Events

Change has been a constant throughout history, but unlike previous “revolutions”, the new digital dawn we are experiencing is a seismic shift with a rate of change, complexity and scope never seen before. Advances in technology are transforming every aspect of our lives, from the way we work to the way we communicate and access services. Women in Technology WA (WITWA) focus heavily on the themes of industry and organisational transformation, technology trends and workforce diversity. Part of this conversation requires us to consider how to best champion the skills future generations will require to be able to fully participate and make the most of the opportunities the jobs of the future will present to them.

As a Perth based, not for profit network organisation WITWA is a proud champion of diversity and equality for women in technology, with a mission to promote and encourage the entry and retention of women in roles within the technology and STEM industries.  This presentation will provide an overview of effective programs implemented to shift the dial, enable and inspire.

Pia has been a member of the Women in Technology WA Committee since 2014 and held the role of Chair for the past 2 years. Managing a portfolio career, Pia holds a number of positions which are connected through a common focus on the opportunities which innovation, disruption and diversification offer.

A presentation on the importance of privacy legislation awareness in business, specifically with a focus on Notifiable Data Breaches. Complying with the law, protecting the business and effectively implementing preventative measures are all essential actions.

Aleasha is a law student at the University of Western Australia. She holds an undergraduate degree in Law and Society, and is currently completing her postgraduate degree – a Juris Doctorate of Law. Aleasha works as a Legal Assistant at Veritas Group, which is an issuing body for background checking services and identification cards. Thus, she has experience in the realm of privacy legislation, sensitive information and data breach control. 

The 2019 Race Day will be held Saturday 4th May at Ascot Racecourse. This is our 14th Race Day and as you all know this is our primary fundraising event for one of the club's key projects and as such we would like to see as many members of the Rotary Club of Perth attend as possible. 

Letters were mailed out in January to all previous sponsors / supporters so if you have received your letter and have not yet RSVP’d then please do so at the earliest opportunity.  We are absolutely delighted with the response so far with 15 tables sold so we are already almost two thirds sold out. This means there are only 5 tables left so please get in and book your table now.

As always we will be offering a number of individual tickets for those Rotarians who would like to attend but are unable to sponsor a table.  If you want to attend please contact Ashley Ladner  abladner@bigpond.com to reserve your tickets, prices are $250.00 per person for five a hour package of lunch, drinks and entertainment.

We are also in need of unique or high quality auction items to be donated. We  would like to hear from anyone that can help with donations of retail items, clothes jewellery, sporting goods etc, restaurant vouchers, accommodation/flight packages, in fact anything. You may not be able to donate the item yourselves but you may have a contact in industry that you may be able to call on to assist.

If you have questions regarding Sponsorship or Auction Donations please contact Ashley or Lisa Torre at the St Vincent de Paul Society on 6323 7534 or email, lisa.torre@svdpwa.org.au

We look forward to seeing you on the day.

In April 2012, Foundation Day was formally changed to WA Day following bipartisan political support in the Western Australian Parliament. This welcomed in a new era for the state with WA Day being a universal celebration of all Western Australians, recognising our Aboriginal history, early European settlers and the many people from all over the world who have made, and continue to make Western Australia their home.

The WA Day holidays always takes place on the first Monday in June and is now the focal point for encouraging state-wide participation in the wide range of activities and events, celebrating all that is great about our state and encouraging pride in all things Western Australian.

As a vast geographic area comprising many different urban, rural and regional communities, as well as being a very multicultural community, the emphasis for WA Day Festival events is on inclusion of all people no matter how long they have called themselves Western Australian.

Leanne Drewitt is the General Manager – Partnerships and Programs at Celebrate WA. Celebrate WA is a not-for-profit organization responsible for promoting and organising the annual WA Day long weekend program of events across the state and promoting excellence and achievements by Western Australians in all fields of endeavor.

An informal session for the die-hards who will be working through the week of public holidays.

Come to Adelphi, downstairs at the Parmelia Hilton for some fellowship and discuss what Rotary can do to make the world a beter place.

The Climate conversation has been hijacked – we are either “believers” or “deniers”, while most of us don’t know what there is to believe or deny.  Most politicians believe that we can control global warming by emitting less CO2 – is this so? Should we deny India our cleaner coal than the coal they use?  Does rise in CO2 give rise to warming or is it the other way around. As a Geoscientist I want to talk about the past to understand the present.

Jaap Poll was born in the Dutch Indies, now Indonesia and as a toddler, was interned with his family in a Japanese prison camp. Jaap completed High School and University in Holland. Jaap has a PhD in Structural Geology and joined Shell. He worked and lived in Central America, the Middle East and Europe before arriving in Melbourne in 1969. When Shell wanted to transfer Jaap to Nigeria, he joined Woodside in 1973.

In 1980 Jaap and family moved to Perth and has worked in Australia, PNG, Thailand, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Indonesia, the Philippines, Argentina, Italy, Russia, the North Sea and the last 16 years extensively in Turkey.

Jaap acquired degrees in Arbitration and Mediation from the UNI of Adelaide and has been an active Rotarian since 1992 in PNG. He has been President 3 times in different Rotary Clubs. His hobby is researching climate change through the eyes of a Geoscientist for the last 10+ years

Aboriginal tourism is tracking strong growth of demand from domestic and international visitors and is undervalued with only $250k per year allocated to marketing, out of a $45m a year state tourism budget. The economic growth in jobs and social outcomes that this untapped segment can potentially deliver to the tourism industry is yet to be realized. Other challenges that affect the industry are the high airfares to regional and remote areas, access to land in National parks and reserves, salary costs for small businesses and seasonality in all areas of the state. Workers accommodation in remote areas also require improvement to help the industry grow along with better recognition of the industry in training.

The past 4 years WAITOC has been working hard on product development and to Date WAITOC has helped 49 businesses through the program, 39 of which were new emerging enterprises.  Surpassing the original target of 20 by over 100%.

The businesses within this program employ 104 full-time Equivalent Jobs with this year’s Tourism Council State tourism awards had a record number of Aboriginal Businesses participating, showing the growth of Aboriginal Business mentors across WA was definitely on the rise due to the support of WAITOC and its Business Development program.With Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours and Experiences winning the national gold medal.

Robert Taylor has spent most of his working life, (30 years), in the hospitality industry. Robert’s journey began in the kitchen as a chef and progressed to executive chef for ALH in 1999. In 2000 Robert and his partner went into hospitality property management and in 2003 formed a management company, Forte Hospitality, of which he has been a director for 14 years. Mr Taylor a Nhanda man is now the CEO for WAITOC. His business experience, and the knowledge he has gained during his time as the WAITOC Chair will be instrumental in ensuring that Aboriginal Tourism is seen for what it is, a unique point of difference for Australia in the global tourism market.

Robert supports and fosters industry collaboration and partnerships as a key driver of change and innovation. 

Perth-based and founded charity, Break the Boundary is developing an Australian-first Off-road Disability Access Hub, right here in the Perth-hills. The project is focussed on helping people with disabilities, families and people living with daily challenges enter and experience the outdoors while integrating with local trail walking and cycling groups. The project has been managed by 100% volunteers, collaborated with over 10 local community supporters, raised over $12,000 in sponsorship and $30,000 in pro-bono costs. Break the Boundary will present on the projects final stages as it nears completion and wants to give local community groups and businesses the opportunity to be part of history!

Up to the age of 23, Andrew’s story is typical for a young adult growing up in Perth, Western Australia. Having graduated from university with a Bachelor of Science (Security) and Engineering, life was about to take a nose dive.
Shortly after landing a graduate position with one of the worlds leading engineering consultancies, Andrew relocated to Brisbane and started his new career and life. It didn’t take long for Andrew to find his feet in a new city with new colleagues and friends.  His adventurous spirit and love for nature took him from one outdoor thrill to the next. But, it was this desire to feel alive that would also see his life flipped up-side-down during a mountain biking accident in late 2008 which left him paralysed instantly from the waist down.

Shocked by what seemed like an outlandish statement on TV, in 2016 Darren began researching the WA recycling industry and was shocked to discovered that none of the plastic collected in WA recycling bins is actually reprocessed in WA.

In response, Darren has set out to create WA’s first waste plastic  reprocessing facility. The first  project in development is turning discarded plastic beverage bottles into 3D printer filament, enabling anyone with a 3D printer to start printing stuff out of recycled plastic. 

But Greenbatch isn’t Darren’s first social enterprise. As just 19, Darren created the registered charity, Dreamfit Foundation, designing and building custom engineered equipment for people with disabilities. Having completed over 1,000 projects, Dreamfit has impacted over 10,000 individuals and families affected by disability across Australia. In 2015 Darren handed the reigns of Dreamfit as 15 years as the CEO to a large disability organization leaving behind on ongoing legacy for the WA community.

If that wasn’t enough, Darren has still made time to volunteer and support a number of other organizations and causes including Engineers without Borders, Native Animal Rehabilitation Centre, Guide Dogs WA, The University of Western Australia, Committee Economic Development Australia, Australia Day Ambassador, , Engineers Australia, Disabled Surfers Association, Association for the Blind, DisAbled Recreation Club, Bloom Labs, Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation, Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability, Leadership WA and Fremantle Sea Rescue Volunteer to name a few.

For his work dedication to community, Darren has numerous accolades including:

• United Nations JCI Top Ten Most Outstanding Young People of the World
• WA Young Australian of the Year
• WA Citizen of the Year
• Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow
• Australia’s Top 50 Most Inspirational Engineers
• Australian Mechanical Engineer of the Year WA Business News 40 under 40

Community life isn’t what it used to be! Evidence shows that compared with the mid-1980s, Australians today have four fewer close friends: people they could talk with frankly, without having to watch their words. 18% of people say they have no one to turn to in times of difficulty. Only one in three people know their immediate neighbour’s name, with a corresponding figure for how many people trust their neighbours. Over 40% of people in nursing homes never get a visitor…simply, levels of neighbour connection, trust and mental health are at all time low, with the experiences of loneliness and depression at all-time highs. Maybe, the way governments and service agencies ’do community’ needs challenging? Maybe less ‘to’ and ‘for’ community, and more ‘with’ and ‘by/of’ the community. Less ‘servicing’ community, more ‘strengthening’ community’. Less ’wrapping services’ around people, and more ‘wrapping community’. Less viewing and calling people ’clients’, ‘customers’, ‘patients’ and ‘consumers’…more engaging them as ‘co-owners’, ‘co-producers’, ‘co-designers’ and in fact ‘citizens’. 

A community enthusiast and social entrepreneur, Peter has worked with 2000+ communities across Australia and in 59 countries seeking to facilitate fresh and creative ways that stimulate community and local economic renewal. Motivated by the desire to create caring, healthy, inclusive and enterprising communities, Peter, through his organisation, the Bank of I.D.E.A.S (Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising Action and Strategies), helps communities spark their own ideas and invest themselves in building sustainable futures. A significant part of the organisation's income is returned to innovative community initiatives. In the last year, he has worked with 70 communities from Marble Bar to Gnowangerup, Launceston to Cairns, and convened and facilitated community building conferences in Australia, India, Canada and New Zealand.   A keen author, Peter has written 16 books on community and economic development, youth policy and enterprise. Peter’s passion and purpose sees him traverse the globe continuously in his relentless desire to enable communities to discover their strengths and transform themselves. In 2011, he was a recipient of a Centenary Medal for his work with rural communities, and in 2017, was the WA Senior Western Australia in acknowledgement of his community entrepreneurialism. 

We will cover our personal journey from the aftermath of the Vietnam War though to the battle against malaria.

We will finish with a message of hope in the form of a malaria vaccine being developed by the Griffith University QLD.  This vaccine is currently at the stage of development where it is being trialed here in Australia on a 30-person sample before moving to further trials and eventually in country vaccination. 

Steve was born in WA and served 20yrs in the Australian Army.

Having lost his daughter to malaria Steve and his wife Dorene have fought a continuous battle to rid the world of that disease, the world’s second greatest killer.

At the age of 70 he took up volunteer work in Laos and Cambodia clearing land mines and unexploded ordinance and the supplying of water, sanitation and poverty alleviation. In 2009 Steve became a director of Mines Victims and Clearance Trust where they became involved in organizing the clearance of unexploded bombs and mines in Laos.  As such Steve laid the ground work for the combined Rotary Clubs “Watering Project” in Xieng Quong Province.  

Under the name of Carroll family Projects they have travelled to Laos  and Cambodia doing poverty alleviation, water supply and sanitation projects on many occasions.

In 2015 Steve organized an Around Australia Motorcycle Ride Against malaria, having lost their daughter to that disease in 1990. The ride raised over $28,000 that was donated to the “Healthy Village” projects in Solomon Islands and Timor Leste.

The Maitland Rotary Club awarded Steve the Paul Harris medal for service above self in 2012.

In 2017, to assist in the development of a malaria vaccine “PlasprotecT”, Steve and Dorene have offered to match any $500. donation to the vaccine project from Distr 9670 clubs, up to a limit of $25,000. To this date they have reached $19,000.

Regenerative Agriculture is an ecological approach that allows the landscape to renew itself but also regenerates the businesses and communities that engage with that land (both economically and socially).

Stuart will report on how the wheatbelt is performing economically, socially and on the land and environment we farm. There is fresh regenerative approach to doing business in the Wheatbelt. 

Stuart is a fourth-generation farmer who owns and manages a 5,000-hectare farm at Buntine, Western Australia.

Stuart is co-founder of the Liebe Group, one of Australia’s premium grower groups, and was its inaugural President in 2007. He has extensive experience in research, extension and strategic development of agriculture in Australia.

Stuart instigated the Regional Repopulation Plan with the Shire of Dalwallinu in 2010 and Chaired the Regional Repopulation Advisory Committee (RRAC). He sat on the Perth Working Group Committee associated with the RRAC as deputy Chairperson. The program has led to an increase in population in Dalwallinu by around 15%.

Stuart has expert knowledge in soil and regenerative agriculture practice and his efforts in natural resource management saw him honoured as a Soil Champion in the International Year of Soil 2015 and then added to the Regional Natural Resource Management Leadership Honour Roll in 2016 by the Northern Agricultural Catchment Council in Western Australia.

Stuart has also been part of the team that has seen the first four return regenerative agriculture company in Australia become listed on the ASX. Stuart is non-executive Director of Wide Open Agriculture Ltd.

www.wideopenagriculture.com.au