Rod’s Ramble
It was great to start back at Rotary last week with such a good vibe. It was our Youth Night and we were joined by four young people. One was Alicia Bate is our 2018 Rotary Scholar who begins at Charles Sturt University at Wagga Wagga this year, and another was Tahlia Arnold who also received funds from the Club to assist her with her first year at Wollongong Uni last year, as well as some for this year. We also received an email from this year’s recipient Cassidy Ker thanking us for her award.
Andrew Thomas, Deputy Principal of Narooma High School, his daughter and another Narooma High student joined us. Hopefully we can build on this relationship with the school in the future to ensure that the young people of Narooma have the opportunity to participate in Rotary’s many Youth Programs.
Now it’s time to look forward. I am more confident about the Club’s future now that we have President’s in place for the next two years. David McInnes for 2019-20 and Rolf Gimmel for 2020-21. David’s first official duty will be the Foundation Seminar which I will also attend on Saturday 2 March at Ulladulla. This will be quickly followed by PETS and the District Assembly at the end of March.
Our next major activity is the February Market and John will circulate a roster this week. If you can help, please put your name on the roster. We will also need some assistance marking out NATA Oval . If you have some experience in this can you please contact me ASAP.
The Busking Festival Committee had their first full meeting, chaired by our new coordinator John Rungen with Chris, Laurelle, Lynda, Lynn, Sandra and John Doyle, Heather Ferguson and Jenni French (nee Aston). Chris has already secured $8,000 in sponsorship. It’s good to see so many getting involved especially Club Friend Heather and Jenni. If you want to help, please contact John Rungen. The Committee meets again on Thursday 21st February 5.00pm at the Golf Club.
Clean Up Australia Day is approaching. This year it will be on Sunday 3rd March in the morning. We will concentrate on our normal area between the Bridge and Apex Park. There has been some interest in participating but I need someone to register the site and liaise with the Shire contact. If you can help out let me know ASAP.
THIS WEEK: Joint meeting at Moruya
Remember there is no meeting in Narooma this Thursday. Instead eight of us will join friends from Moruya and Bateman’s Bay Clubs in Moruya as well as Moruya Jockey Club to make a joint presentation from the Christmas races to our 2018 charity, Muddy Puddles. The meeting is expected to be chaired by Assistant Governor Alan Russell.
The final sum will be announced on the night. Should be a big night; Moruya Club is expecting a possible 80 people.This is the sixth year we have been involved with Moruya Jockey Club. In that time, the combined efforts of the four organisations have raised $119,000; that money has supported the Moruya Oncology Unit, 12 defibrillators in our three towns, the four Surf Life Saving Clubs, and now Muddy Puddles.
Out and About
Men’s Shed finds new home
Laurelle represented the Club at last Friday’s lease signing for a new home for the Men’s Shed in front of over 60 people including NSW Transport Minister and Member for Bega Andrew Constance and Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes. The site is next to Narooma Scout Hall on land owned by the NSW Government adjacent to the corridor for the proposed Narooma bypass. The Bypass proposal dates back to the 1950s. NSW Roads and Maritime has leased the site to Council which has then sub-leased it to the Men’s Shed. The lease is for 15 years with a five-year option.
Since 2012, Narooma Men’s Shed has leased temporary facilities in Glasshouse Rocks Road but that lease expires later this year. The Men’s Shed, with around 50 active members, persistently lobbied Council for many years to help them find a long term home.
They intend building three sheds on the leased site and, through an agreement apparently yet to be finalised with the Scouting Association, use the old Scout Hall as their lunch room. Their idea is that the Men’s Shed will maintain the building but make it available for other uses. The group has already over $100,000 set aside for the project, with an anticipated extra $100,000 needed to complete it. They are now working towards DA approval.
You might recall that the Scout Hall was Narooma Rotary’s first major project. It was built in 1959/1960 by Narooma Rotarians using recycled timber from renovations to Hyland’s Hotel (the bottom pub). That was in Bill Smyth Senior’s year as President. Over the years, the Club has also donated significant funds to assist local Scouts buy equipment.
Christmas Races Charity for 2019
Ideas are now being canvassed for an appropriate beneficiary of the proceeds of the 2019 Charity Race Day. The main criteria are that it can be readily identified as a joint Rotary and Jockey Club project, plus benefit Eurobodalla Shire as a whole. If you have an idea, please forward it to Rod and include a few words about why you are suggesting it.
Melbourne will host 2023 RI Convention
Melbourne will host the 2023 Rotary International Convention on 27-31 May 2023. It is expected to attract over 20,000 delegates making it the largest Conference held in Melbourne since the previous RI Convention in 1993. It will use the Rod Laver Arena and the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
It is a Multi-District project initiated by RC Melbourne and D9800. A delighted Melbourne President Robert Fisher said, “This is fantastic news for Rotary in our part of the world”. The RI Board selected the Melbourne bid last month. The bid was put together by ‘a partnership’ between the Melbourne Convention Bureau, Districts 9800/ 9810/ 9820/ 9790/ 9780 and RC Melbourne
Theme 2019/2020 ‘Rotary Connects the World’
RI President-elect Mark Daniel Maloney’s theme for 2019-20 is Rotary Connects the World. He asks Rotarians to strengthen the many ways that Rotary Connects the World, building the connections that allow talented, thoughtful, and generous people to unite and take meaningful action through Rotary service.
He said Rotary is built on connection. “When Paul Harris came to Chicago as a young lawyer, he formed Rotary for one compelling reason: to help him connect to others in a new city. More than a century later, we have at our disposal countless ways to form friendships and networks, most of which Paul Harris never dreamed.
“Yet Rotary’s ability to connect us remains unique and unrivalled. Through its distinct mission and structure, Rotary International provides a way to connect to our communities, to network professionally, and to build strong and lasting relationships.”