Narooma Rotary Beacon 2 November 2017

Bob’s Blog

Hello Everyone

This week we welcome Kim Bush from Eurobodalla Shire Council and Angela Muir from Narooma Public School for the launch of our ‘Friends of Rotary’ initiative.

Frank Eden ‘plays’ the panel for the Expo.

We know from experience that potential members are often daunted by the prospect of joining our Club. Some feel the time commitment is too great, especially attending weekly meetings and helping out at fundraising activities. Some may feel that we’re quite old and formal in the way we conduct our business, while some don’t really know what Rotary does. Some potential members are turned off when the first question they’re asked when they visit us is ‘Would you like to join?’

The idea behind our ‘Friends of Rotary’ initiative is to give people in our community, especially younger people, the opportunity to ‘taste’ Rotary, find out a little about how we operate and what we do. It provides a way for them to participate even though they may not wish to join the club as a Rotarian with the rights and responsibilities of membership. Rather, becoming a Friend of Narooma Rotary establishes a formal association with our Club with an avenue to participate in Club activities.

The commitment to becoming a ‘Friend’ is simple: agree to come to the occasional meeting and to help from time to time with various activities. What’s in it for us? We learn more about a wider network of people in the community; hopefully over time our Friends will become Rotarians and in turn bring others into our great Club. Thank you to Lynda, Sandra and others who have helped design this initiative.

The Renewable Energy Expo committee is busy finalising arrangements for the upcoming Expo. Please keep the last Saturday in November free and don’t forget the dinner and forum on the evening of the 25th. Please let the committee know this week if you will be attending. Frank has also produced a video to advertise the event. See below.

Have a great week.

Bob

The Week that Was

It was lovely to have Rod Walker back last week after two months away, mainly in Canada. We were also joined by several guests: guest speaker Catherine Boomer and her husband Martin; Angie’s guests Cathie Muller, Maureen Trees, Helen Smith and Robyn Miller; and Chris’ guests Julian and Margaret Domaracki. It all made for another great meeting.

Among our guests last week were Cathie Muller, left, Maureen Trees and Helen Smith.

Our guest speaker

Our guest speaker Catherine Boomer is World Vision International’s Senior Adviser on Advocacy and  External Engagement. She gave us a fascinating insight into World Vision (WV), a Christian NGO that focuses on children and families in 63 developing countries and 19 developed countries. It employs 50,000 staff worldwide, mostly people in countries where they are working, and a budget of over $2b.

She spoke briefly about WV’s well known child sponsorship, their long term sustainable development programmes and their humanitarian and emergency relief, before focussing on their advocacy. WV’s advocacy involves continuing to give aid while also working to convince countries to ‘do what is right’. They work at the local, national, regional and global levels, often in association with other major international agencies and sometimes in partnership with other ‘faith-based’ organisations.

Catherine said many countries where they work may have great policies, but often they fail in the implementation, sometimes because of a lack of money or of appropriately trained people.

Chris O’Brien thanks our guest speaker Catherine Boomer.

She gave several examples of WV’s advocacy, often where there is sometimes a discrepancy between what people’s entitlements are under the law and the reality. Sometimes the solution can be found locally. For example, in one town the school was supposed to have five teachers but it only had two and the result was the children were not learning. The reason was a lack of accommodation for teachers so the town built a house for teachers.

While there are many different approaches to advocacy, WV’s approach is more about collaboration and dialogue and holding governments accountable. She spoke of the importance of listening to children’s voices and empowering them, and of training young people to advocate for what they want to see happen in their world.

President Bob received a lovely note from Catherine after Thursday’s meeting.
I just wanted to say thank to you and the members of Narooma Rotary for making me so welcome last night. It was a great evening.
I am interested in your Friends of Rotary evening next week and being added to your mailing list. I hope to see you and the other members again soon.
Kind regards
Catherine

Renewable Energy Expo

Frank has produced a great little film clip promoting the Expo which is getting quite a few hits on our Facebook pages (Expo and Club’s), Narooma News online and Beagle News Weekly and showing at the Kinema. Make sure you share it with your Facebook friends.

On RDU magazines

Chris O’Brien asks members to please bring along your old Rotary Down Under magazines for Lynn to include in the show bags for the Expo.

Meet the Midwives

We are all invited to meet visiting Midwives from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands and Kiribati in Batemans Bay during their two weeks leadership training in D9710 in a few weeks’ time. They will be undertaking a leadership program specifically designed by the University of Canberra and the Australian College of Midwives.

They are hosted by Rotarians around Canberra. They will spend their free weekend visiting Batemans Bay and surrounds, and will make a presentation to Rotarians at the Soldiers Club on Saturday 18 November (a week before the Expo). We are all invited – 6.30pm for 7pm, for a two course meal, cost $30pp. More information and registration details will soon be on the District Website; otherwise PDG Maureen Manning, President of Batemans Bay Club, is the contact.

Cheers

Laurelle

Random thoughts, courtesy Peter Bull

An Engineer dies, and goes to Hell. Dissatisfied with the level of comfort there, he starts designing and building improvements. After a while Hell has air conditioning, flush toilets and escalators. The engineer is a pretty popular guy. One day God rings down and asks Satan, “So, how’s it going down there?”
Satan says, “Hey things are going great. We’ve got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and there’s no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next.”
God is horrified. “What? You’ve got an engineer? That’s a mistake – he should never have gone down there! You know all engineers go to Heaven. Send him back up here!”
Satan says, “No way. I like having an engineer on the staff. I’m keeping him”.
God says, “Send him back up here or I’ll sue”.
“Yeah, right,” Satan laughs, “and where are you going to find a lawyer?”
(Apologies to Michael!)

Narooma Rotary Beacon 26 October 2017

Bob’s Blog

Hello Everyone

Thank you to Laurelle for chairing last week’s meeting in my absence. From all accounts it was an excellent meeting with an outstanding speaker in Lynne Thomas.

Frank Eden and President Bob Aston gear up for the Renewable Energy Expo on Saturday 25 November while at Sunday’s Market.

It has been another busy week for the Club, catering for Narooma Motors on Saturday and the Market on Sunday. Thank you to members who helped over the weekend.

We will hold a special meeting to launch our ‘Friends of Rotary’ initiative on 2 November. The idea is to encourage prospective members to become Friends of the Club and attend the occasional meeting to learn about Rotary and to volunteer to assist the Club in fundraising and special projects, such as the Expo and Busking competition. Hopefully over time our Friends might even become members. I will provide a few more details at the meeting this week and in next week’s Beacon.

While on the topic of membership, this week’s Rotary Voices lists 10 tips to retain and attract members. Check out the list by clicking here. On Tuesday Rotary International is hosting a webinar on managing leads to attract members. So, if you have a few spare minutes on Tuesday, click here to register; note you will need to register before the event.

Our guest speaker this week is Catherine Boomer, World Vision’s International Senior Advisor for External Engagement and Campaigns.

Have a great week everyone.

Bob

The Week that was

 In thanking our guest speaker Lynne Thomas last week, Michael O’Connor described her talk as ‘enlightening and enchanting’, a sentiment shared by many others.

Michael O’Connor thanks last week’s guest speaker Yuin Elder Lynne Thomas.

Lynne is a local Yuin Elder, a Black Duck woman, who grew up at Wallaga Lake Koori Village which she described as ‘a very special place’. She is currently employed as the Aboriginal Education Officer at Narooma Public School (a state-wide scheme her mother Anne Thomas helped establish), has worked with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and completes a university degree this year. She is also an artist.

Lynne talked about her large extended family who cover ‘a lot of history’ and ‘a very large area of country’ which means she ‘associates’ with many places from the south coast to Botany Bay, mid north coast and across to the Snowy Mountains. Her father Guboo Ted Thomas was a respected Yuin leader. His father was a blacktracker from the mountains around Kosciusko while his mother was the daughter of a Chinese man and French woman from Braidwood. Her mother Ann Thomas was from the mid North Coast.

She said Mumbulla and Gulaga mountains are special and very powerful places with great spiritual significance for Aboriginal people, and spoke of ‘the Great Spirit’ of the Land. She explained the significance of ochre on the forehead ‘to open our heart and eyes to see’. Her parents Guboo Ted and Ann Thomas were among the five south coast Elders who joined the fight for Aboriginal land rights in the 1970s, which resulted in the formation of land councils and the subsequent return of some traditional lands and ultimately traditional owners gaining title to Mumbulla and Gulaga Mountains.

Lynn said her art ‘releases her’ and she finds a lot of inspiration for her art from stories her father told her of when he was a boy. He was taught local Aboriginal lore by ‘the old fella’ Biamanga (Jack Mumbler). Her artwork features on some NPWS interpretative signs. She also writes stories for school kids.

Renewable Energy Expo

The Expo committee is really firming up plans now for the Renewable Energy Expo on Saturday 25 November. We have about 20 exhibitors and a growing number of sponsors. The committee will meet every week up to the Expo. More details next week.

Joint Expo environmental project with School

Sandra Doyle and Narooma Public School Environmental Co-ordinator Michelle Symons with Chloe Tyrrell (Yr 5), back left, Jade Wilson (Yr 4); Liana Naylor (Yr 5), front left, and Kinders Tait Gunthorpe and Eva McGrath and the two bins with experimental lids, part of a joint Rotary-School environmental project.

Sandra Doyle presented two wheelie bins with different lid designs to the students of Narooma Public School last Friday, part of a joint environmental project between students and our Club to reduce schoolyard rubbish. The results will be on show at our Renewable Energy Expo on Saturday 25 November.

Sandra said some students had been concerned about the amount of rubbish in their playground and recognised it as an environmental issue. ‘Over two days, several students picked up 2,000 to 3,000 pieces of rubbish,’ she said. ‘With assistance from teacher and Environmental Co-ordinator Michelle Symons, they did a survey and found the cause seemed to be more with the design of the bin lids rather than with kids being lazy.

‘The school’s location is quite exposed. Often before the kids could get the rubbish into the bins and close the large back-hinged lids, the wind would catch lightweight rubbish and blow it away. So the students looked at types of lid that might work better. Rotary then sourced them through Sulo.’

For the Expo, students will create posters about which lid they think works best, as well as demonstrate the lids in action.

World Polio Day – 24 October

Rotarians are among millions across the world reaching out on World Polio Day to raise awareness, funds and support to end polio.  Since Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative nearly 30 years ago, the incidence of polio has plummeted from about 350,000 cases a year to just 37 cases of wild poliovirus in 2016. So far, only 11 new cases  have been reported this year, all in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

To sustain this progress and protect all children from polio, Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year over the next three years. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match Rotary’s commitment 2:1. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to previously polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Since 1985, Rotary has contributed more than US$1.7 billion to ending polio.

Cheers Laurelle

 

 

Narooma Rotary Beacon 19 October 2017

Bob’s Blog

Hello Everyone

Our first barbecue team at the Early Falcon Nationals show day of Lynn Hastings, John Doyle and Bob Aston.

When I turned up at the Early Falcon Nationals show day on Sunday morning at 7.30, I thought it was going to be a slow, slow day. However things picked up after about 9.00 and everyone rostered on worked hard keeping up the food to the hordes checking out all the old cars. Lynn Hastings reports we grossed $1,438.20 on the day. If we attribute all the expenses to the rally we still made a profit of more than $480.00, however, it is a little unfair to do this as we still have left over meat and drinks we purchased not just for this event but for next week’s event at Narooma Motors and our Sunday markets. Thank you to everyone who helped on the day, especially to John Doyle for making it all happen and to Ange for ordering the supplies.

Last week’s meeting was a great success with members and guests turning out in some interesting and varied hats to help us ‘lift the lid’ on mental illness. Laurelle has more elsewhere in the Beacon, including some photos. Thank you to Karen Bull and Steve Deck who did a great job as judges.

At last week’s Board meeting we decided:

  • All Rotarians and their immediate family who have one-on-one contact with children and young people must complete ‘Form 3’ in line with Rotary Policy.
  • We will hold our annual Christmas Party at Casey’s on 21 December. The club will provide red and white wine to help us celebrate Christmas.
  • To conduct a special ‘Friends of Rotary’ meeting on 2 November.
  • To liaise with Eurobodalla Shire regarding the planting of one tree for each member of our Club.
  • That the Club write to the DGE and DG regarding the development of an AED data base.
  • To hold weekly meetings of the Expo committee leading up to the Renewable Energy Expo

Lynn Hasting reported that at the end of September the Administration account had a balance of $8,290.82; the Charity 1 account $17,209.78 (note that since then the Friends of Rang’i cheque of $6,200, NYSF payment of $1,000 and van repairs of $2,200 have been deducted from this Charity account); the Expo account a balance of $200.00 and the Busking account a balance of $2,421.50.

I will not be at this week’s meeting so Laurelle will be in the chair. We are fortunate to have Lynne Thomas as our guest speaker this week. Lynne is an Elder of the Yuin community, an Ambassador for Aboriginal culture, an accomplished artist and Education Support Worker at Narooma Public School. I am sure that you will find Lynne’s presentation rewarding and interesting.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Bob

Hat winners Rolf Gimmel, Iris Domeier and Gordon Bentley.

The Week that Was

Our ‘Lift the Lid’ dinner

Our ‘Hatter’ night last week marked Mental Health Week (and Month) . The idea was to open a conversation on mental health and to raise funds towards Australian Rotary Health mental health research. Members’ hats ranged from Sandra’s and Chris’ exquisite creations to beanies (see photos) and everything in between, including President Bob’s impressive Fedora. It was a difficult task for hat judges Steve Deck and Karen Bull so they narrowed the competition down to the silliest hats, with Rolf Gimmel, Iris White and Gordon Bentley the winners (see photo).

On Australian Rotary Health

Peter Bull gave us some background on Australian Rotary Health (ARH) before launching into two fun trivia quizzes around the hat theme, with the Deck-Pacey duo taking out both prizes. Our Hatters night raised $115 towards ARH, the first of several donations the Club will make to ARH this year.

ARH funds areas of health research that don’t readily attract funding. Since 2000, it has focused on mental health research, more recently on youth mental health, and is now one of Australia’s largest non-government funding bodies of mental health research. ARH funds research grants, Ian Scott PhD Scholarships (named in honour of Rotarian Ian Scott who founded Australian Rotary Health in 1981) and postdoctoral Fellowships.

Guest speaker

Joining us for the evening last week was Liz Ruck, Red Cross’ Community Visiting Coordinator for the Eurobodalla based in Red Cross’ Narooma office (7/114 Wagonga Street). She explained that everything Red Cross does is governed by its seven Fundamental Principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality (worth checking them out in more detail if you are interested). She outlined the work of the Narooma Hub of Red Cross, including its close association with the Wallaga Lake Aboriginal community and it’s Study Centre.

Bob Antill thanks our guest speaker Liz Ruck from Red Cross.

Liz particularly focussed on the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS), a fairly recent initiative by Red Cross to help brighten the lives of socially isolated people. She said an increasing number of aging retirees in Narooma, Moruya and Batemans Bay were becoming socially isolated living in their own homes or even in aged care as they lose friends, have family living elsewhere and therefore receive few visitors.

The CVS matches volunteers one-on-one with people who would like to have someone visit them just to chat, reminisce, listen to music, read the newspaper or possibly take them on an outing. ‘This increases people’s self esteem, reduces their anxiety and depression, and increases their connection with the community, and so increases their confidence and ability to cope. It also often results in friendships. Liz said they are always looking for friendly and reliable volunteers to visit weekly to fortnightly. Initial training is provided, and support and resources are ongoing. If you are interested in working as a volunteer, please ring Liz on 6234 7614

Some background on Red Cross: Formed  in Geneva in 1863 initially as the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, later to become the International Committee of the Red Cross.   The following year, 12 governments adopted the first Geneva Convention; a milestone in the history of humanity, offering care for the wounded, and defining medical services as ‘neutral’ on the battlefield. Red Cross was formed in Australia at the outbreak of the First World War. Today Australian Red Cross is a member of the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement (the International Movement) with millions of members and volunteers operating in over 190 countries. The Movement’s mission is to prevent or reduce human suffering, wherever it is found, always guided by its Fundamental Principles. National Societies, such as Australian Red Cross, act as auxiliaries to the public authorities of their own countries in the humanitarian field and provide a range of services including disaster relief, health and social programs. During wartime, National Societies assist affected civilian populations and support army medical services where appropriate.

Interestingly, Liz mentioned Narooma’s volunteer branch of Red Cross had ceased to exist in recent years after a long history.

The Early Falcon Nationals

We catered for breakfast and lunch on Sunday for the 18th Early Falcon Nationals show day on NATA Oval, hosted by the Classic Falcon Owners Club of NSW. What an extraordinary AND immaculate collection of retro cars that seem to look better with age (ours and theirs perhaps!). As Bob said, after a slow start business picked up. Rolf jumped in at the last minute after the coffee van the organisers had booked decided Batemans Bay was a better bet and shot through earlier that morning. So much for Rolf’s one day off…

Cheers Laurelle

Random thoughts, courtesy Peter Bull

Around politics, government and bureaucracy…

A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
George Bernard Shaw

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. Douglas Casey, classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed. Mark Twain

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mea

n politics won’t take an interest in you. Pericles (430 BC)

More photos from our Hatters’ night

Peter Hartley and Chris O’Brien
Sandra and John Doyle

Narooma Rotary Beacon 12 October 2017

Bob’s Blog

Our Mad Hatters night is this Thursday with partners and friends.

Hello Everyone

This Thursday we have a busy meeting with our Mad Hatters Dinner. Don’t forget to bring your groovy hat and money to support Australian Rotary Health’s research into mental health. We will also have a representative from Red Cross at the meeting to fill us in on their work. Peter Bull has also organised some fun ‘politically correct’ trivia for us.

Next year we will celebrate 60 years of Rotary in Narooma – not a bad effort for a small country town. We propose to hold a combined Changeover and 60th Birthday celebration on 11 August 2018. The Board is looking for members to help organise the celebrations, so if you would like to help out please let me know as soon as possible.

It was great to have Phil Armstrong with us last Thursday as District Governor Steve Hill’s representative. Phil has been a great friend of Narooma Rotary for many years and it is always a pleasure to have him visit. Laurelle has a full report of Phil’s visit elsewhere in the Beacon.

As we know, polio eradication has been a goal of Rotary for many, many years and although the task seems impossible at times we continue to make headway. The difficulty for us and other organisations at the moment is how do we eradicate the disease in counties such as Pakistan, where hostile militants often prevent health teams vaccinate children against the disease. There is a great story in this week’s edition of Rotary Voices; click here to read it.

Don’t forget the Early Falcons car rally this Sunday, the Narooma Motors event on 21 October and the Markets on 22 October, they are all great opportunities to raise funds to support local charities.

Have a great week.

Cheers Bob

PDG Phil Armstrong, Angie Ulrichsen who thanked Phil for his presentation, and President Bob Aston.

The Week that Was

It was wonderful to have PDG Phil Armstrong as our guest last week representing DG Steve Hill. Phil said as this is Steve’s second year as DG, PDGs and AGs are trying to ease the pressure on him wherever possible. Steve still intends to visit us and Phil suggested we invite him to the Renewable Energy Expo, the Busking Festival or the Duck Race, all ‘unique Narooma events’ that are ‘community builders’. He praised Narooma Rotary; ‘it’s a very active Club that supports its community very well’ and really does ‘make a difference’.

Phil said Polio Eradication was Rotary International’s continuing first priority and also the District’s. ‘We’re so close with only nine cases so far this year, compared with over 350,000 new cases each year when Rotary first started the project,’ he said.

Phil also outlined DG Steve’s goals for the Rotary Foundation this year:

  • Increase club contributions by 10%
  • Increase individual contributions by 10%
  • Each Club to honour a non-Rotarian in the community with at least one publicly presented Paul Harris Fellow.
  • Host and promote a community event to support World Polio Day 23 October.

Phil also noted that Peace and Conflict Resolution is one of the Rotary Foundation’s six areas of focus. RI President Ian Risley (an Australian) and his wife Juliet have set up an endowment fund for future peace in the world; Phil is asking each Club to contribute $500.

During the Board’s earlier discussions with Phil:

  • John Doyle outlined the work he and Frank are doing to try to establish a national database that lists where Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) are located. He asked Phil if it was something Rotary could take up nationally. Phil liked the idea and said he would take it further, hopefully to the get-together of DGs from across Australia.
  • On district amalgamations; Phil said ‘it’s about numbers rather than geography’ and designed to reduce overheads.
  • He also spoke about retaining members and attracting new ones.

Phil presented President Bob with two eucalypts on behalf of DG Steve, a token of RI President Ian Risley’s environmental goal to have every Rotarian plant a tree this year in their community. Phil did not leave empty handed; he won some eggs plus some limes on the chocolate wheel.

In view of Phil’s presentation, it was therefore very appropriate that John Rungen’s international toast was to the Rotary Foundation.

 Cheque Presentation for Rang’i

President Bob Aston presented PP Michael O’Connor with a cheque for Friends of Rangi’i, assisted by PP Bob Antill.

President Bob presented Michael O’Connor with a cheque for $6,000 for the Friends of Rang’i; Rang’i is a small Kenyan village. This was part of the funds he raised associated with his feat walking the Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia. Bob said his ‘mind boggles’ at Michael’s drive, dedication and commitment to undertake this project which also raised $6,000 for polio eradication.

In thanking Bob, Michael acknowledged the wonderful support Bob Antill and Charmaine in particular gave him, and how amazed he was that a walk around the markets could raise up to $600-$700. ‘Hopefully this money will enable Rang’i to start a library,’ he said.

RYLA

Applications for the 2018 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) are now open. RYLA is a six day residential program to enhance the personal development and leadership potential of young people 18–25 years. Our Youth Director Lynda Ord asks everyone to please keep a lookout for potential candidates and to let her know if you think of someone.

RYLA is 13-19 January at the Greenhills Centre, ACT. There is an early bird discount if we register someone by 31 October. Deadline is 30 November. Our last successful applicant Jacob Read (2016) described the experience as ‘life-changing’. He was a trainee with Eurobodalla Shire Council and was given paid leave to attend. Lynda said it is often difficult to find someone for RYLA because many who have just finished Year 12 have work commitments before going on to tertiary studies, while those permanently employed may find it difficult to get leave.

Our food van is being overhauled

John Doyle reported the food van has had some major work done to make it roadworthy. Tyres, springs and suspension fittings were replaced, brakes completely overhauled and wheel bearings replaced. The draw bar and fittings were shot blasted and repainted. The next work will be to the van’s electrical circuit and water system, work that will probably happen at Moruya.

Cheers Laurelle

Some Random thoughts for lexophiles, courtesy Peter Bull

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
When you’ve seen one shopping centre you’ve seen a mall.
Police were summoned to a daycare centre where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
A bicycle can’t stand alone; it’s just two tired.

 

 

 

Narooma Rotary Beacon 5 October 2017

 

Bob’s Blog

Hello Everyone

We will hold our Mad Hat night next  Thursday 12 October with partners and friends.

Welcome to another busy Rotary Month. This Thursday we welcome PDG Phil Armstrong as the DG’s Representative.

Next Thursday we will raise funds for mental health research with our ‘Mad Hatters Night’. Please bring along your friends and partners to help us raise money for this important research and most importantly wear a hat.

More dates for your Diary: On the catering side, we  have a busy schedule with the early Falcons Rally on the 15th October, the Narooma Motors event on the 21st, and our normal markets on the 22nd.

There are some great stories in the current edition of the Rotary blog Rotary Voices – Stories of Service around the World (https://blog.rotary.org). The stories about our work to eradicate polio are especially inspiring. I also enjoyed the article by Quentin Wodon, past president of the Rotary Club of Capitol Hill, Washington DC. He listed three lessons he learned as President of his Rotary Club. They were:

  • Prioritise and focus the Club’s energy on one or two goals each year
  • Invest in the local community; while international projects are important and a vital part of Rotary, local projects are more likely to attract new members
  • Serve your members; clubs should respond to the needs and preferences of their members first.

If you get a chance, please read the article.

Have a great week everyone.

Cheers Bob

The Week that Was

Last week Peter Bull toasted the Rotary Club of Puebla in Mexico; Puebla was recently devastated by an earthquake. Puebla, population 5.8 million, has three Rotary Clubs. Puebla R C has 35 members, none of them women, and all Paul Harris Fellows. Their major fundraiser is an annual beauty pageant and they fund a rehabilitation centre.

Daiva Ceicys at NATA Oval, Narooma’s designated fenced dog park.

Daiva takes us inside AWL

It was good to have Daiva Ceicys back with us and especially talking about the Animal Welfare League, a great passion of hers. While many of us may be familiar with AWL’s good work locally finding new homes for dogs and cats, Daiva gave us an insight into AWL at a State level. AWL is a NSW organisation, although similar organisations with different names exist in other states. It works closely with the RSPCA particularly to lobby at the state level for the welfare of animals, e.g. in greyhound racing and puppy farms. It is also involved in investigating instances of suspected cruelty to animals, again with RSPCA.

On the local level, AWL is best known as a rescue organisation taking in animals and finding them new homes, sometimes for people moving into retirement villages. Daiva said they usually have lots of cats and kittens, but not so many dogs. Any animal acquired through AWL comes vaccinated, desexed and microchipped, and prospective new homes are checked. All of this comes at a cost, financed through fundraising, mainly through the Tail Waggers Walk and the AWL garage sale. She said AWL desperately needs new foster carers until new homes are found for the animals. One of the local AWL’s proudest achievements was having NATA Oval fenced for a dog park; they are now lobbying for something similar in Batemans Bay.

Spotted  on Monday, Joan Constable with Bonnie Kreuter (nee Ward), Narooma Rotary’s first Exchange student

Narooma Rotary Exchange student 1972-1973 returns

Narooma Rotary’s first exchange student Bonnie Ward (now Kreutter) returned to Narooma from her home in  New York for a reunion of her class of 1972-1973 at the weekend. She asked me to please pass on her regards to Narooma Rotarians and to say how she is forever grateful to the Club for the extraordinary year she had here. Ron and Joan Constable were her host parents and she has made several return visits to her Narooma family over the years. Bonnie was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Holley in New York.

Our Renewable Expo

We now have flyers available for our Renewable Energy Expo in November, thanks to the expertise of our very own graphic designer Rachel McInnes. Banner and posters coming.

Cheers Laurelle