Meetings, meetings and more meeting over the last week. PP Mario Fairlie’s house has hosted multiple meetings in relation to the Vanuatu Health Centre Project. Mario and Dr Graham Sivyer will be updating us at next weeks formal meeting on the progress of the Vanuatu Project and where we can get involved. We have a Board Meeting tonight and are planning to have a Wheelchair Trust meeting next week. I’ll update you on anything that comes out of these meetings.
It was great to have Glen Wallwork from Marcus Mission (set up within Wesley Mission Queensland) present to us at last week’s club meeting. Thank you to Glen and his team of mentors who work in the community to help men who are really struggling. The Project Shed recently commenced a co-operative project with Wesley Mission and we look forward to working more with Marcus Mission in the future.
Remember to get your order in asap for the ‘Rotary Says No to Domestic Violence’ T-Shirts for the Baton Relay. It would be great if as many members as possible were wearing these shirts when we participate in the Rotary Baton Relay on Friday 16th April between 9.30-11.30am at Broadwater Parklands. The shirts are $20 each and I will bring the order form (and the Square Terminal) to the next few meetings. More details on the Baton Relay to follow over the coming weeks and any suggestions welcome.
Our next Bunnings Sausage Sizzle is on Sunday 21st March at Bunning’s Southport. These regular Bunnings Sausage Sizzle’s are a great way for our club to raise funds for our many projects and Rotary Youth Programs and are also a good fun. If you can spare 2 hours on the day please let Geoff Croad know as soon as possible.
This Wednesday morning we have a Social the Surf Club - see you all there anytime after 7am.
If one is the Program Coordinator of a Mission, does that make him a Missionary? If yes, what is your mental image of a Missionary? Whatever it is, it could hardly be this quietly spoken gentleman, a man so highly dedicated to his work. Glen Wallwork initially worked as a croupier, where he saw the dark side of gambling and decided to change tacks. He studied psychology, then continued to complete a Masters Degree in Suicidology.
What is Marcus Mission? Some 7 years ago Marcus Roberts, a man just 23 years old, took his own life while battling with depression. Marcus’ case is certainly not unique: The cold statistics are stark and terrible: in 2019 (last official statistics available on ABS.gov.au), over 3300 people in Australia chose to end their own life. [The government uses the euphemism ‘Intentional Self Harm’… Ed.] That is almost three times the death toll from traffic accidents! It is higher that any other non-illness related cause of death. Three out of four are men.In Queensland alone, on average 11 men suicide every week.
Marcus Roberts’ devastated parents decided to actively do something about this terrible scourge and instigated the setting up of Marcus Mission in his name, within the Wesley Mission Queensland organisation. Its purpose is not counselling by professional psychiatrists and psychologists, but to provide “every day” people, mentors who are prepared to work with men experiencing challenging life events. Often, this can be more productive than an “official” session with a professional since it is totally relaxed. They simply can talk one-on-one. Potential Marcus Mission ‘MENtors’ receive free training in Resilience Building and Suicide Prevention. Over the past two years, branches have been set up on the Gold Coast and 5 other regional towns in the South-East of Queensland, including Bundaberg. In 2020, over 70 workshops have been provided to over 300 men.
Glen’s PowerPoint is on the Download Section on the right side, and of course their website has all the details. On a footnote: Our Project Shed recently commenced a cooperative project with Wesley Mission. More to follow in next week’s bulletin.
Adrian Crowe was at the door, Ashleigh Symes was Chairman and Larry Murray was Sergeant. We had apologies from Adam Sheppard and Tash Price (who are unwell), Neil Thurlow, Paul Seymour, Gerald East, Johnny Bueti, Karen Holland, Ian Mayberry, Andy Bell, Mario Fairlie and Simon Brook.
President Charles Thomasson welcomed all members, our Guest Speaker Glen Wallwork, his fellow workers from Wesley Mission Gary Cooper and David Liebenthal, and our visitors Kristen ‘KJ’ Jewson and Associate Member Ben Loots, with a special welcome to Trent Belling who will shortly be inducted as a Surfers Sunrise Rotary member.
Following Glen Wallwork’s presentation (see separate article above), Charles outlined our planned participation in the ‘100 years Rotary in Australia’ Baton Relay. Our club will be “running” on Friday 16th April, with our Rough Terrain wheelchairs. Watch this spot for more details to come.
Youth Services Director Darrell Brown is looking for candidates for the upcoming RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment). This program caters for 14 – 16 year olds. It takes place from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th May 2021. The cost of $295 per person will be paid for by the club.
Ray Higgs advised that Vandy Kamara, who last year regrettably missed out on a place on the Rotary World Peace Scholarship program, has been encouraged to apply again. (Vandy spoke at our club last year - Click here). Geoff Croad reported on the status of getting more BMX wheels for our Project Shed: we understand that a consignment of 250 will leave China this week. Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray provided an update on the happenings at the Project Shed. He referred to the recent “retirement” of Bill Reed (see last week’s bulletin) who made up over 1600 wheelchairs at home. Perhaps we should promote this alternative to people working at the shed as well?
In short: we'll have a dedicated website for the Wheelchair Trust, the Project Shed, the volunteers and all the stuff we do. You'll hear more about it at next week's meeting, when Mario Fairlie, KJ, Dr Graham Sivyer et al will give us an update.
We are looking for photos relating to our Wheelchairs, various buildings we put up over the years etc etc. If you have any, please upload them directly to a shared Google Drive KJ has set up for this: Click here - it's dead easy - simply drag the photos from your folder into the 'Drop files here' field.
Our club has been involved with the Gold Coast Ramble since its inception, regularly fielding teams. Are you up to it this year? Click on the picture to go directly to their website. At last week's meeting, David Baguley (RC of Gold Coast)the details of this event, to be staged on 21st March 2021, starting on Chevron Island (see article below). With a much more modern App, this year’s event only requires four check points to be manned. We need prizes! Can you assist?
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
My friend told me to get a life and that there was life outside the Internet and that I should check it out.
I told him to send me a link.
“... and he suddenly knew that if she killed herself, he would die. Maybe not immediately, maybe not with the same blinding rush of pain, but it would happen. You couldn't live for very long without a heart. Jodi Picoult – ‘The Pact, 1998’
“Life is not meant to be easy my child; but take courage: it can be delightful.” Bernard Shaw, 'Back to Methuselah' [Malcolm Fraser, regrettably, only got the first part of it… Ed.]
Justice “which never forgets” — yet is also incapable of accurately remembering — is no justice at all; it is... ... an ambush perpetually waiting to happen.Henry Ergas AO, Australian Journalist, quoting from Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' when writing about a very current issue.
My friend told me to get a life and that there was life outside the Internet and that I should check it out. 
