Bulletin #09 29 August 2025

Presidential Ponderings

Good to see some old faces in the crowd - and what a crowd! 

Did you know that today is the anniversary of;

• the election of
• Russia launched its first atomic bomb; and 
• the Beatles giving their last public concert

Guest Speaker - Estee Voster Polyphagous Shot-Hole Borer (PSHB)

Estee is Community and Stakeholder Engagement Officer with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).

Estee has been working for DPIRD for over 4 years and has been involved in the PSHB project for close to 2 years, from doing fieldwork surveillance within the response to now directly engaging within the WA community on increasing PSHB awareness. She has a Conservation and Wildlife Biology degree and is very passionate about Biosecurity and keeping Western Australia's unique native species safe. PSHB, or Polyphagous Shot Hole

Borer, is an ambrosia beetle originating from Southeast Asia, first detected in East Fremantle, WA. The most likely origin of PSHB in WA is through ports via undeclared or untreated imported wood.

The female creates new colonies by boring into a tree and laying about 50 eggs, completing her life cycle within 20 to 30 days and reproducing with her male offspring. PSHB carries fusarium fungus spores which it plants in the galleries it bores. This fungus grows through the tree's transport networks, blocking water and nutrient movement, causing dieback and often tree death within a couple of years, especially in susceptible hosts.

Research and field observations show box elder maple, robinias, and coral trees are most affected. Native species are less affected unless located in waterways or swamps. The infestation threatens WA's urban canopy cover, wildlife habitat (as mature trees are needed for nesting and hollows), and agricultural industries, including fruit trees, avocados, and citrus.

Identification involves looking for specific signs and symptoms. The primary indicator is small, perfectly circular shot holes, exactly one millimetre in diameter, often clustered together, giving a "shot hole" appearance. Other signs include sawdust noodles (fine dust pushed out by the beetle), which are best seen in calm weather around the base of trees, in spider webs, or along branches. Staining, lesions, and gumming (e.g., a "sugar volcano" on avocados) are also indicators, as the tree attempts to push out invasive beetles or pathogens.

Magnifying cards with rulers and flyers with QR codes are provided to the community to aid identification and direct them to resources. My Pest Guide, an "awesome resource" from DPIRD, is a group of entomologists and plant pathologists in WA that provides expert identification and tracking. Community members can send photos of suspicious findings for identification.

Response to PSHB

August 2021 - June 2025:

• DPIRD led the nationally coordinated eradication response.
• Included intensive trapping, surveillance, monitoring and public information programs, and the treatment of infested plants.
• Largest biosecurity response in WA history.

July 2025:

• In June, the National Management Group (NMG) determined that eradication was no longer technically feasible. The decision considered the latest scientific data and advice from plant biosecurity experts.
• Key factors in this decision included the difficulty in early detection, control before reproduction and the lack of proven effective chemical treatments.
• A national Transition to Management (T2M) plan is now being developed, which will run
• for 18 months.

A quarantine area (QA zone) is established in Perth to protect WA's southwest (an ideal environment for PSHB) and other states, particularly eastern states with rainforests. This measure restricts the movement of materials. The response will shift to long-term management, with a major update on the future management plan expected in September this year. Chipping and hot composting are currently the only highly effective treatments for PSHB. PSHB activity is monitored at all green waste sites, with specific sites approved for public use, providing mulch that has been treated and hot composted.

 Over $2 million is allocated to univesities (Curtin, UWA and Murdoch) for research into novel control and surveillance techniques.

Additionally, money is now being directed towards tree recovery.

Community responsibility is emphasised to prevent to prevent human-mediated spread, which is a major factor in the beetle's movement. For example, when using wood for fire stoves, treated wood should be purchased from reputable sources like Bunnings, rather than moving untreated wood from one's backyard. Stakes and treated firewood are not considered infested material.

Estee thanked members for the invitation to address the club. From the number of thoughtful questions from the floor, she commented that it is evident Rotary members care deeply for the community and environment. A PDF version of Estee’s presentation can be viewed at:  millpointrotaryclub.org.au>members only (password)> this link>Guest Speaker Presentations>VORSTER Estee – PSHB Response

Directors' Reports and Member Announcements
P1 : Past member Peter Craig passed away this week. Peter joined Mill Point in 1995 and was an active member raising more than $1/4m through his corporate Golf day for many years. Peter was a successful sportsman playing AFL in Adelaide then becoming an umpire. Our condolences to Denny Craig and family. Small family-only funeral.

Kelly G : Treeplanting in the Helena Valley tomorrow - please contact Kelly on 0419 941 629 if you can help.

Owen : Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner? First call for hosts and guests - a hoot of a night with plenty of surprises! Attendance sheet coming round and see more information by scrolling down to 'Events'.

Brian J : Club Forum on 26 September please complete the member survey which will be sent to you shortly and attend the forum so we can continue improving our meetings, pass accounts and communicate our strategic plan for 2025-2026

Garrick : Youth Service committee meeting this morning at 8.30am following breakfast

Gerry : Linen service project volunteers wanted to help load the container going to Melbourne for further distribution. Please contact Gerry on 0438 642 738 if you can assist.

A Fine(s) Lady in Jenny McLean!

• P1 for his many gaffes (2nd week in a row)
• Wet Weather Wingers - anyone with an asset (building, vehicle, equipment that has NOT sprung a leak this week
• AS temperature dropped to 4.9 degrees this morning - anyone NOT wearing their thermals  this week
• Those ahead of the game who have discovered the physical and emotional benefit of having a wood-burning fire
• True to the Guiness book of records turning 70 this week - everyone who is 70+ and Guiness drinkers.
• Mark Horwood, Jenny Cook and Ian Walker - long lost faces at Rotary 

Winner of Heads and Tails

Lucky Rotarian John O'Sullivan won the wine after predicting 2 x tails, 2 x tails and 2 x heads - my doesn't he look happy!

Attendance

45 attendees in all, including guest speaker Estee Voster, visiting Rotarians Denise Menzies, past members Mark Horwood and Jenny Cook and visitors Melanie Kelsall, Shaun and Carol O'Brien.

We were pleasantly surprised by late-comers husband and wife Rotarians from India who presented P1 with their Rotary club flag and we presented them with ours!

Such is Rotary a big family where you are always welcomed no matter how late you are or where you are from.

 

  

Bulletin #08 2025

Presidential Ponderings

Co-President Gerry McGann (P1) welcomed everyone and invited Geoff Longshaw to recite the Four Way Test (which he did from memory….)

This day in history:

• 1770    Captain Cook planted the British flag in Australia
• 1851    The America’s Cup (Sailing, of interest to Gerry) started in Isle of Wight
• 1911    The Mona Lisa was stolen.

Guest Speakers - Professor Lyn Beazley AO and Ben Quick

After graduating from Oxford and Edinburgh Universities, Lyn built an internationally renowned research team that focused on recovery from brain damage, much of her investigations undertaken at The University of Western Australia.

 

As Chief Scientist of Western Australia from 2006 to 2013, Lyn advised the Western Australian Government on science, innovation and technology.

 

Since then Lyn is proud to have established YourToolkit.com, an online service to support women at risk of domestic and financial abuse and to be currently part of a team that has opened the Lyn Beazley Academy, especially for the education of autistic young people.

 

Lyn was awarded Officer of the Order of Australia in 2009, was delighted and honoured to be named the WA Australian of the Year for 2015, as well as to have become a Paul Harris Fellow and to have had three species named after her.

 

In her opening remarks, Lyn talked briefly about one of “her species”. It is a deep-sea sponge found in the trench off Rottnest. The Harry Perkins Institute was investigating things found in sponges that might help to cure cancer. Lyn’s species came out on top as most effective for treating breast cancer and could lead to a whole Pharmacology industry in WA.

 

Naming the Lyn Beazley Academy after her took some arm twisting, but Lyn was told she had “become a bit of a brand”….

 

Lyn is proud to be a Paul Harris Fellow. This came about after her lobbying Corporations, as Chief Scientist in 2009, about young people being turned off Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Children in years 5, 6 & 7 were losing interest and teachers didn’t have the resources. With Rotary’s Support, this led to providing 25,000 microscopes to almost half the primary schools in WA. They have also been sent to India, Thailand, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Afghanistan.

Autism is a developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people.

It also affects how they make sense of the world around them. It is a spectrum condition. This means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will always affect them in different ways.

The 2020 census indicates one in 30 young people are autistic, with one in two not completing high school, leading to social withdrawal and failure to thrive. The Lyn Beazley Academy specifically targets levels one and two on the autism spectrum, those who could thrive in an academic environment with the right opportunity. It aims to bring these young people back from feelings of low self-worth and isolation.

 

The Academy does this by providing tailored education, including computing, robotics, and mentoring activities (Coda Dojos). The Academy, housed in an art-deco building in West Perth, intentionally avoids a school-like appearance, featuring "pods" (People of Diversity) instead of classrooms. Each group has a facilitator (teacher), a facilitator's aid (teacher's aid), and two social and emotional transition coaches, aiming to rebuild self-worth and social skills.

 

We had Personal testimony from Ben Quick, an autistic individual and UWA honors student. He emphasized the struggles of "masking" in mainstream education, where he attended thirteen different schools and found Year 12 to be the worst year of his life. He highlighted how traditional schools often punish struggle rather than understand it, leading to missed opportunities for autistic youth to develop socially and personally during their teenage years. Ben explained autism involves social, executive function, and sensory challenges, and stressed that tailored support and a nurturing environment, like that provided by the Academy, are crucial for autistic individuals to thrive and build self-worth.
 
Directors' Reports and Member Announcements

Ian K : Membership committee meeting after breakfast meeting.

Gerry M : Community committee meeting after breakfast meeting.

Owen F : “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (GWCTD) planned for 20^th September.

Kelly G :  Tree planing last Thursday at Sorrento Beach, including students from Perth Modern School. Next planting Saturday 30 August at Wungong Creek (Champion Lakes) about three hours in the morning.

Gerry M : Estimated we have planted perhaps 10,000 trees this season?

 
Another Fine(s) mess...Owen F

• Kim P - set the record for four guests
• Astrid M - no badge
• Geoff L - double sided coat
• Vic S - missed ten meetings
• Scott D - brought along his own aged-care package team disguised as guests
• Lyn B - for having three species named after her
• ALL - Dockers & Eagles supporters
• 1975? - bit of a dissertation
• Baby Boomers - surcharge

Winner of Heads and Tails

Guest Lucy Gasiorek won the wine after a rousing round of Heads and Tails. Many thanks to Lyn and Margaret Metcalf for supplying the wine each week.  

Attendance

43 attendees in all, including guest speakers Dr Lyn Beazley and , visiting Rotarians  Phillipa Henderson (Toastmasters and past Crawley Rotary Club) and Ben Quick, visitors Robynne Dwyer, Amy Case, Dr Rachel Dwyer, Shaun and Carole O’Brien and Nargie and Lucy Gasiorek.

Bulletin #07 15 August 2025

 Presidential Ponderings

P1 was welcomed with much enthusiasm and gave Joy the opportunity to recite the 4 Way Test (she failed miserably...) then proceded to inform us of events significant to today:

• 80 years ago saw the end of WWII from which 39,000 Australian Defence Force personnel didn't come home.
• Napoleon was born on this day in 1769.
• India declared Independence Day in 1947
• Today is International Elephant Day just in case you have one secreted away somewhere. 

Guest Speaker - Erin Hegarty "Mama Respond"

Erin is the founder and CEO of Mama Respond International, an organisation that supports mothers with special needs children in Kenya and Australia. Their Mission Statement is “Transforming lives through improved health, quality education and lasting independence – empowering children with special needs and their family to thrive”.

Erin first went to Kenya in 2013 as a 21-year-old volunteer teacher at the Noonkopir Primary School, located in the Kajiado County. This is the same school where the Special Needs Unit is located today. She had gone across with $3,000 fundraised through friends and family. Asking a young girl one day “what do you need for the school?”, she was told “Erin, I need a better future…” That’s where Mama Respond all started.

 As a registered NGO here and in Kenya, they have moved from focussing on children to focussing on mothers with special needs, “Strong Mamas” as they are called. The mothers meet weekly for peer support. In Kenya, mothers with special needs children often find their husbands leave and they are ostracised by family and the community.

The initial meetings went from two “Mamas” to 94 within two months! They are given 18 weeks of training in:

• Mental and maternal healthcare
• Group dynamics
• Disabilities in general, and
• Financial literacy

This is followed by group outreach to collect data, bring other Strong Mamas to the group and their children to the unit.

Through support from Rotary and Wheelchairs for Kids, they have done three shipments of wheelchairs to Kenya. They also run the Armadale markets for fundraising and supporting outreach here.

Through two Rotary Foundation Grants (led by Applecross Rotary Club), Mama Respond has built a Special Needs Unit at Noonkopir Primary School and an ambulant toilet block. It was built from public school land and assisted by

an additional grant from the High Commission (DFAT) in Kenya. It now schools 40 children and has three classrooms.

Mama Respond has moved into advocacy, pressuring the Kenyan government for more teachers and to register as its own school with direct funding, its own Head Teacher and a Board. Building dormitories is next. With continued Rotary support, they have created “Inclusive Spaces”. This is to create accessability in the area and build additional ambulant toilets in surrounding schools, all to Australian disability standards.

Through the Armadale Markets, they are also supporting Australian mothers and children with disabilities. “Arts Unbound” is a project to enable kids to learn through art, whilst their mothers are getting peer support and respite. This is the Perth “footprint”, with plans to take it to the Wheatbelt and Kimberley.

Erin thanked us for the opportunity to talk to the Club. Assistance is requested through art supplies, old laptops and donations.

Directors' Reports and Member Announcements

• Tricia : Great vocational trip to the Kids Cancer Research Centre last week.
• Raelene : Thanked her 'stand-ins' whilst she and Andy were away and amazed us at all the places they visited whilst being absent for three and a half months (too many to mention) - and yes they are still married!
• Angus : Fundraising committee meeting today.
• Brian J : Club Service committee meeting today.
• P2 : Board meeting next week 6pm at the John McGrath centre, please send any agenda items to Alison.

Another Fine(s) mess we got into...

Wayne the Elder bedazzled us with brilliance whist stupefying us with statistics as well as raising $$$'s from...

• 
  Scotty for his 'big fish' story (he wasn't kidding just look at this monster... see below) $1 for each foot - or should that be "fin" - apparently it fed the whole hotel that night!
• The naughty table consisting of Marg Walton and Peter Dowling
• Raelene for her 'travelogue' 
• P1 falling back on historical fact to gain attention 
• Himself, Ken P and Mike C for being born in 1943 and stupefying us with the statistics therein contained in the book "1943" which was a birthday present to him on 9 August and he just had to share the following...

If you were not born in 1943, you are fined $1.

 

Here’s a list of other notable people born in 1943:

• Terry Venables, footballer and manager
• George Harrison, singer and guitarist
• Bobby Fischer, chess player
• Michael Palin, actor and presenter
• Cilla Black, singer
• Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, rock heroes.

Now that’s a bit amazing because 1943 in the middle of WW2 was a year with a very low birth rate.  If you have heard of any on my list, please add another $1.

 

Winner of Heads and Tails

A head and tail x 2, then 2 heads saw our esteemed guest speaker Erin Hegarty win the wine - which will go down well with her presentation glasses!

Attendance

40 attendees in all, including guest speaker Erin Hegarty, visiting Rotarian Bill Boekman and visitors Mike Smith, Lucy and Nargie Gasiorek, Melanie Kekall, and Carol & Shaun O'Brien.

Bulletin #06 8 August 2025

Presidential ponderings from P2 (David Rowell)

P2 marvelled at the kaleidescope sunrise this morning and welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Did you know that 1945 was a very good year because...

• UN charter was signed 
• Nuremberg trials began 

and that today August 8, is a special day because... 

• Great Train Robbery ocurred (1963)
• Roger Federer was born today (1981), and 
• The 888 Myanmar uprising began (1988)

However let today be the first day of the rest of our lives! 

Guest Speakers - Dennis Phillips and Denzel Walsh "Aid Projects in South Sudan and Beyond"

Dennis Phillips and Denzel Welsh spoke about the aid projects in South Sudan and beyond, supported by Father Sam who unfortunately could not be with us today.  

Father Sam was involved in constructing a 250-bed hospital named Mary Help Hospital, furnished with rejuvenated equipment from hospitals around Perth along with Sister Gracie who has been in South Sudan for 36 years.

Together they've also started a nursing home, technical college, elementary, primary, and senior schools, and feed approximately 1.2 million people a day. Currently they are gathering equipment, anything which can help get street kids in Fiji off the streets and into a trade.

The organization has expanded to other countries like Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Fiji, building schools and providing equipment. Sister Gracie teaches locals to grow crops and barter their surplus with other local communities. They have sent over 20 containers of supplies, costing $5,000 per container plus shipping, with Sister Gracie fundraising for the $15,000 transport cost from Mombasa to Wow.

Currently, they are preparing containers for Fiji (technical equipment) and Sudan (medical equipment). Sister Gracie gets some help from the UN and Father Sam's brother in Germany, who facilitates doctors visiting the hospital. 

Another project being undertaken back in India, where they re trying to build 36 homes for the untouchables (as the Indian people or the Indian government would call them). They are destitute people, left to fend for themselves, but this project was stopped by the government, indicating that they didn't want foreigners to invest in their projects.

The local government tried to take over the hospital, but the Archbishop intervened. St. John's Ambulance has promised ambulances.

How can we help? If you hear of anyone,or any hospital who is wanting to dispose of any equipment -  anything medical, just let Dennis know and give him contact details. He will sort out things from there, make contact with the people concerned and take it from there. They have two trucks, and can pickup.

Directors' Reports and Member Announcements

• Veronica: Ride the Train to End Polio on 24 October. Wear your red T-shirt and ride the train or just wear it all day long! Join us at Yagan Square at 6pm for an aerial photograph and see the Council House lit up red! Please register (free) at https://www.trybooking.com/DDQKM  and/or order your T-shirt $20. Help us to make this the BIGGEST Rotary gathering - EVER!
• Rotary Down Under (RDU) magazine out now - hard copies available or in your emails - yours truly is featured along with all of our other Zone DG's. 
• Joy: Volunteers needed for SOS on Wednesdays. We'll add you to the What'sApp group to keep you informed of the Roster. Form coming round now so please help if you can.  
• Tricia: This morning's visit to the Child Research Lab will be heading off straight after the meeting. Need to be there by 9am for the 45 minute tour. Coffee afterwards at nearby coffee shop.
• Wayne: Mill Point will be entering John Tidman's car in the Global Hand Charity event "Offtraq" which has taken off from the BulldustNBack. Support is needed to raise funds for our Charity account. Watch this space for further details.
• Kelly: Tree planting next Thursday 14th. Email and map sent to all members and is up on social media as well as under Events in this Bulletin. Please RSVP to Kelly asap. 

The Fine(s) Art of Jenny!

• E-rideables in the news, any owner, or anyone who has had an encounter and lived to tell the tale
• All 'Tap-and-go' users - reported that the 6% surcharge is about to be dismantled but banks to explore strategies to recoup what they are about to loose!
• Dockers fans after loss to Sydney Swans at the weekend
• Sunshine devotees - after torrential rain the sun shined tempting gardeners out into the fresh air with secateurs, mowers, veggie planters and manure-ists! 
• All AI show-offs who have 'dabbled' this week. Especially those of you who were phoned by "Paul" (re your sought after doctor's appointment) who turned out to be a little fresh - for a robot!
• Pet owners - eat your hearts out - $1 per Fur-Baby as you can look forward to luxury treatment in the proposed $10m vet facility at Murdoch!

Winner of Heads and Tails

Tosser of the week Kelly Gillen threw a

head and a tail and then two heads which knocked everyone out except for soon-to-be-member Shaun O'Brien who looked thrilled to be initiated into the club with such a prize! 

Attendance

31attendees in all, including guest speakers Dennis Phillips and Denzel Walsh, along with soon-to-be-members Carole and Shaun O'Brien. 

Bulletin #05 1 August 2025

 Guest Speakers - Oliver Cork and Max Castalanelli

Trinity College Year 10 students Oliver Cork and Maxwell Castalanelli have recently returned from volunteering with the project in Cambodia. 

They shared their experiences about the project and gave an insight into the Cambodia Family Support (CFS) which is committed to empowering families in Rural Cambodia. 

The CFS Education Centre has built houses, water access/storage, sanitation and installed solar lighting.

The people in Cambodia's northwest are desperately trying to rebuild their community. The brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge left many scars, including serious poverty. Poor families are vulnerable to the threat of human trafficking across the nearby Thai border.

Cambodia Family Support is dedicated to helping rural communities in Cambodia's northwest build sustainable futures. They focus on protecting communities from the effects of climate change, improving water and food security, and promoting education and literacy.

Through strategic investments and community-led initiatives, we empower families to break the cycle of poverty and create lasting change in their communities.

Through their community-led programs, they've made significant progress in improving lives across Cambodia's northwest. 

Their focus is on Literacy, Community Action, Water and Sanitation, Income Generation, and networks.

Their work is led by Dr. Samnang Eng, whose personal journey is a testament to the resilience of the Cambodian spirit. His story is not just the story of our organization, but the story of a nation overcoming its past. Donations to Cambodia Family Support to help fund projects aimed at sustaining families and communities for the long term can be made at their website https://www.cambodiafamilysupport.org/donate. 

Directors' Reports and Member Announcements

• Jenny McL : Has provided Don Gray with all the info, templates and samples of the work of the Sewing Sisters for him to take back to Tanzania to see if he can initiate a project  over there as there is a definite need for feminine hygiene kits for young women in the area where he is working. A great effort by the SS to get this together for Don.
• Kelly G :  Tree planting confirmed for Thursday 14 August at Sorrento Beach, 9.30 to 11.30. This is being organised by the Friends of Sorrento Beach and Marmion Foreshore. Information and map will be sent out soon.
• Joy B : Preparing a roster to provide assistance to SOS each Wednesday 9am-1pm. The activity will be based in the SOS warehouse and will not require heavy lifting. To date our volunteers have been involved in putting together flat pack furniture. There is always a variety of work to be done  and the manager is planning to train some people in appliance testing, which is reasonably straight forward to do. Please advise Joy when you would like to help. We would prefer two people on the roster each week if possible.

A Fine(s) Week for Gambling

.1st August is Horses Birthday so anyone who has ever had an interest in or gambled on racing – pay-up

• Anyone ever bought a Lottery ticket of any kind – Raffle, Lotto
• Pay up again if you ever collected on any of those tickets.
• Useless bit of trivia - Niki Lauda suffered a near fatal crash in a German GP, so all of us who have ever been to Germany can pay up…..and speaking of Grand Prix’s who has watched one on the TV can also pay up.
• Who has a Drivers License and also drives a vehicle…- you can pay up for gambling on the roads every time you get behind the wheel…
• This also applies to cyclists and sportspeople – golfers in particular…you gamble by taking a walk chasing a little white ball…
• Who parked in Richardson Carpark… notice the hand rail fitted to the pillar...that’s for us oldies getting up and down the step.
• Garrick McCamey – early this morning…no sleep in – on welcome
• Lorrie – in to the carpark…no headlights and someone took your parking spot… very inconsiderate of them.
• P2 – David R – no point looking up significant dates for my fines, you’ve already done it and let us know….AND had no friends on top table so nagged Wayne M and Lorrie to join you…
• Astrid – very proud Grandma moment – grandson playing Soccer in US for WA and the team is currently 4^th in the world (of 30 competing)

Winner of Heads and Tails

Very special Tosser of the Week - Brian Adams who generously allowed guest Mark Castalanelli to win the wine - and doesn't he look pleased?

Attendance

34 attendees in all, including guest speakers Oliver Cork and Max Castalanelli,  and visitors Natalie and Mark Castalanelli, Emma Cork, and Carol and Shaun O'Brien.