Speakers

Youth suicide is the last taboo. In Australia, adolescents are the only group in the community whose health has not improved over the past thirty years, and youth suicide rates are now higher than deaths from road accidents across all age groups.

For nearly 20 years, Phil Wheatley, a member of the Rotary Club of Brighton North, has been a driving force in the Youth Suicide Awareness program and has spoken at countless Rotary club meetings spreading the message and obtaining support to sponsor people in regular contact with youth to undertake the Graduate Diploma in Adolescent Health.  Over that period there have been in excess of 135 scholarships awarded throughout the District and a total investment by 35 clubs in the District of in excess of $500,000 to such scholarships.  

Since 2016, Michael has served as CEO of Very Special Kids, a not-for-profit organisation that supports children with life-threatening conditions by providing a children’s hospice and professional family support services.

Prior to this role, he was Executive Director with MatchWorks which provides specialist employment services to people with a disability, medical condition or injury.

Michael is also Vice President of the Werribee Football Club.

The K Road Cliffs are iconic to Wyndham. A draft master plan has been developed to guide the long-term protection and enhancement of the K Road Cliffs and Sue is seeking feedback from the public.

Located on the banks of the Werribee River, the K Road Cliffs are known for their sculptural red clay formations, significant habitat for migratory birds and as a much loved local fishing spot.

Dorothy Gilmour has been a Rotarian for 3 years with Rotary Melbourne.  As an Educator in Social Sciences and Therapist in Trauma, Loss and Grief in our community for many years,  Dorothy has the greatest of empathy and understanding for the plight of people experiencing abuse and suffering.

As a member of Rotary Melbourne, Dorothy has been awarded the Royce Abbey Award and a Paul Harris for her enthusiasm and commitment to Rotary which she has now applied to create the Rotary Safe Families initiative.  Her aim is to provide all Rotarians and communities with the ability to be able to identify and prevent abuse in families including our elderly and then be proactive in locating support for the victim.

The Rotary Safe Families program has been officially adopted as a Rotary 100 Years Celebration 2021 initiative available to all Rotary Clubs in Australia as a continuing drive to stamp out family violence and elder abuse.  By championing the Safe Families initiative in your Club and becoming informed via the workshops,  we can all be “part of the solution” by having the “tools” to act, support and hopefully prevent  family violence and elder abuse. 

Dr. Cally Berryman is a drugs, alcohol and gambling counsellor. She has worked in the areas of gambling dependence and substance abuse for over 20 years – as a counsellor, in academic teaching and in program development and coordination. She has been instrumental in developing a number of high-interest areas in drugs and alcohol and rehabilitation for RMIT in acute medical, surgical, community and rehabilitation areas. 

Gambling is a very common activity in Australia with 70 to 80% of adults gambling at some time in their lives. Although many people gamble without it turning into a harmful problem, almost 200,000 people in Australia struggle with problem gambling. As more gambling advertising spend is directed at women, female gambling in Australia is on the rise. Dr. Berryman, author of fictional novel - The Accidental Gambler doesn't believe that problem gambling is a sign of weakness. She believes that pokies are designed to hook people. Dr. Berryman will talk about her book and shed light on the dark world of female problem gambling and how many vulnerable women are drawn to gambling to deal with grief, trauma, depression and unresolved issues. Dr. Berryman will also outline what help is available for anyone trapped in the cycle of gambling addiction.

Dr Clark is currently Head of the Australian Space Agency and a director of Rio Tinto, CSL Limited and CARE Australia. She is a member of the Australian advisory board of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Dr Clark recently chaired the Expert Working Group into the Review of Australia’s Space Industry Capability. She was Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) from 2009 to 2014.  Prior to CSIRO, she was a Director at NM Rothschild and Sons (Australia) and was Vice President Technology and subsequently Vice President Health, Safety and Environment at BHP Billiton from 2003 to 2008. 

Dr Clark holds a BSc from the University of Western Australia and a PhD from Queen’s University, Canada and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, a Fellow of the AusIMM and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  In 2014, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia.