Category: Projects

On 25 November 2015, Frankston North Rotary chartered Monteract, the first Interact Club in Rotary District 9820. Frankston North Rotary and Monterey Secondary College met in early July 2015 to discuss the possibility of developing an Interact Club (Interact stands for international action and is a junior Rotary Club for 13 to 18 year old students). Presentations were then made by Frankston North Rotary to the key stakeholders at Monterey Secondary College, including the Student Council: it was important that students were included in all decisions and planning aspects. This resulted in Monteract (the Interact Club of Monterey Secondary College).

District Governor Merv Williams presenting a student with her charter member certificate.

Frankston North Rotary then made an application to the Frankston Community Grants Program for financial assistance and received $500 from each of Councilor Spelman and Councilor Aitken’s discretionary funds to kick-start the club. A steering Committee was formed with the students from Monterey Secondary College and members of Frankston North Rotary and Peninsula Rotaract. Frankston North Rotary provided training for the students in all aspects of running a club, including project management, fundraising, financial control, communication and presentation skills. Members of Monteract ran information sessions to other year levels and conduct a monthly presentation at school assembly with the aim of securing members.

The group is amazing. The students are dynamic, resourceful and have a great understanding of community service and giving back to their local community. They have identified four projects that they wish to tackle in 2016:

• establishing a graffiti wall to encourage street art;
• removing graffiti from the toilet blocks;
• raising money to help purchase school play equipment for Year 7 students;
• developing a community farm on the school premises.

Monteract meets every Wednesday at 3:30 pm in meeting room B3. In the words of the students, ‘Everyone is welcome’.

In August 2013, Frankston North Rotary was contacted to help around 300 households in three villages in Tonga to become self-sufficient by growing local vegetables and raising poultry. These villages were very poor and their vegetable gardens were rundown and in need of proper fencing to keep the roaming pigs from destroying what little they attempted to grow. Some of the land also needed to be reclaimed and built up for successful production.

With the assistance of 16 Rotary Clubs, Frankston North Rotary raised $19,000 and, with the support of Rotary District 9820, were able to obtain a Global Grant of $50,000 from The Rotary Foundation. The New Zealand government had pledged to meet any money raised four to one. This gave a total of around $260,000 for the project.

The project commenced in April 2014, and the first 120 households now have new vegetable gardens and hen houses, which means that they have enough fresh vegetables, eggs and meat for their families. Any excess produce is sold in the local market. Thus these households have their own fresh food at a significantly reduced cost, providing them with a better diet, and also have a small income.

When this project is completed in the coming months, 300 households will have the benefit of new vegetable gardens and hen houses.