Julie’s Jots

We launched new signage on our food van at Sunday’s busy market; it features Rotary International’s new branding ‘People of Action’. It looks terrific thanks to Mick Pepper of Waratah Signs and the collaborative input of members. As our Club’s ‘billboard’, it will be an excellent promotion when the van is on NATA Oval.  Well done to all who have made the new van and its trimmings possible.

Thank you to all who made our Business Networking Breakfast such a great success last Thursday. An amazing 40 people booked in to hear from our guest speakers (please see report below).

On Thursday I went to the AGM of the Carers’Accommodation Eurobodalla Regional Hospital; everyone on the committee retained their positions. On the car raffle – less than 600 tickets left. President of Pambula Rotary Lynne Koerbin, gave a talk on the trials and tribulations of the Carers Áccommodation at Bega Hospital.

I’m looking forward to hearing from Bronwyn Jewel our guest speaker on Thursday about her time living and working on Thursday Island. Hope to see you there.

We have a Board meeting on Wednesday. One item on our busy agenda is possibly lowering our annual fees; any decision will then be run by all members.  

I would also like to thank the members who stepped in for me while I was away over the past couple of weeks.

The Week that Was

Rotary Buzz at Business Breakfast

What a great turnout of enthusiastic business people at our Business Networking Breakfast last Thursday, the last for 2024. Forty people booked to hear from four local businesses about their expectations and challenges for the coming summer season. Networking continued long after the speakers finished.

Teaghan Abbott, Easts Holiday Park manager with husband Roger, said “this is a great time of the year”. Their business has changed over the last 12 months; some customers have cancelled what have been regular bookings because of cost of living pressures, and because their business is largely dependent on the weather, many are booking later to see what the weather is doing. Staff is an issue; while they have the right number now, it’s difficult in peak season. Challenges over summer include theft but they warn customers to take care.Teaghan advised businesses to make sure events are listed on the Eurobodalla What’s On webpage (they point their customers to this) and ensure their social media is up to date especially opening hours. They advise customers to book with restaurants to avoid disappointment.

Sally Bouckley of Southbound Escapes runs six businesses from the ‘former Visitors Centre building – a café, E-bike hire (loads available all year but totally booked over summer), accommodation bookings, tourism bookings, Mountain Bike shuttle bookings, and manages the Visitors’ Centre and Lighthouse Museum. On mountain biking, they get a lot of inquiries but bikers tend to book at the last minute. They are expanding their accommodation booking service and asked businesses to please advise re availability. Sally said they advise visitors to book in advance at restaurants.

Victor Costa is overall Manager for Merivale’s five Narooma venues and has lived in Narooma since Merivale first arrived here 3½ years ago. He said they were getting more international visitors, thanks to the power of social media. Victor spoke of the difficulties of predicting the volume of business on any given day and stressed the importance of booking at restaurants in advance. Staffing is a major challenge with the long quiet winter and shorter and busier summer. Keeping staff motivated and interested in winter is hard. Chefs’ reliability is tricky’; any sickness can impact the clients’ experience. It’s all about the experience for the client.

Tania McCue from She Narooma and Bermagui said their family business has grown to now employ 10.5 staff and they’re about to also open a shop in Bega.  She said they don’t know how the season will go, but their Narooma shop is well located on the Flat opposite the caravan park and they’re also getting some business from the increased popularity of mountain biking.

Our Business Breakfasts resume on Thursday 20 February (7-8am). We already have a great line-up of potential speakers for 2025.  

THIS Thursday 28^th – Dinner Speaker

Our dinner speaker Bronwyn Jewel will share with us her ‘Slice of Life in the Torres Strait’. Bronwyn worked on Thursday Island for nine years as both the Manager of Gab Titui, the Cultural Centre, and as a Program Manager Culture, Art and Heritage for the Torres Strait Regional Authority. Her talk will centre around the film Ailan Kastam and the arts and culture of the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginal people of the region.vPlease let Gero know if you are coming and if you are bringing any guests (please include their names) at the very latest by noon Tuesday (26^th).

Out and About

Christmas lights from Moruya Rotary

For the past 20 years Moruya Rotary and Moruya Business Chamber have jointly funded the annual Main Street Christmas Lights project (over $3,500). When the lights were taken down last year it was clear major refurbishment was needed. Col Jay and Rohan Gleeson met with the Moruya Community Shed coordinator Vince Hayes; over the winter, Vince and Chris Zammit stripped the old tinsel and LED lights from the 13 old frames. They then sanded back and cleaned the frames, removed the rust, and then repainted. They’ve also added three more frames. Then began the laborious work of rebuilding the frames with new tinsel sourced from a specialist supplier on the Gold Coast to met the strict weight and density of materials required to meet Essential Energy’s requirements and the engineering certificate specification. New LED lighting was added, soldered and wired to give the single point of connection needed to connect to the street poles. They go up soon.

Rotary Clubs unite against Domestic Violence

Rotary Clubs of the Bega Valley are joining with other community agencies to take action to raise awareness and advocate against domestic and family violence. As part of the ’16 Days of Action 2024 against domestic violence’, they will have a stall at the Bega Produce market on 29 November. Their aim is to raise awareness and promote positive actions to overcome domestic violence.  Domestic, family and gender violence is an issue that cannot be ignored.  They encourage all people to recognise domestic and family violence in its many forms; then speak out and say NO to unacceptable behaviour.

NEXT WEEK

Annual General Meeting 5 December

Please think seriously about nominating for a position on the 2025-2026 Board. Nomination forms have been circulated to all members and will also be available at this week’s meeting. See Secretary David.

Julie’s Jots

All reports from last Thursday are it was a fabulous night enjoyed by our members and guests, especially the recipients. A real ‘feel good’ occasion and the word is the Preschool Team may have more accolades to follow soon, all well deserved. Our Exchange student Hilma also spoke, updating everyone on her last few weeks.

We have a great week coming up with our Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday when we will hear from some of our key business people about their expectations of the coming busy summer season. Please let Laurelle know if you intend to go by COB Monday. Bookings are essential.

Our monthly Market is the following Sunday; David has sent an email with a link to the roster so again, all hands on deck please, PLUS we will be starting to sell our Duck Race tickets, with proceeds towards the Carers’ Accommodation at the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital plus other community projects.

The Week that Was

Last Thursday’s special night to award a Vocational Excellence Award to Narooma Preschool Director Kathy Phipps and her Team was a great success. Our Club recognised not only their initiative in developing an authentic local indigenous curriculum unit in association with the local Yuin community; we also recognised their sharing the impressive teaching kits they created with 20 other early childhood centres in our local area. Our MC was Françoise Cleret.

Mrs Phipps said they are all very proud of what they have achieved.

“It’s been a huge undertaking with lots of discussion along the way about how we could best meet the Department of Education’s mandatory requirements of an indigenous unit but do it authentically with local relevance,” she said. “Thanks to our staff, particularly Kate Heffernan, we were able to involve wonderful resource people from our community, especially Trish Ellis, Natalie Bateman and Eddie Moore, the High School and the Men’s Shed.

“The unit tells traditional Yuin stories and incorporates the local Dhurga language, thanks to Trish and her sister Kerry, which our staff have been learning through TAFE.

“Children love beautiful things and the stunning artwork on the storyboards by Natalie and the wonderful artefacts made by Eddie are loved and respected by all our children.” About one-third of Narooma Preschool’s students are from Aboriginal families.

The team created 20 basket trunks of unique storyboards, books, artefacts and other teaching materials that were then gifted to other early childhood centres around the Eurobodalla. The Preschool is now developing a PowerPoint to suggest to other centres how they might best use the material.

This programme was funded by a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.

THIS WEEK

This Thursday 21^st – Business Breakfast

Our next Rotary Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday 21st (7am sharp) should be fascinating and timely with a great line-up of panel speakers on the coming Tourism season. The panel of five local business people will each talk for about five minutes maximum on the approaching busy summer season – their expectations and anticipated challenges. They are Teaghan Abbott of Easts Holiday Park, Sally Bouckley of Southbound Escapes, Victor Costa of Merivale, Tania McHugh of She Fashion of Narooma and Bermagui, Tash Clutterbuck of Oyster Farmer’s Daughter.

We intend starting the panel promptly at 7.15am so we’re asking everyone to have some breakfast, grab a coffee and be ready by then. Please let Laurelle know by COB Monday 18 November if you are coming. Cost is $10.

This Sunday 24^th – Market

Out and About

From Moruya Rotary

The Board of Moruya Rotary approved several donations last week. One of $1,500 was to The Red Door that provides a weekly meal to those who are financially or socially disadvantaged; another $1,500 was to Sue Proud’s initiative to provide care packages to women and children who are fleeing domestic violence. The board also approved contributions to two RAWCS projects proposed by Shirl Cornish: $3,000 for community development and education assistance in Santa Isabel in the Solomon Islands, and a pledge of $2,000 for a Uganda project, to be paid when that project reaches a total of $8,000.

WHO on Gaza Polio vaccinations

The second round of the polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip was completed in early November, again in three phases across central, south and northern Gaza under area-specific humanitarian pauses in bombardment. Overall about 94% of the target population of 591 714 children under the age of 10 years received a second dose of nOPV2 across the Gaza Strip. The third phase in northern Gaza had to be temporarily postponed because of intense bombardments, mass displacements, lack of assured humanitarian pauses and access; it resumed 2 November but was confined to Gaza City which had received many evacuees from North Gaza. At least two doses and a minimum of 90% vaccination coverage are needed in each community to stop circulation of the polio strain affecting Gaza. 

The total number of wild Polio paralysis cases in the world has increased from 12 in 2023 to 71 so far this year in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

NEXT WEEK

Next Thursday 28^th – Dinner Speaker

Our Dinner Speaker Bronwyn Jewel will give us some insight into her ‘Slice of Life in the Torres Strait’.

Bronwyn worked on Thursday Island for nine years as both the Manager of Gab Titui, the Cultural Centre, and as a Program Manager Culture, Art and Heritage for the Torres Strait Regional Authority .Her talk will centre around the film Ailan Kastam and then specially about the arts and culture of the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginal People of the region.

Bronwyn is not speaking on behalf of Torres Strait Islanders but rather describing her experience through her roles there.

Julie’s Jots

This week’s meeting should be really uplifting hearing from Kathy Phipps, Narooma Preschool Director, about the great indigenous curriculum unit the Preschool Team has created.  Their efforts are well deserving of our Vocational Excellence Award. Unfortunately I will miss it but I am delighted Hilma will be there; it should be a special night.

Hilma is moving from the Penglase family at Bermagui this weekend to her new host family Françoise and John at Dalmeny. The Penglases have been so fantastic and generous, including taking Hilma to Sydney (climbed the Harbour Bridge) and Melbourne during her stay. We are so very grateful for all they have done.

The Prostate Cancer Support Group meeting last Wednesday night was excellent with our interesting guest speaker Jarrod Flynn, Coordinator of the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre. We were nine people all up, including Mike Young and myself.

THIS WEEK

Our guest speaker will be Narooma Preschool Director Kathy Phipps with her Team who developed a new localised Indigenous programme for the Preschool to meet curriculum changes introduced earlier this year. They developed it in association with our local Yuin community. They then shared the programme with 20 other early childhood centres in the Eurobodalla. Kathy will outline what they have done. The Award presentation will then follow. The Club has rarely given a Vocational Excellence Award; it’s for someone who not only does a great job in their vocation, but also goes above and beyond.

Please invite friends and partners. Gero asks to please let Laurelle know by noon on Tuesday at the latest (Gero will be away) if you are coming and whether you will be bringing guests (please also send Laurelle their names).

The Week that Was

From last week’s Board meeting

Matters included:

• Our AGM is on Thursday 5 December at the Golf Club.
• All members and Friends of Rotary who work at the markets in the food van or with the barbecue should do the free online NSW Food Authority Food Handling course.
• The Board decided to top up the amount raised at the Lift the Lid night to make a $500.00 donation to Australian Rotary Health.
• Susanna tabled a report on Hilma’s doings. Hilma’s highlights included doing the 34km bike ride at the Bermagui Reboot (medal to prove it!), and attending the District Conference in Mittagong where she stayed with Bowral Rotarians and a French exchange student. District has approved Hilma’s request to go to Queensland in December to play volleyball with the Narooma High team. What a great experience but unfortunately she will miss our Christmas party.
• Our Polio Film night at the Kinema has been postponed until 2025.

Out and About

From Moruya Rotary

Moruya sees the year 2025-2026 as when the problems of an aging membership are offset by an intake of younger members. At the AGM they will create a Board position Director Membership 2025-2026 to give priority to recruitment and retention of younger members. They have three new members “in the process of induction”.

NEXT THURSDAY

Our next Rotary Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday 21st November (7am sharp) should be fascinating and timely with a great line-up of panel speakers on the coming Tourism season. The panel of five local business people (accommodation, hospitality, activities and retail) will each talk for about five minutes maximum on the approaching busy summer season – their expectations and anticipated challenges.

They are Teaghan Abbott of Easts Holiday Park, Narooma; Sally Bouckley of Southbound Escapes; Victor Costa of Merivale; Tania McHugh of She Fashion of Narooma and Bermagui; and Tash Clutterbuck of Oyster Farmer’s Daughter.

We intend starting the panel promptly at 7.15am so hopefully everyone will be able to have some breakfast, grab a coffee and be ready by then. Please let Laurelle know by Monday 18 November if you are coming. Cost is $10.

Julie’s Jots

Last Thursday night was another fun get-together at Lynch’s Pub.  It was wonderful that Pina brought along her neighbour who was originally from Finland!

The Prostate Cancer Support Group this Wednesday (6^th) welcomes guest speaker Jarrod Flynn from the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre. The November Board meeting the next day will be fairly comprehensive. The agenda includes discussion of some of the great ideas that came out of the presentations at the recent Community Group workshop that Lynn and I attended on behalf of the Club, and how we might explore them further with Members.

We will have another inspiring night next Thursday (14^th) when Narooma Preschool Director Kathy Phipps will outline the new localised Indigenous programme her Team developed in association with our local Yuin community for theirs and other early childhood centres in our area. It included significant inputs from Trish Ellis, Natalie Bateman, and Eddie Moore. Please invite others to join us. We will then present Kathy and her Team with a Vocational Excellence Award.

Our Annual General Meeting is on Thursday 5 December 2024. Positions in the Club will become vacant for the 2025-26 year. All members are encouraged to attend this meeting. A nomination form for committee positions will be circulated soon.

THIS WEEK

Wednesday, 6 November 6.30pm, Narooma Golf Club: Narooma Prostate Cancer Support Group with guest speaker Jarrod Flynn, Coordinator, Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre Co-ordinator

Thursday, 7 November 5.15pm: Board Meeting, Narooma Golf Club.

The Week that Was

From Moruya Rotary Club

Moruya Rotary’s profit from its recent charity golf day was almost $13,000, a fantastic result. The funds will go to the Carer’ Accommodation fund for the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital. They had 84 golfers tee off and 122 booked for dinner. President Allen made special mention in this week newsletter of the wonderful organisational and motivational skills of John Spencer, John Gillett and Jeff Proud who worked closely with Moruya Golf Club and contributed so much to the Golf Day’s success.

Out and About

A date for your Diary

Our next Rotary Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday 21st November (7am sharp) should be fascinating and timely with a great line-up of panel speakers on the coming tourism season. Five local business people (accommodation, hospitality, activities and retail) will each talk for about five minutes maximum on the approaching busy summer season – their expectations and anticipated challenges. They are Teaghan Abbott of Easts Holiday Park, Sally Bouckley of Southbound Escapes, Victor Costa of Merivale, Tania McHugh of She Fashion of Narooma and Bermagui, and Tash Clutterbuck of Oyster Farmer’s Daughter. We intend starting the panel promptly at 7.15am so hopefully everyone will be able to have some breakfast, grab a coffee and be ready by then. Bookings with Laurelle please by Monday COB 18th. Cost $10.

Bay Rotarians have fun with Three Ps

About this time each year, Bay Rotarians dust off their poetry and jokes for their annual Pizza Poetry & Plonk Night which from all accounts is a lot of fun. It’s next Thursday 14 November, this year at the Meals on Wheels premises. The cost is $15 pp.

NEXT THURSDAY 14 November

Our guest speaker will be Narooma Preschool Director Kathy Phipps and her Team who developed a new localised Indigenous programme for the Preschool to meet curriculum changes introduced earlier this year. They developed it in association with our local Yuin community. They then shared the programme with 20 other early childhood centres in the Eurobodalla. Kathy will outline what they have done. The Award presentation will follow. The Club has rarely given a Vocational Excellence Award; it’s for someone who not only does a great job in their vocation, but also goes above and beyond.

Please invite friends and partners. Please let Gero know if you are coming or not by noon Monday 11^th.