"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination". Jimmy Dean
Last week at Club Assembly, we talked about adjusting our sails a little to make sure we achieve our destination, a destination which we agreed would include doing even more good in the world whilst keeping up our spirit of fellowship and friendly fun.
As I told the meeting, I had lost a little sleep wondering whether we could achieve this together. Do we have flags, don't we have flags. Queen? No Queen? Bikini lady or the Surfers wave and sign? Sergeant session or no? This could descend into a rabble I told myself.
I was blown away with the response from our members. How readily we all agreed on what the club stood for, the little adjustments that we would like to make, and the goals we set for ourselves. Thank you all for your open mindedness and your contribution to the meeting and to the Club. We might not always agree on the little things, but in RC Surfers Sunrise, we all have common, deep seated values and that makes decision making the on the really important things very easy. They are the things that bind us and by the words that you chose that best described us - "performers", "family", "fellowship", its clear that they do. So as we adjust our sails, lets keep focussed on the things that matter and not sweat the small stuff. We'll let other people do that.
A full report on our Club Assembly will follow.
This week's meeting should be super, with another great speaker. For those that weren't there last week, the format from now will be fellowship until 7.30 and then sit down (with or without your food and coffee) at 7.30 prompt with the speaker first up. Please read on for further information.
Keith Woods is a senior journalist and regular columnist with the Gold Coast Bulletin. He will give a candid (and yes: off the record) presentation on what really goes on in the newsroom. You wouldn't miss it for quids!
Meeting at the Surfers Paradise SLSC.Note: new format: Breakfast and Fellowship 07:00 for 07:15, Guest Speaker comes on at 07:30 am and club business follows the speaker at 08:00 am approximately. Order your meal downstairs - buffet or A la Carte, then take upstairs to the meeting.
Regrettably, your Editor was "herding grandkids" in Melbourne and thus unable to be present. Based on feedback from President Joanne, this is a summary:
2018 Vision:
More involvement from more people - everyone gets a chance to be involved
Improve - modernise image of the club
Get the word out in the community
Make Surfers Sunrise a place people want to join and belong - you'd be proud to invite your friends
Choose our service projects- 1 local and one international
Smaller board - more working parties
Design and implement a Club fundraiser we can run again and again
Set and achieve some goals - Rotary's and ours too.
Just a minute was allocated to outline the principal Goal Areas of Rotary, and two minutes to discuss the Rotary Citations for 2018-19 (you can download it, see Download Section on the right). Updates from the Treasury, Club Admin, Club PR, Club Membership, The Rotary Foundation, Service Projects got a generous 5 minutes each... (in case you are new to this: Surfers Sunrise's Committee Meetings and Club Assemblies are always snappy and to the point!)
Then, Jo introduced the "your turn" segment. Here is from her notes to the Editor:
"We did two little exercises also,
Everyone had to write on a post it note one word that summed up our club for them. The words were:fellowship, friendly, mateship, unique, fun, conservative, performers, family, comraderie, co-operative, friendly, disorganised. Fellowship came up 5 times
We had 3 pieces of butchers paper with the headings Stop, Start and Carry on and members could move between the three and put anything they wanted on the relevant one.The results were:-
STOP - Banner, Sergeant's session, Flags, Queen, lectern, logo lady
START - Marco Polo sessions, easter bonnet parade, posh pooch parade service dogs, coat of arms update banners
We have agreed to lose the paraphernalia and also to look to change the banner to a new more contemporary image which reflects our Club better. Simon is going to design a coat of arms and work with Rosie on a pull up banner for us to use at meetings. Ray is going to be the Liaison officer with the Surf Club, but more about getting involved in their events and vice versa and is also going the Ramble debrief.
We have decided a new format for the meetings where we say fellowship etc as you please but the meeting starts at 7.30am with the Speaker coming on first.
All in all it was extremely useful and a good session in which everyone was very supportive. Best Club Assembly ever was used a couple of times so I was one very relieved President. Gus is organising 'Guess who's coming to dinner' for the end of October I think.
Is your name on the list? PDG Darrell Brown has made arrangements with the organizers to allow us to participate in the Gold Coast Business Expo and raise considerable funds. What is expected of us:-
Thursday, 6th September, 2:00 - 5:00 pm, 5:00 pm to approx 8:00 pm: Set up 200 tables & 450 chairs. We will need 6 people minimum, but the more people we have, the easier and quicker it will be.
Friday, 7th September, 07:00 am to approx 3:30 pm: Park duty. Collect a gold coin in a bucket and direct exhibitors and visitors to their relevant area. Initially just 1 person, then probably two people from 9:00 am onwards to say 3:30 pm.
Friday, 7th September, 4:00 pm to approx 7:00 pm: Dismantle tables & chairs to stack in southern foyer for collection in two separate areas from two separate suppliers. Again, we will need 6 people minimum
Please put these dates into your diary. A Roster sign-on sheet will be circulated shortly.
This is a wonderful opportunity to participate in a Vocational Exchange (formerly GSE) to the Philippines in March/April next year! Download the poster from the Download Section on the right - it contains all the details.
Nominations for Team Leader have officially closed, but if you are interested, Simon Brook might still be able to sneak you in. Nominations for team members remain open till 1st October 2018.
In this Weekend Australian newspaper (01/02 October 2018), in an article on the horrendous conditions in Syrian refugee camps. No, they didn't modify the wheel camber to simulate racing car wheels - more like that it has had good use over the past 10 years or so, but now could do with some tender loving care.
Mario Fairlie, Angus Miller and Gerald East attended theRYDAattended the RYDA. (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) program day at the Southport Community Centre, assisting the expert instructors. We had two schools participating, Elanora State High School and Gold Coast Christian College, in total 99 students divided into three groups of 33, one group each. For those members who haven't been involved, the day commences at 8-45 am with the set up and concludes around 2-15 pm after tidy up. (Equivalent to six Rotary Meetings). The day involves six separate sessions that are facilitated by a Highway Patrol Officer, a Driving School Instructor, a road accident victim who has been wheelchair bound for 24 years, and others employed by Road Safety Education Limited. and of course Rotary. 500,000 students have now been through this very worthwhile course. Students, who are in the 16 - 17 year age group and most with their L Pates leave at the end of the day with much to think about, and a workbook to take home. Their attendance will hopefully lower their risks as both a driver and a passenger....Rotary In Action.
Duty Roster - note: subject to change. Please check every week:
New duty: Fellowship. What does it entail? 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.
Accuracy to a newspaper is what virtue is to a lady; but a newspaper can always print a retraction.Adlai E. Stevenson, Governor of Illinois 1949 - 1953
Carl Jung explained Adolf Hitler’s appeal to Germany in the 1930’s thus: ‘He is the loudspeaker that magnifies the inaubible whispers of the German soul until they can be heard in the German’s unconscious ear.’. Trump could be said to have performed the same role for the American soul… … Trump’s decisive appeal was to the long neglected white working class. Hugh Mackay, in ‘Australia Reimagined’
Keith Woods is a senior journalist and regular columnist with the Gold Coast Bulletin. He will give a candid (and yes: off the record) presentation on what really goes on in the newsroom. You wouldn't miss it for quids!
This is a wonderful opportunity to participate in a Vocational Exchange (formerly GSE) to the Philippines in March/April next year! Download the poster from the Download Section on the right - it contains all the details. 
In this Weekend Australian newspaper (01/02 October 2018), in an article on the horrendous conditions in Syrian refugee camps. No, they didn't modify the wheel camber to simulate racing car wheels - more like that it has had good use over the past 10 years or so, but now could do with some tender loving care.
