Welcome to the Rotary Club of Western Endeavour

 
Are you an established professional who wants to make positive changes in your community and the world? Our club members are dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship. Becoming a Rotarian connects you with a diverse group who share your drive to give back.
My Home WA
My Home WA is the premier philanthropic organisation dedicated to providing comfortable affordable homes to women who had been living on the streets.
 
On Tuesday 27 February 2024, Michele Blakely, the architect who designed the homes and who is hands-on with each project told our club about Congdon Street homes and future My Home projects. 
Following the success of Congdon Street the WA state government decided to match future construction costs 50:50, whereas originally there had been little government interest.
 
Each 31 square meter home is prefabricated and has a sustainable solar energy design. They are sited to allow constant internal temperature throughout the year. Verandas are important add-ons to the homes as recreational spaces. 
 
24 homes are planned for Bishopsgate in Victoria Park, another 20 homes in Mandurah and 12 more in Albany.
 
For all sites, land is gifted by the state and charities. Lottery West and other charities including the Bendat Family Foundation, contribute funding to construction. Services are provided by charities like St Patricks Community Support Centre in Fremantle. 
Our Rotary club donated funds towards the fit out of each Congdon Street homes. 
 
Michele was roundly applauded by those present for her contribution to My Home and our club will follow the progress of the new homes with great interest.
 
Click the button below to discover more about My Home. 
Author Marcus Harris
Home Page Stories
     
 
Kim Hughes entertained members of our club when we joined Rotary Club of Osborne Park at their meeting on Tuesday 17th September.
 
Hughes was born on 26th January 1954 in Margaret River, the first child of Stan who was a teacher at the one-teacher school in Kudardup, and Ruth. The family travelled around Western Australia as Stan was moved from school to school until he was posted to the Allendale primary school in Geraldton, as headmaster.
 
Hughes played a variety of sports until he became interested in cricket at age 11 and was selected to play in U16 Country Week sides for several years. this brought him to the attention of cricket administrators. After Hughes finished primary school, the family moved to Perth and he continued his cricket career. He made his first-grade debut at age 15 and in 1970 was selected to play for WA in the U-19 cricket carnival.
 
After finishing high school, Hughes attended Graylands Teachers College to train as a primary school teacher. Graylands was established as a stop-gap measure but by the time Hughes arrived it had been operating for two decades and the facilities were run down and almost derelict. In 1974, his final year at Graylands, Hughes was elected President of the student council and in this role he led a campaign to improve the facilities for the faculty and students. 
His first job as a teacher was at Linden Park Primary School in during his attempt to make the South Australian team in 1974. 
 
After teaching, he found employment in the finance industry, working first for City Building Society as a promotions manager and later for Town & Country Building Society in a marketing role. Town & Country used Hughes to promote their business both in advertising and in through direct contact with investors. In return, Hughes was afforded time away from work to pursue cricket. The General Manager of Town & Country described the relationship: "[Hughes] was a great player, well presented, good looking. He was a family man. He fitted the Town & Country mould admirably.
 
At the age of only 24, Hughes was given the captaincy of the Australian Test team, becoming the first Western Australian Test Captain of Australia and the second youngest in Australian history. He went on to lead his country 28 times.  Kim Hughes also captained WA 28 times and was at the helm during three Sheffield Shield victories. 
 
Kim spoke of the great influences he had in his life who encouraged him to see the positives in his game. The mantra was 'don't dwell on what went wrong, find what you did well and focus on that' and he firmly believes this. "If you are going to make a duck, make sure it's the best duck."
 
He spoke about his addiction to alcohol and the impact it had on his life and his journey to sobriety and the importance of having the right influences to help you in your life. At least men feel they can get together now for a chat with a coffee, not an alcoholic drink.
 
Read more here.
 
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After a brief overview, a tour of the facility and watching a safety video, a team of club members and their partners spent their morning packing food parcels at Foodbank last week. We worked in an assembly line putting together packs of food which will be made available for purchase by customers of Foodbank.
 
Our club also supports Foodbank by running a Cans for Christmas collection, usually at the end of November so contact us if you are interested in donating or helping out.

In 2007 our club was alerted to a situation in the Maasai village of Kimuka in Kenya. We were made aware that even getting clean water was not possible, so our first task was to install a rainwater tank to the school.

This engagement led us to becoming aware that many children couldn’t attend the primary school because they couldn’t afford the state required uniform or shoes. We were able to supply these and also funded an extra teacher.

A multi-faceted community development and renewal process.
 
FASD occurs when women who are pregnant or breast feeding their children after birth AND they consume alcohol (in small or large amounts).
 
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and breast feeding after birth interferes with the development of babies. The impact of alcohol consumption takes many forms and variable severity. The impacts relate to the baby's developmental stage. They also relate to the duration of alcohol consumption. It can impact on organs such as kidneys, facial features, intellectual, emotional development, memory and brain processing functions.