Bulletin #9 30August 2024

 Presidential Ponderings

President Kelly eulogised about Peter Steven's remarkable  "Living Wake" held yesterday evening attended by hundreds of friends, colleagues and  immediate family. A celebration of a life well lived and Peter's is definitely one we will all remember.

Induction of Peggy Leung

Dietmar Mazanetz introduced Peggy to the club and Lew Thomas carried out the induction.

Peggy met Dietmar through Toastmasters 8 years ago and is a graduate of Curtin University after arriving from Hong Konk. 

Peggy works for the State Government as Director of Financial Accounting Planning, Land and Heritage department and her classification is Financial Management. Peggy was welcomed by Director of Community Services Rick Sneeuwjagt, and President Kelly Gillen. Peggy will join the Community Services committee and be mentored by Dietmar.

 

 

 

Guest Speaker Charlie Gunningham - Start Ups

Charlie Gunningham (note Gunningham, not Cunningham!)has spent more than 25 years in Perth’s startup sector. He's been a startup founder himself, through to exit, has invested in and sold multiple startup businesses.

Originally from the UK, he lived and worked in Singapore before arriving in Perth in the late 90s. He graduated top of UWA Business School with an MBA and co-founded property listings site aussiehome.com in 1999, which was later sold to REIWA in 2010. He then ran reiwa.com, went on to be CEO of Business News, and also worked for a federal government startup fund and then ran the WA government's New Industries Fund.

In 2021, he was awarded WA Entrepreneur of the Year (at the Incite Awards), and last year was voted a top 10 startup mentor in Australia.

Charlie thanked the Club for inviting him and noted Cunninghams (with a C are Irish and there are lots of them around….)but there are not so many Gunninghams - it’s an old 11^th Century Anglo-Saxon name meaning “battle friend”.

 

25 years back in 1999,  everyone was talking about “Dot.coms”, they weren’t called “Startups”. Charlie was a school teacher then, coming from the UK via Singapore. He had first been to Perth in 1991, busking in Murray Street Mall. He observed you couldn’t busk in Singapore as two or three people gathered together meant “Communism”…However he made $800 in the first week and paid for the airfare.

 

Moving here in 1997 he did his MBA and was back teaching at Hale School. But he then threw way being Head of Commerce for a “crazy Dot.com”. His good mate Nick, from his MBA course, rang him up saying “Hey man, we’re going to do a property website on maps…”. In his words, it was the year of the Dot.com and “anyone coming out of an MBA with a pulse, they threw money at them”. They raised a couple of hundred thousand dollars. Seven weeks later they launched Aussiehome.com the world’s first map-based Real Estate site. This was six years before Google Maps!

 

Back then it was all very slow. The internet connection was via dial-up modem and the webpage took up to five minutes to load and open. If you were using the internet, no one could use the phone or someone on the phone would cut off your internet!

 

Ten years later they sold to REIWA. He met a lot of people along the way, including Veronica, and did a lot of websites. Back when they started in 2000, about 90% of the Real Estate advertising money went to newspapers. They saw the gradual shift from print to digital and, by the time they sold, 90% of it went online.

 

Like most startups, they had been disrupting an existing large, comfortable market with a dominating incumbent who didn’t understand its digital strategy. Startups are about Scalability – scalable technology and scalable business models. Aussiehomes.com was lines of codes, that’s all.

 

A Startup is a new, innovative, probably tech-enabled company that has a scalable business model and scalable technology. A law firm, jewellery store or fish and chip shop are not scalable. To open a second shop it’s bricks and mortar.

 

As Aussiehomes.com added more real estate agents, they hit profitability at about 75. Clients were given a user name and password, they uploaded the property and paid up front. After you hit critical mass, every new client is pure profit. A nice business model…a scalable business model…that’s “why I keep banging on about Startups”….

 

Looking around the world, the top six companies by value are now scalable Tech companies, not oil companies, not media companies – Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta and Tesla.

But where are the Aussie/Tech companies?

The big companies are all overseas owned and pay very little tax, they create few jobs here.

 

WA has a very small innovative ecosystem compared to other states. However, it is growing and now valued at 10 billion dollars. Of that, 3.4 billion dollars is one company Virtual Gaming world (VGW)

 

Everyone thinks technology kills jobs. But Tech companies create five more jobs than they displace. The key to success is:

-       A big market

-       Global vision

-       Founding team quality

 

There is also a lack of Venture Capital Funding here in WA. There needs to be early government support. As the old saying goes “the time to plant a tree was twenty years ago…”

 

 

Charlie’s presentation can be view at:

millpointrotaryclub.org.au>members only (password)> this link>Guest Speaker Presentations>GUNNINGHAM Charlie – Startups & Their Importance to WA

Remember the password changes on Sunday 1^st September

 

Directors Reports and Announcements

The Sewing Sisters - Jenny McLean

The sewing sisters have just finished a contract with Curtin University adjusting 500 chair covers for their graduation ceremony tonight, and have raised funds to supplement their budget for the year. Another contract is in line for another 500 for Curtin's January graduation ceremony. Well done Jen!

Club Service - Brian J

Password for the members only page on the website will change on 1 September. Please visit and support the website.

Youth - Astrid M

RYPEN applications close next weekend. Please consider nominating a young person to apply.

The Fine(s)print

• Wayne Muller guilty of 3 counts of atrocities - last week for gazumping Joy as Fines Master and the week before for his debilitating exposé on numeracy which left 110% of us gob-smacked AND not knowing that there was 123 days left to the remainder of the year - in itself a PRIME oversight!
• Footballers - yes Eagles and Dockers, pay up!
• Brian Adams name-sake of THE Bryan Adams soon to appear on these shores (unfortunately our Brian can't sing)
• Striped shirters Kelly and David R - cough up!
• Last Friday hangover was Sponge Cake Day - all those who like a bit of a Victoria Sponge time to pay.
• Brian Adams AGAIN for organising his social life around football results!
  
• Peggy - newest member or not - whether you're good, bad or indifferent is no excuse not to pay a fine.
• Peter Dowling - ostracised as you may be or hiding on the back table doesn't excuse your partner Judy for clapping at last night's event with a glass of red wine in her hand!
• Mike Collett dreaming of stars during the SKA presentation last week (zzzzzzz).
• Badge dodgers - if you've not got it on, pay up!
• Everyone who has had 30 years of JOY! Yes our Joy joined us 30 years ago - and worth every dollar!
  

Winner of Heads and Tails

Two tails; one of each x 2 and Brian Adams won by a single head.

Worth coming to Rotary for eh Brian?

Attendance

44 attendees in all, including guest speaker Charlie Gunningham, visiting Rotarians John Cahill, President RC of Como; Geoff Martin member RC of Como, and Peggy Leung.

Bullletin #8 23 August 2024

 Presidential Primaries

President Kelly welcomed Rotary Past District Governor Ineke Oliver to present the club with a 2023-2024 Presidential citation certificate for exceeding their goals. A great team effort from the executive and members.

Guest Speaker Dr Sarah Pearce Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO)

Dr Sarah Pearce joined SKAO in
July 2021 as Director of the SKA-Low Telescope. There she leads a growing team in Australia preparing for deployment, commissioning, and operations of the world's largest low frequency telescope, to be built at CSIRO’s Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Western Australia, on Wajarri Yamaji country.

 

Before joining SKAO, Dr Pearce was with CSIRO for 10 years as the Deputy Director of CSIRO Space & Astronomy and was Acting CSIRO Chief Scientist from January 2021 until her move to SKAO. Dr Pearce led CSIRO’s engagement in the SKA and was Australia’s science representative on the negotiating team for the SKA Treaty. She also established CSIRO’s Space research program, as well as the cross-organisational Centre for Earth Observation.

 

Her previous roles included senior science advisor in the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, and project manager of the UK’s computing for particle physics program. She has a PhD from the University of Leicester and an undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Oxford.

 

In 2020, Dr Pearce was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. She was also named NSW Business Woman of the Year, and Executive of the Year at the 2020 Australian Space Awards. Dr Pearce is a strong advocate for diversity in science and engineering and was selected as one of Science and Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM.

 

The SKAO will be Australia’s largest science project and the first time Australia has hosted one of these mega-projects on behalf of the international community. Sarah acknowledged the Wajarri Yamaji as traditional owners and title holders of Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the Murchison area where the SKA-Low will be built.

 

Familiar telescopes such as the Hubble and James Webb work in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio telescopes (such as SKA) look at the long wavelength part, similar to what TV antennas and mobile phones work on. Radio waves can look far back in the universe. They act like a time machine, to look back at early stars and galaxies.

 

The International SKA project is one of only two treaty organisations in world Astronomy. Eleven nations are SKAO partners (no USA). The SKA-Mid will be located in South Africa and the SKA-Low in Australia.

 

The SKA-Mid in South Africa will be a dish telescope, with many little telescopes (like the Parkes Telescope in NSW) joined together. There will be 197 fully steerable dishes a cross a maximum distance of 150 kilometres, that will act as one big telescope.

 

The SKA-Low in Australia will differ, with 131,00 two meter tall “Xmas trees”, being many log-periodic antennas. They will be looking for very faint signals that will give detail of the sky.

 

 These areas were chosen for their “radio quiet” locations, avoiding much of the light in the radio spectrum, such that we give out with our microwaves, phones, TVs, fridges etc.

 

One particular thing SKA-Low is looking for is the “Cosmic Dawn”, back through the 14 billion years of the universe.

-   How did stars and galaxies evolve?

-   What are galaxies made of?

-   What are dark matter and dark energy?

The SKA project in numbers:

 The infrastructure build in the Murchison commenced with “fly camps” leading to a permanent camp. In March the first antenna was erected. An Indigenous Land Use Agreement has been developed with the local Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara people. It will be a fifty year partnership “sharing the sky and stars”.

 

There is too much data to be stored and processed, so there will be two super computers in SKA regional centres in Perth and Capetown (South Africa). The Pawsey Centre is located right here in Kensington.

 

 

A PDF version of Sarah’s presentation can be viewed at:

millpointrotaryclub.org.au>members only (password)> this link>Guest Speaker Presentations>PEARCE Sarah – SKA Telescope

 

Directors Reports and Announcements

Veronica:

• Reminder Guess Who's Coming to Dinner on 7 September. Last chance to sign up as host or guest. Urgent call for extra host please as one host has had to cancel due to imminent travel.
  
• Annual report 2023-2024 show of hands who wants a hard copy to be distributed at the AGM/Club Forum on 4 October.
• Member satisfaction survey to be sent out over the next week. RSVPs by 6 September would be appreciated so we can collate responses and report back to club.

Debbie:

• Offered a wonderfully labelled and collated collection of stamps from her father's estate, and now needs a good home. Free to any serious, budding philatelist.

Scott:

• Invitation to Peter Steven's 'Living Wake' at the RPGC next Thursday, 3pm. Partners are also invited for a celebration of life - oh and Peter would like you to wear a funny hat or attire - clowns are good!

Rick:

• Thank you to everyone who contributes frozen meals for PICYS, in particular Sana and Dianna for their constant offerings and everyone else who takes the time to provide meals.
  

Another Fine(s) mess by Wayne the Elder...

Still smarting from the rebellion last week, fines were doled out to the following:

• Geoff Longshaw for having the audacity to say "No" to being this week's fines-master.
• President Kelly for leading the rebellion last week.
• Wayne the Elder (nominated by Treasure Lyn M) for asking Joy to be finesmaster then reneging on the deal...
• Everyone who was in attendance last week and 'boo-ed' Wayne off when he got too deep into primary numbers (zzzzzzzz)
  

Winner of Heads and Tails

Two double headers, and two heads and tails saw the weekly wine won by Daivd (Daisy) Rowell - and just look how pleased he was!

Thanks to Lyn and Margaret Metcalf for supplying the grog!

Attendance

34 attendees in all, including guest speaker Sarah Pearce, visiting Rotary Past District Governor Ineke Oliver, Rotarian Bill Boekman from Wongan Hills and visitors Sana Dimovich and Kirsten Gottschalk (Gorby's wife and namesake in that order) 

Bulletin #7 16 August 2024

 President Kelly

The meeting commenced with a HUGE round of applause for
Peter Stevens who left his hospital bed to visit today and President Kelly expressed commiserations for Mike Collett who has Covid.

Peter was warmly welcomed by all members who were delighted to see him after his long absence.

 

 

 

 

Guest Speaker - Lydia Wong CSR and Sustainability

Our newest Club member Lydia Wong was born and raised in Malacca, Malaysia. Growing up in a family with a strong emphasis on education, her first career move was in journalism. After moving to Shell, some great mentors taught her the importance of resilience, effective communication and leadership with empathy.

Her Masters was followed by a PhD in Organisational Behavior. Lydia founded her NGO, Volunteers Unite and has become an expert in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). This led to her starting her own consultancy, LMW Consulting, focusing on Sustainability and ESG.

Lydia relocated to Perth with her husband Philip. As well as joining Mill Point Rotary Club, she is serving on non-profit Boards and seeking out volunteering opportunities.

In opening, Lydia defined Sustainability - the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

In short – it’s like kind of like trying not to eat all the cookies today so there’s some left for tomorrow. Easier said than done, right?

Lydia related a little story from her childhood -

“My dad and my grandpa were incredibly resourceful. One day, they decided to build a swing for us kids. But instead of buying a new one, they used what they had around the house—scrap metals from an old fence, some poles from the yard, and leftover paint. This swing, made entirely from scrap materials, became the centrepiece of our backyard. It provided endless hours of fun, but more importantly, it taught us a valuable lesson about upcycling—finding new uses for old things.

It’s a small example, but it planted the seeds of sustainability in me long before the term was popular.”

They were leaving us a legacy—a lesson in resourcefulness and stewardship of the world around us. … it’s the small, thoughtful actions that leave the most enduring legacy.

Lydia introduced us to a new term Upcycling – the creative transformation of old or unused items into higher- quality or more valuable products.

Many examples of her own innovative personal Upcycling were showcased from her creations of home furniture items and the décor of her four Nyonya restaurants in Kuala Lumpur.

 Lydia then took us on a journey through the various “hats I've worn in my career."

First, the CSR  (Corporate Social Responsibility) hat.  A focus was on values—doing good, giving back to the community, and building a strong, ethical brand.

Second,  the ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) hat. Suddenly, it was all about numbers and data, which felt like moving from a free-spirited art class to a serious math exam. investors were watching closely, and our actions had direct financial implications.

Finally, the Sustainability hat, which is a combination of both CSR and ESG. This role is about balancing values with data, playing by both our own rules and those set by external standards. It’s like having your cake and eating it too—using both numbers and values to make a real impact.

Lydia doesn’t do it alone, she has a team. Juggling CSR, ESG and Sustainability is like being a circus performer. Except instead of juggling balls, “I’m juggling spreadsheets, and instead of applause, I get compliance reports!”

Her legacy is also the team she has built over the years. We often talk about leaving a legacy in terms of the tangible things we leave behind—assets, achievements—but the most meaningful legacies are the ones we leave in the hearts and minds of others.

It’s the values we impart, the behaviors we model, and the world we help shape for future generations.

75% of Australians are worried about Climate Change. For us in WA, paying attention to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is crucial now more than ever. As climate risks increasingly influence global markets, companies and communities in Perth must proactively adapt to these changes. Regulatory pressures and physical risks from climate change can directly impact local industries, particularly agriculture and resources, which are vital to Perth’s economy.

Lydia then gave many examples of the easy things we can do  for Sustainability -  Recycling, Upcycling and Energy Saving, sharing knowledge and leading by example.

Small steps, big impact.

Lydia’s presentation and many examples of her work can be viewed at:

millpointrotaryclub.org.au>members only (password)> this link>Guest Speaker Presentations>WONG Lydia – Simple Steps to Sustainability

How do we feel about Sustainability….?

 

Directors Reports and Announcement

Veronica : 

• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Two (2) additional hosts wanted for between 4-8 guests on Saturday 7 September. Please let Veronica know if you are able to host or wish to attend as a guest. At the moment we have more guests than hosts. 0409 035 343 or vlawrance17@gmail.com

Astrid:

• Youth meeting after breakfast in the members lounge.
• Candidates wanted for RYPEN and RYLA. Please nominate any student you know who would benefit from these excellent Youth programs.
  

Ken P :

• Has an upright piano he would like to gift to anyone who can use it/wants it. Call Ken on 0411 770 135

Brian:

• Reminder - password for the members only section on the website  will change on 1 September. You will be sent a private email to remind you, otherwise see Brian or Veronica.

Wayne:

• BulldustNBack is on after a slow start. Pleae promote as much as you can and if not entereing a car, we'd love to see you as a vocational/volunteer. Final lunch will be at Pasta in The Valley on Sunday 13 October. Overnights are Dalwallinu (Thursday 10th and Friday 11th) and Northam (Saturday 12th). Fee free to join us. If you wish to take part but don't have a car, then we are in need of navigators to accompany drivers.

Rick:

• Fundriasing meeting after BNB meeting next week.

Scott:

• Coffee in members lounge after breakfast.
  

Peter Stevens:

• Thank you to everyone for their support since Melva's passing,
  
  
  and during the last couple of months he has been in hospital. Peter has a VAD in place but wants everyone to know he has had a sensational 15 years at Mill Point and treasures the friends he has made. Peter is encouraging his (5) sons to join Rotary and to enter into the BNB.
  

 

Wayne the Elder was in a Fine(s) mood today!

• Lyn M - holding the copper kettle in his hands but also because it is his and Margaret's wedding anniversary.
• 16th of August is 'Tell A Joke' day so a fine for all the jokers out there.
• 1501 - Anniversary of the commissioning of Michaelangelo's 'David' so anyone who fancies themselves as the model or is named David to pay up.
• 2012 - Julian Assange granted asylum in Ecuador - if you remember this it will cost you a $
  
• 2012 - Anyone who knew the winner of the 100m dash in the Beijing Olympics? (nobody knew nor did Wayne, it was in fact Usain Bolt)
  
• Fans of Madonna - it's her birthday after all (she's 63 if you knew you paid!)
  
• 229th day of the year with only 137 more to go till the end of the year -137 and 229 are both prime numbers.  137 is a twin prime because 139 is also prime (separated to 2)

  1 divided by 229 give a recurring never-ending string of numbers.

  As we know, 22 divided by 7, is a close approximation of Pi, giving a relationship between radius and circumference of a circle

  1 divided by 137 is a close approximation of 1 divided by 137.03599913.  This gives a gauge of how charged elementary particles, like electrons, interact with light's photons. (at which time everyone who was still awake boo-ed Wayne off)
  

  However he stated that if everyone put a dollar in the centre he'd will stop talking and become Tosser of the day!
  

Winner of Heads and Tails

 2 x Tails; 2 x Tails, a heads and a tail and the grog went to John O'Sullivan!

Attendance

35 attendees in all, including guest speaker Lydia and visitor Gabby

Bulletin #6 2024

 Presidential Ponderings

Today is International Cat's Day (Meow) as well as Happiness Day and on that note our own "happy" Mike was called on to tell us who was celebrating happy birthdays and anniversaries. 

President Kelly then called up Lew Thomas to receive his PHF+3.

"A Paul Harris award is not given lightly, it signifies a Rotarian’s commitment to their Club through a number of activities, events and projects. It reflects on their leadership skills such as mentoring new Rotarians in sharing their knowledge as well as mentoring Rotarians who are taking up new challenges within the Club. It’s about sharing experiences within and without Rotary and sometimes putting a hand up when time and resources are tight and  partners may be  thinking otherwise!

It’s about quality of service as well as quantity, the number of Directorships held, deputising on committees and upholding Rotary’s values and ethics.

It gives me great pleasure this morning to award Lew Thomas his PHF+3.

Lew is a great example of all these things, and whilst unable to be at our changeover,  his 31 years of service above self is prominent.

Lew has been a Past President of the Club in 2014-2015, and has held multiple Directorships - Membership, Youth, International, Community, Club Service, Fundraising, back to Membership and is also a Director of our Charity Trust.

He is a negotiator extraordinaire, a calming presence, softly spoken yest able to command attention. He has supported this Club through thick and thin and is always ready to jump in when a problem arises.

Congratulations  Lew!

 

Guest Speaker Haim Oz - Mentor It Forward (MIF)

Haim Oz, Founder and President of Mentor it Forward was introduced by Host Lydia Wong. Lydia met Haim through LinkedIn and was grateful he didn’t take her for a scammer…. She is now a member of MiF thanks to Haim.

Haim founded Mentor it Forward one year ago, as a non-profit organisation that endeavours to promote professional growth and facilitate valuable connections. In talking to many individuals and organisations, the one thing he noticed is our passion and the things that drive us are contagious and infectious. He hopes everyone here feels the same. It pleased him to hear our previous speaker on Nutrition and Wellbeing mentioned the importance of Mentorship.

Haim’s presentation is included in full below:

Prologue

"I founded Mentor it Forward exactly one year ago (2nd of August

2023), and the most exciting thing I've noticed after working with so many people and organisations, is that our passion and what drives us is addictive and contagious. When people learn about who we are, what we do, and why we do what we do, many feel inspired to get involved.

"Well, I bet most of you will, too. Because at our core, we pursue doing good in the world, and what better way is there than paying it forward?"

Chapter 1 – Restart

"I immigrated to Australia with my wife and two kids nine years ago, in August 2015. I had a long-lasting career overseas in various technology fields, both in technical and managerial roles, so I was optimistic and confident in my ability to integrate into the local workforce and find a new job.

"As optimistic as I was, this was not a simple task. It involved a new environment, a new market, a different culture, and unfamiliar processes, all compounded by the tough job market in WA in 2015. I decided to call out for assistance from those around me and was amazed to see the willingness to help, even though I was new in town. Whether it was introducing me to people from the industry, connecting me with their network, adapting my CV to the Australian style, getting me used to consuming many cups of coffee during the day, or realising that every meeting starts with 5 minutes of chit-chat about the weekend before getting to the point.… it all helped me land my first role as a General Manager of a local consulting firm in a short period of time".

Chapter 2 – Reflection

"During the 8 years since my arrival in Australia, I’ve been fortunate enough to identify and pursue great career opportunities. I’ve taken on different roles and worked in most sectors and industries locally and nationally. I hired, managed, trained, worked with and worked for amazing people and was always conscious of the journey I’ve been through, including its struggles and hurdles.

"Reflecting on the many experiences that have shaped me since my arrival, I've come to understand that my journey, filled with its challenges and growth, is not exclusive to me.

Many individuals experience similar hurdles - feelings of frustration, a sense of being overwhelmed, and a need for guidance and direction.

• It may be fresh university graduates trying to navigate the professional world,

• newcomers settling in a foreign land,

• or individuals re-entering the workforce after a significant break, such as parents resuming work post parental leave.

"Their struggle is genuine and often tiring. Interestingly, on the other side of this spectrum, we have industry veterans - professionals who have weathered similar storms, overcome them, and, in the process, gained valuable knowledge and insights. More importantly, many have the desire and willingness to share with their surroundings. It made me wonder, what if we could create a supportive environment that brings these two sides closer together to empower and guide each other?

"So, last June 2023, I decided to take a break from work. I said my goodbyes to my employer and looked for ways I could give back to the community by tackling the gap I experienced. That’s where Mentor it Forward, or, as I like to call it, MiF, was founded".

Chapter 3 – MiF

"The idea was simple: create a supportive environment where people seeking assistance and guidance to jump-start or further grow their careers can receive support from industry leaders who wish to share their experience and guide others.

We then created MiF’s Community Mentoring program, with one mandate as our guiding light! Any mentee can participate in the program for free, and mentors are always volunteers. This ensures everyone’s best intentions are upheld.

"From that point, things began to ramp up. I bounced the idea off a few colleagues and organisations to hear their thoughts and was amazed to see their interest and desire to get involved. People were drawn to the concept, and very quickly, we had a few partners and a line up of interested mentors. A small group of us designed a mentoring framework, adopted technological solutions, created content, procedures and policies and opened the doors for the public to join, during a big conference last year (August 2023).

"The news spread rapidly, and within several weeks, we exceeded 100 participants, with mentors and mentees from all over Australia (and a few other countries such as HK, Singapore, NZ, China, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Israel, and the US). Unlike other Mentoring programs, we pride ourselves on having a structured and guided program where the human factor is key (As much as we value and appreciate technology, not everything should be done with AI). Each applicant submits a detailed self-assessment capturing their background, experience, challenges, and aspirations and then has a one-on-one interview with one of our team members, who will then identify the perfect match.

The new pair will be onboarded into our platform and embark on a three-month journey consisting of six one-on-one sessions. The agenda is guided and structured, and the MiF team will support the pair throughout their journey.

"Numbers don’t lie and to date…

• Mentorship Programs: Over 100 mentorships have been facilitated, connecting experienced professionals with aspiring individuals across various industries.

• Community Engagement: MiF has hosted and participated in several community events and workshops, reaching over 1,000 participants.

• Career Growth: More than 60% of MiF mentees have reported career advancements, including promotions and new job opportunities, as a direct result of our programs.

• Partnerships: MiF’s partner network is constantly growing, adding businesses and organisations from all over the business ecosystem (private and public sectors), enhancing its ability to provide diverse opportunities and resources".

Chapter 4 – Employment Inclusivity

"Our journey so far feels like an avalanche. While acknowledging the positive impact on any individuals in our community, we saw the need to scale our efforts and impact by harnessing the power of the broader business ecosystem. We realised that working with a single individual at a time is not scalable and therefore developed a new ambitious program called Employment Inclusivity.

"Simply put, it is designed to support individuals from diverse backgrounds in finding and succeeding in their careers. In addition to our mentoring services, the new program provides comprehensive training, internships, and job opportunities to enhance skill development and career progression. This program aims to close gaps in skills and job access, creating a more equitable and inclusive workforce.

"We do that by getting our business community together, with each organisation taking an active role. Whether it’s universities and vocational colleges preparing their students for the workforce or businesses from various industries working with MiF on creating internship and employment opportunities, it is the collective effort that can really make a difference. Organisations are encouraged to join MiF's partner network as sponsors to support this initiative. By becoming a sponsor, organisations contribute to building a stronger, more diverse workforce while gaining access to a pool of talented individuals who have been trained and mentored to meet industry standards. It isa chance for businesses to make a significant social impact and support the professional journeys of many aspiring professionals".

Epilogue – What’s next?

"As we look ahead, MiF's journey is just beginning. The strides we've made in the past year are living proof of the power of community, mentorship, and the unwavering belief in every individual's potential.

We aim to create a robust network of support that encompasses the entire business ecosystem. This is where you come in. As leaders in the business community, past and present, your involvement can be the catalyst that drives our mission forward.

Support can come in many ways, and each one is welcome:

• Encourage your organisations to become sponsors, helping to fuel the growth of our programs.

• Spread the word—share our mission with your networks and inspire others to join our cause.

• Get directly involved by becoming a mentor and guiding the next generation of professionals.

Every contribution count, and together, we can make a lasting impact".

 

Directors Reports and Announcements

• Veronica - Guess Who is Coming to Dinner 7th September.

• Please indicate if you wish to host (and how many extra people you would like) or dine (and your +1 name). You won't know who you are hosting or where you will be eating until the last minute!

• Membership committee meeting after breakfast in the café.

• Scott - RPGC have made available the Café for Rotarians to use for a catch up/fellowship or their committee meetings, each week.

• Brian J - The password for the Members Only page on the website will be changed as from 1 September. BJ to send out via email as this will not be put in the Bulletin for confidentiality reasons.
  

Another Fine(s) Mess Miss Joy Got Us Into!

• President Kelly for not knowing the date.
• AFL supporters not immune to the fines masters wrath, so Dockers supporters for the Loss last week (he-he), AND Eagles supporters for the Win (Ha-Ha)! 
• Anyone who was at the Royal Perth Yacht Club supporting our own Matt Wearn.
• Bleary eyed Rotarians who stayed up and watched our Olympians - guilty as charged watching Tennis and Golf!
• All rice pudding lovers and those who love to read - well it is National Rice Pudding day AND Book Lovers Day.
• 50 years ago today Richard Nixon resigned as President of the USA - so if you're over 50 - pay up!
• Wayne Muller for going the whole hog and organising an Olympic Croquet event.
• David Rowell - champion golfer setting trend with Brian Adams who can pay up too.
• Usual suspects from the checked shirt brigade
• Lew Thomas who went overboard with his checked Lumber Jacket.
• Gorby who would forget his head if it wasn't screwed on - won the quiz a couple of weeks ago and then forgot his prize!
• Lew Thomas bought the box for ratting on Warren McCamey's illegal parking on a fellow Rotarian's lawn and incurring a hefty fine from the Ranger. The twist is that the fellow Rotarian's wife was late for Book Club and saw said car on lawn, threw a hissy fit and reported to Ranger not knowing who's car it was or that Warren had gone to dinner with husband!
  

Winner of Heads and Tails

Guest 'Tosser' of the week was visiting ex-member Mark Jones who gave it his all, ensuring NO-ONE won the coveted bottle of grog, kindly supplied by Lyn and Margaret Metcalf! Now that MUST be a first!

Attendance -  35 attendees in all, including guest speaker Haim Oz and visiting ex-member Mark Jones.