Short words by bob ant

Last night’s meeting was a chance for members to give feedback anonymously on two issues:  Donuts and “The Elephant in the Room!” .

Donuts have been synonymous with Rotary in Narooma (and elsewhere) for many, many years. But now we must look to “manage risk” and minimise the chance of injury. Whilst no one has been seriously injured, the possibility of injury has to be considered and discussed.  After investigating to make our current set up safer, no suitable answers have been found. Research is ongoing, but until we can be satisfied that we are managing the risk correctly, we have no choice but to suspend donut-making from this next market. Thank you to all who have participated in this discussion.

The second issue is being addressed. I have sent an email to all members.

At last night’s Board meeting, we approved Paris Blessington to go to Rotary Adventure in Citizenship. RAIC is an intensive and fun-filled, week-long programme to help prepare young adults for full participation as citizens of Australia. Held in Canberra,  it will enable Paris to gain knowledge of how our Federal Government operates. She is a worthy student, who with the help of our Club and Youth Directors, has taken advantage of past opportunities made available and has grown. We look forward to finding out how this week goes on her return.

My thanks to Rod, our Secretary, for all his work on the Board meeting minutes, agenda and keeping track on what is transpiring. Thank you to the members of the Board and the Club for input and hard work for not only Rotary Narooma but our whole community. I am very lucky to have such a wonderful group of people.

Eddie the Eagle is the latest movie for Polio Plus – unfortunately, we won’t be able to have it for the Premiere, however we will still have it for a special screening on Thursday 5th May.

Have a great weekend and I hope you find some magic along the way.

Cheers
Bob

Clean up Australia Day

A great effort by a small but dedicated group of Rubbish-Removing-Rotarians.  No picture of the black snake that gave Fred something to think about !

Shelter Box and Shelter Box Kits

Fred Fawke was here for a visit at the last meeting and he brought us up to date with the latest news on Shelter Boxes. The new policy is best summarised as “Horses for Courses”. In many cases buildings are partially damaged, and a tarpaulin and some tools to fix it with are all that’s needed. So we now also distribute Shelter Box kits; these are smaller and cheaper and often more suited to the needs of the disaster survivors.

Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards

Michael Edwards (born 5 December 1963), better known as Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, is a British skier who in 1988 became the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping. At the time, he was the British ski jumping record holder (a record later broken by others), the world number nine in amateur speed skiing, (106.8 mph (171.9 km/h)) and the stunt jumping world record holder (10 cars/6 buses). Finishing last in the 70m and 90m events, he became famous as an example of an underdog or “heroic failure”, and of perseverance and achievement without funding. In 2016, he was portrayed by Taron Egerton in the biographical film Eddie the Eagle, co-starring Hugh Jackman as fictional coach Bronson Peary.

RYDA 2016

Neil Simpson from Rotary Batemans Bay is organising the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program this year on behalf of the Rotary Clubs of Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma. He has taken over from Derek Anderson (Moruya) who has so capably organised RYDA in recent years (with thanks).

This year it is expected that, with the help of Rotary, RYDA will be delivered to 50 000 students from 500 schools in 90 venues across Australia and New Zealand.

Our RYDA course will be held on Monday April 4^th and Tuesday April 5^th 2016 at the Moruya Jockey Club.

Year 11 students from St Peters Anglican College, Carroll College and Moruya High School will attend on Monday 4 April with Year 11 students from Batemans Bay and Narooma High Schools attending on Tuesday 5 April.

The RYDA program content has now been completely revised and updated and two sessions have been replaced altogether.

The program focusses on speeding, distractions and impairments; strategies (having a plan); the role of the passenger; personal reflection on their own risks and behaviours and interactivity (group work and discussion). Student participants now get their own goals, plans and strategies booklet to take home and they use that booklet in every session.

RYDA is now more interactive with less facilitator talk and more discussion, making it more engaging for participants. It is intended for those just commencing their learner driving instruction.

RYDA a joint project with our three clubs and we are again asking for your support.

Batemans Bay Rotary is arranging volunteers to set up and pack up, provide morning tea on both days and accompany student participants from St Peters, Carroll and Batemans Bay High on both days. Batemans Bay club held a bare foot bowls afternoon as their contribution towards costs.

Moruya Rotary is providing lunch to all participants and presenters on both days of RYDA as their contribution towards costs. Moruya will also be seeking three Rotarians to accompany the student groups from Moruya High School (Monday).

Narooma Rotary is providing bus transport for Narooma students as their contribution towards costs and will need three Rotarians to accompany the student groups from Narooma High School (Tuesday).

Potentially there are 330 Year 11 students in our Shire who could attend RYDA and we are making every effort to ensure that most attend.

We look forward to your support of this life saving program again this year!

Neil Simpson
Rotary Batemans Bay

Meal Costs

At the board meeting it was decided that due to the fact that $3 of each meal goes toward paying for the guest speaker’s meal that those who do not choose to participate in the meal, should contribute $3.00 each week to help with these costs.

The wheel, happy moments and the $3 are the funds we raise toward administration which covers guest speakers meals and other sundries from time to time.

Foundation Seminar

As part of our continued effort in keeping Members informed and up to date with our Charity “The ROTARY FOUNDATION” you are invited to attend an information Seminar on the Foundation. The information available at the Seminar will cover the many programs of the Foundation as well as give an update on Foundation activity in our District and part of the criteria for access to District Grants is for someone from every Club to attend an information session. It will also give you an opportunity to meet the District 9710 Foundation Team for 2016/17. Please pass on this invitation to all interested Rotarians in your Club that may wish to learn a little more about our Foundation.

It is anticipated that the Seminar will commence at 10.30 for an 11.00am start, coffee / tea / water and biscuits will be available on arrival. The  Rotary Foundation Seminar will be held on Sunday the 20th March 2016 at Raiders Belconnen, Hardwick Crescent HOLT. A light lunch will be provided and we are planning for the seminar to conclude no later than 4.00pm.

 

Gratuitous Picture of the Newsletter Editor

“Yours Truly” and his extra-ordinary wife !

 

Quota FundRaiser

Join Quota Narooma for a Fundraising Film Presentation of

The Lady in the Van, starring Maggie Smith
Truth is stranger than fiction in this comedy based on the real-life tale of a homeless woman, Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith) who parks her van in the driveway of a house owned by playwright Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) and lives there for 15 years

WHERE: At The Kinema

Time: 6.30pm For 7.00pm Screening Thursday 10th March
Cost: $20.00 Including Light Supper & Refreshments
Bookings Or Pre-Purchase Of Tickets Advised
Phone The Kinema 44762352
Or Email: Kinemaweeklyemail@Gmail.Com
Everybody Welcome

Funds raised will support Quota’s Hearing and Speech local community projects.

 

A busy week for Rotary is underway. On Wednesday evening I attended Moruya for a combined Club Meeting to acknowledge the hard work of the Rotarian’s , the Moruya Jockey Club and the community as we presented the proceeds of the Rotary Race Day to Deputy Mayor and Chair of Moruya Cancer Carers  Councillor Rob Pollock.

The cheques totalled more than $15,000 and took the donation to Cancer Carers to more than $51,000 in three years, – an outstanding effort. This would not be possible without the many dedicated people who worked so hard to bring it all together. Special mention goes to Vere Grey President of Batemans Bay Club,  Mike Cowden from the Moruya Jockey Club, and our own Laurelle Pacey for the great PR effort. It was a pleasure to chair the meeting.

Last night at our regular meeting, we postponed a discussion on donuts until the next Club Assembly and Board Meeting in two weeks time, due to members being away and time for some members to gather extra information.  I was the guest speaker to try to clear up some of the confusion about when you can take a photograph and when you need permission to use it. I hope the information was helpful.

This weekend is PETS (President Elect Training) in Canberra and Mike and I are off to be enlightened. As an Assistant District Governor I must also attend.

On Tuesday, all are welcome to join with us outside the SoArt Gallery in Narooma to cut a cake for Rotary’s 111th Birthday and present a cheque for $5,000 toward the cost of Solar Panels on the Kinema. If you are able, please join with me in our celebration for this great project.

Next Thursday, Dr Karin Geiselhart discusses Rotary’s response to Climate Change. Really looking forward to this and please feel free to invite partners, friends and anyone you know who wants to learn more about this area of Science.

Following on is our Markets. We have some blanks in the roster which need filling. Please call John Doyle if you can make it and haven’t put your name down.

That’s all for now, have a great weekend.

Bob

Today (Saturday 6th Feb) we had a wonderful afternoon of fellowship to raise money for Charmaine’s Cambodian trip. Our wonderful hosts were Michael and Donna with Michael cooking up a storm and many others helping out.

Michael and Donna opened up their house and provided everything so that all moneys raised went to Charmaine’s most worthy cause.  Thank you to Michael and Donna and to all who attended.

The large earthquake in Taiwan saw lots of damage but Radar’s family and Kayla (the outbound student from Bega who is staying with Radar’s parents) are all safe and well. Kayla managed to sleep through the event. Our thoughts go out to the people who have been displaced through this disaster.

Many thanks to Angie who has again put together a great display of Narooma Rotary. It is important to get information out to the community about us by all means of media – Angie with great displays, Charmaine with face book, Frank with the Beacon and web site and Laurelle with our media releases to the paper and radio. Great effort everyone and much appreciated.

NEXT THURSDAY we are meeting at the Golden Palace Chinese Restaurant (next to O’Brien pub) to celebrate Chinese New Year.  BYO wine only $2.50 corkage – Beer and Soft drink available there. $25 per head . There will be red envelopes available to put small amounts in for Radar as a gift for Lunar New Year and extra spending money for his trip. As a Monkey I’m excited about this!!! Bring your partners and friends along but make sure you tell Anthony by Tuesday 5 pm so we can finalise numbers with the restaurant.

Our donation to the Solar Panel project for the Kinema roof will be handed over on the 23 which is Rotary’s 111 Birthday. We are giving the present.

Karin Geiselhart will be our guest speaker on the 25th. Karin is an expert on Climate Change and not only an interesting speaker but also a person who can answer your questions. Not only a partners night but invite 10 friends.

“May the grass growth slow this week and you all have some magic along the way”

Cheers
Bob

 

A little boy lost reunited with his Mum, stress with a stall holder, coffee, pizza, ShelterBox, lots of bacon, eggs, sausages, donuts, plants, veggies and much more. Today was our January Market and it did not disappoint.

I am always overwhelmed by the commitment of our members towards our major fundraising projects.

Allow me a few lines to say  thank you to David and Rachael for organising the gate,  Laurelle for assisting on the gate and publicity, Frank for marking out and making donuts, John Doyle for helping from 7.30 in the morning with assembling the ShelterBox and cooking Donuts and staying the entire day right through to pack up. Ashley Stanley for helping get the Shelter Box up and happening.

Thank you to Sandra for working in the van and for helping pack up, Lynn and Radar for the introduction of new drinks and helping in the van and with pack up and much more. For Rod, Peter, Mike and Merinda for helping with cooking, selling tickets and pack up, Angie for working in the van, selling Duck tickets and much more and to Michael for all his work in making sure the Duck tickets were all sold, marking out and much more and to Rolfe who, despite having a busy day himself making coffees, found time to help with set up and pack up.

Truly this is an amazing effort and example of working for community projects…… well done everyone !  Thank you !

Tuesday is our GREAT DUCK RACE and David has assured me that they will race at 1- 1.30. We need bodies on the bridge to launch and down at Apex boat ramp to collect. This will be good fun, bring 10 friends.  Thank you to Michael for stepping in and handling the Duck Ticket sales.                     For as long as we’ve been running the Duck Race, we haven’t needed permission….it is fun, it is for charity.. but this year we have had to get approval from the Marine Park Authority. Congratulations and sincere thanks to Rod for navigating his way through the mine field that is Marine Park red-tape-esque paperwork. We have permission to run our Duck Race for 3 years.

Don’t forget that Thursday night is our return to the Whale and Youth Night…. Should be a good one….. bring 5 friends.

Have a magical evening

Cheers

Bob

 

 

 

Normally at this time of year we are going slow with business and there is some time to catch our breath but not 2016, it has arrived at a cracking pace. Lots of rain and heat straight after has left little energy at the end of the day.

Australia Day will be here in a minute and we are still selling tickets to the Duck Race. If you need a book or you have some time to sell tickets contact Michael or me. This will be a great time and our main fundraiser for ShelterBox.

This Sunday is our January Market which should be busy. All hands on deck please to help make life easier and fun for all. See you there, Roster is circulating.

On a sad note Lillian Hardie wife of former member and friend Bill Hardie has passed away. They were both active in the club when I joined and Bill was president 2003-4.  They moved to Tenterfield a few years ago. Our thoughts go out to Bill.

For our friends and members who have started the year with a touch of sadness , let us know if we can help in any way.

Radar has had a great holiday spending time assisting  Orit and family. He will speak at the Australia Day ceremony on what Australia is like from his perspective.

I haven’t organised a BBQ get together as we are about to be full on. Markets this Sunday, Australia Duck Race on Tuesday and then our Youth night and first meeting back on Thursday followed by Michael’s afternoon tea fundraiser for Charmaine’s Cambodia Trip and much more .

Have a great day, and see you on Sunday

Cheers

Bob

“‘Tis the season to be jolly’ – and every one was at yesterdays markets. From marking out to booking in to setting up and running the van and to selling Duck Race tickets – a huge Market was handled amazingly smoothly. It was a busy day but thank you to everyone who could be involved, for coming on board and helping make the day one of our most successful for the year!

As 2015 comes to a close, I think of the last six months as President and how much has happened  in Rotary,  family and business – wow a lot !!

It was very sad to have lost both Jack and George and even more challenging to have them pass away within a few days of each other. Their funerals remind us of how privileged we are to have known them both and worked alongside such wonderful men. I miss Jack’s advice and George’s smile and catch ups. Our thoughts are especially with their family at this time.

I think moving the donuts machine into the gazebo has made a difference to the safety within the van and to the smooth operation of the cooking side at the markets.

Our club is small but what we lack in numbers we make up for in enthusiasm, dedication and friendliness, making Narooma Rotary a pleasure to lead.

Radar, our exchange student, joined us in early August and has settled well into Aussie life. Narooma is a long way from Taiwan and as our first exchange student from Asia, we have all been on a learning curve. If you haven’t been able to take Radar somewhere or if you want to invite him for dinner, please do. You will be rewarded for the experience from being around this fine young man.

Our youth programs are going well and our first meeting back at the Whale, on the 28th January, will be our Youth Night.  I’m hoping to get an Interact Club running this coming year, it will benefit all the young people who reside in the Narooma area and go to Schools north and south of the town. Lots of positive talks have been happening. If you or your partner are interested in getting involved please call me.

Most importantly I want to thank Merinda for her support. When times get busy, we lean heavily on each other for support and I am always grateful for her support.

Have the best New Year ever and looking forward to 2016

Bob

 

Christmas time is often very stressful some but very lonely for others. As we power toward the 25th please take a few minutes to thank all who love you for being an important part of your life. Steal a quiet moment to realise just how lucky we are to be living here and offer friendship to someone in need.

Last Thursday we finalised the meetings for the year with a Christmas Party at Casey’s Cafe. To the staff and chefs who looked after us, to all who came, to our wonderful partners and to every member of Narooma Rotary and Rotary internationally – a big thank you. Looking after each other and offering a helping hand is a fantastic thing to do, and Rotarian’s do it well.

This Sunday the 27th is our last Market for the year. Please join in and help as this will be huge. Every one is welcome, bring your visitors.

Today Laurelle, Angie and myself joined with Moruya and Batemans Bay members at the Rotary Moruya Races. We sold raffle tickets ’till we dropped. Thank you to all who sold tickets over the last few weeks, lots of money hjas been raised for the Oncology Dept at Moruya. Next year we need another deserving project within the Shire….. thinking caps on.

Duck race tickets will be available from this Sunday’s Markets….. need sellers and the roster for ticket sales will be sent this week. We should be able to buy two Shelter Boxes.

Charmaine is embarking on another wonderful humanitarian trip to Cambodia. Funds are needed for basic supplies and at the Christmas party we raised some $300 toward this goal. Thank you to Michael O’Connor for his hard work and initiative. More to come.

To the wonderful team who interviewed all the applications for the Uni Scholarship, well done and much appreciated.

Enjoy Christmas day – you all deserve a day off

Bob

Global Climate Day

These guys look happy – could it be they are optimistic for a good outcome at the Paris Climate Change Conference?

With the current focus on Paris and the potential of global cooperation to reduce emissions, it seems timely to share some information on local and community options for renewable energy.  The following organisations provide much needed opportunities, especially for people who are renting or otherwise not able to use their own rooftop.

CLEARSKY is a not-for-profit company – an offshoot of Clean Energy For Eternity (CEFE) in Bega.  Investors put their money into a trust, which funds the installation of solar panels for a fixed period of typically 7 years. Suitable candidates for an installation are sites where power is used during the day, for example the IRT or Estia Health at Dalmeny. After 7 years the end user owns the installation, and the investors receive their money back plus interest, a win-win for everyone.  www.clearskysolar.com.au

SOLAR SHARE is a community solar farm in the ACT, anyone can join, with a minimum investment of $500.   The investment is as safe as they come – with a 20 year ACT Government backed contract.
solarshare.com.au

CORENA is an organisation that accepts donations which are then used to provide interest-free loans to community organisations to pay for solar installations and energy efficiency measures. The loans are repaid over time, and their repayments help fund subsequent projects. Your money provides tangible reductions in carbon emissions almost immediately, and keeps on working far into the future! Suitable to those with a philanthropic urge. In our area they have provided rooftop system to Tulgeen Disability Services in Bega.   corenafund.org.au

Uber

At our last meeting,  Peter Bull gave a very interesting short talk, comparing taxis and the service provided by UberX.  There was some spirited discussion following Peter’s talk.  Coincidentally, there was an article in the current edition of “Choice”, so if you want to know more, try to grab a copy of the November edition from the library or your nearest newsagency.

Raffle Tickets

Raffle ticket sales for the Moruya Rotary Christmas Race Meeting on 20th Dec will be outside the Narooma Newsagency and IGA on the Flat over the next two weeks.  If you can help, let Lynda know.  She has the cash tin and some posters if you need them.

Annual General Meeting

The AGM on the 10th Dec needs people to nominate for positions. Don’t wait to be asked, please let Michael know if you are willing to take a position.

The biggest pain in being president is finding people to fill essential roles within the club. Most roles can be filled by two people sharing the load.

Abundant Water

from Joshua Parsons

Dear fellow Rotary family members.  I would like to tell you all about a guy I met some time ago now by the name of Sunny Forsyth’s work with Abundant Water. We met at RYLA in 2013 where  Sunny talked about the work that he and the Abundent Water team have been working on in Laos, training people to make a clay pottery water filter which was designed at the ANU. They train women to make filters which enable them to earn an income operating a small business selling water filters to their communities to allow for clean water.

But firstly a little about me, I am  a member of the Rotaract Club of University of Canberra,
2009 RYE Student to Lund Sweden from Canberra Australia,
2013 RYLA D9710 participant,
2014 IRYLA Participant,
RYE Committee Member D9710 as of 2014

I personally think this is a great project and I would  really like to hear feed back as well as the knowledge that you have taken this to your clubs and shared this amazing project.

A little bit about Abundant Water’s new project in Nepal.

Many women with histories of exploitation and abuse have been left particularly vulnerable in the wake of the 2015 Nepalese earthquakes.

Remarkably, however, ten of these women have called on us to help them to make and sell claypot water filters.

Training will bring clean drinking water, an opportunity for these women to establish their own water filter businesses, an opportunity for these women to become community leaders, and hence an opportunity for this project to be sustainable in the long term.

You can be a main character in this inspiring story of change.  

The Women’s Rehabilitation Centre Nepal (WOREC) and Abundant Water co-production is called our ‘Tell a Story of Abundance’ campaign.  For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/624250447716166/

If you would like to be more involved then join our social media team https://www.facebook.com/groups/AWNepal/

We need to raise $20 000. So all help is welcome.  The campaign is up and running as of Tuesday, 24 November 2015.

We are offering rewards to connect, inspire, and inform our donors to tell their own Story of Abundance: from a big social media shout out, to an exclusive end of workshop group call with Noukham and one of her Nepali trainees, or an online master class where Abundant Water leaders share the secrets of our success.  Our rewards will connect, inspire, and inform you to tell your own Story of Abundance.

Please help raise awareness by sharing the Facebook group with your friends. Regards

Kind Regards,
Joshua Parsons & The Abundant Water team

More pictures from “Boats Afloat”

 

 

Ha Ha

The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

What a week of fun, sadness, discussion and good old-fashioned community service.

Tuesday afternoon we celebrated Radar’s 17th birthday at Rotary Park with a BBQ. Thanks to all who contributed and attended, to Lynn for her assistance, to Charmaine for her excellent BBQ skills and to Michael for the fantastic birthday cakes.

Sadly Peter Hartley’s mother passed away on Tuesday after a short illness. Our thoughts and sympathy go out to Peter and Julie and their family.

On Thursday night we had a board meeting – sorry for the lack of notice due to a technical problem – but everyone rallied and we got through it. We decided to increase the donation for the Narooma Primary School Dux boy and girl to $75 each. We also cleared the funding for Jacob Reed to go to RYLA.

On Friday morning, the White Ribbon Day March from the Golf Club to NATA Oval, which was organised by the NSW Police,  was a great success. Our role was to supply the BBQ and cook for all the people who participated. Starting at 7.30 am we set up and then cooked like crazy from 10.30, packed up and finished by 1pm. My thanks to all who joined in, helped, marched and offered help. Special thanks to John and Sandra, Ash and Lynda, Lynn, Angie, Rod and Mike. Hopefully I haven’t missed anyone. Following less than a week after the markets it was a great effort…. we did well.

Ticket selling for the Moruya Races – our combined Eurobodalla Club fund raiser – is well under way. Find some time, if you can … if you want to buy some tickets bring your money to the meeting.

This week, Narooma Rotary’s award for Vocational Excellence will be presented to a man who has helped shape Narooma. Bring your partners, friends etc…. let Anthony know ASAP for numbers.

Most importantly, have a great week.

Cheers

Bob