Our club sponsored Chloe Chan (on a 50/50 basis) to attend the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra. Some of you would have met her when, at our meeting in late October last year, she introduced herself. She will report on her experiences, and how it has assisted her in her future career.-
Chloe Chan - National Youth Science Forum
Surfers Paradise SLSCApr 23, 2025
7:00 am – 8:30 am -
John Walters - School Mates Goonellabah RC)
Surfers Paradise SLSCMay 07, 2025
7:00 am – 8:30 am
Welcome to Surfers Sunrise Rotary!
A great way to start the day
We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 7:15 am
Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club
Esplanade (Cnr Hanlan Street)
Surfers Paradise, QLD 4217
Australia
Surfers Paradise, QLD 4217
Australia
Our club sponsored Chloe Chan (on a 50/50 basis) to attend the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra. Some of you would have met her when, at our meeting in late October last year, she introduced herself. She will report on her experiences, and how it has assisted her in her future career.The Foundation committee met 5th April 2025 to discuss and debate both District Grant and Global Grant applications for this incoming Rotary Year.
We are now in process with Fundraising Director Ross Augustine kindly collating a District Grant, due 31 May. With assistance from Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad collating numbers and details and any of us with anything else needed to fill in any gaps. The focus of the District Grant is to order additional materials for manufacture of the wheelchairs - additional materials as the purchase/expenditure would need to be around July AFTER the district Grant is approved and provided, with our matching funds. BIG BIG thanks to Ross and Geoff.
Global grant application - as it stands, consideration of applying for a Global grant is on pause as we deliberate short term, medium term and long term considerations for both the Shed and Club member/volunteer involvement. We can apply for a Global Grant anytime of the calendar if we decide to go ahead.
The Foundation committee will meet again in a couple of months to discuss both
- viability of applying for a global grant, how best and whether we go ahead, and,
- consider and discuss in earnest a LOCAL project/service that we also utilise the shed for, as we moderate the degree of work on the wheelchairs.
Earnest consideration of number two is necessary in light of particular matters raised. Such as,
- longevity of manpower required for wheelchair manufacture as it’s becoming an issue,
- considering a LOCAL project the shed can be effectively used for in parallel to wheelchair manufacture/delivery, and
- effective use of the shed that brings good light to renewing the lease when it comes up in 2028. That is, minimise the risk of losing the shed space if the Club wants to keep hold of it. A local project will make it even more attractive for the lease to be renewed for the Club.
Elizabeth Celi, Foundation Director.
Last Wednesday we enjoyed meeting with with our volunteers at our wheelchair project shed in Arundel. No formalities, just President Andy's rousing address from the pulpit to the troops.... 
And we welcomed our guests (and soon to be members) Kane Chisholm and Paige Lovett from Kieser Australia! Special thanks go to Angus 'Onion King' Miller for preparing, cooking and dishing up a stack of delicious Egg & Bacon rolls and to our Associate Member Lionel Molloy, who brewed several jugs of filter coffee! Great meeting. More pictures on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/rcsurferssunrise/
It's still early days, and details will be provided in the appropriate time. But meanwhile, reserve the date of Sunday 6th July 2025 for our Changeover Luncheon, when President Andy Bell will hand the collar over to President Elect Paul Seymour.
Despite the inclement weather we had on Friday and Saturday, the District Conference at the Sharks Football Club went without a hitch. But how can I, in a few sentences, summarise an event that featured around a dozen speakers? Many were specifically on Rotary related projects, such as the Malaria Vaccine project of Griffith University, the Youth Services programs our district runs. Some subjects were covered by panel discussions, rather than the one speaker.
Perhaps, if I select just a few of the most impressive ones:
On Saturday morning, PDG Jennifer Scott AM, who represented the Rotary International President, opened with an energetic address. Energetic? “High Octane Pocket Rocket” would be an adequate description (and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind). “Peace is not the absence of war. Peace is the absence of need” she thundered.
“Plastic Soup” – the words don’t make you feel comfortable, and that is just what that young woman Melanie Lewis intended. The enormous accumulation of plastic waste in the oceans, some in microscopic form, causes ecological damage all the way to seabirds being diagnosed with a “Parkinson’s Disease” like illness. They lose their memory. Click on the link.
Before her, the Managing Director of Lady Elliott Eco Resort, Peter Gosh OAM outlined how, in the mid-2000’s, he and his family took on the lease of that island in the Great Barrier Reef and built it to a major international tourist resort. So what? You may ask. Well, they are almost self-sustaining. A massive array of solar panels and batteries produce the energy to even run their own water desalination plant. And, meter by meter, the imported pest plants are replaced by natives. Even Prince (now King) Charles was impressed.
OK, one more: a young Canadian bloke, Cole Suter, talked about his project to bring sports, specifically, sports equipment, to children in disadvantaged countries, Kicks for Kids. So far, they have despatched some 40,000 basketballs to 27 countries. Yes, even just a football or a basketball will make a difference.
But ‘La pièce de resistance’ would have been the final speaker, Nat Cook, the five-times Olympian who represented Australia in Beach Volleyball and won Gold in Sydney. I recall having read, some time ago, one of my favourite authors, Bryce Courtenay’s description of being in a cyclone. Well, my writing skills are inadequate to describe Nat’s session. But like being in a whirlwind, you couldn’t help being totally engaged. Except that this was all fun, real fun! Sorry peeps. You missed out on an event that, just by itself, was well worth the investment of the registration fee.
A big Thank You! must go to DG Lisa Hunt and her organising team. If you have ever even organised a chook raffle, you would have an inkling of the gigantic amount of work that goes into planning and executing an event of this magnitude. I’m in awe. Congratulations. Well done!
(Photo taken Saturday morning before it all started. From left: Angus Miller, Catherine Huber, PDG Darrell Brown, Geoff Croad, Franz Huber, President Andy Bell, Ross Augustine, President Elect Paul Seymour.)
What is the collective noun for a group of top level Rotary leaders? Whatever it is, we were honoured today by the visit of District 9640 and Rotary International leader personalities, taking time out from this weekend's District Conference to visit our Project Shed. Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad (centre at back) welcomed District Governor Lisa Hunt (3rd from right at back), District Governor Elect John Oomen (4th from right) and his partner Narelle (front left), as well as PDG Jennifer Scott (front right) and her husband Ian, who are representing RI President Stephanie Urchick.
Welcome to the Surfers Sunrise Project Shed!
It's not easy to edit a guest speaker's report, if said speaker was... me. There's a high risk that it sounds boastful, so I best don't say anything at all! But I think the mob enjoyed my presentation at the club yesterday, on one of my passions: Australian Bush Poetry.So, how come that an immigrant with a bad Swiss accent and a speech impediment that makes it almost impossible for him to pronounce a 'th' (as in this) would be interested in Australian bush poetry? Well, I've been fortunate to be raised in a family where the equivalent to bush poetry (as in Swiss folklore poetry) was popular. There is an annual event 'Fasnacht' (Carnival), where in the olden days a special Carnival newspaper was published. Folks were encouraged to submit stories, preferably in rhyming format. Never mind if the truth didn't get in the way. The stories would often be quite sarcastic (but funny), and the general rule was that, as long as nobody was identified by name (but could easily be identified otherwise), the paper nor the author could be sued for libel. To this day, one of the major regions where this happens annually is in the city of Basel with their Schnitzelbank. I own several books with Swiss (as well as Australian) poetry myself.
In the early nineties, in an advertisement for Clean Up Australia Day, the famous actor Jack Thompson recited the beginning of the last stanza of Banjo Paterson’s ‘The Man from Snowy River’: And down by Kosciusko, where the pineclad ridges raise their torn and rugged battlements on high... awoke my interest. And, as they say, the rest is history.
These days, it is dead easy to immerse yourself in the best of Australian bush poetry. Not just the traditional ones (Banjo, Henry Lawson, CJ Dennis etc) but also modern era authors such as Graeme Watt, Bob Magor, Col Wilson. Visit the website of the Australian Bush Poetry Association www.abpa.org.au where you find dozens of current era, award winning works. Many of them serious, some of them hilariously funny.
Enjoy!
(Photo: some of our members, with Sgt Cherie McLean (front row, 2nd from left) and Stacey Ambrose (4th from left)
So you are wondering where all the money goes we raised at the last Golf Day? Well, a very substantial portion of it (together with a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation, via the District 9640) went towards purchasing some $7,477 worth of badly needed gymnastic equipment for our local Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC). At last Wednesday's presentation, Sgt Cherie McLean cooked us a pile of yummy Egg & Bacon rolls... Thank you, Cherie! Here is a summary, of the comments by Sgt Cherie McLean (Manager of the PCYC) and Stacey Ambrose, the Club Manager:
"We especially loved being able to hand pick the items for purchase, as it allowed our Gymnastics Program Leader to order items that were identified as crucial to our program. Some items purchased were to add to our supply of coaching aids. These items have provided our gymnasts with a variety of learning aids which have enhanced their learning experience, and enabled them multiple ways to practice skill technique.
Some items were purchased to accommodate the incredible growth our gymnastics program has experienced. In the last 12 months, our program has grown from approximately 135 gymnasts, to this week 233 gymnasts! The additional items have meant we can accommodate more participants on the floor at any given time. The two big mats were purchased to complete the fit out of our gymnastics floor. We were using older mats that really were not ideal for the area under our junior rings as they were too soft and smaller in size. The new mats are designed specifically for that apparatus which has improved the safety of the area.
The PCYC Gold Coast are very grateful for the support from Surfer's Sunrise Rotary, and look forward to other opportunities to support each other in the future.
(Check for more photos in the Photo Album section on the right)
A number of the guys at the shed yesterday assisted in the loading of 18 beds and 18 mattress which Del Cole and her son Davin provided the truck to collect the beds. This morning they delivered them to Alexandra Hills to be loaded into the container for shipment to Fiji. Thank You Del & Davin. Also yesterday a number of our members assisted in loading our ute & trailer with the the remaining 3 pallets of 36 wheelchairs plus a number of white boards, being part of the shipment to Fiji. With the assistance of Bryan Tuesley, Rick Old and Rick Parry, the balance of 3 medical beds , 3 mattress and 64 'Rough Terrain' wheelchairs were loaded on to another truck this morning. Rick Old and myself delivered them to RAWCS/RARE at Alexandra Hills, to be loaded into the container with the 18 beds etc for shipment to a Hospital in Fiji.
This is a joint project with the Archerfield Rotary Club who provided the 40ft container organised by Ray Deen and also John Paskin Manager of RAWCS/RARE Alexander Hills who is organising the shipment of the Container, with 21 Hospital Beds & 21 Mattress plus 100 wheelchairs. I would also like to thank all the members of the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Wheelchair factory for their full support and dedication in the manufacture of these wheelchairs.
(Picture, by Geoff Croad: John Thompson, Brendan Aspery, Don Ferguson, Rick Parry. More pictures on our Facebook page)
Breaking News: This year's Surfers Sunrise Golf Day has just concluded. With well over 90 players, a record (and, I dare say, most likely also a record fundraising effort). Photo is of the winning Corporate Team: Astill Cronin Lawyers. Golf Day organiser Charles Thomasson (second from left) introduces Glenn Screech, Ashley Cronin, Glenn O'Kearney and Ethan Ahrens. The same team also won the overall competition. Photo Album is now uploaded - see segment on the right. Full report in next week's bulletin.
This week's meeting was one of our special events of the year, the presentation of the Lutzy Award. The recipient, selected by the Surfers Paradise Life Saving Club, is not necessarily the top surfer, but is an emerging leader of the Life Saving organisation. According to David Orchard, one of the senior people in the Surfers SLSC, Louis' name came up easily. He is also the youngest ever awardee in the 9 year history of this award, presented in honour of our former member Keith Lutz.
Should you wonder "what defines an emerging leader?", check the list of Louis' record:
- 2023/2024 Nipper Club Captain
- 2023/2024 U14 Male Club Champion
- Obtained his Surf Rescue Certificate in November 2023
- Completed First Aid Certificate
- Completed 263.25 patrol hours and 14 water safety hours
- 2023/2024 Point Danger Branch & South Coast Branch Top Patrol Hours Winner at the Youth Gala Ball
- 2023/2024 Top Patrol Hours Runner Up
- 2023/2024 U14 Junior Life Saver of the Year @ Club and Branch Level
So, if ever there was proof that "you've got to be in it to win it", see above. The logical follow-on question then would be "what do you do in your spare time?" Yes, he is also learning to play the violin...
Photo, from left: David 'Orchy' Orchard, Jan Lutz, Louis van Drunen, Past President Doug Lipp (on behalf of President Andy), Louis with his mum, Sophie van Drunen. More photos on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/rcsurferssunrise
At the last meeting, our freshly baked President Andy emphasised that he wanted to put the Four-Way Test back into the forefront of our consciousness. So, I did a bit of digging into old records, and here is what I dug up out of the archives of 1997-98 from one of my (then) President's Messages. Today, 27 years later, it's still as relevant as ever:“Rotary is a miniature model of a world at peace, one which might advantageously be studied by nations. Rotarians believe that the universal application of tolerance and friendliness would bring about the international peace so earnestly desired by everyone. “ Words spoken over 50 years ago, on the 36th anniversary of Rotary, by its founder Paul Harris. Words still as relevant today as they were in 1941: Imagine, just for a moment, the effect of all world leaders truly applying the Four Way Test, at ALL TIMES…
Whilst this may seem to be highly desirable, this might be just as impossible to achieve as Karl Marx’s model of communism or Ayn Rand’s ideal of capitalism, outlined in her work ‘Atlas Shrugged’. Both models (and numerous others in between the two spectrums) work on the concept of everyone wanting to participate in the same ideal. Yet, some people want always to be influencing and leading, some people want just to be left alone, and some will always perceive the world to owe them a living.
When you joined Rotary, your welcome kit should have included a certificate of The Four Way Test, to display above your desk. Just make sure that it faces YOU.
At last Sunday's District Changeover, Surfers Sunrise, together with the two other participating Rotary clubs of Broadbeach and Gold Coast, were jointly declared winners of the most prestigious District Award, the Significant Achievement Award. The three clubs that were instrumental in the implementation of an X-Ray Unit at Mauna Health Centre on Pentecost Island, Vanuatu.
This project started in 2019, but then COVID caused serious disruption, ultimately completed towards the end of last year. More details to follow shortly. Meanwhile, you can download our club's Changeover Report (in the Download Section on the right), where you will find an excellent report of this project, written by Mario Fairlie.
Photo (by Andy Bell): Immediate Past President Doug Lipp (centre), accepting the award on behalf of our club.
Congratulation, Geoff Croad, on winning (yet once again) our club's top award! Well done, and well deserved. (For those of you who are not familiar with our system: This award is voted on via a silent ballot by all members of the club. Geoff won it this year with a clear majority).We had again an excellent Changeover Luncheon at Braeside Estate on Sunday 16th June, well organised by Graeme Isaacson. President Doug Lipp officially handed his collar to President Elect Andy Bell (Doug still has another two weeks to go though...☺). The speeches were short and to the point (as Surfers Sunrise events are well known for). As a very pleasant, unexpected surprise, Angie Bell MP, the local member for Moncrieff, joined us as well and gave a brief address. Angie is a great friend of our club, having been instrumental in helping us numerous times, including to obtain a grant which allowed us to purchase a ute for the project shed. Did you know that she was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student to Denmark?
In addition to Geoff's Rotarian of the Year award, Doug also presented the other awards
- Franz Huber - Quiet Achiever Award
- Charles Thomasson - Doug Waller Trophy
- Rock O'Keefe - Fellowship Cup
- John Groves and Matt Hayward both were bestowed a Paul Harris Fellowship (the second one for Matt), in recognition of the enormous amount both have done with the Pentecost Island X-Ray Unit project. John was the registered builder, Matt not only was active in the building phase but also is instrumental of making the electronics work. He'll go up again, now power has been re-established.
In the Photo Album section on the right you'll find a swag of pictures, mostly taken by our new member Dr Elizabeth Celi. Check it out!
(from left): Matt Hayward, Kristen 'KJ' Jewson, John Groves (the master builder), Mitch Brown, Ava Pearson, Hudson Sirovs, Al Sirovs and (front) Dan Snart.
Not your average meeting last Wednesday: Not only did we welcome a new member (see separate article above), but the team that went to Pentecost Island, Vanuatu to erect the X-Ray Unit at Mauna Health Centre fronted the club.
This wasn’t a simple task by any means: Master Builder John Groves eloquently outlined the enormous task of getting the X-Ray and Pathology Lab Unit built. After a two day trip, by Air to Port Vila, then by ‘Rock Hopper’ plane to Lonorore and a three-hour boat trip to the Mauna Health Centre, the task was to unpack the “flat pack” building which was shipped in two containers from our project shed in Arundel in February this year. There isn't much flat space there! To get it up the hill and re-erect it was a massive task. “Without the huge work of locals, it would never have happened”, John said.
Hard work it might have been, but the team was unanimous in declaring the exercise as a “once in a lifetime experience”. Twelve days of basic accommodation in a guest house, no electrical power (except in the Medical Centre), locally cooked
Last week, the project shed sent off the 11,015th wheelchair. Just on 3 years since we celebrated the 10,000th wheelchair in September 2013. The Photo on the right is our regular project shed worker Al Sirovs pointing out the number on the world map. The photo above shows some of the regulars, taken this morning. The wheelchair displayed is not exactly the 11,000th (that one is already on the way), but nobody needs to know... Third from left is Des La Rance OAM, who invented the concept and delivered the first 10 to Fiji in August 1997, 20 years ago! - See report in the Download Section on the right.As per President Mitch's message above, these photos were sent to to Bryan Tuesley, our wheelchair "foreman", from PNG, where they were deployed by Del Cole ('Someone Who Cares' Gold Coast based charity). Good to see that our work is doing good. Give yourselves a pat on the back!
In view of the Wheelchair Trust Deed's fairly strict limitations (money donated can only be spent on materials for wheelchairs and nothing else, not even for the shipment to their destination), we have registered an alternative account for Containers for Change. If you deposit your empties directly, and wish to donate the proceeds to the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club - General Account, please use this account code:
C10262571
(The account for the Wheelchair Trust is also still active: use C10199443 instead).
So, keep your soft drink bottles, stubby bottles, aluminium cans, milk cartons etc. As a general rule, most drink containers between 150ml and 3L can be returned for a refund under Queensland's container deposit scheme. Containers should be empty, unbroken, the lid removed and display a 10-cent refund marking on the label. Something like the image (right), but many others are simply marked as suitable for recycling. Note: they must NOT be crushed. See image above what is and what is not accepted. For details of what can / cannot be returned for cash, and where the locations are, click on this link. 
In the olden days, for a new member to join a Rotary club the unofficial rule was, expressed in simple terms, he should be "somebody who is in a position to hire and fire". Yes, 'he'. Thankfully, around 1987, the 'he' was expanded to also include the fairer sex. There were lots of other rules too, for example, weekly attendance at our meetings was considered to be just about essential. These days, the rules are very simple and straightforward. Here is an extract from the Membership section of our Club Consitution of 2019 (1):
Section 1 — General Qualifications.
This club shall be composed of adult persons who demonstrate good character, integrity, and leadership; possess a good reputation within their business, profession, and/or community; and are willing to serve in their community and/or around the world.
That should be simple enough. In other words, the majority of people in your circle of friends, in business, your suppliers, your customers qualify. Rotary is absolutely non-denominational, absolutely gender-neutral. All we ask for is of good character, has integrity, and a good reputation. Start making a list and invite them to come to one of our meetings.
(1) Members can download the Club Constitution from our website: (you need to login to the Member Area, top right of home page), then select Organisation, Documents and search for Constitution.
What a superb morning last Saturday at our Project Shed, where we celebrated the 10,000th Wheelchair manufactured. For any of our readers who are not familiar with the concept: parts from recycled bicycles, marine plywood, solid rubber BMX wheels and... LOTS OF VOLUNTEER HOURS equal a wheelchair which can be manufactured for $100! Give yourself a pat on the back, but particular recognition must go to the principal movers and shakers who started and carried this project through: Des La Rance, Daryl Sanderson and the late Keith Lutz and Bob Harrison. Jan Lutz was there, but regrettably, Gloria Harrison was unable to join us, but for a good reason: her grandson debuted on that same day, playing Grade 1 Cricket in the Queensland Premier League. Howzat! Bob would be proud on both accounts. We had the bulk of our members and volunteers present from an early hour, setting up the various marquees, putting the last touch to the refurbished bikes we had for sale, setting up the stage, the videos... The Rotaractors from Burleigh Heads were there in force, the Rotary Club of Parkwood ran a sausage sizzle and the Rotary Club of Broadbeach ran a raffle, our soon to be inducted new corporate members Adam and Tash from Invincable had a stand and so did the Pimpama State School with their version of the wheelchair design. We were honoured by visits from District Governor Andy Rajapakse, State MPs Rob Molhoek and Sam O'Connor (he has done a nice write up on his Facebook page too) as well as Councillors Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden and Brooke Patterson.
President Charles Thomasson opened the formal part of the celebrations welcoming our dignitaries, which was followed by a brief address by DG Andy Rajapakse, in which he referred to his own efforts of taking well over 500 wheelchairs for distribution in his country of origin, Sri Lanka. Following our DG, the inventor of the wheelchairs from bicycles, Des La Rance, outlined the project from early times in the mid 1990's, the breakthrough when Ray Martin's A Current Affair broadcast the delivery of the first 10 wheelchairs to Fiji in 1997, the building of schools for the tsunami affected regions of Thailand and Samoa, the House of Hope in Apia, leading to the current project of the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu.
But of course, the culmination of the morning was the presentation of a commemorative collage to Des La Rance (see picture). This was designed and made by Neil Thurlow and his graphic wizards of Accent Print and Copy.
Photo shows (from left) Jan La Rance, Daryl Sanderson, Des La Rance, Jan Lutz. More photos are in the Photo Album, videos coming up shortly.
Our super generous printer, Neil Thurlow and his very talented design artists at Accent Print & Copy have created a new flyer for our wheelchairs project. He has also provided some 2000 printed copies, which will be sent out by Apple Marketing to their mailing list of previous donors. It is uploaded to our Download Section (see right side), where you can download it and send it on to anyone whom you consider could be interested.
Thank you, Neil and your team!
I've uploaded a video which beautifully outlines what Rotary is all about. Go on, have a look at it. It's only a bit over 2 minutes, but very well done. Go to this link to view it:August is Membership Development and Extentions Month. Can you remember when you were inducted into Rotary? Have you considered why you were proposed by your sponsor? What made you to decide to join? Did you feel a sense of pride, of achievement, to be invited to join an organization of the highest international repute? Did you feel that your sponsor did “The right thing” by considering you to be potentially a good Rotarian ? Did you feel a little bit overwhelmed, sort of “am I really up to this?” You did?
“The more hands Rotary has, the better and more effectively the ideal of service will be achieved. Hence the importance of membership.” These words, spoken by one of Japans foremost Rotarians, Kanejiro Matsumoto put the point very straight. I put it even straighter: If we are to spread the workload of running this club, if we are to achieve our aims on the local scene (Youth Service, Vocational Service, Community Service), if we are to pull our weight on the International cart, we have an obligation to not only maintain, but increase membership. Whom have you asked lately to come along to one of our meetings?
President
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Director - Club Administration
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Chair - Wheelchairs Trust
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