Rotary Club of Freshwater Bay, District 9450 1

New HorizonsThe Official Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Freshwater Bay Inc.

Reopening the door to learning in Indonesia Rebuilding Aceh after the Tsunami. Page 1

German Rotary Clubs help Sri Lanka RecoverRecovery in Sri Lanka following the Tsunami.Page 2

Rotary Foundation Thought of the WeekThis week’s thought is about people going to extraordinary lengths.Page 4

Five years after the Tsunami How is Rotary helping to rebuild lives since the Tsunami.Page 2

Program for JanuaryWhat is the club doing in the New Year?Page 4

District 9455Round-up of the plans for the new District.Page 3

Volume 2, Issue 26 28th December 2009 - 3rd January 2010

PO Box 168, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6909 ! District 9450! ABN: 99 602 195 617

Reopening the Door to Learning in IndonesiaBy Dan Nixon  Rotary International News 23 December 2009 

Natural disaster and civil conflict have made receiving an education all but impossible for children living in Indonesia’s Aceh Province.

The tsunami that struck in 2004 claimed more than 200,000 lives in South Asia. And although the central government and a separatist movement signed a peace accord in 2005 after 30 years of fighting, facilities for learning in Aceh have been slow to materialize.

The plight of the province’s children moved The Rotary F o u n d a t i o n A l u m n i Association of District 2780 (Japan). The alumni decided to help establish children’s libraries in Aceh after considering a query from the Indonesian nongovernmental organization Komunitas Tikar Pandan.

The group funded the effort by holding the Aceh Charity Concert in Zushi, Japan, in

March, raising about US$16,000.

“Starting from the district conference in October [2008], we were able to go to [Rotary] intercity meetings, New Year’s parties, and club meetings to pitch our sales,” says association president Jun Takahashi, a 1993-94 Ambassadorial Scholar to the United States. “In addition to selling tickets, we received many suggestions and kind words from Rotarians who encouraged us to move forward.”

The concert, themed “Children, Dreams, and H o p e , ” f e a t u r e d performances by four former Rotary Scholars who had studied in Italy: sopranos Rosa Watanabe (2000-01) and Masako Watanabe (2001-02), pianist Yuko Takahashi (1992-93), and vocalist Kosuke Tsuji (1997-98), who led a VisMelodica (a mix of early European, jazz, and ethnic music) that he had composed. It was sponsored by the District 2780 Rotary Foundation Committee; Rotary Club of Zushi, Kanagawa; Zushi Board of Education; Indonesian Embassy; Japan Foundation; and many other Rotarians and alumni.

With the help of Komunitas Tikar Pandan, the project

Top: The library project team in Indonesia: alumni Jun Takahashi and Maho Sato; interpreter Urara Numazawa; Hiroko Yunoki, of the Rotary Club of Kanagawa Shonan (1972-73 Ambassadorial Scholar to France); and Masanobu Miyagaki, of the Rotary Club of Isehara Heisei. Bottom: Children in the village of Matang Sejuk welcome the Japanese project team. Photos courtesy of Jun Takahashi

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equipped libraries in three villages with books, bookshelves, desks, and chairs. In July, two Rotarians and two alumni visited the project site.

“The villages went through a great deal of hardship during the conflicts,” says Maho S a t o , a 1 9 9 4 - 9 5 Ambassadorial Scholar to England. “Children in all three villages were severely traumatized. [The libraries] will function as spaces for the development of the villages and the children’s growth.”

German Rotary Clubs help Sri Lanka RecoverBy Sandra Prufer and Arnold R. Grahl  Rotary International News22 December 2009 

Kerstin Jeska-Zimmermann, 2004-05 governor of District 1950 (Germany), was vacationing with her husband in Sri Lanka's Hikkaduwa resort town in December 2004 when the powerful tsunami hit.

"All of a sudden, there was absolute silence, as if nature was holding her breath," Jeska-Zimmermann recalls. "After a few minutes, we heard people frantically

screaming, 'The water is coming!' "

Stepping outside, from the safety of their elevated perch, Jeska-Zimmermann and her husband saw locals and tourists running from the beach uphill to a Buddhist temple on higher ground, many bleeding, others carrying children in their arms.

"We and our Sri Lankan staff immediately invited some of the worst injured inside, giving first aid to about two dozen people," she says.

In the days following, as Jeska-Zimmermann and her husband tried to grasp the scope of the devastation, they joined a group of Sri Lankans attempting to discover the fate of patients at the Mahamodara Hospital in Galle, about 12 miles southeast of their resort,

where 40-70 babies were born daily. Mercifully, all the patients had been evacuated to the Karapitiya T e a c h i n g H o s p i t a l further inland before the s e c o n d , stronger wave hit.

Seeing dozens of women in labor lying on cardboard on the floor of t h e overcrowded t e a c h i n g

hospital, Jeska-Zimmermann vowed to help. She faxed a handwritten list of urgently needed medicine and supplies, along with a plea for help, back home to be distributed to all club presidents in her district.

The first, 2-ton shipment of emergency medical supplies left the Frankfurt airport within two weeks of her appeal, followed shortly after by a second, 7-ton shipment that included sonogram

equipment, operating tents, tables, and tools for the devastated hospital.

In the aftermath of the tsunami, German Rotary clubs in 12 districts raised more than   €1.5 million (US$2.1 million) in donations and equipment.

Jeska-Zimmermann also met with former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who was vacationing on the same island, and the Kohl Foundation agreed to provide €9 million ($12.9 million) to construct a new maternity hospital about 9 miles inland of the Mahamodara facil i ty. Workers broke ground on the project on the one-year anniversary of the tsunami, but work was subsequently delayed by Sri Lanka's civil war.

In early 2010, German clubs, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Colombo, Western Province, plan on providing about $300,000 to equip the old  Mahamodara  hospital building with two new delivery rooms and two operating rooms.

Jeska-Zimmermann will travel to Sri Lanka in January to oversee the effort.

"Our tsunami project in Sri Lanka -- which is only one of hundreds of Rotary recovery projects -- shows the tremendous speed, efficiency, and flexibility of the Rotarian network," she says. "This powerful sentiment was echoed by the medical staff and mothers who saw

firsthand our global humanitarian network in action."

Five Years after the TsunamiBy Arnold R. Grahl  Rotary International News21 December 2009 

Five years after a powerful t s u n a m i d e v a s t a t e d communities along the coast of the Indian Ocean, Rotary projects continue to contribute to long-term recovery.

Shortly after the tsunami hit on 26 December 2004, The R o t a r y F o u n d a t i o n established a Solidarity in S o u t h A s i a f u n d , coordinating US$5.9 million in donations toward recovery efforts throughout the region. The Foundation also awarded more than $480,000 in humanitarian grants in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Many individual Rotary club and district foundations also contributed from their own funds.

RI President John Kenny visited Banda Aceh, Indonesia, in late November to inaugurate one result of those recovery projects: a health center that is part of a larger $1.9 million youth complex on about an acre of donated land.

"The work you have done here in Indonesia is a vivid example of how Rotary comes together to achieve so much," Kenny said. "In the

BBQ @ The Forsdyke’sSunday, 10th January, 2010

12:00pm for 12:30pm at 144 Brookmount Drive, Ellenbrook. 

Cost is $10.00 per person to be donated to the Club Charity Account.

Maps will be provided for those members that require them! Otherwise just follow your nose to the Swan Valley!

You could even make a day of it, by visiting the local wineries for tasting...

A mother holds her baby at the maternity hospital in Sri Lanka a year after the tsunami. Photo courtesy of District 1950

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first hours and days after the tsunami, Rotary volunteers were among the first to respond on-site. In the days, weeks, and months to follow, Rotarians the world over rallied to send all manner of assistance.

"One thing that impresses me, over and over, is how these programs focus not on short-term satisfaction, or reward for the giver, or recognition," Kenny said. "The best Rotary programs and projects focus on helping build for the future -- and making lives better for generations."

The two-story health center occupies 5,860 square yards of land in the nearby village of Khaju, set aside by government officials who were impressed by the mobilization of Rotarian

volunteers in the days after the tsunami. The facility joins an orphanage that opened three years ago, dedicated to child survivors of the disaster. A two-story dormitory for university students is under construction. Water purification and treatment systems serve the entire complex.

Rotary's impact extends from Indonesia to   India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, where projects have rebuilt s c h o o l s , p r o v i d e d classroom supplies, secured boats and fishing equipment to restore local economies, and helped construct and furnish hospitals and shelters for the homeless.

Here are a few of the ongoing projects:

1 Two buses have been converted into mobile classrooms in the Aceh Province of Indonesia, bringing primary and secondary education to students across the region. Each bus stops at designated locations a few hours a day, giving students free access to a librarian, books, and multimedia materials. The project is supported by the Solidarity in South Asia fund and the SIKIB, an organization made up of the wives of ministers in the I n d o n e s i a n government.

2 In India, the Solidarity in South Asia relief committee approved $30,000 to send a team of fishermen to Vietnam for advanced training in fishing, sea farming, fish processing, and marketing.

3 District 3220 raised more than $12 million to build 25 schools in Sri Lanka to replace ones that were destroyed by the tsunami. As the project

nears its end, 22 schools are back in service, providing education for about 12,000 children. Read more. Get this story in the latest RVM: The Rotarian Video Magazine.

4 The Solidarity in South Asia fund supported a rehabilitation center for tsunami victims in the Khlong Nakha Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand, p ro v i d i n g f o o d , lodging, education, and counseling for those who lost loved ones or whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

Your donations to The Rotary Foundation help make recovery projects like these possible. Learn more about how to give.

RI District 9455Clubs The Clubs that will form the new District are determined by Rotary International. Whilst it is possible that there could still be further changes in the number of Clubs in either of the two new Western Australian Districts, those that are presently listed by RI as being part of District 9455 are listed on this Website. We hope to include contact details on the website for all Clubs in the near future.

Board, Assistant Governor and Committee Chair AppointmentsBoard appointments have been settled and it is intended to have all Assistant Governors and District Committee Chair appointments confirmed before the end of this month. The aim is to appoint a leadership team that is representative of the whole District. 

President Elect Training Seminar (PETS) PETS will be held in Northam on the weekend of 12 – 14 March 2010. A single two day PETS will be held, rather than two one day sessions, to make it easier for remote Clubs to be represented at this important training

session.

Assistant Governors will also be invited to attend PETS. There will be separate training for Assistant Governors during the weekend. In addition, Assistant Governors will have an opportunity to meet their President Elects and to participate in the development of Club Plans during the weekend.

District AssemblyIt is proposed that the Perth Assembly for metropolitan and nearby country Clubs will be held on Sunday 2 May 2010. A preferred venue has been identified but has not yet been confirmed. A number of country Assemblies will be held to reduce the cost for the Boards of remote Clubs participating in this training opportunity.

District Changeover Re-Districting in Western Australia means we will see three Districts (9450, 9460 and 9470) winding up and two new Districts (9455 and 9465) being established. It has been decided that we will hold a joint District Changeover on 3 July 2010 so that all Rotarians can recognise their outgoing District Governors and celebrate together the start of the two new Districts. Rotary International Director Elect, Stuart Heal and Adrienne, will preside over the event.

I am looking forward to working with the Clubs and Rotarians of District 9455 during 2010-11 to continue the great work of Rotary. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Ian Hutton and JanGovernor Elect 2010-11

Top: Betty Muliadinata, assistant governor of District 3400, RI President John Kenny (second from right), and Natalia Soebagjo, past district governor, in front of a mobil library during the dedication of a health center at the youth complex in Aceh. Bottom: The entrance of the health center. Photos courtesy of Natalia Soebagjo

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BoardRotary Year 2009-10Di Collins — Presidentpresident@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Ken Collins — Vice President / Membership Directorvicepresident@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.aumembership@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Simone Carot Collins — President Elect / Club Administration Directorpresidentelect@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au clubadmin@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Rajah Senitharajah — Treasurertreasurer@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Daniel Forsdyke — Secretarysecretary@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Rob Rohrlach — Projects Directorprojects@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Claire Forsdyke — International Directorfoundation@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Toni James — PR & Marketing Committee Directorpublicrelations@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Club DetailsRotary Club of Freshwater Bay Inc.PO Box 168, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6909

MeetingsThursday 5:45pm to 6:45pmCafe, Bethesda HospitalQueenslea DriveClaremont

Email president@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.auPhone 08 9385 0471Fax 08 9385 0472

Website www.rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=47737002646

Chartered 19 December 2008

Bulletin ContributionsContributions for the weekly bulletin are sought from members of the club.

Why not use the bulletin to update the club on the projects your committee is working on or promote the clubs next fundraising event.

Please forward articles and photos to daniel.forsdyke@rotaryfreshwaterbay.org.au

Date Name

14th January TBA

Welcoming Roster

Program for December / JanuaryDate Details

31st December No Meeting

7th January No Meeting

10th January BBQ Lunch @ The Forsdyke’s

14th January 1st Meeting for 2010

The Rotary FoundationWeek 26: This week’s Rotary Foundation Thought is about a Rotarian going the distance for the Foundation.

Running, biking and swimming 482 miles in the course of a year or even a month is hardly the marvel

of sports headlines. But racking up that distance in three days staggers the imagination.

Jeff Glidden did just that through his Ultra Distance Triathlon Challenge, raising $100,000 and counting, as of June 2007 for the Annual Programs Fund.

“It was difficult” said Glidden, “but it was more

rewarding than anything I have ever done. Many Rotarians that had never given before contributed and supported me, that was definitely one of my goals” Corporate sponsors helped fuel Glidden’s mega- triathlon challenge by each contributing at least $1000.

Local media coverage also raised overall awareness of Rotary. All the proceeds from

Glidden’s challenge went to support The Rotary Foundation.

Date Name

14th January TBA

Introduction

Date Name

14th January TBA

Vote of Thanks