Guest Speaker Alice Glachan (RC of Albury Hume) Fundraising Campaign Director for the Hilltop Accommodation Centre in Albury.
Alice provided personal information about herself (former Mayor of Albury City Council, Rotarian and former exchange student, local business proprietor) before outlining details of the Hilltop Accommodation Centre and her current role as the Fundraising Director for stage 2 of Hilltop with a goal of securing $1,000,000 from community sources.Hilltop Accommodation Centre in Albury is a joint project of Fight Cancer Foundation, the Zonta Club of Albury Wodonga, Rotary Club of Albury North and Lions District 201V6.
Hilltop offers first class facilities and provides a safe, comfortable and affordable home away from home for cancer patients from outlying towns across southern New South Wales and north eastern Victoria.
Construction of Stage 2 (providing an extra 10 motel rooms) has already commenced and is expected to be opened early in 2021.
Alice shared a number of slides which detailed the LGA’s across Victoria and NSW from which patients are drawn. From 2018—present Murrindindi residents have spent 400+ nights at Hilltop.
Alice encouraged all members to spread the word about the fundraising campaign and she welcomes further speaking engagements via Zoom.
Guest Speaker: Professor Tracey Wade Flinders University - What’s So Bad About Being Perfect?
PP Sue introduced Tracey and mentioned that she had been a recipient of a Rotary Health Grant and had conducted a research project with that money. In fact Tracey has received 3 Rotary Health Grants.She started by asking what is perfectionism and defined it as the setting of excessively high standards of performance accompanied by overly critical self evaluation which leads to self hate.
It’s increasing in young people. There are several reasons.
40% cases are genetic
Environmental changes enhance the expression of these genes
Increased importance of achievement and money
Increased influence from parental control and practices
Exposure to peers perfectionism through social media eg images, bullying and criticism
What’s so bad about perfectionism?
Increased depression
Increased anxiety
Increased eating disorders
Less likely to respond to therapy
Less likely to aim at goals which leads to procrastination
Less resilience to failures and setbacks.
Can we help people to overcome perfectionism. Yes through Behaviour Therapy.
This can be in a clinical situation, in a classroom or via the internet. Tracey and her team are still tweaking the latter.
Tracey shared a comparison between being a perfectionist and a high achiever and she also introduced us to the art of Kinsugi which is a Japanese skill in repairing ceramics that have been broken using gold and demon-strates the benefits of making mistakes and creating something quite differ-ent from the original intention.
There were lots of questions .
Want to know more? Tracey has co-written a book which is now available and is designed as a self help tool.
Global Grant Zoom Meeting with Dayspring School and Rotarians from Districts 9400 South Africa and 9790 Australia.
The meeting tonight was attended by more than 40 people including friends of Ruth Konig, Members of district 9790 , Rotarians from Rustenberg Kloof in South Africa and Bishop Bester and all were warmly welcomed by both President Carol and Chair David Anderson.
A minute’s silence was held in recognition of the passing of Francois Pinaar, RC of Rustenberg Kloof who was very involved in the Dayspring Childrens Village
Dayspring Childrens Village
Julie Lynch gave us some background into how the project started through Ruth a dedicated teacher, a Rotarian and also a humanitarian who was working with students from Sacred Heart Primary School in Yea who started fundraising for a school in South Africa. The students raised $1000, then approached Rotary to find a worthwhile project to which they could donate funds, Rotary matched the funds creating a total of $2000 . (Click for Julie's background talk)
Ruth, while participating in a Rotary Friendship Exchange to South Africa, met Cheryl Phillips who is now a member of the South African Parliament but had been a Rotary Exchange Student in Australia. They visited Dayspring and Ruth saw that this was a project that could use the funds.
Ruth went on to raise much more money and through the efforts of Rotary Foundation,
Rotary Yea and Rotary Rustenberg Kloof they raised $1,200,00 to fund a classroom block and toilet block.
Unfortunately, Ruth died just after the grant was approved so did not see work commence.
Many of those involved in processing the grant application, obtaining permits and getting to this point acknowledged Ruth and her passion for the project.
Kim Katuta wanted to pass on thanks from the staff and children to everyone involved so far.
She told us that the kids are from impoverished backgrounds and that the children Ruth had met had done very well in society becoming lawyers and doctors among other professions. She also reminded us that the projects provides those employed with upskilling, work, and food for their families.
Kim has promised more photos as the project progresses.
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| Construction work at Dayspring | |
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DISTRICT GOVENOR BRUCE ANDERSON'S VISIT
President Carol welcomed DG Bruce Anderson and partner Marilyn to the meeting.
DG Bruce had limited time due to another meeting to go to but emphasised that he was hoping to get to each club in the District in person but was starting with Zoom due to Covid 19.He talked about the District Conference scheduled for 18-21 March 2021 in Wangaratta and the opportunity to party post Covid. Subject to spacing requirements the Conference would welcome everybody’s involvement and if Covid is still causing problems there could be a limited number of attendees chosen by ballot and supplemented with Zoom coverage of conference proceedings.
DG Bruce asked us to diarise the District Conference and also the RI Convention in Taipei in June 2021
Marilyn spoke about a proposed partners program which has been stifled due to Covid so is on hold till the end of 2020 but proposed that we put together a District book with a couple of pages from each club. This would be a Rotary Centenary celebration
Another suggestion was that each club spruce up signs in towns to promote Rotary. There will be a release of coins and postage stamps in 2021 for the centenary.
DG Bruce and Marilyn then introduced Ozzie the Mozzie – District conference mascot and highlighter of the Malaria eradication project. He’s hoping that when clubs can get back to fundraising any leftover funds can be donated to this project which is aiming to create a Malaria free shield across the top of Australia.
Do we need to keep members engaged? Rotary Foundation suggests supporting the environment as a new area of focus. DG Bruce sees it as a way to promote Rotary, engage and recruit younger members and identify and complete local environmental projects. Phil Clancy is to set up a task force and funds should be available from July 2021.
On the subject of new members Rotary International President, Holger suggests focusing on their suitability for the club rather than on gaining numbers.
Last but not least was the End Polio project. DG Bruce said that Covid is preventing us to maintaining the vaccination program and that it will also take away funds, energy and awareness from the project. We will know the likely impact in 6-8 weeks.
Guest Speaker Craig Lloyd CEO Murrindindi Shire Council
• Last few days have been chaotic as shire shares borders with 4 shires in lockdown and Craig is fielding up to 100 calls a day answering queries, and Shire staff doing similar• Some confusion over holiday homes and was remarkably busy Weds as people rushed to homes or be out of Melbourne before the commencement of lockdown
• Craig spoke of Shire surveying people within the Shire in last few weeks and overall people are quite positive, which was a little surprising and he said Yea came out the happiest town in the Shire – (4 on a scale of 5) which people less happy in the parts of the Shire closer to Melbourne
• Since COVID-19, Shire has learnt lots. Their aim was to go paperless in 3 years and they have almost achieved it in 3 months!
• Everyone is working remotely from home except for grounds staff and Library staff and it is going well
• For a very conservative Council, there have been big changes. All Council meetings are now live streamed
• Craig believes lockdown has assisted communication for example comparing a community meeting in a hall with a few dominating questions, to now being online, there is far more interaction with more people – a great outcome of being online – much more inclusive. Shire will use this meeting technique some of the time post COVID but acknowledged it is hard for those not online.
