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Meeting 21_5_20

Guest Speaker: Jessie Harman RI Director Nominee 2021-2023

Jessie delivered a highly motivating speech focusing on the future of Rotary with her passion for Rotary irrepressible. She outlined the unparalleled opportunities as well as significant challenges that face Rotary.

Opportunities that exist through the use of technology that will increase Rotary’s reach into a broader community; as the world is on the cusp of eradicating Polio the spotlight will be on Rotary and thus will open up more opportunities; billions of $$$ are available in RI Foundation to fund significant projects; strategic partnerships with partners such as the UN, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF etc can be broadened and the internationality of Rotary provides a strong foundation to move into the future.

Jessie also highlighted the challenges facing Rotary, particularly membership which is declining and ageing. The modern busy life means that many prospective Rotarians prefer to dip in and out of service with millennials in particular tending to volunteer for specific causes.

Our challenge is to meet the needs of our members and our communities and to ensure Rotary stays relevant, innovative and engaging long into the future. It is important to build a spirit of optimism and courage, to try new things, to have a go and to take risks.

We are the stewards of our wonderful organization and we must ensure it is strong and thriving into the future as ‘The world needs Rotary now, just as it did in the past!’

Jessie responded to a number of questions around how to engage young people, the need to leverage strategic partnerships and how clubs must stay connected to their members during Covid 19.

Pres. Sue thanked Jessie for her most thought provoking address and her commitment to Rotary.

Meeting 14-5-20

Club Assembly (via Zoom)

President Sue welcomed everyone to the first Zoom Club Assembly then asked Sergeant at Arms Rodney to call the meeting to order. Rodney invited all to join him in Grace and in toasting Queen and Country.

Reports from Board:

Change Over: Neither PE Carol or President Sue keen on doing the C/O via Zoom so will plan on the official duties being carried out with a small group in attendance with celebrations being delayed to August or when COVID 19 regulations permit.

Avenues of Service Reports

Community Service:

Biggest Morning Tea in the RSL Hall cancelled but members encouraged to hold their own small gatherings at home during the week of May 25th—31st to raise funds for the Cancer Council.

Meeting 7_5_20

Guest Speaker: Meagan Callander Principal Middle Kinglake Primary School

Meagan provided a most informative and enlightening address. She explained that she is a ‘True Yea local’ having lived here all her life and is now in her 6^th year as Principal of Middle Kinglake PS. MKPS has 64 students represented across the socio economic and demographic continuum.

Planning for changes to the delivery of their curriculum imposed by the COVID 10 Pandemic came with little notice and there was uncertainty around when on site schooling would resume but Meagan felt her staff has done a magnificent job in catering for the students’ needs.

Staff prepare differentiated weekly hard copy work packs which are supplemented by online learning. Feedback between the families and the school is constant via phone calls, texts, video chats and during the Monday collection of the weekly packs. The Monday p/u is essential for student/family and staff wellbeing.

Adherence to Child Safety Regulations is critical – 2 staff members are always present when video chats are held with students and students must be dressed and not in their bedrooms!

Meeting 30_4_20

Our Second Zoom Meeting

A message from President Sue :

Hello fellow Rotarians. Our second zoom meeting was a fun but slightly disorganized gathering. It was great to see so many familiar faces but it was a bit unstructured and this week we will have a zoom meeting that will run more like a regular meeting with a guest speaker.

We are all new to this way of meeting and I hope we can all resume our meetings in person in the not to distant future .... but in the meantime enjoy our Thursdays on the computer. See you soon.

Cheers Sue

April 30th Meeting Report

24 Rotarians joined the Zoom Fellowship meeting last Thu

rsday and it was good to have AG Elizabeth Mc Cormick and members Fitzy, Will and Terry along with Louis & Gary join us for the first time. A number of changing background screens kept members busy and Pres. Sue was the expert in multi tasking a number of devices. AG Elizabeth noted that she has been a participant in 6 Rotary Zooms as well as using remote learning in her daily work whilst supervising boarding students at The International School at Kilmore. Elizabeth reminded the meeting that Change Overs and Paul Harris Presentations can be still be achieved using digital platforms.

Meeting 23_4_20

Our first Zoom Meeting

A message from President Sue

Hello fellow Rotarians.

It was so nice to see many of you at our first zoom meeting. It made me realize how long since I 've seen many of you, and I am missing our regular contact.

The zoom meeting was easier than expected to be a part of and I hope we can meet again this Thursday at 7.30 for a "happy hour". I hope more of you give it a go.

Cheers Sue

22 Members and PDG Richard Luke joined the first ever ‘zoom’ meeting for the Rotary Club of Yea, with apologies from Sinkers and Gary who were having internet connection issues.

Guest Speaker—AG District 9790 Zone 9—Marg Crisp

Marg gave a very comprehensive report of the Corryong and District Bushfire Recovery effort (Marg is on the Bushfire Relief Committee).

Marg explained how the fire started across the border and how and where it spread to in Victoria and the efforts by so many to protect small communities and the township of Corryong. This was from a CFA already stretched after a week of fires in East Gippsland.

All up, 55 houses were lost. Plus another 20 that were no longer being used as residences.

A particular feature of this fire were the number of valleys affected.

The Rotary response was quick and effective but there was no power and limited phone towers remaining so communication was difficult.

Meeting 27_2_20

Induction of a new member Matt Spurgeon

Matt is the manager of the Yea and District Community Bank and after several meetings with us, where he felt most welcome, he decided to join the club. Matt is forme

r member of a Lions Club and his father is a Rotarian at Corryong. Matt will have Banking Retail on his membership Badge and will join the Community Services committee

Guest speakers Matt and Vanessa from Melbourne City Roof Top honey.

What an amazing journey the last 10 years have been for them!

It was all kickstarted by them when they converted their backyard space in the city into an edible garden and were looking to compliment it with either chooks or bees. Bees won out and as they say—’From little things big things grow’.

So began their journey. A beekeeping course followed and soon they were addicted. One hive became four and it was growing. Too many hives led to them exploring what to do with the bees and how to connect people. Roof Top Honey was born.

Lots of research and chats with restaurants, chefs, owners of buildings etc followed and it just kept on growing.

They are now 10 years on, educate hundreds of Year 9 students with tours, speak at overseas conferences (the green urban scape conference in Singapore) and organise conferences in Melbourne and are full time beekeepers and educators.

They gave lots of interested facts and figures about bees (one is that urban bees are much healthier than their rural cousins—less pesticides and more food!) and told some interesting tales.

An inspirational success story and the many Rotarians who tasted the honey they brought along with them, gave it the thumbs up!

Meeting 20_2_20

President Sue welcomed everyone, but especially our three returnees from Short Term Youth exchange — Grace Hamilton, Johnnie Hamilton and Lulu Moon with her mum Michelle, plus our 12 month Youth Exchange returnee Molly Connor together with Mum and Dad Sophie and Gary. More youth with French exchange students Matt Porte (at RC of Benalla) and our own Louis. Also a warm welcome to Matt Spurgeon.

Guest Speakers - Long and Short Term Exchange Students

Chair: Julie Lynch.

Julie introduced in turn the three short term exchange students which the cub sponsored in late 2019 for a six week exchange trip and who all gave a very confident overview of their time in their respective host countries.


Grace Hamilton - Milan, Italy.	Johnnie Hamilton — Germany, an hour from Frankfurt.	Lulu Moon - Cologne, Germany.

Each of these students did themselves, their parents, schools, the Rotary Club of Yea and their country proud. All spoke of their lovely host families, the wonderful trips and Christmas traditions they experienced and of the culture and food, which they all seemed to enjoy.

Each was articulate, well prepared and engaging and as club members, we should feel proud to be able to have supported these three students in gaining first hand knowledge of another language and culture.

Well done Grace, Johnnie and Lulu.

Following on from the short term exchange students, Julie introduced Molly Connor, who has returned from a 12 month exchange to Lucon, France. Molly had 6 host families and whilst she found it challenging at first, she really warmed to the experience and settled in well. Her favourite host family was the last one, who were more like grandparents and treated her like a well loved grandchild.

Previous Meetings

2020 Guest Speakers, Meetings and Activities (cont.)

2019 Guest Speakers, Meetings and Activities July to Dec.

2019 Guest Speakers, Meetings and Activities Jan. to June

2018 Guest Speakers Meetings and Activities