Ange’s Chat
Our first Business Breakfast on Thursday at The Inlet was a great success and very well received by the 30 local businesses who attended. Cath Peachey, Chair of Narooma Rocks and the Oyster Festival, was a brilliant choice, speaking about the upcoming Festival, what it means to the area and the strategic planning for growth into the future. She highlighted the need to deliver events beyond the Oyster Festival to create year-round tourism in Narooma and the South Coast. Many thanks to Andrew and our team for a top effort over many weeks in putting the Breakfast meetings together. Our slogan for 2020/21 is ‘Rotary Opens Opportunities’ and that’s so true.
Our combined club’s celebration of Rotary’s Centenary in Australia is rapidly approaching, on Saturday 22 May at Moruya Golf Club (6 for a 6.30pm). Twenty tickets have been put aside for Narooma Rotary and I really hope we have a good Narooma roll-up; both Batemans Bay and Moruya clubs have almost sold out. If you want to go, please let me know by 22 April. Payment of $35pp is needed soon after.
Our next market is on Anzac Day, 25 April. The RSL have approved us holding our market on that day. As many are away, it’s all hands on deck. We are also grateful to Julie Hartley who has offered to learn how to mark out from Bob Aston as well as our Indian friend Akash.
While on the subject of markets, could someone please volunteer to do the Market Roster in future? Bob Aston has kindly managed it to date but would like to hand over this monthly task.
Thanks to Lynda Ord for volunteering to organise and lay the wreath on the Club’s behalf at Club Narooma on Anzac Day. Ange Ulrichsen
THIS WEEK 22 April
A dinner meeting at Narooma Golf Club. No guest speaker so we can just enjoy good fellowship. Please also have numbers and payment ready for the Centenary dinner on 22 May.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
The first of our monthly Business Breakfasts held on Thursday 15th featured Narooma Oyster Festival Chair Cath Peachey. President Ange and PE Andrew were delighted with the response and widespread support the Club has received from the business community for these meetings.
Cath congratulated our Club on the Breakfast initiative. She welcomed the opportunity to speak to 30 local business people about the Festival’s considerable impact on Narooma and the region.
“Our primary goal is to get people here in May, a traditionally quiet time for tourists, and to promote our region’s wonderful fresh produce, our unique area and showcase the lifestyle here,” she said.
“Our strategy is to target high value visitors from elsewhere, particularly Canberra and Sydney, and encourage them to stay four to five days and experience Narooma and our region. We want to grow awareness of our region as a year-round destination.”
This year’s Festival will be opened by NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres.
The 2019 Festival attracted over 5,000 people, 71% from outside the Eurobodalla Shire. Surveys have shown excellent satisfaction levels.
“We work hard to try to engage with as many elements of our community as possible, including having strong Aboriginal involvement, and this year the River of Arts section,” Cath said.
The Festival’s marketing budget is much larger this year thanks to Government grants to assist with the region’s recovery. Part of the budget will host top media who will be treated to an experience of the area as well as the Festival. The value of such extensive media coverage exceeds $1m.
She paid tribute to the Chamber’s vision in establishing the Festival in 2007, and acknowledged the support of the Festival’s partners, some of whom were at the meeting, of the volunteer team behind the Festival, and of the many volunteers who work at the festival each year.
The Festival now costs around $250k to stage each year.
The next Breakfast on 20 May will feature Narooma Chamber of Commerce President Jenny Munro who will talk about the Narooma and District Community Plan.
Out and About
Narooma Rotarians volunteer for RYDA
President Ange, President Elect Andrew Lawson and Chris O’Brien have volunteered to help out at the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) programme on Friday 7 May at the Frog’s Hollow Kart Track, south of Bega. That’s when Narooma High Year 11 students will be there, in lieu of the cancelled RYDA at Moruya this year. President Ange says Bega’s RYDA organiser Eric Johnston is both relieved and delighted. Our Club will pay for Narooma’s bus to and from Bega.
NEXT WEEK 29 April
There is no meeting as per the Club’s new arrangements, being the fifth Thursday in the month.