Serving the Community since 1985

In Gear 2018—2019

ROTARY CLUB OF BEAUMARIS WEEKLY BULLETIN Number 44 3 June 2019

President’s Report Next Meetings

Mark Perelaer shared THURSDAY 6 JUNE
stories from his family SPEAKER: SIMON CUNNINGTON
history with on Thurs- TOPIC; YACHTING
day night. Mark in- CHAIR: MARY SEALY
cluded many precious AV SUPPORT: DAVID LEA
CASH DESK: TRISH SMYTH & ROY SEAGER
photos from past gen-
erations and took us THURSDAY 13 JUNE
through his ancestors’ SPEAKER : DAVID HONE,
journey, through the TOPIC : PRESIDENT ELECT SPEECH
CHAIR : ADRIAN CULSHAW
war time and resettle-
AV SUPPORT: JOHN MANKS
ment. CASH DESK: JOHN BEATY, PETER FLUDE

THURSDAY 20 JUNE
This week’s speaker VOCATIONAL / FELLOWSHIP:
Simon Cunnington is SANDRINGHAM HOSPITAL / HIGHETT RSL
SEE DETAILS ON PAGE 2
a former professional
sailor and Mary’s son. THURSDAY 27 JUNE
Simon has some fas- CHANGEOVER NIGHT
cinating stories to tell about sailing around the World and the 6:30 PM FOR 7:00 PM
evolution of the sport. Some of his achievements include18 MORE DETAILS ON PAGE 2
Sydney to Hobarts, Whitbread Around the World Race 93-94
(Now Volvo Ocean Race), Americas Cup 95-96, Etchell World
Championships, Admirals Cup & Fastnet Races, Transatlantic
Races.
Dates for your diary:
June 11th – Combined Board Meeting including both outgoing
and incoming board members
June 13th - PE David Hone will be outlining plans for his year
2019-2020
June 20th - Vocational visit to Sandringham Hospital followed
by dinner at Highett RSL
Unless stated otherwise venue is
June 22nd – District Changeover Night at Southern Golf Club Victoria Golf Club 6.30 for 7.00
June 27th - Changeover Night at Victoria Golf Club
Contents
1 Presidents Report
2 Notices
3/5 This Week’s Speaker
6/7 Club Sponsors
8 Club Structure / Photo of Week
 R OT AR Y C L U B OF BE AU M AR IS B U L L ET IN – SER VIN G T H E COM M U N IT Y SINC E 1985

Vocational / Fellowship: Sandringham

Hospital 20 June
Judy Reeves, Director of Nursing, Sandringham Hospital is available on Thursday 20th June at 5.15pm to conduct a
tour of the Sandringham Community Bank Day Procedure Centre for Beaumaris Rotary members.
Members will be aware of our support for this Day Procedure Centre (Marked at 12 on map below) and it will be good
to see how Club Funds have assisted.
We will meet at the main entrance at 5.10 pm and then proceed to the reception area of the Sandringham Communi-
ty Bank Day Procedure Centre ,Judy will meet the group there.
A booking has then been made for 6.30 pm at Highett RSL, 1 Station Street Highett. This is a members and partners
event.
Mary Cunnington has kindly agreed to do the numbers etc so please let her know if you are coming.

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R OT AR Y C L U B OF BE AU M AR IS B U L L ET IN – SER VIN G T H E COM M U N IT Y SINC E 1985

Speaker: Mark Perelaer tant at Tyree Electrical, a Westinghouse company.

My father Jurjen (Joe) was Dutch. Yet apart from high school
Topic; New Member Talk and college years, he had lived his whole life in the Dutch East
Indies (Indonesia). His father and grandfather were career army
Mark gave a fascinating and engaging talk about his family his-
officers.
tory and rather than risk spoiling it by inappropriate editing I
A great uncle Michael, also a colonial army officer became a
have reproduced it as he wrote it.
successful fiction author of the late 1800s, drawing heavily on
his experiences in the exotic far-east. One of his translated nov-
Fellow members and guests.
els, “Ran Away from the Dutch: Borneo from South to
I’m grateful for this opportunity to talk to you this evening. I
North” (1887) was favourably reviewed by the New York Times.
hope to tell you a little a bit about my heritage and my life.
After completing his degree in tropical agriculture, my father
Like many people moving towards retirement, a few years ago I
returned to Java in 1933 where he held a succession of posi-
started to think about how I could start giving back to the com-
tions as a plantation manager.
munity. Preparing for this address has led me to reflect on
When war came, he was captured 8th March 1942, by the Japa-
some of the resonances in my background that may have ulti-
nese, and transported to Japan along with thousands of other
mately led me to Rotary, and I would like to share some of
allied troops. He spent the rest of the conflict in a Prisoner of
those thoughts w
War camp in Nagasaki, compelled to work as a welder in the
My parents could not have come from more different back-
Mitsubishi naval shipbuilding yards.
grounds. Their coming together was almost chance. But in each
Freedom came 9th Aug 1945 with the dropping of second atom-
other found love and an enduring commonality of purpose and
ic bomb. It was two weeks before the surviving POWs were
endeavour.
evacuated by the Americans. His account of this episode in his
On my mother’s side, in 1919 my then newly married grandpar-
life may be the subject of another talk if members are interest-
ents, Matthew Kennedy, a merchant seaman, and Ida (nee
ed.
Skinner) a seamstress and piano teacher, pioneered the area
Unfit to return to the Dutch East Indies, he was transported to
known as Green Valley about 20 miles south-west of Sydney.
Manila and then Brisbane to recuperate. On being given a clean
They purchased 26 acres of land to establish a market garden.
bill of health he returned to Indonesia but in post war Asian
The couple had three daughters Connie, Marion and Elaine. A
countries, the appetite for independence from colonial rule had
son Alan passed away in infancy.
grown. Indonesia was no exception. By late 1946 my father
But Matthew was often away at sea and left the running of the
could see that remaining was untenable and considered three
farm to Ida. As a child, I heard stories of Ida’s kindness during
options:
the depression to the unemployed itinerants who would come to
Return to Holland, which had been decimated during the war
the property offering a day’s picking or hoeing in return for a
Emigrate to Brazil, of which he knew little, or
square meal.
Go to Australia of which he had some knowledge and liked the
In the Ida Kennedy Reserve named in her memory, the dedica-
open, forthright people. This is the option he chose.
tion plaque says of her:
He sold his car and other large possessions and arrived in Syd-
“She dedicated much of her life to assisting her neighbours,
ney after a long stormy flight via Darwin, Bowen, and Brisbane.
either as the local dressmaker or as a general helper and confi-
In Sydney he eventually met a fellow Dutchman who had immi-
dante in time of crisis. Besides growing fruit and vegetables and
grated to Australia before the war. Charlie Schilling offered him
raising livestock on her Green Valley farm, she became a
work and home cooking on his farm at Green Valley. Charlie
champion tomato picker achieving a rate of over 100 boxes a
also told him about a vibrant young woman, Connie – separated
day. She was a pillar of the school’s P & C Association, and a
with two children – from a nearby farm.
founding member of the local press association. In addition she
My parents married in 1950, bought a 20 acre bush-block at
belonged to the Liverpool Senior Citizens’ Association, the Liv-
Hoxton Park. My father cleared the land, erected a shed and
erpool CWA and choir, the Liverpool Historical Society; the Liv-
started building our family home.
erpool Hospital Auxiliary and the local branch of the Red Cross.
When I was growing up my father worked for the Australian
She discharged these public-spirited responsibilities while car-
Army at 2 Base Workshop, Moorebank, spending some of this
ing lovingly for her elderly parents, and successfully raising a
time as an inspector of Amphibious Vehicles.
family of her own. Ida’s sense of community spirit lives on as an
My parents worked hard to create a better life. By selling off 5-
example to us all.”
acre parcels of their land over the years, they were able to ex-
My mother Connie left school at 14, and went to technical col-
tend our home, pay for our education and buy a holiday cot-
lege where she learned dressmaking and secretarial skills. In
tage. After retirement they travelled often, including trips to
the early 1940’s she worked in the typing pool at the FH Fauld-
Holland and Indonesia.
ing pharmaceutical factory in Redfern.
I was born 5th October 1955, five years to the day after my par-
Later she was a typist / stenographer at the new De Havilland
ents wedding.
aircraft factory at Bankstown, where the Mosquito fast bomber
As a young child, I loved the area where I grew up. Our neigh-
was being manufactured.
bours were a mix of trotting trainers, market gardeners, flower
She held similar roles throughout my upbringing and finished
growers and orchardists. We local children played in the scrub
her career as what today would be called an Executive Assis-

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 R OT AR Y C L U B OF BE AU M AR IS B U L L ET IN –
and among the stables. In the very early
morning, bandicoots could still occasion-
ally be seen, but fox numbers were ris-
ing. Snakes were regular visitors in sum-
mer.
I cannot say I was always the most at-
tentive or well behaved student. I tended
to do well in subjects where I liked the
teacher, such as History. I changed
schools in year 10. Attending the local
public high school saw my marks im-
prove
suffi-
ciently to matriculate. I went
on to gain a bachelor of Com-
merce from the University of
Wollongong.
After graduating, I worked in
administration at the Universi-
ty of NSW for two years, sav-
ing enough for my first over-
seas trip.
In 1980 on my return from
overseas, I was reluctant to
return to an office environ-
ment and wanted something
different. Having gone straight
from school to university I
didn’t really know that much
about life. I decided to move
to Melbourne. I liked the
more leisurely pace of Mel-
bourne and its madly parochi-
al football which took a few
years to understand for a rugby playing northerner.
On first arriving in Melbourne, I worked as a Taxi Driver for a
short time. “What better way to get to know my way around?” I
thought. Not only did I learn my way around but began to see
the variety of humanity.
Later that year, I commenced training as an enrolled nurse, a
field in which I spent seven years. A good portion of it was at
SER VIN G T H E COM M U N IT Y SINC E 1985
the Royal Melbourne Hos-
pital, where luckily in 1985
I was first impressed by a
young nurse with a great
sense of fun and camara-
derie. I saw first-hand
Ann’s skill as nurse and
saw clearly that a smile
and a chat would do just
as much to lift a patient’s
spirits as the best medi-
cines. In the 29 years of
our marriage I have come
to greatly appreciate her
generosity of spirit.
Not long after that, the
Hospital began to consider
introducing of computers for storing medical records and estab-
lished a working group to look at it. I became very interested. I
bought a personal computer, taught myself how to use it,
learned how to write programs and became an early adopter of
software packages that are now commonplace and began
working through agencies for Banks and Insurance companies
constructing financial models.
I was lucky enough to catch an early wave in the massive para-
digm shift that almost thirty five years later has put more com-
puting power into our smart phones than that used for all the
Apollo missions.
Ann and I had our first major travel adventure together in 1988
when we journeyed through Thailand and India and trekked in
western Nepal near the Annapurna range.
In 1989, my father’s health seriously deteriorated and we trav-
elled to Sydney to visit him in hospital. This was the first time he
had met Ann. When she had stepped out of the room briefly he
said to me: “You’ve got a good one there Mark. Don’t let that
one go”.
He passed away soon after we returned to Melbourne. We mar-
ried in May 1990
[We bought our first home in Yarraville a short while later and
had three daughters, Meg (now 27), Sophie (23) and Jemma
(21).
I became a Technical
Writer in 1988 and wrote
and fully published tech-
nical manuals for Retail
Automation, Honda Aus-
tralia, Fujitsu, and the
City of Footscray. In
1993, I became a senior
consultant at Armstrong
Fleming Pty Ltd whose
clients included, ANZ
Bank, BHP, Common-
wealth Department of
Social Security and Vi-
cRoads.
1998 saw another career
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 R OT AR Y C L U B OF BE AU M AR IS B U L L ET IN –
change when I joined F&S Management Consulting as a Pro-
ject Manager. At different consultancies over the years I have
worked for clients such as Telstra, Gas and Fuel Corporation,
GE Capital. More recently I worked in Program Management at
Sensis / Yellow Pages and at the University of Melbourne and
in in infrastructure deployment roles at Arthur J Gallagher Insur-
ance.
Having well and truly outgrown our house in Yarraville, we
moved to our current home in East Brighton in 2000.
After a long battle with dementia, my mother passed away in
2015.
Later that same year, at a ceremony in Canberra we had the
proud honour of finally receiving my father’s war medals from
Colonel Harold Jacobs, Defence Attaché of the Netherlands for
Australia and New Zealand.
Interests
Languages - With a father who spoke a handful of languages, it
is perhaps no surprise that I developed a keen interest in Euro-
pean languages, especially French which I took up again seven
years ago and in which I can now have a reasonable conversa-
tion.
History – I have always been fond of History and will devour
books on Ancient Babylon, the late Roman Empire the Dark
Ages or the French Revolution.
Travel – We are both lovers of travel, whether it is a weekend
trip to Tasmania or yet another stay in France.
Why Rotary?
So how have I been shaped by those in my family? What val-
ues have I formed? I think I can characterise them as follows:
SER VIN G T H E COM M U N IT Y SINC E 1985
Never give up - persevere
Perseverance in adversity is a quality that seems to have been
shown by many of my forebears, not least my father’s survival
of three gruelling years in a POW camp.
Be innovative and self-reliant
My father also provided an excellent example of the virtues
practicality and reliance on ones own resources. For him, if a
problem didn’t at first seem solvable he would ponder, some-
times for days, but eventually find a way. If a tool didn’t exist for
a particular task, he would make one.
Be ready to lend a neighbour an ear and a hand
The spirit of generosity and community involvement shown by
my grandmother are a valuable yardstick I can hold myself to.
Our family has also been the beneficiary of community service.
When my father passed away, Legacy helped my mother, with
day to day administration including providing a Dutch translator
to ensure she could continue to receive my father’s Dutch war
pension.
My parents were active members of various groups where they
found fellowship including the Liverpool Historical Society and
the Netherlands Ex-Servicemen & Women’s Association. My
mother was a Toastmistress for many years holding various
club positions.
In conclusion, I hope that with these personal values and be-
liefs, combined with those of Rotary I can be of service to the
community.
Below: Anne and Mark Perelaer, President Heather and
Sue and John Manks
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R OT AR Y C L U B OF BE AU M AR IS B U L L ET IN – SER VIN G T H E COM M U N IT Y SINC E 1985

For details about the latest travel deals follow this link: https://destinationhq.com.au/luxury/

237 Bay Road,

Cheltenham VIC 3192
03 8535 7980

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R OT AR Y C L U B OF BE AU M AR IS B U L L ET IN – SER VIN G T H E COM M U N IT Y SINC E 1985

Special Notice From Destination HQ

1.5% of any travel bookings from Beaumaris Rotary Club Members,

family and friends at Destination HQ Beaumaris will be returned to the
Beaumaris Rotary Club at the end of the year.

PLEASE make the consultant aware that you’re from the Rotary Club at
the beginning of the booking. This ensures that the booking is tracked
and
reported back to their admin at the time.

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R OT AR Y C L U B OF BE AU M AR IS B U L L ET IN – SER VIN G T H E COM M U N IT Y SINC E 1985

RCOB Club Structure 2018 – 2019

RCOB Board Club Service & Administration

President Heather Chisholm Almoners Jan Cooper/Roy Downes
Secretary Roy Seager Archivist TBA
Treasurer Lynda Doutch Arts Community Liaison Max Darby
President Elect David Hone Assistant Treasurer James Glenwright
Past President Chris D’Arcy Attendance & Dining David Hone
Community Chris Werner Auditor Tony Phillips
International John Sime Club Photographer Max Darby
Youth Chris Martin Club Protection Officer Ken Mirams
Communications David Lea/Adrian Culshaw
Community – Chris Werner Chair Fellowship & Vocational Trish/Kerrie/Mary Cunnington
John Beaty Adrian Culshaw Foundation John Beaty
Mary Cunnington Max Darby Light Bulb Moment Martin Fothergill
Roy Downes Martin Fothergill Marketing & PR Peter Flude/Greg Every
Kerrie Geard Chris Mara Membership Tony Phillips/Megan Glenwright
Tony Phillips Mary Sealy On to Conference Chris D’Arcy
John Turner Mark Perelaer Program Kerrie Geard/Adrian Culshaw
International – John Sime Chair Social Media Adrian Culshaw/Mary Sealy
Fred Hofmann John Manks
Ken Mirams Robert McArthur Bayside Charity Golf Day - Martin Fothergill Chair
Ross Phillips Clem Quick Peter Flude James Glenwright
Richard Potter Gail Anderson Richard Jones Jim O’Brien
Youth – Chris Martin Chair Tony Phillips Lynda Doutch
Jan Cooper Bridget Hage
Lois Lindsay Tony McKenna District Service – Trish Smyth Chair
Antony Nixon David Rushworth District Compliance Officer Ken Mirams
Malcolm Sawle Vivienne Zoppolato District Membership Trish Smyth

Indigenous – David Hone Chair Farmers Market – Bridget Hage Co-ordinator

Adrian Culshaw Lynda Doutch Greg Every Peter Flude
Martin Fothergill Chris Mara Wolf Fritze Charmaine Jansz
Robert McArthur (Trachoma) Chris Mara Ken Mirams
Geoff Stringer Vivienne Zoppolato

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