Julie’s Jots
Our Board meeting on Wednesday night decided to adopt corporate membership for the Club. Ann Hegerty had researched the subject and reported to the Board.
This week two Narooma High Year 11 students sponsored by our Club are attending the Engineering Summer School. They are Harmony Cannon and Ziggy Kewetin Smith (please see more details below). I hope we will be able to hear from Harmony and Ziggy at our Youth night on 30 January, or at a February meeting. I know they will benefit hugely from this experience.
Last Thursday night was a fascinating and entertaining night with guest speaker Bronwyn Jewel. Bronwyn spoke about her nine years spent on Thursday Island as Manager of the Gab Titui Cultural Centre and as Program Manager Culture, Art and Heritage for the Torres Strait Regional Authority. It was a great insight into a culture many of us knew little about.
Also last Thursday Hilma updated us on her surfing prowess. She is having surfing lessons and is keen to learn; surfing, she noted, is not quite the same as snowboarding!!
THIS WEEK
Wednesday 4 December 6.30pm: Prostate Cancer Support Group at Narooma Golf Club
Thursday 5 December: Our AGM for 2023-2024 with election of the Board for 2025-2026. The PowerPoint on the importance of having Working With Children accreditation will also be shown to hopefully inform those who missed it before. Dinner from the Bistro.
The Week that Was
An insight into the Torres Strait Islands
Bronwyn Jewel gave Members and friends a wonderful insight into the geography and particularly the arts and culture of the Torres Strait Islands based on her nine years working on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. Her talk centred on the documentary Ailan kastom: the culture of the Torres Strait, a major initiative in 2013 during her time there, featurng the history, geography, music, dance and art of the Torres Strait, as well as language and ceremonies of the Torres Strait people. Some Elders saw it as a valuable way to record some of their culture.
Bronwyn explained the Torres Strait Islands are an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea. Only 17 of the islands are inhabited. Not surprisingly then, the islanders are extraordinary navigators with a strong maritime culture. There are a number of languages across the islands with different dialects.
The Islands have experienced waves of migration, notably the Japanese well before WW2. Missionaries arrived in 1871, the ‘Coming of the Light’, and Christianity and their Culture co-existed. Like many areas, the Torres Strait people are working through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs to repatriate artefacts taken form the Island over the years to various museums.
[There is a Rotary Club in the Torres Strait Islands: the Rotary Club of Thursday Island – Torres Strait.]
More on Engineering Summer School
It is a while since our Club sponsored students to the Engineering Summer School (ESS). Our students Harmony Cannon and Ziggy Kewetin Smith are both in Year 11. Harmony is a long-time member of the RoboRebels and is working hard towards her long term goal of studying engineering at university. Ziggy is currently doing Engineering studies and Chemistry and achieving at an outstanding level.
The five-day ESS is facilitated by Engineers Australia, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, Sydney’s five engineering universities and industry leaders. ESS brings together promising students who are about to enter their final year of high school in NSW and ACT and provides them with an introduction to the key engineering universities and an insight into the vast number of disciplines encompassed by engineering. Students enjoy immersive workshops at University of Sydney, University of NSW, UTS, Macquarie and University of Wollongong and see behind the scenes at various engineering establishments. Other highlights include career chats with young engineers and graduates and an Official Awards Dinner.
The ESS is recognised by involved universities. Attendance is acknowledged and can contribute to supporting each student’s ATAR scores when applying for degree courses.
Out and About
From Batemans Bay Rotary
Batemans Bay inducted two new members into their Club last week. Sofia Keady PHF and Adrian Farrant are well known to most Batemans Bay members as they are both great community members. They initiated the Batemans Bay Community Picnic and are hardworking volunteers in many areas.
NEXT WEEK
Next Thursday 12 December
Next Thursday is our Christmas Party at the Surf Club with catering by Mr Bold. It will be buffet style. A few of us will be setting up from a little before 5.30pm. Please note we need to finalise numbers mid this week.
Gero will send an email in the next couple of days with the final cost, funds to be deposited directly into our Administration account. Please reply promptly to simplify arrangements and to avoid disappointment.