Fund Raising Projects Without adequate funds, Canberra East cannot effectively undertake the prime role of a Rotary Club. The Club has continued to manage a number of successful projects that are at the core of our fund raising activities. They all require the efforts of each and every Club member and we are fortunate that strong support exists throughout the Club for all our fund raising projects. These have included our principal fund raising activities such as the BBQ stand at the Royal Canberra Show where we have had a presence for more than 30 years and the Gnome painting competition at Canberra Floriade.
Royal Canberra Show The BBQ stand at the Canberra Show requires the efforts of all members over a 3 day period and also assistance with set-up and pack up. This year we appreciated the cooperation of other Rotary Clubs and also Rotaract who had helped on previous occasions. This has been very successful in that it has not only provided the necessary resources, but has built good relationships with the wider Rotary family and shared our profits for application to a broader range of community service activities.
Gnome Painting at Canberra Floriade The Gnome painting competition at Canberra Floriade has now been run by Canberra East for the past 4 years. In that time it has grown into a successful and enjoyable community service project. However, this year it was evident that better planning was needed, given the size and complexity of the project, the need to purchase gnomes from overseas and the increasing interest by the Canberra community.
BBQ Services at Community Functions and Events Other fund raising opportunities have centred around the use of the Clubs mobile BBQ trailer which has been put to good use in providing BBQ facilities for functions and projects conducted by other Rotary Clubs, at public events such as the Summer Concert Series at the Botanic Gardens throughout January.
We have also been fortunate to have the support of King O'Malley's which has encouraged the Club to use the BBQ for special events supported by King O'Malley's such as St Patrick's Day, 'Movember' and "Shave for the Cure". The increasing use of the Club's BBQ trailer has been financially rewarding - not to mention the good club fellowship it helps to foster and also interaction with the community
Community Assistance Projects The Club was involved in the following community service projects:
Greenhills. Club members have continued to participate in the landscaping and other renewal and enhancement projects at Greenhills Camp at Cotter, thereby continuing the Club's long association with the facility.
Rotary Park. The Club's contribution to the 100th Anniversary of Rotary in 2005 was the provision of amenities (children's swings and seating) at Rotary Park in Griffith. Members continue to take considerable pride in this collaborative effort with the ACT Government and have agreed to extend the facilities in the form of possible fencing, a BBQ and other improvements.
Swags for the Homeless. Canberra East has seen the need to focus much of its community service efforts towards addressing the problem of homelessness in the Canberra Community, and in particular those 'sleeping rough'. The Club has therefore agreed to provide swags to those sleeping outdoors. Advice and assistance has been sought from the Salvation Army and other organisation involved in providing services to homeless men and women. By the end of this Rotary year, approximately 30 swags will have been purchased by the Club and distributed. Riding for the Disabled. The Club has agreed to assist Pegasus Riding School in the purchase of a horse to be used by disabled children. The Club will work closely with Pegasus Riding School who select horses from across Australia most suited to the needs of their future riders. Hopefully the Club can continue its association with Pegasus whose contribution to improving the quality of life for the disabled is to be applauded. Training of Indigenous Health Care Workers. Canberra East has for many years contributed to the education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through the Alf Gillespie Fund which is administered by the Australian National University (ANU) as part as part of a much wider scholarship program established through financial contributions from a range of financial contributors.
The Club has agreed to expand its efforts towards indigenous education with a specific focus on the training of doctors and health care professionals. To this end, the Club has provided funds to the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund (ARHRF) Indigenous Health Scholarships Program. The program is a jointly funded initiative between Rotary, State Governments and the Australian Government. The purpose of the program is to increase the number of Indigenous Australian medical staff and by so doing, improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in rural and remote areas of Australia where access to basic preventative medical treatment is often difficult. Club contributions are matched dollar for dollar by participating governments and therefore provide an efficient way of maximizing Rotary contributions.
The Club anticipates continuing to maintain a close relationship with both the ANU and ARHRF and in particular, with those individuals in receipt of scholarships.
Red Shield Appeal. Individual Club members have continued to participate in the Salvation Army's Red Shield Appeal, in conjunction with the Canberra Grammar School collection efforts. Shelterbox. The Club continues to conribute to Shelterbox, providing tents, sleeping bags, cooking utensils etc for disaster relief.
International The Club has been investigating possible assistance for the Mitrataa Foundation which works with women and girls, helping them to improve their skills and achieve their goal through education and training initiatives. The Foundation is working in Nepal.
Our Club and another Rotary Club are in the process of investigating a proposal to possibly pursue a Rotary Matching Grant for the Foundation.
Youth The Club continues to place a high level of priority to activities and projects that support youth.
Bimberi. The Club continues to support the residents at Bimberi. The Club purchased acrobatics equipment particularly for use in the school holiday programs. The Club also contributes a monthly award for personal achievement in education
Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN) and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). The Club sponsored four attendees to RYPEN programs.
Special Projects - A Record of Rotary Service The Club has been working with Max Hill who, over several years, has devoted considerable time in writing a book recording the work of the Rotary Club of Canberra East since its establishment in 1965. The book also records the early days of Rotary in Australia, and particularly Rotary's 'arrival' in Canberra.
Members of the Club have assisted Max to fill in those (rare) gaps in his memory, and to provide additional information on individual members as well as photos for inclusion in his book.
