Booragoon Rotary

Another delivery of sleeping bags and underwear to St Pats Community Support Centre

RYPEN’S CALL TO YOUNG ADULTS: STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
The call for nominations has gone out for the next weekend camp under the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment, to be held on May 1-3.
RYPEN is a unique Rotary program that helps young people discover their potential and develop essential life skills by taking part in an exciting and transformative weekend camp. Through interactive workshops, team challenges, adventure courses and hands-on activities, the participants gain confidence, leadership skills and a stronger sense of responsibility toward their community.
All those selected to take part in RYPEN are sponsored by Rotary clubs. Booragoon Rotary is a long-term supporter of the program and is proud of the dozens of young people who have enjoyed the life-changing experience it gives them.
Who should apply?
Young people aged 14-17 who –
✅ Are eager to grow but may not yet have had leadership experience.
✅ Would benefit from a structured confidence-building program.
✅ Are looking to develop teamwork and problem-solving skills.
✅ Want to make new friends and have a fun, inspiring weekend.
If this fits you (or someone in your family), please advise us by contacting [email protected] or calling 0432 298 325.
The weekend camp will be held at the Serpentine Camping Centre, 22 Transit Road in Jarrahdale. Arrival time is 4.30-5pm on Friday, May 1 and departure at 2-2.30pm on Sunday, May 3.
Applications close on April 12. Click Here for the application form.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: THE WHATS, WHERES AND HOWS!
For those of us who have never known - or long ago forgot all we did know – about computer science, it seems these days that artificial intelligence has taken over just about all our interactions with the world with almost frightening speed.
So complete has the takeover been, the abbreviation AI has become ubiquitous – to the extent that no-one even bothers to spell it out anymore. And no, AI does not stand for A1 (excellent) or Al (everyone’s pal). More often, it’s a shortened form of AIEEEE (help!).
It’s there when your phone recognises your face or fingerprint, when a search engine somehow seems to anticipate what your next question is going to be, or when your car beeps loudly to alert you to a cyclist about to swoop past you on the wrong side.
If we don’t know the science, or understand its capabilities, how can we tell what it is doing, where it impacts our daily lives and how it does that.
Our guest speaker for the Booragoon Rotary meeting on Tuesday, March 17 (see details below) is AI consultant and postgraduate researcher, software architect and entrepreneur Kasun Wijayamanna, the founder and lead developer of Australian technology firm Hello People that specialises in AI solutions, software development, mobile applications and complex systems design.
Alongside his industry work, Kasun is conducting research on Artificial Intelligence and Retrieval-Augmented Generation at Curtin University for a postgraduate under the Higher Degree by Research scheme.
He describes the aim of his research as exploring how the technology can produce more reliable, explainable and decision-ready AI systems. “Technology should create real impact — that’s what continues to drive my work ...”
Kasun, and his wife Sony Sindhe, are well known to Booragoon Rotary. Kasun was a club member for over 10 years and served as club president in 2009-10.

NOTE: Booragoon Rotary welcomes visitors to meetings such as this or other guest speakers. We meet each Tuesday at 6pm in the Library at Dome Deep Water Point, 100 The Esplanade, Mount Pleasant. Please notify us by email to [email protected] at least a day ahead so we can advise the cafe of numbers. (We don’t charge a meeting fee, by the way. Members and visitors all order and pay for their own meals and drinks from the café menu.)

Rotary in an AI World
Maybe Artificial Intelligence (AI) will take away some peoples' jobs. Those people could lose their sense of purpose, some of their social connections and sense of self. That's where Rotary membership and volunteering can offer a reason to exist, a purpose in life.