Last Wednesday’s Guest Speaker came all the way from the Rotary Club of Goonellabah (near Lismore). John Walters outlined an interesting program his club is running to curb the ever-present problem of underprivileged children attending school being undernourished, and in consequence, underperforming. Hold on! Undernurished?. Hungry? In Australia? Yes.From a lower rate of 15%, to as much as 96% of children in schools don’t get breakfast. More than 40% don’t have lunch. Combine that with the stigma attached to wearing a second-hand uniform when starting the first year High School... well, there is no need to greatly elaborate.
John’s Rotary Club has established a program in conjunction with the local schools (since promoted to many other schools in the vicinity): This is how it works and why it works: the Rotary club communicates with the Headmaster to identify what is needed (not which kids need help). Not just food, but also uniforms, shoes, learning materials, access to special programs or events and activities that are out of a family’s financial reach. Individual children are NOT identified, as goods (or food) are purchased and distributed by the school. The club organises the financing and liaises with the school.
In the Download section (top right-hand side), you can find a detailed PDF of the School Mates program. Spend a bit of time studying and evaluating it. It makes sense, it is effective and is a program well worth adopting, because it produces results. (Photo: John Walters (on right) with our Meeting Chairman of the day, Ray Higgs)
Bookings for the Sportmen's Lunch on Friday 20th June 2025 are now open. It will be held at the Surfers Paradise Golf Club. Join us for a super-fun event with famous comedian Danny McMasters as MC and Rugby greats Mick Veivers and Tom Lawton as guest speakers. Heaps of finger food and unlimited drinks package from 12 noon to 3 pm.
“I heard the call for volunteers to help at this place on Radio 4CRB, where my wife volunteers, and I thought that would be a good place for me to work” he explained when I asked John how he found out about us.
As President Andy mentioned in his closing remarks, we always hear the mostly negative stories about "Today's Youth" and - regrettably - one hears so little about young emerging leaders who quietly beaver in their classrooms, the school library and slave over hot computers to qualify for the rather stringent requirements to be selected to attend the annual National Youth Science Forum in Canberra. Future leaders in their professions who well may make headlines when they publish their discovery some years hence. Considering that it is quite expensive (over $3,000, of which our club sponsors 50%), the event is usually oversubscribed and participants are selected purely on their level of scientific knowledge and in particular on aptitude. 
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 
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).
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 
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, 
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. 
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. 
