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I was searching for a superlative. “Mother Teresa”? Too corny. Others were too religious, too… whatever. Then I recalled a statement by Sir Clem Renouf, the first Australian to be elected Rotary International President (1978/79) and one of the giants of Rotary. He coined the phrase that “Rotary takes ordinary men and gives them extraordinary opportunities to do more with their lives than they ever dreamed possible”. There were still no women Rotarians in those days. Today, of course, his statement would include women.After well over 3 decades in Rotary, I still marvel at the opportunities I get to meet those “ordinary” people doing extraordinary things. Dianne Kozik is the General Manager of St Johns Crisis Centre in Surfers Paradise. After meeting her and witnessing her presentation, I warrant that she is one of that band of “ordinary” people doing extraordinary things which Sir Clem referred to.
Visualise: on the Gold Coast, there are some 4,000 people homeless, 800 of them youth. They are not necessarily what we look upon as the ‘proverbial beach bum’. They include victims of domestic violence, ordinary people in crisis not necessarily of their own making. Every day, St Johns Crisis Centre provides food, Chemist script vouchers, fuel vouchers, counselling on all sorts of aspects. Where possible, they provide assistance with accommodation (there is never enough). Do you think that’s all? Not by a mile. Check out Dianne’s PowerPoint Presentation (saved as a PDF) in the Download section on the right.
Obviously, St Johns needs not just funding and donations, but needs volunteer personnel, from drivers to cooks to consultants in whatever field you are strong in. Got a couple of hours to spare? You’ll be in good company: our member Mario Fairlie volunteers there, in the capacity of a Director of the organisation.
No flies on these guys... On Sunday, volunteers from our project shed manned 
This weekend, our District 9640 is running the 
Occasionally, we receive a bike at the Wheelchair Shed which is in good condition and can be restored perfectly. It is then donated to a worthy cause. Such an opportunity arose when Tanya Twyford, who heads a division within Wesley Mission, needed a lucky door prize for a Christmas Barbeque recently held at Macintosh Island in Surfers Paradise. Our "Wheelchair Foreman" Brian Tuesley and Dom Chant, who regularly volunteers at our shed, presented the bike. Well done, fellows!
Last Wednesday, our members and partners enjoyed a delicious Christmas breakfast at the Sunset Bar of the Marina Mirage in Main Beach. 
Has anyone dug a bit deeper into the concept of this year’s Rotary International Theme logo ‘Imagine Rotary’ (see picture right)? Did you get an inkling too that it has an Aboriginal feel to it? Correct, that was certainly very deliberate. Designed by an Australian artist, Riki 
Salam, the design is reflecting Aboriginal culture: the circle signifies our connection to one another, and the dots around it represent people; seven because of Rotary’s areas of focus, the solid line underneath is a digging stick. The colours green, purple and white are not necessarily connected to aboriginal culture. You can read all about it – 
At last Wednesday’s meeting, we had the pleasure of the key people of 
For all intents and purposes, it looks like it's largely finished, but there is still some work left to do on our X-Ray Unit for Pentecost Island, Vanuatu. This photo shows our "resident builder" volunteers Roger Browne (left) and Jimmy Pearce at work on the outside trim. Al Sirovs, Des La Rance and Laurie Roberts are working on the inside - hopefully I'll get a picture in the near future too. ☺
So, keep your soft drink bottles, stubby bottles, aluminium cans, milk cartons etc. As a general rule, most drink containers between 150ml and 3L can be returned for a refund under Queensland's container deposit scheme. Containers should be empty, unbroken, the lid removed and display a 10-cent refund marking on the label. Something like the image (right), but many others are simply marked as suitable for recycling. Note: they must NOT be crushed. See image above what is and what is not accepted. For details of what can / cannot be returned for cash, and where the locations are, 
Congratulations to Pieta Jackman who at this morning's meeting was presented with the Lutzy Award - including a flash new paddle board. The award is in memory of our Charter Member Keith Lutz who passed away in 2013. It is presented to a young emerging leader, selected by a committee of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club. As David Orchy from the SLSC pointed out: the selection of Pieta was unanimous. 
This is somewhat equivalent to receiving a telegram from the Queen… At yesterday morning’s meeting, PDG Darrell Brown was presented with a framed letter from our current Rotary International President, Jennifer Jones, congratulating him on his 50th year of Service Above Self.
In accordance with our District Governor’s theme of ‘Respecting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’, Mitch started off with an Acknowledgment of Country, paying due respect to the original inhabitants. (He promised that he’ll work to get the greeting in the Yugambeh language perfect. 
At many Rotary events (actually the majority) the meal consists of an alternative drop of fish/chicken and steak/roast. Not at Surfers Sunrise! We had an excellent start of the new Rotary year with our Changeover Luncheon at Bambino's Italian Ristorante, eating a variety of different pizzas and pasta. As is the rule with Surfers Sunrise Rotary, speeches were very short and fellowship very big. Welcome new President Mitch Brown! Some highlights:
Rotary International’s incoming President for 2022-23, Jennifer E Jones took office on the 1st July, making history as the first female president in Rotary history. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor Roseland, Ontario, Canada, and founder and president of Media Street Productions, an award-winning media company in Windsor. Having previously served Rotary in a variety of roles including vice president, director, and Rotary Foundation trustee, her talents have strengthened Rotary’s reach and impact.
Surfers Sunrise wins the Best Long Term Project Award for 2021-22. At today's District Changeover, District Governor 2021-22 Jeff Egan presented our club with this award in recognition of our long term Wheelchair Trust project. Give yourself a pat on the back! Photo shows District Treasurer Mark Twyford who accepted the award certificate on behalf of our club.
In the olden days, for a new member to join a Rotary club the unofficial rule was, expressed in simple terms, he should be "somebody who is in a position to hire and fire". Yes, 'he'. Thankfully, around 1987, the 'he' was expanded to also include the fairer sex. There were lots of other rules too, for example, weekly attendance at our meetings was considered to be just about essential. 
What a superb morning last Saturday at our Project Shed, where we celebrated the 10,000th Wheelchair manufactured. For any of our readers who are not familiar with the concept: parts from recycled bicycles, marine plywood, solid rubber BMX wheels and... LOTS OF VOLUNTEER HOURS equal a wheelchair which can be manufactured for $100! Give yourself a pat on the back, but particular recognition must go to the principal movers and shakers who started and carried this project through: Des La Rance, Daryl Sanderson and the late Keith Lutz and Bob Harrison. Jan Lutz was there, but regrettably, Gloria Harrison was unable to join us, but for a good reason: her grandson debuted on that same day, playing Grade 1 Cricket in the Queensland Premier League. Howzat! Bob would be proud on both accounts. 
