This is our motto on the Rotary Logo for the current year
But since Mid March we are Meeting at a Distance. Despite this we are still interacting and our Zoom meetings give us the opportunity to invite Friends to Rotary. They log in to our meetings and enjoy our company
At our last meeting we had 2 visitors, Starsha Learmouth, daughter of our P.P Colin Gibbons and Brian Stanley the chemist from Lincolnville They are both looking forward to attending another of our meetings in the coming weeks
This illustrates that Rotary Meetings are surprisingly thriving amid the suite of distancing related laws introduced to contain the spead of Covid-19, and its all thanks to the use of technology and a dash of creativity
Potential Friends of Rotary are embracing the opportunity to attend a Rotary Meeting using Zoom to enjoy virtual coffees
With this new format we need to make the best use of welcoming these visitors to our Club and regard them as prospective members
was celebrated at our last meeting . We had a devoted 3 person presentation from our members Ted Haydon , Liz Beattie and Gavin Thoms.
Ted described how the ceremonies and their meanings have changed significantly since 1915. According to Dr Martin Crotty, a historian at the University of Queensland, Anzac commemorations have "suited political purposes right from 1916 when the first Anzac Day march was held in London and Australia, which were very much around trying to get more people to sign up to the war in 1916–1918.
There has been no shortage of heroic stories over the course of the Anzac Centenary- stories of courage and sacrifice, fortitude and endurance, mateship and resolve. But a hundred years on, there is a need for other stories as well - the stories too often marginalised in favour of nation-building narratives. World War One- a history in 100 stories remembers not just the men and women who lost their lives during the battles of WWI, but those who returned home as well- the gassed, the crippled, the insane - all those irreparably damaged by war. Drawn from a unique collection of sources, including repatriation files, these heartbreaking and deeply personal stories reveal a broken and suffering generation - gentle men driven to violence, mothers sent insane with grief, the hopelessness of rehabilitation and the quiet, pervasive sadness of loss. They also retrieve a fragile kind of courage from the pain and devastation of a conflict that changed the world. This is an unflinching and remarkable social history.
During and after Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War (1962–1975), interest in Anzac Day reached its lowest point in Australia
However, since the late 1980s and especially the 1990s, interest in and attendance at Anzac Day has grown. On 25 April 1990, Bob Hawke became the first Australian politician to visit Gallipoli, and he also decided that government would pay to take Anzac veterans to Gallipoli for the 75th anniversary of the dawn landing. This is seen by historians as a major milestone in the recovery of Anzac Day.
Prime Minister John Howard was also a huge proponent of Anzac Day commemorations, and visited Gallipoli on 25 April in both 2000 and 2005.
An increasing number of attendees have been young Australians, many of whom attend ceremonies swathed in Australian flags, wearing green and gold T-shirts and beanies and with Australian flag tattoos imprinted on their skin. This phenomenon has been perceived by some as a reflection of the desire of younger generations of Australians to honour the sacrifices made by the previous generations.
Australians and New Zealanders recognise 25 April as a ceremonial occasion to reflect on the cost of war and to remember those who fought and lost their lives for their country. Commemorative services and marches are held at dawn, the time of the original landing, mainly at war memorials in cities and towns across both nations and the sites of some of Australia and New Zealand's more-recognised battles
Gavin Thoms had a special interest in the Vietnam campaign and he and his wife Beverley visited this country recently Initially there was considerable support for Australia's involvement in Vietnam, and all Australian battalions returning from Vietnam participated in well attended welcome home parades through either Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane or Townsville, even during the early 1970s.] Regardless, as opposition to the war increased service in Vietnam came to be seen by sections of the Australian community in less than sympathetic terms and opposition to it generated negative views of veterans in some quarters. In the years following the war, some Vietnam veterans experienced social exclusion and problems readjusting to society. Nevertheless, as the tour of duty of each soldier during the Vietnam War was limited to one year (although some soldiers chose to sign up for a second or even a third tour of duty), the number of soldiers suffering from combat stress was probably more limited than it might otherwise have been.
As well as the negative sentiments towards returned soldiers from some sections of the anti-war movement, some Second World War veterans also held negative views of the Vietnam War veterans. The response of the RSL varied across the country, and while some rejected Vietnam veterans, other branches, particularly those in rural areas, were said to be very supportive. In 1972 the RSL decided that Vietnam veterans should lead the march, which attracted large crowds throughout the country. Australian Vietnam veterans were honoured at a "Welcome Home" parade in Sydney on 3 October 1987, and it was then that a campaign for the construction of the Vietnam War Memorial began.
Some of the Covid19 Heroes are no longer with us. They are the ones who created the infrastructure as a result of the Influenzas Epidemic 100 years ago, that serves us today and has allowed Australia to react so well to the current virus.
In developing countries like Timor Leste, the medical infrastructure is limited and so are plans for dealing with problems like the Corona Virus. I took time to develop a plan and to create a wishlist.
DIK received call asking if it would be possible for the Store to be the drop-off and collection point for Covid19 equipment and supplies that were needed to fight Covid19 in Timor Leste. As you would expect the answer was yes.
On the 16th April we received a wish list and a request to see if we could supply anything. They received the response the next day with a fully detailed list of what we could provide.
You have to love Rotary.
The Store was holding goods purchased for other projects that could not be shipped, because there were no planes flying. The people were happy to donate the goods to help people in need in another country.
This program is promoted by our P.P.Mary Engert . She says that now that everyone is home and she assumes you are all working on your house and gardens, Mary and President Glenda has come up with a great idea and it goes like this.
All those extra herbs, Vegies, flowers and fruit that you may have in your gardens or anything else in your house you think someone might like you can list it in our bulletin with your name against it, and if someone wants it they can ring you. Once they make contact with you it can be left at the front door so no contact is needed. For example she has oregano, chilli and bay leaves she could give to a few people and when her lemons are ripe Mary will let everyone know to come and collect them. No one really understands your triumphs and hardships like a fellow gardener. If your close family and friends don’t share your gardening enthusiasm, it’s unlikely they’ll change. There are just some people that get animated when discussing the garden and, unfortunately, some that don’t. That’s not your fault.
