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9th March 2010 Dear Fellow Rotarians, WHAT IS RYDA? The RYDA Program is a road safety education program aimed at reducing death and injury amongst young people on Australian roads. The Program targets 16 to 17 year olds who are at the stage of their lives where they start to drive or ride in a vehicle driven by their peers. RYDA is a community-based initiative of Rotary Clubs, partnering those organisations in our community that have a responsibility for, or interest in, road safety for youth. It has been developed in consultation with relevant Government Departments and is designed to complement and supplement the school curriculum and government road safety messages. RYDA was established in the northern suburbs of Sydney in 2001 and today over 80% of Year 11 students in that district participate in the program. The RYDA Program has now spread to many other Rotary districts across Australia and by mid 2008 over 75,000 students had attended this life saving road safety education program. How Can You Help? Whilst the program is delivered by road safety experts, it relies on Rotarian volunteers to facilitate and plan each program day. Early planning includes contact with local schools to seek their attendance, coordination of presenters, sponsorship and budgeting. This planning is generally managed through a RYDA Committee established by one or more Rotary clubs. On the day Rotarians play a vital part in the program. Day Managers (Charles Brock & John Garwood) This role oversees the running of the day and would suit a volunteer with strong organisational skills who would be available to make a long-term commitment to the program. Each program day runs from 9.30am to 2.00pm. Morning tea and lunch are provided. Program Guides Students are divided into groups and participate in six sessions during the day. Each group is accompanied by a teacher from the school to maintain discipline and a Rotarian volunteer to lead the groups from session to session. Rotarians sit in on each session and experience the day with their student group. This experience not only gives Rotarians an excellent introduction to students from their community but provides many with road safety tips. Crash Survivor Support One of the highest impact sessions of the day involves a speaker who has survived a crash and has acquired a traumatic injury such as a brain injury or physical disability. These speakers require assistance with both transport to and from the venue and support during their talk. The Crash Survivor talk runs from 11.30am - 2.00pm each program day. Training is provided. Kind regards |
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2nd March 2010 Dear Fellow Rotarians, Tuesday night our guest speakers were our two RYPEN candidates, Larissa and Caullum, who attended the program in January this year. They shared with us their experience of fellowship and participating in team building exercises which were mentally and physically challenging and featured disarming bombs. Now the skill would seem very important in the world we now live in. It was evident that they both enjoyed the experience and would recommend the program to others in the age group of 14 - 17 years. Thanks to both of you for sharing with us. It was nice to have Lorraine Marsh (Smith) visit us. She has a long history with Rotary having served as a member of our club and was the Charter President of Rotaract. Lorraine is going through a tough time with her Mum's deteriorating health, however you would never know it as she is so alive and ener- gised. Lorraine you are welcome any time. PP John Greenway expressed his disappointment that club members have not sold many tickets yet. I am aware that consumer spending is down in February, in fact it is typically one of the worst months of the year. There is a dinner for Woman in Rotary on 17 March being held at Parliament House. Vicki has details. Our next meeting on 02 March is at Olive on Ocean View. 6.30 for 7.00 pm start. Thanks Don & Sue for organising the venue. The earthquake in Chile will no doubt see the need for more Rotary assistance. Kind regards |
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23rd February 2010 Dear Fellow Rotarians, Acting President's Report... In the absence of President Peter it was my duty to chair the meeting last Tuesday. Our guest speaker Helen Brooks from the Deaf and Blind Society was a great source of information about the organisation and the aids that they have to teach kids and their parents how to deal with these difficulties that are presented to them. Although Helen forgot to bring her notes, we were all impressed by her presentation. Regards and get well soon wishes go to our members who are feeling a bit poorly at the moment and we hope to see them back with us soon. Members are reminded to only send Rotary emails to current members and email addresses should be checked and altered accordingly. PP John Greenway expressed that the Opera was nearing and all available hands will be needed on deck for this Major event - March 20th. Next meeting (as decided by the members last Tuesday night) 2nd March will be held at a res- taurant in Ettalong Markets. It will be 6.30 for 7pm friends and guests night. Numbers will be required tonight. Kind regards |
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16th February 2010 Dear Fellow Rotarians, Chairman's Report... Last Tuesday night our Guest Speaker Peter Pearce bought us up to date with the benefits of purchasing Shelterboxes. Shelterbox has become an iconic lifesaver box of hope and restores dignity to those who have lost everything. He explained how Rotary Volunteer Teams travel with the Shelterboxes to their destination and after assessment distribute them in the necessary areas. Shelterbox was founded by Tom Henderson and the first 143 Shelterboxes were delivered in India. No only do Shelterboxes provide dignity, shelter and warmth but also help to bring families back together during their time of need. A School in a Box is a blue box with red lid and provides aids for 80 children and 10 teachers. During a disaster, schools that reain standing are usually turned into evacuation centre's, causing even more turmoil for children which is where School in a Box comes in helping to maintain education untilschools are again able to be used. Peter said it is a very tight schedule when disaster hits. Peter as Team Leader receives a call from the UK, once flights are booked and local Rotary Clubs contacted and where possible be on scene within 48hrs. Shelterbox are usually the first relief on the ground, assess the area and accessibility, order Shelterboxes and get them through Customs. In order to qualify for a Shelterbox, Peter and his team assess families situations and if there is no home and no way of rebuilding it, they will qualify. In Haiti, 1.5million people were displaced and 70,000 received Shelterboxes. New purchases will now go toward replenishing stock for future use. In closing Peter said "Shelterbox really make a Difference!" Kind regards |