Category: Rotary

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Unveiling the Club's Website

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Each year Rotary International sets a central theme to provide a core focus and guidance for the many individual Rotary Clubs that exist throughout the world.

This year’s theme is The Future of Rotary Is In Your Hands and reflects the ongoing need for the organisation to remain relevant and committed to its goals of community service.

At a local level the theme resonates within the Rotary Club of Ringwood as we explore new ways to engage the community and recruit members. As part of this focus I unveiled the Rotary Club of Ringwood website at tonight’s meeting to discuss the importance of using the Internet to engage our community and promote the Rotary cause.

The Rotary Club of Ringwood’s website provides a flexible platform to promote the Club and enables authorised members to maintain and add content to the site.

This makes it easier to keep the site up-to-date and ensures a sense of ownership meaning that members are actively involved with the website and its content.

Organisations that utilise the Internet will only find it useful if they have a relevant and timely web presence. A website needs to be consistent with other promotional and marketing tools used by an organisation so that they are clear about the aims of the group and what it offers to prospective members.

The website will enable the Club to receive enquiries from prospective members and community organisations and will include information on upcoming events and fundraising activities.

The Rotary Club of Ringwood website is available at www.ringwoodrotary.org.au.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Oaktree Foundation

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood meets on a weekly basis with guest speakers who discuss community organisations and causes.

Tonight’s speaker is a member of the Oaktree Foundation, an organisation established to empower young people through providing aid and assistance to reduce poverty and improve education within developing countries.

The Oaktree Foundation was formed in 2003 and has established itself within the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. The foundation works in partnership with community organisations within six developing countries to assist in the delivery of education opportunities.

The Oaktree Foundation specifically involves younger people and encourages an interest in volunteering and a commitment to community causes.

Delegates' Report: Maroondah's Wellbeing, Reconciliation, Planning for the Future and Supporting Migrant Communities

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On the 19th and 25th of May I had the pleasure of presenting certificates to the students who participated in Council’s drawing competition for the Community Wellbeing Plan. The competition provided school students with the opportunity to discuss what they liked about Maroondah and to gain input from these students for the Community Welleing Plan.

Maroondah’s Community Wellbeing Plan is a comprehensive document that will identify strategies to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of our municipality. It is great to provide creative ways of encouraging all members of our community, including schoolchildren to comment on the plan.

On the 27th of May I had the privilege of launching Maroondah’s Indigenous Policy and officiating the Maroondah Reconciliation Week festivities. The event was attended by students from a number of Maroondah based schools, as well as members of our community. The event included a series of workshops, as well as an Indigenous Elder retelling Dreamtime Stories and the One Fire Aboriginal Dance Troupe who recreated traditional Indigenous dances. It is great to see the continued strong interest that our community has towards Reconciliation.

On the 12th of June I attended a business planning workshop for North Ringwood Community House. The house is in the process of updating its three year business plan to ensure that it has a sustainable economic, social and environmental future. The House is delighted by the success of its application for feasibility study funding, with both the State Government and Maroondah Council announcing a financial contribution towards the study.

The discussion during the workshop understandably included the need for a new premises and location and this successful application, with $25,000 from the State Government and $5000 from Maroondah, means that this this vision is one step closer to reality.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the many council officers who assisted the House in preparing the application and also for their ongoing assistance, as the study scope is defined and the work commences.

On the 13th of June I attended a Soccer and Volleyball Tournament organised by the Migrant Information Centre for the Burmese and Sudanese Communities. Maroondah has one of the highest Burmese populations within Metropolitan Melbourne and it was great to see events being held to support our migrant communities.

The Rotary Club of Ringwood assisted the Migrant Information Centre through holding a barbecue and serving food and refreshments and the participants certainly appreciated the hospitality. When my grandparents migrated to Australia from Poland in 1958 there was little support in learning about Australia and the English language. It is wonderful to see that there are now community organisations that can assist migrants in settling into their new lives in Australia.

Rotary Club of Mitcham – Changeover Dinner 2009

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Rotary Clubs have an annual changeover dinner to recognise the achievements of the past year and to introduce the new officebearers of the Club and the incoming President.

Tonight I was invited to attend the Rotary Club of Mitcham Changeover Dinner. While I am a member of the Rotary Club of Ringwood, I do know several members from Mitcham, including its previous and outgoing Presidents.

The function provided an opportunity to recognise the committed service of individuals and it was wonderful to see Sharon Partridge being awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship. Sharon, was a former Whitehorse Councillor and past President of the Rotary Club of Mitcham.

During Sharon’s year as President she successfully organised several events, including fundraising activities and a concert providing funds for solar facilities in East Timor and scholarships for Indigenous Australians.

The Paul Harris Fellowship is one of Rotary’s highest honours and was named after Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Eastern Volunteers

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood meets on a weekly basis at Club Ringwood on the corner of Maroondah Highway and Oban Road. The Club features speakers who discuss community causes with the Club.

Tonight’s speakers were from Eastern Volunteers, who discussed their vision for the future with the Rotary club.

Eastern Volunteers is a not-for-profit community organisation established in 1976. The organisation provides transport services for people with disabilities and the frail aged, as well as serving as a recruitment centre for volunteers. Eastern Volunteers is primarily based in Ringwood, with offices in Lilydale and Box Hill. The organisation provides its services within the Cities of Whitehorse, Maroondah and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

The organisation has grown significantly since its establishment and now has approximately 15 staff members and over 100 volunteers who assist in the delivery of its services.

Eastern Volunteers has a vision of becoming a peak body representing the interests of volunteers and encouraging new people to volunteer and assist community organisations. This vision will strengthen our communities and make it easier for people to be able to volunteer.

This continued growth has meant that Eastern Volunteers requires an appropriate premises for its Head Office. Eastern Volunteers is currently based in New Street, Ringwood but needs a larger premises so that it can continue to deliver its services and meet the needs of the community.

Maroondah Combined Probus Club

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Probus Clubs, which are initiated through the support of a local Rotary club, provides an organisation for retired or semi-retired community members.

The Maroondah Combined Probus Club is one of the largest within the municipality and meets at the Ringwood RSL. The club organises a range of speakers to cater to the diverse interests of its members.

This morning I was invited to speak to the Combined Probus Club members to discuss the vision for Ringwood, as well as the need for public transport improvements.

I discussed the plans for the redevelopment of Eastland, which will result in the creation of a new town square and park, to assist in restoring a sense of community into Ringwood. I also spoke about the current plans for the Ringwood Station and the need for further funding so that the station itself can be redeveloped into an accessible, safe and integrated transport facility.

While work is expected to commence on the station forecourt and bus interchange during the course of next year, there is still need for a State Government commitment to redevelop the station itself. Ringwood Station currently fails disability compliance standards and as a result the station is not accessible and is in fact avoided by many people in our community.

The redevelopment of Eastland is also expected to commence next year and I spoke about the transformation of Ringwood into a vibrant urban centre. While this development will bring positive changes to Ringwood, there is a need to ensure that community facilities are enhanced to meet the growing needs of our municipality.

I have requested that council undertake a management plan for Jubilee Park so that we can develop a vision and strategy for the sporting clubs within the municipality. Likewise, there is a need for similar strategies in regard to community space, cultural facilities and green open space.

The town centre within the middle of Ringwood will be complemented by a park and play equipment in Nelson Street, providing additional open space for the community and catering to the young families that are moving into Ringwood.

Public transport improvements, such as the Ringwood to Frankston SmartBus have enhanced the mobility of our community and I discussed the need for further improvements to provide transport choice for our residents.

More frequent, accessible and readily available public transport services will provide our community with alternatives to car travel and I congratulated the Probus Club for its strong interest in public transport and attendance at the bus review workshops that were held in February.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Eastern Palliative Care

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood, is nearing 30 years since its formation, with many of its past and current members are still involved in various community causes.

Tonight’s meeting included a speaker from Eastern Palliative Care, as well as a board member from the organisation who was a past President of the Rotary Club of Ringwood. Eastern Palliative Care aims to provide support for patients with a terminal illness and also offers assistance to their families.

One of the services provided by Eastern Palliative Care is its Client Biography Service, which provides an opportunity for patients to tell the story of their life, providing a living memory of the person and a source of reflection and closure. Eastern Palliative Care has conducted 158 biographies to date, which includes photographs, a CD version and two printed copies. All content is discussed and approved by the patient with the service being conducted entirely by trained volunteers.

The organisation is a partnership between Outer East Palliative Care Service, Melbourne Eastern Palliative Care Association, Order of Malta and Sisters of Charity (St Vincent’s Health) and provides services within Boroondara, Manningham, Maroondah, Whitehorse, Monash, Knox and Yarra Ranges.

Eastern Palliative Care is largely supported through the efforts of volunteers and the Client Biography Service is one unique example of how the organisation aims to assist both patients and families.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – April Club Forum

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood, which is part of Rotary District 9180, holds regular club forums to discuss the direction of the club and to provide input to its officebearers.

Tonight’s meeting featured a club forum to discuss the future priorities of the club and further efforts to assist our community. The Rotary Club of Ringwood will be making contact with the Marysville community to see what further assistance is required for the bushfire recovery effort and will liaise with local community members and the Lions Club of Marysville.

In addition the proposed Rotary Club of Ringwood website was discussed and members will be collating their history in the club to provide information for the website. This will ensure that visitors gain an insight into the club and assist in recruiting new members.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Support and employment for our youth

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood, is part of the wider Rotary network through District 9810 and while each club is largely autonomous they do cooperate on regional projects.

Rotary clubs within the District were heavily involved in fundraising through the Eastlink Open Day and tonight’s guest speakers from KYM Employment Services received $1,500 from the Rotary Club of Ringwood through these efforts.

KYM Employment Services was formed in 1998 through a merger of organisations within Maroondah, Knox and the Yarra Ranges

KYM Employment Services is a community based not-for-profit organisation that has sites within Boronia, Ringwood, Bayswater, Camberwell and Glen Waverley.

The organisation provides support and training services for young people with the aim of encouraging high school completion or alternatively assisting younger people through a range of accredited training courses.

KYM Employment Services links employers with younger people through the Youth Pathways Program and provides support services during the transition from education into employment.

While the organisation’s priority is to try and keep younger people within school, KYM Employment Services recognises that a range of educational options should be available to meet the needs of our youth.

The organisation also delivers other support services to build the confidence of younger people, including regular breakfast and lunch programs, as well as providing advice and peer support.

For further information on KYM Employment Services please visit www.kym.com.au

Delegates' Report: advocacy, fundraising and annual general meetings

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Firstly, I would like to report that the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee has been reconvened for this year and held its first meeting on the 17th of February.

The primary objective for this year is to oversee the development of Council’s new Wellbeing Plan, which will guide Maroondah’s approach to health, safety and wellbeing initiatives within the municipality. The committee involves a broad cross section of organisations and is well positioned to provide this input.

On the 19th of February I attended a forum on bus services, convened as part of the State Government’s review into bus routes across Metropolitan Melbourne. It is encouraging that the Government is investigating bus routes within Maroondah as there is a need for more frequent bus services and better connectivity across the network. The government has called for public submissions and has extended the deadline for submissions until the 3rd of April. A second workshop will be scheduled for later this year.

I attended two annual general meetings over the past month, including Maroondah Homebiz on the 3rd of March where it is encouraging to see the organisation continuing to strongly represent the growing numbers of small and homebusiness owners within Maroondah. I also attended the Croydon Conservation’s Society AGM on the 12th of March. The organisation is enthusiastically entering its 45th year and maintained a budget surplus over the past twelve months.

Lastly, I participated in a fundraiser for the bushfire appeal through the Rotary Club of Ringwood on the 20th of February, collecting coin donations at the Maroondah Highway and Mount Dandenong Road intersection. I am pleased to say that Rotary raised in excess of $10,000 and would like to thank our community for giving so generously.