Outside The Square

I write this just after having a balmy swim with the NUMNUTZS at Bar Beach. It was a pleasant but cool 15.5C^o though, I suspect that is definitely outside the square for most members who would possibly consider it barmy and not balmy.

It seems school holidays (grandparent duties) and cool nights kept our numbers down this week but a lively assembly and Board meeting was had. The status quo regarding the ducks remains and the development of our revised constitution and rule changes are in the able hands of Frank, Sandra and Rod. No doubt any constructive contributions would be appreciated by the group.

Bob and Merinda successfully craned their new home onto their site last week, we wish them all the best in getting it organised and ready to enjoy.

All in the club wish Linda Ord all the best with her forthcoming operations and we look forward to seeing her back on deck soon. While missing Linda’s contribution on the Board for the next few months we welcome Sandra Doyle to replace her and to guide our Club through the many Youth projects that our Club promotes in the local community.

At this week’s meeting I will attempt to explain what is happening with regard to our Club’s 1000km walk in Western Australia next year. I will also outline why someone who dislikes walking will not only attempt to complete the walk but walk up to 5000kms in preparation for the event. Why? To support END POLIO NOW and Friends of Rang’I efforts to alleviate some of the effects of poverty in rural Kenya.

REMINDER; THERE IS NO MEETING ON 28 JULY INSTEAD WE HAVE CHRISTMAS IN JULY ON 31 JULY AT 153 OLD HIGHWAY

If you have not already done so please let me know as soon as possible if you are coming to our CHRISTMAS IN JULY. Partners/friends are welcome particularly if they have deep and generous pockets. Every dollar given on the day will go into the fundraising account with nothing deducted for expenses etc.

It should be a great Sunday afternoon.

Michael

The Week that Was

The Editor was absent last Thursday entertaining visiting friends, so he unable to update you on the meeting in detail, however, President Michael’s ‘Outside the Square’ provides the most relevant pieces of news.

The week Ahead

Again President Michael will lead the way. He will be our guest speaker. The topic – ‘Why is an Irishman walking 1000km in the Western Australian heat in 2017?’

Want to know more about the history of the Rotary Foundation?

Check out this link it takes you to a fantastic interactive timeline.  http://centennial.rotary.org/en/history-rotary-foundation

How is our Scholar, Connor Ross going at uni?

PP Charmaine recently received this email update from Connor -some great results!

Hi Charmaine,

I hope you and all at Narooma Rotary have had a good start to the year. I’ve had a very busy one, releasing and promoting an EP of my music through February and March, and sound designing for an original student theatre Triptych production at Melbourne Uni in the latter half of the semester. I must’ve done an alright job at this latter, as I’ve already started work on sound designing for Melbourne University Union House Theatre second semester production of Macbeth, which looks to be a very unique and challenging take. All in all, the year is looking very exciting as I work on diversifying my skillset.

Today I received my results for the past semester, which had a focus through my core subjects on the history of popular music genres and how they played into broader socio-political contexts. I found this both very interesting and challenging, which was great.

My results are as follows:

Music: Style & Genre – HD (83)

Music in Popular Culture – CR (68)

Spatial Sound Composition and Diffusion – DI (73)

My grade point average (GPA) is 3.6 out of a possible 4.

My continuing thanks once again for all your support through my studies.

All the best, and warm regards to everyone at Narooma Rotary,

Connor.

Some Humour

A Dead Duck?

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird’s chest.

After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and sadly said, “I’m sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has   passed away.” The distressed woman wailed, “Are you sure?”   “Yes, I am sure. Your duck is dead,” replied the vet.

“How can you be so sure?” she protested. “I mean you haven’t done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something.”

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck’s owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room. A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, “I’m sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck.”

The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman. The duck’s owner, still in shock, took the bill. “$150!” she cried, “$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!”

The vet shrugged, “I’m sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it’s now $150.”

 

Outside The Square

On a wet and cool Thursday Rotarians were cooking and helping out with NAIDOC festivities at the Narooma Sports and Leisure Centre. Bob, Merinda, John and I got cooking at two locations on the Old Highway (Antill’s and O’Connor’s) with Sandra, Lyn and Ang helping to receive and serve the goodies. Given by the quantities of food consumed the effort was appreciated by those present at the festivities.

That night we had our first meeting of 2016/17 and had a great talk by Alicia Smith on her dedication to her sport of water polo and the effort it takes to be an Olympian.

Peter Harley then told us about his niece going to compete in Rio in the sport of BMX. We wish her all the best in her endeavours.

Stan Gorton of the Narooma News was honoured as a Paul Harris Fellow in recognition of his incredible contribution to the great community we call home. Bob Antill did the honours and the acclamation from all was testimony to how we all feel about the great work that Stan does in our community.

Last Thursday’s meeting was the last for our exchange student, Radar, who returned home on 9^th July. Radar clearly expressed his appreciation of his hosts, Bob and Merinda, Peter and Karen and Lynn and all in the Club who gave him an unforgettable experience. We do hope he will come back someday to say hello. He is a fine young man and we all wished him well for his journey home and for his future.

This year is our Foundation’s 100^th year and I hope that by putting a $2 coin on a regular basis into the money boxes handed out at the meeting we will be Centurians by June 2017.

MARK YOUR DIARY

31^st July 1.30pm 153 Old Highway CHRISTMAS IN JULY

IF PLAN ‘A’ DOES NOT WORK REMEMBER THERE ARE 25 MORE LETTERS IN THE ALPHABET.

Michael

The Week that Was

Guests included our speaker, Alicia Smith, Merinda Antill, Iris Domeier, Stan Gorton from the Narooma News, Nikki from National Parks and for the last time, our exchange student, Radar Lin.

As Michael indicated in ‘Outside the Square’ the meeting was ‘full on’.

First off Past President Bob, presented a Paul Harris recognition to The Narooma News Editor, Stan Gorton, for service to the community. Stan was honoured and greatly humbled by the award. He indicated that our Club’s recognition meant a great deal to him, especially during a time when the local paper was undergoing significant change.

Our guest speaker was Alicia Smith. Alicia was a former goal keeper for the Australian Water Polo team. She represented at numerous elite events including 2 Olympic games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships. Alicia proudly passed around her two Olympic Bronze Medals (Beijing and London) as well as her World Championship, Silver Medal. Alicia spoke about how she got into water polo; the physical, emotional and financial costs of competing; the difficulty in juggling work, study and training in a lesser known sport; the intense competition for a spot in the team as well as the drama of waiting to hear if she made it onto the Olympic team.

Alicia is a delightful young person and a great ambassador for Australian sport.

Merinda reminded us that the meeting was Radar’s last as he was due to fly home on the weekend. Merinda spoke about how much she and Bob enjoyed having Radar in their home as well as the changes they had observed in him during his time in Narooma, Bob told us that Radar had received an outstanding report from Narooma High School, coming first in many of his subjects. Radar thanked the Club for hosting him as well as host parents Bob and Merinda, Peter and Karen and Lynn for looking after him. Radar assured us that he will keep in contact with us and encouraged us to visit Taiwan to get a real sense of Asian culture.

Happy moments included Bob Antill telling us that the lawn mowing business had been sold and that the house would be finally delivered next week; Chris O’Brien also told us that she had sold South Coast Lighting; Frank revelled in the fact that he no longer was the Beacon Editor; Lynda Ord told us of the wonderful life and times of a mother in law who had passed away at the ripe old age of 101 and Peter Hartley proudly informed us that his niece had made the BMX Olympic team.

And the raffle winners!

The port

Radar!!

Eggs  

Bob Aston (Thanks Merinda, they were great for breakfast on the weekend)

Wine   

President Michael

Birds Seed? 

Frank Eden

Favourites Chocolates

Our Guest Speaker – Alicia Smith

The week ahead

This week is our first Club Assembly/Board meeting for the 2016/17 year. In his email on 9 July 2016, President Michael asked us to come to the meeting to discuss and to give a view on:

• Purchasing plastic ducks for the annual duck race or continuing with the current arrangements
• Using a law firm to draft a new constitution or to do it ourselves.

If you have other items for discussion at the assembly, please let Michael know well before the meeting.

Michael has also asked us to ‘Think Outside the Square’ for ideas for Narooma Rotary for 2016/17.

Want to know more about Rotary?

Have a read of the Rotary Leader, click http://www.rotaryleader-en.org/rotaryleader-en/en201607?pg=1#pg1  to find out more.

Some Humour

A Perfect Marriage?

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other, except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day, the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totalling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. “When we were to be married,” she said, “my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.”

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

“Honey,” he said, “that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?”

“Oh,” she said. “That’s the money I made from selling the dolls.”

 

Outside The Square

30th June 2016 will I hope, be a night to remember, as the fun and laughter we had at changeover, led by our MC Peter Bull highlighted how Rotarians can have fun even when important events in the Club are taking place.

It was a pity that our well-deserved ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR, LYNDA ORD, was not there to receive the accolades for the tremendous work she puts into our Youth projects. I also thought it was fitting that she followed on from last years recipient, David McInnes who worked tirelessly to get our Model United Nation Assembly participants so well prepared that the motivation has swung over to this year participants.

Another “missing in action” was Stan Gorton of ‘The Narooma News’ who was a well-deserved and popular recipient of our Paul Harris Fellow, but never fear he should be with us this week.

Our theme for this year is SERVING HUMANITY and I hope we can do that by being innovative and by liaising with other Clubs in their projects as many hands make light work. We are all motivated by the same ideal of doing good in our community as reaching out beyond our town with International Projects.

My first official task of our 2016/2017 year came the next morning when I attended Narooma View Club’s 38^th birthday. Your President was the only male in a sea of women and surprisingly the only representative from a service club present for the celebration.

Focusing on the theme “Serving Humanity” I decided to serve up scones, jam and cream to the all the workers inside and outside the polling booth who were doing a great job upholding our DEMOCRACY and in essence “Serving Humanity”.

The Australian Election Staff Supervisor was somewhat stunned to be asked permission if this Rotarian wearing his shirt could hand out the scones but the workers seemed to enjoy it. Those outside from all political hues laughed and joked and it set the tone for the day with individuals from all political persuasions helping each other out.

The stunned response, then laughter, from the dozen or more voters exercising their democratic duty who also received a scone while waiting in line was a sight to behold.

It was a sudden spur of the moment thing and alas I did not get a photo but as there were over 40 scones handed out, Rotary’s name got a positive boost in our community.

That was my THINKING AND WORKING OUTSIDE THE SQUARE MOMENT. Being spontaneous does have its rewards.

Michael

The Week that Was

Yes, last week was the Club’s annual changeover. More than 60 Rotarians, partners, visitors and guests attended the evening, a great reflection of Rotary in our community. Below is the article contributed by Laurelle Pacey to the Narooma News, it provides an excellent overview of the evening.

Narooma Rotary celebrated a great year last Thursday night at the Whale under the presidency of Bob Antill.

‘I am blown away by how many people came here tonight,’ President Bob Antill said.

The 65 guests included the Rotary District Governor’s representative Past District Governor Bruce Gruber and his wife Jill, Eurobodalla Shire Council Mayor Lindsay Brown and his wife Lynn, incoming Rotary International Director Noel Trevaskis, and representatives from Bega, Batemans Bay and Moruya Rotary Clubs, Narooma Lions and Quota Clubs, and many local volunteer organisations.

Mr Antill paid tribute to all Narooma’s service clubs and volunteer organisations ‘who keep our little part of the world humming’.

He said it had been a great privilege to lead Narooma Rotary ‘and its 20 wonderful members’ over the past year.

A highlight had been hosting Rotary Youth Exchange student Radar Lin from Taiwan. Radar returns home next week.

‘When I look back over the last year I am amazed at what we have achieved,’ he said.

In that time Narooma Rotary has given over $37,000 into the community, both locally and internationally, from proceeds from Narooma Markets and various fundraisers including raffles, film nights at the Kinema, and the annual Duck Race.

‘We punch above our weight and we do it with pride,’ he said.

Several donations were made on the night, including to the five local Rural Fire Brigades, Monty’s Place, Narooma Surf Life Saving Club, Snowy Hydro Southcare, and the Asha Foundation in Nepal.

In outlining the Club’s plans for 2016-2017, new Narooma Rotary president Michael O’Connor said he wanted ‘to reach out’ to other local service clubs and possibly work together on some projects.

Other highlights on Thursday included the excellent musical recital by Merinda Antill and Radar Lin and the raffle win by Rolf.

The week ahead

Chris has organised a great speaker to start off the new Rotary year.

Alicia Smith

Alicia was the goalkeeper in the Australian Women’s Water Polo Team from 2003 to 2012. She was an Olympic Bronze Medallist in 2008 and 2012 and a Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist in 2008. A wonderful achievement!

Alicia even has a Wikipedia entry. According to this wonderful free encyclopaedia Alicia was born in Helensburgh and attended Helensburgh Primary and Kirrawee High Schools. She also met Prince William at a barbecue when he was in Sydney in 2010. I reckon she will have some interesting tales to tell us about the event.

She is currently the Coach of Sydney University’s Lions Premiership team.

Alicia lives in Dalmeny with her husband and two young children.

A note from the Editor

President Michael has asked me to be the Beacon Editor for 2016/17, a task I am happy to do, however, the Beacon will be a more valuable resource and a better read if members contribute. I would love to have your stories, views and jokes to include for the benefit of all members. Please either post contribution on the website or email them to me. The deadline is 6:00pm Sunday evening.

Bob Aston

Some Humour

The Airplane and the Parachutes

One night, a Delta twin-engine puddle jumper was flying somewhere above New Jersey. There were five people on board: the pilot, the world’s greatest athlete, the world’s smartest man, the Dali Lama, and a hippie. Suddenly, an illegal oxygen generator exploded loudly in the luggage compartment, and the passenger cabin began to fill with smoke.

The cockpit door opened, and the pilot burst into the compartment. “Gentlemen,” he began, “I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we’re about to crash in New Jersey. The good news is that there are four parachutes, and I have one of them!” With that, the pilot threw open the door and jumped from the plane.

The athlete was on his feet in a flash. “Gentlemen,” he said, “I am the world’s greatest athlete. The world needs great athletes. I think the world’s greatest athlete should have a parachute!” With these words, he grabbed one of the remaining parachutes, and hurtled through the door and into the night.

The smartest man rose and said, “Gentlemen, I am the world’s smartest man. The world needs smart men. I think the world’s smartest man should have a parachute, too.” He grabbed one, and out he jumped.

The Dali Lama and the hippie looked at one another. Finally, the Dali Lama spoke. “My son,” he said, “I have lived a satisfying life and have known the bliss of True Enlightenment. You have your life ahead of you; you take a parachute, and I will go down with the plane.”

The hippie smiled slowly and said, “Hey, don’t worry, pop. The world’s smartest man just jumped out wearing my backpack.”

… Author unknown

Short Notes by Bob Antill

This last week has been full on. We attended Moruya changeover on Wednesday and Thursday evening Batemans Bay. Both were a celebration of the wonderful job done by Mike (Moruya) and Vere (Batemans Bay).

Vere and I have both been Presidents at the same time, twice, and this year I took over as Assistant Governor for Group one from Vere, a position I’ll now hold for another two years.

This Thursday night will be the changeover for Narooma and I get to hand the reigns over to Michael O’Connor. I wish Michael all the best and I know it will be a very positive year ahead. My thanks to all members of our fantastic Club for the hard work and support during this year, you are all a gift to the world.

Today we held our June Markets which not only exceeded expectations but the great turn out made it a fairly easy time full of fellowship with the extra bodies making the jobs  easier, well done all and thank you.

Our Renewable Expo is starting to gather pace. Frank and his team are getting together a great line up of top quality speakers. Look forward to more exciting announcements.

Thank you also to my beautiful and understanding wife, Merinda. Without her support and help, this year would not have been possible.

“So long and thanks for all the fish”

Cheers

Bob

 

Butch Young’s Toolbox for Life’

 

The intensity and passion of last week’s guest speaker Butch Young touched many members.

Butch spoke about the realities and pain of living with schizophrenia for over 20 years, and of the stigma that often surrounds mental illness.

He also shared with us his joys and determination to live a normal and happy life.

Butch is employed by NSW Health at the Chisholm Ross Mental Health Centre in Goulburn as a consumer advocate supporting others with mental illness, helping them live positive and fulfilling lives.

‘I’m always amazed too at how healing it can be to tell my story,’ he said.

He spoke of the need to learn resilience, to learn how to throw the negatives away and make changes in your life, to retrain your brain, to think positively and accept responsibility.

Early intervention and communication he said were key.

‘Everyone needs love to get well, he said. ‘We all need something to go home to.’

Butch showed us his ‘Toolbox for Life’, a treasure trove of small reminders of positive things in his life that help him deal with various situations. Everyone probably should have one.

He also told us some sobering statistics.

·         One in 100 people in Australia suffer from schizophrenia

·         Australia has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, especially amongst men, and especially amongst men over 80.

·         Different regions have higher rates.

Mike Young said when thanking him, Butch had given one of the most inspiring and moving talks he had heard.

 

 

short words

I’ve often said that the Sydney Harbour Bridge is an excellent example of Government getting it right. They borrowed all the money, and in a time of depression gave jobs to hundreds, which had a flow on effect throughout the community.  It took many decades to pay off but it has repaid the city of Sydney and Australia many times over.

The Harbour bridge, the Snowy Hydro Scheme and the water pipeline from Perth to Kalgoorlie-Boulder are examples of what can be achieved by people with vision and forethought. People who look at the big picture and go for it. Rotary, as an organisation, is very much in this mold.  The best example I can think of, is the eradication of Polio. When the idea was first promoted many thought it was too hard, would cost too much and would take too long. Well because of people with vision and belief we will soon see this. Our grandchildren will not know of Polio.

This week PE Michael and I are off to the Change-over for both Moruya and Batemans Bay. A year has flown by and I wish the incoming Presidents all the best as their Rotary year begins and they take up the challenge to work towards looking after their community, the national community and the global community, who knows, it might be on their watch that Polio is declared eradicated.

Cheers
Bob Ant

Stan Swarbrick – Narooma Probus Club

It was good to hear from Stan Swarbrick last week about Narooma Probus.

Probus is an association of active retirees who join together in clubs, the basic purpose of which is to provide regular opportunities for them to keep their minds active, expand their interests and to enjoy the fellowship of new friends.  The first clubs were formed in the UK in 1965. Many, but not all Probus clubs have been formed by Rotary clubs.

Our Rotary Club sponsored the formation of Narooma Men’s Probus in 1982. In 2001, the Ladies Probus Club wound up (also sponsored by our Club) and combined with the men.

‘Probus’ – is from ‘Pro’, short for professional, and ‘bus’, from business.
Stan explained that Probus clubs are not service clubs. Instead they are about promoting friendship and stimulating interest among retired people, with meetings once a month.

Like many organisations, they struggle to attract new members. From 50 odd, they are now down to 26, and so they are looking at ways to increase membership. Stan mentioned the possibility of interstate trips with other Probus Clubs, more promotion, including having a stall at our markets starting July, and more publicity.

short notes by bob ant

Hopefully the power will stay on long enough to send this out. It’s been a wild and woolly few days and as we sit high and dry on a hill, the creeks and causeway have cut us off. All going well, we will be mobile again this afternoon.

Thursday evening Radar, our exchange student, stepped into the breech and became our guest speaker. Our advertised speaker, Charmaine, caught a nasty bug and was not able to be with us.

In the 11 months that Radar has been with us, he has grown in confidence and the ‘Australianising’ of his English is almost complete. Slides of his fantastic ‘Reef to Rock 2016’ trip; a short history of Taiwan; and brilliant Q&A session made this a great evening.

Saturday afternoon some very brave souls made it to my place for a joint meeting of the Board, both incoming and out going members.  Part of this meeting was to finalise some of the outgoing expenditure for the changeover and most of the money is allocated, however,  if you feel there is a good cause that might have been left out, then please give me a call…. quickly.

The board was also updated on the Renewable’s Expo which has now been moved to November, as the October date clashed with a similar Expo being hosted in Canberra. Frank and his team are progressing well on this project and should have a web site up soon. It is all looking really good.

Lynda also updated us on MUNA and our NYSF student application. The Board also agreed to funding, towards the NHS Junior and Senior Debating Team who are competing in the Regional Premier’s Debating Challenge on the 10th of June.  A lot of work is going on with Youth and I’m very grateful to Sandra who has come on board to help Lynda.

Thank you to all and I’m looking forward to this Thursday night and finding out about how the Council is facing the challengers of change with renewable and cost saving technologies.

Yours shortly,
bob ant

Bowel Care

The Bowel care program finished on Tuesday the 31st of May.  330 bowel kits were distributed to the four pharmacies, Cobargo, Bermagui, Narooma pharmacy and Narooma Plaza.  Sales were down this year, with only 204 kits being sold.  Lynn, our Treasurer has sent a cheque of $3029 to BowelCare.
–  John Rungen

Hah hah

It should be easy to write an article about the inside of the trombone player’s head–there’s so  much room there! And if you understand that, you understand the essence of the trombone player’s personality. Supremely confident, superhero, the perfection of the human race–these terms don’t come close to describing the trombonist’s opinion of himself, and yet they greatly exceed the opinion that others hold of him.

What accounts for this remarkable self-image? Perhaps it is the awesome responsibility involved in playing the trombone. You see, most brass instruments have 3 valves, which can be open or closed, yielding 8 possible combinations. However, playing valves 1 and 2 is the same as valve 3, so there are effectively 7 valve combinations from which to produce notes. The trombone, with its slide, has an infinite number of positions, and while only 7 are recommended, the trombonist feels responsible for all of them, and in fact, plays many positions that are totally uncalled for. It’s an awesome responsibility.

And why did Meredith Willson write “76 Trombones”? I believe it was because he knew what trombone players know: that more is better. In addition trombonists save conductors a lot of rehearsal time. They never have to be told to play louder.

Think about it. If you were playing a gig and your band was attacked, and you had to use your instrument as a weapon, would you rather have a clarinet, a trumpet, or a trombone with its variable length poker? Trombone players carry this same weapon mentality right into the rehearsal room. Be thankful for them.

 

short words

Last Sunday was a very good day for our Markets and a surprising result for an almost-winter market!!

Later that evening Radar and I had dinner, in Wagga, with Wagga’s current exchange student Jess who hails from Taipei . She is a fun loving student who delighted with her enthusiasm and Radar enjoyed talking with her in his native tongue.  I’m sure they’ll catch up and exchange notes when they return home to Taiwan.

 

 

Thursday night was a great information session by our computer expert Frank (he hates computers…lol…) who not only showed us how to use the Club’s website but did it in a way which made sense…. well at least for this computer non-expert…. who has a long way to go. Frank also showed how small some of the computers are and I was amazed by the size and power of them.

This Thursday night Charmaine will be giving us a run down on her work in Cambodia. Should be a great insight into a whole world that we know very little about. Bring friends, they won’t be disappointed.

Every Rotary meeting starts with an affirmation of our respect for the organisation of which we are a part, and for the four way test which is the moral foundation that guides the things we think and do. So on Thursday, Bob Aston will bring a new draft version of the Invocation (acknowledgement / thanks) that he and Laurelle have worked on. I’m looking forward to the discussion.

Have a magical week

Cheers
Bob

 

The Website Cookbook

Some basic instructions on how to add content to the website can be found in a link towards the bottom of the “Members only”page.

Resizing Pictures

When sending pictures to the newsletter editor, it is very helpful to make them a smaller size.  If you have a PC, install this software:  “Image Resizer for Windows”, https://imageresizer.codeplex.com/releases/view/82827

After installation, you will find that you can right mouse click on your picture in Windows Explorer,  and find an option “Resize Pictures”

A width of 500 pixels is small enough without being too small.  Make sure you select  “Only shrink “ to retain the aspect ratio.

Open Source Software

Open source software is usually free, and can be better quality than commercial software, simply because many eyes examining the code make light work.  It is also often available cross-platform, which means it can run on non-Windows platforms.  The most popular free non-Windows alternative is Ubuntu, which itself is open source.  An alternative to Microsoft Office is Libre Office (Writer,  Impress, Calc), while GIMP is as functional as Photoshop and vastly cheaper.  VLCplayer, Image Resizer, 7zip, are all worth taking a look at.  Interested in Music? Musescore is a great alternative to both Finale and Sibelius, while Audacity is a great free recording and studio tool that is so easy to use it is excellent even for simple things like removing clicks and pops after digitizing your record collection.

Hah Hah

Marriage is like playing the trombone. It looks easy until you try it.

 

short words by bob ant

After a close fought battle last night we, the Narooma Rotary Club, just pipped the Moruya Club at the post to win the 2016 Cinders Trophy. This annual contest is a lot of fun,  a little confusion but always a good night. Chris O’Brien did an outstanding job, as always, in organising not only the questions but the venue.

Club Narooma looked after us with a great meal, bar service and space in the Montague Room. Steve Young drove Mike Dent and the Moruya crowd down in a bus. All this combined to help make the night run smoothly and keep the fun level high.

It was fantastic to see the smiling Charmaine return safely from her trip to Cambodia. A quick talk revealed that not only did she enjoy the trip but the hard work the team put in was well appreciated and the “Tip” children can now show their pearly whites. I’m looking forward to her talk and grateful to all who worked to raise money  for them to buy the little things that helped make the trip a success.

May started on a Sunday so the Markets were with us, it seems, early in the month. With the wonderful warm weather we’ve been having it was another busy Sunday.  John Doyle made sure of the numbers and there were plenty of helpers on the day.

Radar and I travelled to Wagga on Sunday afternoon for a quick overnight visit. In his almost full year he has traveled around  the country but Wagga was new to him.

Have a great weekend and a magical week

Cheers
Bob

 

Rotary Cambodia Dental Team

The Rotary Cambodia Dental Team, led by Narooma dentist and Rotarian Charmaine White, has returned after a most successful two weeks.

The team treated children from families living on the rubbish dumps around Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh as well as from a local orphanage.

“The problem is huge,” she said. “Our main task was to get these children out of pain.”

“There’s a school on the dump and we accessed kids through the school.

“It’s interesting because there was some fear that extracting teeth could lead to brain damage, but we  spoke with families at a parent information session and explained that was not the case.”

They treated over 200 children with some needing two or three appointments.

“That would equate to about $72,000 worth of work in Australia,” she said.

Ms White said her team was fortunate in being able to use a dental clinic set up by dentist Robert Ogle as well as use his “wonderful translation staff”.

This was a joint project between RAISE Cambodia who coordinated contacts within Phnom Penh, Cambodia World Family who provided the dental clinic, and Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) who provided the working team.

Ms White said they greatly appreciated the generosity of Narooma people who raised over $4,000 for the project.

“We used this to buy disposable things like needles, filling material, gauze, as well as tuk tuk rides,” she said.

“We would bring the kids in from school in tuk tuks as well as provide them with breakfast the first week.”

The team also consisted of Narooma dental assistant Sharon Holcombe, Rotarian and Gold Coast dental hygienist Sharyn Taghoade, and German dentist Marlene Schulz.  All team members paid their own airfares and living expenses.

As a RAWCS project, it was organised in association with the Rotary Club of Phnom Penh.

Ms White said she is already planning a return trip to Cambodia, this time to work with adults in the provinces outside of Phnom Penh who have never had access to any dental treatment.

 

short words by bob ant

This week we battle with Moruya on our home turf for the coveted Cinders Trophy which we narrowly lost last year. Bring your “Brain’s Trust” and notify numbers by tomorrow (Monday) . and remember that it is at Club Narooma .

Our board meeting last week agreed in principal to the Expo in October to show case what is new and upcoming on the alternate energy field. Frank and his team are getting things together and I’m positive this will be a community event with enormous interest.

Bob Aston suggested that we acknowledge country within our invocation at the beginning of meetings. His suggestion was positively received and Laurelle is putting the words together. This will bring us into line with procedures for most other meetings and groups.

The change over is fast approaching and Michael is getting ready to take control of the bell!!

Deciding how to distribute funds, which our members have raised, to our community is always a big job. We don’t want to just give money for general purposes, if we can help it, but for equipment or something tangible. Still looking for input from members.

Our Polio movie night was a great success and with the money raised from the Polio Pig and a little help from our reserves we are able to send $1,000 to add to the more than 600 from the earlier movie night. Great work all.

Have a great week studying up on trivia

Cheers
Bob

 

Quota Club Trivia Night

Its that time of year!   The Quota Club also have a trivia night, on Friday 20th May 7pm for 7.30pm at Club Narooma Function Room.

It is being run by with proceeds to the Eurobodalla Riding for the Disabled.

Tables of 2 to 8 at $8 per person. Bookings to Vicki on 0419996419

Website Cookbook

Adding content to the Club’s website is as easy as adding something to facebook, but for the more adventurous, I’ve put together some notes on how to add photos and so on, (which is just a little more tricky).

So here its is the Narooma Rotary Website Cookbook

 

Pictures from the Movie Night – Eddy the Eagle