Greetings, fellow members, associate members and friends of Surfers Sunrise Rotary.
What a delight the first few weeks of the new Rotary year have been.
Just over a week ago, I attended a four-hour District workshop on leadership and membership. I learned several valuable things, but more importantly, I had the opportunity to meet our District Governor, Deb Frugtniet. You will be very impressed by her enthusiasm and passion for Rotary. She has already set a date to visit our club, and I know you will enjoy meeting her.
We also held our first Board meeting of the new Rotary year. The meeting dealt with a wide range of matters and was completed in less than two hours. The minutes will be available on our website shortly. What impressed me most was the enthusiasm, commitment and positive attitude shown by each of our Directors. It is clear that we have an excellent team guiding our Club over the coming year. Planning for the 40th Birthday on 16th January have commenced. Talk with Graeme or Adrian if you would like to help and be involved.
During the past two weeks, I have also spent some time at the Project Shed. As President, it has been fascinating to learn more about the current status of our Wheelchair Project. As many of you know, a 40 foot container of wheelchairs was recently shipped to South Africa. This week, Coastwise Church – Faith in Service, Mt Mee, collected 14 wheelchairs to include in a container bound for Vanuatu. Next week, another 24 wheelchairs will be transported to RAWCS in Brisbane, where the Rotary Club of Toowoomba will include them in a container destined for Papua New Guinea.
This means we now have only 6 completed wheelchairs in stock. If we were to receive a request for another 40-foot container today, it would probably take us until after Christmas to produce enough wheelchairs to fill it. What an outstanding achievement and a wonderful testament to the demand for the life-changing work of our volunteers and the receptance that get the opportunity to get mobility.
Many members may not be aware that the Rotary Club of Gladstone also receives wheelchair kits from us. Team Global Express (formerly Toll Transport) generously provides free transport for the kits. Members of the Gladstone Rotary Club assemble the wheelchairs, after which students from the local high school paint them. Have a look at the pictures! The finished chairs look absolutely magnificent.
Susan Howard, the District's Chair of MUNA (Model United Nations Assembly), will prsent on this important program. MUNA is one of the secret jewels of Rotary. Every year, multiple districts, each with dozens of teams, stage this event where Year 11/12 students represent their High School, to be the UNO representatives of a country assigned to them. The winner then are invited to participate at a national event.
In this year's event (May 2026), our club sponsored three teams from Trinity Lutheran College.Four of the participants, accompanied by one of their teachers, will also participate. This is going to be a BIG meeting!
One of our primary annual even ts: The presentation of the 'Lutzy Award', in memory of our late member Keith Lutz, who also was a leader in the Surf Life Saving Club. A fully fledged surf ski, the details of the award signwritten on it, will be presented. The recipient will be "an emerging leader", not necessarily the top surfer (but of course can be), usually between 14 and 17 years old. Who will it be? Come and find out!
Convenor Graeme Isaacson has again negotiated a yummy breakfast, at the same price as last year: just $25.00 per person. But, you must book:
Our two organisations have had a working relationship for years: this church runs youth programs that teach kids the basics of bicyle maintenance, and Wayne is frequently picking up bits and pieces from our discarded items to use in their program.
A couple of days ago, Wayne Foale from Coastwise Church-Faith in Service Mt Mee just swapped 14 wheelchairs for some packets of chocolates for the shed volunteers. The chairs are being included in their container heading to Vanuatu. Thanks for the chocolates, Wayne!
At this morning's meeting, President Mario Fairlie officially welcomed our newest member, Lucy Cole. Lucy is a leading personality in the local Real Estate industry (we understand that her nicknam is "The Penthouse Queen", on account of her holding an unofficial record of the total number of penthouses sold on the Gold Coast). Lucy was nominated by Tulip Penney (picture right) Welcome to Rotary Surfers Sunrise!
This morning, on behalf of Immediate Past President Paul Seymour, President 2026-27 Mario Fairlie completed the award presentations to two of our top members who were unable to attend last Sunday's Changeover Luncheon: he presented Doug Lipp with his Fellowship Cup, and Kane Chisholm is our newest Paul Harris Fellow. Congratulations!
Last Monday, another ute load of freshly sandblasted and powder coated bike frames came back to our wheelchair shed, compliments of Coastal Powder Coating and Blasting. This company, established in 1985, was introduced by our Associate Member Peter Schampers. They specialise in sandblasting and powder coating metal, including large items. Result: not only are our 'Rough Terrain' wheelchairs looking like brand new, but the time, labour and dollars saved is very substantial indeed.
Our sincere thanks go to the company and its directors, Brian Pollock and Lance White. In accordance with this year's Rotary International theme: will it create impact? You bet!
Well, I expected a flood of outraged Surfers Sunrise bulletin readers, heaping scorn, even abuse, a storm of protesting emails, as in "where (insert some choice blue expression) is my weekly Surfers Sunrise inspiration!!"... And it indeed came. "It", not "they". Yes, just one half line email (thank you G!).
Well, at the last board meeting it was decided to only publish the club bulletin on alternate weeks, when we have a "formal" meeting, as in this week.
"But, how can I find out what happened and what happens?" I hear you ask. Most of the articles are (and always were) posted to our website www.rotarysurferssunrise.org well before the bulletin is published, where they remain, for a while on the Home Page, or you can search in the Storiessection - all the way back to 2014. There you also find upcoming Events, as well as Download files, Photo Albums, previous editions oof the bulletin and lots of other good stuff. Go on! check it out! We are also on Facebook www.facebook.com/rcsurferssunrise.
However, if you do require some moral uplifting during the "bulletin free" weeks, don't hesitate to drop me an email or call or text me.
Duty Roster - note: subject to change - please check every week. Note: Fellowship duty also is expected to be at the Project Shed on the Saturday following the meeting
Does refusing to go to gym count as resistance training?
They tell you that nobody is perfect. Then, they tell you that practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their mind. Wilt Chamberlain, American Basketball player.
“Has anyone told you how handsome you look today?”
Susan Howard, the District's Chair of MUNA (Model United Nations Assembly), will prsent on this important program. MUNA is one of the secret jewels of Rotary. Every year, multiple districts, each with dozens of teams, stage this event where Year 11/12 students represent their High School, to be the UNO representatives of a country assigned to them. The winner then are invited to participate at a national event.
Convenor Graeme Isaacson has again negotiated a yummy breakfast, at the same price as last year: just $25.00 per person. But, you must book: 
Our two organisations have had a working relationship for years: this church runs youth programs that teach kids the basics of bicyle maintenance, and Wayne is frequently picking up bits and pieces from our discarded items to use in their program. 
At this morning's meeting, President Mario Fairlie officially welcomed our newest member, Lucy Cole. Lucy is a leading personality in the local Real Estate industry (we understand that her nicknam is "The Penthouse Queen", on account of her holding an unofficial record of the total number of penthouses sold on the Gold Coast). Lucy was nominated by Tulip Penney (picture right)
Last Monday, another ute load of freshly sandblasted and powder coated bike frames came back to our wheelchair shed, compliments of 
