Last week several of us attended ANZAC services in the early hours of Monday morning, which were well attended and quite moving. I did receive a late request for help with set up of the Wahroonga service and thanks to those who were able to assist. We will be called upon next year to help with set up of the Wahroonga service and maybe to provide morning tea.
As is our Wahroonga Rotary tradition we did have an ANZAC address at our breakfast meeting and it was a pleasure to have my close friend, Brigadier Neil Turner with us. As mentioned, our relationship goes back over 30 years. We first met at St Paul’s Anglican Church Wahroonga and we have maintained close family ties since. Interestingly, we attended the wedding of Neil’s daughter Carolyn when she married Greg Starr’s son Stuart. Stuart had been to our home many times as part of a bible study group.
It's interesting the connections and friendships we make in life. Years ago when I set up the PCYC Performing Arts Centre at the former Hornsby Bowling Club, I was keen to have Bollywood Dance as an activity. I was introduced to Mala Mehta OAM, who is the founder of the IABBV Hindi School and we did start a Bollywood Dance class. I have since been to many IABBV Hindi School performances and shared the stage with very talented and colourful students. This past Friday evening the IABCA (India Australia Business & Community Alliance) held their Gala Awards event at the Star Event Centre, Pyrmont. This was a very colourful event with politicians and senior dignitaries in attendance. Our former Premier and Member for Ku-ring-gai Barry O’Farrell AO, who is the Australian High Commissioner to India, made an attendance via video. Mala and IABBV students were invited to sing the Indian and Australian National Anthems and an item song, I Am Australian (with didgeridoo). Here’s a link to the student’s performance (https://youtu.be/hmETMkqVcJI) and a couple of photos.
Another interesting connection is with my friend John Lockyer who is President of Hornsby Lions. John and I met years ago through the Hornsby Chamber of Commerce when he was the CEO of an affordable housing organisation. John, together with another member of Lions, recently flew to Poland to assist Ukrainian refugees wanting to come to Australia. John’s daughter and granddaughter have made hundreds of Cuddly Hearts and Aussie Animals to hand out to refugee children. By an amazing chance, and in the Warsaw hotel restaurant where he is staying, John bumped into another mutual friend Bob Mendelsohn who heads up Jews for Jesus in Australia. Bob lives on the Lower North Shore and we have known each other for many years; Bob and I introduced pickleball to the PCYC.
The Wahroonga Laneway 3m wide asphalt path upgrade is now finished and will be open for public use this week. The new path and lighting have made an amazing difference that will definitely be appreciated by the 400 Abbotsleigh students and local residents who use the path daily. This has been an interesting and complex project involving Wahroonga Rotary (Centenary project), Alister Henskens SC MP, Ku-ring-gai Council, and Transport for NSW.
This week we will have the Novus beneficiaries attend our breakfast meeting.
From its beginnings with two homeless children in Nepal, Jan Pryor, Rotarian and teacher has taken the Didi Foundation from strength to strength to create sustainable, self funding lifestyle programs to educate and empower disadvantaged women in Nepal. The earthquake in 2015 and COVID-19 have not diminished Jan's passion to help change the lives and the futures for thousands of women and children. www.didifoundation.org.au
