Rotary Club of Parramatta City Newsletter for Monday 30 January 2012

1. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
COMMUNITY NETWORKER
ROTARY CLUB OF PARRAMATTA CITY
ROTARY YOUTH
PRESIDENT MESSAGE EXCHANGE
Last Monday we brought together one our RYLA and our two
PROGRAM
RYPENS participants to Northcott at North Parramatta. Jacob and
Jackie presented a great insight into their journey of discovery at the
RYPEN Camp and how it benefited their personal development, Jacob
for example went on to represent Australia in football at a Paris
International football competition and he acknowledged RYPEN gave
The Youth Exchange Program is an
him confidence on and off the field. international program which provides
young people with the opportunity to
Mark Cadman then introduced Stephen Cox one of our RYLA experience life in a different country,
culture and environment for up to one
participants and the entire membership were blown away by
year. The program is an extremely
Stephen’s achievements in his life and his changing response to each rewarding experience for all who
participate whether they be student,
stage of the RYLA program. After his presentation during the question club members, host families, district
personnel or the wider host
time he won the heart of Lisa Surian by singing a romantic ballad to our community. Most youth exchange
young mother to the point she was speechless (yes that’s right Lisa students participate in the year long
program, spending their year abroad
speechless). in a host school. A smaller number
participate in short term exchanges of
This week we have two speakers, Maria Padisetti speaking on Micro up to three months. These two
programs are for students aged 15 to
Credit lending in the third world. Prior to Maria speaking we have Aaron
19 whilst the New Generations
Cantor an Ambassadorial Scholar from Pittsburgh USA who is attending Exchange provides the same
opportunity for 18 to 25 year olds. The
the University of Queensland who has been staying at my place while major objective is to further
international goodwill and
on a short trip to Sydney. understanding by enabling students to
I mentioned last week that I was going to start a “want List”. study at first hand some of the
problems and accomplishments of
WANT No 1. people in lands other than their own.
There is an ambassadorial role
We are a vocational based service organization. Our members all implied in the exchange with students
have a business background and one of the major survival technics in being expected to impart as much
knowledge as they can of their own
businesses is succession planning. If we want our business to survive we country as well as sharing that
knowledge upon their return.
need to know that if anything happens to me, who understands my Applicants, who can be children of
Rotarians as well as non-Rotarians
business and can step up to the plate. Therefore my No 1 “want” is all and are accepted by a sponsoring
members put into practice what they already do in business, but this Rotary club after interview and club
selection. Final selection and
time it is a session plan for their membership of our club. That is, who will nomination resides with the district
youth exchange committee. All
replace me when I leave the Rotary Club of Parramatta City. We need students and their parents will take
to have in place a club survival practice of succession membership I part in a thorough orientation and
briefing program Outbound students
want every member to identify a successor for themselves by October are responsible for the provision of
round trip airfares, clothing,
2012 being our vocational month. By this date you will advise the comprehensive health and travel
insurance and incidental expenses.
membership Director who your successor is. The host Rotary club accepts the
Cheers responsibility of food and lodging with
arrangements made for regular
Barry Antees monthly living allowance and school
requirements. As an exchange
program, Rotary clubs wishing to
nominate students should be
prepared to arrange reciprocal
hosting. It is usual for hosting over the
twelve-month period to be shared by

2. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
January
30 Maria Padisetti- Micro Loans & Aaron Cantor- Ambassadorial Scholar
February
6 Lord Mayor-Lorraine Wearne
11 Rotary Club of Parramatta –Valentine Party
13 Debra Carr- Parramatta Mission
17 Rotary Club of Holroyd-Trivia Night St Pats School-Guilford
23 Rotary Day Transfer meeting to Sebel Parramatta
March
2 ARH- Golf Day at Riverside
3 Multi-District PETS- Campbelltown
5 Pride of Workmanship Evening
19 Michael Crosslands- Ignite the fire within
23-25 District Conference- Penrith
April
2 John Watters
29 District Assembly
30 Police Officer of the Year
May
6-9 International Convention-Bangkok
14 Australian Rotary Health- PHD Scholars night
TWO GUEST SPEAKERS FOR MONDAY
Maria Padisetti- Mirco Loans
Maria was born in Chennai and brought up in several countries including Ireland, New
Zealand and Australia. Growing up in India gave her the insight into the problems women and young children
faced which in a lot of cases led to the lack of self confidence and self esteem. As a result Maria throughout
her school and university working life always chose to work alongside her parents with the aged, the disabled
and the poor. Her passion has always been to work with women and children in India and Africa.

3. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
After a career in Engineering, Maria Padisetti founded Digital Armour Corporation (DA), with her husband,
in February 2002. Through innovative and customer focused thinking Maria helped grow the business from $0
to 7-figure revenue in 3 years with minimum capital, no contacts in a new country, a young toddler and a
difficult IT market. DA now services customers Australia wide with companies in several industries from 10 users
to 1000 users.
As she experienced obstacles and major difficulties through the growth of the business, Maria realised that
she was actually quite fortunate to have the life that she lead along with the people that she loved.
She realised one day during her toughest challenge that she really did not have to wait until she was a multi
millionaire to help those who were less fortunate, particularly in developing nations. In her quest for searching
for a solution to help, Maria came across the concept of microfinance. She realised that it made perfect
sense to get involved somehow in this area, as it combined her passion of helping women and children in
developing nations build self confidence and self esteem along with business. After having spoken to and
seen sufficient success stories in the area of microfinance she decided to start the ball rolling in late 2010 to
establish RedHands.
The more Maria spoke to other women about this concept, the more she realised that several people
wanted to help but didn’t have a channel to do so. Maria created this channel to empower these women
through education and microfinance.
The vision is to create a movement that enables communities of women helping communities of women in
developing nations. The mission of RedHands is to empower women living in poverty in developing countries
achieve financial independence, self esteem and confidence through funding and supporting the creation
of their own small businesses.
AARON CANTOR- AMBASSADORIAL SCHOLAR
Aaron grew up in Pennsylvania and recently graduated from the University of
Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree in April 2011. He undertook a
dual major in microbiology and history & philosophy of science, a certificate in
conceptual foundations of medicine, and a minor in chemistry. I like to bicycle,
play the drumset, play racquetball, and my main hobby is woodturning (check
out my other website).
Aaron was extremely fortunate to learn about the Rotary Ambassadorial
Scholarship through a family friend that lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The
neat concept behind this scholarship is that Rotarians and their family members are not eligible, so
Ambassadorial Scholars are people who are initially unfamiliar with Rotary. However, these same students
have remarkable opportunities to learn about this service organization and meaningfully contribute to
the humanitarian goals of Rotary during their time abroad. After completing the application process in
August 2010, I was selected to represent Rotary District 7300 of the Greater Pittsburgh Area; my sponsor is the
Oakland Rotary Club.
During his year abroad, I will serve as an ambassador of goodwill to Rotary District 9600 on behalf of the
United States primarily by interacting with Rotary and non-Rotary audiences through presentations, social
events, and academic settings in Brisbane, Queensland. He will also be working on a research project that

4. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
aims to determine the mechanism of action of a novel chemotherapeutic agent isolated from an Australian
rainforest plant with the Drug Discovery Group at the University of Queensland and the Queensland Institute
of Medical Research. Importantly, I will be helping my hosts, Rotary of Fortitude Valley, with service projects
as well as volunteering my time in the community. Aaron looks forward to making lasting friendships along
the way and traveling across Australia and hopefully New Zealand and Tasmania!
Shortly after returning from this extraordinary set of opportunities, Aaron will start medical school at Penn State
in August 2012 and make sure to share my experiences with local Rotary clubs and other interested groups.
DAVID’S PEARLS
Tennis
An otherwise happily married couple may turn a mixed doubles game into a scene from
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
-Rod Laver
The serve was invented so that the net could play.
-Bill Cosby
Tennis is not a gentle game. Psychologically, it is vicious. That people are only just beginning to
come to terms with this fact illustrates just how big a con trick has been perpetrated on the
non-playing tennis public - and even a few players, usually losing players - for decades.
-Richard Evans
It's one-on-one out there, man. There ain't no hiding. I can't pass the ball.
-Pete Sampras

5. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
ROTARY LEADERS ARE READY TO BUILD 'PEACE THROUGH
SERVICE' AFTER INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY
RI President-elect Sakuji Tanaka leads the flag procession during the
opening plenary session of the 2012 International Assembly on 16
January in San Diego, California, USA. Rotary Images/Alyce Henson
Rotary International on Facebook
Incoming district governors left the 2012 International Assembly in
San Diego, California, USA, equipped with new skills and ideas to
develop stronger districts and clubs in 2012-13.
RI President-elect Sakuji Tanaka began the weeklong training event
by asking the 530 governors-elect to build Peace Through Service.
"Peace, in all of the ways that we can understand it, is a real goal
and a realistic goal for Rotary," Tanaka said. "Peace is not
something that can only be achieved through agreements, by
governments, or through heroic struggles. It is something that we
can find and that we can achieve, every day and in many simple
ways." Read more
Brian Beesley, governor-elect of District 9650 (Australia), said the theme is relevant to Rotarians of all
ages and ethnicities, and that he’ll apply it to help attract younger members.
Later in the week, Rotary Foundation Trustee John F. Germ told attendees that Rotary’s Challenge had
reached the US$200 million milestone. Jeff Raikes, chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, announced an additional $50 million grant from the Gates Foundation, which is not a
challenge grant, to extend the partnership.
“My biggest worry is that we aren’t moving urgently enough to close that final 1 percent gap. We
simply have to finish the job,” Raikes said. “Rotary is a critical part of making that happen.” Read more
Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair William B. Boyd discussed Rotary’s progress on the Future Vision
pilot, explaining that the new grant model will re-energize clubs by helping them focus on symptoms,
not causes, and seek out projects with long-term benefits.
"We are here to serve, and each one of us is a Rotarian because we know that our lives are measured by
what we do for others and not by what we do for ourselves," he said. Read more
Rotary Public Image Coordinator Jennifer E. Jones also addressed the district governors-elect,
emphasizing the importance of telling Rotary’s story in a compelling way.

6. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
“Your job this year is to motivate and inspire your fellow Rotarians, and it is through the power of your
words that you can inspire someone to greatness,” she explained.
Speaking at clubs is key, said Jones, who noted that effective presentations focus on the human story
and make an emotional connection with the audience.
RI General Secretary John Hewko also spelled out five priorities for strengthening Rotary and putting it
on the best footing for its second century.
“Rotary is an organization with an incredible history and there is no question that its best years are yet to
come,” Hewko said. “These five priorities, as well as many others, will strengthen our great organization
and have a significant, positive impact down to the level of the club and individual Rotarian.” Read
more
Throughout the week, incoming district governors also participated in training sessions designed to give
them the tools they need to create a stronger Rotary.
RI President Kalyan Banerjee provided attendees with his own tips for building stronger clubs, including
serving as role models and leading as equals. He explained that leadership in Rotary means giving
support -- not giving orders.
“To really succeed, you have to look past yourself, past your year, and into the long term, at the health
of your community and our organization,” Banerjee concluded. Read more
At the closing banquet, he encouraged district governors-elect to approach their year with peace in mind.
“All of you are leaving here as every district-governor elect should: determined to make your year in
Rotary office the best year yet,” Banerjee said. “You are leaving here as well with a great and noble
goal: making 2012-13 a year of Peace Through Service.”
ROTARY DAY-MEETING
Prashanth has organized a dinner for members & partners to attend at the Two Forks
Resturant, Sebel Hotel Parramatta on Thursday 23rd February. $45.00 for two course
meal arrive 7pm for 7.30 dinner.

7. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
FACEBOOK
We have now available for the club a new facebook page the shortcut is
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotary-Club-of-Parramatta-City/108769975845097
Please visit, make comments, open discussions and for your initial visit please hit the “like button”. The
reason is the more members who like the page, we receive additional features. The Facebook page is not a
substitute for our website, but more of an additional way to reach our audience.