BULLETIN 6 DecemBER, 2012

Rotary Club of Brighton IncP.O. Box 206 Brighton VIC 3186District 9800 Club Number 18309Chartered: 24 September, 1973www.rotarybrighton.com.auNo. A23508S ABN 29 236 561 983

President Peter Sherman H: 9593 1595 M: 0419 322 093President Elect Pat Kearns W: 9553 8038 H: 9553 8038 M: 0418 998 735Secretary Arthur Hubbard H: 9592 4465 M: 0411 124 204

www.rotarybrighton.com.ausecretary@rotarybrighton.com.auEditor, Designer: Max MartinPhone: 0409 822 378www.maxmartindesigns.com.aumax@maxmartindesigns.com.auPhotography last week: Cameron Ward

Rotary Club of BrightonVictoria AustraliaRotary Club of BrightonVictoria Australia

This week’s speaker:

Ken HaleyInspirational Speaker, Personal Development, Author, JournalistKen Haley explores the cultural quirks of life in the lands he travels through in his wheelchair while paying due heed to those dark nights of the soul that landed him there. After a suicide attempt left him a paraplegic, Ken decided to take the hard road to recovery. The lingering impression Ken will leave with your group of listeners is that life as a disabled person can be not just a pale imitation of other lives, but every bit as full as that of an able-bodied individual. Born in St Kilda, Ken says that curiosity, pretentiousness, insecurity, stamina, the ridiculous of self-importance and the importance of self-ridicule are all re recurring themes in his work. Highlights include sub-editing on The Times foreign desk in 1989-1990; winning a Walkley Award for headline writing; addressing the American Copy Editors’ Society in Long Beach, California; completing a 50-hour piano marathon. He is a former journalist for The Age, and has also written for The Big Issue and the UK Guardian and The Times. Books include ‘Emails from the Edge’.

LAST WEEK: Brother Paul Smith (Lasallian Foundation), Pres Peter Sherman, speaker Maxine McKew and Chairman Cameron Spence at last week’s meeting.See a summary of Maxine’s talk on page 2.

The Rotary Club of Brighton

Next week: Stephen MayneAustralian journalist, local government councillor and self-described shareholder activist.

“An invitation toChristmas Lunch 16 Dec See page 6.

Missed an issue of the Bulletin? You can find it on the websiteat www.rotarybrighton.com.auor contact the Editor by email to be sent a pdf.

DECEMBER IS FAMILY MONTH

It was packed to the rafters last week with Members and partners wanting to hear Maxine McKew speak and they weren’t disappointed!

Elderly Citizens Lunch a big success.

See highlights page 8.

Last meeting’s Speaker - 29 November, 2012

Maxine McKew FORMER MP

‘Tales from the Political Trenches’

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Some of the content of the following has been sourced from http://www.theage.com.au/opinion.There are four words that stand out in the early pages of Maxine McKew’s memoir, and they have nothing to do with Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, leadership coups or politics in general. She is writing more simply about life, of the fortunes good and ill that shape it, and of the pivotal event in her childhood that taught her one key lesson - there are no certainties.

She was five years old. Her mother, Elaine, had died, stolen by cancer, her baby sister and her father at just 33. Maxine went to live with her maternal grandparents, who ran a general store and cafe in Brisbane. She writes of that time: ‘’They took me in, a small, sad girl, and made me the centre of their lives.’’

It’s an affecting, intimate moment in a book notorious even before its release for its focus on matters more poisonous than poignant, but there is more than one Maxine McKew within the pages of ‘Tales from the Political Trenches’. There’s McKew, the giant-slayer who upended a sitting prime minister in his own seat; McKew, the one-term MP whose electoral defeat plunged her into despair; McKew, the famed reporter and feared interviewer who carved a stellar career in Australian journalism. And then there are the two McKews who bookend them all: that little girl in Brisbane facing life without her mother, and the older, wiser woman now embarking on a new life in Melbourne a year shy of her 60th birthday.

The decision to reflect on her political experiences in print required that she wander back in time to revisit her childhood self, and to ponder how the ‘’small, sad girl’’ of 1958 grew into the woman of today.

She said that because she has been writing the book and because she is getting that much older that she thinks about that time quite a lot and certainly about her grandparents, and she supposes it was the sort of background where things could have turned out differently.

Maxine might have ended up more introverted, or on the sidelines, but there was no doubt her grandparents were such spirited, loving people, they made her the centre of their lives. So, yes, she lost my mother, and we they split up - her Dad still living at home, sister Margo was farmed out, she was with her grandparents. So her whole family gets split up - which wouldn’t happen today, it was very 1950s - but her grandparents just adored her.

Listening is the life skill that has served her best ever since, certainly as a journalist where her skills as a broadcast and print interviewer secured her reputation as one of the standout inquisitors of the past 30 years. Maxine insists, it’s a skill she deployed again in the writing of her book, which is both personal reflection and journalistic inquiry into the tumult of Australian politics over the past five years. Neither in print, nor in person, does McKew come across as a woman out to settle scores, with Julia Gillard or anyone else. She respects the job the Prime Minister is doing. Julia has got the most demanding job in the country and Maxine has seen firsthand what that does to individuals and what it takes out of them.

She didn’t respect the way the PM behaved in 2010. She believed that she had other choices. She could have chosen to support her leader as a loyal deputy but she was impatient for the leadership.

The key chapter “Ambush” in her book is her deconstruction of the events leading up to June 2010 and the toppling of Kevin Rudd. The author’s view that the leadership coup was not only far better planned than claimed, but also a catastrophic misjudgment by Julia Gillard and others, is by now well known. Reading her account of it, one doesn’t get the sense she takes any joy in recounting it. Indeed, given one of the consequences was a shocking federal campaign by Labor in which she was among the MPs swept from office, what comes through as much as anything is the sadness and personal despair the party’s fall from grace inflicted.

Maxine finished the night by answering questions from the floor. President Peter closed the meeting presentating Maxine with a bottle of Bubbly for her excellent talk and announcing that he thought her talk was one of the best we had heard.

Indeed, given one of the consequences was a shocking federal

floor. President Peter closed the meeting presentating Maxine

Rotary Club of BrightonVictoria Australia

Chairman: George JerzykSpeaker: Ken HaleyLocation: Milanos Terminus Room

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Week of 6 DecemberSergeant: Geoff Bentley Hosts: PP Stan Rankin, Alex SpearProperty: Mark Trafford, Erik Vandenberg Front Desk: Jim Donnelly, PP Julian GogliaRaffle: PP Brett Parkin, PP Ivan VojlayWeek of 13 DecemberChairman: George JerzykSergeant: Peter Grey Speaker: Stephen MayneLocation: Milanos Terminus RoomHosts: PP Merv Deutsher, PDG John KingProperty: Tony Nanfra, PP Tom Buxton Front Desk: Jim Donnelly, PP Julian GogliaRaffle: PP Brett Parkin, PP Ivan Vojlay

CAN’T COME? YOU MUST FIND A REPLACEMENT! ROSTERED ON PROPERTY OR FRONT DESK? PLEASE BE ON DECK BY 5.30PM.

ROSTERS:THIS WEEK’S MEETING 6 DECEMBER 2012

The Rotary Club of Brighton

IT’S EVERYTHING YOUTHOUGHT WE WEREN’TThe Pursuit of Excellence

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SERGEANT’S SESSION

Sgt Damien Hellard* Bill Howley: Seen hanging around

jewellery shop in Church Street - buying for Marilyn?

* PP Ivan Vojlay: Bought a suit/jacket from Raoul because they were on special;

* Rob Nicholes & Graeme Wallace: Both suffered food poisioning - off oysters for a while;

* Darren Donnellan: Wearing boaters (footwear);* Lindsay Jones: At the Elderly Citizens Christmas Lunch - cut from

the pack - one nice elderly lady asked if he was married?* Cameron Spence, Darren Donnellan & John McKell: At APS

Golf Day at Royal Melbourne on 23 Nov. Lots of rehydration after the event;* Volvo Keys: Found in meeting room. Owner to come and collect for

a fine;* Bill Howley: Had 70th birthday 24 November;* Bruce Newham: Drove to Rotary with the roof off;* PP Tom Buxton & PP Ron Sher: Chickened out after 9 holes of

golf. PP Arthur Hubbard went of for 18 holes;* PP Stan Rankin & Des Thomas: Seen in the car park at Dendy

Street - Stan dressed like a bit casually?* Peter Whitechurch: Volunteers every year for the Elderly Citizens

Lunch but sends Pauline;* PP Herman Mott: Back from long holiday in USA - didn’t know

Damien was sergeant;* Graeme Wallace: Had a bike ride to Port Melbourne & return.

Forgot house keys - spent 2 hours gardening waiting to be let in;* PP David Efron: Member for Tonga?? Wearing flowery Rotary shirt;* Gavin Coote: New Member fine. Hasn’t been seen for a while;* PP Alan Pinkus: Sartorial splendour lost!* Pres Peter: Alighted from his car wearing a tie a coat - now casual;* John Doyle: Shouting Maxine McKew drinks after the meeting?* Geoff Cunningham: Has a ticket in the GADS raffle - No 69;* PP Tom Buxton: On Bayside cover - is he single?;* PP Ian Mence: Will he be able to sit through the whole meeting with

a Labor speaker? He did!!* PP Tom Buxton: Only 7 Members going to the District Conference;* Everyone on Brother Paul’s table: The De La Salle connection.

Ò In my early years my only ambition was to get out of QueenslandÓ

- Speaker Maxine McKew.

Ò He still has a dartboard with your name on it.Ó- Sergeant Damien jokingly referring to former PM John Howard

and his probable feelings towards speaker Maxine who took over his seat of Bennelong.

Ò My jumping off the cliff moment!Ó- Speaker Maxine McKew referring to when she challenged

former PM John Howard for his seat.

Ò I went out with a few De La Salle boys in my time Damien,Ó

- Speaker Maxine referring to the school Damien went to.

Ò Guys in the space station complained of the glare.Ó- Sergeant Damien commenting on Bruce Newham driving to

Rotary with the roof down.

General Points raised at the last Board Meeting:

l The Board has agreed that our main focus on Community Services will be assisting disadvantaged youth in their education.

l To that end we will be providing funding to the Bayciss Education Support Fund and the 20th Man Fund Back to School Program.

l Other Groups being considered are those such as scholarship programs for school children in the Western Suburbs; An Education Foundation Group providing VCE Bursary programs and other subsidies for school programs.

International l We are investigating additional projects in Timor Leste such as

Dentistry and Donations in Kind.l Gerhard Sommer will be reporting to the Board for a project in

a village in Cambodia near Phnom Phenh which lacks a supply of potable Water and an unreliable supply of water for agriculture.

New Generations l Two students nominated by our Club for National Science Week were

accepted. They were Daniel Waters from Caulfield Grammar and Declan Oppenheim from Wesley College.

l We have sponsored two girls to the Ryla Camp which is a live in Camp over 7 days.

l We are arranging for Norm Thomas and PP Stan Rankin to take our Exchange Student Max Kroening Sailing. Damien is seeking more offers for assistance to take Max on weekend or other activities.

l We are providing two bursaries to students at Brighton Secondary College of $500 each.

Strategic Planning l The Board has approved the Strategic Plan and Action implementation

Plans over the next three years and these will be lodged on our website over the next week or so.

Fellowship The following events have been arranged over the next six months details of which will be provided.l RCB Xmas lunch on 16 December at Sandringham Yacht Clubl Children’s Xmas Party on 20 December l Australia Day Yachting Regatta for the Sail Youth Program on Australia Dayl Great Australia Day Swiml Fellowship Yachting Day on 4 Februaryl Sportsman’s Night on 21 February l Lawn Bowls Day in March 2013l Fellowship Picnic at Brett Parkin’s Property on the Peninsula on 31 Marchl Mayer Page Walk in Aprill Guess who’s Coming to Dinner in Aprill Golf Weekend at Barwon Heads Golf Club in May 2013.

Quotes of the week!Quotes of the week! As heard during the meeting 29 November:

PP Arthur Hubbard - Reminded us that the Christmas Lunch is coming on 16 December. Contact Geoff Cunningham to confirm your booking and to pay for your tickets.

Norm Thomas - Spoke about the Bayside Art Show and that Barloworld had signed on as a $15,000 sponsor for the next 3 years. He suggests that we should show support by taking our wives partners and girlfriends down to their showrooms to see their wonderful range of luxury cars.

Tony Naughton - Mentioned that Great Australia Day Swim posters are now available to put in the windows of local businesses. Speak to Tony if you can help with this. He also reminded those concerned that there was to be a GADS meeting after the Club Meeting chaired by Stuart McIntyre.

PP Tom Buxton - Spoke about the District Conference in Albury 2013 and he how he would like to have at least 20 Members attend this great event. Contact Tom to show your interest.

Rob Nicholes - Said that Colin Davey is absolutely delighted he is being granted honorary membership of the Club.Rob also asked for volunteers to hand out GADS leaflets on the weekend. Members were to contact Rob if available to help.

Brother Paul Smith - Thanked our Club for our donation of $8000 towards the Lasallian Foundation who are supporting kids in Papua New Guinea. He presented a Powerpoint presentation on their wonderful work in Rebiamul. Afterwards Brother Paul presented Pres Peter with a Certificate of Appreciation.

A highlight for them was a girls dancing group whose average age was 80 years and you should have seen those ladies do the soft shoe shuffle. Christmas is a time of giving and not receiving and it was a wonderful day for us to give so much joy to these citizens of Bayside which everyone enjoyed. We had over 20 Rotarians and their wives present in helping the guest to their seats and around the place.

I would like to give a special mention to the work of Jim Hay who was the chief organiser of the day in conjunction with Bill Kneebone.While I’m on Christmas celebrations on 12 December our Club has donated up to $2000 in Christmas presents to give to the 20th Man Xmas party for children in the Western Suburbs. There are a huge number of financially deprived children in that region and we are proud to be associated with that party. Many of us will be attending and if there are any volunteers from the audience I would love to hear from you. Would you please contact PP Arthur Hubbard.

While I’m on volunteering, Damien Hellard is still waiting for volunteers to entertain our Exchange student Max Kroening on excursions etc. I hope that some of you will assist Damien in this regard.

Our own Christmas Lunch is approaching on 16 December and it is being booked out quickly so I hope those of you who have not responded will do so quickly. There are not many seats left.

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT

SECRETARY’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

President Peter Sherman welcomed all to the meeting.

Secretary Arthur Hubbardintroduced his segment.

Front Desk Report from last meeting 29 November Attendance: Approx 90 (includes Partners & visitors) Make-ups: George Jerzk@Wodonga/Manila/Boracay Ron Stark@District 27/11/Hawthorn 24/11 PP Rob Tucker@SorrentoApologies: PP Tony Nanfra;Member’s Partners: Jill (Eric Barr), Angela (Greg Biggin), Helen

(PP Tom Buxton), Beverley (Mac Chapman), Marina (Darren Donnellan), Helen (John Doyle), Robin (David Eden), Colleen Jeiys (Alan Jarrott), Lesley (Pat Kearns), Elaine (PDG John King), Chris (John McKell), Marion (Rob Nicholes), Belle (PP Brett Parkin), Jan Collins (PP Ron Sher), Vera (Pres Peter Sherman), Audrey (David Smyth), Jan (Norm Thomas), Julia (Graeme Watson);

Club Guests: Maxine McKew;Member’s Guests: Karen Markby (PP Peter Johns); Judee

Stevenson (PDG John King), Dean & Kathy Howell (Graeme Watson).

A big welcome to our visitors, guests, partners and wives and particularly we are very

pleased to have Maxine McKew to speak to us this evening. Maxine’s name was all over the Press in recent weeks in publicising her book “Tales from the Political Trenches”. Maxine needs no introduction from me as her name will live for many years not only for her reputation as one of Australia’s leading broadcasters in Current Affairs but in unseating the sitting Prime Minister John Howard from the seat of Bennelong in the 2007 election. She then has been a Member of Parliament which is the subject of her book. If history serves me correctly this is the only the second time that a sitting PM has been defeated in an election since Sir Stanley Bruce in 1928. Maxine will be introduced more formerly by our Chairman Cameron Spence.

I wish to report on a marvellous Christmas Party that the Club organised for our Senior Citizens last Wednesday. There were over 200 elderly citizens there ranging from 75-95 and in speaking to many of them they just loved the day.

Some funny moments & guests at last Meeting!

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AT THE RISK OF REPEATING MYSELF..THIS

IS THE NEW BLACK!

BUT IT REALLY WAS A WONDERFUL SPEECH

MAXINE!

YES DEAR!

MEMBERFOR TONGA INDEED!

IT’S STANDARD ROTARIAN GEAR!

DRINKING LOTS OF WATER

TONIGHT JOHN?

NICE SOTE

DAVID!

You are all invited to a fabulous lunch and great entertainment on Sunday, 16 December at 12 pm for 12.30pm. It’s at The Sandringham Yacht Club, the perfect location to celebrate Christmas with your Rotary friends and their spouses. Great Value at $80pp (all inclusive).For bookings contact Greg Biggin 0418 384 288or Geoff Cunningham 9592 4953 to confirm your attendance.

Brighton Rotary Christmas Lunch Sunday, 16 December

The Rotary Club of CollingwoodChristmas Cakes and Puddings

Collingwood Rotary Club Plum Pudding Project needs your help again this year!

Please Order your Christmas Plum Puddings, Whisky Cakes and Shortbreads from the Collingwood Rotary Club.Order 16 cartons and go into the Draw to WIN $3000 Cash for your Next Project or If you don’t need 16 cartons order what you want in carton lots of 6. Buy @ Club price $12-48 each.

SELL RRP $15-50 each Tin.Some Clubs are rounding up to $ 20-00.

For orders contact Richard Whiteheadon 0412 328 718

BayviewTravel

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Birthdays Dale Hoy 03 December Bruce Newham 04 December Darren Donnellan 05 December Chris Sparrow 05 December Geoff Cunningham 13 December Rob Foster 13 December Pat Kearns 13 December Anniversaries Andrew & Lisa Bird 04 December Paul & Joy Laband 04 December Jim & Kathleen Hay 07 December Julian & Marianne Goglia 09 December

Birthdays & Anniversaries

The Club meets Thursdays at 6pm for 6.30pm at Milanos Hotel, The Esplanade, Brighton Beach.

Rotary Grace “For good food, good fellowship and the privilege

of service, we give you thanks O Lord.”Rotary Toast

“To Australia, The Queen of Australia,Rotary International & the Rotary Club of Brighton.”

Welcome to all visiting Rotarians & Guests

Last week’s Raffle

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Contact Erik Vandenbergon 0413 576 600 or 9585 1676Cheltenham: 228 Centre Dandenong Rd, CheltenhamClearwater Brighton: 43-47 Nepean Highway, Elsternwick Phone: 9014 9492www.autodynamics.com.au

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Children’s Christmas Party

PP Brett Parkin & his ‘barrel girl’ Belle presented the raffle last week and the following won bottles of wine:Clyde WhiteStuart McIntyreBruce Newham

Bring your kids, grandkids to meet Santa Claus direct from the North Pole.Thursday night 20th December. Note meeting commences at 6.00pm.Bring a wrapped present for distribution by the club to disadvantaged within our community.All members who wish to bring a wrapped gift for an underprivileged youngster make sure you identify the gift outside the wrapper. Santa is bringing presents for our children/grandchildren.Kids eat for $10.

Please contact Damien Hellard on 0407 345 234 with the name of your guest to help with catering.

Environmental Print congratulates the Rotary Club of Brighton on their sustainable approach to printed material. t 9555 1244 | f 9873 8845 | steve@enviroprint.net.au | www.printeasy.com.au

EXCERPTS FROM A LETTER TO JIM HAY FROMJESS SPRUNTCOMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, HEALTHY AGEING, BAYSIDE CITY COUNCIL.Hi Jim.Congrats on such a great event yesterday. We have had several thank you calls from clients already. Please pass on their thanks to your Rotarians. I would also like to thank the Brighton Rotary Members who attended, they were so helpful and willing to take on any role they were asked, and at the end of the day they were very kind to stay at their tables keeping the clients company while waiting for their rides home. The whole day ran really smoothly again and it’s always a pleasure working with you. Laura and I are exhausted today as are many of the staff and I’m sure the Rotarians but we couldn’t have asked for better weather looking at Tuesday’s and today’s forecasts. I think the preps were a huge hit coming in with so much motivation, definitely worth looking at again next year. We have had lots of comments as well on the singer and also the magician was well received in the first hour. I will debrief with staff next week and pass on any feedback as I did a few years back. Also I grabbed a few Rotarians out the front yesterday (see below) for a picture and have attached it. Stay cool! Thanks again Jim.Kind regards, Jess Sprunt

ELDERLEY CITIZENS CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Rotary District 9800 Conference in Albury 2013

If you are thinking of coming to the Conference in Albury (and why wouldn’t you be?)please contact Tom Buxton on 0428 324 809. Date & time for the close of Early Bird Registration is:

11.59pm on December 12. You can register online at www.rotaryconference9800.org

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IVAN’S HACKERSSaturday, 1 December

IVAN’S HACKERS

We welcomed Darren Donnellan for his first visit to the Hackers and trust that he enjoyed the experience. Also along was Cameron Spence who was introducing his Son to the course. I do not know what he thought of the Golf but he sure liked the Golf Karts. Apart from a good competitive morning the “Keeper of the Tin” proudly displayed his new golfing footwear, which was the reason for his good round. Scores were: Best on the day - James Tisdall 42, Ivan Vojlay 46, Ron Stark 47, Arthur Hubbard 47, David Lee 47, Graeme Wallace 50, Darren Donnellan 50 and Ian Cole 54. Ivan Vojlay