Rotary Melbourne’s 13th meeting of the year and 5050th meeting in its 104th year was opened by Master of Ceremonies, Bernie McIntosh. The reflection was delivered by Cheryl Lacey and may be read later in this Bulletin.
Before inviting our guest speaker to the podium, President Catherine conducted the induction of new members Puja Roy Gangopadhyay and Will Abdo. Rob McGuirk then stepped up to provide an overview of the installation of unique peace bells at the Rotary Melbourne Peace park, adjacent to the Botanical Gardens. He was followed by Trevor Nink and Chris Rodd who professionally called on members to pitch in and support the Clubs team of bicycle riders for the Around the Bay ride on Sunday 6 October 24 with proceeds going to The Smith Family’s - Learning for Life Program.
President Catherine then reported she had been a guest at the Uni Melbourne South Sudanese Diaspora Peace Leadership Program, a community peace building program run by the faculty of the University of Melbourne Initiative for Peace. Rotary Melbourne funded the program which involved 30 leaders from around Australia. Rotarians from Rotary Balwyn and Rotary Central Melbourne also attended and will help participants build their Rotary connections nationally going forward.
Summary of Damian's Address: Carol Bond, our club’s International Director introduced the guest speaker for this week’s meeting, Damian Cardona Onses, Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Canberra to speak about ‘Cultivating a Culture of Peace’. Damian’s address drew on over 26 years of experience within the United Nations, and covered critical themes such as strategic communications, crisis management, and outreach.
Damian emphasized the partnership and shared values between Rotary and the United Nations, particularly in promoting world peace. He highlighted the historic and ongoing cooperation between the two organizations in various nations.
A notable part of his speech included reflections on the United Nations Charter and the need for education and the importance of peace, particularly for younger generations who might not have experienced the devastation of war. Damian underscored the significance of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goals 16 and 17, which focus on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies and fostering global partnerships.
Additionally, Damian talked about the evolving challenges the United Nations faces, including disinformation, climate change, and the necessity of updating mechanisms to address 21st-century threats aimed toward democracy and human rights. He concluded with a call for unity and cooperation to cultivate a culture of peace and tackle global issues effectively.
Questions Raised by Members:
These questions highlighted community concerns about disinformation's impact on democracy and the potential for religious unity to contribute to global peace. The recording of this address can be viewed by clicking here
Carol closed proceedings by thanking our many visitors and guests for attending this meeting. Carol also reminded everyone to book to attend the Club’s annual grand final lunch at number 35 Restaurant, with a special guest panel featuring Stephen McBurney, head of AFL umpiring, and Adrian Anderson, vice president of the Melbourne Cricket Club. The meeting will include a conversation on AFL management and our football quiz will be returning.
The full meeting recording can be viewed by clicking here.
A dinner was held on Tuesday 17n September at No.35 Sofitel with Damian Cardona Onses and a number of Rotary Melbourne members.
