September is New Generations Month

This is the month when Rotarians all around the world will focus efforts on supporting Youth and Youth Programs. What can you do? Invite young people from your Community to a special club meeting. Listen to their ideas about how Rotary can assist them to make a better world. Take the time to discuss the great Rotary programs for youth. Check out our website for more information. There are opportunities for you and your club to make a real difference to the lives of many young people.

international night

AlburyHume_International_FlyerLR Pg 2As you will see on the Flyer, the Club are holding another International Evening on Thursday 3rd September 2015, and again at Murray Gardens Retirement Village.
The evening will have as its keynote Speaker, Mr. Tim Fischer who will be talking about the life and works of General Sir John Monash. Tim has recently had published a book about John Monash’s’ life and works, and that will also be available at the end of the evening when Tim will do a book signing for guests attending the function. From various conversations I have had with Tim, John Monash certainly was a brilliant tactician during  World War 1. It should be a wonderful evening.
The evening is being held as a Fundraising event, and all profits being donated to various Rotary charities. Mr. Fisher is appearing ‘pro bono’ and donating his fee to charity. The other groups to benefit will be ROMAC, Wheelchairs for Kids – a WA Organisation, which manufacturers purpose made wheelchairs for children. They are manufactured here in Australia, and exported mainly to African countries where youngsters have lost lower limbs through landmine explosions etc. We have arranged for them to allow Albury based school children to hold ‘wheelchair’ races at Albury Athletics track on the morning of the 3rd if schools will allow. They will then be holding a Wheelchair Racing session out at St. Pauls College in the afternoon duringtheir Sports session, hopefully for a gold coin donation.
The other Speaker, Vici Funnell, who is the President of Operation Cleft. Originated by RC of Boxhill. They have developed a partnership through the Australian Royal College of Surgeons in the bringing across to Australia, Doctors/Surgeons from Bangladesh to be trained in specialising in the treatment of Cleft Palates in children, and then returning to Bangladesh to perform the operations in their own country. They also are doing someamazing work over there.

Club Meeting 22 July 2015

 Guest Speaker, Lochi Jackson presented us with an interesting snapshot of business life in South East Asia outlining the many opportunities and challenges available.  He has been employed by Xypex Australia since 1993 and holds the position of Senior Director Business Development (Export). Loch’s business origins are in legal and finance, then moving on to develop a joint venture with Japanese partners in the 1980’s trading agricultural products into Asia and USA before finally settling into the export end of the construction chemicals business developing opportunities and sales for Xypex Australia throughout the South East Asian Region. Loch has extensive experience and knowledge of business throughout SEA and has been the principal driver therein of the Xypex brand and technology. He has worked on projects as diverse as two of Hong Kong’s largest underground rail structures, iconic projects in Singapore such as Theaters on the Bay and Woodlands Customs Checkpoint, Putra Jaya Government Administrative City in Malaysia and in Thailand on new temples and some of the World’s largest retail developments such as Siam Icon a half kilometer long water frontage development on the Chayo Praya river in Bangkok. Loch’s working life is spent between his office in Albury and Xypex SEA Regional office in Bangkok  Thailand from where Xypex Australia are now opening up market opportunities in the emerging Myanmar / Burma and Laos markets. Concurrently with that he is responsible for the re-development of  Xypex business opportunities in the fast emerging Indonesian market. Loch was a first generation member of Albury Hume Rotary Club in the late 1970’s before moving to Melbourne. Loch’s mother Yvonne Jackson is also the recipient of a Paul Harris Fellowship.

President’s Message

Sunday evening and just back from the impromptu Bunnings BBQ!  Bunnings had a last minute vacancy and through Julie we were lucky enough to snaffle the opportunity.  Despite having to refer to the Bunnings risk management guidelines in the event of a cyclone (well our tent did get blown sideways at least a metre!), everyone survived and prospered, and assuming Rod’s maths is not too dodgy,  the BBQ seems to have been well worthwhile. A big ‘thankyou’ to all members who made themselves available at short notice.Peter Lee rang with good news today – our club has been successful in all three of its applications for District Grants!  That is, for River of Stories (for 2 years), the Arts Festival and a memorial garden which is being planned in conjunction with Albury City Council.  Peter prepared two of the applications and has done a great job in communicating and promoting these projects to District.  Roger B. likewise did a great job in preparing the application for the Arts Festival.

President’s Message

We had a very enjoyable club meeting last week with the District Governor Richard Luke and his wife Lorna.  The meeting beforehand with our Board was also productive and gave our Directors a chance to let the DG know what our plans are for the year, and of course for the DG to let us know something about how he is planning to operate at District level.  I think the DG’s Partner’s Project, End Polio Now, met with wholehearted support from our members. Peter Lee is busy organising this year’s International Night … (which he started on virtually the week after the inaugural one last year!) … and has just sent an early invitation, created with Roger L’s assistance, to various ‘VIPs’.  Peter has done a great job to secure our guest speaker for the evening, Tim Fisher, who will speak on his biography of Sir John Monash.  This promises to be another wonderful night – it is on Thursday 3 September, and hopefully many of you, partners and friends can make it.