It was with mixed feelings last week when we left our breakfast meeting home for the past year and a half. Surfers Paradise RSL have been very good to us and I am sure we have all enjoyed the friendliness, courtesy and professionalism of the staff. I, like everyone else, expected The Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise to be ensconced there for many years. Sadly, not so. The good news is that we are moving on to what I see as bigger and better things. Our new meeting place of Pavilions, Main Beach has everything we desire, including being about 30 meters from arguably the best surf beach in Australia, if not the world. I am so looking forward to our first meeting this coming Wednesday.
I am, with increasing frequency, in awe of many of our members and I will over the course of the year use this medium to talk about some of them. I understand that we are a lot like a successful sports team and every member of the club in their own way contributes to our success, often going out of their ‘comfort zone’ to do so.
On Saturday we had one of our ‘sausage sizzles’. This one was at the Southport Library. A number of members were involved on site and I thank each and every one of you, but I must give special thanks to Ray Higgs, not just for initiating the event, but also organising it and spending the whole day on site. Ray’s humour and good nature was priceless. Angus Miller; Angus started at 6.00am peeling and chopping onions, 6,7 or 10 kilos, I'm not exactly sure. He then spent 4 hours straight cooking on a hot, greasy BBQ. Not a hint of complaint. Al Sirovs; Al was another Member who was present all day. Al talked to anyone and everyone about the Wheelchair Project. Daryl Sanderson; Daryl delivered the BBQ gear (lent to us by Parkwood Rotary) in the morning and helped setting up, then again arrived in the afternoon to help pack up and take it back, after working all morning at the Wheelchair and Project Shed. Daryl also cleaned and prepared the BBQs stored at the shed ready for use if we needed them. Finally Mark Twyford; Mark not only arranged for us to borrow the BBQ from Rotary Club of Parkwood, he also delivered it on site and picked it up at the end of the day.
The effort of all makes a President proud -------- just sayin.
As President Andy outlined in his message above, it is exactly 30 years ago when we delivered our first batch of 10 wheelchairs to Fiji. Your editor happened to be our club's President at the time and thus was invited to tag along with the Channel Nine crew, Des La Rance and Ian Mayberry. I did a bit of a write up at the time - you can find it in the Download section on the right - right at the top. Still one of my most profound "Rotary Moments" of my life. Not just meeting the recipient children and their families, but also meeting over there one of the most inspiring Rotarians ever, Frank Hilton.
This week we hear from Rosalinda Marayan. Rose was born into an extremely large farming family in the southern Philippines in 1974. The murder of her father saw the family reduced to sharecroppers in civil war torn Mindanao.
Rose absconded to eastern Mindanao and took work as a security guard where she wound up pregnant to her present day husband Jimmy. The couple have three children.
Penniless and beyond desperate, she was human trafficked to the Middle East in 2012 with over 700 other hapless women prior to being brought to Australia to eek out an existence as a domestic worker in arduous circumstances.
Rose will tell us more about her life's journey 30 August when she addresses our Club about the every day plights and pitfalls of impoverished women in the 3rd World.
At last Wednesdays meeting We had apologies from Tania Laird, Graeme Isaacson, Peter Morgan & Franz Huber
Visiting Rotarians: Arthur Morehouse and Past Member Peter Baruch who was our Guest Speaker, visitor, Warren Croad.
Darrell Brown was awarded an additional stone for his yearly donation to the Foundation.
Clive Edwards was inducted into Surfers Sunrise Rotary by Paul Seymour, being our membership director. Clive was originally from the Rotary Club of Young in NSW. [Sorry, Clive, nobody sent me a photo of your induction to our club. Thus, from far away, the only picture I can find is this one. Will try to get a better one when I'm back. To all other readers: Clive normally doesn't wear that type of hat... Ed.]
Daryl Sanderson gave a short update on the Wheelchair project with wheelchairs kits being returned from Gladstone. Also kits were being sent to Taree NSW.
A truck from Donations In Kind was offered by Col Laurenson as it would be returning between the 15th - 15th Sept.
Treasurer Mitch Brown spoke of Fees: if paid before the 30th Sept was $170.00 or after the fee would be $180.00, Some members may also have a credit.
Jo Gorman spoke of having a busy time in a new position and was looking for names to approach as Guest Speakers.
Secretary Mark Twyford asked for hand as to who would assist at the Shed on Saturday morning.
Raffle was won by Doug Lipp. Sergeant Ian Mayberry stepped in this week: Simon - Forgot Ian's name. Angus - hasn't returned the battery charger, Peter Baruch - you must be owing at least $200.00 in fines, Clive - fine for being now an official member, Fred - who helped you to get dressed.
Doug - take & type minuted, Des - No news, Geoff - return that long lost pen to Ian, Mark - Taking your tenant to QCAT, Jo - your boss was late last week, who's to blame!
At last Wednesday's meeting, Peter Baruch, a former member and Past President of our club, presented the first segment of his family's escape from Nazy Germany and the holocaust, thanks to a Japanese diplomat. You can download an extract from his publication in the Download section on the right. Interesting reading indeed!
Peter will present the second segment of his story on 6th September.
This week we hear from Rosalinda Marayan. Rose was born into an extremely large farming family in the southern Philippines in 1974. The murder of her father saw the family reduced to sharecroppers in civil war torn Mindanao.
Clive Edwards was inducted into Surfers Sunrise Rotary by Paul Seymour, being our membership director. Clive was originally from the Rotary Club of Young in NSW. 
Ed.]
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