Yarra Bend Rotary Bulletin Page 1 Volume 15 Issue 38 5 May 2015 Rotary Year 2014 – 2015 President: Tony Boyd Vice President: Bob Lambert Secretary: David Shave Treasurer: John Pocock President Elect: Justin Wibrow Rotary International President Gary C.K. Huang District Governor Murray Verso Assistant Governor Gabe Hau Club Avenues of Service International: Isabel Armer Community: Bob Lambert Club Service: Matt Pollard Foundation: Clint Sceney Youth Service: Anne Brown Vocational: Justin Wibrow Club Protection: John Orr Bulletin: Matt Pollard PLEASE REMEMBER Apologies and guests to David Shave by Tuesday on 0408 511 615 President’s Message For the second time in recent weeks one of our speakers has indicated that they are participating in charitable or volunteering pursuits for “selfish” reasons. Last week our guest speaker was Chitra Amaradasa who works as a commercial lawyer in her professional life but, at the weekend, works as a volunteer with primates at the Melbourne zoo. Chitra is an enthusiastic supporter of the zoo and committed to the welfare of the gorillas and monkeys with which she works. Although her volunteering is motivated for the selfish pleasure gained, it assists the zoo staff, the wellbeing of the animals, and visitors to the zoo through her interaction with the animals and her explanations. Chitra’s “selfish” passion benefits others. I would like to thinks that many others can also find a passionate “selfish” pursuit that benefits the wider community. Rotary is another organisation that can give enormous satisfaction and enjoyment to its Members. I am sure such “selfish” sentiments are shared by many Rotarians. The community benefits from the various projects undertaken by Rotary at an international, regional and local level but also, Members can gain enormous satisfaction from seeing the results achieved whilst having fun at the same time. In this context we should not feel guilty about our “selfish” pursuits. I mentioned last week that the Nepalese Bright Future Community Centre that Yarra Bend Rotary supports in Kopan area of Kathmandu survived the recent devastating earthquake. Netra, our contact at the centre, has advised that some of the housing surrounding our building has not been so lucky. ( continued over page) Postal Address: P.O. Box 271 Kew East , 3102, VIC, Australia Meet Wednesdays 6:30p.m. for 7:00p.m. at The Amora Hotel 649 Bridge Road Richmond Victoria Tel: 03 9246 1200 Website: www.yarrabendrotary.com.au Email: [email protected]
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Yarra Bend Rotary Bulletin Page 1
Volume 15 Issue 38 5 May 2015
Rotary Year 2014 – 2015
President: Tony Boyd Vice
President:
Bob Lambert Secretary: David Shave
Treasurer: John Pocock President
Elect:
Justin Wibrow
Rotary International President Gary C.K. Huang
District Governor Murray Verso
Assistant Governor Gabe Hau
Club Avenues of Service
International: Isabel Armer
Community: Bob Lambert Club Service: Matt Pollard Foundation: Clint Sceney
Youth Service: Anne Brown Vocational: Justin Wibrow
Club Protection: John Orr
Bulletin: Matt Pollard
PLEASE REMEMBER
Apologies and guests to David Shave
by Tuesday on 0408 511 615
President’s Message
For the second time in recent weeks one of our speakers has indicated that they are
participating in charitable or volunteering pursuits for “selfish” reasons. Last week our
guest speaker was Chitra Amaradasa who works as a commercial lawyer in her
professional life but, at the weekend, works as a volunteer with primates at the
Melbourne zoo. Chitra is an enthusiastic supporter of the zoo and committed to the
welfare of the gorillas and monkeys with which she works. Although her volunteering is
motivated for the selfish pleasure gained, it assists the zoo staff, the wellbeing of the
animals, and visitors to the zoo through her interaction with the animals and her
explanations. Chitra’s “selfish” passion benefits others. I would like to thinks that many
others can also find a passionate “selfish” pursuit that benefits the wider community.
Rotary is another organisation that can give enormous satisfaction and enjoyment to its
Members. I am sure such “selfish” sentiments are shared by many Rotarians. The
community benefits from the various projects undertaken by Rotary at an international,
regional and local level but also, Members can gain enormous satisfaction from seeing the
results achieved whilst having fun at the same time. In this context we should not feel
guilty about our “selfish” pursuits.
I mentioned last week that the Nepalese Bright Future Community Centre that Yarra Bend
Rotary supports in Kopan area of Kathmandu survived the recent devastating earthquake.
Netra, our contact at the centre, has advised that some of the housing surrounding our
building has not been so lucky. ( continued over page)
The older houses have crumbled and others have big cracks in the walls and could fall if there is a significant aftershock. Electricity has
now been restored and we have managed to get some money to the Bright Future bank account to enable Netra to buy food parcels
which he is distributing to “our” families and any neighbours who are destitute. Many of the families live in rented accommodation and,
if this has fallen down and they want to return to their village, Netra is giving them the money for bus fares.
Aid agencies are establishing a presence in Nepal and some food aid is getting through, However, the distribution is chaotic and will take
some time to settle down. The worst affected areas are in the more remote country areas and I would hope that food is now going to
these areas where the people are starving.
There will be an ongoing need for assistance in Nepal. Yarra Bend Rotary will later further review its commitment and the support we can
offer as the reconstruction effort gets underway.
Next Wednesday our Club is having a vocational visit to the MCG in lieu of our normal Club meeting. It will be very interesting to see
behind the scenes where the mighty “Bombers” and other ALF teams play. Our next Club meeting at the Amora Hotel will be on
Wednesday 13 May.
Remember, spread the word to “Light Up Rotary”.
Regards Tony.
On this Day Sunday April 29 1770 (245 years ago).
Lieutenant James Cook discovers and names Botany Bay
Lieutenant Cook was born at Marton in North Yorkshire, on 27 October 1728. As the son of a farm labourer, he held no great ambitions,
being apprenticed in a grocer/haberdashery when he was 16. Lack of aptitude in the trade led his employer to introduce Cook to local
ship owners, who took him on as a merchant navy apprentice. Here he was educated in algebra, trigonometry, navigation, and
astronomy, which later set Cook up to command his own ship.
Cook was hired in 1766 by the Royal Society to travel to the Pacific Ocean to observe and record the transit of Venus across the Sun.
Following this, Cook's next orders were to search the south Pacific for Terra Australis Incognita, the great southern continent that many
believed must extend around the southern pole. He came across New Zealand, which Abel Tasman had discovered in 1642, and spent
some months there, charting the coastline.
Nearly a year later, Cook set sail west for New Holland, which was later to become Australia. On 29 April 1770 Cook's vessel, the
Endeavour, sailed into Botany Bay, after first sighting the eastern coast of Australia ten days earlier. He described the bay as being
"tolerably well sheltered", and initially named it Stingray Bay, after the large numbers of stingray he noted. The name was later changed
to Botany Bay due to the vast numbers of new and unique botanical specimens noted by the ship's botanists, including Joseph Banks.
Cook named Cape Solander and Cape Banks after Banks and Finnish botanist Daniel Solander. He then landed at Kurnell, allowing the
cabin boy, Isaac Smith, to be the first known European to step foot on the soil of "New South Wales".
Yarra Bend Rotary Bulletin Page 3
Guest Speaker – Chitra Amardara – Zoo Volunteer - (Notes by Matt Pollard) Chitra works with Mark Miller and was invited to talk about her passion for animals and her work as a volunteer at Melbourne Zoo. She stressed that volunteers and allowed no interaction with the animals, this is the domain of their keepers who are highly trained.
Originally from Malaysia, Chitra told of her education and that she was regarded as “too short” to study animal scinces so she ended up studying the law! She noted that Zoo volunteers were very often teachers rather than lawyers. Chitra joined what was then “Friends of the Zoo” which was established in 1980. The organization grew rapidly and eventually came under Zoo management a few years ago. There are now 200 Victorian Zoo volunteers. Chitra joined in 2009 after a difficult selection interview. To become a tour guide, she had to undertake 16 full days of training and an equal number of evenings. Her training was said to require more effort than her Master’s degree! Once she had completed her training a number of great opportunities emerged. One example was working as an assistant in a behavioral study of the gorillas. The study was conducted before a new female was introduced and then monitored the behavioral change. This was a 14 month study and Chitra really enjoyed the experience. A later study was conducted at Werribee Zoo on the group of male gorillas located there. The studies involved shift work and Chitra did two shifts per week. The data analysis was done by others. Chitra says she does the volunteer work at the Zoo for selfish reasons as she is so passionate about the animals and she gets so much satisfaction from her involvement. She told us of the close interaction between the handlers and the animals. She said it was a priviledge to be exposed to the interaction and told stories of how the animals can “push their keepers buttons”. The behavior of the animals demonstrates the trust they have in their handlers and the volunteers. Volunteers also work on the “enrichment program” which is designed to compensate the animals for the excitement lost through captivity. Chitra told us about LuLu’s love of jewelry. She told us that research has busted some myths along the way. The most amazing trust is evident between handlers and the animals and the Zoo is now a conservation led organisation although the entertainment value delivered to Zoo visitors is important to bring in the punters who subsidize the cost of operations.
Thought of the week (David Chivers) “Half of something is better than all of nothing”
Club News - Upcoming Events
Event: When and where: Contact: Vocational Visit to the Melbourne Cricket Club
6 May 2015 at 6.30pm Gate 1 Ponsford Stand City end MCG Tour of MCC and dinner at Il Duca, 132 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne
Justin Wibrow and David Shave
Changeover Dinner Amora Hotel Wednesday 1 July 2015 6.30pm for 7.00pm
Justin Wibrow
2015 Boroondara Emergency Services Awards
Amora Hotel Wednesday 28 October 2015 6.30pm for 7.00pm
Clint Sceney
Yarra Bend Rotary Bulletin Page 4
Useful websites
Websites with information about: Rotary Foundation; Rotary partnering and resources.
Websites of other Rotary organisations: RC Yarra Bend;
District 9800; Rotary Downunder; RC Woodend (sister club of RC Yarra Bend).
Meeting Details
Meeting Date: Wednesday 29 April 2015
Attendance: 17 members
Apologies: Clint Sceney, Justin Wibrow
Guests: Edda Williams, Chitra Amardara
Chairman: Irene Leung
Door Prize : Chitra Amardara
Meeting Closed: 8.30 pm
Director’s Reports
President Tony thanks all those who attended the ANZAC service and flag raising at Kew High last week
Signs have been made for the gardens worked on by YBR members
John Brownsea has resigned effective last Thursday due to his perceived inability to fully contribute to YBR
Isabel updated in the Nepal earthquake and was pleased to report BFCC remains standing and our local community are safe. YBR to ascertain if RAWCS can be used to channel donations directly to BFCC. Pressure needed on RC Pashupati to disperse the YBR funds they have been sitting on for months. YBR will withhold a direct donation until current funds have been expended and priorities have been set
District Assembly is on 17 May as reported previously in the bulletin
MCG tour next week meeting point is Gate 1 at MCG at 6.30pm
William Liew promoted Bowelscan at $10 per kit. Members encouraged to take test annually
Member’s Moment
Jane Stott’s presentation was again cancelled due to an absence of technology.
Camberwell Sunday Market Duty Roster - changes in Red - If you have arranged a swap please advise Bill Chow *