Club Meetings Move Online – Tuesday 12th May – Guest Speaker – Juliet Riseley
We held our first “zoom” Club meeting on the 12th May. We had a great turnout with 18 participants in total and it was a wonderful opportunity to see each other after a number of months and to once again connect in this now changed world. We were pleased to hear from Juliet Riseley, who presented a great insight into her time as the “First Lady of Rotary International”.
After her family hosted numerous Exchange Students, Juliet Riseley became a Rotarian as the Charter President of the Rotary Club of Hampton in 1995. In subsequent years, she held a wide range of roles in her club, District and Regional Zone. She served as Governor of District 9810 Victoria, Australia in 2011-12. She has spoken to international audiences and convened and moderated programs for Rotary partners in a number of countries. Her Rotary horizons were significantly extended when she travelled with her husband Ian in 2017-18 as he fulfilled the role of Rotary International President.
Beyond Rotary, Juliet had a long career as an information specialist and educator working in Medical Research and the Corporate sector and in Education from Early Learning to Tertiary. She has a Masters degree in Information Management from Monash University and further qualifications in Librarianship, Sociology and Politics. She admits that her career brought together 3 things she loves: helping people, the quest for accurate information and the joy of watching children develop confidence and competency as they grow to understand the world around them.
Juliet and Ian live on 7 hectares on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, where they practice their personal philosophy of sustainable and organic living. Juliet and Ian are multiple Paul Harris Fellows, TRF Major Donors and Bequest Society members.
Message From Abroad – Marie Arendsen (Current Member) In Conversation with Christel Wieck (Past Member) At Home in Germany
Marie has been catching up with Christel about once a week on Zoom and comparing notes between life in Germany at the moment, and here.
Christel and Siggi returned to their home in Thalfang, a village in the southwest part of Germany near Luxembourg and the Mosel river. When Christoph (their son) finished his VCE at St. Leonard’s, he joined them. He is aiming to study Opera and Singing, and is currently preparing for the admission exams, which will happen soon. Their daughter, Sarah, will finish her university degree here in June and plans to return home in July. Siggi is baking and keeping the garden up to date.
Christel is working from home with a busy consulting business in the dairy industry. Currently she is involved with a large concern producing powdered milk from the fresh, which does get her out of the house every week for one day.
Germany seems to have similar management of COVID-19 to Australia, and are just starting to relax restrictions too. She is a member of her local Rotary club, and they meet online with guest speakers every week. She says it is great hearing what we are up to here, reading the Hampton Herald, and keeping in touch. If you would like to catch up with Christel, here is her email address:
wieck-qmb@t-online.de
Club Member Survey – Please Give Us Your Feedback
As part of our forward planning for the next year, we would like to hear your feedback on the Club: what you like, how you would like to be involved, and any areas for improvement. There are a few key areas where we are seeking feedback from you:
- Club meetings & speakers
- Club project areas and your main areas of interest
- Club communications
We would really appreciate it if you could take some time to complete a short survey that has now been emailed to all members. We have also sent a similar survey to our immediate past members as well. The feedback from you all will be invaluable to us in our planning and we really appreciate your input.
Members can click on the weblink in the email sent to them on 13th May where they will be taken directly to the survey. Alternatively you can click here to be taken directly to the member survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SWKMZP3
There are 10 questions for you to answer. The survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete with tick boxes used to indicate your answer preference. There are also opportunities for you to add additional comments as well, if you choose.
We really value your feedback and opinions and thank you all for sharing these with us.
Bayside Business Excellence Awards – Latest Update
The Organising Committee for the 2020 Awards consulted together recently and have agreed that the Awards for 2020 will be cancelled. The 2020 program was launched in early March, however, soon after, the health situation very quickly changed and the business community have since been hit hard.
Now the Bayside business community are grappling with the day-to-day challenges of managing businesses and safeguarding the welfare of staff during the unprecedented and challenging times associated with COVID-19. This is and must be their key priority.
Please know that all partners on the Awards program – the 5 Bayside Rotary Clubs in partnership with BBN and our sponsors - all remain committed to delivering the Bayside Business Excellence Awards once again in 2021 where we can once again celebrate the many stories of success and resilience across Bayside. We’ll be back as soon as the health and economic conditions improve.
VALE - Greg Wragg – Past Hampton Rotary Long Term Member
The Club is saddened by the passing of past Club member, Greg Wragg
Greg was inducted into the Rotary Club of Hampton on 22 July 1997. He was Club Treasurer in 1998-99 and Foundation Chair 1999 -2000. He was President Elect and Program Chair in 2002-03 before becoming President in 2003-04.
Greg also held roles of Foundation Chair, International Chair and Membership & Marketing Chair.
Greg left RCOH in June 2014 and transferred to the Rotary Club of Dingley Village.
At District level, he was a member of District Membership & Marketing Committee in 2008-09 and again in 2011-12. Greg was the District International Advisor – Fiji for several years, and RAWCS Community Liaison Officer – Fiji.
Greg is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow for his services to the Club, D9810 and the wider community both here and abroad.
Greg has had a long and passionate involvement with the people and villages of Fiji, especially those living in the outer Yasawa Islands. This interest and assistance existed prior to Greg joining Rotary and has continued unabated.
Under Greg’s guidance, the Club was involved in repainting and repairing a church involving Club members and villagers and painting a school in Lautoka. Greg also organised the investigation, ordering and installation of solar lighting to the village hall at Nabukeru in the Yasawa Islands. In his Presidential Year (2003-04), Greg set up a Fiji Scholarship Fund to provide secondary & tertiary education to students from the Yasawa Islands.
The Club currently supports two students undertaking tertiary studies in Suva. Greg was the instigator of a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant to provide medical equipment and computers for a medical centre and nurses quarters supporting two villages in the Yasawa Islands. Greg’s involvement with the D9810 Project ‘Spirit of Sharing’ saw further assistance of solar power and emergency assistance following cyclones in Fiji which devastated villages in the Yasawa’s.
Such was Greg’s contribution to the people of Fiji that he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his service to the International community of Fiji.
The Club extends sincere condolences to PP Helen and Greg’s family at this sad time.
Community Projects Update
Delivering Gifts to Nursing Staff at Sandringham Hospital
The Community Committee of Hampton Club are delivering gifts to the nursing staff at Sandringham Hospital, in recognition and as thanks for their dedication and service in keeping the local community safe during this challenging time of COVID-19. Thanks to Rhonda Pincott for sourcing the gifts and arranging for their distribution to the Hospital.
(The photo featured here is some new artwork that’s appeared in Hampton on the corner of Hampton Street and Willis Street – a great tribute to all essential service staff across Hampton and Bayside).
Hampton Rotary Club Fundraising Events
Bayside Farmers’ Market –Suspended until further notice
Due to the current health advisory and our priority to safeguard the health and safety of our volunteers and the community at large, the Bayside Farmers’ Market has been suspended until further notice. This shall be reviewed again and updates to the upcoming market schedule shall be shared with all of you when available.
Upcoming Club Meetings
Club Meetings Now Online – ZOOM-in to get the latest updates
We are now holding weekly Club meetings online – using Zoom, an online video conference facility. Details on each meeting are available in the meetings calendar on our Club website and all you have to do is click on the link indicated to be connected to the meeting. Meetings start at 7pm and run for an hour. We look forward to connecting with you at these meetings.
Also, these meetings are open to non-members as well…so if you would like to tell your friends about the upcoming meetings, please get them to zoom in as well – all will be very welcome!
Here is the dedicated link to join ANY of the Hampton Rotary Zoom Meetings (it will be the same for each meeting):
Club Meeting – Tuesday 19th May – Guest Speaker - Nigel Caswell (MS Ambassador)
"I'm a NORMAL PERSON who just happens to have MS, I can do and make a worthwhile contribution to society"
In 1993, at the age of forty nine, MS Ambassador Nigel Caswell was diagnosed with the most common chronic neurological disease of the twenty to fifty age group. Despite this, Nigel does not consider himself ill. As he puts it plainly, "I'm not ill; I'm a normal healthy person who happens to have multiple sclerosis".
Originally from England, Nigel migrated to Australia in 1972. Nigel was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis over twenty years ago but it seems likely that the slow but progressive gait changes almost forty years ago were most probably due to this neurological nuisance. Challenging and significant mobility issues don't give Nigel an excuse to let the grass grow under his feet. He is a lover of the Australian bush and, although he uses two crutches or a wheelchair to get about, he is still an enthusiastic camper.
Nigel’s previous professional life included working as the General Manager for Parks Victoria, where he was fortunate to work along-side professionals who were tolerant and understanding. Nigel’s no fuss, strategic approach to managing this particular challenge has obviously rubbed off on those who surround him. Unfortunately, some others with challenging health issues are not so lucky.
Nigel is a member of several hospital committees, a volunteer at a local emergency relief organisation, a funeral and marriage celebrant, a member of the MS Advisory Council and President of People with Multiple Sclerosis Victoria. Nigel was awarded an OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) in the 2013 Australia Day honours.
The MS Ambassador Program highly recommends this motivated and entertaining MS Ambassador who will share with you his inspirational and intriguing views on disability, life experience and the future.
What they said:
• “Excellent ambassador – one of our best speakers – great presentation” - Rotary Club of Sandringham
Club Meeting – Tuesday 26th May – Guest Speaker – Steve MacDonald – Assistant Governor – Bayside – 2020-2021
Steve has been a member of the Rotary Club of Rowville-Lysterfield for about 15 years. He’s a past-President of that Club, a multiple PHF, and a former District Vocational Chair. Steve currently holds the position of Assistant Governor for the Bayside cluster and is on the District Conference organising committees for the next two District Governors.
Steve works full-time in the IT industry and has done for almost 40 years now! Steve is married to Sue, and they’re parents of beautiful twin daughters, Ashleigh and Hannah. Recently they’ve also become grandparents to Lucas who’s 6 months old, and Rosie, 3 months old.
Board Meeting – Tuesday 2nd June
No Club Meeting will be held this evening – Board members only.
Club Meeting – Tuesday 9th June – Guest Speaker – Dr Daryl Moran – District Governor Elect 2021-2022
Dr Daryl Moran will discuss his recently published book - a biography of an Australian pilot during the Great War. He will also share his insights as District Governor Elect.
Daryl, now retired, is a school teacher by profession who has taught at every level from Prep to University. He is a former Head of the Junior School at Caulfield Grammar School in Wheelers Hill and at Haileybury College in Brighton. He also spent two years teaching in India and holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Melbourne. He is also heavily involved in the work of Rotary International and is currently the District Governor Nominee and District Chair of Youth Service for District 9810 in outer Melbourne.
He has had a lifelong interest in military history, is a former committee member of Military History and Heritage Victoria (MHHV) and has convened two major MHHV conferences at the Point Cook Air Force museum about Australia’s Air War in World War I and II.
He has recently published his first book entitled ‘Empire’s Noble Son’ which relates the story of 2nd Lt Lyle Buntine, MC, a Caulfield Grammarian who served in the Royal Flying Corps in the Great War. The eldest son of WM Buntine, the owner principal of Caulfield Grammar School (CGS) from 1896 – 1931, Lyle was a prodigious correspondent during his two years of war service. His collection of letters and associated material, currently held in the CGS Archives, is regarded as one of the largest correspondence files in the world, by any Australian RFC veteran.
The book draws heavily upon Lyle’s own words to describe his unique wartime experiences, but also seeks to place into some context the issue of ‘War and Memory’ with a focus on CGS and the Great War. CGS was typical of most schools of the time, in the manner in which it joined with the society of the time to prepare boys for military service, to encourage their enlistment into the armed forces of the Empire and then to mark their service and sacrifice. Overshadowed by the recent commemorations of the Great War, Lyle Buntine’s forgotten story deserves to be told as it brings home to us in compelling detail, the daily life, combat experiences and tragic death of a young Australian fighter pilot.
Daryl can be contacted at djjamoran@gmail.com and further details about the book can be gained from his website at www.darylmoran.com.
Club Meeting – Tuesday 16th June – Guest Speaker – Jenny Foster – District Chair International Service 2019-2020 & Vice-President/Membership Chair – Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne
Jenny will share details of a Rotary initiative – Passport Club – as well as the resources and work being done by Rotary Donations In Kind that are available for a range of Club projects.
Club Meeting – Tuesday 23rd June – Changeover
More details to follow
Club Meeting – Tuesday 30th June – Club Forum
An evening where Club members can jointly participate in the strategic planning, and goal-setting for next year and also the opportunity to review the outcomes from the member survey.
Rotary District 9810 News
District 9810 Training Assembly – Online Alternative Available
The District 9810 Training Assembly, which was due to be held on the 24th May 2020 at Deakin University, has now been cancelled. However, although the physical event is not happening, there is an alternative online option available. Club office bearers and any other interested members can undertake the online learning modules in the RI Learning Centre relevant to their portfolio. From the week commencing 25th May, online Zoom-based workshops for each portfolio are available to consolidate learnings and share ideas and questions with your peer group across the District.
When you register for the event, you will be sent details of the online learning modules and will be followed up with details on the Zoom workshop.
You must first register via the Eventbrite link here, so that you can arrange the relevant online workshops.
