Gidday Members of Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club, Associates and Friends of Rotary,
A well attended ‘formal’ meeting this week. Our guest speaker was John Walters from the Rotary Club of Goonellabah. John spoke to us about a wonderful project he founded called Rotary School Mates. This is a project very close to my heart. Having been born and spending my first 10 years in a small coal mining village (Twechar) in Scotland where, as they say in the classics we were as poor as church mice so I can identify with being poor and my family, through no fault of theirs being unable to afford such luxuries as breakfast or school excursions. There was an abundance of love and laughter from my family, and I wouldn’t change that for the world. Anyway, anything that involves assisting kids from poor families feel better about themselves and enjoy what others take as normal has my support 100%.
I could not have been prouder of Surfers Sunrise when at the conclusion of John's brilliant talk, almost to man, including PDG Darrell Brown, our members expressed their opinion that our club must find a way to support John and his project. Just as an aside, I must apologise for becoming a little bit emotional when thanking John, the memories can be a little harsh at times.
It was terrific to welcome the representative of our newest Corporate Member Paige Lovett from Kieser Physic Clinic and Gym. Paige is a highly intelligent, very personable young lady and will be a great asset to not only Surfers Sunrise but to Rotary in general.
Met with PP Doug Lipp and Fundraising Chair extraordinary Ross Augustine re the upcoming Sportsman’s Luncheon on 20th June. It’s shaping up to be great event with some interesting guest speakers.
Remember, nothing changes if nothing changes and do as you fear most.
Last Wednesday’s Guest Speaker came all the way from the Rotary Club of Goonellabah (near Lismore). John Walters outlined an interesting program his club is running to curb the ever-present problem of underprivileged children attending school being undernourished, and in consequence, underperforming. Hold on! Undernurished?. Hungry? In Australia? Yes.
From a lower rate of 15%, to as much as 96% of children in schools don’t get breakfast. More than 40% don’t have lunch. Combine that with the stigma attached to wearing a second-hand uniform when starting the first year High School... well, there is no need to greatly elaborate.
John’s Rotary Club has established a program in conjunction with the local schools (since promoted to many other schools in the vicinity): This is how it works and why it works: the Rotary club communicates with the Headmaster to identify what is needed (not which kids need help). Not just food, but also uniforms, shoes, learning materials, access to special programs or events and activities that are out of a family’s financial reach. Individual children are NOT identified, as goods (or food) are purchased and distributed by the school. The club organises the financing and liaises with the school.
In the Download section (top right-hand side), you can find a detailed PDF of the School Mates program. Spend a bit of time studying and evaluating it. It makes sense, it is effective and is a program well worth adopting, because it produces results. (Photo: John Walters (on right) with our Meeting Chairman of the day, Ray Higgs)
For the rest of the world May is designated Love Month. Ok, in the northern hemisphere at least… Up there it is now Spring, when nature comes into full bloom. But Rotary International designated May to be Youth Service Month. Alternatively, May could also be named Rotary Acronym Month. These are just for Youth Service: YEP, RYLA, RYPEN, RYTS, MUNA, NYSF, HESS, RYDA (coming up for breath now…) Plus, for the uninitiated, some bewilderingly non-descript names such as Earlyact, Interact, Rotaract… Have I forgotten any? Ah yes, there is one in our region, the Conoco Phillips Science Experience which is held in numerous campuses across the nation. Yes, each one of these is a major Rotary Youth program! I won’t elaborate on details – our District Webmaster Gareth Hunt has done a sterling job of extensively outlining them: go to www.rotary9640.org and click on the Youth Programs tab at the top; they are all there.
One of these programs is running next month, in June:RYPEN. (Go on, look it up!). RYPEN is designed to help senior school students (14 – 16 years old) to get used to the real world. It starts on Friday 13th June and runs till Sunday. Talk to our Youth Service Director Thomas Robinson – he has all the details.
May. Youth Service Month. Visualize: some 45,000 Rotary and Rotaract Clubs throughout the world focussing on youth, focussing on providing youth with life training, the stuff they don’t seem to teach at High School, from “every day” kids to future leaders, all the way up to the top Science students who get accepted into the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra (we just had Chloe Chan reporting back to us last month). World wide, hundreds of thousands of future leaders, year on year. Will it make a difference? Yep, you proudly may answer this question in the affirmative.
Let's have a social event with a difference: indulge in your food being cooked right in front of your eyes - Japanese Teppanyaki style!
Cost: $58.00 per person - includes the Mazusaka Combo Buffet - but it's a la carte, alternative choices available. Email Adrian for copy of menu. Note: the restaurant is fully licensed and is not BYO
Where:
Matsuzaka Teppanyaki & Japanese Restaurant
Shop 4, 300 Marine Parade,
(Aqua Building - parking underneath, entry from Imperial Parade)
Labrador 4215
When:
11:30 am, be seated by 12:00 pm
Sunday 25th May 2025
You must book (no prepayment required though, all pay their own bill)
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
Nothing is certain other than death and taxes. But what's the difference? Death doesn't get higher every year.
You meet saints everywhere. They can be anywhere. They are people behaving decently in an indecent society. Kurt Vonnegut, American Author (1922 - 2007)
Did you hear the one about the aeroplane?
No...
Don't worry. It would probably go straight over your head.
Last Wednesday’s Guest Speaker came all the way from the Rotary Club of Goonellabah (near Lismore). John Walters outlined an interesting program his club is running to curb the ever-present problem of underprivileged children attending school being undernourished, and in consequence, underperforming. Hold on! Undernurished?. Hungry? In Australia? Yes.
Let's have a social event with a difference: indulge in your food being cooked right in front of your eyes - Japanese Teppanyaki style!
