Greetings, fellow members, associate members and friends of Surfers Sunrise Rotary,
Wheelchair Trust Chair Geoff Croad advises that the container destined for Sri Lanka has been trans-shipped in Singapore and is expected to arrive in Colombo at the end of this month. On another matter, moves are under consideration to engage High School Students in our Wheelchairs program, with the aim of not just teaching them skills, but to engage them in meaningful activity. More about this in next week's bulletin.
This last weekend, our members ran another successful Bunnings BBQ`s at Nerang. It was great to see some of our senior members, including our Charter President and Honorary Member Bill Moir, as well as the "father of our club", Gerald East participating.[Gerald, being far more talented in figures than your Editor, calculated that "the total age of the six members of the middle shift was 483 years". Age obviously seems not to weary them... ☺Ed.]
A reminder that every fortnight on Thursday (the next being this week, 5th February), we have a social meeting at Benowa Tavern from 4.30pm. All members, associates and friends are welcome.
This coming Wednesday 4th February will be a social meeting at the Surf Club. While, during the Surf Club's renovations, our 'formal' meetings are held at the TRYP Hotel in Southport, on alternate weeks we'll continue to meet socially at the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club. Come along for a cuppa and/or breakfast. The meeting will be in the upstairs venue, if the weather is nice, on the balcony. Lots of good banter and laughter, and - believe it - sometimes there are more club related matters discussed and solutions determined than on a formal meeting!
In many parts of the world, people are from an early age conditioned to the old adage “There is no alternative to victory”, with ’victory’ being defined as the total destruction, physically and mentally, of the enemy.
For Rotary, internationally, February is Peace and Conflict Prevention Month. So how can we, as “just everyday people”, make a difference? After all, would we have any influence on Putin, Trump, Xi? On the happenings at the UN, NATO and the myriad of other worldwide bodies and forums? Unlikely, you say.
Last week’s presentation by Bianca Saikale, in my humble opinion, highlighted the importance of Rotary’s many international programs: in this case, Youth Exchange (YE). Every year, in over 100 countries, approximately 8,000 young people are building relationships throughout the world. Eventually, some of these YE participants will be leaders; I’d guess the majority of them, including political leaders. “Our” federal MP for Moncrief, Angie Bell, is a good example of this: she was a YE student to Denmark. Today, she is a member of the Shadow Cabinet. Ask her how Rotary influenced her life.
It is in this light that we need to view the ever-increasing importance of Rotary’s various programs promoting peace and World Understanding. As one of the largest international organisations, non-political and independent of government financing, Rotary fosters the ideals of service, community and understanding. For example, did you know that there are ‘International Online Mega Meetings’ conducted frequently? The next one is on 23rd February 2026, at 09:30 am AEST (that is 08:30 Qld Time). You can participate – click here to register.
There are dozens more: Scholarships in Rotary’s seven areas of focus. Just two examples: some 170 scholarships are awarded by The Rotary Foundation every year, to study at eight peace centres. The University of Queensland is one of them. MUNA (Model United Nations Assembly) is held annually in our District and throughout Australia. For a day, Year 11-12 students act and debate in the role of various nations’ Ambassadors to the UN. Will it help? You’ll never know for sure. My view is that it certainly fosters young people’s understanding of “the world out there.” One might well have a new idea that prevents a war.
One of the major attractions of our Rotary meetings is that we get all sorts of interesting speakers... It is particularly very refreshing when a young person presents, and even more when that young person has, what in marketing terms would be called a "Point of Distinction". Bianca Saikale visited this morning and outlined what makes Rotary so special for her.
Her journey with Rotary started 15 years ago, in 2011, in her hometown of Sao Paolo, Brazil, when she joined an Interact Club at her High School. Interact? Look it up! Click here. We have about 12 of them on the Gold Coast.) Our club used to support one, but that was a long time ago. Then she joined the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, coming for 12 months to the Gold Coast in 2017. But why stop there? Coming back to Brazil, she was offered a spot in an Exchange to Germany, and she grabbed it.
Meanwhile, she has visited well over 200 Rotary clubs internationally, and she is an active member of the Rotary Club of Gold Coast. And if you can say one thing about Bianca: She certainly doesn't lack confidence!
Thank you, Bianca, and your friends for bringing a "breath of fresh air" to our meeting this morning. You can view a PDF of her slides in the Download Section on the right.
(Photo, from left: Bianca's friend Alissa who hails from Finland, Bianca, President Paul Seymour and Bianca's partner Toby)
What great news to learn that both of you were awarded the Order of Australia medal. We are very proud to count you, Rock, as a member of Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club, and Joan a member of Innerwheel.
See Download section on our website www.rotarysurferssunrise.org for a full text of today's article in the Gold Coast Bulletin. (This is the only photo I could find of both Rock and Joan - whilst it might look a bit irreverent considering the great honour, they were actually promoting for elderly people to take the flu shot!)
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
You come from dust and you will return to dust. That’s why I don’t dust. It might be someone I know.
The Destiny of Man is to unite, not to divide. If you keep on dividing you end up as a collection of monkeys throwing nuts at each other out of separate trees. T.H. White, The Once and Future King
I hate that feeling when, after surgery, you are not sure whether you are awake or asleep. Or if you operated on the right patient.
In many parts of the world, people are from an early age conditioned to the old adage “There is no alternative to victory”, with ’victory’ being defined as the total destruction, physically and mentally, of the enemy. 
One of the major attractions of our Rotary meetings is that we get all sorts of interesting speakers... It is particularly very refreshing when a young person presents, and even more when that young person has, what in marketing terms would be called a "Point of Distinction". Bianca Saikale visited this morning and outlined what makes Rotary so special for her.
What great news to learn that both of you were awarded the Order of Australia medal. We are very proud to count you, Rock, as a member of Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club, and Joan a member of Innerwheel.
