Group Study Exchange (GSE) is a cultural and vocational exchange program run each year for professional business men and women, aged between 25 and 40 years, in the early stage of their professional lives. The Rotary Foundation provides travel grants for teams of participants for exchange visits in a different country. For 4 to 6 weeks, team members study the host country’s institutions and way of life, observe how their own vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas. Each exchange team is comprised of a Rotarian acting as the team leader and four specially selected team members.

In 2015, Eric Neill from Frankston North Rotary, lead a team of young professionals from District 9820 on a visit to their sister District 2430 in Central and Eastern Turkey. The team consisted of an Environmental Consultant, a Mechanical Engineer, a Small Business Retail Owner and Cooking School, and a District Burn Planner from East Gippsland.

Eric Neill and the team members at Anzac Cove

The exchange in Turkey was during the Centennial celebrations of the Gallipoli campaign. In mid April 2015, the team arrived in Istanbul, touring many wonderful sites. From there the exchange commenced. The group travelled through Turkey by plane (covering around 1900 km with four internal flights), fast train (covering around 240 km), and public buses and private vehicles (covering almost 300 km).

The GSE team visited 14 cities, made presentations at 12 Rotary club and combined club meetings, and made many vocational visits in each city. In total the team was involved with 21 Rotary clubs and gave their final presentation at the D2430 District Conference.

There were some extraordinary vocational events and cultural days. The Turkish hospitality, generosity and friendliness was wonderful. The host family discussions on many topics were great, and their food was equally amazing and plentiful.

The exchange was a fulfilling and life changing experience for all those involved from both countries. For a very interesting detailed diary of these events and experiences, please download and read the attached document.

GSE 2015 Diary of events in Turkey

The second annual Frankston North Rotary and Peninsula Youth Music Society garden party was held at the Frankston South home of the Frankston North Rotary President Mark Sammut and his wife Jane Griffiths on 14 November 2015. This again was a wonderful day in a beautiful garden background. The Peninsula Youth Music Society students entertained the crowd with renditions from the classics to the Beatles. Refreshments included delicious sandwiches, cakes and scones with tea and coffee.

This is an important event for Frankston North Rotary as the money raised is for children who would not normally be able to afford to learn and develop their musical skills. If they have the talent and the will to learn, this will assist them to reach their potential and can be life changing.

A group of over 120 people attended and over $2000 was raised. A cheque for $2051 was presented to the Peninsula Youth Music Society at a summer concert. This money will go toward buying musical instruments for budding musicians who cannot afford to purchase their own instruments.

Jane Griffiths with Meevel Mathew and her family.

During the afternoon, one promising student, Meevel Mathew, was presented with the Helen Griffiths Music Award for 2015.

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.