Food for thought...
This week is all about food – some good some bad - even Artificial Intelligence was affected when MacDonalds trialled its first every AI Trail at 100 of its drive-throughs in the US and some order going very wrong.
Maccas and IBM partnered up to create a simplified experience for customers but the software proved to be not so intelligent when videos of mixed up order went viral.
This included things like:
- Toppings of butter instead of caramel sauce on ice cream
- Chicken nuggets with ice cream and bacon
- Breakfast McMuffin with caramel sauce instead of cheese
However the rest of the world celebrated
- Eat your vegetables day
- International Sushi Day
- Sustainable Gastronomy Day
- International picnic day
- Red Apple day
- National Chocolate Éclair day
- Apple strudel day and
- Cupcake Lovers’ day
Enjoy your day whatever you are celebrating!
Guest Speaker - John O'Sullivan (Jnr) Collaborative Practice
He is the son of our member, John O’Sullivan and grew up mainly in Perth, but with three years in England.
When he was in upper primary school. John remembers taking a double decker bus to school, sometimes in the snow.
John has four children aged from 5 to 27. Some of you might remember 20 years ago, John’s eldest daughter, Brooke sometimes came to meetings with her grandfather (John O'Sullivan Snr).
John has been a lawyer for over 30 years and has been running his own practice for over 20 years. Early on in his career, he spent several years working in Bunbury before returning to Perth.
He is also a Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and has been a Collaborative Professional for over 10 years.
He is a council member of Collaborative Professionals WA and a board member of the Australian Association of Collaborative Professionals.
Collaborative Practice is an alternative dispute resolution process, aimed at promoting effective communication between parties and encouraging interest-based resolutions.
Mediation is the most well-known alternative dispute resolution process. In Mediation, you have one or two mediators who help the parties to have constructive discussions about resolving their dispute. Sometimes in mediation, each party will bring their lawyer with them to assist.
In Collaboration, each party is represented by a lawyer. The parties and their respective lawyer will enter into an agreement, formalising their commitment to working out a reasonable and acceptable settlement for the parties.
The distinguishing feature of Collaborative Practice is this agreement. Under the agreement, if the matter cannot be resolved using the collaborative process, then the process will be terminated and each party’s lawyer is disqualified from continuing to represent their respective clients if the matter goes to court.
A feature is often having additional professionals in a team. These would be a financial specialist and a mental health professional (most likely a psychologist or counsellor) who would act for both clients and be called “neutrals”. Counsellors can offer much more support in their role in collaboration than they could as mediators. The financial neutral can offer suggestions about the best way to move forward and their thinking and suggestions are often different to the way lawyers think. They can also offer suggestions about more tax effective settlements or for forecasting for financial decisions.
Lawyers can advocate, in a non-adversarial manner, for their client. Whereas as a mediator, they can ask questions about an issue but not advocate without losing impartiality.
The first Collaboration in WA was in 2008. There are currently hundreds of practicing collaborative practitioners currently in Australia. John believes disputes are almost always about much more than the law.
He is enthusiastic about Collaborative Practice and Mediation as a better way to resolve disputes over litigation. Collaborative Practice can achieve both lasting compromises, repairing, rather than further damaging, the parties’ relationships.
Directors Reports and Announcement
Raelene G
- Will be in Paris (France) next week when we celebrate our Changeover night so - please pay in advance for Changeover dinner to make things easier on the night as she won't be here.
- Industrial size Fridge now delivered to Havenwell - check out the story on our social media Facebook page.
- Club dues are NOW payable so please pay asap.
- Changeover dinner costs should be paid into Club account and NOT Charity account
- Ronald McDonald House dinner will be at the end of July either 21st or 28th - watch this space!
- Fremantle walk was a great success and completely OVERWHELMING!
- Will be at Morley Senior High School today participating in careers speed-dating activity
Fine(s) I'll Pay Up...
- Pres Veronica for 'combobulating' last and every week; hob-nobbing with the hoi-polloi at Perth RC changeover last Friday night!
- Brian J - too accommodating when last week's speaker failed to show
- All the oil and gas people - lucky the convention centre didn't go Kaboom!
- Everyone who knew today was the Winter Solstice (and what that means)
- National Selfie Day - all those who have...
- Astrid - welcome home, but pay up!
- Bulldusters who attend the BNB launch last Sunday and took home more than they ate!
- Dietmar and Raelene - Gold RAC members (probably joined before they could drive)
- Raelene - don't brag about being in Paris with the real Green and Gold!
- Brian A - ordering an Uber ride a day early - over the top!
- Kim P, Geoff L, Kelly G, Margaret W, Dianna G, Ian K, Garrick and Warren Mc, Rick S, Veronica L - guilty of paying into Charity account instead of Club Account for Changeover dinner!
Winner of Heads and Tails
Thanks to Lyn and Margaret Metcalf for supplying the grog for the winner!
Attendance
32 attendees in all, including guest speaker John O'Sullivan (Jnr) and visiting Rotarian Bill Boekman from Wongan Hills.
