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All reports from last Thursday are it was a fabulous night enjoyed by our members and guests, especially the recipients. A real ‘feel good’ occasion and the word is the Preschool Team may have more accolades to follow soon, all well deserved. Our Exchange student Hilma also spoke, updating everyone on her last few weeks.
We have a great week coming up with our Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday when we will hear from some of our key business people about their expectations of the coming busy summer season. Please let Laurelle know if you intend to go by COB Monday. Bookings are essential.
Our monthly Market is the following Sunday; David has sent an email with a link to the roster so again, all hands on deck please, PLUS we will be starting to sell our Duck Race tickets, with proceeds towards the Carers’ Accommodation at the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital plus other community projects.
Last Thursday’s special night to award a Vocational Excellence Award to Narooma Preschool Director Kathy Phipps and her Team was a great success. Our Club recognised not only their initiative in developing an authentic local indigenous curriculum unit in association with the local Yuin community; we also recognised their sharing the impressive teaching kits they created with 20 other early childhood centres in our local area. Our MC was Françoise Cleret.
Mrs Phipps said they are all very proud of what they have achieved.
“It’s been a huge undertaking with lots of discussion along the way about how we could best meet the Department of Education’s mandatory requirements of an indigenous unit but do it authentically with local relevance,” she said. “Thanks to our staff, particularly Kate Heffernan, we were able to involve wonderful resource people from our community, especially Trish Ellis, Natalie Bateman and Eddie Moore, the High School and the Men’s Shed.
“The unit tells traditional Yuin stories and incorporates the local Dhurga language, thanks to Trish and her sister Kerry, which our staff have been learning through TAFE.
“Children love beautiful things and the stunning artwork on the storyboards by Natalie and the wonderful artefacts made by Eddie are loved and respected by all our children.” About one-third of Narooma Preschool’s students are from Aboriginal families.
The team created 20 basket trunks of unique storyboards, books, artefacts and other teaching materials that were then gifted to other early childhood centres around the Eurobodalla. The Preschool is now developing a PowerPoint to suggest to other centres how they might best use the material.
This programme was funded by a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
Our next Rotary Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday 21st (7am sharp) should be fascinating and timely with a great line-up of panel speakers on the coming Tourism season. The panel of five local business people will each talk for about five minutes maximum on the approaching busy summer season – their expectations and anticipated challenges. They are Teaghan Abbott of Easts Holiday Park, Sally Bouckley of Southbound Escapes, Victor Costa of Merivale, Tania McHugh of She Fashion of Narooma and Bermagui, Tash Clutterbuck of Oyster Farmer’s Daughter.
We intend starting the panel promptly at 7.15am so we’re asking everyone to have some breakfast, grab a coffee and be ready by then. Please let Laurelle know by COB Monday 18 November if you are coming. Cost is $10.
The Board of Moruya Rotary approved several donations last week. One of $1,500 was to The Red Door that provides a weekly meal to those who are financially or socially disadvantaged; another $1,500 was to Sue Proud’s initiative to provide care packages to women and children who are fleeing domestic violence. The board also approved contributions to two RAWCS projects proposed by Shirl Cornish: $3,000 for community development and education assistance in Santa Isabel in the Solomon Islands, and a pledge of $2,000 for a Uganda project, to be paid when that project reaches a total of $8,000.
The second round of the polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip was completed in early November, again in three phases across central, south and northern Gaza under area-specific humanitarian pauses in bombardment. Overall about 94% of the target population of 591 714 children under the age of 10 years received a second dose of nOPV2 across the Gaza Strip. The third phase in northern Gaza had to be temporarily postponed because of intense bombardments, mass displacements, lack of assured humanitarian pauses and access; it resumed 2 November but was confined to Gaza City which had received many evacuees from North Gaza. At least two doses and a minimum of 90% vaccination coverage are needed in each community to stop circulation of the polio strain affecting Gaza.
The total number of wild Polio paralysis cases in the world has increased from 12 in 2023 to 71 so far this year in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Our Dinner Speaker Bronwyn Jewel will give us some insight into her ‘Slice of Life in the Torres Strait’.
Bronwyn worked on Thursday Island for nine years as both the Manager of Gab Titui, the Cultural Centre, and as a Program Manager Culture, Art and Heritage for the Torres Strait Regional Authority .Her talk will centre around the film Ailan Kastam and then specially about the arts and culture of the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginal People of the region.
Bronwyn is not speaking on behalf of Torres Strait Islanders but rather describing her experience through her roles there.
This week’s meeting should be really uplifting hearing from Kathy Phipps, Narooma Preschool Director, about the great indigenous curriculum unit the Preschool Team has created. Their efforts are well deserving of our Vocational Excellence Award. Unfortunately I will miss it but I am delighted Hilma will be there; it should be a special night.
Hilma is moving from the Penglase family at Bermagui this weekend to her new host family Françoise and John at Dalmeny. The Penglases have been so fantastic and generous, including taking Hilma to Sydney (climbed the Harbour Bridge) and Melbourne during her stay. We are so very grateful for all they have done.
The Prostate Cancer Support Group meeting last Wednesday night was excellent with our interesting guest speaker Jarrod Flynn, Coordinator of the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre. We were nine people all up, including Mike Young and myself.
Our guest speaker will be Narooma Preschool Director Kathy Phipps with her Team who developed a new localised Indigenous programme for the Preschool to meet curriculum changes introduced earlier this year. They developed it in association with our local Yuin community. They then shared the programme with 20 other early childhood centres in the Eurobodalla. Kathy will outline what they have done. The Award presentation will then follow. The Club has rarely given a Vocational Excellence Award; it’s for someone who not only does a great job in their vocation, but also goes above and beyond.
Please invite friends and partners. Gero asks to please let Laurelle know by noon on Tuesday at the latest (Gero will be away) if you are coming and whether you will be bringing guests (please also send Laurelle their names).
Matters included:
Moruya sees the year 2025-2026 as when the problems of an aging membership are offset by an intake of younger members. At the AGM they will create a Board position Director Membership 2025-2026 to give priority to recruitment and retention of younger members. They have three new members “in the process of induction”.
Our next Rotary Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday 21st November (7am sharp) should be fascinating and timely with a great line-up of panel speakers on the coming Tourism season. The panel of five local business people (accommodation, hospitality, activities and retail) will each talk for about five minutes maximum on the approaching busy summer season – their expectations and anticipated challenges.
They are Teaghan Abbott of Easts Holiday Park, Narooma; Sally Bouckley of Southbound Escapes; Victor Costa of Merivale; Tania McHugh of She Fashion of Narooma and Bermagui; and Tash Clutterbuck of Oyster Farmer’s Daughter.
We intend starting the panel promptly at 7.15am so hopefully everyone will be able to have some breakfast, grab a coffee and be ready by then. Please let Laurelle know by Monday 18 November if you are coming. Cost is $10.
Last Thursday night was another fun get-together at Lynch’s Pub. It was wonderful that Pina brought along her neighbour who was originally from Finland!
The Prostate Cancer Support Group this Wednesday (6th) welcomes guest speaker Jarrod Flynn from the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre. The November Board meeting the next day will be fairly comprehensive. The agenda includes discussion of some of the great ideas that came out of the presentations at the recent Community Group workshop that Lynn and I attended on behalf of the Club, and how we might explore them further with Members.
We will have another inspiring night next Thursday (14th) when Narooma Preschool Director Kathy Phipps will outline the new localised Indigenous programme her Team developed in association with our local Yuin community for theirs and other early childhood centres in our area. It included significant inputs from Trish Ellis, Natalie Bateman, and Eddie Moore. Please invite others to join us. We will then present Kathy and her Team with a Vocational Excellence Award.
Our Annual General Meeting is on Thursday 5 December 2024. Positions in the Club will become vacant for the 2025-26 year. All members are encouraged to attend this meeting. A nomination form for committee positions will be circulated soon.
Wednesday, 6 November 6.30pm, Narooma Golf Club: Narooma Prostate Cancer Support Group with guest speaker Jarrod Flynn, Coordinator, Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre Co-ordinator
Thursday, 7 November 5.15pm: Board Meeting, Narooma Golf Club.
Moruya Rotary’s profit from its recent charity golf day was almost $13,000, a fantastic result. The funds will go to the Carer’ Accommodation fund for the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital. They had 84 golfers tee off and 122 booked for dinner. President Allen made special mention in this week newsletter of the wonderful organisational and motivational skills of John Spencer, John Gillett and Jeff Proud who worked closely with Moruya Golf Club and contributed so much to the Golf Day’s success.
Our next Rotary Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday 21st November (7am sharp) should be fascinating and timely with a great line-up of panel speakers on the coming tourism season. Five local business people (accommodation, hospitality, activities and retail) will each talk for about five minutes maximum on the approaching busy summer season – their expectations and anticipated challenges. They are Teaghan Abbott of Easts Holiday Park, Sally Bouckley of Southbound Escapes, Victor Costa of Merivale, Tania McHugh of She Fashion of Narooma and Bermagui, and Tash Clutterbuck of Oyster Farmer’s Daughter. We intend starting the panel promptly at 7.15am so hopefully everyone will be able to have some breakfast, grab a coffee and be ready by then. Bookings with Laurelle please by Monday COB 18th. Cost $10.
About this time each year, Bay Rotarians dust off their poetry and jokes for their annual Pizza Poetry & Plonk Night which from all accounts is a lot of fun. It’s next Thursday 14 November, this year at the Meals on Wheels premises. The cost is $15 pp.
Our guest speaker will be Narooma Preschool Director Kathy Phipps and her Team who developed a new localised Indigenous programme for the Preschool to meet curriculum changes introduced earlier this year. They developed it in association with our local Yuin community. They then shared the programme with 20 other early childhood centres in the Eurobodalla. Kathy will outline what they have done. The Award presentation will follow. The Club has rarely given a Vocational Excellence Award; it’s for someone who not only does a great job in their vocation, but also goes above and beyond.
Please invite friends and partners. Please let Gero know if you are coming or not by noon Monday 11th.
What a busy week it’s been! The weekend before last Lynn Hastings and I represented the Club at the first workshop of our new ‘Community Group’ with representatives of most other clubs in the group. Lynn recorded lots of ideas for us to consider. We both realised how much our Club does for such a small Club.
Then on Thursday we Lifted the Lid on Mental Health (see report below). It was a great night and we all learnt heaps. I’d like to thank our speakers Laurence Babbington, Michael Weir and Sophie Scobie, our members and guests for making it such an enjoyable and informative night, and there were some great hats! Sophie’s partner Joel proved to be a top judge for the best hat on the night which was won by two people, Françoise and John. Two people on the night also expressed interest in becoming members which is wonderful.
Last weekend was the District Conference in Mittagong and our exchange Student Hilma was there, thanks to one of her host Mums Sally Hearder. Unfortunately no one from our Club could go. Hilma had a lot of fun catching up with the other exchange students in our District. She made the Finnish specialty Raspberry Pie as her special contribution to morning tea on the Sunday which Sally said was delicious!
Then the markets on Sunday… Many thanks to all the team who pitched in, including our Friends of Rotary. We took $910 at the gate (the most so far this Rotary year), gross van food sales were $935.39, and the wishing well (which included September’s market) $192.50.
Being the fifth Thursday in the month, there is no formal event. Instead we are heading to Lynch’s Hotel for dinner in the old dining room 6.30pm. Please let Gero know if you will be coming by COB Tuesday. Hope to see you there.
There were some great hats last Thursday with almost everyone getting into the hat spirit. Our guest speakers were inspiring and spoke about different aspects and approaches to dealing with mental health issues; lots of questions followed.
Laurence Babbington spoke about Narooma Men’s Table which has up to 12 members. They meet once a month at each other’s homes. Men’s Table is a safe and informal place for men to share ‘stuff’ with other men (apparently no talk of footie, no detailed weather, no religion etc).
Michael Weir gave us a great rundown on Deadly Runners, an indigenous group formed in 2023 to foster health and wellbeing among indigenous Australians through running and cultural engagement. He stood in for his wife Georgia who was unable to attend. They meet at 6am three days a week in Ken Rose Park near the bridge.
Sophie Scobie is from the recently opened and much needed Narooma office of Headspace, opposite the Plaza at the lights in Narooma. This organisation provides support for young people (12 to 25) who are going through a tough time. It is open Mondays 10am-6pm, Wednesdays 9am-5pm (family counsellor also there), and on Tuesdays at Narooma High School 9-3.30pm.
This week’s column in Moruya’s newsletter by President Allan Veness was glowing. He says the Club’s plans are starting to bear results; guests at last week’s meeting expressed an interest in joining the club and they have another potential member as well. Their formalising of how the club distributes money back into our community seems to be working well with guidelines and an application form which makes the process clear and gives their club accountability. Allan also reports their Charity Golf Day was a big success and shows how well the Club can manage a large scale event when so many people contribute.
The RYDA programme has a new coordinator following Neil Simpson’s passing on the baton after many years. Newly-inducted Pam Williams will coordinate RYDA from 2025. Neil reports Pam was a maths teacher at Bay High, been a presenter at RYDA so has the skills and knows the programme and people very well, and she’s a capable organiser and an enthusiastic supporter of youth programmes. Sounds like a perfect match. Pam will contact other Clubs once a date for RYDA has been set.
Wednesday 6 November 6.30pm: Prostate Cancer Support Group with guest speaker Jarrod Flynn, the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre Co-ordinator.
Thursday 7 November 5.15pm: Board Meeting at Narooma Golf Club.
