A busy week last week with a Board Meeting, Sausage sizzle and unloading the container with wheelchair components from China. At the board meeting, two new members were approved, Rock O’Keefe and Ralph Pownall. Both have been Rotarians for years and their wealth of experience will be a great benefit to our club. Ralph Pownall is a Charter Member of our club and was its third President, 1988-89.
No results from the sausage sizzle but I understand that there were no records broken but was a steady day throughout. In my term, we did have one individual sale of $50.00! Thanks to all who helped and a special mention to Ross and his wife Coryn who did a session as well.
I understand that the “Boys” from the shed were at the shed early on Saturday to unload the container and all was completed by 7.30 am. Great Effort! Morning tea was early.
There will be a meeting of the Wheelchair Trust board as soon as possible. I will contact the Trustees to determine a suitable time. And last but not least: All of us wish Angus all the best after his short stay in hospital.
Thought for the Day: We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.
In a past life, Damian Hussey was an Avionics Technician in the Australian Army, posted in Afghanistan, fixing helicopters. Upon his return, he decided on a new career, based on just an earlier fondness of "shooting YouTube videos". Today, he has his own Film Production company (based on the Gold Coast) doing just that, and a bit more...
Many of us regularly support a charity. Very few charities, such as our Wheelchair Trust, have almost zero overheads. However, were you to inspect the books of some big charities, you might find that a very sizeable portion of their income is spent on anything but what you had in mind, when you got that glowing, tingling feeling of “doing good”, as you put in the verification code of your Credit Card.
What about if there was a MAJOR, world-wide charity, which has such a low overhead ratio that Charitynavigator.com not only gives it the highest of 4 stars, but also a 100% efficiency rating? What about a charity that not only spends some serious funds on international projects, but also channels a huge proportion of funds back to where they were donated from?
Yes, we are talking about The Rotary Foundation(TRF). Oh, you didn’t know that, in addition to major world projects such as the eradication of Polio, Polio Plus, they also spend money on… us, over here? Yes, our District receives money from TRF grants. Our X-Ray and Blood Analysis project for Pentecost Island is a perfect example. I won’t outline the process. (Mario Fairlie, who would have spent hours… nay, days… nay, weeks clouting the keys of his computer to satisfy their stringent application and approval processes, can tell you all about it).
There is a good article about “our” Foundation in this month’s Rotary Down Under magazine. But, irrespective of whether you read it or not, you can be assured that your donation money will not be wasted. And, even though they are an international charity, all donations in Australia are fully tax deductible. Speak to our club’s Foundation Director Gerald East about the process).
Our club's Secretary, Trent Belling, has organised for two VIP's to visit our project shed on
Wednesday 22nd November, 09:00 am:
John Paul Langbroek (MP for Surfers Paradise) and Sam O'Connor (MP for Bonney) will come and see for themselves what we are doing. Why not come over there yourself and have coffee with them and our volunteers? If you are on time, you might even score a piece of cake or a homemade biscuit! (Note: real workers come first! ☺)
We need a few more regular volunteers at the project shed. Do you have a half day (or two) a week to spare? Or do you know somebody who would enjoy the fellowship of fellow volunteer workers at the shed, re-purposing discarded bicycles into wheelchairs? Well over 11,000 have been shipped so far, but the need is constant.
A number of formerly regular volunteers at the project shed have "retired", some due to ill health, some because they landed a job which prevents them from attending Wednesdays and/or Saturday mornings. The work is easy and not heavy. It can involve the dismantling of bikes, the cutting of plywood (using a template, called a "jig"), painting the wood and/or the frames, or assembling, checking and packing the finished product, just to name a few.
If you are interested, please contact Larry Murray or Franz Huber, or simply turn up on Wednesday and/or Saturday morning, from 07:30 am.
As we do every year, Surfers Sunrise will deliver a load of Christmas presents to St John's Crisis Centre in Surfers Paradise. he present should be suitable for children (any age, any gender), valued around $10 - $30, unwrapped.
Mario Fairlie, as a director of this organisation, has a close connection. He will collect and deliver the presents. St John's, due to unprecedented demand, wants to start putting the hampers together early, so they would like them by 6th of December. Please bring them to one of the next three meetings.
Graeme Isaacson has again roamed the restaurant venues in Surfers Paradise and Main Beach for the perfect Christmas Breakfast for our club. This year, we'll have it at the SkyPoint restaurant, at the top of Q1. The deal includes the lift (unless, of course, you want to climb the stairs to the 77th floor...) and access to the observation deck. The menu: it's a buffet! So, whatever tickles your appetite.
A Trybooking site will be set up as soon as Graeme has finished his negotiation, but let me assure you: it will be very attractively priced!
Mark it in your diary now: Wednesday, 20th December, 07:00 am
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
Life's like flying a helicopter. Without actually knowing how to fly a helicopter.
Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche, ‘Beyond Good and Evil’, 1886
The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.
In a past life, Damian Hussey was an Avionics Technician in the Australian Army, posted in Afghanistan, fixing helicopters. 
Many of us regularly support a charity. Very few charities, such as our 
We need a few more regular volunteers at the project shed. Do you have a half day (or two) a week to spare? Or do you know somebody who would enjoy the fellowship of fellow volunteer workers at the shed, re-purposing discarded bicycles into wheelchairs? Well over 11,000 have been shipped so far, but the need is constant.
Graeme Isaacson has again roamed the restaurant venues in Surfers Paradise and Main Beach for the perfect Christmas Breakfast for our club. This year, we'll have it at the SkyPoint restaurant, at the top of Q1. The deal includes the lift (unless, of course, you want to climb the stairs to the 77th floor...) and access to the observation deck. The menu: it's a buffet! So, whatever tickles your appetite.
