Recent Photographs

President's Message

Getting a Start in Home Town

Rotary Supports
DRUG-ARM

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

I have spoken to Max Crittenden at St. Vincents hospital today. He was quite bright and sounded very positive. He will be in St. Vincents hospital in Sydney for 7 to 10 days, and in Sydney for approx. two weeks. He is waiting on pathology tests from his operation ,so far so good. He is in the private section of the hospital and the telephone number is 02 83827111.He was operated on yesterday.

This Friday we are going to the ambulance centre in Anderson street at 12.30pm. There is no lunch this week 3rd October at the Hilton hotel.

On November 14th we are having a joint meeting with Cairns Earlville Club to discuss our joint venture for the Centenary of Rotary for 2005.They are coming to the Hilton on Friday lunch and this will be their meeting for the week.Both clubs are looking at supplying a van for dialysis patients to be transported to and from for treatment at the Base hospital

This weekend sees our exchange students attend an orientating weekend with the inbound and outbound students for 2003/2004.This is held in Townsville.

On Friday 10th October our two exchange students will be giving their presentations to our club. We will hear about Holland and Germany.

If any members are interested in being envolved with a Rotary advertising page in the Cairns Post, maybe to advertise your business or your club. It will be similiar to the spread our club did last year. It will be a combined club initiative this year, so just let me know if you are interested.

I still have some Xmas cards available. The ones I am selling at the moment are $12. These are the cards we had from last year. The next ones I sell will be this years cards and they will be $13 per packet.

PRESIDENT ROBYN.

Getting A Start In Home Town

…Via City, Country Link

Three young people from the far north west of N.S.W. are receiving vital employment training through a vocational service initiative by the Rotary Club of Silverwater, N.S.W.. Silverwater, in Western Sydney, launched Outback Rotary Deduction Scholarships (OUTREDS) during a visit to Bourke, N.S.W. in June 2002.

The Rotary Clubs of Silverwater and Bourke have been involved in a special work experience program for students from Bourke and Sydney’s western metropolitan area since 1992, and OUTREDS has been developed as an extension of that program.

Like many remote rural centres, Bourke has an ongoing problem providing suitable employment and consequently the rural drift to large regional centres and metropolitan areas continues. During the work experience program, Silverwater Rotarians became more aware of Bourke’s problems.

However, there was a realization that limited employment opportunities DID exist in remote centres if young people could find suitable training. Stung by the sever downturn in rural conditions, the Silverwater Rotarians were determined to do something to help within the field of vocational service.

Young people and employment stood out as a mojor social issue and the Rotary Club of Silverwater, led by Past Presidents Richard Bell and Barry Rodway and others, came up with the Outback Rotary Education Scholarships scheme last year. Basically, the plan was to utilize the Rotary family to provide full time vocational training to enable local residents to fill identified employment opportunities in Bourke and other remote centres.

Such training was to be provided on the strict condition that ongoing employment was available in the centre of origin once training was completed. Apart from financial resources, the scheme is designed to provide planning and administration, family support services, accommodation if necessary, and supervision.

Silverwater has now established the OUTREDS Trust and the Department of Taxation has given provisional approval for 100 per cent deductibility for donations to the Trust. Displaying considerable ability to cut away red tape, Silverwater Rotarians have already raised funding for, and awarded, the first three scholarships.

Kim Burke of Goodooga, N.S.W., has commenced a correspondence course at Dubbo TAFE College in Office Administration. She is completing the 12 month course whilst employed at Goodooga Central School. Kim has been guaranteed ongoing employment.

Annabell Cullodeen of Bourke had completed her first year of Radiology at the University of Sydney when her parents had the sad task of telling her they could no longer support her studies because of the effect of drought on the family property. The Rotary Club of Silverwater awarded her an OUTREDSD Scholarship to complete the final two years of her course. She will return to guaranteed employment within Western Districts Health Service.

Sarah Willoughby of Bourke is well into the first year of a three year Nursing Degree at Charles Sturt University’s Dubbo Campus. She is another student with farming parents badly hit by rural conditions and would not have been able to complete her course without the scholarship.

The Rotary Club of Silverwater has funded two of the scholarships at a cost of $20,000. The third at $2,500 a year for three years has been generously funded by the Rotary Club of Beecroft, N.S.W..

Past President Richard Bell said the only factor impeding OUTREDS at this time was lack of funding. “We need more Rotary clubs and corporate organisations to follow the lead of the Rotary Club of Beecroft and sponsor a student,” he said.

“Goodooga Central School has already indicted there is a further traineeship available, with local employment guaranteed.

We heed another Rotary Club to fund the $10,000 for the one year training program,” he said.

For details see Rotary Down Under: September 2003.

Rotary Backs Drug-Arm ...

in Program To Help Those Who Want To Kck Habit

By Geoff Lumley Rotary Club of Cabramatta N.S.W.

Rotarians and secondary school students are taking roles in programs to help people wanting to kick a drug habit. They are among community groups supporting Drug Awareness and Relief Movement (DRUG-ARM) a non government, not-for-profit, Christian based organisation committed to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle without the use of unnecessary drugs.

DRUG-ARM, formed in 1981, provides resources to assist awareness of drug issues and facilities to promote relief from alcohol and other drug dependencies. An information van donated by the Rotary club of Carlingford, N.S.W., goes out during the day to the Liverpool, Fairfield and Bankstown areas of suburban Sydney.

The service aims to provide factual information about drug and alcohol and the relevant services available to the public.

The Rotary Club of Cabramatta, N.S.W. and other community groups served with DRUG-ARM to promote drug rehabilitation facilities available in the Fairfield area for people wishing to get off, or stay off, drugs of dependence including alcohol, heroin and other drugs.

Resources are available freely to the community and are offered without discrimination or strings.

The Rotary Club of Cabramatta was joined by Local Government representatives, federal and state parliamentarians, other community groups and students from local high schools in support for DRUG-ARM in Fairfield.

The group supported a walk around the streets of Cabramatta with placards encouraging victims of drugs to seek help. The Rotarians then hosted a sausage sizzle for the walkers and provided drinks. DRUG-ARM’s compassion for all people, and especially for those suffering from misuse of alcohol and other drugs, is shown through a Street Outreach program which has six vans in N.S.W. with 200 well trained volunteers taking part.

Vans are situated in the state’s Central Coast, Fairfield, Hills/Blacktown, Newcastle, Sutherland Shire and Wollongong. Vans go out at night on Fridays and Saturdays to assist people who are homeless, disillusioned, in moral or physical danger and those who are addicted, or likely to be addicted, to both legal and illegal drugs.

A Home Visitation and Response Team Program (HART Program) is available in the Bankstown, Fairfield and Liverpool areas. It aims to provide support, counseling and care to families suffering drug and alcohol problems at their home or other safe/comfortable environments.

This program also runs family/user support groups in the evening. DRUG-ARM also has an education program/drug awareness program for community groups, volunteers from other organisations and schools.

Currently, DRUG-ARM N.S.W. mainly relies on the funding from DRUG- ARM Foundation, donation and sponsorship. A clear management structure has been put in place to ensure programs in different areas are running efficiently.

Local committees have been set up to supervise the program in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.