Adrian Crowe was at the door, Sergeant Ian Mayberry also acted as Chairman, since the appointed Chairman was AWOL…
President Charles Thomasson welcomed all members, including our Rotaractor guest KJ Jewson (by the way, did you know that KJ is the current President of the Rotaract Club of Nordwest (Bremen, Germany)? The wonders of modern technology! Charles summarised the previous half year (for details, refer to the file ‘Surfers Sunrise Rotary – 2020 Summary’ in the Download section on the right), but particularly highlighted that 2021 marks the Centenary of Rotary in Australia. Various functions will be organised, including a Baton Relay around February – March.
Mario Fairlie brought us up to date on the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu project. He advised that we have got “most” of the money to finish the building. The second stage, on-site erection of the building currently has a question mark over it due to COVID-19 restrictions. It largely depends on how rapidly the immunisation in Australia is proceeding, which in turn should influence the situation at the border. Stage 3, the furnishing of the unit with X-Ray and Ultrasound equipment will depend on the success of a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation. Mario recently attended a seminar directed specifically at how to apply – it’s rather complex. We are also expecting to obtain funds from District.
Youth Service Director Darrell Brown outlined various projects in his department. We’ll participate with attendees to our RYTS as well as RYLA this month. We are looking for nominees for RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment), for 14 – 16 year olds, held at Bornhoffen over 3 days from 13th – 16th May 2021. Click on the link for details. Also, Briana Dorrough (photo right) is right now attending the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra – she will be our guest speaker on 3rd February!Treasurer Doug Lipp reported on the results of various fundraising events he recently had (Italian Long Lunch, Bunnings Sausage Sizzle just before Christmas) – very nice! Particular thanks must go to Johnny Bueti, who organised the Long Lunch. Doug also foreshadowed that invoices for the half yearly dues ($180, with $20 discount if you pay on time). You can also again pre-pay the Meeting Fees - $120 for 13 meetings to end of June ($10 per meeting).
Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray thanked all members who participate in the Project Shed Activities. We need more volunteers! Larry also reported on the new Rotaract Club: it’s ready to go!