Things at the Shed have been moving along. We in the process of looking at purchasing a 20 foot container of wheels. We hope to have pricing this week. Neil Thurlow has excelled himself again by organising the cartons that hold the wheelchairs. He has organised the supply at cost plus the manufacturer donated 50% …. So, we only paid a trivial amount - something like just over a dollar per carton. We had been paying three times this several years ago. Thanks Neil.
Des has again re-designed the POD……. known as “THE ROTARY SLEEPING POD”. The design had to be changed due to the price received from StyroMAX Fibreglass Composite Panels. The POD’s would have cost more than $2,000. Des’ new design is made with a light weight timber frame and plywood and then painted. He will determine the final price this week; the target is around $500.00. Hopefully, we can then move forward with production.
You may recall that the POD was the reason why Councillor Dawn Crichlow visited the shed several weeks ago. While at the shed she said she would investigate what could be done to help us to get rid of the old rubber tyres. Well she came through. Dawn organised John Dobozy of MOLECTRA to come and collect the tyres. He has also agreed to drop in on a regular basis to remove them. Thanks Dawn.
I thought it worth mentioning what has happened over this last weekend. As you are aware Chis Thurtell and Gerald East are both involved in Youth Exchange Program (YEP). Chris is the District Chair & Gerald is the treasurer. While we have enjoyed a wonderful sunny weekend, they have been working and providing training at a Hotel in Southport with all the outgoing students from the district, together with their parents. The presentations included such things as what to do as a YEP student, what Rotary expects of them, what the parents need know about the process and what to do. The two-day Seminar is for all outgoing YEP students, who will spend 12 months in another country away from their family and friends and leave in January next year. What a fabulous job Chis and Gerald.
Also, thanks to Geoff Croad, Adrian Crowe and Andy Bell for giving up the day for RYDA last Wednesday. RYDA is Rotary Youth Driver education training program which is designed for 16-18 year old students who are approaching critical time in their lives where they start to drive or are travelling as passengers of novice drivers. Great Work Geoff, Andy & Adrian. [Further on below are details of future seminars coming up soon. Ed.]
The next board meeting will be on Monday 5th August with the major topic “Corporate Membership”.
This week's meeting will NOT be on Wednesday this week.We will be meeting together with the Rotary Club of Broadwater-Southport on Friday morning at 7:00am. Breakfast will be charged for all that are coming, even if you don’t eat breakfast. As you are all aware, we have been in discussion with this club as they have shown a desire to amalgamate with our club. Their club has approximately the same number of members as ours. Both clubs have struggled over the past few years with membership. I believe we need each other. Combined, we would be a very strong club. Reminder: they too will be on their guard. The final discussion on amalgamation of the two Clubs will be made by you, the members. This is a very important meeting for each member to attend. We are all Rotarians. So, please, I would ask you to be as open minded and friendly as possible as we move forward over the next few months to get to know each other.
Look forward to seeing you all on Friday 2nd August at 7:00am for breakfast at Southport Yacht Club.
With almost 9000 Surfers Sunrise wheelchairs dispatched into all continents of the globe (except Antarctica), one could be forgiven for being a bit blasé... But a recent email including photo and video sent to us by Christopher Shadbolt of TTN Ministries (somewhere in Africa - sorry, will try to find out more info) brings the message home again with a thump. The email subject was 'After crawling for 35 years'. It depicts Regina, a young woman, now 39 years old, who is lame in her legs. This is Chris' response to my query about her condition:
Hello Franz
I wish I could elaborate more on the condition but that reality of it is she has grown up and spent her entire life in the village so actual details are non existent. At best it’s an educated guess.
This what we know: she is 39, the surviving twin just after her twin died she became lame (her family believe it is curse); my guess is polio that is what killed her (but that) is a guess.
But what I do know is she has never had the opportunity to have wheel chair, she moves by crawling- But beyond the disability it is clear she carries the pain of shame and has low self esteem and even lower self worth.
We thank Rotary and the team, the wheel chairs are so often a start to a different life.
For us we are in the process of see what funds we can raise for Regina and we are looking to purchasing a hand powered sewing machine (we have collection of materials etc and lady willing to travel to the village to train her) plus solar panel and battery with 12 volt clippers.
In short give her the capacity to generate funds by doing hair cuts (mainly for children) and sewing.
Thanks In His Grip Christopher Shadbolt
Des La Rance also received a 'Thank you' message from the Rotary e-Club of South Africa One (see photo on right), thanking us for our donation of 120 wheelchairs. There is little doubt that in addition to Regina mentioned in the story above, there are another 119 equally deserving disabled people whose life will have substantially improved as a result of the work of our volunteers and Associate Members who are "slaving along" every Saturday at the Project Shed.
Geoff Croad is looking for volunteers to help "herding" senior level school kidsf (16-18 years old), when they attend the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) training session. It is easy work, essentially just getting them to follow you from one classroom to another when they move to the next lesson. Our assistance is required on the following days:
Wednesday 7th August: Elanora State High School
Wednesday 28th August: Southport Community Centre
Friday 18th October: Marymount College
Times are from 09:00 am to approx 2:30 pm. Generous morning tea and lunch is provided. Please contact Geoff Croad directly on geoff.croad@bigpond.com or call him on his mobile.
RYDA is an essential road safety platform for young drivers and their passengers – it doesn’t come from driving lessons, books or the schoolclassroom. However, RYDA does support school curricula, giving teachers an important toolbox of additional resources and allowing them to harness the motivation and competencies taken from the RYDA day to enhance their classroom curriculum based lessons.
Our Youth Exchange Student in Minnesota, Lucy Thorburn, has sent us some photos from her "Safari" tour in the USA. See Photo Album on the right. There are also some more in her Photo Album (see on right hand side). Here is her message:
Summer is in full swing here is Minneapolis. Our days are getting up to 33 degrees and very humid. About two weeks ago now I got back from my rotary East Coast trip. I left Minneapolis on June15th and drove with 46 other rotary exchange students from both Minnesota and Wisconsin to the East Coast of America. We drove through 22 states and stop at 12 different city from St. Louis Illinois to New York City, the trip was about 2 weeks long. By far this this trip has be the best part of my year so far. Some of the things we did ranged from River Rapiding in the Smoky Mountains, Line Dancing in Nashville, Touring a Navy ship in Norfolk Virginia and visiting the city that never sleeps (and it’s true New York never sleeps). Now I’m back home enjoying the summer days with my friends on the lakes or hammocking in the park.
Hope all it well with everyone back home and that your not to cold too!
Hard on the heels of the new Varsity Lakes Club, chartered in September last year, another new club with a difference will be chartered next month: The Gold Coast Passport Rotary Club. "Passport"? Well, your Editor is not entirely sure either what this entails, but looking at their website, it would appear that their members are all below the age of 45, and their meetings will be "Wine and Cheese" style. The Charter night will be on Friday 16th August 2019, starting at 6:00 pm. More details to follow.
[I wonder: will the wine and cheese be served on a small airline style tray...? ☺☺ Ed.]
Duty Roster - note: subject to change. Please check every week:
New duty: Fellowship / Project Shed. What does it entail? There are two aspects to this:
a) At the club meeting, your job is to ensure that all members, in particular new members, visitors and guests, and in particular the Guest Speaker, are welcomed, are introduced to other members and are comfortable. If required, explain the usual procedures, e.g. when we have our meal, when the speaker is expected to be at the rostrum etc.
b) This person is also to attend the Project Shed on the following Saturday, as the representative of our club and to assist in the general management.
NOTE: Our usual regular meeting of 31st July is cancelled in lieu of our combined meeting with Broadwater Southport at the Southport Yacht Club on 2nd August.
“A castaway in the sea was going down for the third time when he caught sight of a passing ship. Gathering his last strength, he waved frantically and called for help. Someone on board peered at him scornfully and shouted back, "Get a boat!” Daniel Quinn, Beyond Civilization: Humanity's Next Great Adventure
This guy asked me to go camping. Camping - that's the dumbest holidays I ever heard of in my life. What, I'm gonna work all year so I can go out and pretend I'm homeless?
“Sometimes the slightest things change the directions of our lives, the merest breath of a circumstance, a random moment that connects like a meteorite striking the earth. Lives have swiveled and changed direction on the strength of a chance remark.” Bryce Courtenay, Author
With almost 9000 Surfers Sunrise wheelchairs dispatched into all continents of the globe (except Antarctica), one could be forgiven for being a bit blasé... But a recent email including photo and video sent to us by Christopher Shadbolt of TTN Ministries (somewhere in Africa - sorry, will try to find out more info) brings the message home again with a thump. The email subject was 'After crawling for 35 years'. It depicts Regina, a young woman, now 39 years old, who is lame in her legs. This is Chris' response to my query about her condition:
In short give her the capacity to generate funds by doing hair cuts (mainly for children) and sewing.
Our Youth Exchange Student in Minnesota, Lucy Thorburn, has sent us some photos from her "Safari" tour in the USA. See Photo Album on the right. There are also some more in her Photo Album (see on right hand side). Here is her message:
Hard on the heels of the new Varsity Lakes Club, chartered in September last year, another new club with a difference will be chartered next month: The Gold Coast Passport Rotary Club. "Passport"? Well, your Editor is not entirely sure either what this entails, but looking at their website, it would appear that their members are all below the age of 45, and their meetings will be "Wine and Cheese" style. .jpg)
