A vision to reality in six days.

On Monday 9 April Docklands Rotarian Margaret Hamilton assisted by DIK 9800 Footscray Managers Laurie Fisher, David Dippie and volunteers provided 24 Tonnes of New Clothing and Linen to fill a 40 foot Container.

The Container was sourced by Warwick Harding GHR Logistics and supplied by Rajiv Chopra Nautilus International Logistics and delivered to DIK Footscray on Thursday the 12 April.

On Saturday 14 April Laurie and David together with Docklands Rotarians Ann, Adrian, Joseph, Lyn, Margaret and families and volunteers from the Fijian community loaded the container, with a family travelling 400km each way to assist.

The Container was loaded  by 11.30 am with the doors sealed ready for despatch to Fiji for distribution to the victims of the recent floods.

A well deserved BBQ Luncheon cooked by Bill Hamilton with all the food being donated by Coles Chadstone was enjoyed by all.

(Extract from Docklands News April edition)

The Rotary Club of Docklands has funded two sails for the local yacht club so it can continue its community sailing and activities for disabled and underprivileged sailors.

Docklands Yacht Club training principal Ray Allen said the sails would be matched to two refurbished Pacer boats the club had purchased with a City of Melbourne grant.

Mr Allen said these boats needed new sails before they could be used and he expressed thanks to local Rotarians for the $2186 needed for the sails.

“The sail maker has included reefing points in the design which will allows novice sailors to handle stronger winds with smaller sail area,” Ray said.

Laurie performs at L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival

Some may have difficulty imagining Laurie Fisher strutting the boards, but he excels at removing the nails from the boards. Some creative thinking by Shane Scanlan and Docklands Rotary Club resulted in the MDF cladding and timber framing used on the entry arch being donated to Donations In Kind. We thank the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival and Sarah Seddon from the Atlantic Group of Companies for their support. The challenge was that we had to take the material on the day the arch was being removed. With much sweat, grunting and occasional swearing the van was loaded and shipped to the Store. Within two days some of the material was being used to frame beds going to East Timor. Donations of shipping consumables are always welcomed.

While few have noticed, the Donations In Kind Store has grown into a very effective Recycling Operation and a lot of support is available if we promote this aspect.

Please spread the message.

For those who haven’t had the opportunity to see it, a lift-out special featuring the work of Rotary and our upcoming 80th District 9800 Conference was included in the Age earlier this month. As well as some great articles on Rotary Projects, the supplement provides a lot of information about the upcoming conference and speaker sessions, and is a very worthwhile read.

The supplement also includes a feature story on our very own Marg Hamilton and the work she and Bill have been doing for our Fiji project. Follow this link to view the supplement - incl the special feature on Marg & Bill and the Fiji project on page 6, with a photo of Marg with Dr Jiko Luveni, Fiji's Minister for Poverty Alleviation, Women & Social Welfare.

At our last Try Sailing Day held early in December we had a good steady flow of attendees, and Docklander Rotarians contrbuted to the running of the day and raising some funds for the Docklands Yacht Club and its Community Projects.

As well as engaging with our community, and some visitors from further afield, and providing the opportunity to experience our beautiful harbour at Docklands, the day provided a unique opportunity for 2 of our visitors with special needs:

This message has been authorized and issued by the DistrictSecretariat on behalf of the District Governor.

My friends,

You may have noticed on the RI website today theannouncement that we have succeeded in achieving the $200 million Challenge setby the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This is a very special day for us alland to further acknowledge the great work being done by Rotarians, the GatesFoundation has contributed a further $50 million to our Polio Eradication fund.This brings the Gates Foundation’s contribution to Rotary $405 million andthat’s a spectacular effort in anyone’s language.

I’ve attached a copy of the story as it appears on thewebsite and you may wish to circulate this information with all possible speed.However, in spite of reaching this milestone, the job is nowhere near done.There is still a $400-plus shortfall in total funding to complete the job andour efforts must continue as strongly as possible. We might have reached $200million but we can’t rest until the job’s done.  

Congratulations to one and all and thanks for havingthe heart and the courage to do it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more proud tobe a Rotarian than I do right now.

Best wishes

Bruce

Manager, The Rotary Foundation - South Pacific& Philippines Office,

Click on this link for a copy of the full story. 

Happy New Year everyone.

I decided to head off on another Rotary adventure.  This time to visit Cambodia in January.  I have been busy since we last saw each other: - collecting goods to take.  This is difficult with the luggage allowances, but with 15 of us on the Tour, I am sure we will utilise all the space we have.

I have attached the original itinerary for a guide of where we shall be, but should let you know that it has changed since being distributed.

With the recent burst of 'warmish' weather we are experiencing in Melbourne, I am climitising to the 23-32 I'll expect in Cambodia.

Cheers for now, Kylie. 

Our Fiji Project, which we have been involved with since our Charter year, 2009, is headed up by Marg Hamilton and her husband Bill.

The Project primarily involves providing goods to support schools in the Fiji highlands (incl computers, bnooks, clothes, toys), and to medical centres. More recently we have also been providing items to support Womens Resource Centres. To date we have sent a number of containers of items to the various Fiji locations.

The Rotary Club of Docklands has joined forces with the Docklands Yacht Club to support the Yacht Club's community programs, including sailing programs for disadvantaged and disabled children (incl programs with some schools), and community sailing programs (incl Sailability).

We assist with many of the hands on activities at these sailing days, as well as raising funds for equipment such as sails...while taking the opportunity to enjoy having a sail in between duties.

District Governors Message - Networker Edition 3 May 2012

On 7th December a teacher and group of students from Kaniva school will be assisting at the DIK warehouse, where they will help Marg and the warehouse team to load a container, organize goods etc destined for Fiji.  

The teacher and his pupils have previously donated goods to the last container and now they would like to contribute to another phase of the Project.  How wonderful that these young people are learning the spirit of giving at an early age.  Marg is hopeful that some communication between the Fiji schools and the Kaniva school may ensue.

Polio is a potentially crippling disease that infects mainly children, affecting the brain and spine causing permanent paralysis or even death.

For over 25 years, Rotary International has worked tirelessly to wipe Polio from the face of the earth. Rotarians across the world have delivered vaccinations to more than 2 billion children in 122 countries. Polio cases worldwide have plummetted 99%. At the start of the campaign Polio infected 350,000 children each year. 25 years later this has dropped to just 1,700.

With only 4 countries in the world with widespread cases (Nigeria, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan), we are now on the brink of totally eradicating the disease. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have pledged $355 million if Rotary can raise $200 million by 30 June 2012.

"If we all have the fortitude to see this effort through to the end, then we will eradicate polio."
Bill Gates

So far Rotary has put in a incredible effort, raising $161 million.
They need a further $39 million to achieve the goal.

With just 4 countries to go, we can't stop now. While polio still infects even one child in any part of the world, children everywhere remain at risk. We need to seize this opportunity to End Polio Now.

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

FIRST The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

SECOND High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

THIRD The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;

FOURTH The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.