This weeks message will be a short one - written on the road between Montalto and Ten Minutes by Tractor vineyards in the beautiful Mornington Peninsula. We managed to leave the Gold Coast as the weather turned and caught a great spell down here in Victoria.
The most important thing I want to do is thank Richard and Franz for organising last Wednesday's Excellence in Workmanship Awards and congratulate all our Awardees, every one of which was a deserving recipient. It never fails to surprise me how much these awards mean to people and despite the fact that all our guests are seasoned professionals, all were genuinely grateful and proud to have been recognised. I hope this fixture stays on our calendar in future years and we can continue to encourage great workmanship in our community.
I popped into the SPSLSC on Wednesday to pick up our banners for the dinner to discover that we had been visited by a Rotarian from Rotary Club of Santa Monica - he hadn't contacted us or checked out the website but called in on the off chance we would be meeting and left us their banner. I have been in contact with the Club President to say thank you but I did think that no matter how 'glamorous' a location Santa Monica sounds what a wonderful place we have to meet in and how very lucky we are.
Next month is Rotaract month and I was reflecting on our membership discussions and the notion of incorporating those that have participated in our Youth Programs into our membership pipeline. This seems like an excellent way of building a bridge to younger members and I think we should look at this in March as part of Charles and Mark's membership program which I'm really looking forward to.
The Feb Board meeting has been amalgamated with an all Committee meeting in March - so we can view this again then ... Along with Koalas, Small Bus Expo and some fellowship opportunities which are long overdue.
I won't be there at Lark on Wednesday as still on holiday - have a great brekky and look forward to seeing you back on 6th March. Have a wonderful week y'all.
Best wishes, Mrs W
Post Script: Ten minutes by tractor, Montalto and a cheeky 15 tastings at Redhill Estate - highly recommended. Hic! [One assumes that your airline will allow you to check the case of red, which Redhill Estate donated in consideration of free advertising in our bulletin, at no charge... ☺ Ed.]
This coming Wednesday, 27th February, we'll enjoy a social breakfast at a venue we haven't been for quite some time: the Lark Cafe on Main Beach. Note: NOT at Domani's as previously advised - they don't do breakfast anymore:
In her President's Message last week, Jo encouraged you to develop an 'Elevator Speech' suitable to give to potential members of our great club. For those of you who have not heard that expression: An Elevator Speech is designed to motivate the listener to hear more, to become further engaged. It must not be longer than the time it would take you to go up from the Ground Floor to, say, Level 10 in a high-rise building, e.g. about 30 seconds. Click here and here for some tuition and examples on how to make it interesting rather than boring. So, make yourself a list of what you believe makes Surfers Sunrise Rotary worth promoting, then prepare and learn your speech. [Don't worry about being overheard when you are practicing aloud. Your better half already knows you are sometimes talking to yourself... ☺ Ed.] Might as well do it now - the Sergeant might just pick on you at the next 'Membership 101' meeting on 6th March!
Last Wednesday evening, we had dinner at the Quality Hotel (Lone Star Tavern) in place of our usual breakfast meeting. The event was to present an Excellence in Workmanship Award to six well deserving people. The following awards were presented - from left in photo above:
Chad Elger, Duty Manager at Club Helensvale and Luke Wade, Head Greenkeeper at Club Helensvale with sponsor: Gerald East
Sponsor Mark Twyford with Kate Hooper, Manager of Gold Coast Pistol Club
Shane Beacall, Operations Manager at Mission Australia with sponsor Tanya Twyford
Bonnie Graham, Service Manager at Frizelle's Southport, sponsor Col Laurenson and Chris Tompkins, Manager of Aus-Tech Electrical Services
More photos in the Photo Album Section on the right. All photos by Charles Thomasson.
Whenever those horrendous weather or fire events happen, numerous appeals are being launched, by major organizations all the way down to the very small. And frequently, one wonders where your hard earned money donation will actually end up. I recall having read reports of millions of dollars that still sat in somebody's bank account two and three years later, for example in relation to the Victorian bush fires a few years ago. Well, this one you can be assured of will find its target: RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service) has launched a national project. They are working together with the Rotary Club of Townsville South West (District 9550)
Project Number 75-2018-19: North Queensland Flood Relief Appeal
Description: A Relief Project to accept donations for those affected by the 2019 North Queensland Floods.
Sponsored by: RAWCS National
On-line donations can be made through the following link:https://donations.rawcs.com.au/75-2018-19. The appeal has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) registration and has been listed as a Charitable Fund so we can accept tax deductible donations from individuals or organisations.
OK, so it seems still to be a fair way off - two months away. But accommodation will soon become hard to get - other people have already booked. Your Editor and his better half will go down on Friday for the three days.
Why attend a District Conference?
Well, to start, it's fun: you meet lots of interesting people (the most interesting Rotarians DO attend the conference - not meaning to be bragging about myself of course)
You will hear Keynote Speakers for which you normally would pay hundreds of dollars to attend
The dinners are always superb fellowship events. The Saturday Night dinner is always very vibrant; this year they have a top notch Jazz & Swing band. Yes, we dance!
You learn a couple of things about Rotary which you may not have known before
Registration for Rotarians and their partners is free of charge, however, in fairness, a fee applies to partake in the events which serve food. Click on this link to go to the Registration Page.
Duty Roster - note: subject to change. Please check every week:
New duty: Fellowship. What does it entail? Your job is to ensure that all members, in particular new members, visitors and guests, and in particular the Guest Speaker, are welcomed, are introduced to other members and are comfortable. If required, explain the usual procedures, e.g. when we have our meal, when the speaker is expected to be at the rostrum etc.
There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave. – Dale Carnegie
So you want an example of an Elevator Speech?
One of my books is a hallucinogen, an aphrodisiac, a mood elevator, an intellectual garage door opener, and a metaphysical trash compactor. It'll do everything except rotate your tires. Tom Robbins
This coming Wednesday, 27th February, we'll enjoy a social breakfast at a venue we haven't been for quite some time: the Lark Cafe on Main Beach. Note: NOT at Domani's as previously advised - they don't do breakfast anymore:
Last Wednesday evening, we had dinner at the Quality Hotel (Lone Star Tavern) in place of our usual breakfast meeting. The event was to present an Excellence in Workmanship Award to six well deserving people. The following awards were presented - from left in photo above:
OK, so it seems still to be a fair way off - two months away. But accommodation will soon become hard to get - other people have already booked. Your Editor and his better half will go down on Friday for the three days. 
