Andrew’s Thoughts
Well, the week was as anticipated what with lockdown which looks like it will be ongoing for some while.
With Zoom skills mastered, it was good to see everyone on Thursday. A special mention to Bob Aston, and Susanna Chung who both joined in after some while or eventually!
I have spoken with our AG Adam de Totth and confirm he won’t join us this Thursday via Zoom. He’s keen to see and speak to us face to face so his visit will be rescheduled for more certain times.
I shall send out Zoom invitations before Thursday; I suspect this will be the norm for some while. Please try to join in, as it is important that we remain connected and care for each other’s wellbeing.
Stay safe and keep fingers firmly crossed. So it’s onwards and upwards mes amis!
This Thursday
A Zoom meeting at 6.30, hosted by President Andrew. You should receive an invitation soon.
The Week that Was
Last week’s Zoom meeting
While President Andrew updated us on the Prostate Support Group last week, Bob Aston had an interesting and relevant Rotary story via Nyngan and Northern Ireland.
When Bob was a member of Nyngan Rotary Club, the Club hosted a student from Cookstown in Northern Ireland, probably 1997 or 1998. Jonathan Coulter stayed with the Astons for a couple of months during his Rotary Exchange year. Bob said initially he wasn’t that keen on staying with the local school principal, but he soon settled in. Jonathan lived with his parents and sister in Killymoon Castle, just outside Cookstown, a smallish town a little over an hour from Belfast.
When Jonathon returned home after his 12 months in Australia, he studied pharmacy at university. He was awarded a PhD in pharmacy from Queens University in Belfast in 2006 and now lectures and carries out research at the University. His broad area of research relates to the use of drugs to treat prostate cancer. Therese and Bob spent a week with Jonathan and his family during their overseas jaunt in 2016.
Hopefully the Prostate Support Group launch will be able to go ahead at the Men’s Shed on 5th October.
Lynn Hastings also some news about Narooma’s former Exchange student Jui-Da ‘Radar’ Lin from Taichung in Taiwan. Radar was with us 2015-2016 during Bob Antill’s year as President. She spotted Radar on Instagram in a white coat with a stethoscope in a hospital but because the information was in his language she could not glean anything more. Bob says Radar is studying medicine, he thinks possibly radiography, and would be about half way through his course.
It was also great to finally see Susanna Chung. We all look forward to meeting her face-to-face sometime soon.
News from or Tertiary Scholar Cassidy Kerr
Our 2019 Tertiary Scholar Cassidy Kerr is doing a double degree in Law and Psychology at the University of Wollongong. In the last semester she received distinctions and credits. This is her last semester on our Rotary Scholarship. She wrote to Rod Walker, her counsellor:
I am extremely pleased with my results as this has been my highest achieving semester yet! Thanks for your support; I hope all is well during these trying times.
As this was my last payment, I just wanted to thank you again for providing me with this opportunity. This scholarship has supported me during times (like now) where work has been scarce and allowed me to focus entirely on my studies. It has kept me motivated throughout these three years and I cannot thank you enough for choosing me and supporting my ambitions. I look forward to the future and hope that all is well at Rotary.
Out and About
Carers’ Accommodation for new hospital
Narooma and Batemans Bay Rotarians had been invited to Moruya Rotary’s meeting this Tuesday to consider the possibility of the three Eurobodalla Rotary Clubs assisting in providing accommodation for carers and relatives in the grounds of the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital. That meeting has, of course, been cancelled because of the lockdown. Speakers would have been Phil Greenwood from Tuggeranong and Lyn Corbin from Pambula on their experiences in building carers’ accommodation in new hospitals. Hopefully this meeting can still go ahead ‘post lockdown’.
More on Bees
Last Saturday (21 August) was World Honey Bee day to celebrate these busy geniuses and their importance. Thinking of how much everyone enjoyed Robin Burbidge’s recent talk, a fascinating column in the ‘Traveller’ section of Saturday’s Sydney Morning Herald was all about bees. While Robin gave us some fascinating insights into their world, here are some other interesting aspects.
Did you know entomologists consider honeybees the smartest of all insects?
- They’re capable of learning and solving problems
- They can count up to four
- They communicate with nest mates and indicate distance to a food source (as Robin explained)
- They can recognise and distinguish between human faces (part of the reason possibly why bees see Robin as a ‘friend’).
NEXT WEEK
No meeting scheduled.