[President Paul asked me to write a message on his behalf, as he was unwell the entire weekend. Ed.]
Greetings, fellow Rotarians, associate members and friends of Surfers Sunrise Rotary,
Did you know that, in 1968, astronaut Frank Borman took a Rotary banner on the Apollo 8 mission that circumvented the moon? (If you are a Rotarian in Australia, you would have received a copy of RDU.One, the Rotary Down Under magazine, which headlined this story. If you are not a Rotarian: what are you waiting for? Contact us – the links to all the club’s directors are listed on the right-hand side, take your pick!)
Our club used to have one of the most uncommon banners. You can still find it under the Surfers Sunrise History tab of our website www.rotarysurferssunrise.org. Go on! Unless you are faint-hearted, click on it! That design has now been “banned” as it no longer conforms to current public expectations. Whatever, as a Charter Member of the club, I can assure you that, 40 years ago, it wasn’t easy to get it approved by Rotary International! But it represented the (then) atmosphere of an early Surfers Paradise morning and, after all, we were the first breakfast club to be chartered on the Gold Coast. [Yes, sadly, without female members. And I'll probably be excoriated by some members for saying this.]
At last week’s board meeting, one of the items discussed was a club banner, or if not a banner, at least a wine bottle label, “suitable for modern times”, as we have run out of the labels (the same design as our old banner) that we stick on the present we give to our guest speakers. Watch this space! I just hope that it won’t be too correct, too clinically anodyne. It would not represent our club, which is anything but.
We recently welcomed Rob Thomasson as he had transferred from another Rotary club to Surfers Sunrise. He is the father of our Treasurer Charles Thomasson and has over 40 years of experience as a Rotarian. Get to know Rob better, as he outlines his background, his hobbies and his passions!
So, you happen to know the young teenager with potential leadership ability, but no opportunity to "awaken" it?
RYPEN is an excellent program, suitable for your (grand)sons, (grand)daughters and their mates. Among the myriad of youth programs Rotary runs year on year, RYPEN, short for Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment[yes, another Rotary acronym] is designed specifically for the young teenagers who currently attend Year 8, 9 or 10. It is run by our District from 15 - 17 May 2026 in Lennox Head (click on link for details). It is designed to empower candidates to build their self‑concept and resilience, as well as learning life skills such as communication, teamwork, and community responsibility.
Our club has sponsored candidates for this camp numerous times. Let me assure you: we've never had one coming back who was not over the moon. Contact our Youth Services Director, Mitch Brown directly if you know a suitable participant. You've an excellent chance of the club sponsoring it!
I recall some time back [yes, a long time ago...] a business coach drumming into me that "it's all about relationships". Too right. It doesn't matter whether Artificial Intelligence will take over the world - the successful person, privately or in business, will be the one who has lots of good, healthy relationships.
Some years ago, our club came to a mutually productive arrangement with Nikki Mullen and her company, Express Recycling. Recently, Nikki posted an article on LinkedIn - click here. They will come and pick up any empty containers we collect from whereever, and pay the full rate of 10 cents per container to our club for our projects. They will even provide the specially designed containers. In 2025 alone, some 165,000 containers were collected. Is this a perfect example of a win-win relationship or what? Thank you, Nikki!
As mentioned in the President's Message above, can we raise a team to compete in the Gold Coast Ramble, on 18th April, this year? Check out the poster in the Download files, and contact President Paul directly!
Did you know that Milton Dick, the current Speaker of the Federal Parliament, will speak at the upcoming Tri-District Conference? The them of his speech will be 'Reaching across Boundaries', which just happens to also be the theme of the conference itself. What boundaries? As a professional politician from Brisbane since early age (he joined the Labor Party at 18, and has worked with or in politics his entire working life. Can't wait for the Question Time (if indeed there will be one...).
This will be big. Real big: it will be the first conference where three Districts are combining. And it will be held on the Gold Coast, at the Royal Pines Resort. Yes, total attendance numbers can only be an educated guess. Logically, there is a good chance that there won't be enough seats. Book online - Bookings close on 19th April. Download the Conference Flyeras well as theGolf Flyer (Download Section) for more details, and a link to book.
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
Not all construction work is equally enjoyable. For example, drlling a hole is boring, where as fastening pieces of metal together is riveting.
The less talent they have, the more pride, vanity and arrogance they have. All these fools, however, find other fools who applaud them.Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch Philosopher, 1466 – 1536
Riverdance was invented by an Irish family with 7 kids, but only one toilet.
We recently welcomed Rob Thomasson as he had transferred from another Rotary club to Surfers Sunrise. He is the father of our Treasurer Charles Thomasson and has over 40 years of experience as a Rotarian. Get to know Rob better, as he outlines his background, his hobbies and his passions!
So, you happen to know the young teenager with potential leadership ability, but no opportunity to "awaken" it? 
Did you know that Milton Dick, the current Speaker of the Federal Parliament, will speak at the upcoming Tri-District Conference? The them of his speech will be 'Reaching across Boundaries', which just happens to also be the theme of the conference itself. What boundaries? As a professional politician from Brisbane since early age (he joined the Labor Party at 18, and has worked with or in politics his entire working life. Can't wait for the Question Time (if indeed there will be one...).
