I don't know about other clubs - I've only ever been a member of the Rotary breakfast club on the Gold Coast, and our club assemblies certainly are worth your time. At last Wednesday's meeting, Vice President Andy Bell valiantly tried to cram all the agenda items into the one hour available.To start off, Andy clarified the relationship between the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Trust and the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club. In simple terms: The Rotary Club is the full owner of the Wheelchair Trust, and all decisions, as well as the management and running of the project shed and it's associated wheelchair building processes, are the responsibility of members of the Rotary club. The Trustees, headed by the Chairman (Geoff Croad) must all be members of the Rotary Club. The Wheelchair Trust is the registered charity into which donations can be made.
A number of directors and committee chairs briefly presented: Fundraising Director Ross Augustine elaborated on various aspects, including the upcoming Golf Day, the Containers for Change system, an upcoming Bunnings Sausage Sizzle at their Nerang Store on Saturday 25th October, just to mention a few. By the way: did you know that last year, the club has paid a total of $12,481 for overhead expenses at the project shed? Rates, motor vehicle expenses, consumables, power... Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad advised of a $25,000 donation "from a member", and another $25,000 donation can be expected "from an honorary member" once the formalities for a trust has been completed. Both wish to remain anonymous. Ian Mayberry brought us up to date on the status of our new 'School Mates' project. Our new member Tulip Penney has agreed to take on the clubs Public Relations job, with the aim to get more exposure in both the electronic as well as the print media. Youth Services Director Mitch Brown outlined the various District 9640 youth programs, with particular emphasis of RYTS (Rotary Youth Transition Seminar), designed for Year 11-12 Students. Applications are now open. Note: advise Mitch directly if you know of a candidate. For suitable applicants, full sponsorship by our club is available to cover the $800 fee.