On behalf of Carlingford Rotary Club, I congratulate club member Martha Jabour OAM and the Homicide Victims Support Group for achieving their amazing vision with the grand opening celebration of Grace's Place this week. A world-first residential trauma centre for families who have suffered homicide. The care and love for this new facility just shines through all the photos. Read Mike Morgan's report later in this bulletin.
Received in my email yesterday from Rotarian Walter Hughes is a terrific briefing package about an upcoming trip that he is leading to Ghana 14th - 23rd May to work on various water, sanitation and hygiene projects. You will recall that our club put forward some funds and that James Addo is encouraging us to put some more funds forward to help change people's lives. If you are interested to travel to Ghana to assist work on the project, please let myself, Sudhir, James or Justice know and we can share the information package.
This week's meeting has been advertised widely on local community pages on Facebook with our wonderful guest speaker Gem Romuld joining us. For any guests attending this week, you are very welcome.
Please take the time to review the newsletter, there are many more invitations to Rotary events and reports to read.
Next week we will have a special group tour of the new Phive community centre in Parramatta. The tour is on Tuesday morning and we meet at 7.15am. A separate email will be issued and registrations will be required. This tour is limited to 20 people only. There will be no club meeting on the evening of Tuesday 14th February.
Gem Romuld is the Director for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Australia, advocating for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. ICAN was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its role in achieving the treaty. In 2021 Gem was awarded a Peace Woman award by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Australia. Gem has worked with Australians for War Powers Reform and produced radio programs for 3CR Radio and the Community Radio Network. She has degrees in Communications and Law from the University of Technology, Sydney and is dedicated to growing our collective power to build a better world.
Hub Report
Reporter John Green.
Sergeant Justice opened the meeting at 6.15pm to a somewhat poor attendance of less than 50%. Apologies were noted from Philip & Cristy Newall, Sudhir Mooray, Martha Jabour, Jan Morgans, Russ Riddell. The meeting covered the Rotary Club of Carlingford’s projects, past, present and emerging.
Australia Day Celebrations at John Wearne Reserve.
Dexter and Sudhir were applauded for their input in arranging and overseeing the Filipino and Indian cultural activities of the day.
The many other workers were also thanked for their support on the day which was a huge success, albeit a little affected by the heat in the morning and the threatening storms in the evening.
The Rotary Clubs of Beecroft, North Rocks and Carlingford announced a joint donation of $4,000 to the Rotary Club of Parkes. The funds are to be applied to flood relief efforts for Eugowra and surrounding areas. This short message was kindly made available by Ian from Rotary Parkes and was played on the big outdoor movie screen on Australia Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjG9xfC1vlY
Ghana Project
James Addo showed a video of our ongoing involvement in the water wells and sanitation project in Kona Ghana. The project is a joint grant involving Canada, USA, Britain and Australia. Water is Ghana’s shortage and the project is supplying not only water wells, some 270 chemical toilets and water storage tanks.
Other topics that were touched on were foreign owned gold mines which were polluting the ground water with their tailing dams. Lack of hospitals and high schools. Problems with the police force and teenage pregnancy.
James made an extremely generous donation of $2000 from his own pocket towards this project.
Dundas Community Garden Project (District Grant)
Sandra Payne gave an update on the progress of the Dundas community garden project. More info in further update below.
A date and location for Clean Up Australia Day was set for Saturday 4th March. The location will be The Ponds Walking Track Telopea.
Bali - Toilets for Rural Households project
Nita Yunita gave an update on the proposed project in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Bali Bersinar for toilets to be installed in large family households in the outlying regions of the Indonesian Island of Bali.
Audiology work in the Philippines / Hearing and Dental in Samoa
John Green gave an update on Phil and Cristy’s work in the Philippines and proposed hearing and dental mission to Samoa. At present Philip, Cristy and one other lady are proposed to travel to Samoa.
John Green is looking for volunteers to assist with refurbishment of equipment to send to Samoa.
Directors Reports:
PE Bass Bhaskaran advised that the Vikings Club have allocated a cupboard under the stairs for our dedicated use. Thankyou Vikings !
Rotary Carlingford members and PP Joy Pogson and PP Trish Wetton, supporting the opening of Grace's Place on February 2nd.
A beautiful room at the new Grace's Place, Doonside.
Pamela Lawrence and her heirloom hobby horse donated to Grace's Place.
Opening of Grace’s Place - report from Mike and Carol Morgan.
On Thursday 2nd February 2023 the formal opening of Grace’s Place took place bringing to fruition the wonderful dream of our remarkable club member Martha Jabour, who heads up the Homicide Victims Support Group. This development will now be able to house and care for up to 24 children and their families who have suffered the tragedy of losing a family member to homicide. The day was especially poignant as it was the 37th anniversary of the murder of Anita Cobby. It was the resilience and determination of her parents, Grace and Gary Lynch, to begin the long journey of finding hope from such evil circumstances. Martha’s vision has been instrumental in realising this hope and dream.
The Carlingford Club support was represented at the opening by Pamela and Bob Lawrance, John Davidson, Ellen Harvison, Mike and Carol Morgan together with former club members and Presidents Joy Pogson and Trish Wetton.
The significance and recognition of this achievement was evident by the presence of our NSW Governor Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC·who formally opened the building. Also present was the Police Commissioner Karen Webb, as well as representatives of our Prime Minister and State Premier, Opposition Leader Chris Minns who spoke on the day, and numerous other dignitaries. The singing of ‘Amazing Grace’ followed by the playing of the bagpipes by a Knox College student, was especially moving and a reminder of the tragedies experienced by so many present that day, but also the hope than lies ahead for all. We all moved through the beautiful buildings and rooms to see how the place will support the children and families, and we also enjoyed coffee and refreshments and caught up with other Rotary friends present as well as congratulating Martha.
Yellow Wiggle Greg Page - Heart of the Nation Project - Dinner Event
On Monday 20 February 2023, the Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook has a very special guest speaker – the former Yellow-Wiggle, Greg Page.
Aside from his fame as a member of this iconic Australian children’s band, in more times Greg was also in the news because of his near-death experience whilst performing with the Wiggles to raise funds for bushfire relief. As it turned out one of his arteries was 100% blocked, causing a sudden cardiac arrest. If not for the quick thinking and life-saving skills of bystanders, chances are Greg would have died. His life was saved because of CPR and an AED at Castle Hill RSL Club that was brought to the stage, and used to revert his heart to a normal rhythm in time for paramedics to arrive and stabilise him until he received lifesaving surgery. Upon waking up in recovery, Greg was told that his chances of surviving that type of cardiac arrest were only 1 in 10. That means he had a 90% of not making it that night. This rocked Greg. The fact that 90% of people who have a sudden cardiac arrest out of hospital do not survive, was a hard-hitting stat that he couldn’t ignore.
And so, now on a mission, Greg’s purpose is to educate others about the importance of knowing CPR, and making AED’s more available in public places and in homes – but not only that, making sure that people know where to find an AED, by introducing a new initiative called “Heart of the Nation” which is a ‘badge of honour’ like the Australian Made campaign, which businesses everywhere can place on their entry doors, letting the community know that they have an AED inside if it is ever needed to save a life, just as Greg’s was. It is on this topic that Greg will be speaking to us.
Members from local Rotary clubs are invited to join West Pennant Hills & Cherrybrook for this meeting the details of which are provided below:
Cost: $40 pp (includes drinks and nibbles on arrival).
Payment: Please pay via EFT to Club’s General Account BSB - 633000 ; Account - 165073016 (NB: please include surname & club in event descriptor eg SmithPHills20Feb)
Dietary requirements: Please advise by return email of any specific dietary requirements
Dundas Community Garden Update
Sandra Payne attending a meeting this week and provided the following update:
Brett from Nangle Landscape Architecture is creating a plan and costings which will be sent around in the next month. Sandra made sure that Jenny Young's advice re garden design for improved accessibility were put forward.
The meeting was also attended by Phil from the Botanic Gardens and he was suitably impressed with the efforts of our club in clearing the garden space.
Over all the project is not moving as quickly as anticipated and the updated plan will be a good step forward.
Photograph - heritage convict hewn sandstone blocks at the Dundas Community Garden.
Dear Colleagues,
Cristy and I are in Manila.
I am giving an audiology lecture course this week at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, on a voluntary basis. We are also donating a large number hearing aids and equipment which we brought with us. Fortunately they sent people to meet us and get us through Customs!
We are also lecturing at the University of the Philippines on their audiology program.
We will attend a meeting of the Rotary Club of Timog to discuss setting our work here up as a RAWCS project.
Cristy will also be able to spend time with her family and to organize a memorial service for her mother who passed away in In 2021.
Please note your diary for your upcoming market shift !
