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President Nick Hamilton-Kane's Message
12 October 2023
Dear Rotarians and friends of Rotary, This week we have all been stunned by the horrific resurgence of trouble in the Middle East. The incursion by Hamas militants into Israel, accompanied by the shocking and sickening massacre of civilians - men, women, young people, children and babies - has inevitably been followed by Israel's response of terrifying air strikes and the cutting of vital supplies to Gaza, increasing the suffering of the residents of that benighted territory. This escalation in violence has caused grief and horror across the world. Perhaps it is not surprising that passions have also been enflamed, with longstanding hatreds being reignited and the ugly spectre of anti-semitism bursting to the surface. One of Rotary International's key causes is Promoting Peace. As it says on the RI website: "Rotary encourages conversations to foster understanding within and across cultures. We train adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict and help refugees who have fled dangerous areas." It is true that as we Strathfield Rotarians sit smugly in our leafy suburb, far from the bullets and missiles flying in Israel and Palestine, we cannot hope to solve the problems of a region which have become engrained through a complex mess of competing interests, historical misjudgement, desperation of a diaspora for a cultural and religious homeland in the face of centuries of persecution, displacement of another people through conflict, the squalor of refugee camps and terrorism. Although we are fortunate to live in a peaceful, democratic and liberal country, as we have seen over the last few days, in local communities not far from our own, strong feelings are not far beneath the surface. At times like this we should reflect on what we can do as Rotarians to promote peace, whether it be, as a club, by supporting community or humanitarian projects that indirectly help mitigate tensions, participating in local events that bring peoples from different communities together peacefully, or, individually, simply by encouraging reflection and not succumbing to natural feelings of anger and hatred at the unfolding events. We should not underestimate how important education is in providing the building blocks for peace, by promoting understanding, fighting ignorance and prejudice and encouraging solutions. In that regard, our speakers over the last couple of weeks have demonstrated different aspects of education. Last week, Sue Clark, our District Community Chair, spoke to the Club about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a wonderful initiative to get books into the hands of pre-school children putting them on an early path to a love of reading and learning. This week Lisa Brown, Principal of Meriden School, gave her insightful reflections on what encourages leadership in young women, enabling them to compete in the modern world. We were joined by a couple of other key local educators, Mechel Pikoulas, Principal of Strathfield Girls High School and Jennie Dalamagas, Deputy Principal Homebush Boys High School. I truly believe Youth Service is one of the main areas where we in Strathfield Rotary can add real value but supporting young people and I would like to double down to extend our reach to other schools. Talking of education, applications for RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) are open. RYLA is a wonderful initiative which gives the opportunity for young people (school leavers and after) to develop their confidence, perspective and leadership skills. If you know anyone who is interested, please let David Croft know. Don't forget, next week I will be interviewing Rtn Aruna Chandrala about her life, career and what drives her. The following week Keith Roffey will talk to us about the amazing work of the The Rotary Foundation. Then on 1st November, something not to be missed: the actor and TV star Paula Duncan will come to talk to us, promoting a wonderful cause the Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation. Please invite your partners and guests. Please put these details in your diaries now!
Best wishes,
Nick Hamilton-Kane
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