WEEKLY ROSTER

Guest Speaker- 1. Zavier Evans Rotary Sailing Challenge

Zavier is a Year 12 student from Marist College. He participated in the Sailing Challenge in April. The sailing trip on the Enterprize was confined to Port Phillip Bay over four days. Nine secondary age students for the most part formed the crew for the voyage. Although Zavier didn't know anyone in the beginning he quickly came to respect his colleagues as like minded people who were positive and willing to embrace challenges in life. Conditions during the first two days were calm which did not make for good sailing. The wind picked up towards the end which enabled the participants to unfurl the sails and do some genuine sailing.

Zavier was in charge of a watch and his team could be called on for duty during the night. It was important to work as a team and to problem solve together about what needed to be done in unfurling and adjusting the sails. Zavier was high in his praise of the cook who prepared beautiful meals as well as snacks during the day. The sailing experience was an extension of Zavier's keen interest in the outdoors. He developed an interest in sailing through his grandfather who died only last year. It was important for Zavier to relive the legacy of his grandfather. Zavier gained great growth and confidence from the experience. He has had some new learnings about perseverance and teamwork. We thank him and his mother, Jess, for joining the meeting and we acknowledge Stew's work in making all this possible.

Guest Speaker- 2. Gary Pinner Rotary Club of Bendigo South 

Gary Pinner from the RC Bendigo South gave members an update about the proposal to set up an Emergency Relief Network similar to those which exist in Melbourne and Ballarat. The purpose of a Relief Centre is to collect and revitalise household goods and furniture and have them ready for distribution in case of emergency. Gary has visited the Rotary Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief Network (RIMERN) and its equivalent in Ballarat. Centres need to be more than 800 square metres and are run predominantly by volunteers. Both centres have a truck which is used for pick ups only. Referrals for support come from Rotary Clubs and other community groups. 

It is clear that the size of a project like this is dependent on a number of clubs working together. There are 22 clubs supporting RIMERN. It has been established that this project will not be in competition with the likes of Vinnies and the Salvation Army. Whilst there is support for the idea in principle there is a lot of administrative work required in setting up the operation. Gary suggested that this work could be undertaken by a committee with representatives of each participating club. There is also more work to be done on the financing of the project (eg. the rental rate for warehouse space is $110 per square metre). This is an exciting project and it would be a wonderful Rotary achievement if clubs can work together to make it a reality. We thank Gary for his commitment and his leadership of the project.