Last Saturday, Gus, Andrew, Michelle, Ann and I attended the Donations In Kind warehouse 'Open Day' in West Footscray. DIK is housed in a very large warehouse, which we found to be filled to the brim with all sorts of donated and recycled goods.
The vast majority of goods are brand new. They can be discontinued lines, surplus supplies, cancelled orders, or stock that is out of date. For example, Australia’s strict rules mean that medical gowns have 2-year expiry date. If they are not used in this time, they must be discarded, even though they are perfectly usable. These can be sent to overseas hospitals for use.
The goods ranged from medical supplies, educational equipment and consumables. IT equipment, clothing, home support equipment, books and the list goes on. Their operations are supported by numerous Rotary Clubs, ours included.
Most of the goods are destined for overseas projects sponsored by Rotary Clubs in developing countries. Goods get shipped in 20 ft containers which are packed by DIK volunteers. They have their operation down to a fine art. We were told that they can pack a 20 ft container in 4 hours. The sponsoring Rotary clubs are responsible for paying the shipping costs, which are substantial at present.
When a club has a project, they provide DIK with a list of items they require. These are then either sourced from the stored supplies, or there is a wait until such goods are received at the warehouse. This week we were given 3 sewing machines via the RC of Inverloch, which we have passed onto DIK.
Goods are also available to use by Clubs for local projects. For example, CNCISS have advised that they have a need for various items of clothing and school supplies for disadvantaged families. Gus is collating a list of these which will be provided to DIK. They will then fulfill this list as the specified goods are received. In our time out at DIK, there were some other project ideas floated and these may be explored further in coming weeks.
Finally, a quick reminder, please support the bowling night this coming Wednesday. Please rope in any good bowlers you know, so we can wrangle the trophy back from RC of Monbulk and make Co-President Geoff very happy.
This week, Jen Marshall took us on a journey to Egypt and Jordan by summarising highlights of her visit there in 2017 with her best friend Lisa. The trip was her last before having children and it completed Jen's goal to visit all 'Seven Wonders of the Modern World'.
They marvelled at the size of the pyramids and the Great Sphinx from the air, as they flew into Cairo. Jen summarised the various shapes of the pyramids, with the largest one being the Great Pyramid of Giza. At the Red Pyramid, she got about 1 metre into the 1 metre2 and 60 metre long corridor into the Red pyramid, before being overcome with claustrophobia.
Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Sphinx of Giza
From Giza they took the train to Aswan, where they visited a Nubian village and the Abu Simbel temple. The Nubians have occupied the Western Banks of the River Nile near Aswan for as long as 8,000 years!
Luxor was their next stop, where they were amazed at the massive size of the statues. Another highlight there was a hot air balloon trip over the Valley of the Kings and the eventual sideways landing of the balloon's basket.
From Luxor, they travelled to Sinai where they had hoped to climb Mt Sinai. However, due to advice on the security risks, they decided to spend some relaxing time at the beach instead.
Luxor
Petra
From there, they took a boat trip to Jordan, where they were picked up by a dodgy-looking truck and taken to Petra. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges. It is also called "Rose City" because of the colour of the stone from which it is carved.
The next stop was Amman, the capital of Jordan, where they viewed some ancient mosaics. From Amman they took a one hour trip to the Dead Sea, where they experienced the saltiness and exceptional floating property for which it is famous.
Marta Faithful followed Jen's presentation by giving an insight to her experience working in Egypt and Jordan as a Travel Adviser for an international airline. She was able to provide advice on what should and should not be done while travelling there, particularly on a cruise ship.
Well done Jen and Marta for a very interesting 'Travel' presentation.
On Thursday morning, an Art Screen team delivered 64 screens to the historic Edrington House, which was built circa 1907.
The screens were required by Provenance Artists Inc for their Great Berwick Art Show, which is recognised as a premium art event of Victoria, featuring the finest art by leading Victorian & interstate artists
With some help from the organisation, the Art Screens were set up in 8-rooms over 2-levels within 2 hours.
The installation of the first of four seats at Grasmere Wetlands is planned for Saturday 1st April and several volunteers are required to assist with the work.
All volunteers should arrive at the Grasmere Wetlands car park, off Inglis Road, at 9:00am on Saturday.
Please let Co-President Geoff Double know if you are available to assist. He can be contacted on 0418 340 825, or by email at oakferntreecare@gmail.com .
The annual lawn bowls challenge with the Rotary Club of Monbulk will be held this year at the Berwick Bowling Club in Manuka Road, on Wednesday 29th March.
The competition was started many years ago by a milkman, Allan Funston (The original Funno), and a butcher, Bob Gray. They thought it would be a good way to promote fellowship between their respective Rotary Clubs of Berwick and Monbulk.
Unfortunately, the "Funno's Fours" Bowling Trophy as it is called, has been dominated over recent years by the Monbulk club, so this year we want to bring it home to where it belongs!
Therefore, if you have a friend that bowls well, please bring them along to strengthen our team.
For $35 you will get a game of bowls and a meal catered for by the Inner Wheel Club of Berwick.
Please note that numbers are required for catering purposes by Friday 24th March. (However, latecomers will also be welcome.)
You will need to wear flat shoes (No heels), or play barefoot. It is recommended that you arrive at 6:30pm to get in some practice before the competition starts at 7:00pm.
Bowling balls will be provided, if you don't have your own. Volunteers will be on hand to tutor those that may need it.
Nossal High School has requested our assistance in conducting Mock Interviews for 2023. The interviews are planned for Thursday 27th and Friday 28th April.
These require approximately a dozen Rotarians interviewing a total of around 200 Year-11 students over a two-day period, to prepare them for future job interviews.
Each interview should take about 10 minutes and is designed to provide the student with constructive feedback to improve their future interview performance.
In previous years we have combined with members of the Rotary Club of Narre Warren to achieve the number of Rotarians necessary, and the interviews have been very successful.
Rotarian Di Scheepers has agreed to manage the Mock Interviews for our club and will work with Teacher, Marion Campagna, who is coordinating the activity for Nossal High School.
Di has already organised seven potential volunteers for the Mock Interviews, but would welcome more. The greater the number - the quicker the process can be completed.
She will also collaborate with the RC of Narre Warren to see if they can assist us.
The Mock Interviews are a very rewarding experience and you will be impressed by the quality of the students.
If you are available to assist, please contact Di on 0420 719 796, or by email at di.scheepers@gmail.com .
There are now just 2.5 months until the 2023 RI Convention in Melbourne, but there is still time to register for what promises to be an extraordinary event.
Rotary Conventions bring together in one place the entire Rotary Family to share their Rotary passion and connect for inspiration, learning and fellowship.
Because they are held in a different location around the world each year, RI conventions provide a wonderful opportunity to combine a fabulous Rotary extravaganza with a great holiday.
Melbourne is an exciting, vibrant, and outward looking city with so much to see and do - not just as part of the convention, but also pre- and post-Convention; and if Melbourne is your home, you might be very surprised at what you find when you holiday at home!
“Revenge Travel” is the latest thing – making up for all the lost travel opportunities due to the COVID pandemic. Travelling close to home is a lot less expensive and think of the costs you didn’t incur by not attending cancelled district conferences, other International Conventions and by not having that interstate or overseas trip!
Yes, there is a cost to attend the Convention, but think of it as part of your holiday and as an investment – not a cost. Consider it as an investment in your Rotary experience and for many of us, a once in a lifetime opportunity to see and experience the true internationality of Rotary International on your doorstep.
There is the convention program, chock full of inspirational speakers and entertainment, more than 75 breakout sessions, a fantastic House of Friendship showcasing so many Rotary programs, projects, fellowships, and merchandise. There are great hospitality events for all interests and budgets, special luncheons, a gala welcome event at the Melbourne Museum and many other special events.
It is not too late to register: convention.rotary.orgfor the RI Convention, and an early bird registration rate is still available until 31 March 2023.
There are now just 2.5 months until the 2023 RI Convention in Melbourne, but there is still time to register for what promises to be an extraordinary event.