Many thanks to our Club Youth Protection Officer Lynda Ord for the special training presentation about child protection via Zoom last week, aided by our increasingly technical whizz Bob Aston. Now to complete the paperwork…
THIS WEEK
Like many Rotary Clubs, we are alternating Zoom and dinner meetings. This Thursday we will enjoy a dinner meeting at the Golf Club in the Seahorse Room. Please let Rod know if you will be coming by Wednesday afternoon.
We will also be finalising arrangements for the Markets the following Sunday (27th). Posters are up around town and we should have front page in Narooma News for our larger than normal advertisement. Charmaine says the markets are getting a large number of likes on Facebook (not just Rotary Facebook) which suggests the community welcomes the return of the markets as a return to some semblance of normality, albeit with Covid restrictions in place.
Out and About
From Moruya Rotary
Moruya Rotarians are looking forward to their first face-to-face Rotary meeting in months at their normal Moruya Golf Club venue on Tuesday 6 October, but President Peter Smith says he’s not cheering wildly yet. “While I am looking forward to getting our Club back to the routine of regular meetings, the recent disappointments in getting our meetings going have made me somewhat cautious …,” he said. “With many of us out of face-to-face contact for so long, it will be a good opportunity… to simply enjoy the fellowship and catch up with old friends.”
The Club has lost a few members this year, partly due they think to the drop in the normal Club fellowship because of Covid.
Berry Rotarians’ ambitions realised
Member for Kiama Gareth Ward recently officially turned the first sod on the Rotary Nature Play Park at Boongaree in Berry after securing $4.4 million (!) funding from the NSW Government for this project. He was joined by representatives from Berry Rotary and the Rotary Nature Play Park Steering Committee.
The concept is an adventure playground with a range of activities for all ages and levels of ability within a nature theme and is seen as popular with tourists as well as local families. It will include flying foxes, climbing nets, water channels and tunnels and will encourage children to ponder over details of nature, to play creatively with loose materials, to imagine, to role play and engage socially with each other in games of their own. Other features will include a ‘learn to ride’ roadway track to enable local school students to learn road rules, seniors’ fitness and exercise stations, BBQ picnic areas, garden landscaping and toilets.
Berry Rotary has been raising funds for this project since 2014 with the project adopted by Shoalhaven City Council as part of the Berry Strategic Plan in 2016 and the Master Plan endorsed by Council in 2018.
Last week we had a face to face Board meeting in the Conference Room at the Golf Club, followed by dinner in the Seahorse Room. We welcomed a guest Andrew Lawson from Wandella. Andrew would like to get involved in our Club activities and get to know us.
From the Board meeting:
A huge thank you to our Market Manager Chris for her efforts in making our markets on 27 September possible, our first markets since February. These will go ahead as long as there are no confirmed COVID cases in this area. A lot of work has gone into trying to make it as COVID-Safe as possible and, thanks to Chris, the markets are now officially registered with the NSW Government as a Covid-Safe event.
Members will be asked to greet visitors at two entrance gates where hand sanitiser will be available as well as free face Masks for those who don’t have one; the other two gates will be designated ‘exits’. All Stalls are to have their own hand sanitisers and contact list. We decided not to operate the food van this markets but will sell a selection of cold drinks from the Esky.
Thank you Lynn for having the books in order. Thank you Ange for organising a guest speaker for Hat Day on 8 October. October is Rotary Mental Health Month. A $5 charge per Hat on the night will go to Australian Rotary Mental Health research.
On the Ringlands Track. We will try to meet up with the Dalmeny-Narooma Bushwalkers for a bit of a tidy up. No date set yet. Also we need to print a new version of the pamphlet.
A flashback – Narooma Rotarians during a Ringlands Walking Track working bee with members of Dalmeny-Narooma Bushwalkers and local residents October 2012
The 2021 Busking Narooma Championship going ahead depends on two things: being able to form an organising committee with the assistance of people from outside the Club and of course on whatever the Covid situation will be in May.
Unfortunately the Christmas Race Day, our combined fundraiser with Moruya and Batemans Bay clubs had to be cancelled because of Covid concerns.
Bob has been busy talking to High School students by Zoom regarding our Rotary Tertiary Scholarship. Application forms have been distributed. Applications close 13 November with interviews on 19 December. Thank you Bob.
Tony Butcher will be inducted as a new member sometimes in November at a Club meeting at the Golfie when we can properly welcome Tony and his wife Lisa to the Club. Tony as well as Andrew Lawson will help out at our September market.
THIS WEEK – 6pm: We Zoom
Everyone should have by now received an email re this week’s Zoom meeting. Our Club Youth Protection Officer Lynda will be our special speaker with a special training presentation about child protection. Andrew Lawson will also join us in our Zoom meeting.
OUT AND ABOUT
Our Hat Day
Our Club will help Australian Rotary Health Lift the Lid on Mental Illness by having a Hat event at the Golf Club on Thursday 8 October. Ange has organised for local psychologist Nadine Hills to talk with us about the effect of fires and Covid on the mental health of our community.
The Lift the Lid campaign is a National mental health fundraising and awareness initiative that aims to raise funds for mental health research and ultimately improve the lives of all Australians. Almost one in five Australians experiences a mental illness every year, and about 45% of the population will experience a mental illness at some stage in their lives.
Australian Rotary Health CEO Joy Gillett OAM said she hopes the campaign will encourage not only Rotarians, but the wider public to support mental health research.
“Everyone knows someone who has been affected by mental illness in some point during their lives, so if anything, please consider that you will be helping them and many others if you decide to make a donation,” Ms Gillett said. “Our research has already focussed on areas such as anxiety and depression, substance abuse and self-harm and suicide. But there is so much more we can do with your help.”
The Bay Club nominated Anthony Bellette from Malua Bay Surf Lifesaving Club for the Rotary Emergency Services Community Awards. This Rotary project recognises both volunteers and paid members of our emergency services for their outstanding contribution to their community. Emergency Services Agencies involved in this project include Fire and Rescue NSW, Marine Rescue NSW, Surf Life Saving NSW, NSW Ambulance, NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW State Emergency Service and NSW Volunteer Rescue Association.
Anthony has since been selected as a finalist in the Surf Life Saving division and will attend the Awards Dinner in Sydney on 30 October. At this dinner, one winner in each emergency service will be announced. Then from the seven winners, two overall winners will be selected (one paid and one volunteer).
The Bay is also sponsoring the U13s Batemans Bay Football team ‘The Strikers’ for the year.
Clubs combine for Bega Evacuation Centre
Rotary Clubs Bega and south are helping to improve facilities at Bega Showground, the primary emergency evacuation centre for Bega and surrounds. They are driving a project to replace the inadequate and outdated stand-alone amenities block with a larger capacity, modern, easy to clean facility with better disabled access and laundry facilities which do not currently exist.
Merimbula Rotarian Shane Osta is the project manager for the work that is expected to cost about $260,000. He said the current facilities are thought to have been built in the 1970s and have both structural and plumbing issues.
The Rotary clubs plan to start work in February 2021 and expect to complete the project in June. The contractors are booked, they just need the money. The Rotary clubs have put in $9,000, council has agreed to do all inspections at no cost, and the showground land manager has put in for a grant but the rest will rely on donations.
Any additional funds donated will go towards improvement of emergency evacuation facilities at Eden.
NEXT WEEK: Dinner meeting at Narooma Golf Club 6 for 6.30pm.
It was good catching up last week with those members who could make it to our dinner meeting at the Golf Club. Paul (Chef Extraordinaire) is more than happy to get back to some sort of normality catering for our Club. He mentioned we could now have meetings in the Seahorse room for up to 20 people. For the moment though, that will be on alternate weeks
THIS WEEK:
PDG John Egan
PDG John Egan will be our guest speaker for our Zoom meeting this Thursday. John chairs the D9705 Australian Rotary Health committee and is keen to talk about Australian Rotary Health (ARH) which is unique in the world of Rotary. Hope you can join us.
ARH has had recent success in destigmatising mental health and encouraging support and help for suffers. It has also educated around 25% of indigenous health works through indigenous health scholarships which will go a long way towards closing the health gap. That is apart from the many grants for research.
OUT AND ABOUT
Just a few short news stories.
From Batemans Bay Rotary
The Bay is also alternating Zoom and dinner meetings at the Catalina Club with guest speakers.
From Bega Rotary Club
Rotary members recently picked up a trailer load of aluminium chairs and seven wardrobes from Kianinny Cabins and delivered them to the Quaama fire recovery centre for use by people who have lost houses. Every action counts towards recovery, big or small.
From Merimbula Rotary
Merimbula Rotary is alternating between Zoom meetings and other activities, such as dinner at Merimbula RSL Club. Apparently they have yet to return to their ‘normal’ meetings at Club Sapphire.
Their first market since the lockdown was on Sunday 15 August when they ‘put their toes in the water’. The next is Sunday 20 September. They advertise their markets as ‘Covid Safe’ with a registered Rotary Club of Merimbula COVID-19 Safety Plan in place. They ask everyone to use the hand sanitising dispensers at each of their wishing well entry stations and practise social distancing and urging stallholders and patrons not to come if they are feeling unwell.
On a lighter note, courtesy Moruya Rotary
Teacher: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water? Donald: HIJKLMNO Teacher: What are you talking about? Donald: Yesterday you said it’s H to O
NEXT WEEK Thursday 10 September
We will be back at the Golf Club. 5-6pm: Board meeting 6 for 6.30pm: Our regular dinner meeting at the Golf Club when we hope to welcome someone who is keen to meet us and find out what our Club has to offer.
