Belvoir-Wodonga <----> Bexhill-on-Sea.   
Rotary meeting across the globe

This morning's meeting with Belvoir-Wodonga Rotary Club was a very special excercise in Rotary International collaboration. 

We were treated to a very fine breakfast at the Relais Cooden Beach Hotel, the staff were very attentive and suppotive and the food excellent. This enabled the seventeen attendees to be ready and "fighting fit" to join in with our friends as they started their evening meeting early to be able to join us.

Wodonga President Graeme Sayer welcomed us to their evening meeting and gave an introduction to their club's activities over the last few months. There has been an increasing sign-up to the Rotary Against Domestic Abuse campaign which started with just one club Norterns, New South Wales five years ago and now encompasses 500 clubs across the region.

Graeme gave some statistics comparing the shocking figures for Domestic Abuse between Australia and the UK and sadly these were remarkably similar. One in four women being likely to suffer domestic abuse in their lives and one woman being killed every 9 days from domestic abuse in Australia(one every 5 days in UK). Also there is a strong correlation between domestic abuse and homelessness. Sadly elderly abuse is also prevalant and a cause of great social concern.

Graeme also highlighted their weekly market fundraising activity and their work supporting Basketball and other activities.

John Cooper, International Lead, thanked Graeme for his presentation and followed up with news of our activities over the last few months. John highlighted the Youth Speaks event at St Richard's Catholic College where young people have the opportunity to experiance public speaking and to learn how to create and deliver presentations on the topics that most interest them.

We were also proud to talk about our own fundraising activities such as the Race Night where we raised over £1,000 towards Rotary International's End Polio campaign and the ways in which we can use other funds we raise towards local community groups.

Bexhill President Hugh Allen thanked Graeme Sayer for their presentation and applauded their work raising awareness of Domestic Abuse. 

The meeting closed with the Belvoir-Wodonga Rotary Club sharing a famous Australian song with us, shown below,

Congratulations to John Cooper and Robin Taylor for making this whole event possible and to Cooden Beach Hotel staff for their welcome and support for this event.

Home Among the Gumtrees

Song by John Williamson

I've been around the world a couple of times, or maybe more
Seen the sights, I've had delights on every foreign shore
But when my mates all ask me the place that I adore
I tell them right away
What do we tell 'em?

Give me a home among the gum trees
With lots of plum trees
A sheep or two, a ka-kangaroo
A clothes line out the back, verandah out the front
And an old rocking chair

You can see me in the kitchen, cooking up a roast
Or Vegemite on toast, just you and me, a cup of tea
And later on, we'll settle down and go out on the porch
And watch the possums play

Give me a home among the gum trees
With lots of plum trees
A sheep or two, a ka-kangaroo
A clothes line out the back, verandah out the front
And an old rocking chair