Day, and reflecting on how we stack up will be good. I just want to let everyone know that Sadiya will be observing Ramadan, so we will modify our agenda to join her for her evening meal after 7:30.
Part of the bulletin editor's role is to gather photos of our activities as Rotarians. These photos serve a future purpose, allowing us to reminisce and share stories about our club's history. After almost two decades of collecting these images, I've realized the fragility of life. This realization emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities and embracing life with love, laughter, and enthusiasm. The above photo was taken in 2005 on an RCB Outback Adventure to the Simpson Dessert. A bonding experience to say the least!
Throughout our Rotary Club's extensive history, we've shared moments of service and joy. Our photo archives capture the vibrant memories of our youth and trace our journey as we mature, symbolically represented until we transition from the pages. While this reflection may evoke nostalgia, it intends to inspire.
We are a diverse family, bound by our shared purpose. Despite inevitable disagreements, we collaborate harmoniously, achieving remarkable feats for the greater good. Our collective unity and achievements bring us all a sense of purpose and satisfaction, that we are all useful and respected people within our community just by being Rotarians. If you are new to Rotary and reading this, you will understand in time. If you have been in Rotary for years and you aren't feeling the vibe, it might be time to organise a club-wide social weekend away!
Facebook is important for developing recognition of Rotary service projects for several reasons:
Visibility: Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms globally, with billions of active users. By showcasing Rotary service projects on Facebook, Rotarians can reach a vast audience, including members of their local community, potential volunteers, donors, and other organizations interested in similar causes.
Engagement: Facebook allows for direct interaction with followers through comments, likes, shares, and messages. This engagement fosters a sense of community and encourages people to participate in or support Rotary service initiatives. Rotarians can also use Facebook to share updates, stories, and photos in real-time, keeping followers informed and involved.
Networking: Facebook provides a powerful networking tool for connecting with individuals and organizations that share similar interests or goals. Rotarians can use Facebook to collaborate with other community groups, businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations, expanding the reach and impact of their service projects.
Storytelling: Facebook's multimedia capabilities, such as photos, videos, and live streams, enable Rotarians to tell compelling stories about their service projects. Sharing personal anecdotes, testimonials, and success stories humanizes the work of Rotary, making it more relatable and inspiring to others.
Fundraising: Facebook offers various tools and features for fundraising, including donation buttons, fundraisers, and crowdfunding campaigns. Rotarians can leverage these tools to raise funds for their service projects, cover expenses, and support beneficiaries in need.
Overall, Facebook provides a dynamic platform for raising awareness, engaging with communities, building partnerships, showcasing impact, and mobilizing support for Rotary service projects, ultimately advancing Rotary's mission of promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies.
BUT it takes someone to create a compelling story, and Rotarians wearing their "Rotary gear" bring the message home for the good of all of Rotary. Our Rotary Club is not an individual club vying for members. It is part of a network of Rotary Clubs vying for a collective group of Rotarians who can share their skills and passions across many clubs, not just the one they belong to. The Rotary Club of Berwick has many members doing Rotary work outside the Club and using their skills and connections to make projects run smoother.
Through the work of our RCB Public Image hero Jane Moore, who created the above post and the six people who shared it, our club reached 969 people. Not a bad effort. It has to be said that many people stalk an organisation to see what it does, what its values are, and what it stands for before they even consider contacting it. It is posts like this one that can be the difference between making contact or not. We are certainly looking to grow our club so that we can comfortably do our current projects but also open it up to do a whole lot more.
Well done to Jane. I am very proud of her work in showcasing our cause. And well done to our sharers who multiply Janes efforts by exposing them to new audiences.
Posted by David Button and Jane Moore
on Mar 22, 2024
It is with great sadness to inform you that Kay Rankin, the loving wife of RC Berwick's Past President, Geoff Rankin, passed away on Monday.
For those unfamiliar of who Kay is and why she is an integral part of our Club history, here is a brief introduction. Kay served as chairman of the local Inner Wheel A62 District, also holding various positions, including president of the Inner Wheel Club of Berwick during her 23 years of membership. Her husband, Geoff, is a past member and president of RCB, back in the days of close affiliation with Inner Wheel when Inner Wheel membership criteria was an affiliation with a Rotary member (which ceased in 2017).
RCB and Inner Wheel undertook many joint activities in the project and social space. A memorable RCB social weekend to a converted nunnery in St. Arnaud in 2007 saw many of us sleeping in a mixed dormitory with Kay donning faux-wired blond pigtail plaits, regaling us through the night. Kay was well known for her charity work in the community, being recognised with an OAM.
I would like to include this quoted text from the Pakenham Gazette from 16/6/21 to show much of Kay's determination and resilience.
Having worked as an accountant while raising her four children, Kay had a very busy, happy life and it wasn’t until later on, when she was diagnosed with her first bout of cancer in her 40s, that she decided to take some time to give back to the community around her.
Her husband Geoffrey said Kay’s resilience and positivity were what got her through those difficult times.
“She was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 1985 and it came back again in 1992, so she had half her bowel removed at first, and then in 1992, had the second half removed,” he explained.
“I remember her looking at me and saying, ‘I’ve had cancer twice, and I’m not going to work anymore’, and I looked over and said ‘OK’,” Geoffrey recalled, and it seems the rest is history.
Having been a member of Girl Guides Victoria since 1972, Kay’s health scare and decision to leave work helped kick start her greater involvement in the organisation and in the years since 1992, she has gone on to rise through the ranks and help countless young women in the process – but her battle with cancer was not over.
Shortly after her second bout of bowel cancer in 1992, Kay was diagnosed with endometrial cancer, but that wasn’t the last of the bad health news.
“So she had three lots of cancer and then a few years later, she had a heart bypass and a few years later got a superbug,” Geoffrey said.
“Her kidneys shut down, she was in hospital for three months and could hardly walk for seven months, and in the meantime, the second bout of cancer escaped and she had more radiotherapy, so they gave her full dosage, and she’s now got scar tissues in there as big as a brick,” he said.
“I’m saying all of this because she’s done all this work in between all this illness, and her courage and her positive thinking are beyond doubt.
“She’s always got a smile on her face and she’s always fine – she’s not going to sit around and do nothing,” Geoffrey said.
While battling all these major health problems, Kay went on to fearlessly advocate for her community and do her part to help others, especially young women.
“I have a belief that our future is with our youth and I think it’s important that girls have a venue like Guides to go to,” Kay said, “it’s a good stepping stone for them for the future.”
Over the years, she held various positions within guiding and in 2001, was honoured with an Emu Award by Girl Guides Australia for her outstanding service to the organisation – but it’s not just guiding that Kay poured her heart into.
Having survived not one, not two but three cancer diagnoses, the Cancer Council of Victoria and the Royal Women’s Hospital were two causes close to Kay’s heart and ones she worked passionately to fundraise for.
By organising and running two balls in Berwick in 2011, Kay helped to raise more than $50,000 for the Royal Women’s Hospital – a remarkable achievement.
Inner Wheel Australia is another organisation that Kay decided to pour her energy into and over the last 20 years, she has been the president, the district chairman, and even been awarded the prestigious Rotary award, the Paul Harris Fellowship for all that she does for her community.
“She’s always been in the driving seat to come up with the ideas and make them happen,” Geoffrey said.
“Even after being very, very ill and having been in intensive care a lot, she comes out and she has never complained.
She’s never moped or gotten depressed by it, her positive attitude is just second to none,” he said.
Clearly an incredible woman, it’s no surprise that Kay was awarded the City of Casey’s Citizen of the Year Award in 2005 and a Centenary Medal in 2001 – and now her OAM will be added to the long list of her remarkable achievements.
For someone that was told she only had a few short years to live back in 1985, Kay Rankin has gone above and beyond everyone’s wildest dreams and will continue to be an inspiration to us all, for years to come.
Trevor has been working hard to build our Art Screen business to help fund our many community projects.
Customer service and satisfaction are paramount, but so to is building comradery and workmanship between our members. Knowing that you trust people and want them on your team often comes from getting to know them on the end of an art screen. I have to tell you that manual labour is both the best way to judge how practical a person is and also the best way to judge how much a person is willing to go to make sure you will reach your full potential.
Getting involved with the Art Screen Crew is incredible! It is one of the best (secret) team-building activities that the club has, and it is well worth getting involved when the time allows.
Below is the EASTER roster update.
If you have some time and can put your name down, please contact Trevor: Email auwatsontj@hotmail.com or phone 0417479804
Tuesday 26-March > Delivery (Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron) - 8:30am at the shed (White Trailer) *49-screens - Driver Tow: Laury Gordyn; Helpers: Trevor Watson; Allen Roberts; Russell Fellows;(3-more required) Thursday 28-March > Delivery (Rye Community House) - 8:30am at the shed (Blue Trailer) *20-screens - Driver Tow: Russell Fellows; Helpers: Trevor Watson;(3-more required) Tuesday 2-April > Pick-up (Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron) - 8:30am at the shed (White Trailer) *49-screens - Driver Tow: Russell Fellows; Helpers: Trevor Watson; Wendy Moseley; Louise Jackel; (3-more required) Tuesday 2-April > Pick-up (Rye Community House) - 8:30am at the shed (Blue Trailer) *20-screens - Driver Tow: (1-required); Helpers: (4-required)
The Beaconsfield Club Holm Park Reserve 100 Beaconsfield-Emerald Rd Beaconsfield, VIC 3807 Australia
Our guest of honour, Australia’s most published sporting author, KEN PIESSE, will take us all on a delightful nostalgia trip telling stories tall and true about so many of our childhood favourites from Dermie and Plugger Lockett through to Warnie, the Don and Deano
Ken is appearing at no charge and will have a selection of his books for sale on the night, which he is only too happy to sign.
Don’t miss Australian sports master storyteller. All Rotarians, friends and family are welcome to attend. $30 for two course meal, drinks at bar prices. It’ll be a night to remember. Don't forget to bring along your friends!
Join our dinner meeting most Wednesdays at The Beaconsfield Club, Holm Park, Beaconsfield, Victoria, Australia 
What a wonderful meeting at Rotary Club Berwick this week.
