Ange’s Chat

January has proved quite an eventful start to 2021, first with the get-together in Quota Park on the 21st with takeaways from The Inlet. Shame about the breeze but it was good to catch up with so many.

Thank you everyone for the great effort making our market last Sunday such a success, especially Chris O’Brien for organizing 81 sites. The place was buzzing with crowds of locals and tourists and perfect summer weather. Takings were fantastic: Gate $1,458, Van $887 and Wishing Well $412. It was also great to see Tony Butcher and his wife Lisa at the market; Tony helped Andrew on the barbecue.

On Monday at the Australia Day presentations, I was delighted to announce that the recipient of this year’s Narooma Rotary Tertiary Scholarship is Elise Dixon. She is the 31^st student from Narooma High School to be awarded this three-year $9,000 scholarship, thanks to a bequest made by Alexander Birch. Elise intends studying for a Bachelor of Medical Science at the ANU in Canberra.

Then it was all hands on deck for our annual Australia Day Duck Race when 1,000 ducks were launched off the bridge. A special thanks to Charmaine White for managing this year’s event. Thanks also to everyone who helped including the flotilla of kayakers and even Maritime Services who scooped up the ducks before they reached the bar. The holder of the winning duck ticket 932 was young Murray Lyons of Bodalla who just happened to be at the boat ramp and was gobsmacked to know he had won $1,000. The lucky last duck was 508, won by Heldi Pilli of Potato Point.

This Week

This Thursday is our Youth Night, our first formal Rotary meeting for 2021. Elise Dixon, our 2021 Tertiary Scholars will join us as well as last year’s awardee Rory Spurgeon and Tahlia Arnold. Carl McEvoy (our 2015 Tertiary Scholarship winner) has sent an update on his life since graduating with a Bachelor of Communication (Media Arts & Production) from UTS. Narooma High Principal Fiona Jackson will also join us together with this year’s school captains Abbey Dawson and Patrick Sly.

The Week that Was

The Covid factor in this year’s Duck Race

Who’d have thought that Covid affected the Duck Race. Well, it all started when we did the right thing by social distancing the duck bags and their bearers from the middle of the bridge towards the southern shore.

It wasn’t long though before some ducks closest to the training wall decided to take advantage of the high water and head over the wall for the relatively still waters behind, so officially taking them out of the race. This then split our retrieval efforts, making it more difficult to collect the stayers who kept heading past the finish line towards the town wharf. (It’s wonderful how many Rotarians and friends take to the water each year to help including one regular boat. Tremendous effort. )

Thanks to the kayakers, ducks collected from behind the wall were stockpiled on the island behind the wall for later retrieval so the kayakers could return to the main game. The pile attracted the interest of a few light-fingered lads who visited in their kayaks; those ducks have since rejoined their friends.

Then there was the problem after the race with the falling tide, how to retrieve the ducks from the island which had since been bagged (four bags – very heavy) and too far to carry. The solution? They were floated back on boogie boards to the shore near the caravan park (not as easy as it sounds!). As Steve Deck neared the shore on the final trip, his activity aroused the interest of Fisheries Officers who wondered what was in the bags… Laughs all round.

Out and About

Rotary’s Valentine Day Car Rally

Our Valentine’s Day Rotary Car Rally with Moruya Rotarians is on Sunday morning 14 February culminating with a yummy barbecue lunch at Chez McInnes at Potato Point. Rally organiser extraordinaire David McInnes will give more details next week. Rod Walker will be taking numbers for catering needs. Moruya hopes to have at least 20 people join us.

Cinders Challenge

Moruya Rotary has pencilled in Tuesday 2 March as the date for our annual Cinders Challenge at Moruya Golf Club. Please put it in your diary. Should be a great night. Hope everyone is in training…

Australian Rotary celebrates 100 years

This year is the Centenary of the foundation of Rotary in Australia and New Zealand. The Rotary Clubs of Melbourne and Sydney both formed in 2021. Interesting that Sir John Monash was a founding member of the Melbourne Club. Sir John was noted for his brilliant command of the Australian Army Corps in France which proved instrumental in turning the tide of the First World War. He also oversaw the amazing demobilisation of 160,000 Australian soldiers in Europe, a task that took up to nine months to get them home.

Thinking caps on for doing something special this year to celebrate the centenary ; there has been a suggestion we could do something special with Moruya and Batemans Bay Clubs.

NEXT WEEK Thursday 4 February

5pm: Board meeting at the Golf Club particularly to discuss important issues regarding future meetings and the Rotary Van.

A dinner meeting will follow when our newest member PE Andrew Lawson will talk about his life.

Ange’s Chat

Seasons Greetings! I hope you are all loving our Summer break.

Thanks everyone for helping at our bumper December market on the 27th. As PE Andrew said, “it shows what a great team can do”. What’s more it was great fun and was enjoyed by a large crowd including many holidaymakers. If you haven’t already seen it, please check out Bob Aston’s promotional video on the market on our Facebook page. Thanks Bob.

Running the December market really was all hands on deck. We’re particularly grateful to Rotary friends Dave Swilks, Wayne Redman and Robin McLaughlin for helping out. A special thank you to Chris O’Brien for doing such a great job organising our stallholders.

We finished selling all the Australia Day Duck Race tickets at the market, apart from a few books still with people. That must be a record. Thanks to Michael O’Connor for his superb selling support and to CharmaineWhite’s family selling tickets with such gusto at the December market. We took $1,260 at the gate, van $739.10 (gross), the wishing well $417.45, and $1,450.85 from Duck tickets.

Many thanks to our barbecue team of Bob Aston, John Rungen, Andrew Lawson and Mike Young for helping out at the special holiday event for kids on Bill Smyth Oval earlier this month. Well done for flying our Rotary flag.

We have lots happening over the next two weeks. We start back into the swing of things with a social get-together with fish and chips  this Thursday 21 January at Quota Park. Please make sure you give Chris O’Brien your orders to expedite things on the day (have you seen the queues!). Suggest you  also bring a chair (maybe a small table) and good cheer.

Then on Sunday 24^th it’s our January markets. Bob has sent the roster around; hopefully we can fill in any holes this Thursday. Thanks Bob and all.

Then on the 25^th January our 2021 Rotary Tertiary Scholarship winner will be announced at the Australia Day ceremony at the Golf Club.

The next day, on Australia Day, we have our famous Duck Race with a 10am launch off the bridge. No doubt our Duck Race Manager Charmaine will be calling for helpers at our get-together on Thursday.

Then the following Thursday is our Youth night (see details below).

Look forward to seeing you this Thursday. Ange

THIS WEEK Thursday 21 January

This Thursday we are having a social holiday get-together at Quota Park (near Quarterdeck) 6pm for 6.30pm.

If you haven’t already done so, please let Chris O’Brien by Tuesday afternoon if you are coming (on 0408 489 247 or chrisob2@bigpond.net.au)   if you are bringing any guests, and what you and your guests would like to pre-order. There are three options, all at $12. Option 1: Blue Grenadier & Chips; Option 2: Salt and Pepper Squid and Chips; Option 3: Snack Pack of 1 seafood stick, 2 fish cocktails and 2 calamari.

The Week that Was

Remembering PP Ted Bladwell

Much loved former President of our Club Ted Bladwell died recently and his funeral was held on the 7^th. Our Club sent flowers as well as a tribute to Ted which was read out.

Ted became a great friend of mine and a wonderful mentor, a friendship initially forged through Rotary. Ted was secretary during my year as President in 2007-2008 and I couldn’t have wished for a better secretary. His mantra was …. “We can do this”….. and we did.

Ted was President after me and during his year we celebrated the Club’s 50^th Anniversary. Ted was a real ‘doer’ and always so considerate. Many members, past and present, remarked on the wonderful ‘Sam and Ted team’, as Sam also became a much loved member of our Club. Their years in Narooma are remembered as fun and happy times. Our members’ memories of Ted included his commitment to Rotary and its ideals, and how he made it a priority each market day to take Rotary donuts to the staff at the caravan park in appreciation of them storing our food van. We were all sad when Ted and Sam moved north, but many of us have visited them when within striking distance of Toowoomba. Laurelle Pacey

Out and About

Our Rotarians lend a hand

Our Rotary Club was invited to cook a barbecue for a holiday event for kids at Bill Smyth Oval on the 12th. It was  sponsored  by Campbell Page, Mission Australia, PCYC, Save the Children, Headspace, the NSW Police Force and Eurobodalla Shire Council. Thanks to PP Charmaine for liaising with Tanya Borge of Campbell Page which led to our involvement. 

NSW Police provided the sausages etc while our expert team of Bob Aston, John Rungen, Andrew Lawson and Mike Young manned  the barbecue. We cooked on our old gas BBQ because there was no electricity supply at the Oval amenities block due to major construction works at the site.  Fortunately, the gas bottles were full  but we identified the need for fitness classes for Rotarians after having to lift the gas BBQ over the oval fence (all gates were locked!).

PCYC organised activities for the children, including archery lessons (with the arrows pointing at targets away from roads and houses), inflated ‘bump balls’ where the kids could roll around inside a big inflated ball (like a donut) and bang into each other without any damage.  It was hilarious to watch.  So was the ‘backyard’ cricket which attracted all the sponsor representatives as well as the kids. Save the Children provided some fun activities for very young children, their parents and carers.  It was a privilege to meet many of the kids and observe their excitement from taking part in this event. Headspace had a stand which offered mental health services for 12 to 24 year olds.

The numbers of kids were less than expected, perhaps highlighting the need for more promotion for any future event. The fact  it was also a very good beach day may have affected numbers. A similar event was run at Moruya the day before and at Batemans Bay the following day.   Mike Young

NEXT WEEK Thursday 28 January

Next Thursday is our annual Youth Night back at the Golf Club. It will be a great night with our 2021 Rotary Scholarship winner, some past scholars and Narooma High principal Fiona Jackson. Please let Rod know numbers by the Tuesday before.