Serving the Community since 1985

In Gear
2018—2019

ROTARY CLUB OF BEAUMARIS WEEKLY BULLETIN Number 19 4 November 2019

Next Meetings
Presidents Report
We had a busy meeting last Thursday with an excellent Indigenous THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER
support report from Chris Mara, Adam Kurdas telling us a little about FELLOWSHIP - BEAUMARIS THEATRE
Tomorrow Man and Tomorrow Women. and our guest speaker Cliff
THURSDAY 21 NOVEMBER
Skinner on Surviving the Battle of Britain. This talk inspired John SPEAKER - ELSPETH BLACK,
Beaty to tell us a little about his experiences of the Blitz. The new PET THERAPY
payment system of buying a chip from the bar with cash or card went CHAIR: CHRIS WERNER
well. AV SUPPORT: CHRIS D'ARCY
CASH DESK: JOHN TURNER AND GEOFF STOCKDALE
We also presented Lew Re-
HOST: ROSS PHILLIPS
mington with a certificate of
appreciation for all he has THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER
done for our club and for the DISTRICT GOVERNOR VISIT
community in general, as CHAIR: RICHARD JONES
Manager of the Beaumaris AV SUPPORT: BRIDGET HAGE
Bendigo Bank over the last 4 CASH DESK: CHRIS MARTIN AND SIMON KAVANAGH
years. We wish him all the HOST: TONY PHILLIPS
best in his retirement.
THURSDAY 5 DECEMBER
Christmas dinner is almost SPEAKER - JESSICA TURNER,
organized at VGC on the 19th VICPOL FORENSICS OFFICER
December. We are awaiting a CHAIR: MEGAN GLENWRIGHT
price from VGC. AV SUPPORT: JOHN MANKS
CASH DESK: ROY DOWNES AND HEATHER CHISHOLM
I was unable to attend the Market on Saturday but, as the report HOST: CLEM QUICK
says, we were lucky with the weather and had a good day. Thanks
to all those who made it happen once again. Peter Flude, Bridget
and the Marketing Team combined o obtain a welcome grant from
the Bayside Council to help establish the new Black Rock Farmers
Market. Well done to all concerned.
I attended The Foundation Seminar on Friday at the Box Hill town
hall. We heard about several International projects run by 9810
clubs and a report from Graham Richardson on the how we have
been spending our Foundation dollars. I could not help wondering
about the purpose of these seminars. Generally you can find out more about our upcoming
speakers, including Bios, in the Club Calendar
This week we are not at VGC but have a fellowship night attending on our website.
the Buddy Holly Story at 8.00 pm Thursday 14th November, Beau-
maris Theatre, 82 Wells Road, Beaumaris. Unless stated otherwise venue is
Victoria Golf Club 6.30 for 7.00
David Hone
Contents
1 Presidents Report
2 / 10 Notices
11 / 12 Last Week’s Speaker
13/ 14 Club Sponsors
15 Club Structure / Photo of Week
R OT AR Y C L U B OF BE AU M AR IS B U L L ET IN – SER VIN G T H E COM M U N IT Y SINC E 1985

Farmers Market Report matters concerning farmers markets before Mark Pere-
laer's return from oversea. I shall take some photos while
It was a pleasant surprise to have a rather sunny morn- trekking in the Kingdom of Happiness for a Carbon Nega-
ing throughout the market today, albeit cold with slight tive Tour, in a hope to have a glimpse of Himalaya.
westernly wind. Mid morning sun certainly brought out
our usual market visitors. This made many stallholders Bridget
happy.
We had 52 stallholders today. Brasserie Bread was back
today (after long European winter holiday) and sold out
early; Bob was really happy. Bromley Bread almost sold
out. We had one new coffee stall offering different style
of coffee. This however has not deterred the regulars of
Mr Ben's Coffee. Like many visitors, Peter Flude had to
wait in the long queue for a cup of coffee. The queue did
not die down until after 12 noon! Organic meats and veg-
etables did really well. The Spud Sisters Potatoes had a
great morning, so was Orcharder and fresh produce stall-
holder next door. The two face-painting young ladies
were high in demand in the absence of "animal farm" and
jumping castle. Also did well were the specialty food
stalls, mushrooms, cherries, gourmet pies, gourmet sau-
sages, the dim-sims, Gippsland cheeses, the gnocchi, the
free-range poultry, the beers, the honey, the curries, the
pate, the olive oils, the walnuts, the dried goods, the in-
door plants, the specialty candles, the hand-weaving bas-
kets etc. The flower shop had most exquisite peonies
which were really popular.
It was really nice to see the crowd spread evenly through-
out the market, though our BBQ stall had its usual attrac-
tion on a cold morning. We did really well. Thank you to
the BBQ teams, especially Kathy Werner who helped out
the bread for the first time.
The raffle was carried out by Beaumaris North Primary
School, organised by Melissa Joy of school parents
group. About mid morning, we also had the privilege to
hear the school choir at amphitheatre. Together with a
sunny morning, the performance of school choir had con-
tributed to a really good crowd today. We thank the mu-
sic teacher, Jo Ratten, and her students.
We continue to promote our "new market", Black Rock
Farmers Market. The pamphlets were very well received
by visitors and stallholders. Many found out from FB,
websites, sighting of newsletter announcement (a sur-
prise), word of mouth etc.
Finally, a happy market is the outcome of collaboration
amongst Club members who volunteer their time in prep-
aration for the market day, duty on the day and chores
after the market. Thank you to those of you who were
available to help out.
Ken Mirams and Heather Chisholm will be in charge of

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Mental Health Fund Raiser

THE INFAMY THAT IS WAR World War 1 and its Enduring Legacy by Tony Jones

Reviewed by Dr. Stewart Dickinson

This book is on World War 1 concerns itself with the ultimate and continuing futility of war. The book eloquently de-
scribes the situation in Europe prior to the start of hostilities in 1914, and continues in chapter form to chronologically
document the salient stages of the war and their geopolitical ramifications.
The writer, whilst acknowledging the various combatants, clearly often gives an Australian perspective of the conflict,
and relates many humorous anecdotes (and some not so humorous) which add to the richness of the dialogue.
The documenting of the events leading up to and including the war itself have been meticulously researched and pre-
sented and they make for absorbing reading. What makes this book so fascinating, however, is the portrayal of many
of the main players in the conflict and their motives. One can almost imagine being there on the battlefield as decisions
were made (or not as the case may be!)
This authoritative documentation of World War 1 and its aftermath concludes with a prelude to World War 2 and rein-
forces the notion of the futility of war.
The book is in PDF format and can be downloaded from the Rotary Club of Healesville website for a donation of $5.00.

https://www.rotaryhealesville.org
All donations will be forwarded to Phoenix Australia, Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health at the University
of Melbourne. Phoenix Australia is a not-for –profit organization dedicated to reducing the impact of trauma
by building the capability of individuals, organizations and the community to understand, prevent and recover
from the adverse mental health effects of trauma.

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R OT AR Y C L U B OF BE AU M AR IS B U L L ET IN –
Speaker: Cliff Skinner,
Topic: Surviving the Battle for Britain
Cliff Skinner grew up in Kent, a few miles south of London.
It was a beautiful county to grow up in and he has fond
memories as a very young boy of those happy and care-
free years before the war. But things changed dramatical-
ly for Cliff when war broke out and life was never to be the
same again. In the years that followed, Cliff witnessed
some of the massive air raids that devastated the county
and changed his life forever.
Talk on WW2 The Children's War in Britain.
In the time allotted for me this evening it would be impossi- were also exciting too. I have never felt that I was affected
ble to tell you my story as a boy in
WW2, so I have tried to condense it into a few major
points of interest. They are just glimpses of the Children's were devastated, and greatly saddened by tragic events, I
War in Britain.
The other thing I would like to say is that what happened
to the people in Britain in this tragic war also occurred in
Germany and many other countries. The civilians suffered
greatly in those countries as well, so my book is intended
for a very wide audience
Many of the children who survived the air war in Britain
have now passed on. And unfortunately, many of those
who are still with us do not wish to talk about the war
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years. They are much like the old soldiers who would pre-
fer to dismiss from their minds any memories of those hor-
rific years.
There have been many books written about the conflict.
The authors of these books appear to place an emphasis
on what was known as “The Battle of Britain". This was of
course a decisive battle which the allies had to win, but it
was only part of the five-year devastation of parts of Brit-
ain.
I personally think the whole saga should be remembered
and recorded as The Battle for Britain and I have spent
many years researching the subject and writing a book
which will include details of the whole 5 year battle which
will include research obtained from many sources and
from my memories
of witnessing some parts of it.
I was seven years old when it started and 12 when it fin-
ished". I have heard my peers from that time talk about
their "lost childhood years”. Admittedly life was very differ-
ent but I have never felt that that those years were lost to
me. They were terrifying at times but for a young boy they
in any serious medical way personally by the experiences
I had. But for many children of the day, many whose lives
can understand how they feel.
As members would know there was a period at the start of
the war when actual conflict did not
occur in Britain. It was the period in late 1939 to mid-
1940 known as "the phoney war". The whole country was
on a war footing at that time, defence systems had been
set up throughout the country, the tattered British army
had been retrieved from Dunkirk, there were tank traps set
up everywhere, gun positions were scattered all over the
place, people feared that an invasion of the country could
come at any moment and the evacuation of children to
move them out of the cities to places of safety had com-
menced.
The war really occurred in five stages:
1. The Phoney War. This was the period when war had
been declared but there were no major
attacks on Britain. It was a period of great concern for the
people of Britain. They expected an invasion at any time.
Many children were evacuated to safer parts of the coun-
try. The Government had warned that the casualties in a
major air war could run into millions.
2. The Battle of Britain. The battle by the Luftwaffe to
destroy the Royal Airforce and its
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airfields as a precursor to the intended invasion of Britain. There were 348 bombers escorted by 617 fighters. Two
hours later, guided by the fires set by the first assault, a
3. The Blitz. The massive attack on British towns and
second group of aircraft blasted London
Cities. It was the intended "morale
until 4.30 the following morning. Thereafter, London was
breaker", for Britain to surrender and to come to "an ar-
bombed for 57 consecutive days and fires consumed
rangement ” with Germany.
many parts of the city. This massive and devastating as-
4. The air raids that occurred after Germany's main sault was the beginning of the Blitz of London and other
bomber groups were sent to the Russian cities that continued until the following May.
front. I was terrified when the Battle of Britain commenced as I
5. The horrific rocket attacks. The V1 rockets followed by have already described being caught out in the open dur-
the V2. These attacks lasted to after D Day in the area ing a dogfight. Other fleeting memories are:-
where I lived. - In the hop fieldstone day there was a dog fight right above.
During the first stage l can remember the adults around A German fighter was shot down and the pilot bailed out
me talking about the looming disaster and then huddling and it looked as though he was going to land right where
with the family around our old Pye radio and hearing peo- we were. I was terrified at what he would do to us. Fortu-
ple speaking— but I didn’t really understand what it was all nately, he was blown over to the nearby village of Willing-
about. Something big was about to happen but I didn’t ton where he was welcomed to England by the Home
really understand what it was. Whatever it was, it didn’t Guard (Dad's Army).
sound very nice. However, It wouldn't be too long before I Another was when a V2 rocket came
would be made very much aware of what it was, I remem-
down in the adjoining street to where we lived, completely
ber a van pulling up in our street and the driver opening
demolishing two, two storey buildings and damaging other
the back and then everyone coming
houses in the street. The explosion was enormous. An-
out to receive, what seemed to me to be a kind of gift in a other was when I got caught up during an air raid on my
square box with straps. In fact, It was the issue of gas way home from school. I just jumped over a fence and
masks, which everyone was required to have. When I sheltered under a tree. I was probably frightened during
opened the box I found that they had given me a dark the heavy bombing raids, hiding with my family in the shel-
mask and when I put it on I decided that was not for me. I ter, but I can't remember too much about that.
could hardly breathe and there was also an awful smell
My abiding memories of the war was the stoicism and
coming from the thing. My younger sister received a spe-
courage shown by the adults around us. It is difficult to
cial one for her age. She was about 3 years younger than
understand their cheerful humour in such terrible circum-
me. Hers was a kind of special Mickey Mouse style of gas
mask— I remember it as being red and white but I could
be wrong. It was a much better
looking gadget than the one I got and l remember I was a
bit put out by that.
Battle of Britain was Hitler's plan to destroy the Royal Air-
force in order to carry out the invasion of Britain. The pho-
ney war was over and the real Battle for Britain was about
to begin. You can see that the ancient town where my
family lived was more or less in the middle of the conflict.
Although not a military target, it was surrounded by fighter
stations to defend London.eg West Malling, Detling etc.
The Blitz heralded a tactical shift in Hitler's attempt to sub-
due Britain. With the failure of destroying the RAF, it's
airfields and radar stations, he turned his attention to de-
stroying London to demoralize the population and force
the British to come to terms. At about 4pm on September
7”" close on a thousand aircraft, many who passed over
the town where I grew up, blasted London until 6pm.

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Special Notice From Destination HQ

1.5% of any travel bookings from Beaumaris Rotary Club Members,

family and friends at Destination HQ Beaumaris will be returned to the
Beaumaris Rotary Club at the end of the year.

PLEASE make the consultant aware that you’re from the Rotary Club at
the beginning of the booking. This ensures that the booking is tracked
and
reported back to their admin at the time.

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RCOB Board Membership, Marketing & Media - Chair James Glenwright

President David Hone Peter Flude Megan Glenwright
Secretary Trish Smyth Greg Every Mark Perelaer
Treasurer Lynda Doutch Mary Sealy Malcolm Sawle
Club Service & President Elect Adrian Culshaw Martin Fothergill
Adrian Culshaw Max Darby
Past President Heather Chisholm Club Service & Administration
Community Roy Downes Almoner Mary Sealy
International Fred Hofmann Archivist Roy Seager, David Lea
Youth Vivienne Zoppolato Attendance, dining & duties roster Adrian Culshaw
Indigenous Chris Mara Reviewer—Financial Statements Tony Phillips
Club Photographers Max Darby, Chris Mara
Community- Chair Roy Downes Club Protection Officer Ken Mirams
John Beaty Max Darby Newsletter, Web site, Facebook David Lea
Mary Cunnington Martin Fothergill Fellowship & Vocational Richard Jones
Kerrie Geard Chris Mara Foundation John Beaty
Robert McArthur Mary Sealy On to Conference Heather Chisholm
Tony Phillips Chris D'Arcy Social Media Officer Mark Perelaer
Chris Werner John Turner Speaker Program Administrator Gail Anderson
Bridget Hage Jude Kavanagh Speaker Program Assistants Kerrie Geard, Richard Potter

International - Chair Fred Hofmann

John Manks Geoff Stockdale District Officers
Ken Mirams John Sime Assistant Governor for Monash A Cluster Chris D'Arcy
Ross Phillips Clem Quick District Compliance Officer Ken Mirams
Richard Potter Simon Kavanagh District Community Chair Trish Smyth
District Indigenous Support Committee David Hone (Chair) Chris Mara
Youth – Chair Vivienne Zoppolato
Jan Cooper Tony Phillips Club Fundraising
Tony McKenna David Rushworth
Antony Nixon Lois Lindsay Bayside Charity Golf Day - Chair TBA
Malcolm Sawle Chris Martin Peter Flude James Glenwright
Richard Jones Jim O’Brien
Lynda Doutch Tony Phillips
Indigenous - Chair Chris Mara
David Hone Fred Hofmann Farmers Market – Co-ordinator Mark Perelaer
Robert McArthur Chris Werner Peter Flude
Chris Mara Charmaine Jansz
Geoff Stringer Ken Mirams
Vivienne Zoppolato Bridget Hage
Heather Chisholm

Rotary ladies supporting breast cancer on Oaks Day

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