Meeting Notes 21 July 2009

President Brian welcomed the members and the guests for the evening: Raymond Farnsworth our outgoing student to Mexico and his parents Yvonne and Bruce, the latter a Rotarian at St Ives Club, Tia-Maria Heinenon our incoming student from Finland, Lois Pembroke our guest speaker and her friend Sue Watt, Watipa Ngwenya, Dickie Brooks a visiting Rotarian from Burwood, Jay Thorogood a Rotarian transferring from East Gosford, Jan Plain, Wendy O'Hanlan and Colin Sweet.

Bob Burnett encouraged members to think seriously about attending the District Conference at Port Macquarie next year

Pam Pritchard spoke about the current International activities:

 Gampong Anak.

• Two management Committees are responsible for the ongoing work : the overall one, headed by Ian Howden, comprises our own Club members, the operating Committee is headed by Pam and is responsible for the day to day development and operations. This latter Committee has several Indonesian Rotarians as members.
• Michael Barnett and 4 Rotoractors are currently in Banda Aceh working to see progress and what they can do to help
• The site now has a good supply of fresh water from a well established by the adjacent clinic
• A generator to be installed at the clinic will also service our premises. The generator will be partly financed by us and will be the subject of a request for a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation
• The sewing group is now well established
• Plans for development on the site include a soccer field and a communications tower.

Bo.

Progress being made on the Bo project in Seirra Leone  with Nuli Lemoh and Mark Thompson together with their wives planning a visit early next year and Denise Curry planning a 60's night on 26^th September to raise funds. Laurie Facer and the "The Quiet Ones" will provide the music for the evening. Details will be made available shortly.

School in East Timor

Peter Headley continues to develop this project with the nuns from Mary McKillop and and is now engaged in visiting other clubs to raise funds for the development.

Vanuatu

Dennis de Kantzow is currently helping out a Rotary project there and we plan to encourage other members to join him on a future occasion.

 Shelter Boxes

This  programme continues with good success but with some slowing down due to the current economic climate.

President Brian then invited Jay Thorogood to join him whereupon he was formally welcomed into the Club as a member. Jay's wife, Celcia, was unable to be present but he expects her to be able to be with us shortly. Despite his experience as immediate past President of East Gosford Jay feels he needs to understand how things are done at Turramurra Rotary and has  asked Roger Norman to be his mentor for this purpose.

Guest Speaker

Pam Pritchard introduced Lois Pembroke  as a social researcher who had studied and written about Australians. In particular her book "Children of the ANZACS" had widespread circulation especially in schools.

Although billed as a description of life in the 40's and 50's Lois spent her time on the development of Australian characteristics the defined the modern Australian. Drawing on her researches she gave as her opinion that the early Australians by virtue of the difficulties they had faced as migrants had developed a stoical people with a mien which was passed on and became a recognisable characteristic first in the First World War when the ANZAC tradition was born.

She made the point that in the early part of the 20^th century Australians in general were not well educated but skilled in practical matters with good handyman skills. They developed their well known streak of independence and lack of tolerance for authority and "show ponies".

In the early days of the 20^th century Australians had a safe environment without much external influence which brought about an expectation that marriage was for keeps and women strong and relatively silent types, with patience and fortitude and uncomfortable with praise.

The 400,000 men and the numerous women who participated in World War 1 were all volunteers and the loss of 1 in 7 of the men wrought a heavy toll on the development of Australia after that war.

World War 2 was different and the Australian participants were largely led by Australians and not subjected to the "canon fodder" approach characteristic of many of the British Generals in the First World War. The casualty rate was considerably less in WW2 when most Australians joined either in the armed forces or in a non-combat roles. Girls and boys participated by knitting such things as scarves for the active forces. Women left behind took on many of the jobs of men.

One consequence of WW2 of great significance was that after WW2 many women no longer expected to find their ambitions satisfied by a lifetime at home with children and household duties. This major change in expectations led to far reaching changes in the social structure emphasised by the increase in divorces which has become a commonplace part of Australian life today.

Very considerable changes resulted from outcome of both of the two World Wars. After WW1 the economic conditions led to frugality which stayed with the members of that generation throughout their lifetime. After WW2 by contrast Australia developed a taste for such things as dining out and frugality was no longer as strong a driving force in the development of the nation.

Lois continues to write books and has others planned for release in the near future.

In thanking Lois Tony Recsei said that Lois's remarks were a timely reminder to  us all that" Our privileges result from the sacrifices of the past".

Scribe - Ian Salmon