Welcome to another week. I have perused the District website and there is a list of local and International projects that are performed by the Clubs in the District. Very impressive list, but no mention of our Wheelchairs Project . I also noticed that the latest date of any projects was June 2022.
Another successful sausage sizzle on Australia Day. Thanks to all who helped but a special thanks to those behind the screen, Ross and Angus.
Don’t forget that there is a board meeting this Wednesday at the Surf Club at 7.00 AM. All welcome and reports to be in by today, Monday 29th January.
Thought for the week: If you want an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it. Olin Miller, American motivational speaker and author.
One of the characteristics of the “average” Australian (is there really such a thing?), is their tendency of self deprecation. So, when one of our new members, Thomas Robinson (photo left, with meeting chairman Andy Bell), opened his ‘Rotarian behind the Badge’ speech with “I’ve had a pretty average life”, it rather had the effect of him gaining respect and endearment than being relegated to “average”.
He spent 20 years in IT (“I stumbled into jobs”, he said) in web hosting, sales of services to business at Melbourne IT, one of the very original major IT enterprises (originally owned by Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull). “Average”, huh? Yeah. Right.
Anyway, some 5 years ago, he decided to switch tack and embark on a career in professional community services, with Mission Australia. “Mission Australia has some 500 programs to choose from”, Thomas remarked. He selected Youth Support, counselling young people aged 15 - 24. His work involves the entire spectrum: finding them employment, housing, education, and providing life guidance. “Often, I support people who have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), Anxiety, complex trauma background, or generational unemployment”, he said. His tertiary qualifications include a Diploma of Community Services and a Diploma of Counselling.
And what does he do in his spare time? “I go and explore nature with my son, motorbiking, or magnet fishing”. Magnet fishing? That’s when you aim to catch anything that hangs on to a magnet, as in stuff people have thrown off a bridge. “You’d be amazed at some of the stuff that comes up!”, he jested. And very much worth mentioning: Thomas is also a member of the Reserve Army, a Reserve Rifleman.
Throughout the world, Rotarians aim to make the world a better place. It’s good to have members in our club who, including his mentor Evan Mita, also do so professionally. Welcome to the club, Thomas!
Last Friday (Australia Day) many of our members braced extremely hot and humid conditions to cater for the hungry masses... Compared to "normal" Fridays, this fundraising event, organised by our Fundraising Director Ross Augustine, was considerably ahead of average. Our thanks go the members who, together with Ross, manned the stand: Andy Bell, Paul Seymour, Trent Belling, Geoff Croad, Mario Fairlie, Fred Hamblen, Neil Thurlow, Doug Lipp, Gus Miller, Larry Murray, and Franz Huber. (Photo by Geoff Croad, changeover of shifts at 10:00 am, with a happy customer)
OK, so Coles advertised Hot Cross Buns on Boxing Day, 3 months before Easter. So what's to stop us advertising Rotary Christmas Cakes a month after Christmas? They ARE delectable - 50% fruit, not too sweet, moist... And Mario Fairlie has them for sale - both those packaged in a cake tin (so it stays moist if you don't want to eat it all at once) as well as packaged in a carton. Contact Mario directly - stocks are limited.
Andy Bell was chairman. We had apologies from Darrell Brown, Evan Mita, Al Sirovs, Graeme Isaacson, Adrian Crowe and Ralph Pownall.
President Doug Lipp welcomed all members and confirmed that the 300 chairs we had at the project shed had found a good home at one of the churches at Elanora.
Following Thomas Robinson’s Rotarian Behind the Badge address (see separate article above), Paul Seymour advised that the Pennsylvania contingent of the Rotary Friendship Exchange will be hosted by our club and Mermaid Beach from 11th to 15th March. They will visit our club on 13th March - program to be determined.
As we had some time, Andy Bell regaled us with a rather black humour story from his days in the New Zealand Police Force. One of the constituents of his district had designed a rather intricate ‘Death Machine’, suitable to Voluntary Assisted Dying. Otherwise absolutely no similarity to lethal injection… Sorry people, you should have been there! ☺
Duty Roster - note: subject to change - please check every week. Note: Fellowship duty also is expected to be at the Project Shed on the Saturday following the meeting
The Australian Open has concluded, and I can get my TV back... Here's one for cat lovers.
“There are two big problems with Haley’s respectable second. First, she lost. And you can’t win if you lose.” Newspaper report on the US Republican primaries, January 2024. (!!)
A reliable way to make people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth. Daniel Kahneman, ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’.
This one comes compliments of Andy Bell's Facebook post:
Apparently this weekend there will be constant rane, hale, gails, drissle, thundre, litnin, hy tydes, tawnaydoes and frizzing colde.
One of the characteristics of the “average” Australian (is there really such a thing?), is their tendency of self deprecation. So, when one of our new members, Thomas Robinson (photo left, with meeting chairman Andy Bell), opened his ‘Rotarian behind the Badge’ speech with “I’ve had a pretty average life”, it rather had the effect of him gaining respect and endearment than being relegated to “average”.
Last Friday (Australia Day) many of our members braced extremely hot and humid conditions to cater for the hungry masses... Compared to "normal" Fridays, this fundraising event, organised by our Fundraising Director Ross Augustine, was considerably ahead of average. Our thanks go the members who, together with Ross, manned the stand: Andy Bell, Paul Seymour, Trent Belling, Geoff Croad, Mario Fairlie, Fred Hamblen, Neil Thurlow, Doug Lipp, Gus Miller, Larry Murray, and Franz Huber. (Photo by Geoff Croad, changeover of shifts at 10:00 am, with a happy customer)
