PERTH ROTARY - PRESIDENTS UPDATE - 13th AUG 2019
 
Fellow Rotarians and friends of Perth Rotary,
 
August started with a volatile trend for the stock exchange and with a lot of uncertainty about the global economy. In Perth Rotary we see exactly the opposite trend though. We see the value of our Club rising under a steady and solid momentum thanks to your confidence and your trust. Everything that this Club achieves is thanks to you and at the same time your personal achievements grow the capital value of Perth Rotary as a whole.
 
 
The Business Breakfast Club at the Hilton by Perth Rotary last Friday was one of those Club achievements. 45 members and friends started gathering from 7:00 am at the Hilton for a Breakfast meeting full of enthusiasm, motivation and business energy! In a very different and strictly business format, Very Rev. John Shepherd, having just arrived from the Vatican, started the meeting with an interesting reference to the topic of Business and the Vatican.
Following that, the Club Treasurer Joseph Wambua in the “Treasurer’s Minute” explained what is the current situation with the ASX, the global markets and what might be the potential threats for the Australian economy. Joseph referred to “that tweet that cost billions” to the capital markets and he closed by expressing his optimism for the future.
The “menu” of the inaugural Business Breakfast Club included also the introduction of a special new member: Dr. Julian Heng by District Governor Graham Peden and Julian’s induction by Past President Rob Rose. Julian is Associate Professor at the Curtin University and Group Leader at the Curtin Neuroscience Laboratories. Julian has been a regular attendee to our meetings and to our social events and he will join an area of service very soon. 
Following Julian’s induction, Past President Larry Hirsch introduced us to the principles and the mission of Rotary Means Business and gave us an update about the recent and the forthcoming RMB events.
Following RMB, President Elect Jill Dawson introduced the Business Breakfast’s Guest Speaker, Stuart MacAlpine Director of Wide Open Agriculture. Stuart presented a very broad and interesting topic ranging from the promotion of a new alternative business model at the Wheat belt to the journey of his company to the IPO of June 2018 when WOA entered the doors of the ASX. It is hard to summarise in brief the rich content of this presentation that gave the opportunity for many questions during and after the meeting to the point of having our guest speaker staying in the meeting room for an hour after the end! 
Many people expressed their suggestion to have the Breakfast Club at the Hilton more often, as we welcomed some members who couldn’t attend our lunch meetings for a long time. However, the aim of Perth Rotary is not to become a “Business Breakfast Club” as well as it cannot ignore the new opportunities and challenges of our time. This year the Club embraces the life of its Members by adding value to their family life, their business life and their social life and status through different meeting formats with different objectives.
 
On Friday, at the “After Business Cocktails at the Hiltonby Perth Rotary you will have the opportunity to invite all your networks, business associates and friends in an evening that will be discussed a lot!
Professor Jorg Imberger, fellow of the Australian Academy of Science will answer the question: “Human Extinction… Inevitable or Avoidable?” Professor Imberger has been directly responsible for the creation of associated organisations which together constitute one of the strongest groups in environmental fluid dynamics anywhere in the world. He and his colleagues are widely consulted on diverse environmental engineering problems both in Australia and overseas. 
 
Over the course of his career, Prof. Imberger has received the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal (1995), the Stockholm Water Prize (2001), and the A.C. Redfield Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), among others. He became a member of the Order of Australia in 1992, and a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1993. Imberger has been elected to an equivalent honor within the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, as well as the Institute of Engineers, Australia, American Geophysical Union (2007), and Royal Academy of Engineering (2008). He was elected to foreign membership within the United States National Academy of Engineering in 2006.
 
Prior to listening to Professor’s Imberger presentation I will take the liberty to answer to his rhetorical question by expressing my personal opinion that the human race will survive because it consists of high achievers like the members of this Club are…
 
The most recent example is the achievement that was made by Perth Rotary Corporate Member, Veritas managed by Past President Stephen Inouye.  Veritas was recognised as the “2nd Most Innovative Company” (Professional Services) in Australia at the AFR Boss Innovation Awards. 
Another ongoing and continuously growing achievement belongs to Rebecca Tolstoy AM and the Path of Hope, a project in support of the victims of the domestic violence that Rebecca started only a few years ago from our Club, under the guidance and the mentorship of Past President John Garland AM. Now this endeavour has conquered the world from the United Nations to the White House of the United States of America! On Friday, Rebecca will briefly provide us with the highlights of this journey and her vision for the future of Path of Hope.
We are privileged to have many more achievers in Perth Rotary and this year we will be presenting these members and their work, as role models for us and for the community. Watch this space!
 
Yours in Perth Rotary,
Vangelis Katsaitis
Perth Rotary President 2019-2020