Narooma Rotary Beacon 26th July 2018

Rod’s Ramble – ‘Fun, Fellowship and Family’

“Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.”

At Mama Mia – Here we go again: Heather Ferguson , left, Sandra Doyle and Chris O’Brien

Mama Mia premiere

Last Thursday we had a great night at the Mama Mia premiere. Eighty-two people attended and by all accounts everyone had a good time. The movie was well received. Thanks to Angie and the catering team for their effort and to all those who donated to the raffle, and to Rachel and her mother-in-law for selling the tickets. We made over $700 dollars for the Polio campaign, a good result.

Lynda Ord, Lynda’s friend and Ang Ulrichsen at Mama Mia recently.

Planning

I emailed you all a plan for this year in which I highlighted some critical omissions:

  • We could do with another Director to take on co-ordination of our Youth programs and the Duck Race.
  • We still need a President Elect for 2019-20 to prepare for the next year and co-ordinate International, Foundation and ARH activities.

Both these roles can take as much or as little time as you like. No one will be judging your performance; we just need someone to step up. If you are interested let me know.

Rotary in Parliament

Trent Zimmerman is a Member of the House of Representatives and a Rotarian. He recently paid tribute in Parliament to the work of local Rotary Clubs, saying ‘Rotarians do an incredible amount for our community’. He said he had enjoyed his own involvement in his local Rotary Club over many years and encouraged others to think about becoming a member of their local Rotary Club. For more, check this link: https://www.facebook.com/TrentZimmerman/videos/2186660088233702/

This week: Our guest speaker is Julie Griffin

Julie is a Diabetes Educator and Registered Nurse. Her topic: ‘It’s complicated…. Is it possible to live well with Diabetes?’ Julie has been nursing since 1980 and trained at both Mater Misericordia and Royal North Shore Hospitals in Sydney. Since 2008 she has been working on Diabetes, and currently works full time for Eurobodalla Community Health covering Narooma, Moruya and Batemans Bay areas.

Please don’t forget to let Bob know if you are bringing guests.

Out and About

Charmaine reports on Timor Leste

Our very own Rotarian dentist Charmaine White in Timor Leste recently.

After meeting up with the Week 1 Team in Dili (comprising two translators, one nurse and three dentists), we headed off to Maubara to get equipment and dental supplies. We drove through Baliabo and on to Maliana near the West Timorese border, a long bumpy drive of over six hours. We were lucky to find a nice place to stay; a seminary that had been converted into accommodation. Food was local fare – rice nasi goreng, mi Goring.  We even found some pasta and pizza a few times

Week 1:  We worked in three places – the local Maliana hospital, a local school and a village Cailaku that had never seen a dentist. We got to see community and school students. Examinations 838, extractions 268 and fillings 206 plus some scaling as well. Our main aim was to relieve pain. Some of the teeth would have been sore for months if not years. Betel nut chewing is still a big problem in the Maliana district.
Week 2: A dentist team swap at Dili  – one flew out and one joined us. Then we spent three days in Bogoro School with 900 students. The last two days were at Maubara clinic which is a room In the Carmelites convent. The local dental nurse Nico had screened all the children so we just had to do the work mainly extractions (258) and fillings (197).
Overall we saw 1,261 children in the two weeks. We extracted 527 teeth; only three refused treatment i.e. ran away or cried. There are so many brave children in Timor Leste We filled 406 teeth, did a few scales (49) and prevention on teeth fissure seals.

It’s a worry… courtesy Peter Bull

I was at Melbourne Airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, ‘Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?’

To which I replied, ‘If it was without my knowledge, how would know?’ He smiled knowingly and nodded, ‘That’s why we ask’.

 

 

Narooma Rotary Beacon 19th July 2018

Rod’s Ramble

Fun, Fellowship and Family

Mal Gray should have gone out and bought a lottery ticket on Friday; he won three of the four prizes from the chocolate wheel at last week’s meeting.

I would like to start this week’s Ramble with a message from our RI President Barry Rassin that succinctly summarises Rotary for me.  It’s an extract from a longer article in the July Edition of Rotary Down Under

Barry wrote: One year ago the RI Board adopted a new vision statement: “Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.” That simple sentence distills so much of what is essential about Rotary. We unite, because we know that we are far stronger together than we could ever be alone. We take action, because we are not dreamers, but doers. We work to create lasting change that will endure long after involvement has ended – across the globe and in our communities. And perhaps most important of all, we work to create change in ourselves – not just building a better world around us, but becoming better people ourselves.”

THIS WEEK Mama Mia Premiere for PolioPlus

This week we are at the Kinema (not the Golf Club) for a polio fundraiser. I hear tickets are selling fast so we should have a great night. If you can help with catering and the raffle, please get there about 6.00pm.

At last week’s Club Assembly Lynda Ord explained the amendments to the Child Protection Form

This Sunday’s Market

We still have may have two vacancies on the market roster for cooks on the 10.00am shift this Sunday 22nds July. Ctrl+ Click here ROSTER and enter your name if you can help.

60th Anniversary Celebration and Changeover Ceremony

Our 60th Anniversary Celebration on 4 August is only two weeks away. We have about 40 acceptances. If you have not yet accepted, please do so straight way. Entertaining us will be one of our Buskers,  and the Eurobodalla Shire Mayor Liz Innes and District Governor Margaret Hassall are also coming. We also hope to have a few surprise guests.This event will replace our meeting of the 2nd August.

Mayor Liz Innes recently said : So many of our most admired organisations are volunteer-driven. Surf Life Saving Clubs, Rural Fire Service, Meals on Wheels, Cancer Council volunteers driving cancer patients to Canberra for treatment. And what about local sporting clubs, and school P&Cs. Regional and rural communities survive and thrive on the generosity and good hearts of local people giving their time to help those around them.”

Anthony Whittle enjoying one of our Mad hatters nights a few years ago. 

 Vale Anthony Whittle

Seven representatives of our club attended Anthony’s funeral at Milton this week. It was an emotional celebration of Anthony’s life held overlooking a lake and rolling countryside. About 200 people attended, and family and friends made emotional speeches honouring Anthony’s life. A representative of his ‘work family’ from Narooma Plaza Pharmacy  also spoke. As is often the case, we learnt a lot about Anthony that we didn’t know. How sad that we didn’t get the chance to know him better. Its moments like these that you realise how important the Rotary family is and the importance of keeping connected in the good and the bad times.

From the Board

Moruya Races in 2018 will draw on the Melbourne Cup Day meeting and the Christmas races to raise funds. The charity partner is Muddy Puddles which provides services to disabled children. A representative will attend our meeting on 9th August to tell us all about their work.

Trivia Quiz – there’s a prize for the first correct answers

I thought I would start a trivia section of the Ramble so we can get some early practice in for Cinders in 2019 (and find out who reads the Beacon). The first correct answer emailed to me at naroomarotary@bigpond.gov wins a prize and the honour of being quiz master for the week.

  1. How many countries are larger than Australia?
  2. In what state/territory was the highest recorded temperature, of 53°C, recorded?
  3. Australia has the world’s largest sand island. What is its name?
  4. In what year was Advance Australia Fair proclaimed as the national anthem by the Governor-General?
  5. Do all states/territories have the same blood alcohol limit for non-probationary drivers?

Cheers Rod

Out and About

Charmaine, teeth and Timor Leste

We’re all looking forward to hearing from Charmaine about her two weeks working in Timor Leste with three other Australian dentists. Charmaine says it’s a well-run joint Rotary RAWCS/Lions/Carmelite nuns project. You will recall her telling us of  the relationship between toothache, chewing betel nut to relieve it, and that betel nut can cause cancer of the mouth and oesophagus. So eliminating toothache should reduce the risk of oral cancers. Our Club recently donated $1,000 to this project.

District Conference – the Cooma Adventure

District Conference registrations open soon for this year’s District Conference which will be in Cooma  5-7 October. Hop[efully we will be able to get a few people together to represent teh Club.

Narooma Rotary Beacon 12th July 2018

Rod’s Ramble

Planning for 2018-19

Outgoing Bob Aston hands over to our new  President Rod Walker at last week’s meeting.

Our meeting this Thursday is our Club Assembly at which I will present a draft business plan as endorsed at the Board Meeting. My intention is to take a ‘steady as she goes’ approach.

Over the last two years we have added two major events to our Rotary year – the Renewables Expo and the Busking Championship. Members have sacrificed time with their families and businesses to ensure their success; for a variety of reasons we will be missing the input of some key people in 2018-19. As you know, Moruya Rotary will host the Renewables Expo this year in a great example of inter-club co-operation.

I can also announce that John Rungen has agreed to lead the Busking Championship team this year and we will be seeking assistance from interested people from the community. Thanks John for stepping up. Members please give John all the help you can muster over the next 11 months.

This week Lynda Ord will also give us an update on the Rotary Youth Protection Policy which has been impacted by some legislative changes. It is an additional administrative burden we have to bear to ensure we practice due diligence.

Growing membership

I said last week that membership growth would be a major focus. The ‘Rotary On The Move’ Newsletter for July 2018 has some interesting strategies on attracting new members. In particular it highlighted a toolkit now available to assist in engaging with young professionals. This toolkit will help you rethink membership, from a broad perspective down to a tactical level, that you can adapt to your area. Topics include characteristics of your audience, your club’s culture, ideas for outreach and engagement, and the long-term benefits of becoming a Rotarian. I would like someone to review this material and consider if we could use some of these ideas. Let me know if you are interested.

Mama Mia premiere

I also talked last week about the need to have fun at Rotary, to build on the fellowship benefits of being a Rotarian, and to embrace the broader Rotary family. Hosting the Mama Mia Here We Go Again movie premiere at the Kinema on Thursday 19th is a chance to have fun while also raising funds for eradication of Polio worldwide. This will replace our meeting that night.

Let’s kick off the year with this big event. Invite partners, family and friends even total strangers. Get your tickets early as this will be a popular movie with the broader community, after all, who doesn’t like ABBA. We will also need a hand with catering and raffle ticket selling on the night.

Please don’t forget to bring prizes for the raffle in this Thursday night.

President Rod’s table last week.

Rod

Out and about

Our mini Changeover

It was good to have a ‘symbolic changeover’ to President Rod last week, supported by a table of Rod’s friends. Stand by for the 4th  August for our official changeover and  60th celebrations!

Polio update prompted by  fundraiser

With the polio fundraiser next week and Ang’s drawing out attention to the polio campaign at last week’s meeting, a few reminders of what it’s all about, courtesy Rotary International’s webpage.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments with five partners – the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide. So that’s :

  • five core partners
  • involved 200 countries
  • involved 20 million volunteers
  • over 2.5 billion children vaccinated
  • US$10 billion international investment
  • the goal is a polio–free world

Progress toward eradicating polio worldwide was a recurring theme at the recent Rotary International Convention in Toronto. Two notable polio occasions at the Convention were when:

  • Rotary International President Ian Riseley presented Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with Rotary’s Polio Eradication Champion in recognition of his leadership and Canada’s contributions to polio eradication. Trudeau highlighted Canada’s continued commitment to working towards a world without polio, a world with gender equity, and a world where everyone has a chance to succeed. He expressed a wish that his children would grow up in a polio-free world, and encouraged Rotarians to continue their important work to achieve eradication worldwide.
  • Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal Princess Anne praised Rotary for its work in fighting polio. She spoke of Rotary’s ‘extraordinary reach’, its extensive understanding of cultures and languages, its members’ “endearing habit of leaving (their) egos at the door”, and the organisation’s ingenuity at overcoming obstacles that baffled others. In doing so, she said Rotary with its partners has brought polio to almost full global eradication.

    We pay tribute to our fellow Rotarian Anthony Whittle who passed away suddenly on 3rd July 2018, aged 36. Anthony, left, hosted a really interesting ‘a Rotarian presents’ at the Plaza Pharmacy earlier this year.

Narooma Rotary Beacon 5 July 2018

Rod’s Ramble 

Rod Walker, Narooma President 2018-2019

It is a great honour to be your President in the 60th year of Rotary in Narooma. When I look back on the great presidents of the past and the fantastic achievements of such a small club, it is a daunting prospect.

I will say more about my approach to the presidency at this week’s meeting. I will outline our business plan for the year at the Changeover on Saturday 4 August. Suffice it to say, I enjoy some of the formality that used to be an integral part of Rotary culture. It was a structured approach that resonated with the industry in which I worked and was a counterpoint to the informality of the sporting clubs I was involved with at the time. I felt privileged to be a member of Rotary.  You will see some more formality from me in 1918-19 whether you embrace it or not is up to you.

It’s worth considering  there are at least four former presidents still living in Narooma and no longer members of the Club and probably another six to 10 former members. If this much experience was lost in the corporate world then there would be a major review of the workplace culture to see what is going wrong. Membership will be a major focus for me but hand in hand with that is looking after the wellbeing of our current members. Therefore my theme for 2018-19 is ‘Fun, Fellowship and Family’ I will elaborate on this at this week’s meeting.

This Week: For my first meeting as President, I invite partners and friends to join us as we begin the 60th year of Rotary in Narooma. In the spirit of ‘Fun, Fellowship and Family’ it will simply be an opportunity to share a meal and a few stories in the company of the wider Rotary family. Please let Bob Aston know if you are bringing guests on Thursday or if you are an apology. Unless he hears otherwise, he will assume you are coming.

Regards Rod

Sandra Doyle presents Michelle Garcia of Narooma Public School with a $500 donation from the Busking Festival.

Out and about

Busking Festival buys musical instruments 

We wrapped up the 2018 Busking Festival with a ‘thank you’ night in Narooma Golf Club’s auditorium last Thursday for sponsors and volunteers. We also made donations with Festival proceeds to six local schools. Festival coordinator Sandra Doyle said the Festival in May was a huge success with the town buzzing from the Flat to the Plaza. ‘It would not have been possible if Rotary did not have the support of the many sponsors (both of prizes and hots spots) and all the wonderful volunteers from our community,’ she said.

Sandra Doyle presents Brendan Constable of Bermagui Public School with a $500 donation .

In Bob Aston’s last official function as President 2017-2018, he added his thanks to those who helped on the day, as well the Club’s appreciation to Sandra and her ‘Dream Team’ for their initiative and hard work in staging the of Narooma Public School Festival.

Sandra presented cheques to Narooma High School ($1,000) and to each of the five primary schools in Narooma Rotary’s catchment ($500 each), proceeds from the busker hot spots and busker votes, topped up by the Club. She said these donations would enable each school to purchase more musical instruments to encourage students to further their musical experience. One of Sandra’s little ‘twists’ for the evening was a display by Narooma Camera Club of candid shots of some of the buskers on the day, with a people’s choice.

Bob’s year ends

It may seem strange not having an official handover at this time of the year, with Bob’s year just seemingly morphing into Rod’s with our official changeover not until the 60th celebrations in August. However it is perhaps important at this point to pay tribute to Bob’s leadership over the past 12 months and to all that we have achieved, while also looking forward to a new ‘captain’ for the next 12 months. Another good year ahead!

Please don’t forget to let Bob know if you are bringing guests on Thursday night by 4pm Tuesday.

Bob would also like to know if you are coming to the changeover/60th celebrations on Saturday 4 August.

Cheers Laurelle

A date for your diary!