Oh What A Feeling...
...to be back home after a week in Singapore - it's always good to be back home no matter how much you have enjoyed yourself, and back at Rotary - busted lip and all!
The RI Convention was a great success with over 14,000 Rotarians from all over the world. Visit to the Ukrainian booth in the House of Friendship was the real highlight as was the overwhelming applause and support in the opening ceremony for the Ukraine flag and its people.
Whilst there were many "Days" to celebrate this week none was more important than the anniversary of the beginning of D-Day in 1944 as the Allies prepared to land in Normandy, France and for which we are all very grateful for.
Guest Speaker Darren Reynolds - Every Daughter Matters
Darren is Head of Engagement at Every Daughter Matters. Previously he was with Destiny Rescue and in 2022 gave a harrowing account to the Club of his covert work rescuing trafficked girls from the sex trade in Thailand.
Darren has also spent six years as Community/Schools Development Representative with The Salvation Army WA and seven years with World Vision Australia.
After completing his education at Churchlands Senior High School and Greenwood College, Darren started his career with 98five Sonshine FM as Creative Director/Production Manager.
Darren commenced his presentation with raw mobile footage of the India/Nepal border showing a lady watching cars and stopping any suspicious vehicles with girls in the back. Police would then step in from the side. The aim is to intercept girls being trafficked from Nepal into India. Girls were being sold for sex work, labour, street begging, kidneys and even their skin (Nepali girls being much fairer than Indians.
Darren recapped his previous covert work posing an Australian businessman visiting bars in Thailand, to gain the trust of the underage sex workers and provide photographic evidence to the Police for their rescue. It is very dangerous work, as evidenced in his photos and secret videos.
Shockingly, over 30% of the “sex tourists” in Thailand are Australians. Darren speaks to Year 11/12s at schools, most recently Hale School. He poses the question “do you want to be part of the problem or the solution”. Educating young men on treatment of women and reducing the clients for these trafficked young sex workers is vital. Sort before you go what sort of man you are….”
Darren spoke of the Nepali girls in Indian brothels, described as “meat markets”. They have to service as many as 40 clients a day, for less than the price of a beer. How do you value the life of a child?
The role of Every Daughter Matters is more about prevention. Where the girls in Thailand were being rescued, many of the Nepali girls were being lured with job offers and lacked seeing the “red flags” that are obvious to us. When being intercepted, they often were unaware of what they were being saved from.
Every Daughter Matters was founded four years ago in Port Macquarie by a Rotarian. They now have fourteen border stations and two safe houses in Nepal. Several rescued girls are also now on EDM staff there.
Many girls are given refuge at the safe houses and given retraining (2,662 girls as of April) or reunited with family (152).
A PDF version (minus videos) of Darren’s presentation is available at:
millpointrotaryclub.org.au>members only (password)>this link>
Guest Speaker Presentations>REYNOLDS Darren – Every Daughter Matters. The full PowerPoint (1.18 Gb) with videos can be made available via USB on request.
Directors Reports and Announcement
Vocational, Gerry McGann
- Pines Dinner on 12 June - only 7 places left. Book now $40 pp https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1223933
- Fremantle Tour with Mike leFroy 19th June - more details to follow
Brian Johnson VP
- Membership Directory Proforma sent out requesting new/change of details from each member . Please return ASAP.
- Speaker roster is full to end of July, send in any suggestions to bajohno@gmail.com
Invitation from Matilda Bay Rotary Club (see events page) to join them for their breakfast meeting on Wednesday 3rd July. Simon Trott has been in the media over the last couple of days and should be a very interesting speaker. Please advise Brian if you would like to attend to coordinate the numbers. This is a great chance for inter-club fellowship and to see how another active club “does business”…
- Thanks to Gorby and Sana for their 'mostly intact' delivery from Brumby's to the Haven each week. A pie or two may go missing!
- An industrial fridge has been donated by a neighbour of Rick and Mandy's to store the meals supplied by members of the club. This is of great assistance for the Haven who supplying meals to 200+ homeless people each week.
- Invoices have gone out for fees, please pay asap to assist in our payments to RI.
Fundraising - Dietmar Mazanetz
- RC of Como are having a wine sale - great wine at reduced prices so please see Dietmar before stocking up with your usual tipple.
Fines
"Money can't buy you love" sang the Beatles back in 1964 - but it can buy you lots of substitutes - and Jenny McLean saw to it that everyone was selfless in sharing their stash as she slashed our savings!
- "Kings Award for Acrobatics" went to President Veronica - busted lip and all.
- Cruise fanatics - past, present and aspiring
- Netflix aficionados who will miss their "gogglebox" fix when Sony terminates Netflix from 24 July.
- Those people who aren't Netflix aficionados!
- Those wanting alternatives to Netflix (Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV Stick.
- Everyone who doesn't give a continental about any of the above!
Winner of Heads and Tails
Dianna Goh won hands down this week with two tails! Many thanks to Lyn and Margaret Metcalf for supplying the slurp of the week.
Attendance
38 attendees in all, including guest speaker Darren Reynolds, and visitors/guests Mandy Sneeuwjagt, Sana Dimovich, Heather Kamal, Gordon Smith, and Peggy Leung.