At the Rotary Melbourne meeting on Wednesday 17 April 24 Tony Pearce, Inspector General for Emergency Management & Chair of the Emergency Services Foundation presented on
Rotary Melbourne’s 37th meeting for the 2023-24 Rotary year was the 5025th all time Club meeting, in the Club’s one hundred and third year.
The meeting was opened by MC Richard Dent. Cheryl Lacey delivered the reflection and Chair of the day was Peter Hanlon.
After the customary loyal toast President Chris called Peter Berg to the podium to provide an update on the Rotary Safe Families Inclusive Communities Initiative. Peter highlighted the prevention of family violence and the collaboration with various communities and organizations.
After welcoming visiting Rotarians and guests President Chris introduced Aaron Templeton, founder of RunTheTan, to tell us about their work promoting healthy & active lifestyle for ALL Australians and raising awareness of the positive impact that running and exercise have on Mental Health and well-being. Aaron will be working with Stephen Rando, in exploring ways in which Rotary might work with RunTheTan as part of Rotary Melbourne focus on supporting mental health initiatives.
Peter Hanlon then came to the podium and introduced Tony Pearce, Inspector General for Emergency Management, Chair of the Emergency Services Foundation (ESF) to share his reflections and insights from his 2023 long walk in support of mental health for Victorian emergency service workers.
Tony highlighted the alarming statistics on mental health in emergency service workers and personal experiences with loss, leading to him initiating Tony’s Trek to raise awareness and promote the ESF’s as well as fundraising to support programs. He stressed the positive impact of Tony's trek in bringing together emergency services people, planning future collaborative events, and fostering unity and support among the services. He shared gratitude for the incredible support received during his journey, highlighting the impact on local communities and the importance of early intervention to arrest deteriorating mental health in too many individuals. Tony took the opportunity to show a 7-minute video of his walk and the communities that he passed through. His presentation concluded with several questions from members. His address and Q&A can be viewed by clicking this link.
The meeting concluded with a reminder to book to attend next week’s Thomas Baker Oration, this year featuring Dr Doug Hilton AO, CSIRO Chief Executive Officer, speaking on the topic: ‘If Science is the Save Us’
The full meeting recording can be viewed by clicking this link.
