Charmaine’s Chat

A shame that Narooma Chamber of Commerce President Matt Deveson couldn’t join us last Thursday to talk about the Chamber’s ambitious project to create sustainable jobs here for the future. However Katherine Ratcliffe was a fine replacement.

Katherine lives and works in Tilba Tilba and has been busy with a Chamber of Commerce group working on new strategies and plans to boost our area. She spoke of the NAB staying in Narooma, the Chamber’s networking plans, expanding the effectiveness of our Tourism marketing, and plans for the continued growth of the Oyster Festival. Her talk led to some lively discussions.

It was good last week to again catch up with visiting Rotarian Jenni Lean from the Rotary Club of Port Moresby. 
Bob Aston did the international toast to the Rotary Club of St Andrews Scotland. 
Sunday’s markets were quiet, as you’d expect in July, but with a good atmosphere. Ange Ulrichsen sold Whale Raffle tickets; there are plenty of books to sell so don’t be shy and please grab a book from Ange. All proceeds will go to Monty’s Place towards the kitchen extensions. I will try to book a few days outside the IGA to sell raffle tickets; more on that on Thursday. The raffle will be drawn 7 September. 

THIS WEEK

5pm:  Renewable Energy Expo committee meeting – Narooma Golf Club

6pm for 6.30pm:      Weekly dinner meeting

THE WEEK THAT WAS

The Chamber and Narooma’s Strategic Plan

Kathryn Ratcliffe along with Matt Deveson, Di Riley, Jenny Munro, and NAB Narooma Branch Manager Cherie Cunninghame, form a working group tasked with  developing a plan to build community and business capacity in the Narooma district, make the economy more robust for the future, and create jobs. Support is coming from the NAB after its decision last year to keep the Narooma branch open, following strong community opposition when its closure was announced, and to use Narooma as a national test case.

Kathryn said it was only very early stages. They would be seeking information from the wider community as well as business people and are also working with the Tilba Chamber on this. Uppermost would be an appreciation of the clean green environment in which we live.

Kathryn said the Oyster Festival had virtually consumed Chamber committees in recent years. Now that will be run by a separate not-for-profit group still associated with the Chamber, the Chamber itself can refocus on more core Chamber business, like  having more of an advocacy role and this Community Economic Development Plan. She also mentioned Chamber Business Buzzes which encourage networking, tourism and business Expos at the Golf Club in September, and refreshing Narooma’s destination marketing. The Chamber is also after new members.

Kathryn is in the accommodation business at Tilba Tilba with a few farm cottages and ‘glamping tents’.

Bob’s St Andrews’ toast

Interesting that Bob, when toasting the RC of St Andrews in Scotland, said the Club meets at a nearby hotel for lunch each week, rather than at the St Andrews Golf Club. Each June the RC of St Andrews hosts an International Golf Week on ‘The Old Course’, when ‘some 300 visiting Rotarians from over 20 countries enjoy fellowship’ over a game of golf. Stay tuned for moves from our Narooma golfer members to check that out in coming years.

Out and About

Thanks to Easts who are celebrating

With John Doyle and Rolf Gimmel both away, it looked like we would be unable to tow the van to the Markets on Sunday. That’s when Lyn Field and her team at Easts kindly came to the rescue.

Narooma’s Easts team have been celebrating recently; the builders of their new indoor heated Splash Park and Spa won a major gong at the recent 2019 Southern Region’s Building Awards at Ulladulla. Bermagui’s Munckton Homes won the Excellence in Building Award for ‘Best Commercial – New $2 Million – $3 Million’ project for the splash park and spa project.

Moruya greets Danish Exchange Student

Moruya Rotarians last week welcomed Danish exchange student Josephine Drachmann. Josephine is 16 years old and comes from Randers in Denmark. Her sponsoring Club is Randers Vestre. She attends a Continuation school which is a Boarding School where she particularly studies  languages. She and her family have travelled extensively including to the USA, Singapore and Australia.

Good news re joint District Grant

Former DG Phil Armstrong, current District Grants Chair, has informed us that the joint application by Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma Clubs for a District Grant for 2019/20 has been approved.  The grant of AU$6,000 is towards the cost of a community bus for Yumaro and  Eurobodalla Meals on Wheels.

On another note – the last paraprosdokians

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.

Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

Hospitality: making your guests feel like they’re at home, even if you wish they were.

Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.

NEXT WEEK

6 for 6.30pm: A partners’ night for District Governor Peter Ford’s official visit. Please don’t forget to let Charmaine know if you are bringing guests.

Charmaine’s Chat

Was it a book launch or a Rotary meeting last week? We had 32 attendees, 26 of whom were guests invited by Laurelle, Chris and Ange. They came to hear about Jody Vassallo’s new recipe book called Farmer – Recipes and Stories. It was so inspiring to hear how handfeeding her eight sheep on her small property at Central Tilba led to her thinking of the difficulties farmers faced trying to feed thousands of sheep through the drought. This led to her mammoth undertaking of putting together a book to raise money for our farmers doing it very tough.  I had no idea so much planning and organising was involved in writing a recipe book. (Please see more below)
All our tertiary scholarship holders have done extremely well last semester. Congratulations to them all. 
Yes, the market is on this coming Sunday 28 July. 
Also, please mark in your diary that Thursday 8 August is the visit of our DG Peter Ford, so therefore a partners’ night. 
Rod Walker has kindly stepped up to be Treasurer while Lynn is away. 
Please remember to check the jobs’ roster for each meeting and please get a replacement to fill in if you are unavailable. 
See you this Thursday. Another top speaker.

THIS WEEK

Our guest speaker is Narooma Chamber of Commerce President Matt Deveson who will speak about ‘Narooma Dreaming – Jobs for the Future’. He will outline developing a strategic plan for Narooma to benefit everyone, how they will engage with the business and wider community to produce it, collect data, and the process involved.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

What a fascinating presentation last week by Jody Vassallo who is a prolific recipe and cookbook writer and food stylist, now living at Central Tilba. It’s interesting that after working on River Cottage, she sold up in the Byron Bay area and moved to Tilba because she loved the area so much. (Interesting Kelly Eastwood of Eastwood’s Deli and Cooking School at Bermagui also moved to the area after working on River Cottage.)

This is Jody’s 40^th book but it’s very different to her previous projects. When she decided about a year ago she wanted to raise funds for farmers, she put something up on a food industry Facebook page and within 24 hours had over 200 expressions of interest in helping her.

To produce it required recipes, food stylists, photographers, writers, plate and equipment hire, someone to drive a social media campaign, marketing and PR people and a crowd funding page. She praised everyone involved 10 writers, 12 food editors, 15 photographers, stylists, and home economist most of whom gave their services free. Recipes were contributed by celebrity chefs as well as farmers featured in the book in stories about them and their families.

Jody was impressed with the resilience and optimism of the farmers she met – “one day it’s going to rain”. Farmers didn’t want her to focus on the problems but just wanted people to know what was going on. “Meanwhile,” she said, “the drought is not going away, if anything it’s getting worse. There’s just so much going on out there.”

She said crowd funding got off to a slow start but in January it started to take off, one impetus being an interview by ABC South East presenter Sophie Longden (also a farmer and former ABC rural reporter).

Given all that, it is remarkable that the book took only about a year from conception in her Tilba paddock to print. Jody wanted to print it in Australia because it was about Australian farmers, and so special arrangements were made with the printers.

She said producing this book has been “an absolute honour”, and in amongst all the stress it has brought her so much joy. Interesting Jody refers to all of her cook books as ‘she’. “She’s a big girl and she’s beautiful, with images by some of Australia’s best photographers,” she said.

All proceeds go to the Country Women’s Association, which she described as “the eyes and ears of the country”, to distribute to farming families in need across Australia in a way that tries to keep the money circulating in country towns. The book costs $30.

Out and About

Joint Baby Book Project at Moruya Hospital

Each year our Club contributes to a joint literacy project with Batemans Bay and Moruya Clubs to provide books to all babies born at Moruya Hospital. The project is managed by Moruya Club. Established in 2005 by then Moruya President Steve Young, this wonderful program is still going strong. About 300 babies are born at Moruya Hospital each year so that equates to a lot of books.

Centenary of Rotary Down Under 2021

In 2021 we will celebrate the centenary of Rotary in Australia and New Zealand. There’s a host of ideas being developed on both sides of the Tasman about how best to celebrate it, everything from tree plantings, to grand events with various dignitaries, to a Peace Building Symposium, to a baton relay.

This milestone is seen as a great opportunity to raise awareness of Rotary in our region and to showcase the work Rotary and each club does in our communities and around the world. Facebook is going gangbusters with updates, stories and videos; http://www.facebook.com/Rotary100downunder.

RI Pres Mark Maloney not visiting Narooma

RI President Mark Maloney and his wife Gay will visit Australia briefly in September following the Christchurch Zone 8 Conference. He will be in Sydney 23^rd September before flying to Melbourne on Tuesday 24^th. Rotarians are invited to attend a dinner with him at Woolwich (300 people maximum so you will need to book ASAP).

On a lighter note – more paraprosdokians

(Try saying that!)

• If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.
• War does not determine who is right, only who is left.
• A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.
• You’re never too old to learn something stupid.

NEXT WEEK:

Renewable Energy Expo committee meeting at 5pm at the Golf Club followed by a dinner meeting

Charmaine’s Chat

Our first meeting was of 12 but who’s counting?  Great to get to see my brother Bern White and introduce him and his friend Sue Tredrea to my fellow Rotarians.

Our Board meeting sorted out the four Presidents for the year; a big thank you to all concerned for their help. We are all hoping for smooth sailing all year. Ange Ulrichsen will take over from me 1 October, Bob Aston from Ange Ulrichsen 1 Jan and Laurelle Pacey from 1 April. Rod Walker will take over from Laurelle as Vice President for that last quarter. Rolf Gimmel will then be President 2020-2021.

Last week Bob gave us a wonderful summary of some of his and Therese’s adventures during their ten weeks overseas.

We’ve heard from two of our three Tertiary Scholars with their results (see following).

The defibrillator we provided to Woolworths has been returned as all Woolworths are having the same brand of defibrillator installed in all stores across Australia. So if anyone can think of a new home for this defibrillator that would be great.

The Board also came up with some key dates for the coming year.  8 August:       D G visit – partners’ night           29 August:      Combined meeting with Bega at Cobargo Hotel (changed because of roadworks)            2 November: Renewable Energy Expo            20 March:      Cinders – TBC with Moruya Club            16 April:         Pride of Workmanship (TBC because of school holidays)  30 May:         National Busking Championships in Narooma

THIS WEEK

Our guest speaker is Tilba-based cookbook author and food stylist Jody Vassallo. She will talk about her latest cookbook venture, Farmer, to raise funds for drought-affected farmers. Jody enlisted the help of leading chefs and a team of people who also tell the stories of farmers and their families in this book. She crowd-funded the whole venture. This should interest a lot of people.

OTHER NEWS FROM LAST WEEK:

Tertiary Scholarship

Bob Aston has already spoken with about 12 Year 12 students at Narooma High about applying for our Rotary Tertiary Scholarship this year. The closing date for applications is a week after the end of the HSC with interviews 21 December.

MUNA

Our Club is sponsoring a team from Narooma High to the Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) in Canberra 16-18 August, thanks to Ange Ulrichsen’ s initiative and Narooma High teacher Monique Wicks. MUNA is organised for D9710 each year by the RC of Canberra Sunrise.

Teams are made up of two or three Year 11 or 12 students, with each team representing a nation at a simulated Model United Nations Assembly. Narooma High is representing Syria, a huge task. Teams debate topics of international concern such as world peace, environmental issues and human rights over two days at the Museum of Australian Democracy (old Parliament House).

The benefits for students are that they develop an awareness of the working of the United Nations and of the country that they are representing. They have an opportunity to practice and develop their public speaking and debating skills, and gain a better understanding of the international positions of other countries.

Ange is looking forward to our members meeting the team soon.

OUT AND ABOUT

Our Tertiary Scholars

Great results from our tertiary scholars Sabine Kildea and Cassie Kerr. Sabine Kildea is doing an Arts degree at ANU. She received three credits in the first semester and is now off to the United States for the next phase of her course. Bob Aston is her counsellor.

Cassidy is doing a double degree in Law and Psychology at the University of Wollongong. She wrote to her counsellor Rod Walker:

I received my exam results yesterday and I’m very pleased with the results, I received 3 Credits and 1 Pass, which are results I am super proud of as the first semester of law was indeed challenging! 

I just wanted to update you and thank you again for the scholarship. Your contribution and my youth allowance payments have allowed me to focus completely on my studies as with this budget I have been able to live comfortably without a job thus far, which has played a huge part in the results I received. So, thank you so much again I cannot stress how grateful I am, I look forward to continuing my studies later this month and I will most definitely continue to keep you updated. 

Best wishes, Cassidy 

Our other current tertiary scholar is Alicia Bate; she is studying for a Bachelor of Animal Science at Charles Sturt University.

Moruya Rotarians host Small Farm Field Days

Moruya Rotary is organising Small Farm Field Days 20-21 March at Moruya Showground which will require a big effort by all Moruya Rotarians. They hope for up to 100 stallholders providing products and information for small landholders as well as giving local producers an opportunity to showcase and sell their wares.

Money will come from exhibitors’ fees, sponsorships and gate entry fees. They hope to have some stallholders from last year’s Renewable Energy Expo which was held at Moruya because power alternatives are a big deal for small land holders, especially if they live well out of town. The event will also include a program of speakers on topics relevant to small farms, and possibly a petting zoo for children.

RI and ShelterBox renew partnership

Rotary International announced last month it had renewed a three-year partnership with its disaster relief project partner, ShelterBox. For almost 20 years, this unique humanitarian alliance has supported families with a place to call home after disaster. ShelterBox provides emergency shelters and other essential items to support families who have lost their homes in disaster.

What began as a local connection with one Cornish Rotary Club has led to an international movement that’s provided 140,000 ShelterBox family tents or 390,000 ShelterKits worldwide to date (a value of over £54 million).

NEXT WEEK:

Our guest speaker will be Matt Deveson from Narooma Chamber of Commerce who will speak about ‘Narooma Dreaming – Jobs for the Future’. He will outline the development of a strategic plan for Narooma to benefit everyone.

On a lighter note

Winston Churchill apparently loved these, and of course there is a word for it. ‘paraprosdokians’ (!). They are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected and frequently humorous. Here are a few:

• Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
• Evening news is where they begin with ‘Good evening’ and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t.
• Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
• Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars but check when you say the paint is wet?

Charmaine’s Chat

The next 12 months will be a time of adventure in uncharted waters with our four ‘captains’ steering our Club. As you know, this is a new course for our Club because no one person was available to take the helm for the whole year. Each of our four ‘captains’, all Past Presidents, will do a three-month stint as President and all be on this year’s Board. This will also help Rolf Gimmel prepare for his term as president the following year.

All of us are committed to continue our major projects: our monthly markets, the Renewable Energy Expo in November, the Busking Championships as well as our Rotary youth programmes.

The Rotary International theme for this year is ‘Rotary connects the World’. So let’s hoist the flag, anchors aweigh, set the sails, and all be aboard to ‘connect the World’ by continuing to help our local community and Rotary International.

THIS WEEK

Board Meeting at 5pm at the Golf Club followed by Club Assembly and fellowship.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Last Thursday we celebrated the end of a good year under President Rod and the start of ‘a rotating presidency’ through 2019-2020. Past District Governor Maureen Manning in replying to Bob Aston’s toast to Rotary International, said our Club was “the epitome of what Rotary International is about”.

Rod said his theme for his year was “Steady as she goes” with the Club continuing to punch well above its weight in terms of fundraising and community activities. “We also enjoyed some fascinating guest speakers through the year who attracted many visitors to our meetings,” he said.

Incoming first President Charmaine White continued the nautical theme, referring to the next 12 months as “a year of adventure in uncharted waters” (see above).

Over the past 12 months our Club provided over $28,000 to local and international causes over the past year, of which about $10,000 went to local youth programmes and tertiary scholarship recipients, $4,756 to the Rotary Foundation including the polio eradication campaign, and $3,000 to Rotary Health Australia for medical and mental health research.

Rod said highlights included the 60^th birthday celebrations last August, the recent Busking Championships, the Australia Day Duck Race, the Pride of Workmanship Awards, youth programmes, the Tertiary Scholarship Awards as well as monthly markets.

John Rungen, Sandra and Lynn had earlier been recognised as Paul Harris Fellows, with John Rungen also being named the the club’s Rotarian of the Year by outgoing President Rod. President Elect Rolf received his second Paul Harris Sapphire Pin on the night.

Guests at the Changeover included the Rotary District Governor’s representative Past District Governor Maureen Manning of the Batemans Bay Rotary Club, Past District Governor Phil Armstrong and his wife Kim, and representatives from Moruya Rotary Club, Narooma Lions, Quota, CWA and other local volunteer organisations.

OUT AND ABOUT

Congratulations to Nadine

John and Sandra Doyle’s daughter Nadine Holland, our wonderful Busking concert MC, was inducted into the Rotary Club of Cooma at the Club’s Changeover by DG Margaret Hassall, also a member of the Cooma Club.

Alas, we lost Cinders…

Moruya Rotary won the recent annual Cinders Trophy trivia night.  This fun night between our two Clubs sometimes sees some fierce competition but always in a spirit of fun.  Our numbers were well down with so many members away so a good reason to lock in the date early in 2020 before people start travelling, maybe March/April.

Congratulations to our neighbours

DG Margaret Hassall’s presented her District 9710 Awards at our District Changeover on 30 June with several recipients being our neighbouring Rotarians.

Moruya Rotary Club won the International Service Award for the Storage Facility and Intensive Farming Project on Arturo Island in Timor Leste. This project provided storage to ensure that rice provided by the Timorese Government each year under the School Feeding Program is properly stored and protected, while the intensive farming project provided training and protection for the intensive farming of vegetables and animals to benefit the local community. This project was supported by a District Foundation Grant.

Shirley Hayes-Cornish of Moruya Rotary was awarded the District’s Excellence in International Service Award. Shirl is the driving force behind Moruya’s projects in Timor Leste, particularly the storage facility and intensive farming project. She has also become active in the Mindanao Poverty Relief Action in the Philippines with her husband John, and as the lead presentation in a training program ‘Awareness of Sexual Health´ which aims to reduce teenage pregnancies.

Bega Rotary won the Vocational Service Award for their Bega Rotary Business Breakfast initiative which Noel Trevaskis has previously outlined to us. This initiative brings Bega’s business community and other organisations together with Bega Rotarians and provides a valuable source of membership for Bega Rotary while simultaneously addressing the needs of the group and community organisations.

Maureen Manning from Batemans Bay Rotary was awarded the Excellence in Youth Service recognising her service to RYPEN and over 2,000 students over the last 17 years.  Through the RYPEN camps, Maureen has assisted many young people reach their potential by her enthusiasm, organisation, devotion to the wellbeing of others and through her care and compassion.

Our 9710 District Governor is Peter Ford from the Rotary Club of Aurora Gungahlin.

In case you missed it

Outgoing RI President Barry Rassin wrote last month that Rotary International had incorporated environmental sustainability into each of Rotary’s six areas of focus. This was due to the actions of the Environmental Sustainability Rotarian Action Group in partnership with UN Environment.

Those six areas of focus are: Peace and Conflict Resolution, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Water and Sanitation, Maternal and Child Health, Basic Education and Literacy, Economic and Community Development. Rotary will work to ensure projects in these six areas preserve the ability for the environment to renew itself and continue to support human well-being, thereby supplying life-sustaining benefits to communities.

Both Rassin and new RI President Mark Maloney hope Clubs find ways to implement these suggestions. Sounds like our Renewable Energy Expo is right on RI’s target.