Presidential Ponderings
After a false alarm, an AWOL President, P2 (David Rowell) brought the rowdy meeting to order which garnered a rousing round of applause! With Mr March in Albany rowing his little hear out, Mr April prematurely held court giving us some historical facts which happened on this day in...
1984 - The tanker war was a critical, intensifying phase of the Iran-Iraq War where both nations targeted oil tankers and commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf.
1790 - Harvey Kennedy invented the "aglet" - usually fashioned from plastic or metal its the 'thingy' at the end of your shoe lace which makes threading through your shoe lace holes much easier!
1977 - Two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on a runway at Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife, killing 583 people and injuring 61 others in the deadliest accident in aviation history.
P2 reminded us of the 4th tenet of the 4 Way Test "is it beneficial to all concerned?" Ponder that.
Directors' Reports and Member Announcements
Lew T: Scott Dwyer is home after having a fall and having his ticker recharged. Now in Mandurah securing his boat against cyclone Narelle, but thanked everyone for their good wishes.
Joy B: SOS are collecting Coles Kitchen Aid credits - if you are not using them please consider donating to SOS.
Ian K: Croquet night is deferred but will reschedule asap.
Kelly G: Metro District Assembly 12 April - very beneficial for all new members with great opportunties to network and find out what is happening in Rotary locally, nationally and globally. 9th April online Grants Seminar - a must for clubs who want to apply for a District or Global grant.
Rick S: Requesting more meals for PICYS.
Gorby: Walk with Richard Offen sold out! Pines Endeavour Awards bookings open (scroll down to Events page for link), but capped at 43 and so far 17 booked so get in quickly! Pride of Workmanship on 1 May - have received 3 nominations, would like a 4th! Contact Gorby on mjgwaconsulting@gmail.com
P2: At the last Board meeting it was decided to reinstate the Club's annual contribution of $1,000 to ShelterBox.
Elizabeth "Lizzy" Kerry - Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)
Lizzy was sponsored to attend the recent RYLA camp by Mill Point Rotary Club. This is an intensive 7-day residential leadership program for young people (aged 18-28) aimed at building leadership potential, confidence and teamwork
Lizzy admitted she initially thought she would hate RYLA due to self-doubt and low self-confidence.
Her coworker at Games World, a facilitator at RYLA 2026, persistently encouraged her to attend, countering every reason she gave for not being good enough by saying, “that’s what camp’s for.”
The prospect of spending a week in a new place with no phone and knowing only one person filled her with dread leading up to the camp. The week-long camp was life-changing; her fears melted away upon meeting warm, welcoming people.
Specific activities are kept mysterious, considered part of the essence of RYLA. Her coworker would only hint by asking if she could make a good paper aeroplane?
Despite an Achilles tendon injury, she pushed herself to participate, discovering her resilience and how to channel her stubbornness into self-improvement.
Near the end of camp, a dinner was held for Rotary Club members. Her group had only four hours to plan the dinner and entertainment amid their usual “daily chaos.”
As the only non-musician in her entertainment group, Lizzy handled backstage management.
The representatives she met were wonderful, even inviting another participant whose representatives couldn’t attend to join their table.
Her biggest takeaway was realizing she is stronger and more resilient than she thought.
The experience significantly boosted her confidence; she plans to re-enroll in a course in June that she had previously dropped out of due to health and confidence issues.
Speaking at the dinner made delivering this post-camp speech less daunting.
Lizzy has formed a new group of inspiring friends, keeps in touch, attended a barbecue, and plans to go to the Balingup Medieval Festival with some.
Lizzy observed a lack of youth participation in Rotary and noted her generation wants to create change but is largely unaware of what Rotary does.
Initially, Lizzy and her parents humorously wondered if Rotary was a “cult” due to limited knowledge. She strongly advocates continuing and funding programs like RYLA, describing them as “eye-opening and life-changing.”
She suggests publicizing the “amazing work” Rotary does so more young people might join.
A pre-camp introductory dinner or meeting with the local Rotary club could ease nerves for future participants and clarify that Rotary is not a cult?
Youth Service Director Garrick McCamey presented Lizzy with a RYLA participation certificate on behalf of mill Point Rotary Club.
Garrick advised the members that we are anticipating a male inbound Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) student and host families are requested. At this stage we have only one offer and he stressed the host family don’t have to be Rotary members. The more families we have, the less time needed to host (e.g. four families would each host for three months). He observed our outbound student Makynli has already stayed with several families in France.
We are still awaiting details from District about who, when, where from etc.
Rotary Youth Protection requirements apply - every household member aged 18+ must obtain a Working with Children Card (WWC) and be reference checked. This will require lead time.
Michael “Gorby” Gottschalk introduced his guest Mia Krieger.
Mia is from Freiburg, Germany, which she describes as Germany’s sunniest city and famous for Black Forest cake.
She was welcomed warmly and kindly, which gave her the bravery to pursue other exchanges.
After Perth, she completed a six-month exchange in France, which taught her patience and how to get along with different kinds of people.
In 2024, she participated in a SAGSE (Scholarship for Australian German students) exchange. Mia hosted an Australian student in Germany for three months and then studied at Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC) in Perth for three months. She describes it as the “time of her life”.
Mia emphasizes the importance of international friendships in the current global context, referencing the genocide in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, and tensions involving Iran, the US, and Israel. She believes living abroad helps one respect other cultures, learn new languages, and adapt to different lifestyles.
These experiences foster empathy and tolerance and prevent people from being “out of touch with reality,” especially for those in more isolated places like Australia.
Mia believes anyone who hosts an exchange student will be “forever thankful,” as hosting is special and beautiful for both host and student.
Fine(s) Tuning to Top Up the Treasury
Fines Master Wayne M took to the podium in phenomenal silence and slow clapping...
- Visiting Ex-member Mark Jones - who decided to shower the table (and other members) with his coffee.
- All electric car owners - depleting our fossil fuels.
- Every Bicycle rider (oops Mark again!)
- Kelly G - whose thirsty 4-wheel drive has resulted in him getting a job.
- Ken P - for not having a last digit on his number plate.
- Lyn Metcalf (in absentia) - who may be called back to service as a result of the City of South Perth problems!
- Ian K - civil engineer extraordinaire who forgets which coffee shop where he is supposed to meet Wayne.
- All ticket holders who have half a ticket which says "keep me" - Is it fair to all concerned?
Winner of Heads and Tails
Attendance
37 attendees in all, including guest speaker and RYLA student Elizabeth Kerry, visiting Rotarian Jill Mathwin and visitors Mark Jones, Mia Krieger and Charlie Burnett.
