The Rotary Club of Erina has interesting, informative and enjoyable guest speakers – sharing their passion and knowledge of their chosen occupation or interest. Click on the links to find out more about their projects.
Guests have included:
Dr. Marianne Jauncey – Medical Director, Uniting Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (Sydney MSIC)
Dr Marianne Jauncey has been Medical Director of the Uniting MSIC since 2008. A public health physician, Marianne has worked in the drug and alcohol field since the late 1990s, including four years at the Kings Cross Kirketon Road Centre, providing specialist health care for injecting drug users, sex workers and youth at risk.
https://www.uniting.org/community-impact/uniting-medically-supervised-injecting-centre–msic
Maurie Schokman – Founder and Director Cararoo Foundation Inc.
Maurie Schokman is a member of the E-Club of Greater Sydney and a Past President of the Rotary Club of Northlakes Tuggerah. Cararoo Foundation is registered with RAWCS (Project 29-2005-2006) and has gift deductibility status. The aim of the foundation is to educate and train the poorest of the poor communities in the Philippines, working with the Rotary Club of Makati Dasmarinas.
https://www.cararoofoundation.com.au/
Ian Faulks – Adjunct Fellow, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University
Road safety is Ian’s special area of interest, particularly driver behaviour, road design, integrated road safety systems and road safety strategy. He has more than 30 years professional experience in this area. He is an NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust Research Scholar. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Wahroonga.
Bob Selinger OAM – Educator, Rotarian and Historian
Bob is a former teacher and is author of Decisions: the Process of Government in Australia. His presentation to Erina Rotarians was on a topic within Australian history (one of his great passions) entitled My Favourite Convict. And Bob’s favourite convict is Esther Abrahams, born in 1771, transported to Australia aged 15 years and pregnant. Bob suggested follow up reading on influential/successful women in Australia in The Power of 100.
Geoff Potter – Local Studies Librarian, Gosford Library
Geoff has spoken to us on a couple of occasions, and his presentations focused on his considerable knowledge of the Gosford area. He has talked of the reaction to the onset of WWI, and the history of the Central Coast Leagues Club. The links below are excellent resources for this glimpse in to history.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gostalgia/albums/72157645455765249
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gostalgia/albums/72157711883216388
Sue Sweeney – The Cavalcade of History and Fashion Inc.
The Cavalcade of History and Fashion is a collection of historic gowns and accessories. The collection, dating from the 1700s, has been used by its custodians, a volunteer, not-for-profit community group, to share Australia’s social and fashion history for over 50 years.
Lara Mansfield – Justice Advocacy Service (JAS)
Lara is Team Leader, Central Coast and Sydney, of the Justice Advocacy Service, an organisation that works alongside people with a disability to promote and protect their rights. Lara has a strong connection to Rotary too, having been a Rotary Exchange student in 2008 to Belgium.
For more information on JAS visit their website https://idrs.org.au/ or phone 1300 665 908.
Charlotte Stowe – TeleEEG
Charlotte is a Trustee and Program Manager for TeleEEG, an organisation that provides quality EEG results to patients in countries where diagnosis of epilepsy is limited because of access to equipment and specialists. Teams of specialists give their time for free to analyse the EEGs.
For an insight in to this organisation view the video – https://youtu.be/90aFGByIYN0 and check the website http://www.teleeeg.org
Donald Macdonald – National Parks and Wildlife Service
Donald’s field of expertise is fires, and he spoke about the bush fire season of 2019-2020 and the circumstances of drought that lead to such a catastrophic event. Donald’s official title is Senior Planner with NPWS, and he has been associated with NPWS for over 20 years. Fire Management Strategy is his area of research and he has produced many reports and recommendations for government as various levels.
Bruce Allen – The Rotary Foundation
Past District Governor Bruce Allen is a trustee of the Australian Rotary Foundation Trust, and spoke to the club about the extensive work of the Rotary Foundation. The mission of the Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/rotary-foundation
Mandy Ferguson – Alcohol and Drug Foundation
Mandy is the Senior Community Development Officer of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, a non-profit organisation that has been working for over 60 years to inspire positive change and deliver evidence-based approaches to minimise alc0hol and drug harm. The ADF website has a wealth of information on their programs. Go to https://adf.org.au/
Ian Scott – Rotary Council on Legislation
Ian is a Past District Governor of District 9685 and is the District’s representative on matters of the Council on Legislation – often referred to as the “Parliament of Rotary”. The Council meets every three years to discuss resolutions put forward by Rotary Clubs. Proposed enactments and resolutions may be submitted by clubs and districts, though club items must be endorsed by the club’s district. For more information go to the Rotary International website, http://www.rotary.org
Paul Rogers – Ethics and Rotary
Paul Rogers is a member of the Kurrajong North Richmond Rotary club. His presentation to our Rotary club was based around ethical and moral conduct. An example of Paul’s discussion is revealed in the responses to questions and provides food for thought. Please go to our News and Events page for more information.
Rhonda Douglas – Share the Dignity
Share the Dignity is an organisation that distributes period products to those in need, and works to end period poverty in Australia. The organisation collects thousands of products through collection drives and campaigns and delivers the products directly to charities across Australia for distribution. For more information on this project please go the website https://www.sharethedignity.org.au/
Gail Santi – Springfield Residents Association
Gail is the President of the Springfield Residents Association, a dynamic group who work to improve the lives of the community living in the Springfield area. Gail gave us a background to the group and the projects they have undertaken since 1999. Our club will be working with the Springfield Residents Association on a Bushland project and this was an opportunity to hear about their future plans. You can follow the group on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SpringfieldResidentsAssociation
Darryl Davis- Gosford Musical Society
Darryl has had an association with the Gosford Musical Society (GMS) for over 40 years and is currently Vice President on its Board. GMS put on five shows a year, two junior and three senior shows.
The creation of the Gosford Musical and Dramatic Society came about in 1947, when the population of Gosford was around 16,000. The first production was Pirates of Penzance in 1948. After performing in various venues around Gosford, the push came to establish their own theatre space and with the combined funds of the State Government, the Bicentennial Fund, Rotary and the GMS, the Laycock Street Theatre was born in 1988.
To find out more history visit:
https://gosfordmusicalsociety.com/gmshistory
Or to book for a show:
https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/theatres
Matt Maudlin – Community Engagement and Fundraising Manager, Myeloma Australia
Myeloma Australia exists to educate, support, inform and bring hope to people who are living with myeloma, and their loved ones.
Myeloma, also known as multiple myeloma, is a type of bone marrow cancer arising from plasma cells, which are normally found in the bone marrow. Plasma cells form part of your immune system.
Normal plasma cells produce antibodies (also called immunoglobulins) to help fight infection. In myeloma, abnormal plasma cells release only one type of antibody known as paraprotein, which has no useful function. It is often through the measurement of this paraprotein that myeloma is diagnosed and monitored.
The Rotary Outreach Myeloma Program is a major multi-club Rotary initiative, championed by the Rotary Club of Camberwell which is piloting in Victoria. The program’s vision is for a near future in which no patient, their carers or family members will live more than one hour from a myeloma support group or local support services. The initial program engages Rotary Clubs in regional Victoria to help establish, enable and support Myeloma Australia information and support groups in selected regional areas, working creatively to address the service imbalance between metropolitan and regional Victoria.
For more information go to :
Barry Philps – Past District Governor 2001-2002 District 9685
Barry Philps was a member of the Rotary Club of Glenhaven, and is now a member of the Rotary Club of the Greater Hills, chartered in 2021. One of Barry’s areas of expert Rotary knowledge is Rotary Fellowships. There are many and varied Fellowships available through Rotary – from Bird Watching, to Wine Appreciation, Skiing, Four-Wheel Driving and Genealogy and other areas that bring people together. Sharing interests and hobbies with other Rotarians broadens the friendship base, the network base, and the chance to continue to create peace and goodwill. For more information, click on the link below:
https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/more-fellowships
Doug Roser OAM- Royal Flying Doctor Service
Doug has been involved in defence engineering and civil aviation and he brings a wealth of experience to his role as a volunteer with the South Eastern section of the RFDS. Doug gave a history of the organisation and its current day role in a broad range of health-related activities across New South Wales. For more information on the Royal Flying Doctor Service visit https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/nswact/
Vinita Deodhar – Rotary Club of Beecroft
Vinita is a member of the Rotary Club of Beecroft and spoke to our members about a community project initiated by her club. The Young at Heart Festival highlights contributions made by older members of the Beecroft community. There is also Rotary Virtual Neighbour program that links Rotarians with people in the community who may not have family or friends close by, and a Colouring and Art competition that involves younger children drawing or painting their community elders. Information on the Young at Heart Festival can be found at https://rotarybeecroft.org.au/youngatheartfestival
Stephen O’Connell OAM – Assistant Governor Rotary District 9790
Stephen is a well known tenor and soprano saxophonists who has a broad background and training in classical music traditions and has specialized in the fields of jazz, blues, funk, rock and pop with extensive recording and live experience. He spoke to the members of Erina about his life in music, how music can be utilised in a healthy approach to aging and he gave a preview of the song he wrote about Rotary – All Shoulders to the Wheel. The clip of the song can be found on this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNhUhsh-Gx4
Allan Spencer – Australian National Busking Championships
Allan spoke to our club, and members of The Rotary Club of The Entrance who joined us on Zoom, about the Australian National Busking Championships. The ANBC celebrates the rich diversity of Australian Music & Street Performance Culture. It was first held in Cooma in 2012, and is now held in 7 locations around the country, culminating in the national finals in Cooma each year where the winner of the grand final is given the title of Australian National Busking Champion along with substantial prize monies. One of the themes of the championships is to promote and encourage career pathways for young musicians, and to enrich local communities by staging regional competitions as part of a national network. For more information go to https://busking.com.au/
David Dean – E-Club of Greater Sydney, District 9685 Foundation Director
David Dean is the current District 9685 Foundation Director, and he spoke about the work of the Rotary Foundation, including the ways in which grants are administered, the End Polio program, and why the work of the Rotary Foundation continues its goal of “Doing Good in the World”. At the time of David’s presentation, there were just two cases of polio in the world since January 2021, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. For more information on the Rotary Foundation, go to http://www.rotary.org
Kevin O’Donnell – CareFlight
Kevin O’Donnell is a volunteer with CareFlight, and gave our members a background to the vital medical work done by this organisation. CareFlight is a critical care aeromedical retrieval service and charity based in Australia, and is a world-leader in helicopter rapid response. From the vision of a shared group of people in 1986, a new kind of medical retrieval service was born. Initially a single helicopter daylight only operation with one doctor on duty, CareFlight flew to some four patients a month. Over the years, and with vital support from the community, the organisation has evolved and expanded. Now doctors and nurses fly from six bases, on helicopters, turbo-prop air ambulances and medi-jets, to destinations throughout Australia and beyond. For more information and to donate, go to https://careflight.org/
The Fairtreatment Campaign
The mission of the Fairtreatment campaign is to live in a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, including people who use drugs. It was formed by the Uniting Church in NSW/ACT and now includes more than 60 partner organisations.
To achieve this Fairtreatment aims to increase access to treatment services, especially in rural and regional areas, and introduce a compassionate, health-based response to drug dependency.
You can view the Half A Million Steps video on this link to find out more about this initiative.
Bob Aitken AM – End Polio Chair District 9685
Bob Aitken is well-known to many Rotarians, from his role as Rotary Down Under Editor and for his tireless work in the promotion of Rotary. End Polio is a program that began in 1988, and has seen the reduction of polio globally to only 5 cases in two endemic areas – Pakistan and Afghanistan – in the last year.
Rotary International partners with other organisations, including the WHO and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to raise funds to support medical teams across the world in distributing the polio vaccine.
For more information go to: https://www.endpolio.org/
Chris Davidson – Gamble Aware
Gamble Aware is an initiative of the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling, and our guest Chris Davidson gave our members insights in to the addiction of gambling and the opportunities to seek help for the addiction. The statistics on the money spent by Australians on gambling are sobering, and Chris explained that online gambling increased during the Covid lockdowns.
Gambling Aware provides counselling and group therapy, financial counselling and community education. Information on the services provided can be found at https://www.gambleaware.nsw.gov.au/
Daniel Allars – Regional Coordinator Top Blokes Foundation
Daniel gave our members an update on the Top Blokes Foundation and the achievements of this organisation that mentors boys and young men through a series of programs in schools. These preventative, evidence-based group mentoring programs are delivered by qualified and experienced youth workers and have been developed especially to engage and educate boys and young men. The goal is to mentor and develop their critical-thinking and decision-making skills, as well as normalise a definition of masculinity beyond “strong” and “stoic” to improve young men’s relationships with themselves and those around them. It was pleasing to see the progress of the programs, as measured by EY, where tangible evidence is available to see the success of the program.
For more information on Top Blokes go to https://www.topblokes.org.au/
Alison Heathcote
Alison is a Waste Warrior – someone who has made it her goal to keep the Terrigal beachside and its surrounds clear of litter. What started as a small activity has turned in to a passion. Alison is recognised in Terrigal as someone who cares about her own beautiful backyard and is working to instil that same care and concern into others. The Rotary Club of Erina recognised Alison’s work with a Community Service Award in May 2022.
https://www.facebook.com/Waste-Warriors-making-a-difference-111037157078238
Ian Small
The Kurrajongs story starts early on the morning of 12 January 1916. The town of Inverell witnessed a great day in its young history. A huge crowd assembled in the streets to farewell Inverell’s first contingent of The Kurrajongs. This group of 114 men was one of ten snowball recruiting marches held in NSW to encourage enlistment. At the time, these men were the largest group to leave a country town together for War Service. Quoting the Canada Bay Heritage Association, Ian Small’s book on the Kurrajongs is a story that unfolds in the modern day through the memories of a very old man as he sits with his granddaughter and great-grandson reflecting upon a long, adventure-filled life. Two stories are intertwined through his book . . . a “modern” story and the old man’s life story.
The Kurrajongs is historically accurate and faithfully follows the journey of The Kurrajongs and the exploits of the 33rd Battalion AIF. The characters, however, are fictitious.
Ian’s book is available on many good book selling sites, and is in the National Library collection – https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2447085
