Julie’s Jots

We had two great highlights this week – a very successful Pride of Workmanship Awards night at Club Dalmeny and another fascinating Business Breakfast. Thank you everyone who made these two events such a success; it was a big day.

On the Awards night… people who grow businesses contribute to the lifeblood of Narooma and are a key part of retaining our younger population and making Narooma a desirable place to live. We are proud of all the participants and wish them the very best.

We have our monthly market tomorrow, so all available hands on deck please. We have a few of our regulars away, so will be drawing on some of our wonderful Friends of Rotary.

THIS THURSDAY 27^TH

Thursday 27 March 6 for 6.30pm: DINNER SPEAKER – Ronnie Ayliffe on the new Cobargo Bushfire Resilience Centre. The CRC is the keystone rebuild and recovery project on the area of western side of the main street of Cobargo that was destroyed in the bushfire five years ago. TAKT Studio are the architects; construction is being funded by a $4.8M grant from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund.

The Week that was

Business Breakfast

Thirty people booked in for last Thursday’s Rotary Business Networking Breakfast to hear Teresa Lever from Council on hard spend data from the summer period and from Narooma Rocks Chair Cath Peachey on the rapidly approaching Oyster Festival.

Teresa is Eurobodalla Shire Council’s Manager Economic Development and Place Activation. She accesses card sales data to show how busy the peak season was, where people came from, their spend etc, and compare them with past years.

For Narooma, for the December 2024-January 2025, period visitors came from quite a dispersed market. Most (66%) came from NSW (mainly Queanbeyan, Palerang, Wollongong), 25% ACT, and 5% Victoria. Top suburbs were Goulburn, Jerrabomberra, Kambah and Monash. Mountain bike trails is attracting people from across Sydney. She reported on total local spend in this period, compared with visitor spend. She described this summer as “çruel’’ in that the peak New Year week spend collapsed after that first week, which corresponded to the national trend.

Teresa produced an interesting quiz which included total population in the Dalmeny to Tilba being 8,500, total number of businesses 660.

Cath Peachey said there are many new things at this year’s Oyster Festival (check out the website). She mentioned the feature events (most of which have sold out), the great line-up of celebrity chefs, and the band line-up on the Friday and Saturday. They are still looking for volunteers. She also mentioned the Big Breakfast on the Sunday being organised by the Chamber in association with various community groups including Narooma Rotary.

The accompanying Rock Oyster Week has events across the shire with many more businesses getting involved , many being oyster related. One aim of the NOF and Oyster Week is to encourage people to stay longer and spend more.

Valued employees recognised at Pride of Workmanship

Ten local businesses recognised valued employees at our annual Pride of Workmanship Awards at a special dinner at Club Dalmeny on Thursday. Awards co-organiser Françoise Cleret said these Awards are a highlight of the Club’s year with good reason. Our VP and MC extraordinaire David McInnes said they give local business people the opportunity to publicly recognise one of their staff who goes above and beyond.

“The number of nominations this year was fantastic and shows how much local businesses appreciate these Awards,” he said. Recognised were:

• Lewis Baker of Dalmeny Designer Kitchens
• Jim Sharpe of Estia Health Dalmeny                          
• Sophia Moody of Hear Well — Live Well          
• Sue Piazzoli of Maven Dental Narooma                        
• Sebastian Mellish of Mr Bold Catering Company        
• Makhenzie Mathie of Narooma Fishing & Dive
• Irene Baxter of She Fashion                                    
• Ella Moore of Southbound Escapes                             
• Cash Graham of  Southern Euro Plumbing                
• Sean Stent of Swan Plumbing                                                                

Co-organiser Laurelle Pacey said she is always quite moved by what employers say when nominating an awardee, and this year was no exception. Southern Euro Plumbing Neil Graham coming to the mike and giving his own heart-felt appreciation of his apprentice, his son Cash.

Unfortunately awardees Makhenzie Mathie, Ella Moore and Sean Stent were unable to attend.

NEXT WEEK

Wednesday 2^nd April 6.30pm at Narooma Golf Club: Prostate Cancer Support Group

Thursday 3^rd April 5pm at Narooma Golf Club: Board Meeting

Julie’s Jots

Lynn, Laurelle and I spent Saturday attending the annual Presidents-Elect and Club Development Training Day, this year held at St Peter’s Anglican College in Broulee.  It is an amazingly expansive school, a lovely venue, and we learnt a lot.  Laurelle also gave a presentation on our Business Breakfasts. This year it was a little different from previous years, being held over one day so as to cut down on overnight stays.  There are two others being held across the District – one in Canberra, the other in Wagga Wagga.

I found it a very rewarding day, as did Lynn and Laurelle.  I highly recommend that if you can go next year, do so.  These seminars are designed for everyone in Rotary Clubs and are very informative. We will share some of what we learned at a future Club Dinner.

I would like to thank David, Rachael, Ange, Gero and Chris for their help over the weekend with the bacon and egg rolls we cooked for the Goldwing Honda Club over the three days.  We had a 6.30am start to fire up the BBQ and start buttering the bread rolls and cooking the food.  132 rolls were cooked over the three days and the motorcycle club involved were from all over Australia and a really nice group of people.

We have a busy few days ahead of us with the Business Breakfast this Thursday morning, the presentation of 10 Pride of Workmanship Awards that same night, and the Markets on Sunday.

THIS WEEK

Thursday 7-8am: Our Business Networking Breakfast . Narooma Surf Club.

Guest speaker Teresa Lever of Council will report on the fascinating hard data she’s able to access showing just how busy the peak season was, where people came from, their spend etc, and compare the figures with past years and between different towns. Teresa is Eurobodalla Shire Council’s Manager Economic Development and Place Activation.Narooma Rocks Chair Cath Peachey will also briefly outline how this year’s Narooma Oyster Festival and the accompanying Rock Oyster Week are shaping up.

Thursday 6 for 6.30pm: Pride of Workmanship Awards at Club Dalmeny Cost $55 per person, buy your own drinks. Bookings now closed.

SUNDAY (23^rd): Our Market… all hands on deck please.

The Week that Was

Breakfast for GoldWing bikers

Members of the Australian GoldWing Association were most appreciative of our Club’s early starts to cook them a delicious breakfast over three days at the Discovery Holiday Park south of town. They were here for their Annual Show and Shine and AGM.

AGA Riverina Chapter representative Kevin Lindley, the main organiser of the weekend, is absolutely delighted that the money we raised from the breakfasts will finance two buses to take Narooma High Year 11 students to the wonderful Rotary Youth Drive Awareness programme at Moruya on Tuesday 8 April.

Well done our breakfast team who also included President Julie. Françoise also dropped by to spruik the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride in May. Hopefully we will see a few GoldWings winging their way back to Narooma for this event.

For those not familiar with the GoldWing, and who may not have seen the influx of these amazing bikes over the weekend, they’re widely regarded as the ultimate touring bike.

Moruya Rotary goes to Tuross

Moruya Rotary’s meeting at Tuross last week was an experiment to raise their club’s profile there and hopefully also attract some new members. They had a great attendance from members and partners and good speakers gave a succinct summary of the Club’s focus areas. It was well advertised and Tuross Country Club rose to the occasion. Early results are positive with initial discussion between the two clubs about possibly working together on a couple of community projects plus a couple of membership enquiries.

Out and About

• Yass Rotary Club was the fastest growing Club in the District up until last week; Batemans Bay has now overtaken Yass.
• The Men’s Health Education Van is in Batemans Bay this weekend, Moruya this coming week, and Bega the following weekend. Rotarians assist at the van. The Van which tours regional areas is a project of the combined Rotary Clubs of NSW.

NEXT WEEK

Thursday 27 March 6 for 6.30pm: DINNER SPEAKER – Ronnie Ayliffe on the new Cobargo Bushfire Resilience Centre. The CRC is the keystone rebuild and recovery project on the area of western side of the main street of Cobargo that was destroyed in the bushfire five years ago. TAKT Studio are the architects; construction is being funded by a $4.8M grant from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund.

Julie’s Jots

Big news from last week’s Board meeting was approval of the Commonwealth Bank Narooma team becoming Corporate Members of our Club; our first! We’re looking forward to inducting them into the Club once we get all the badges and information packs organised.

March is certainly a really busy month for us. This coming weekend we’re cooking breakfasts for three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday 7-9am) for the Goldwing Honda motorcycle club gathering at Narooma Beach Discovery Park (south of town).  Thank you to those who have volunteered to help on those days; see me if you would also like to help. We will discuss this more on Thursday night. 

Also this Saturday is the annual President Elect (PETS) and Club Development Session, this year at Broulee (details below). These seminars are designed for all Club members, so if anyone would like to attend, please register online.  At this stage I will be taking Lynn and Laurelle with me. We have also been asked to do a presentation on our Business Breakfasts. Anyone else?

I look forward to seeing you this Thursday for a Club Dinner and a bit of a catch-up on all that’s happening.

THIS WEEK

Thursday 13: Our Club Dinner at the Golf Club, 6pm for 6.30pm. Numbers to Gero please by noon Tuesday 11^th. Order from the bistro.  

Friday 14- Sunday 16: Cooking breakfasts for Goldwing Honda at Discovery Park Caravan Park (just south of Narooma).

Saturday 15: President Elect (PETS) and Club Development Session – at St Peter’s Anglican College, Broulee. This is designed for both incoming leaders and club members, offering an opportunity for training, learning, and networking. Starts with arrival from 8:30 AM, with the official welcome at 9:00 AM. The day will end by 4:00 PM. Registration through District 9705 website. DGE Rob Shore urges all members to come, as well as asking us to invite non-Rotarians.

Out and About

Our Business Breakfast on 20 March

Our next Business Networking Breakfast is next Thursday 20 March at the Surf Club from 7am sharp.  We have another couple of great speakers lined up.

Teresa Lever from Council will report on the fascinating hard data she’s able to access showing just how busy the summer season was, where people came from, their spend etc., and compare the figures with past years and between different towns. Teresa is Eurobodalla Shire Council’s Manager Economic Development and Place Activation. Narooma Rocks Chair Cath Peachey will also briefly outline how this year’s wonderful Narooma Oyster Festival and the accompanying Rock Oyster Weekare shaping up, including the highlights.

It starts at 7am sharp at Narooma Surf Club (upstairs – finishes at 8). Rotarians, please book directly with Laurelle, by Monday 17 March at the very latest. She will assume you will want breakfast ($10 each) unless she hears otherwise.

Pride of Workmanship, also 20 March

This is one of our Club’s very special nights. We have 10 wonderful nominations for Pride of Workmanship Awards this year on Thursday 20 March at Club Dalmeny 6 for 6.30pm.

These Awards give employers the opportunity to acknowledge one of their staff who goes ‘above and beyond’, publicly recognising who displays outstanding qualities in terms of their approach, attitude, dedication and commitment to their job. It’s not a competition. This Vocational Service project aims to publicly recognise the value of having pride in personal performance in the workplace, hence the scheme’s motto ‘Do it once, do it well’.

Please let Laurelle know by noon this Friday at the latest if you are coming. Lynn encourages you to do direct deposit into our Administration account. Rotarians, please make sure you put ‘your surname POW’; participating businesses please include ‘name of business POW’. It will be a top night.   

From Moruya Rotary

This Tuesday Moruya Rotary is meeting at Tuross Country Club. They have booked in 39 people which includes 12 from Tuross. Moruya hopes to increase its profile in Tuross and perhaps attract new members.

Time to check your Bowels

Now is the time to check your bowels, regardless of your age. It could save your life. Narooma Rotary President Julie Hartley said increasingly we’re seeing younger people diagnosed with bowel cancer. “This programme is available for everyone regardless of age, whereas the free National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is only provided to those aged 50-74,” she said. Early diagnosis is critical; 99% of caes can be treated successfully if detected in the early stages.”

The annual BowelCare Programme which Narooma Rotary supports is now well underway with kits available for purchase until 31 May.  Australia has the world’s highest incidence of bowel cancer with 1 in 12 men and women diagnosed with bowel cancer by age 85. It is Australia’s second biggest cancer killer.

Kits this year can be purchased through the online store at www.cancercareaustralia.org.au until 31st May or by phoning the BowelCare office Tuesday to Thursday 9.00 am – 3.00 pm (02) 4341 6695. The cost is $30.00 inclusive of postage and fees, pathology testing, and notification of your result to yourself and your nominated doctor. They are no longer sold through local pharmacies. 

To keep the cost of the kit as low as possible, the kits are not branded BowelCare, but instead ColoVantage. They are the same test kits as in previous years just the outer envelope has the supplier’s generic branding. BowelCare Australia is a division of CancerCare Australia Limited.

NEXT WEEK

THURSDAY (20^th)

Thursday 7-8am: Our Business Networking Breakfast (see story above)

Thursday 6 for 6.30pm: Pride of Workmanship Awards (see story above)

SUNDAY (23^rd) Our Market… all hands on deck please

Julie’s Jots

It sounds like last week’s guest speakers Christina Potts and Ben Woolnough from Narooma High School gave a fascinating insight into the school’s Wagonga Inlet Ecosystem Project (see report below) and everyone there had a very enjoyable night.

Then on Sunday, our dynamic trio of Françoise Cleret, Gero Mitchell and Laurelle Pacey braved an early start to beat the tide and help Clean Up Australia, working from Mill Bay to the Apex Park Boat Ramp. Our members have been doing this for many years now and it’s great to note a substantial reduction in the amount of rubbish, thought to be partly due to refunds for returnable bottles and cans, plus the army of our wonderful community-minded locals who regularly pick up rubbish when out walking. Thank you ladies.

THIS WEEK

Wednesday 5 March 6.30pm: Prostate Cancer Support Group at Narooma Golf Club

Thursday 6 March 5pm: Board Meeting at Narooma Golf Club

The Week that Was

Narooma High citizen scientists

How wonderful to hear on Thursday from Narooma High teachers Christina Potts and Ben Woolnough about the school’s Wagonga Inlet Ecosystem Monitoring Project. Many of us had been wondering what the little raft was off Rotary Park; now we know! (Great interp sign nearby.) Narooma High is one of about 12 schools in Australia participating in this project with Australian Ocean Lab (AusOcean). The site was selected after consultation with scientists in several organisations and is in a posidonia (strapweed) seagrass ‘meadow’, so therefore a rich habitat for marine creatures.

The floating rig was built by Narooma High students to AusOcean’s design. Its equipment continuously monitors water temperature and salinity (data stored in the Cloud) with a live stream cam underwater camera. Students will use the data for real world learning and carry out ongoing field work to understand changes to sea grass communities and stingray movements. It will also be used to monitor some of the oyster reefs as they are redeveloped in the Inlet.

“This collaboration provides world class scientific opportunities for our students as well as developing technological skills and encouraging teamwork,” Ms Potts said. The rig also requires ongoing maintenance by the students. The live cam is streamed into Mr Woolnough’s classroom all the time.

CAERH Car Raffle drawn

The electric car raffle of 3,000 tickets in aid of the Carers’ Accommodation for Eurobodalla Regional Hospital (CAERH) was drawn at Narooma Golf Club last Thursday night. The winning ticket was 1422, held by Pastor Julie Brown of the Southern Life Church at Moruya.

CAERH President Rob Pollock praised his committee and expressed confidence the project would succeed.  Mayor Matt Hatcher spoke of the community spirit evidenced by the support for CAERH, while Col Jay thanked the sponsor Batemans Bay Coastal Auto Group. The final raffle contribution to the CAERH account was $110,000.

Out and About

Time to check your Bowels

The annual Rotary BowelCare Programme which Narooma Rotary supports is now well underway with kits available for purchase until 31 May. Kits are no longer sold through local pharmacies. 

Narooma Rotary President Julie Hartley said increasingly we’re seeing younger people diagnosed with bowel cancer. “This programme is available for everyone regardless of age, whereas the free National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is only provided to those aged 50-74,” she said. “This simple test can save your life.”

Australia has the world’s highest incidence of bowel cancer with 1 in 12 men and women diagnosed with bowel cancer by age 85. It is Australia’s second biggest cancer killer.

Kits this year can be purchased through the online store at www.cancercareaustralia.org.au until 31st May or by phoning the BowelCare office Tuesday to Thursday 9.00 am – 3.00 pm (02) 4341 6695. The cost is $30.00 inclusive of postage and fees, pathology testing, and notification of your result to yourself and your nominated doctor. 

To keep the cost of the kit as low as possible, the kits are not branded BowelCare, but instead ColoVantage. They are the same test kits as in previous years just the outer envelope has the supplier’s generic branding. BowelCare Australia is a division of CancerCare Australia Limited.

Moruya Club looks to Tuross

Moruya Rotary will meet at Tuross on Tuesday 11 March, thanks to the planning and work of their Membership Director Steve Picton. Tuross is in Moruya’s drawing area but the Club feels it has not paid Tuross much attention in recent years. The Club hopes this meeting will lift its profile there.  

NEXT THURSDAY 13 March

Next (13^th) Thursday is our Club Dinner at the Golf Club, 6pm for 6.30pm. Numbers to Gero please by noon Tuesday.