Andrew’s Thoughts
What a splendid evening last Thursday, albeit we were unlucky to not retain the Cinders Trophy. With 60 people there, the atmosphere was brilliant as was the inter-Club rivalry, all in good spirits of course. With the blend of Christmas in July and Bastille Day, this added something special to the event. My special thanks to Chris (and her band of Quota helpers) for such a splendid job – she was a credit to the Club. Roll on 2023 when we shall recapture the Trophy!
Friday’s Board meeting was cancelled due to many members being either sick or on vacation, all things of consequence being deferred to early August.
This week is the last of our winter break months for the Business Breakfast program; we recommence on Thursday 18 August. Also recommencing in August will be the Prostate Cancer Support Group on Tuesday 2nd when Dr Gundi Muller will lead a club night and discussions.
This Sunday is the July markets and let’s hope the rain holds off!
The following Thursday (28 July) we welcome Sol Ramana-Clarke speaking on medical cannabis. This is a very relevant topic and worthy of a good number to hear Sol’s talk.
So, as we catch our breath, it’s onwards and upwards mes amis!
THIS WEEK
No Business Breakfast this Thursday. We resume breakfasts in August after our winter break.
THIS SUNDAY IS OUR MARKETS – the Market Roster will be emailed. Hope you are able to help.
The Week that Was
More on last Week’s Cinders
It was the French twist being Bastille Day that seemed to appeal more to our merry throng last week, rather than the Christmas in July theme. However, Ange Ulrichsen and her team of table decorators catered for all. Many of our Moruya friends and our own donned appropriate headwear, with Phil and Keith Armstrong even arriving fresh (well….) from the Tour de France with their cycling helmets, Keith sporting the maillot jaune as leader at that time and Phil the polka-dot jersey (which shed dots through the night!) as King of the Mountain. Moruya Rotarians were impressed with our board menu selection, the quality of the food and the efficiency of Paul’s team in serving.
Chris O’Brien did a great job with the questions; general agreement was they were pitched at the right level for everyone. The last rounds with picture cards added variety. Having Quota members, so experienced with Trivia quizzes, to help with the scoring was an inspired move.
There has been a fair bit of discussion among Moruya and some Narooma Rotarians since about who really won. According to some Moruya Rotarians, we reverted to a formula devised by Allan Jennaway some years ago (says the Moruya bulletin) where totals scored by each side are divided by the number of competitors on each side. Moruya’s bulletin this week notes this gave Narooma an average score of 9 plus per competitor, Moruya 10 plus. To quote from the Moruya bulletin, “the Jennaway formula did not last. Its inherent weakness was that the smaller side, stacked by chosen intelligentsia would generally have the advantage. So it might be that President Andrew, our welcoming host, felt it important that the visitors should be the winners — a judgement which we raucously welcomed on the homeward bus. Will we be equally gracious as next year’s hosts? Probably not.”
No one is really concerned though; it was a great night enjoyed by everyone.
Out and About
News from Rory Spurgeon
Rory Spurgeon is our 2020 Tertiary Scholar, studying at ANU. He sent through his First Semester very impressive” results to his counsellor Bob Aston to get his next and final scholarship payment.
Sorry I missed the Rotary meeting last month; I just got back from a trip to India with my friends. This last semester was by far my busiest. Both physics courses were very time intensive, I was in the Fenner musical, I coached Ultimate Frisbee, and I was a senior resident for Fenner (free rent in exchange for providing pastoral support and other care for residents). I also got Covid for a week which set me back on all my studies. Apart from that I still did all the other fun university stuff: lots of sport, chatted with lecturers and other students, and volunteered at a coffee shop. It was still another great experience though, just a much more busy one. I found physics took up so much of my time that I didn’t do as well on any of my courses but here are my results: Mathematics HD, Chemistry HD, Physics 2013 D, Physics 2020 D
As Bob says, “I don’t know how he fits so many things into his life”. We all wish Rory well for the Second Semester and with his future plans.
ACT Small Business Breakfasts
The Rotary Clubs of Canberra Weston Creek and Belconnen are running a series of six free business breakfast information sessions for small businesses May through to October. They start at 7.30am at the Raiders Kippax Club. The idea is to learn new business critical information and network with like-minded business people in the ACT. Sessions include ideas and tips on business planning, IT, leadership, staffing, peer support, mental health, sustainability, and advertising.
NEXT THURSDAY 28 July
Dinner Meeting with guest speaker Sol Ramana-Clarke on Medicinal Cannabis. Medicinal cannabis is a medicine that comes from the Cannabis sativa plant (commonly called marijuana). Medicinal cannabis and the recreational drug should not be confused; unlike medicinal cannabis, marijuana is not a medicine and contains unknown quantities of active ingredients and other impurities.
Sol will talk about its history, traditional use, modern research about its health benefits, the legalities, as well as the economic benefits of hemp products for farmers. This should be an interesting night so please bring family and friends.