Rotary Club of Melbourne Newsletter
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
View email in your browser Rotary Club of Melbourne www.rotaryclubofmelbourne.org.au To make a Donation to Rotary D9800 Bushfire Disaster Relief Bank Account: ROTARY INTERNATIONAL D9800 - AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE DISASTER RELIEF APPEAL Account Number – 171206535 BSB Number – 633 000 Reference: ROTARY D9800 BUSHFIRE If you require a taxation receipt please email the foundation team at [email protected] and attach evidence of your transaction. ---------------------------------------------------- THIS WEEK'S MEETING MINA GULI, CEO & ATHLETE, THIRST The Founder and CEO of Thirst, Mina Guli is a global leader, entrepreneur and adventurer committed to making a difference in the world. Following a 15-year career in climate change, Mina established Thirst – a non-profit changing the way we think about water. Since its launch in 2012, Thirst has educated more than 2 million students in China, has had more than 600,000 participants in its water innovation competitions and now works with more than 1000 qualified volunteers and the support of the Chinese Government. To bring attention to the global water crisis, in 2016 Mina ran across 7 deserts on 7 continents in just 7 weeks. A self-confessed "non-runner", en route Mina interviewed water experts, telling the stories of people affected by the crisis and those working to solve it. In 2017 Mina ran in support of the UN’s SDG 6, completing 40 marathons in 40 days down 6 of the world’s great rivers on 6 continents. With media coverage around the world, including CNN, BBC, ITV, ABC and CCTV, Mina’s messages about water reached more than 4 billion people, inspiring a generation of water heroes. Concerned about the pace of change, in 2018, Mina started #RunningDry – a campaign involving her running 100 marathons in 100 days for 1 reason – to make saving water so famous it’s not just the right thing to do, but the only thing to do. After breaking her leg at marathon 62, thousands of people in over 50 countries and territories rallied in support, together running farther than from the north to the south poles, and building #RunningDry into a movement for change. Mina has been widely recognised for her leadership: named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, one of Australia’s most influential women, and by Fortune Magazine as one of the 50 greatest leaders in the world. Mina’s story was featured on the ABC’s Australia Story https://www.abc.net.au/austory/running-on-empty/11035554 Mina sits on the board of the Antarctic Science Foundation, the Global Water Partnership and the Academy of the $1million Global Teachers Prize. She is a frequent media commentator. Don't miss the chance to hear Mina Guli speak, you will be inspired. Contact Jo Mavros to register for the lunch meeting: Luncheon No35 Restaurant Level 35 Sofitel Melbourne On Collins 25 Collins Street MelbourneVIC3000 Cost: $48 (2 course meal and Coffee) Alcoholic beverages can be purchased at the bar Visitors welcome - Check first with the Club Office (03)9654 7242 LAST WEEK'S MEETING PRESIDENT KEVIN'S ADDRESS at MEETING Happy New Year - Welcome back – and thank you for the many acknowledgements I have had to my New Year message where I particularly wanted to recognise the superb response by members to the Christmas Giving and the Wine fundraiser. Now for 2020. Happy Birthday to P Nominee Chris Stilwell! ROTARY MELBOURNE BUSHFIRE UPDATE Pam spoke on the role that ‘Healing the Hurt – EMDR’ is to play through D9800’s Disaster Relief Committee; Reg told us about the phone call donating up to 500,000 P2 Respirator Facemasks which were in the process of arriving from California via Qantas and how he sprang into action; Bob told us of his reaction to Reg’s phone call and how the DIK warehouse was cleared to take the first shipment of 97,000 masks a few days later and how the distribution logistics rolled out in the days that followed; and Bruce told us of the fund raising efforts and on the ground aid and counselling involvement being undertaken in the fire ravaged areas. Q & A for our Bushfire Response Panel Pam – together with Marion, you are working to incorporate the ‘Healing the Hurt – EMDR’ program within D9800’s response planning, please tell more and how this will be implemented over time. Pam provided background as to how the program was initially developed with assistance from Rotary Melbourne, how it is implemented locally and in other parts of the world and how D9800 can aim to incorporate it into communities through Rotary. Pam also made mention of other initiatives of D9800’s Disaster Relief Committee. Reg – You received a telephone call that in your words ‘blew you away’ and then you sprang into action – please tell us about it – and how project ‘Respirator Face Mask’ emerged and the magnitude of the shipment. Reg told of his initial phone call and how he accepted this entrusted role to be the recipient of up to 500,000 P2 Respirator Facemasks and following a deep breath, set the wheels in motion to receive the first shipment arriving from California courtesy of Qantas. Reg instinctively phoned Bob to plan the logistics of accepting the first shipment at DIK within days of 97,000 masks and communication with DG Grant Hocking to start the distribution process through District Governors covering the affected areas and initiate contact other relief agencies to distribute these masks where they were desperately needed. Reg also spoke of widening his contact to include Rotary Sydney for a Qantas shipment to be received and distributed. Bob – You received a phone call from Reg and also sprang into action – please tell us about DIK’s role in the distribution logistics. Bob told us of his reaction on receiving the phone call from Reg and how he, Laurie and volunteers readied DIK and received the first shipment and how the logistics of distribution developed both thought out Victoria. He told of the dispatches directly to Rotary Clubs in Gippsland and the Northeast and a delivery to Kangaroo Island in addition to the dispatches to the major relief agencies. Bob also detailed DIK’s despatch of medical supplied and equipment to animal rescue agencies. Bruce – the cry has gone out for help by your organisation and others – ‘Donate Now to Deliver Humanitarian Aid’, please tell is what the Salvation Army are doing. A. Bruce told us of the fund-raising efforts and ‘on the ground’ aid and counselling involvement being undertaken in the fire ravaged areas and of the vast number of teams deployed. He spoke personally of his experience at relief centres where he counselled with many who had lost their homes, farms and businesses. He spoke of the need for Salvation Army to partner with service providers in expending donation funds raised to achieve a wider effected community benefit. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Members will not be surprised that Rotary Melbourne has jumped to attention as the tragedy of the bush fires unfolded. PP Mev Connell – has written extensively which has been conveyed to DG Grant; PP Chris Wang – reminded me of the ‘adopt a Club’ initiative during the drought and in the case of our adopted Club Rochester, the subsequent flood devastation; There was early contact with DG Grant Hocking who advised that he was activating the District’s crisis committee under DGE Philip Archer and our Marion Macleod has joined this committee; Contact with our R100 team member, DGE Mark Humphries of D9820 and in turn with his DG Adrian Froggett; Messages of support have been sent to the respective Presidents of Rotary Orbost, Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale with further messages in the pipeline; Message to Rotary Melbourne members once DG Grant announced the Bush Fire donation details. This story, this involvement will be continuing – as Australia comes to grips of being a land of drought, fire and flooding rains. STAGE 1: FACE MASKS EX ROTARY This is why we are Rotarians and strive to make a difference in our world. "On Tuesday 7 January, the day after Sue and I had driven my son and his family to the airport to return home to Los Angeles, driving past the city of Melbourne shrouded in appallingly dense smoke haze I was feeling a bit miserable and wondering what I was going to do with myself that day. It didn’t take long to sort that out! I received the call from a representative of Direct Relief, to the Rotary Office indicating that after consulting the Red Cross, they would offer up to 500,000 N95 / P2 Respirator Face Masks for people in communities directly experiencing the bush-fire crisis. 100,000 masks were already on their way, courtesy of air freight space donated by Qantas, and scheduled to arrive at Melbourne airport on Thursday 9 January. Direct Relief is a non-profit, non-aligned Santa Barbara California based charity which ships medical supplies to communities affected by natural disasters the world over. Their Associate Director, Partnerships & Philanthropy, Dean Axelrod, is also President of the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara. He had suggested they call us because: “Rotary gets things done when the chips are down” After consulting with President Kevin, my first call was to Bob Glindemann to check whether the DIK warehouse had capacity to store, temporarily, the 100,000 masks, (24 pallets) while we arranged distribution. Bob said yes and has been front and centre in this amazing logistics response. The next step was to enlist Grant Hocking, District 9800 Governor to inform Rotary District Governors of the face mask offer and check their needs.