Julie’s Jots
All reports from last Thursday are it was a fabulous night enjoyed by our members and guests, especially the recipients. A real ‘feel good’ occasion and the word is the Preschool Team may have more accolades to follow soon, all well deserved. Our Exchange student Hilma also spoke, updating everyone on her last few weeks.
We have a great week coming up with our Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday when we will hear from some of our key business people about their expectations of the coming busy summer season. Please let Laurelle know if you intend to go by COB Monday. Bookings are essential.
Our monthly Market is the following Sunday; David has sent an email with a link to the roster so again, all hands on deck please, PLUS we will be starting to sell our Duck Race tickets, with proceeds towards the Carers’ Accommodation at the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital plus other community projects.
The Week that Was
Last Thursday’s special night to award a Vocational Excellence Award to Narooma Preschool Director Kathy Phipps and her Team was a great success. Our Club recognised not only their initiative in developing an authentic local indigenous curriculum unit in association with the local Yuin community; we also recognised their sharing the impressive teaching kits they created with 20 other early childhood centres in our local area. Our MC was Françoise Cleret.
Mrs Phipps said they are all very proud of what they have achieved.
“It’s been a huge undertaking with lots of discussion along the way about how we could best meet the Department of Education’s mandatory requirements of an indigenous unit but do it authentically with local relevance,” she said. “Thanks to our staff, particularly Kate Heffernan, we were able to involve wonderful resource people from our community, especially Trish Ellis, Natalie Bateman and Eddie Moore, the High School and the Men’s Shed.
“The unit tells traditional Yuin stories and incorporates the local Dhurga language, thanks to Trish and her sister Kerry, which our staff have been learning through TAFE.
“Children love beautiful things and the stunning artwork on the storyboards by Natalie and the wonderful artefacts made by Eddie are loved and respected by all our children.” About one-third of Narooma Preschool’s students are from Aboriginal families.
The team created 20 basket trunks of unique storyboards, books, artefacts and other teaching materials that were then gifted to other early childhood centres around the Eurobodalla. The Preschool is now developing a PowerPoint to suggest to other centres how they might best use the material.
This programme was funded by a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
THIS WEEK
This Thursday 21st – Business Breakfast
Our next Rotary Business Networking Breakfast on Thursday 21st (7am sharp) should be fascinating and timely with a great line-up of panel speakers on the coming Tourism season. The panel of five local business people will each talk for about five minutes maximum on the approaching busy summer season – their expectations and anticipated challenges. They are Teaghan Abbott of Easts Holiday Park, Sally Bouckley of Southbound Escapes, Victor Costa of Merivale, Tania McHugh of She Fashion of Narooma and Bermagui, Tash Clutterbuck of Oyster Farmer’s Daughter.
We intend starting the panel promptly at 7.15am so we’re asking everyone to have some breakfast, grab a coffee and be ready by then. Please let Laurelle know by COB Monday 18 November if you are coming. Cost is $10.
This Sunday 24th – Market
Out and About
From Moruya Rotary
The Board of Moruya Rotary approved several donations last week. One of $1,500 was to The Red Door that provides a weekly meal to those who are financially or socially disadvantaged; another $1,500 was to Sue Proud’s initiative to provide care packages to women and children who are fleeing domestic violence. The board also approved contributions to two RAWCS projects proposed by Shirl Cornish: $3,000 for community development and education assistance in Santa Isabel in the Solomon Islands, and a pledge of $2,000 for a Uganda project, to be paid when that project reaches a total of $8,000.
WHO on Gaza Polio vaccinations
The second round of the polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip was completed in early November, again in three phases across central, south and northern Gaza under area-specific humanitarian pauses in bombardment. Overall about 94% of the target population of 591 714 children under the age of 10 years received a second dose of nOPV2 across the Gaza Strip. The third phase in northern Gaza had to be temporarily postponed because of intense bombardments, mass displacements, lack of assured humanitarian pauses and access; it resumed 2 November but was confined to Gaza City which had received many evacuees from North Gaza. At least two doses and a minimum of 90% vaccination coverage are needed in each community to stop circulation of the polio strain affecting Gaza.
The total number of wild Polio paralysis cases in the world has increased from 12 in 2023 to 71 so far this year in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
NEXT WEEK
Next Thursday 28th – Dinner Speaker
Our Dinner Speaker Bronwyn Jewel will give us some insight into her ‘Slice of Life in the Torres Strait’.
Bronwyn worked on Thursday Island for nine years as both the Manager of Gab Titui, the Cultural Centre, and as a Program Manager Culture, Art and Heritage for the Torres Strait Regional Authority .Her talk will centre around the film Ailan Kastam and then specially about the arts and culture of the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginal People of the region.
Bronwyn is not speaking on behalf of Torres Strait Islanders but rather describing her experience through her roles there.