Gerard house Chair and PP Paul Henderson at the wheel:
Well
“The boys Are Back In Town”
{Apologies to Thin Lizzy}
Team 48 arrived [delayed flight] into Tullamarine on a wet, windy night, delivered home by “Coach Captain George”, bus kindly courtesy of City of Greater Bendigo.
Theirs was a long stint in Timor Leste building roof on school at Maulau, resurrecting computers and [sadly] saying Goodbye to Daryl Mills.
Lindsay Murphy [Team Leader], Doug Lougoon, Martin Ruffell and Phil Harris, take a bow.
Doug chatted to Macca on Australia All Over .. would you believe … telling Australia about us in Timor-Leste.
Program Director Jim Rolfe has Team 48 organised for a detailed presentation.
From The Podium:
Thanks to all those who came along to cater for the cyclists and others at Ride To Work Day.
And recognition of those members who turned out at very short notice for a special working bee at Radius Disability Services Eaglehawk.
“Patti’s Knitting” WILL carry on … Watch for her new space …
We acknowledged all the work Adrian Schoo and Ray Carrington had ‘put in’ to the Wool Press for Radius Disability Services project.
Our Guest Speaker was the inimitable Liz Durr RN Paul Harris Fellow, Member of the Rotary Club of Kangaroo Flat for some ten years,
and Champion of DAYS FOR GIRLS project.
Liz delivered one of those “you could hear a pin drop” presentations every member spellbound.
Her profession as a nurse and midwife led her to a particular conference in Vienna to deliver “Life As A Midwife In Rural Australia” an event
that was the initiation of a new “raison d’être” for Liz:
Step by step Liz became aware of the taboos, practices, tragedies, and just intense personal life disasters associated with girls’ normal periods,
in “third world” environments.
Ostracised, neglected, shunned, deprived of education and experiencing the final crushing blow of infertility is the lot of too many girls.
Infertility follows pelvic inflammatory disease, a consequence of gynaecological contamination with leaves, corn husks and other to-hand materials.
Only as late as 2008 someone addressed these tragedies:
Excerpt from Days for Girls at
Celeste Mergens founded Days for Girls during a trip to Kenya in 2008, when she discovered through discussions with
young women that menstrual hygiene was a huge challenge.
With over 17 years experience in non-profit work, a reputation of building teams, and a strong personal interest in sewing and tailoring,
Celeste put her creativity to use to find a solution...
She listened to feedback of women around the globe that led to a uniquely appropriate design (27 versions later).
Just seven [now eight], years later, Days for Girls empowers women and girls in over 100 countries on six continents.
Days for Girls has been featured in O Magazine, Forbes, and was recently named a Huffington Post ‘Next Ten’ organization positioned to
change the world in the next decade.
Celeste’s passion for this issue is infectious and she has helped bring international attention to an issue that has long been neglected.
So, what is DAYS FOR GIRLS?
The essential core “tool” to improving these girls’ lives,
“Positioned to change the world in the next decade” is a humble reusable toiletry kit.
Liz demonstrated the kit … a very clever combination of simple materials sewn precisely and presented as a very colourful, but potentially
powerfully private personal possession.
Go have a look at:
Pecuniary cost:
A girl in Australia may spend of the order of $900 over three years for menses related disposable toiletries.
A DAYS FOR GIRLS Kit will cost the girl, or benefactor, $15.00
[That’s fifteen dollars] and usually lasts for three years.
The ethos of DAYS FOR GIRLS is driving independent local production, avoiding passive hand-outs.
Lucky Timor-Leste is the target of Liz’s calm enthusiasm.
{Liz is also a member of the Bendigo Maubisse Friendship Committee [BMFC]}
Locally, DAYS FOR GIRLS needs sewing experts, means to ship kits, [Read BMFC and DIK], and funds for the specific materials, especially
high quality cotton ‘face washers’, and ‘knickers’.
And then, ‘off-camera’ Liz engaged in an exciting discussion, courtesy Martin Ruffell communicating with Di Videky in Dili, about training midwives
Timor-Leste, co-opting Adrian Schoo tireless academic, visiting TL in November, into the conversation.
Thoughtful Paul Henderson had a gift in kind for Liz instead of our usual donation to Rotary Health Australia certificate.
…………………………….
Dates for your diary
Friday October 21
Board Papers and Reports by COB to Secretary
Monday October 24
Board Meeting Rising Sun Hotel 8
Monday October 24
World Polio Day
Tuesday October 25
Australia Day Committee Meeting 6 PM Rising Sun Hotel
Wednesday October 26 Vahlands Bistro Bendigo TAFE 07:30
Thursday October 27
Fellowship evening
The Mexican Kitchen Bendigo 6:30 PM
Thursday November 10 7 PM
AGM 9800 District at International House Parkville
November 12 & 13
Swap meet .. Talk to Martin Ruffell please re roster
Wednesday November 16 RCoBS AGM
Wednesday November 23
Cluster foundation Dinner Silks @ Epsom
Talk to our Foundation Director Brian Hinneberg for tickets
{Our Board will probably approve the dinner as our meeting}
Saturday November 26
OTIS Invitation
Redesdale
See the flyer Invitation
PS … Our member Evelyn Lehmann quietly handed over significant funds to
OTIS the other day after her PINK evening at home … What a lady !!!! …and,
I’ve received another $20 Evelyn
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Wednesday November 30
Breakfast meeting at “Fortuna” Bendigo
Brekky and Tour
$30.00 is a bargain
Non members, Friends, Acquaintances, Neighbours, Families, Relatives all welcome
Jim Rolfe needs RSVP numbers ASAP please
April 2017 Barham
I’ve booked my cabin for 28th to 30th of April 2017.
Barham Caravan and Tourist Park
03 5453 2553
Cathie Miller has emailed to us an invitation to join in Fellowship last Thursday of the month, October 27th, at the Mexican Kitchen: Fun begins at 6:30 .. {“Doug Friendly” has Sombreros at his Variety Store Strath Village}
Colours and contents of a DAYS FOR GIRLS Kit
http://www.daysforgirls.org/whats-in-a-kit
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