The detailed program has now been released: click here.
Starting on Friday, but you can attend any of the sessions (except the College of Governor's Lunch, unless you have PDG, DG or DGE in front of your name...). Hey, how about Professor Lyn Griffiths, the Biomedical Director at QUT (Saturday at 09:25 am). Or famous TV journalist Kerry O'Brien (yes, of the 7:30 Report and 4 Corners) at 11:25 am. Then, in the evening we have a bush dance: It will be held at the Alstonville Community Centre, just a 20 minute drive from Ballina, or if you prefer not to drive, a bus is organized. The band is Tallowwood Bush Band (yes, "No 96 to the snack bar please"...). The line-up includes a swag of incredibly talented multi-instrumentalists who present folk music from around the world with a strong Celtic influence and an emphasis on preserving the Australian family bush dance that transports the audience through time and emotion leaving no doubt why this band has been the winner of so many music awards and been so popular at festivals and events throughout Australia. And for food? Master Chef Tony Koelner will have an open spit bar-be-que.
Conference attendance itself is free, but, fair enough, some fees apply if you want to get lunch, participate in the bush dance on Saturday night etc.
Margaret recently moved to the Gold Coast. She is an accomplished speaker and internationally accredited Life Coach, author and motivational speaker, currently working on P & O cruises . Her honest no nonsense approach to life is both refreshing and intriguing . Margaret will entertain us with her stories as a caregiver to the disabled.
"I could talk underwater with a mouth full of marbles" Hetty confessed... Well, that may be so, but a lot of people who do that would well be advised to study the art of abridgment. Not Hetty! There would be few people who have never heard of Bravehearts[no Henrietta, I'm not referring to Mel Gibson's Brave Heart Movie.] What I didn't realize is how long this organization has already been in existence. Back in 1996, Hetty and her husband found themselves in the horrendous situation of their daughter having been sexually assaulted - - by a close relative. As Hetty later on pointed out, relatives are very commonly found to be the perpetrators. A dreadfully difficult decision had to be made: whom do we protect?, Ultimately, the choice was made to report him. But then, Hetty found that there wasn't very much going relating to support services. "What are we doing as a society?" she asked. At the time, Hetty was the Queensland State Leader of the Australian Democrats party (then led by Cheryl Kernot). "I dropped everything", she informed us, "and we decided to found an organization where not only parents of abused children (or suspected of having been abused) could turn to, but much further reaching, to educate the children. She opened a counselling centre, she mobilized politicians from all sides, she got into the Education Department and ultimately all the schools, she got the corporate heavy lifters organized to not just sponsor her movement, but to arrange training events. "Children's safety is right up there with Workplace Health & Safety" she stated. And what about the "official" channels? Well... "Currently, the system itself is the most dangerous" she says, "do anything to avoid it!" Huh?? Yes, children who get placed in 'institutional care' are, in essence, forced to live with known sex offenders. The recent case of a foster father being accused of the murder of a school girl and and his son being charged with incest indeed highlights Hetty's concern.
"Children's Sexual Assault is preventable" Hetty stated. Not just by providing
safe places for endangered children, but primarily by education. Huge progress has already been made, the most prominent being the extensive Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. But a lot of stuff happens also out of the lime light: for example, we now have forensic interviewers, trained to interview a child in a 'private' environment, with police etc watching via video link. There is an International Crime Against Children Conference. Yet, still only about 1% of offenders go to jail...
Meanwhile, Bravehearts has grown into the most recognized Child Safety organization in Australia, with patronage by the Chief Justice of Queensland, Paul de Jersey, involvement of major organizations such as Ernest & Young, partnerships with major corporate people such as Google and sponsors such as Hutchison Builders who sponsored a $1.4 Million extension to their building. So, one wonders: what would (NOT) have happened, had Hetty Johnston remained in politics?
Last Wednesday, we met with the Hope Island Rotary Club, "in style": breakfast at the Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club, in resplendent surroundings. Photo above curtesy of Al Sirovs, showing Sergeant Andy Bell holding court - see more details below.
We had apologies from Gerald East, Simon Brook, Mitch Brown and Fred Hamblen. Ross Augustine (Rotary Club of Frankston Sunrise) joined us as well! Good to see you, Ross!
Hope Island RC President Gareth Hunt, followed by our Vice President Ian Mayberry welcomed all members and guests. DGE Darrell Brown proposed an International Toast to the Rotary Club of Apia, Samoa. Darrell briefly outlined our club's involvement with that region, in particular in relation the the House of Hope that was built about 4 years ago.
In view of the special occasion, there was only little general business: Ian confirmed that our Changeover Luncheon will be held on 2nd July at Seaworld Resort (where we had it last year) and Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson reported on the happenings at The Shed. Then just good ol' fellowship, followed by a top notch Guest Speaker, Hetty Johnston AM from Brave Hearts (see separate article above). And... like it or not: a double Sergeant's session to round it all off...
At last week's joint meeting with Hope Island, Andy duly introduced the members of Surfers Sunrise to our hosts: Darrell Brown, our Men's Fashion Guru - normally featuring in Vogue, but this week rather subdued... Geoff Croad, a fellow Kiwi... Bob Harrison, our Quiet Achiever... Franz Huber, our joke teller, only problem is, we cannot understand him [you are in good company, Andy - my wife can't understand me either... ☺ Ed.] Ian Mayberry, what about professional standards? Daryl Sanderson, a report was to appear in the Helsinki Gazette - still haven't seen it yet... [one can only surmise that our Sergeant does not read the Helsinki press: see snippet on the right of the Helsingin Kaupunki (City of Helsinki News) on right. Ed.] Angus Miller is the newly crowned King of Scotland [was that before or after Nicola Sturgeon pushed through secession from Great Britain..??], Paul Seymour, from South Effrika - can't play cricket, can't pay rugby... Chris Thurtell, our Jet Ski Guru: he can demonstrate how to run into a sand bank, into rocks... and into Gugongs... Al Sirovs is our second Quiet Achiever... Rosie McIntyre, Jo Gorman and (if she had been there) Tania Laird are our high achieving woman members. And whilst we of course normally don't fine visitors, Ross Fitzgerald from Mornington is sort of "almost" a member...
"I could talk underwater with a mouth full of marbles" Hetty confessed... Well, that may be so, but a lot of people who do that would well be advised to study the art of abridgment. Not Hetty! There would be few people who have never heard of 
Last Wednesday, we met with the Hope Island Rotary Club, "in style": breakfast at the Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club, in resplendent surroundings. Photo above curtesy of Al Sirovs, showing Sergeant Andy Bell holding court - see more details below..JPG)
At last week's joint meeting with Hope Island, Andy duly introduced the members of Surfers Sunrise to our hosts: Darrell Brown, our Men's Fashion Guru - normally featuring in Vogue, but this week rather subdued... Geoff Croad, a fellow Kiwi... Bob Harrison, our Quiet Achiever... Franz Huber, our joke teller, only problem is, we cannot understand him 
professional standards? Daryl Sanderson, a report was to appear in the Helsinki Gazette - still haven't seen it yet...