Outside the Square

Last Thursday we had our first meeting of 2017. It is a special meeting as we had the young people attend who have participated in educational events in the past year or received awards from Rotary. We had 29 for dinner.

Sabine Kildea was the first student to address the meeting, as she was awarded our $9,000 Narooma Rotary’s scholarship for a student finishing year 12 at Narooma High School in 2016. Just listening to Sabine’s plans for her future made me feel tired and oh to be young again. She aims to study international relations and law, have a period in Geneva and then to undertake post graduate study in the USA.

Sabine was followed by Keely Clark who received a ‘special one off award’ of $1000 reflecting the determination and attitude she took to her studies and working numerous jobs so she could study paramedics and nursing.

Both Sabine and Keely noted it was their involvement in Rotary’s Model United Nations Assembly held in Canberra each year that had played a very significant part in their development and future plans.

Melanie Miller, our 2016 scholarship winner, then talked about her plans to study Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of New England this year. She had a gap year following her completion of her HSC. Having lectured at UNE from 1980 to 1990 I had a good chat with her about the campus and the cold of Armidale.

Elliott de Frenza kept us entertained about his experience in December attending a number of Universities and factories organised by Engineers Australia. It was evident that the experience will be a significant benefit to him going into his ear 12 studies.

The last speaker was Luca Potts who went to the Conoco Phillips Science Experience at the University of Technology Sydney for 3 days earlier this year. For a year 9 student it was truly a mind expanding experience.

It was great to hear from these students as it showed that Rotary can make an impact on the lives of students from our community

All of the above was clearly INSIDE THE SQUARE for this week. Tomorrow I am off to Cooma to attend Rotary and tell them about our 1000km walk for END POLIO and a Library in Rang’I Kenya.

I am presently having an EMAIL seminar with a 73-year-old Western Australian who has walked the Bibbulmun Track 4 times. The more I learn the more I wonder what madness drives me.

I have booked my flights (one way as I don’t know where I will end up) and booked accommodation at points along the track so I can collect food supplies that I have to posted over to WA. The logistics of organising supplies when the distance from one small township to another is often more than 100km is quite fascinating and challenging. Being a forced vegetarian (a term I use due to allergy to meat even though I love it) it has also been a challenge to make appetising meals to cover more the more than 50 days I will be on the track.

I will be leaving for WA on the 4 March so you will shortly be all spared OUTSIDE THE SQUARE for some time.

The Week that Was

Last Thursday night was the Club’s first meeting for 2017 and it was at our new venue, the Narooma Golf Club.

Although there were some teething problems with numbers and table arrangements it was a great evening. As is tradition the Club’s first meeting each calendar is dedicated to our youth and last Thursday was no exception.

Michael’s article ‘Outside the Square’ provides an excellent summary of our 2017 Youth Night.

It is worth noting that two other current tertiary scholarship holders were unable to be at the meeting. Carl McEvoy, the 2015 winner, will be at this week’s meeting. Connor Ross, the 2014 winner, was otherwise engaged being sound designer and operator for Narooma Youth Theatre’s performance of ‘?Hamlet’ at Central Tilba.

Chis O’Brien gave a three-minute talk on her experiences in publishing Narooma’s local tourist magazine. Believe it or not Chris has been publishing the magazine since 1994 and is up to edition 90 (actually its more as Chris didn’t start counting for a few years!). Initially Chris starting out publishing a magazine that advertised cars for sale, unfortunately it was not a great success leading her to branch out to local tourism.

It was great to see Lynda Ord back at our meetings after some time away recovering from surgery.

The Winners

Chocolate biscuits               Iris

Wine                                       Gloria (guest of Chris O’Brien)

Port                                         Bob Aston

Rhubarb                                Luca Potts dad

Pen                                         Luca Potts

The Week Ahead

Our speaker tonight is Vic May, Vic is a support worker with SEWACS (South East Women’s and Children’s Services). Vic will tell us a little about himself as well as his work.

When he left school Vic worked in the construction industry for a number of years. In 2000 he undertook further study as well as working in a major detox unit in Brisbane for 2 years. He then went on to run a male only drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic. In 2015 he changed pace and moved to the south coast to work with his brother as texture renderer. In July last year he started working with SEWACS as a male outreach worker.

South East Women and Children’s Services Incorporated (SEWACS) is an umbrella organisation for a range of programs providing safe and supportive options for women and children who have experienced or are experiencing domestic and family violence and are at risk of homelessness as a result of this violence.

More information about SEWACS can be found on their website. Click here to access the site.

A Board Meeting will take place at the conclusion of the normal meeting.

Busking Competition

Sandra and the crew have been doing a wonderful job promoting and organising the Busking Competition. Click here to see the latest Narooma News article.

Ducks from the air

Just in case you haven’t seen it yet below is a YouTube clip of our recent duck race.

 

Outside the Square

This is my first posting for 2017 and there are only a few more to go before I head off to WA – I can hear the sigh of relief from some quarters that there will be less of this guff to read.

I thought that after our Christmas Party on the 15th that I would have a break, that was wishful thinking.

On the 18 December we had the very successful fund raising meeting at Moruya races where THE GREAT NEWS is that we will have enough funds to purchase four YES four defibrillators for our area. So put your thinking caps on (aka Sean Bunny – see who can work that one out) and figure out where we should put them.

We then immediately went into selling duck race tickets; which was then followed by a hectic but great markets on the 28 December. Once again Rotary was working in Narooma right up to the end of December.

I was also in the throes of working out a detailed Risk Assessment for the 1000km walk (the family seemed a bit worried that I might fall off a cliff, get bitten by a red back spider or snake, or some1001 other things that might happen). We also developed a schedule making sure I could stop for resupplies etc.

After a very pleasant Christmas despite spending some of Christmas Eve and Day (to 3.00am and then all afternoon) at Moruya hospital with our youngest who was ill and needed intravenous antibiotics.

The first weeks of January were a bit hectic with call outs to a fatal accident and a house fire for RFS and bucket runs for our brigade. We also had more duck selling outside IGA’s, a Newsagency, and at the Caravan Parks.

By this stage I had my pack up to 21kg, and putting in some training so that I could last up to 1000km or if you like 1,5000,000 steps thereabouts.

The logistics of preparing some 150 meals was extreme: dehydrating all the ingredients and then vacuum packing each meal. It took about 2 – 3 days to get enough ingredients dehydrated to make about 6 dinners (breakfasts did not need dehydrating so was much quicker). Peter and Julie Hartley came up with another dehydrator for me, so I could do 6 dinners in 1 1/2 days. Amazing what you learn what to do when you take on a Rotary Project.

I could not believe it when I pulled a tendon in the back of my leg. Fortunately, I was going to Tamworth for the Country Music Festival so I was forced to rest it. Tamworth was an interesting experience, I received many positive responses to our 1000km walk.

Alas I was unable to attend the Markets on 22 January as I needed to be in Sydney, but by all reports it was a great market. This was followed by the Duck Race and I had the pleasure today (30 January) of presenting the cheque to the winner.

Rotary was at it again, serving the community at the Narooma Motors car event on 28 January. Unfortunately, I could only get back late that day and could not attend. By all accounts we were very successful in raising funds and helping to feed the attendees.

Finally, Lynn Ange and myself spent many hours at the Surf Club Carnival serving food. It was a great PR exercise as the club was clearly impressed that ROTARY came out to help.

I know there was some disquiet among some members that informal social events were not organised over the break, but to be honest I simply did not have the time, as the above should illustrate. In saying that no one in the Club should feel that they need the President to organise a social event if they wish to have one.

Finally, this THURSDAY we have our YOUTH night and I hope you can all attend.

President Michael

Rotary and the Holiday Season

It has been a busy yet sad time for the Narooma Rotary Club this holiday season. We were saddened because of the deaths of Jeremy Ferguson, a former Club President and Paul Harris Fellow, and Jim Gibson the husband of Marilyn. Marilyn is also a former President of the Club.

Jeremy was president in 2000/2001, after kindly agreeing to take on the role at fairly short notice after the president elect originally nominated for the position resigned from the Club. Jeremy also held many Board positions over the years including stints as Vice President and International Service Director. Jeremy’s passion was Buckridge Lookout and he spent many hours as an individual Rotarian keeping it neat and tidy. It was also a major project in his Rotary year with members turning out with axes, shovels and chainsaws on at least two occasions to keep the lookout looking just right. Jeremy and Heather were also strong supporters of youth exchange and group study exchange. Jeremy and Heather hosted at least two exchange students and they hosted group study exchange team members when they visited our Club. Their son Scott also participated in a short term exchange to New Zealand. Scott also participated in the Honeywell Engineering Experience when a student at Narooma High.

Jeremy was also a regular at the Narooma Rotary Markets (and other fundraising events requiring the food van). On market days Jeremy usually transported the van to NATA oval and helped set it up. Jeremy always liked to cook the first few rounds of bacon and eggs for sale, then once the barbeque plate was well and truly seasoned he would cook the best ever bacon and egg sandwich for himself and his assistant (usually the Editor!).

Jeremy of course loved his food and there never seemed to be enough for him on Thursday nights. He was often the recipient of unwanted desserts and other meals, Rolf’s bread was always greatly appreciated. Jeremy just wanted a good dinner that would fill him up after a day of physical work.

During the holiday period Jeremy and Heather often hosted the Club for a barbeque at Paradise Point. Therese and I have many fond memories of sitting under the trees in the garden as Jeremy and Heather served up a fine feast for us. The fellowship and fun was often a highlight of the Rotary year.

Our thoughts are with Heather, Rowan and Scott at this sad time. Jeremy’s funeral was held last Friday.

Although Jim Gibson had been ill for some time he was still a larger than life person, always keen to tell a yarn. He also loved an occasional drink as well as a game of golf or bowls. Jim believed that Rotary was Marilyn’s domain and his job was to get out of the way and let her enjoy her time in the Club. Having said that Jim always participated in our social events and helped out at Club events. Marilyn and Jim also hosted Club Members at their home during the holiday season, serving us some great food as we took in the view from their deck. For some reason Jim was always worried that there wasn’t enough food or the meat would not be cooked to perfection. He needent have worried as he and Marilyn were great hosts and the food plentiful.

Jim’s funeral will be held tomorrow, 3 February, commencing at 11:00am at the Presbyterian Church. Our thoughts are with Marilyn and her family at this difficult time.

And yes the Club has been busy since we last met

On 18 December the Club along with Moruya and Batemans Bay Clubs held a very successful race meeting at the Moruya racetrack. Funds from the day will go towards the purchase of defibrillators for placement in shops, clubs and other venues across the Shire.

On 28 December the Club held its Christmas Market at NATA oval, the crowd was huge with sales at the van being well above expectation. I think the stall holders were even happy! Our January Market was held on 22 January, once again crowds exceeded expectations.

The Club was well represented at the Australia Day Ceremony at Surf Beach. David McInnes was the MC and Laurelle announced Sabine Kildea as the Narooma Rotary Scholar for 2017.

Frank Eden and the Renewable Expo nominated for Narooma Australia Day Awards, both were highly commended.

Merinda Antill was awarded with a Local Hero Award in recognition of her work within the Narooma Community, especially for her leadership of the community choir.

At 12:00 noon the Great Narooma Rotary Duck Race for 2017 was underway. A large crowd of onlookers piled on to the bridge and walkway to cheer on the ducks as they sailed down the inlet at great speed. Thanks to organiser John Doyle who planned the event to perfection. Thanks also to the many Rotarians, friends and family and to the Narooma Surf Club who helped out on the day. Thank you also to our friends from Moruya Rotary who came to help out.

First place went to duck 117 with Peter McNoe of Narooma holding the corresponding ticket to win $1,000. The last duck was 421 held by Nick Jones of Croydon who wins $100.

Proceeds will purchase at least two ShelterBoxes to provide emergency shelter for families affected by natural or man-made disasters overseas.

Donations will also be made to Narooma Surf Club in appreciation of their assistance and to Bermagui CRABS (Cancer Research Advocate Bikers) who lent us the ducks.

Saturday 28 January saw Bob, Bob, Ang, Charmaine, John, John and Chris staff the food van at the Narooma Motors Car Show. Sales on the day were steady with gross takings of $780.00. Once again the Club was seen as being active in our community. As we were tidying up on Saturday Diane Riley who had the face painting stall at the Show approached Ang to donate her proceeds from the day to the Club. What a wonderful gesture – thank you Diane.

If that wasn’t enough on Sunday 29 January President Michael, Lyn and Ang answered a call from the Surf Club to help out at their Carnival. Once again Narooma Rotary played an active role helping out our community.

The Week Ahead

Yes folks the big move is on – from this Thursday we will be meeting at the Narooma Golf Club at 6:00 for 6:30pm. This week’s Club Assembly and Board meeting have been postponed, instead we will be meeting our 2017 Narooma Rotary Scholar and catching up with some of our past scholars. It should be a great night.

Some Humour

THE DEAD PARROT.

At dawn the telephone rings.

“Hello, Señor Bob?  This is Ernesto, the caretaker at your country house.”

“Ah yes, Ernesto.  What can I do for you?  Is there a problem?”

“Um, I am just calling to advise you, Señor Bob, that your parrot, he is dead.”

“My parrot?  Dead?  The one that won the International competition?”

“Si, Señor, that’s the one.”

“Damn!  That’s a pity!  I spent a small fortune on that bird.  What did he die from?”

“From eating the rotten meat, Señor Bob.”

“Rotten meat?  Who the hell fed him rotten meat?”

“Nobody, Señor.  He ate the meat of the dead horse.”

“Dead horse?  What dead horse?”

“The thoroughbred, Señor Bob.”

“My prize thoroughbred is dead?”

“Yes, Señor Bob, he died from all that work pulling the water cart.”

“Are you insane?  What water cart?”

“The one we used to put out the fire, Señor.”

“Good Lord! What fire are you talking about, man?”

“The one at your house, Señor!  A candle fell and the curtains caught on fire.”

“What the hell?  Are you saying that my mansion is destroyed because of a candle?!”

“Yes, Señor Bob.”

“But there’s electricity at the house!  What was the candle for?”

“For the funeral, Señor Bob.”

“WHAT BLOODY FUNERAL??!!”

“Your wife’s, Señor Bob.  She showed up very late one night and I thought she was a thief, so I hit her with your new Ping G15 204g titanium head golf club with the TFC 149D graphite shaft.”

SILENCE . . . .

LONG SILENCE . . .

VERY LONG SILENCE .

“Ernesto, if you broke that driver, you’re in deep xxxx”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“

 

 

Outside the Square

It has been another relatively quiet Rotary week for me. Last Wednesday I attended the last planning meeting for the upcoming race day at Moruya. I hope to see as many Rotarians as possible attend the race day on Sunday 18 December as it is a huge fundraising event for the three Eurobodalla Rotary Clubs.

Last Wednesday also saw me selling duck tickets at IGA and again the feedback from the public about the work of Rotary in our community was excellent.

At Thursday’s meeting Charmaine gave us a wonderful talk on her family’s gigantic efforts in building a huge sailing

 

boat from scratch. The 6 years it took to construct the boat must have been really hard work but it obviously gave her fantastic memories and skills.

Thursday also saw us having our final meeting at the Whale. Jen and Matt were having a well-earned rest so we could not thank them in person for the support they have given week in week out to our club for many years. Jen told me earlier that our club has been meeting at the Whale since they came to the motel and for many years before that (Since 1999 – Editor).

After our Christmas Party at Casey’s this Thursday our next formal meeting will be 2 February 2017 at the Narooma Golf.

Finally, I wish all members and their families a relaxing and enjoyable festive season.

The Week that Was

16 members were present, along with regular guest, Iris.

As President Michael mentioned PP Charmaine entertained us with a great talk about her father setting about to

build a sailing boat – back in the 70s. It was an activity that had all the family working together on and off on weekends for more than 6 years to build the boat. Charmaine’s dad was not an experienced sailor or boat builder, however, he and the family persisted to build a beautiful craft that has given the family many hours of enjoyment. The boat is still in the family with Charmaine and her brother planning to sail her from Hobart to Sydney in January.

Bob Aston gave a three-minute talk on his experience as a scout attending a World Jamboree in Japan as a 15-year-old. John Rungen proposed the International Toast to District 5500 in recognition of that District’s efforts to raise funds to end polio by conducting a bike ride.

President Michael updated us on his fund raising efforts (for has 1000km walk) to end polio. He encouraged all members to share his Facebook posts promoting the walk.

Other news including the fact that the Expo made about $1000.00 profit and RYDA is scheduled for 3 and 4 April 2017. Narooma Rotarians are needed for 4 April.

The Winners

Eggs donated by John Rungen    Peter Hartley (30)

Bread donated by Rolf                    Bob Antill (5)

Vegies donated by Rod                  Iris (7)

Eggs donated by Bob Antill           Michael O’Connor (14)

Lollies donated by Michael             Bob Antill (9)

Port                                                     Chris O’Brien (36)

Wine                                                   Iris (46)

Foundation Facts

Did you know THE ROTARY FOUNDATION has been named the 2016 Outstanding Foundation by the Association of Fundraising Professionals?

Did you know that your personal contributions increase your PHF recognition amount to the same value AND give you PHF points at the rate of one point per dollar which can be transferred to create a new PHF or PHF level?

Did you know that you can view your own personal giving progress to THE ROTARY FOUNDATION via “My Rotary” on the Rotary International website at www.rotary.org.

Click here to read a story naming the Rotary Foundation as an ‘Outstanding Foundation’ by the Association of Fundraising Professionals

An Interesting Fact (Thanks to Frank)

The world speed record for solving a Rubik’s cube is currently 0.637 seconds! Don’t believe it?  Google for “0.637 seconds Rubik’s Cube”

The Whale

Last week’s meeting was the last one at the Whale before we move to the Golf Club early next year. The Club has been meeting at the Whale since the Lasallian Centre Motel kitchen and dining room were destroyed by fire in December 1999. During the 17 years we have met at the Whale we have been fortunate to have been looked after by many managers and owners, most notably Vaughan Bridgeman, Robert and Michelle Wignall (Robert was a member of the Club) and Matt and Jen. Thank you to Matt and Jen and the staff at the Whale for serving us for so many years.

 

 

 

 

 

This Week

It’s time to celebrate – yes it’s the annual Christmas Party, this time at Casey’s. Normal start time, please remember to bring your own drinks.

The Beacon

This will be the last edition of the Beacon until our first formal meeting of 2017. Keep an eye out for emails to keep us informed of holiday events and activities.

 

 

Outside The Square

Fortunately, this Rotary week was a much quieter one for me and members following on from the very successful, yet hectic, Renewable Energy EXPO.

What was most pleasing for me as president was the number of people who came up to me to THANK ROTARY for putting on the Expo. They thought it was great and it was something that was really needed in the town. It was also mentioned how seeing Narooma Lions cooking up a storm was great, demonstrating that cooperation between service clubs in the town was alive and well.

The buzz was reflected in the great news coverage in the Narooma News. Not only did they publish great stories about the Expo our Meals on Wheels meeting also got a run. These articles demonstrate that the Rotary Club of Narooma is active and productive in the community.

On Thursday we had our AGM and Board meeting which was well attended. Mark Wallace our District Governor elect (2017/2018) and Janet from Canberra South ( hope I got that right) were surprise visitors to the Club. Mark let us know his plans for the District and in particular his desire to get more female members into Rotary.

Bob Aston has been appointed to the Board as President elect and the election at the AGM voted in Laurelle Pacey as Vice President, Sandra Doyle as Secretary, Lynn Hastings as Treasurer with Peter Bull, Lynda Ord, John Doyle, Chris O’Brien and Frank Eden as Directors for 2017/2018.

Finally, it was announced that the club members decided unanimously to continue our weekly meetings as dinner meetings with a move to the Narooma Golf Club for meetings commencing in February 2017.

The Week that Was

13 members were present and we had two guests. DGE Mark Wallace and Janet from the Canberra City Rotary Club.

Mark gave us a brief overview of his plans for the 2017/18 Rotary year. These include increasing the number of women members, Rotary Clubs working together on projects and activities (a bit like Narooma, Moruya and Batemans Bay) and greater interaction with Rotract and Interact Clubs. Mark indicated that hopes to visit at least one of our Rotary Markets and to help out where he can.

Mark also encouraged us to send a strong contingent to the 2017/18 District Conference that will be held at Chevalier College Bowral on 6, 7 and 8 October 2017.

As it was the AGM for the Club, various reports for the 2015/16 year were presented and adopted. Club Secretary, Rod Walker has emailed a copy of the minutes and auditor’s report to members. As President, Michael has indicated the 2017/18 Board was also elected.

 The Raffle Winners

Bread                                    Bob Antill (9)

Book – Narooma’s Past      Charmaine White (1) – The prize was donated by Laurelle         

Chocolates                            Lyn Hardingham (14)

 Port                                      Michael O’Connor (26)

 Wine                                    John Rudgen (6)

 Maia Zuco

Angie Ulrichsen also mentioned that she had been in contact with one of our Rotary Scholars, Maia Zuco. Angie told us that Maia had just completed her honours year at Macquarie University in Psychology. Her honours project included a research thesis validating a new system for measuring electrical brain responses. Maia was awarded first class honours for her study and research. Maia has won a University Scholarship to undertake a Masters of Clinical Neuropsychology.

 Another example of the great outcomes we get when we invest in young people from Narooma.

 Renewables Expo

On Monday 28 November Angie and Sandra Doyle attended a Narooma Public School assembly and presented certificates and prizes to the winners of the Narooma Rotary Renewables Expo poster competition. The winners were;

Hannah Chessell –              Certificate for Presentation

Alyesha Fletcher –               Certificate for Understanding

Eliza Gray-                          Certificate for Effort

Ruby Efraemson-                Certificate for Research

Seth Leecham-                   Certificate for Creativity

Layton Moore-                    Honourable Mention for Understanding.

I understand that due to the high standard of entries the judging panel of 5 of the Expo Committee members found it extremely difficult to come up with the winners.

Upcoming Events

Check the Events Tab for upcoming events including the Christmas Party, Combined Clubs Race Day and Post Christmas Markets

Some Humor

A Young Executive & His Boss

 

 

Outside the Square

What a week, so much went on that it seems a blur.

Last Wednesday 23rd saw me at the IGA Narooma selling the last of the race day tickets. It was freezing cold and I

had no jacket, but it was great to meet the locals and visitors impressed with what we were doing.

This was followed by an EXPO meeting to finalise the event planning.

Thursday, saw us having our regular Rotary meeting at Donna’s and my home. By the response it seemed that the idea of eating a ‘Meals on Wheels’ meal was a great way to introduce the service. Carol Meindl gave us a wonderful rundown on the service and by the noise of the conversation it seemed everyone had a good time. Some even said it was a “fun” night.

Friday had many of us setting up the leisure centre for the Expo.

What an EXPO! The response from the community was to put it mildly, amazing. It shows that vision and passion of one of our members can lead to a great outcome. Once again thank you Frank for encouraging Rotary to take up the challenge.

Not only did we get a great number of visitors, the exhibitors were delighted. The excellent speakers on Saturday night just added to the event.

One interesting outcome was the positive reception to Charmaine’s idea

to promote the provision of solar lights for communities in Timor Leste, Cambodia and Vietnam. My experience was that the majority were not really interested in a light but rather in what we were trying to provide for children and

families in those countries. I think the quote of the EXPO was when I was explaining what Narooma Rotary were trying to achieve by selling the lights one customer said. “If you stop talking I will make a donation” I promptly got the donation.

Finally, Sunday saw us working at the markets and at the EXPO. Unfortunately, I was unable to get to the EXPO as I was at the markets, but by all accounts it was just as good as Saturday. At the markets I think I may have embarrassed the Rotarians who came with me when I was hustling for donations to our 1000km walk. It worked – I got $425.50 in donations.

Bit tired now so I will sign off

Michael

The Narooma Rotary Renewable Energy Expo

To everyone who helped with the expo, a big thanks!

It definitely proves that there is a lot of interest in renewable energy, with one installer telling me he has 50 leads to

follow up!

Saturday saw a big crowd of over 400 people in the Leisure Centre which was just big enough for some 20 exhibitors, mostly local with some from Bega and Canberra. On Sunday there were fewer people but we still had over 200; we think that those with a keen interest to make savings on their power-bills had come the day before.

At the time of writing, final figures are not in yet but I expect them to show that the event was very successful. Attendance was at the high end of expectations and in dollar terms vastly more than expected, which is not bad for a free event.

We had two tables at the entrance to the Leisure Centre. At the first we asked for people’s postcode which allowed us to collect some attendance numbers (not everyone filled it in) and an idea of the demographic.  A large number were from out of town, some obviously travelling (Adelaide, Wodonga and Melbourne), but many came from across south-east NSW and some from Canberra. One Canberra couple had come down especially for the Expo.

We gave people tickets for a lucky door prize.

On the second table we promoted solar lights organised by Charmaine White. Loads of people donated $10 or $20. We quickly sold out of the stock we had pre-purchased.

The Lions Club also sold out early with yours truly leaving it too late for a burger-with-the-lot.  And the pancake lady

sold out too!

The highlight of the weekend for me was the information night.  A great buffet dinner for $30 pp was provided by the club which definitely set a convivial mood.

John Grimes, CEO of the Solar Council was first up with a very interesting account of past and present situation.  Some $45 billion has been spent in recent years providing mostly unused grid capacity. He also provided a very clear explanation of net metering and smart meters.

Our MC for the night, David McInnes introduced Lawrence McIntosh from SolarShare Canberra. Lawrence also does work for UTS in Sydney and was involved in some recent work looking at virtual net metering and mini grids.

Our third speaker, Lisa Miller from the Office of Environment and Heritage, spoke about ‘Demystifying Solar’, with a ton of practical advice and a free USB stick with lots of information.

I love Narooma. Local businesses were so generous in sponsoring this event.  Thank you all!

The expo committee also deserve a special thank-you.  Without your efforts, this event would not have happened. John, Angie, Mike, Chris, and Laurelle, thanks for your expertise and enthusiasm.  One committee member is so fired up she wants to do it all again – in ten years time…

Frank Eden

Committee Chair

 The Week that Was

I think Michael and Frank have summarised the week very well – it was full on and a great one for Narooma Rotary. The Expo certainly put us front and centre in our community. Check out our Facebook page to see a Narooma News video highlighting the event. Click here to access the page.

Some Humour

What is a Grandparent

Answers by 8-year-old Children

Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no children of her own. So they like other people’s.

A grandfather is a man grandmother.

Grandparents don’t have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn’t play hard or run.

It is good if they drive us to the store and have lots of quarters for us.

When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.

They show us and talk to us about the colour of the flowers and also why we shouldn’t step on “cracks.”

They don’t say, “Hurry up.”

Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes.

They wear glasses and funny underwear.

They can take their teeth out.

Grandparents don’t have to be smart. They answer questions like “why isn’t God married?” and “How come dogs chase cats? “.

When they read to us, they don’t skip. They don’t mind if we ask for the same story over again.

Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don’t have television, because they are the only grown-ups who like to spend time with us.

They know we should have snack-time before bedtime and they say prayers with us every time, and kiss us even when we’ve acted bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside the Square

Well it was a week of ticket selling and packing bags. Wednesday saw me outside the IGA on the Flat and on Saturday outside the Newsagency selling race tickets and promoting the Expo. On Wednesday I was helped by Bob Antill and by Charmaine on Saturday. We have sold over 90% of the race tickets allocated to the Club.

On Thursday we toasted the Rotary Club of Blenheim South, the closest club to the earthquake that rocked NZ last week, and the hamlet of Kaikoura that seemed to be worst hit by the earthquake.

Finally, on Saturday, at Charmaine’s house, eight of us packed bags for the Renewable Energy Expo. Many thanks to Charmaine, who once again showed her generosity in support of Rotary.

Remember: this Thursday, we are feasting on the delights of Meals on Wheels and learning about the work the organisation does in our community.

Come and have drinks from 6.00pm

Michael

The Week that Was

Last Thursday 15 members were present along with three guests:

our guest speaker, Robin Scott-Charlton and regulars, Sandra and Merinda.

Robin Scott-Charlton, inspired us with her tales of a recent trip to the USA where she participated in a choir  that performed in many  churches, predominantly African American, in areas as diverse as Chicago, New Orleans and Memphis. In between performances Robin was able to tour the sites, including Graceland – the home of Elvis.

After her presentation Robin was joined by Merinda, Angie, Chris and Sandra for a bit of soul signing. See the clip below.

The winners

Eggs: Peter Hartley (39)

Bread: Merinda Antill (21)

Port: Sandra Doyle (31)

Wine: John Doyle (5)

Sweets: Laurelle Pacey (3)

Needed – Board Members 2016/17

An effective Club needs a strong and active Board to operate productively. If you are interested in keeping up the good work of Rotary in Narooma please nominate for a position.  Please let Michael know of your interest.

The week ahead

This week is a big one for the Club with the Assembly and special ‘Meals on Wheels’ dinner on Thursday and the Narooma Rotary Renewables Expo on Saturday and Sunday. The Committee has done a wonderful  job organising the Expo. Let’s hope that the weather is bright and sunny and that crowds flock to the exhibits.

Some Humour

An elderly gent was invited to his old friends’ home for dinner one evening. He was impressed by the way his buddy preceded every request to his wife with endearing terms-Honey, My Love, Darling, Sweetheart, Pumpkin, etc.

The couple had been married almost 70 years, and clearly they were still very  much in love. While the wife was in the kitchen, the man leaned over and said to his host, “I think it’s wonderful that, after all these years, you still call your wife those loving pet names.”

The old many hung his head. “I have to tell you the truth,” he said, “I forgot her name about 10 years ago.”

 

 

Outside the Square:

I will be very brief this week and next week as my Rotary experiences are limited due to limited involvement.

Donna left for Japan on Father’s day and our 23rd wedding anniversary and today, as I write is her birthday, hence my mind on other things.

Thanks Bob and Frank for taking over last Thursday as I was in Mogo trying to learn something about Village ( Narooma is classified as a village in the RFS) firefighting. WHAT HOPE DO YOU HAVE ?.

Ditto to Bob for the Whale Raffle last Saturday and again thanks to Norm from Narooma Charters for his generosity.

Sadly no sausage sizzel for the Council Elections, but alas the bureaucracy won once again to defeat community engagement. Thankfully it was raining so we might have had wet sausages.

This week we are meeting at Charmaine’s for a fun night, sadly I will be in Mogo again for some training and so I wish you all the best and have a great night.

President Michael

Last Week:

Attendance: 11 members

Visiting Rotarian: Jenny Lean (Port Moresby, PNG), Guest: Iris Domeier

International Toast: Rotary Club of Port Moresby, PNG

The Wheel: Eggs – Rolf (8), Port – Bob (43), Wine – Bob again (24)

Happy moments: Laurelle was happy to spend a penny to tell us about the new toilets for Kinema. Although not flushed for funds their committee were able to receive grants to enable this refurbishment to go ahead.

Acting President Bob Antill presented the Club with a Certificate of Appreciation from Dalmeny Rural Fire Brigade for donations made in Bob’s year as President.

PP Charmaine displayed the Rotary Solar Light, an initiative started by the RC of Sutherland, NSW which has the potential to change the lives of millions of people living in third world countries (www.flexiwaysolar.com).

Frank & Sandra presented a draft set of By-Laws for the Club to consider, noting, that despite unworkable rules in the Constitution, only the By-Laws could be changes. Frank’s notes follow:

Constitution and Bylaws

Rotary International has some guidelines for how clubs should be run. It is published here:
https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/learning-reference/policies-procedures/governance-documents

Take a look at the Manual of Procedure which has Rotary’s policies and procedures. The manual is geared to Rotary club and district leaders and features information that’s most relevant to their roles. It is published every three years to reflect adopted legislation and decisions of the RI conventions, the Council on Legislation, the Rotary International Board of Directors, and the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation.

In that document, there is a standard club constitution which every club must adopt. It can be downloaded here on the same page

Standard Rotary Club Constitution (PDF) (Word)
Note that in the footer of that document, it says “each club admitted to membership in RI shall adopt this prescribed standard club constitution.”

District 9650 has produced a very slightly altered version of this constitution to conform to NSW legislation.

Flexibility is provided by allowing each club to have its own set of bylaws. The constitution and the bylaws together are often referred to as “the constitution”, which can be confusing at times. Again, District 9650 has produced a recommended set of by laws which conform to NSW Legislation and RI. The committee looking into this has made a copy of that and is using google docs to collaborate, alllowing ideas and suggestions together with draft replacements and additions to the bylaws to be added into the text, colour coded etc.

If you want to help out or you are interested in progress, Frank, Sandra or Rod can send you a link.

When we have these bylaws in a state that we (and Michael) are not unhappy with, we will again invite everyone to have a read. Then we will have a special meeting to approve them. No-one should come to that special meeting and get a surprise about the content – it is your club and the by laws will from time to time restrict what we can do, so it is important to get them right.

If we do get them right, they should be documents we never have to worry about.

Frank Eden

JUNGRAUJOCH 2016

Rolf showed us some wonderful slides from his recent trip home to Switzerland and particularly the train trip & views from Jungraujoch (3446m).

                    

Coming events: Monty’s Place upcoming Movie Night at the Narooma Kinema on Friday 16th September.

Monty’s Place upcoming Movie Night at the Narooma Kinema on Friday 16th September (the night before it is released to the public). Monty’s will be glad of any assistance that Rotarians can give on the night.

The movie is the new Beatles Documentary ‘Eight Days a Week’. 7pm for 7.30pm. $20 includes wine & nibbles. It will be fabulous journey back to the sixties. Guests can dig out their 60s and Beatles clothes and come and join the fun.

The film will raise funds for Monty’s Place which serves a scrumptious meal to some of the more needy and isolated people in our community every Wednesday from 12.00 to 1.30pm at the church hall under the Water Tower in Narooma. Everyone is welcome..

Next Week: FUN NIGHT – fine food, wine (BYO) and adult games.

Charmain’s home: 24 William St, Dalmeny 6.00-6.30 – until late

Be there or be square.

Outside the Square

Remember the pieces of paper I distributed with a rectangle labelled the status quo and a heading Let the Ideas Flow? Only 3 members have returned them so far and after the Club Assembly last week there are lots of ideas out there, so please give me your ideas.

I felt that it was a productive meeting and special thanks to Peter Bull stepping into the shoes of Bob Aston when he is away as editor of the Beacon. It is inevitable that we will need members to take on roles at short notice and the way Bob organised Peter to step in was great and it left one less job for me to try and find someone to take on the task.

THIS IS DELEGATION AT ITS BEST, when I don’t have to delegate because if it comes suddenly into my lap then it is inevitable that I will be left holding the problem.

I loved Peter’s suggestion that we resurrect an old approach to International toasts, that is we toast an overseas Club then contact them to tell them that we have toasted their Club at our meeting. It will hopefully foster some interesting links/news.

Thinking outside the STATUS QUO does not necessarily mean something new, but it can be something old that can be brought back in.

It is your Beacon and so please contribute. One idea that did come up that we could have member profiles and Bob Antill has generously offered his professional skills in taking portraits of member sometime in the future to be with the profiles.

Members might also like to contribute to the Beacon why they volunteer, what got them into volunteering or even a Rotary moment. Jokes, obviously subject to the editor’s knife, can even be sent in.

Special Thanks should go to Frank and his committee who are doing sterling work organising the Renewable Energy Expo. It is a significant task and if good ideas are generated that increase the workload of the committee members should volunteer to help out to reduce the demands placed on individual committee members. This was well illustrated when Chris offered her assistance to help organise a more formal arrangement for dinner on the night of the expo.

Finally, an update on the recent Christmas in July fundraiser takings have now jumped to $1645.37. Wow! What an effort from one Narooma Rotary Meeting, I hope by April I will have plenty of dollar signs in my eyes when I set out on the Bibullmun track.

Regards

Michael

Want to know more about Rotary?

Check out this link

How can you make your Rotary club multi-dimensional?

The Week that Was

14 Members and 1 guest (Iris) were at last week’s meeting. As Michael has indicated it was Club Assembly and Board meeting night. Items for discussion at the Assembly ranged from the Beacon and International Toasts to the Renewals Expo and Rotary Park.

Bob Antill and Isis took away the raffle prizes

The Week Ahead

This week Annette Kennewell is our guest speaker. Annette is from the South Coast Health and Sustainability Alliance (SHaSA), a not-for-profit group based in Eurobodalla who help to make renewable energy more accessible and more affordable.

According to their Facebook page South Coast Health and Sustainability Alliance SHaSA are a group of volunteers born from the People’s Climate Picnic held in Sept 2013 in Moruya NSW. They are currently working on a project to install rooftop solar power to low incomes houses in the Eurobodalla. Please encourage friends and to come along to the meeting.

Charmaine White

All members know that Charmaine is an outstanding Rotarian contributing to our Club in many ways, such as helping Michael at our recent Christmas in July event. We also know that she contributes beyond our town and country as a volunteer assisting those less fortunate than us in her chosen vocation of dentistry. Below is a YouTube clip that Charmaine has sent me outlining the excellent work done by Rotarians and others in East Timor to ensure that young people get the best dental care possible. Let’s make sure we continue to support Charmaine in her efforts.

We also know that Charmaine is the very proud mother of Liz Cherry who is a singer and performer with the Australian Army Reserve. As most of you know Liz has performed at many sporting and cultural events representing the armed forces, most recently she had the honour of performing the French and Australian National Anthems at the centenary commemorations at Pozieres. Charmaine was there to witness this moving event. Below is a short clip of Liz’s performance.

When Insults Had Class. 

These glorious insults are from an era “before” the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: “Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.” That depends, Sir,” said Disraeli, “whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.

“He had delusions of adequacy.” -Walter Kerr

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”– Winston Churchill

“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.”-Clarence Darrow “He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.-William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time reading it.”-Moses Hadas

“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.  -Mark Twain

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.”-Oscar Wilde

“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.”-George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

“Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second… if there is one.” -Winston Churchill, in response to Shaw

“I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here.”-Stephen Bishop “

He is a self-made man and worships his creator.”-John Bright “I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.” -Irvin S. Cobb

“He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.”  -Samuel Johnson

“He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.”– Paul Keating

“In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily.”-Charles, Count Talleyrand “He loves nature in spite of what it did to  him.” -Forrest Tucker

“Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?”-Mark Twain

“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.”-Mae West

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.”-Oscar Wilde “He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts… for support rather than illumination.”-Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

“He has Van Gogh’s ear for music.” -Billy Wilder

“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But I’m afraid this wasn’t it.”-Groucho Marks

 

Outside the Square

Last Tuesday Sandra Doyle, Chris O’Brien and myself attended Quota’s Student of the Year with our own Bob Antill being one of the judges of the competition. It was a difficult task as all students performed brilliantly and it was sad in one way that there had to be a winner.

On Sunday we had our Christmas in July fundraiser which raised a fantastic $1405.00 to start our Club’s fundraising for my 1000km walk next April.

Donna and I were delighted to have so many at our home and by all accounts the food went down a treat.

I was asked by a few to post my recipe for the turkey stuffing.

I will try but I really don’t have a recipe as I just go with the basics and then add what I feel like is right for that day.

I can’t give you quantities as I simply don’t measure anything!

• Fresh breadcrumbs, I usually source them from a good quality multigrain bread. (Don’t use those breadcrumbs in a packet as it is like using wood shavings and just as tasteful)
• Onion cut quite small
• Bacon, rinds cut off, then cut into pieces
• Some margarine to bind the ingredients
• Herbs/spices, (I usually go to the cupboard and start looking at the containers and usually just pick what moves me at the time but it would usually have oregano, Tuscan seasoning, Italian herbs, cardamom, Garam masala, five spice, cracked pepper and some, very little, sea salt). I always vary what I use and sometimes I might put in a bit of chilli and Moroccan seasoning if I want to add some bite, this time I restrained myself and left them out of the mix.

Tip – When you make breadcrumbs you can always freeze what you don’t use. I usually make too much and by freezing the leftovers there is no there is no need to throw away what hasn’t been used. I will make breadcrumbs when we have a loaf of bread that is going stale, putting them in the freezer for later use.

I hope that helps those who asked.

A number liked the ham sauce which was only Dijon mustard and maple syrup. Again the recipe I started with had far too much Dijon, so I had to keep adding maple syrup to make it a little less hot. (Not everyone is like me who likes hot English mustard on his ham). The great thing about this sauce there is no cooking.

Have a great week and I look forward to our Assembly this Thursday and hopefully you will have matters you want discussed or issues you are not happy with.

Cheers

Michael

Want to know more about Rotary?

Please click HERE to view – download the ‘Rotary On The Move’ Newsletter for August 2016. There is a great article from the Woden Daybreak Club about attracting and keeping new members.

To learn a little about one Rotarian’s efforts to end Polio click here.

The Week that Was

27 Members and guests descended on Michael and Donna’s place on Sunday 31 July for a Christmas in July fundraising event. The weather was great and the food, wine and company outstanding. For main course we were treated to some expertly cooked ham and turkey with roast potatoes and pumpkin – we even had Brussel sprouts, some even put their hand up for seconds. Unfortunately, Therese and I had to leave before the plum putting was rolled out, however, I understand it scored a 10 out of 10.

As Michael indicated over $1400.00 was raised – A great effort.

The Week Ahead

This Thursday we are back at the Whale for a club assembly and board meeting. If members have items to raise at the assembly, please let Michael know well before the meeting.

Don’t forget Chris has organised an interesting speaker for 11 August. Annette Kennewell from the South Coast Health and Sustainability Alliance (SHASA), a not-for-profit group based in Eurobodalla who help to make renewable energy more accessible and more affordable. SHASA is coordinating a solar bulk buy for the Eurobodalla community. Please encourage friends and guests to come along to the meeting.

Some Humour

A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlour and pulled himself slowly, painfully, up onto a stool… After catching his breath, he ordered a banana split. The waitress asked kindly, ‘Crushed nuts?’ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘Arthritis.’

________________________

This collection of 20 newspaper headlines will have you giggling at the English language – and perhaps at the lost art of copyediting.

1. Something Went Wrong In Jet Crash, Expert Says
2. Police Begin Campaign To Run Down Jaywalkers
3. Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted
4. Drunk Gets Nine Months In Violin Case
5. Survivor Of Siamese Twins Joins Parents
6. Farmer Bill Dies In House
7. Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
8. Is There A Ring Of Debris Around Uranus?
9. Stud Tires Out
10. Prostitutes Appeal To Pope
11. Panda Mating Fails: Veterinarian Takes Over
12. Soviet Virgin Lands Short Of Goal Again
13. British Left Waffles On Falkland Islands
14. Lung Cancer In Women Mushrooms
15. Eye Drops Off Shelf
16. Teacher Strikes Idle Kids
17. Reagan Wins On Budget, But More Lies Ahead
18. Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim
19. Plane Too Close To Ground, Crash Probe Told
20. Miners Refuse to Work After Death

A Puzzle or two to Solve

Jennifer and Jose live in different sections of their town but go to the same school. Jennifer left for school ten minutes before Jose and they met in the park. When they met, who was closer to school?

What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, but never in a thousand years?

Outside the Square

We had good news this week that Linda Ord had her operation and is recovering well.

On Thursday we had a lively meeting with Bob Aston giving us a 3-minute talk on some of his experiences in Narooma Rotary Club in decades past. It seems they were fun times and I hope someone in decades hence will look back on their time this decade in Narooma Rotary with similar memories.

I gave an outline about the 1000km I walk will be doing next year and why I will be trying to raise funds for ‘End Polio’ and Friends of Rang’I between now and when the trek begins in 8 months time. Members who tried to lift the 22kg pack that I will be carrying brought home to all that the trek is not simply a walk in the park.

Donna was the saleslady for the jewellery and other items from Kenya, which seemed to be a hit and from the response at the meeting. We will definitely have a stall at our markets in the warmer months. It is a win win situation as we source all the items from Rang’I, we pay the going rate for them, not wholesale but from people trying to eek out a living making and selling the items and all the profit from the mark-up when we sell them here goes back to Friends of Rang’I.

A very successful markets were held on Sunday, though it was extremely cold at 6.00am, thankfully the sun came out and made it an enjoyable market. Members managed to organise the stall holders, sell more than 170 whale tickets feed the crowd our usual fare.

I was amused with the response of many of the stall holders as to “Why are you so happy” when it was obvious everyone was cold. I just felt that if you put on a happy face it can be like the flu, infectious. I also realise I was happy because I wasn’t swimming with the NUMNUTS and the Blue Balls at Bermagui where the water temperature was a bracing 13⁰.

Finally, we wish Rolf a very happy and joyous visit to his homeland and parents in Switzerland.

Next week I hope to report on our Christmas in July fundraiser on the 31^st at Donna’s and my home.

The Week that Was

12 Members were present was well as 2 guests, Donna Anderson and Iris Domeier.

Mike Young led the welcome and President Michael led us in a toast to the Rotary Clubs of Nice in recognition of the work these Clubs are doing to assist those in need after the terrorist attack of 14 July. Chris O’Brien asked us to toast the memory of Jack Whitman, Jack would have turned 89 on 21 July.

As President Michael has mentioned, Bob Aston gave a 3-minute talk on Rotary in Narooma back in the early 2000’s. He spoke about the movement of the markets from the Plaza to NATA Oval and the role Paul Cropper and Bill Phillips had in making it happen. He also spoke about the current food van and how any why it was purchased and fitted out in the 2002/3 Rotary year. The van replaced a much older one that didn’t meet health standards and has suffered some external damage when being towed by one Jack Wightman.

President Michael was our guest speaker. He told us that the reason he wanted to walk Bibbulmun Track in south west Western Australia was three fold:

• To honour the memory of his sister
• To raise money to help Rotary to end Polo, and
• To assist the Friends of Rang’I raise funds for the Sr. Jennifer Hawthorne Samber Quality School in Kenya.

Michael told us that his desire to help raise funds to end polio was partly based on the fact that he had been diagnosed with a mild form of polio some many years ago. He also gave us a history of the Friends of Rang’I and its successes in supporting the school. Michael and Donna became involved through a young person by the name of Michael Hawthorne who I understand went to school with Michael and Donna’s children in Tamworth. Michael Hawthorne played a key role in forming the Friends of Rang’I group.

Michael expects that it will take him 6 to 8 weeks to walk the track.

To find out more about the Friends of Rang’I check out the website: http://www.rangicommunity.com/

To find out more about the Bibbulmun Track check out their website: https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/

And of course to find out more about Rotary’s effort to end polio check RI website.

Happy moments included Rolf telling us about his upcoming trip back to Switzerland and Bob Antill updated us on the new house – It was successfully transported from Wagga Wagga to Lake Conjola and in place on the block.

Sandra provided us with an update on MUNA, students have their resolutions and are working hard to be well prepared for the event when it takes place on 14 to 16 August.

Iris won the port and John Doyle the wine.

The Week Ahead

There is no meeting this Thursday 28 July instead we will meet at Michael and Donna’s place at 1:30pm on Sunday to celebrate ‘Christmas in July’ (just). Pay what you think the dinner is worth, all food and drinks are included. All funds raised will go to support President Michael raise funds to end polio and to support the Friends of Rang’I

Renewable Energy Expo

Publicity is well underway for the upcoming Renewable Energy Expo with an article in the Narooma News. Thanks to Laurelle for a copy of the article – see below.

A Renewable Energy Expo in Narooma on 26-27 November will be a must for householders and business owners on NSW’s south coast concerned about their future electricity costs.

 The Expo is a Narooma Rotary Club Community Service project.

‘Many people are trying to work out how to best minimise their power costs, and there’s a lot of information, products and suppliers out there who can help,’ said Expo coordinator Frank Eden.

‘We’re working to ensure the best and latest information on renewable energy will be available at the Expo and its associated forum, so people can prepare for the future, save money and also help protect the planet.

‘We want to provide people with the opportunity to meet manufacturers, suppliers and installers in the Renewable Energy sector, as well as showcase investment opportunities.’

The Climate Council says that coupling solar panels with battery storage could be the cheapest way to get electricity within three years.

‘That will certainly feature at the Expo, but we also want to include other forms of renewable energy where we can,’ Mr Eden said.

The Expo will be held in Narooma’s Sport & Leisure Centre with a Forum and Expo dinner in Club Narooma on the Saturday night.

The Expo webpage expo.naroomarotary.org.au has more information.

Potential exhibitors or sponsors should ring Frank Eden (0434 197 110) or Mike Young (0409 894648) for more details.

Speaker 11 August

Chris has organised an interesting speaker for 11 August. Annette Kennewell from the South Coast Health and Sustainability Alliance (SHASA), a not-for-profit group based in Eurobodalla who help to make renewable energy more accessible and more affordable. SHASA is coordinating a solar bulk buy for the Eurobodalla community. Please encourage friends and guests to come along to the meeting.

Some Humour

Thanks to Chris O’Brien

A little boy goes to his father and asks ‘Daddy, how was I born?’ The father answers,

‘Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mum and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo.

Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mum and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, and googled each other. There your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said: ‘You’ve got male’