Gidday Surfers Sunrise members, associates, friends of Rotary,
A productive casual meeting this week with reasonable attendance. PP Doug Lipp and Fund Raising Chair Ross Augustine engaged a number of attendees in conversation concerning the upcoming Sportman’s / Business Luncheon on Friday 20th June. It’s coming together nicely and is shaping up to be a memorable afternoon.
Thursdays drinks at the Benowa Tavern was missing a regular, Ross Augustine, who has taken his lovely wife to Port Douglas to celebrate her upcoming birthday ( I think it is her 38th). The rotten sod had the audacity to send me a photo of him sitting on the beach drinking beer and eating prawns.
I have been trying to hold a Board Meeting for the past month. The saying ‘hoarding cats’ comes to mind, anyway, just when we finally have agreement on a date, we find that the Surf Club are having works done in the room we use. Our secretary, Trent Belling, has done an extraordinary job and shown true patience. The Board Meeting is now Tuesday, 3 June at 0700. It will not be changed.
I am forever talking about how Rotarians are all cut from the same wonderful cloth and how there is a special, unwritten bond amongst Rotary members. I am part of a NZ Police club for primarily ex-Detectives, we meet on Monday mornings via Zoom. We have members who now live in many parts of the world. The reason I am telling you this is that a number are also Rotary members and I've noticed that even within this extraordinarily close group of ex-Detectives the Rotarians amongst us seem to have an even closer bond and rapport. One of the guys PDG Ross PINKHAM, has just come back from a Rotary Convention in the USA. I am hoping to catch up with Ross in the near future with a view to partnering with a NZ Club to have them involved with us in the procurement of a Global Grant.
Remember - Do as you fear most and nothing changes if nothing changes.
Di Kozik is the Chief Executive Officer of St John's Crisis Centre in Surfers Paradise, an organisation that supports homeless and disadvantaged individuals.
In light of the recent decision by the Gold Coast City Council regarding the "moving on" of homeless people from the council's parks, anticipate a highly relevant discourse. Furthermore, you may hear something quite unexpected... Usual pace and time: upstairs venue of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club, 07:00 am for 07:30 sharp start. Order coffee and breakfast of your choice a la carte at the downstairs bistro.
Des LaRance, who is the inventor and, since the mid 1990's, the driving force behind our Wheelchair project, is still going strong, working at the project shed every Wednesday and Saturday. "No rest for the wicked", as the common saying goes. Perhaps, a better popular slogan would be "no flies on you, Des!"
For those of you who at the time were not (yet) involved with the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club: Around 1995, Des was on holiday in Fiji when he met Frank Hilton, the Principal of a Special School there. Seeing multiple seriously disabled children without any form of mobility (read: dragging themselves through the dirt on their hands), and certainly no wheelchairs, he decided that there must be a way to help. Several points needed to be considered: It had to be VERY low cost, it had to be VERY solid, and the wheelchair must be suitable for muddy, unpaved areas. Most people would simply walk away from it, return to the comfort of Australian life, and forget about it. Not Des. He built a prototype of his design that still today uses two discarded bicycles, some marine plywood and a heavy-duty castor. OK, we now fit new wheels and tyres with solid rubber tubes instead of the original wheels of the discarded bikes (flat tyres were too much of an issue). Our club supported the idea, and together with Ian Mayberry, he spread the news to other Rotary Clubs. The real breakthrough came when the "Rotary Runner", as it was then named, was exhibited at the District Conference of 1997 and attracted the attention of 'A Current Affair' host Ray Martin. who was one of the Keynote Speakers in his capacity as a Director of the Fred Hollows Foundation. Ray promised to send a TV reporter and a camera crew. And, as they say, "the rest is history". Since then, well over 11,500 'Rough Terrain' wheelchairs have been sent to all corners of the world, predominantly the South Pacific region and Africa, but in the earlier days also by the container load to Vietnam.
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
Des LaRance, who is the inventor and, since the mid 1990's, the driving force behind our Wheelchair project, is still going strong, working at the project shed every Wednesday and Saturday. "No rest for the wicked", as the common saying goes. Perhaps, a better popular slogan would be "no flies on you, Des!"
Let's have a social event with a difference: indulge in your food being cooked right in front of your eyes - Japanese Teppanyaki style!
The eight-graders will present Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church, Friday at 7 pm.
