Ange’s Chat

Many thanks to outgoing President Charmaine for being at the helm from July to September. We continue the course set by Charmaine of ‘steady as we go’ as we continue on our rotating watches through 2019-2020.

I am delighted to be President of our wonderful Club for this short time to the end of December. Every one of our members plays a vital part in the team and all live Rotary’s ideals of friendship, fun and service. We have a busy time ahead.

This Thursday we support Australian Rotary Health (ARH) on World Mental Health Day by hosting a Hat Day as part of its national ‘Lift the Lid on Mental Illness’ fundraising campaign. The ARH is one of the largest independent funders of mental health research in Australia; 100% of funds raised will directly contribute to research in this vital field. So please wear a hat this Thursday night, any hat will do and you could win a prize! Our Katungul speakers will be interesting.

Also could everyone please consider contributing a prize for the raffle at our Film night on 24 October and bringing them along this Thursday.

THIS WEEK: HAT DAY

This Thursday is Hat Day for World Mental Health Day. Wear a hat, stylish or outrageous, and you could win a prize! We will have three presenters from Katungul Aboriginal Corporation Regional Health and Community Services to talk about their mental health programs and services. They are Clinical Nurse and Consultant Manager Ann Kelly, Alcohol/Drug Caseworker Damian Rotumah and NDIS Coordinator Kate Rotumah. Ann will also judge the best hat of the night.

Please note: Charmaine is continuing as the person to contact if you are bringing guests so please contact her by Tuesday afternoon with any additional guests.

There is a Board meeting at 5pm on Thursday before the dinner meeting.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Last Thursday was our mini-changeover with outgoing President Charmaine passing the chain of office to Ange. It was a relatively quiet but enjoyable night. Charmaine also presented a belated secretary badge to Sandra and director’s badges to John Rungen, John Doyle and Lynn Hastings.

International toast

PE Rolf gave the international toast to the Rotary Clubs of Brazil. The Brazilian clubs mobilised to help stave off a potential polio outbreak after dangerously low vaccination rates were reported by heath officials last year. They inoculated more than 11 million Brazilian children with polio and measles vaccines during a massive two-month vaccination campaign. Measles had broken out in the northern states where thousands of Venezuelan refugees have crossed the border to escape economic and political hardships.

One Happy Moment  last week

Proud father Mike Young told us that her daughter Catherine Young Carlson, Senior Vice President of Revenue and Strategy with the Philadelphia Eagles National Football League, was mentioned in a recent Wall Street Journal article. She is one of five female senior executives on the Eagles Board which is very unusual in NFL. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said he doesn’t focus on gender diversity but rather diversity of thought to create the best football team possible, and that meant looking for the best candidates especially those who might not be typically interviewed in football circles. Catherine is also on the board of USA Cricket.

OUT AND ABOUT

Moruya Rotary celebrates Allan Jennaway

More than 40 Moruya Rotarians celebrated Allan Jennaway’s transition from a serving member of the Club to an honorary Rotarian with a special barbecue at Moruya’s Quarry Park last Saturday. The Park was begun by the Club during Allan’s year as President 1990/1991. Allan was thanked for his “incredible and sustained contribution to the Club over so many years” which included being President, Vice President, Secretary, Directorships and membership of District Committees.

World Polio Day is Thursday 24 October

Narooma is one of many Rotary clubs around the world hosting events to celebrate World Polio Day. We will host the Narooma premiere of ‘Ride Like a Girl’.

We decided that for the film night we should encourage everyone to dress up as if they were going to the races. Prize for the best dressed on the night. Chris O’Brien is organising drinks and nibbles while David and Rachel McInnes are organising the raffle. Please bring raffle prizes this week.

Narooma High robotics team seeks sponsors

We have received an update of the remarkable endeavours of Narooma High’s robotics team the Robotic Rebels. They are currently working on competing at the Robocup competition in Canberra and the first Lego League competition in Ulladulla. Participation in such events benefits students by meeting other like-minded students and helps our community by integrating technology into Stages 3, 4 and 5 of the curriculum as well as running community workshops. The School is seeking funds to support Narooma students with team shirts and publicity material for the next year.

RI President Mark visits Sydney

RI President Mark Maloney and his wife Gay were guests of a Rotary reception at the Deckhouse at Woolwich on 23 September. They were on an international trip to fulfil Mark’s dream and his theme for his presidential year of connecting the world. “Rotary allows us to relate to each other in a meaningful way across our differences,” he said. “It connections us with people we would never have met otherwise who are more like us than we could ever have been aware. It connects us with our communities, with professionals and with people who need our help.”

NEXT WEEK:  

It promises to be a remarkable evening with noted guest speaker John James who will talk on ‘the importance of community leadership in a too-hot world’. John has had an extraordinary career as an architect, historian, psychologist and publisher. He still edits a weekly email newsletter and has often been called to talk on public radio in Australia, the UK and the US. He believes the south coast is one of the few parts of Australia that can escape the worst predictions of climate change for the future. Since 2015 he and his wife Hillary have lived at Brogo.

Charmaine’s Chat

It’s out with the old this week and in with the new Captain of our jolly ship Narooma Rotary Ange Ulrichsen. Ange has a busy three months ahead what with Mental Health Hat Night next week, and our Polio film night the following week, and that’s just October. Then we have the Renewable Energy Expo on Saturday 2 November…
My thoughts, having completed my three-month stint as President, are that it does show that things can be done differently. Hopefully at the end of Ange’s presidential ‘voyage’ she will also feel buoyed by the support and enthusiasm of our crew of Narooma Rotarians.
A big thank you to all our crew for your support during my term.  Some have been away exploring far-flung lands or relaxing and having some R & R, but fortunately all have returned to keep up their community work at the markets and volunteering for various causes. A special mention also of the amazing guest speakers we have had recently and our Friends of Rotary who have helped when we have been short-handed.

THIS WEEK: Mini Changeover

Outgoing President Charmaine hands over to incoming President Ange Ulrichsen at our mini ‘changeover’ this week at a normal dinner meeting where we can just enjoy each other’s company.

The Week that Was

We enjoyed another fascinating guest speaker last week in Keith Mundy from Tilba Nursery who spoke mainly about Australian native plants for the spring garden. In introducing Keith, Lynda Ord summarised Keith’s extensive qualifications and experience; no wonder he is so knowledgeable.

All of us have some kind of garden, some more expansive and more successful than others. No wonder then that many were madly jotting down plants Keith mentioned and handy hints for growing healthy plants. He also mentioned his popular monthly talks at the La Galette café at Tilba Tilba; worth keeping in mind.

Our guests last week included Friends of Rotary Heather  Ferguson and Di Lovatt, Dr John and Larry Brown, Gero Mitchell, Annette Kennewell, Sue Munro, Maureen Trees and Lou Matheson.

Last week’s International Toast

John Doyle proposed our International Toast last week to Rotary Oceania (the Rotary Clubs of New Zealand and seven Pacific Island nations). What first prompted him with this Toast was finding out about the Whangarei City Rotary’s association with an ocean-cleaning machine called the Seabin installed at Tutukaka Marina in New Zealand’s Northland earlier this year. The Seabin sucks up plastic litter floating in the water in a quest to clear the oceans of plastic debris. It is a collaboration between Ocean Spirit, Tutukaka Marina Management and Trust Board, the Interact Club at Huanui College and Whangarei City Rotary Club (through a Rotary District Grant).

When investigating that project, John became even more excited by the news that day that Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation had announced a US$300m commitment to a new industry-focused initiative to end worldwide plastic waste. Perhaps a subject for a future talk…

John has provided the links for anyone who would like to read more about these projects: To the NZ Rotary project is https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=12226250  To the Minderoo project
https://www.minderoo.com.au/ .

Out and About

Bega Rotary invites us to a Silent Auction

Bega Rotary Club has invited us to their ‘Silent auction – Bad Taste Night ‘on Thursday 17 October. The invitation reads: Come in bad taste. Dress up! Don’t be shy! Visit the op shop or just look in the back of the cupboard…..those clothes from the 80’s …..aghhh! Be there or be square! We are looking for more donations so dig deep Chocolates, wine, bad taste vases, artwork Pot plants , pots, vegetables, eggs, preserves Cakes, accommodation, a weekend holiday. Contact Dorothea with your Bright Ideas and Pledges.

From Moruya Rotary – Drug and Alcohol Forum 30 October

Eurobodalla Cares Local Drug Action Team has invited Deakin University representatives to Moruya to run a drug and alcohol forum on Wednesday 30 October at Moruya Golf Club, starting at 1pm. Deakin University has a drug and alcohol education and prevention programme called Communities That Care (CTC) which is running at 12 sites across Australia.

At this forum, Deakin University researcher and lecturer Professor Bosco Rowland will release data from these CTC sites in Australia. CTC has the potential to build capacity in the Eurobodalla to support youth well-being and prevent health and social problems for young people.  The benefits of this program flow through to the whole community.

Evidence tells us that many problems facing young people in the Eurobodalla such as alcohol and drug use, mental health struggles and school disengagement, could  be effectively prevented using long term community planning. Using the CTC framework, the whole Eurobodalla community would become the drivers of change, not just singular organisations or government departments.

The Eurobodalla Cares Local Drug Action Team hopes to get a CTC project for the Eurobodalla. This would require some significant funding but cost/ benefit studies done by Deakin University show very high returns for money invested in this program. Excerpt from Moruya Rotary Newsletter

NEXT WEEK:   LIFT THE LID ON MENTAL ILLNESS

Next Thursday is World Mental Health Day when we ‘lift the lid’ on mental illness by hosting a Hat Day event.  Wear your best or most bizarre hat, bring your friends and partners and please encourage them to do likewise. There will be a prize for the most ???

Our guest speaker Ann Kelly from Katungul will speak on mental health and local services.

An extraordinary figure quoted in association with World Mental Health Day is that 1 in 5 Australians suffer a mental illness every year.  Any money raised from donations next week will go to Australian Rotary Health towards funding vital mental health research.

On a lighter note, the last word on Hats

Why do spies always wear hats? Because they are undercover.

What did the tie say to the hat? You go on ahead and I’ll hang around.

What do you call a lion wearing a stylish hat? A dandy lion.

Where do frogs leave their hats and coats? In the croakroom.

Charmaine’s Chat

It sounds like I missed a great meeting last week. Please see the summary below. This is a very brief CC this week. I would however like to draw your attention to the article on the Food Plant Solutions Rotarian Action Group in our ‘Out and About’ section. It’s a really worthwhile project.

Unfortunately I have to miss this week’s meeting as well, but Laurelle will again chair it. See you next week.

THIS WEEK IS ONE FOR GARDENERS

We welcome Keith Mundy of Tilba Nursery who will talk about Australian native plants for the Spring garden. This should be another great night at our Club. Bring your partners and friends but please don’t forget to let Charmaine know by Tuesday afternoon if you are bringing guests.

The Week that Was

What a great meeting last week with 42 people all of whom thoroughly enjoyed a fascinating tour of the musical traditions of Morocco. That was thanks to Australian Cat Wilson and her Moroccan husband musician Faouzi Saouli; they now live in Narooma. Paul Stokes and his team at the Golf Club also got into the spirit of the evening with about seven Moroccan dishes. In keeping with our theme, our international toast was to the Rotary Club of Casablanca, where Cat and Faouzi lived. It was the first Rotary Club in Morocco, chartered in 1932, and is now one of several Rotary Clubs in Casablanca.

We welcomed back a very relaxed John Rungen from three months in Mauritius. Great to see David and Rachel McInnes again, David’s mother Dianne, and their guest Hannah Taylor of Norfolk Island who had been a Rotary Exchange student to Belgium. 

Among our other guests were our regular visiting Dubbo Rotarian Gordon Bentley and his wife Di, and Darryl Breust from the Rotary Club of Coolamon in the Riverina, Cat’s sister Sarah and her family, Bernie Perrot President of the Men’s Shed and a crew from U3A including Bernie’s wife Ruth.

Cat and Faouzi described the various musical traditions from the different geographical areas of Morocco, what has influenced those traditions, and the fusing of many of those different traditions by younger musicians. All were accompanied by short film clips demonstrating the different music. They had everyone captivated. Faouzi is not only a musician; he is also an oud (lute) maker. He treated us to a tune on his oud which he made from Australian timbers. In Morocco he would pay people to cut the wood for him; thanks to Narooma Men’s Shed, he learnt how to cut the wood himself. He made the bowl of his oud from thin strips of banksia and jarrah, the face/soundboard from cedar, the neck from merbau, and the fret board and pegs from gidgee (a desert acacia). He used a traditional plectrum made of horn and a peacock feather.

Mike Young thanked Cat and Faouzi on behalf of us all. Our presentation wine glasses created some interest among those from groups always looking for such things to give to speakers.

We are also trialling a draft handout about our Club to give to interested visitors particularly prospective members.

Out and About

Rotary addresses malnutrition

District has forwarded a request for funds from the Food Plant Solutions Rotarian Action Group (FPSRAG). It’s a Tasmanian-based project that focuses on addressing malnutrition, hunger and food security around the world using readily available and local food plants. It is now a RAWCS project. Apparently about five children under five die every minute from malnutrition.

The project draws on the work of agriculturist Bruce French who has spent his life collating information on the world’s edible plants. He says the global trend in agriculture is back to biodiversity using local well adapted food plants and agro-ecology; “We don’t need major scientific breakthroughs but rather better dissemination of already known sound ecological and nutritional information about edible plants”.

Food Plant Solutions does not send people in-country, but forms partnerships with existing aid providers who use FPS publications to educate communities, and particularly women and children, on the nutrient value of plants growing in their areas. It helps them identity local food plants suited to their environment, high in nutrients and that grow with minimal inputs. With program partners, FPS encourages the establishment of demonstration food gardens in schools and communities,

Chair of FPSRAG PDG Una Hobday OAM says many of their enquiries are from NGOs who want their educational materials. This costs time and money to produce, translate and sometimes print, which most of these people do not have.  She is asking Clubs to consider possibly putting aside $500 each year to help them answer those requests. She said some of their programmes have reduced malnutrition by as much as 95%; she says ‘it’s proven, cost-effective and sustainable”. More information www.foodplantsolutions.org

Moruya welcomes the Men’s Health Van

Moruya Rotarians are looking after the Men’s Health Education Rural Van (mherv) team on 11th and 12th November during their Moruya stay. It’s a Rotary project – a specialised van with a Rotarian Registered Nurse who will check men’s blood pressure, pulse rate, blood sugar levels, cholesterol and body mass index. A working party of six Moruya Rotarians have organised a site for the van and are now looking to find accommodation and meals for the driver/nurse plus organise  publicity.

More from the Hayes

Shirley Cornish-Hayes and husband John from Moruya Rotary report have been asked by the Rotary Family Planning and Aids Prevention project to work with them to produce games for their new youth reproductive health program. This approach follows the Hayes’ booth at the Hamburg Rotary International Convention promoting their Sexual Health Education programme in developing nations. This project conducts three day Family Health clinics in Africa and Asia. It may do a ‘Breakout Session’ at next year’s Hawaii RI Convention and it has been suggested the Hayes might like to join them.

NEXT WEEK:  

Dinner meeting to just enjoy each other’s company.

SPECIAL EVENTS COMING UP:

10 October: Hats Night with guest speaker

Bring your partners and friends

24 October: Film Night at Kinema

Charmaine’s Chat

Last week’s International Toast was to the Bahamas and all the work Rotary will be doing after the devastation caused by the recent hurricane.

Many guests associated with our whalewatching raffle came last week. The raffle raised $1,429 which was boosted to $1,500 by the Board which I presented to the President of Monty’s Place David Kelleher. He gave a brief overview of Monty’s and the Wednesday community lunches – more details below. I presented Norm Ingersoll of Narooma Charters with a certificate of appreciation for his kind donation of whale watching tickets over the years, and presented whale watching tickets to the lucky raffle ticket holder Darren Overton. Darren’s family Cheryl Davison and Cody and Thomas also attended. Cheryl has kindly offered to donate either a print of one of her famous artworks or a Sydney Swans Jersey (with her artwork design) for a future raffle.

Great to welcome Peter Bull back last week. He gave a brief talk about the 20 Rotary clubs he visited on the Gold Coast during his winter sojourn (See below). He has been busy!
I won’t be at this week’s meeting so Laurelle has kindly agreed to chair it.
We received a lovely postcard from Mauritius from John Rungen. He will be back mid-September which could possibly mean this Thursday…

THIS WEEK

Our guest speakers areCat Wilson and her husband Faouzi Saouli who will take us on a tour of the musical traditions of Morocco with Faouzi also playing his lute (Oud). Ange says Paul at the Golf Club will also get into the mood with some Moroccan offerings.

The week that was

As Charmaine mentioned, last week we welcomed back Peter Bull from his winter escape to the Gold Coast. It was also great to have our man from Dubbo, Gordon Bentley with us. Peter gave a short update on his time on the Gold Coast as well as the varied Rotary Clubs he visited whilst enjoying the warm winter sun (see below).

We also welcomed Norm Ingersoll from Narooma Charters, David Kelleher from Monty’s, and Darren Overton and his partner Cheryl and children Coby and Tom. The donation from the raffle to Monty’s Place is to assist with their kitchen expansion and renovation plans. David said Monty’s served a community meal each and every Wednesday in the Uniting Church hall. People from all walks of life attend. Its aim is to provide an opportunity for people to come together and enjoy each other’s company. There is seating for 48 in the hall and, combined with’ taker-aways’, between 60 and 80 people are served each week.

News from the Board Meeting

Our Board meeting last Thursday agreed to donate $500 to Australia Rotary Health to assist in Mental Health Research. It also agreed to delay consideration of instigating a breakfast club (similar to the one instigated by the Bega Club) until after the Expo.

The Board also discussed a possible location for the defibrillator returned to us by Woolworths. Several locations were suggested. Charmaine will follow up. The Board also agreed to host the Camera Club’s photo exhibition of the Busking Competition as a publicity event for next year’s Competition.

Peter Bull reports on Gold Coast Clubs

Peter gave a brief summary of some of the activities of Rotary Clubs on the Gold Coast where the population is increasing by 12,000 a year. The Passport Club has 40 members mainly under 45 who focus on humanitarian work; they meet once a month for one hour and function as an E-club.
There are many different formats working including breakfast, night, weekly, once a month, once a fortnight and club mergers. Some now have a bulletin only once a month.
Another club builds wheelchairs from old bicycles and sends them to the Pacific islands. Another manages 22 villas for homeless people.

Out and About

From Moruya Rotary

Shirley Cornish-Hayes and husband John from Moruya Rotary report continuing enquiries following their booth at the Hamburg Rotary International Convention promoting their Sexual Health Education programme in several developing nations. They spoke to us about this programme in August. Their next overseas venture will be to northern India to ‘Train the Trainers’.

Merimbula Rotary installing AEDs

Merimbula Rotary Club has funded the installation of defibrillators in Tura Beach’s shopping mall and at Merimbula McDonald’s. The defibrillators are accessible at all hours, securely installed and monitored on the outside of the buildings. Josh Stanton of Tura Beach was the driving force behind their installation following a near tragedy close to home and was delighted when Merimbula Rotary took on the project to fully fund the purchase and installation of the two defibrillators.

NEXT WEEK

Keith Mundy, owner of Tilba Nursery, will talk about Australian Native Plants for the Spring garden. Keith and partner Desiree have had the Tilba Nursery since 1999, initially at Foxglove Gardens but now around the corner at a standalone site. Keith has extensive qualifications and experience, writes the garden column in The Triangle, and has a popular monthly garden talk at La Galette Café at Tilba Tilba. This should be another great night at our Club. Bring your partners and friends.

Charmaine’s Chat

While the Narooma High team going to MUNA in Canberra got off to an uncertain start, the team that finally went was very grateful for the opportunity and appeared to reap many benefits from their experiences over the weekend. Meeting other students from all sorts of schools across Australia, hearing the calibre of debating, having to think from Syria’s perspective and act with another bloc of countries. They appreciated their teacher’s help and Rotary’s financial support in getting them to the event. 

Our meeting last week had a lovely vibe with 26 people including guests and an international toast by Sandra Doyle to all the Rotary people worldwide who are currently helping Syrian refugees. 
Our Whale Watching raffle, thanks to our sponsors Narooma Charters, has been won by the local Overton Family who we welcome tonight. 

A reminder that this Thursday we have a Board meeting 5.00, followed by a dinner meeting. 

THIS WEEK

Board meeting at 5pm at Narooma Golf Club followed by a dinner meeting with special guests associated with the Whale Watching raffle: Darren Overton and family, either Norm or Nick Ingersoll from Narooma Charters who make the raffle possible each year, and Monty’s Place president David Kelleher and his wife Vi to receive the proceeds from this year’s Whale Watching raffle towards the kitchen extensions.

The week that was

Wonderful to welcome John and Sandra back last week from their northern winter sojourn. In keeping with our MUNA students having represented Syria, Sandra looked up Rotary clubs in Syria to find that the RC of Damascus was started in 1938 but later banned by the Syrian Government. So her international toast was to all the Rotary Clubs across the world who are assisting Syrian refugees.

Our guests last week were Narooma High students who went to the Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) in Canberra in mid August. They are Crystal Elmasri, Aisha Thomas and Luka Potts. Joining them was their ‘coach’ Narooma High teacher Monique Wicks and the students’ parents.

Teacher Monique, herself a former MUNA student, said she was so proud of the three students and how they interacted with everyone. They all agreed it was a great opportunity. They described the process and how once the exact resolutions to be debated were revealed on the Friday night, after the initial panic they did more research. They were put into blocs to present their cases. Luka noted how many schools had to go through regional finals to secure a place at MUNA.

The many questions following the students’ initial talk reflected how much interest their MUNA talk prompted among our members. Luka said it was so great being there; he’s now considering international studies as a possible career. Aisha said it also opened her eyes to a whole host of possible careers, while Crystal Elmasri said she is now looking at a possible career in law, possibly international law.

Several commented on how much they enjoyed the evening with us.

Out and about

Whale raffle draw

A few of us gathered last Saturday morning for the draw of the 2019 Whale Watching raffle by Narooma Charters’ Norm Ingersoll who provides the prize of a whale watching tour for two people. The raffle was won by a delighted Darren Overton with ticket number 445.

Polio eradication Film night

Ange has organised a film night with Jade Griffiths at the Kinema on Thursday 24 October to raise money for the End Polio campaign. The movie is ‘Ride Like a Girl’, the story of Michelle Payne who was the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.

The eradication of polio is one of Rotary’s longest standing and most significant efforts. Along with our partners, Rotary has helped immunise more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. We have reduced polio cases by 99.9% worldwide and we won’t stop until we end the disease for good. Every dollar Rotary commits to end polio will be tripled thanks to a matching agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (up to US$50 million a year). Please spread the word far and wide.

Bega Rotary publicity

Great to see Bega Rotary is publicising our Polio fundraiser ‘Ride Like a Girl’ and our Renewable Energy Expo in their weekly bulletin.

Renewable Energy Expo

Our Renewable Energy Expo on Saturday 2 November should appeal to anyone wanting to save on power bills and be more environmentally sustainable. As our gallant Expo coordinator Frank put it, “that would include just about everyone”.

“There’s so much happening in renewable energy and battery development at the moment and our Expo is a great opportunity to catch up with the latest,” Frank said. “It’s a chance to source information directly from local experts and installers.”

The Expo in Narooma Sport & Leisure Centre is the fourth hosted by Rotary, and the third by our Club (last year Moruya Rotary hosted it).

Our organising committee is delighted with the response from exhibitors so far with 15 to 20 expected on the day, with some additional exhibitors hopefully showing options for caravaners and campers.

NEXT WEEK

We go ‘international’ when Cat Wilson and her husband Faouzi take us on a musician’s tour of Morocco with Faouzi also playng his lute (Oud) and drums. Ange says Paul at the Golf Club may also get into the mood with a Moroccan offering.

Charmaine’s Chat

Fantastic to catch up with Bega Rotarians at Cobargo Hotel last week and great to see so many Narooma Rotarians there. Thanks for the support. Interesting to meet other local Rotarians who are also working hard and enthusiastically for their community. 
Interesting too to hear how the Bega Breakfast club started and how it is working for younger members. We will discuss this at our Board meeting on 12 Sept and later at Club Assembly. 
Please bring whale raffle tickets to our meeting this Thursday as it is being drawn this Saturday at 12.30 at Narooma Wharf. 
Our MUNA students, their parents and teachers are coming this week to report on their experiences at MUNA. Partners are very welcome; please let me know numbers if you are bringing guests. 

THIS WEEK

This week we welcome our Narooma High students who went to the Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) in Canberra in mid August. They are Crystal Elmasri, Aisha Thomas and Luka Potts. Joining them will be their ‘coach’ Narooma High teacher Monique Wicks and Principal Fiona Jackson, and the students’ parents.

The week that was

What a wonderful meeting with our fellow Rotarians from Bega last week, led  by President Phil Elsey; it is always so much better when we all mix in together with the seating. Thanks to Ange Ulrichsen for the initiative. It was lovely too that Kathryn Ratcliffe from Narooma Chamber of Commerce joined us.

The Bega Rotary Breakfast Club was a vocational committee initiative last year under the leadership of Past President Margaret Taylor who unfortunately could not join us last Thursday. However her brother and fellow Rotarian Phil MacDonald filled us in and generously shared so much of their experience.

He put the shared reality of our membership bluntly; “Look around the table and imagine who will be there in another 10-15 years.” PP Margaret’s idea was to look outside the square at young professional and business people in the area. “Our aim is to increase our members for when we fall off the perch,” as Phil so eloquently put it.

The stated aims of the Breakfast Club though are broader:

1. networking with other Bega businesses
2. informing Bega businesses on how Bega Rotary can support them and provide opportunities
3. providing an opportunity to hear informative speakers on current business ideas and practices
4. voicing how they want the Business Breakfasts to develop.

A major characteristic of young professional and business people is they are time poor, hence the appeal of a breakfast meeting. Interesting to note that at the time the Bega Chamber of Commerce had become inactive. They targeted invitations for a breakfast get-together; about 50 young people expressed interest and 32 turned up for the first meeting; 30 for the second.

They worked out when and where to meet; needed someone in the Rotary Club to push it. Bega Rotary paid for all breakfasts for the first two meetings (about $1,400). Decided start 7am, ‘big breakfast’, a guest speaker plus one or two people to present a two minute overview of their business. They had two meetings before Christmas, about one a month. Wasn’t until after several meetings that Rotary was mentioned, then next meeting asked if any wanted to join. At the following meeting they inducted some new members.

The breakfast meetings regularly attract about 30 people; “It’s is so refreshing to see the motivation of these young people and all their ideas,” Phil said. Interesting to see several starting to take charge and chair the meetings; they have come up with own projects. Have at least one member of Bega Rotary attends each breakfast meeting.

As a result of the breakfast club, they have so far inducted 11 new people into Bega Rotary who go to the breakfast meetings rather than the Thursday night meetings. Interesting another seven people joined Bega Rotary as a result of invites ‘over coffee’ and they seem to go to the Thursday meetings. An interesting aside is that as a result of the breakfast meetings, there are also moves to revive the Bega Chamber of Commerce.

Lots of ‘food for thought’ for us as a result and some good contacts made.

Bega invited us to their combined meeting with Merimbula and Pambula Clubs on Wednesday 6 November at Club Sapphire.

Out and about

Polio eradication Film night

Ange has organised a film night with Jade at the Kinema for Thursday 24 October To raise money for the eradication of Polio to help the End Polio campaign. The movie is ‘Ride Like a Girl’, the story of Michelle Payne who was the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. Please spread the word far and wide

The eradication of polio is one of Rotary’s longest standing and most significant efforts. Along with our partners, Rotary has helped immunise more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. We have reduced polio cases by 99.9% worldwide and we won’t stop until we end the disease for good. Every dollar Rotary commits to end polio will be tripled thanks to a matching agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (up to US$50 million a year).

Renewable Energy Expo

Plans are progressing well for our Narooma Renewable Energy Expo on Saturday 2 November to make it a ‘must see’ for everyone interested in saving power costs and having a low environmental footprint.

Our committee of Bob Aston (chair), Frank, Ange and Laurelle are hard at it, with exhibitors now firming up. An added feature this year will be renewable and low cost energy for caravaners. Hopefully all members will be able to lend a hand on the day.

Potential RYLA candidates

The next Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp will be a joint undertaking of the old Districts 9710 and 9700. It will be held in Canberra from Saturday 11th to Friday 17th January at the Greenhills Centre on Cotter Road. RYLA targets 18 to 25 year olds who already show potential as good leaders. It is a prestigious course and costs $910. Our Club expects parents or employers to contribute something to the cost. The closing date for applications is 7th January. We will need to interview a potential candidate well before then, so please keep your eyes open.

NEXT WEEK

Board meeting at 5pm at Narooma Golf Club followed by a Club Assembly.

Charmaine’s Chat

Last week Rod Walker toasted the Rotary Club of Winnipeg in Canada, which I learned was the Club that first made Rotary ‘international’ in 1910. It was the first Club formed outside of the United States. Another great story about Rotary in Narooma News last week. Thanks Laurelle. 
Guests last week were locum Doctor Toni from Berry and of course our Iris, as well as our inspirational guest speaker Shirley Hayes-Cornish and husband John from Moruya Rotary. Shirley was Moruya’s International Director.

Shirley and John addressed a need for sexual health education in many developing nations around the world. See Laurelle’s story below. Shirley even took the programme to the Hamburg RI convention this year. Wow, this really is ‘Rotary in Action’. 
I was extremely impressed by her story and the passion she still has for spreading the word and empowering young men and women by educating them about their sexual health. 

Ange spoke about the success of our Narooma students at MUNA and we look forward to hearing directly from them next week.

It looks like we will have 15 people heading to Cobargo this Thursday to meet with Bega Rotarians. Carpooling has been organised. Should be a good night. 

THIS WEEK

We meet with Bega Rotarians at Cobargo Hotel on Thursday 6 for 6.30. Cost is $15 for main, dessert extra. This combined meeting was sparked by our Club’s interest in Noel Trevaskis’ talk last year when he spoke about the Bega Rotary Business Breakfast which brings members of Bega’s business community and other organisations together with Bega Rotarians.

It has proved to be a valuable source of membership for Bega Rotary while simultaneously addressing needs of the group and community organisations. Attending Rotarians ‘debrief’ after each breakfast and have identified this activity as a most appropriate and cost effective way forward for Bega Rotary. This initiative has also apparently slightly changed Bega Rotary Club as a result; be interesting to find out how apart from having new members.

The Week that Was

Our guest speakers Shirley and John Hayes-Cornish from Moruya Rotary seemed to thoroughly enjoy their evening with us and the many questions and discussion that followed Shirley’s talk.  

Shirley spoke about teaching sex education by pictures in an effort to help reduce teenage and unwanted pregnancies particularly among school students in the Philippines, Kenya, Timor Leste and PNG. Her work is a RAWCS project. Actual photos of what some sexually transmitted diseases looked like were also really valuable; previously some of the young people she was working with had only see drawings which didn’t mean a lot. They spoke about the apparent lack of knowledge of how pregnancies come about, even among many of the elders in these communities, and how pregnancies can be prevented. What is also wonderful is Shirley and John leave behind their resources for others to continue the work.

They had a booth at the recent Rotary International Convention in Hamburg and shared their experiences with other Rotarians from around the world.

Out and About

More on MUNA

Batemans Bay Rotary Club sponsored both the St Peters College (Broulee) representing Switzerland and the Batemans Bay High team representing India. Moruya Rotary sponsored Carroll College (Broulee) which came third in the MUNA competition.

NEXT WEEK

We will hear from our three Narooma High students who went to MUNA recently – Crystal Elmasri, Aisha Thomas and Luka Potts – and their teacher Monique Wicks. They will be accompanied by Narooma High Principal Fiona Jackson and some of their parents. Again, should be a good night.

On a lighter note…

“Doc, I can’t stop singing ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home’.” “That sounds like Tom Jones syndrome,” said the Doctor. “Is it common?” “It’s not unusual.”

And one for President Charmaine…

Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused a local anaesthetic during root canal treatment? His goal: transcend dental medication.

Charmaine’s Chat

Our Rotary Club has been recognised as a ‘Ruby Club Supporter’ by contributing $25,000 to ShelterBox Australia. Quite an achievement. 
Decisions made by the preceding Board meeting were discussed at last week’s meeting. 
Last week’s guest speaker Susanna Page outlined the amazing history of the St John’s Ambulance Service. She is one of several St John’s volunteers who work tirelessly in the Eurobodalla Shire helping with numerous festivals, community and sporting events.
On the August markets, Rod is still after volunteers for this month’s Market. Please help if you can.
Lynda Ord and Ash sold some more whale watching raffle tickets.
The MUNA team went well at Canberra and I shared some photos of them on our Facebook page. They hopefully will tell us about their weekend at our 5 September meeting. 

THIS WEEK

Our guest speakers this week are Shirley and John Hayes-Cornish from Moruya Rotary, moving soon to Caloundra. They booked a booth at the recent RI Convention in Hamburg to share their experience ‘teaching sex education by pictures’ in the Philippines, Kenya, Timor Leste and PNG with other Rotarians from around the world. They will talk about the problems that prompted the project, now a RAWCS project, and their experience in Hamburg which attracted a steady stream of interested Rotarians.

The Week that Was

Last week

Our guest speaker was Susannah Page, the Divisional Superintendent of St John Ambulance after what she described as “a quick rise up through the ranks”. Susannah and other St John Ambulance volunteers are often at events around Eurobodalla Shire ready to provide health and first aid services should they be needed; St John is also the largest first aid training organisation in Australia. Her talk prompted many questions and discussion.

What an extraordinary story Susanna told of the organisation’s origins, dating back to the eleventh century and the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem who provided free care for sick pilgrims to the Holy Land. Then it became a military religious order providing safe passage for pilgrims travelling to and from the Holy Land.

In 1530 the King of Spain “gave them” Malta, much to the angst of the locals, where they ‘ruled’ until Napoleon drove them out in 1798, presumably to the relief of the locals. They then scattered throughout the world.

They made their headquarters in the United Kingdom in the nineteenth century with the blessing of Queen Victoria. In 1877, the order established various St John Ambulance associations in major railway centres and mining districts to train railway men and colliers in how to give first aid to victims of accidents. The Order’s Grand Priory then founded a hospice and ophthalmic dispensary in Jerusalem (still supported today) and, by 1887 had established the St John Ambulance Brigade to undertake practical and life-saving work.

Apparently the eight-pointed cross on St John’s volunteers’ uniform is the symbol worn by the knights in that first hospital in Jerusalem. Susanna said although often referred to as the Maltese Cross, there are several different Maltese Crosses. The Lions and unicorns are Queen Victoria’s ‘gift’. The ceremonial garb reflects that rich history.

Today St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services. Today it has nothing to do with religion; it accepts members of all religions.

St John Ambulance Australia is a self-funded charitable organisation dedicated to helping people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger. Susanna thanked our club for its recent donation to assist with purchasing medical supplies.

Narooma students excel at MUNA

Ange Ulrichsen was delighted at how well Narooma High students did at the Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) in Canberra last weekend. “By Sunday they had really warmed to the task of debating important current world issues and performed well, were more relaxed and more confident,” Ange said. “They did Narooma High proud.”

Our senior students Crystal Elmasri, Aisha Thomas and Luka Potts represented Syria and were coached by Narooma High teacher Monique Wicks.

MUNA is held annually in the old Parliament House (now the Museum of Australian Democracy) and is a prestigious event that aims to give students experience of United Nations’ style resolutions to increase their sense of international understanding and goodwill. Resolutions debated over the weekend related to:

• preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Korean Peninsular
• regulating international migration
• international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space
• protecting global climate for present and future generations
• protecting journalistic freedoms
• human rights in Venezuela

Adjudicators said the standard of students’ performance this year was very high which made their decision more difficult.
Our District Governor Peter Ford congratulated the overall winning team from Penrith High which represented the United Kingdom. Second was the Southern Highlands Christian School representing Japan. The Carroll College team from Broulee, representing New Zealand, came third. DG Peter presented all participants with certificates and praised them highly for the thoroughness of their research, their debating skills and expressing the power of the spoken word so well.

Ange said the Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise again did a superb job in organising MUNA. She would also like to thank Narooma High teacher and counsellor Monique Wicks for her efforts which resulted in a polished and confident performance by our students. Ange has invited our MUNA students, their parents and Monique to join us on Thursday 5 September to share their MUNA experience.

NEXT WEEK

We meet up with Bega Rotarians next Thursday at Cobargo Hotel 6 for 6.30. $15 for main, dessert extra. Ange reminds us this combined meeting was initiated by the interest shown by our Club in Noel Trevaskis’ talk to us last year and the Business Breakfast Club started so successfully by Bega. This led to 18 new Rotarians at Bega. Should be a good night.

On a lighter note

Why do the French only eat one egg for breakfast? Because one is enoeuf.

Charmaine’s Chat

Lovely meeting last week. Our DG Peter Ford was impressed that even with our small numbers we still do so much for our local community. He was very interested to hear how we work with other local community groups so projects can happen, like our Busking Festival. He also liked our Happy Moments instead of the normal Sergeant’s Fine Session.

Peter’s talk was informative, including his reminder that the District Conference will be in Ulladulla 6-8 March. Other guests last week were ADG Alan Russell and his wife Denise, Thérèse Aston and Steve Deck . 
I represented our Club on Sunday at the Marine Rescue base at Narooma for their celebration of 10 years of volunteer service. It featured the new Radio Room equipment and the opening of the memorial garden and community seat. The garden is in memory of volunteers who have served with Narooma. There is a magnificent view from there; we even saw whales.

Other news: Chris O Brien also has locked in 27 December for our Big Holiday Market and Angie is going strong with the Whale Watching raffle ticket sales.  A gentle reminder about our Board meeting this Thursday at 5.00 pm. 

THIS WEEK

Board meeting at the Golf Club at 5pm. Dinner meeting to follow 6 for 6.30 with guest speaker Susanna Page who is the Divisional Superintendent of St John’s Ambulance. She will talk about the ‘Story behind St John’.

The Week that Was

As President Charmaine said, it was great having our DG Peter Ford visiting us in ‘the outpost’ of Narooma last week. It was sad in a way though that he is the last Governor of District 9710, hence his presentation was titled ‘The Final Chapter’.

Peter said everything is going well for the merger of our District with D9700 to form D9705, and that the change will not affect us at Club level. The new District will come into being on 1 July 2020. The proposal to merge with an extra district was thankfully knocked on the head.

He described the Rotary International Assembly in San Diego in January as ‘a magnificent affair’ and was impressed with the enthusiasm and passion of RI President Mark Maloney and his theme of ‘Rotary connects the World’.

Peter said Rotary is not about being a fundraising body; “it’s about community service and friendship”. He was impressed with our Club which, although small, was servicing our community in so many ways. “Well done to all of you,” he said. He wished our Presidents Four a good year and for us all to have a good time. He drew our attention to the District Goals  (p.13 of the District Directory).

Peter, now retired, had moved around with his Army career so consequently has been a member of about 12 Rotary clubs; he said it was a great way to make new friends outside the Defence industry at his various postings.

Throughout he has been supported by his wife Judy who this year is editor of the DG’s newsletter, Chair of the Conference Committee and the Membership Committee, as well as being the ex officio head of the D9710 Children’s Emergency Medical Fund which will be wound up with the end of D9710.

Rod Walker made the appropriate International Toast last week to Rotary International, and belatedly received his Presidential album for his year 2018-2019.

Also in Happy Moments last week Chris O’Brien mentioned she is currently working on her 100^th issue of her Welcome to Narooma magazine which will be out 23 August. That’s 25 years of producing the magazine. Well done Chris.

Out and About

IRT and Rotary work together

It started with an email from Luke Burgess at IRT Dalmeny to our Club via Bob Aston saying IRT was replacing 10 hospital-style beds at IRT Dalmeny with new ones and could Rotary use the old ones. Bob immediately saw this was a job for the Canberra-based Rotary Recovery Rehabilitation and Re-use Project team.

Team member Fred Fawke was subsequently advised by Luke that the IRT at Moruya and Batemans Bay would also have beds available soon. Some of these beds will be distributed to grateful recipients within Australia as well as overseas; in some cases they will enable older or incapacitated people to be cared for in their homes rather than in hospital.

Steve Young of Moruya Rotary and Bob are on standby waiting to collect the Dalmeny beds where they will be stored at Bay Removals until all beds are collected. They will then be transported to Canberra. “With our Rehab and Re-Use team we then ensure they all work properly before they are distributed,” Fred said. “We take great pride testing them and in some cases installing them to make sure all is okay.”

So as Bob says, “A great outcome from a single email to our Club”.

Frank’s push for your vote for the electric bus

Frank reminds us the closing date for the My Community Grants is this Thursday so that’s the last chance to Vote 1 for the South Coast Health and Sustainability Alliance’s (SHASA) proposed Electric Vehicle Community Transport Bus project for the Eurobodalla Shire. It’s one of over 30 community projects in the Bega Electorate competing for NSW Government funding under the ‘My Community Project’ grants program. Everyone can vote for up to five participants.

The 2019 Polio case count

The International PolioPlus Committee has released the latest Polio figures for 2018-2019. The wild poliovirus case count reached 37 at the end of June – 27 in Pakistan and 10 in Afghanistan, slightly higher than the previous year’s figures.  The film for this year’s Polio fundraiser at the Kinema on Thursday 24 October is Ride Like a Girl.

NEXT WEEK

Our guest speakers will be Shirley and John Hayes-Cornish from Moruya Rotary. They will talk about their trip to the RI Convention in Hamburg and the interest their booth there attracted. At the booth they shared their experiences teaching sexual health in the Philippines, Kenya, Timor Leste and PNG.  

We celebrate our members

August is Membership and New Club Development Month in Rotary International’s Calendar, seen as the perfect time to celebrate our club’s members and consider options for strengthening membership. Good timing too with our meeting with Bega Rotarians at Cobargo on 29 August to hear how they attracted 18 new members. We’re hoping for a good representation of Narooma Rotarians.

Charmaine’s Chat

Lovely to have Lara and Ezra last week as our international guests all the way from Toronto, Canada. They brought children here to sing in the Gondwana Choral Festival, part of the children’s annual tour, and they also performed in New Zealand. We were even treated to a short singalong. It is always inspiring to meet people who have such talent and are happy to spread the joy of music. 

Several announcements were made, some for your calendar… 

• 8 August: Dying to know, a play by Shanna Provost  at the Twist factory and it’s free 
• Melbourne Cup Day lunch at Moruya Jockey Club, organised by Moruya Rotary Club. We are trying to make up a table. Cost is $20 per person .
  Tickets are selling fast.
• Lynda Ord mentioned it was Organ Donation Day, and how important it was for potential organ donors to make their wishes known to family and friends. She noted there were 1400 on the waiting list for various organs. Interesting too, apparently age was no barrier
• Frank Eden mentioned he is after votes for the plan to get funds for an electric bus from SHASA (see below). 
• Ange spoke about our Narooma High team for MUNA. They will be representing Syria this year which will be challenging for them but I am sure they will have a memorable weekend. Ange proposes students coming along to our meeting on 22 August with their parents to talk about their MUNA experiences. 
• The film for this year’s Polio fundraiser at the Kinema on Thursday 24 October is Ride Like a Girl. It’s about Michelle Payne who was the first woman

THIS WEEK

We welcome our District Governor Peter Ford from the Rotary Club of Aurora Gungahlin in Canberra. This is a partners’ night; please don’t forget to let Charmaine know if you are bringing guests.

The Week that Was

Charmaine has largely said it all. Just to add though, last week’s international toast was to the Rotary Club of Hong Kong, in view of the continuing unrest in Hong Kong. It is an English speaking club with a dress code of ‘business attire’. It was established in 1931, the first Rotary Club in District 3450 which includes Macau, Guangdong Province and Mongolia. It meets for lunch on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays each month at the Hong Kong Bakers Club Their projects include a Drone Competition Day and Art Therapy for Dementia Patients.

My Community funding

Frank Eden spoke briefly last week about the South Coast Health and Sustainability Alliance’s (SHASA) proposed Electric Vehicle Community Transport Bus project for the Eurobodalla Shire. It’s seeking $195,000 in State Government funding. It’s one of over 30 community projects in the Bega Electorate competing for NSW Government funding under the ‘My Community Project’ grants program.

The NSW Government is distributing $24.4m equally across the State’s 93 electorates for projects that improve the wellbeing of people and their communities. That means only $262,000 is up for grabs for the whole Bega electorate (Bega Valley and Eurobodalla Shires) with grants between $20,000 to $200,000.

What’s different with this funding programme is that people in the community are being asked to vote for their preferred projects for their area; the projects with most support apparently will receive funding. Needless to say with Frank’s SHASA connections he is keen to drum up votes for the EV bus project.

Out and About

MUNA 17 and 18 August

While Narooma High will represent Syria at the Model United Nations Assembly in Canberra 17-18 August, Batemans Bay students will represent India and those of St Peters Anglican College Switzerland.  Batemans Bay Rotarians are being urged to go along to Old Parliament House and watch the debate; any takers from Narooma? Everyone who has been before say it “is mind boggling” watching the students in action.

Following Kathryn Ratcliffe’s recent talk

You will recall in the lively discussion following Kathryn’s talk the week before last, Charmaine’s friend Jenny Lean felt there was a real need in Narooma for private guided walks for visitors.

Well it turns out that Sally Bouckley’s relatively new Southbound Escapes (based in Narooma under the Wharf Apartments) provides such tours for the high end of the tourist market, as well as e-bike hire, luxury accommodation, and special short packages to showcase the best of the South Coast from Sydney to Eden. Southbound Escapes last month won a gold medal in the ecotourism category in the Regional Tourism Awards.

On a lighter note

Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night, and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.” “What does that tell you?” Holmes asked. Watson pondered for a minute. “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies, and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?” Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. “It tells me that someone has stolen our tent.” Courtesy of Moruya Rotary Bulletin

NEXT WEEK:

Board meeting at the Golf Club at 5pm followed by a Club Assembly and dinner meeting.