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PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE
The Theme for Rotary for the year 2003/2004 is
LEND A HAND
This Friday we have as our guest
speaker Mr. Doran who is the Ambassador of Australia to the Federated
States of Micronesia.
I will have Rotary Xmas cards for
sale. They are in packs of ten cards and are selling for $12.00.
They will be for sale at the door this week and every week until
I sell 20 packs. They are for the Australian Rotary Health Research,
and are very good quality cards.
Cairns West Rotary Club is having
a fund raising evening on Thursday October 9th. It is a movie night
starting at 6pm and costing $15 per head. The movie is Calendar
Girls it is supposed to be very funny, like the full monty with
a twist.
On the 19th of September we will
be having lunch and club forum at the Balaclava hotel it will be
a test venue for all club members to see if they like the venue.
On the 3rd of October we will be
visiting the Emergency Centre as our vocational visit.
It is race day at the Amateurs on
Friday 12th September, if anyone would like to join the Rotarians
in the member’s area on the Friday, you are very welcome to come
along and enjoy the occasion.
PRESIDENT ROBYN
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Rotary 4-Way Test
1.
Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
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Port Pirie Renews Sister
City Links
From Rotary Down Under Augst 2003
The Rotary Club of Port Pirie, S.A.
has renewed its sister club agreement with the Rotary club of Dau
in Dagupan in the Philippines.
The Ceremony was part of the District
3790 Assembly and a centrepiece at the opening dinner. Attending
the District Assembly was the four member Port Pirie Delegation
in the Philippines to engage in a joint project that provided playground
equipment for elementary schools and day care centres at 10 locations
in Pampanga Province.
The relationship, in place eight years,
grew out of concerns expressed by Rotarian Gordon Chivell. He proposed
in 1993 that Port Pirie join with Dau to set up a training program
for Pampanga youth following the devastation and social disruption
caused by the joint catastrophes of the 1991 volcanic eruption of
Mount Pinatubo and withdrawal of the United States from its military
bases at Clark Field and Subic Bay.
These events had an immediate and profound
effect on the local economy, reducing employment dramatically. The
clubs set up a training centre for young people to learn machine-sewing
skills and thereby have an opportunity to gain work. The project
attracted a Matching Grant from The Rotary Foundation.
It was a huge success with more than
4,000 young men and women graduating and entering the workforce.
Each year, seven one month long courses (always over subscribed)
are conducted. At the completion of their training, more than 85%
of the graduates immediately find employment in the clothing industry.
During the 2002/03 Rotary year Port
Pirie’s international director John Rowe set a goal of building
on the relationship between the Rotary Clubs of Port Pirie and Dau.
“It has not been all plain sailing to reach the goal.” He said.
“Recent hostilities in the Middle East, terrorism threats and health
concerns in South Asia were all causes for concern as the team made
arrangements to join fellow Rotarians in the Philippines.”
However, the desire or the team to
further the sister club bond outweighed these concerns. At the end
of the 10-day mission, Rotary Club of Port Pirie then President
Andrew Hern and John Rowe officiated at a graduation ceremony for
trainees.
They held informal discussions with
the Rotary Club of Dau board about ongoing support for the training
centre project and proposals for other project activities in Pampanga.
The team was presented with certificates
of appreciation from the Barangay community captains of Calumpang
and Macapagal Village. Visits were made to five venues to see children
using their new playground equipment. Three Rotary meetings were
attended, and a visit was made to the Angeles City Bahay Bata Centre
for street children.
This project, sponsored by the Rotary
Club of Clark Centennial, the Philippines, provides a social and
education program for some of the estimated 1,000 ‘street children’
in and around the Angeles City area of Pampanga.
Then President Andrew was moved by
the commitment of Rotarians and community representatives to provide
for less fortunate citizens.
John Banfield.
One
in 15, 000 with a story to tell
More than 15,000 gathered at the 2003
International Rotary Convention in Brisbane - and they had as many
stories to tell.
Aggrey Kankunda is just one of them.
Aggrey, a past president of the Rotary Club of Kampala South, Uganda,
was attending his first visit to Australia and his first convention.
He was enjoying the fellowship of
people form so many nations and was impressed by the friendliness
of everyone he met. Kampala South club is multi-cultural and multi-racial
with a healthy mix of locals and expatriates, a nice balance of
men and women and has the distinction of having the youngest membership
in the country, with and average age of 32 years.
Projects covering all avenues of service
are undertaken with enthusiasm – but the “flagship” project this
year is to renovate (virtually to rebuild) and fully equip an almost
derelict 80 year old school in a remote area, in which the average
annual income is around $US100.00.
The club is providing the labour and
has raised about $13, 000 but still needs some $35, 000 to complete
the project, in the absence of any government grant, the club is
hoping to find a sponsor, or sponsors.
Aggrey said that the completion of
the school was vitally important to the future of the children of
this poor community, who now attended classes under the trees with
makeshift equipment.
For a small club this is a huge task,
but Aggrey is confident that his club will complete the task – perhaps
with some outside help.
Aggrey.kankunda@ug.pwcglobal.com
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