A very rewarding evening last Wednesday at the Gold Coast Volunteer Awards. Over 50 recipients from various charities and organizations on the Gold Coast. Congratulations to our own John Hall and Bryan Tuesley. At the function, I said to Franz that I do not know how some of these Volunteers have the strength to keep on doing what they are committed to do. [If you were to ask them, Mr President, they'll probably reply that it’s the volunteering that gives them the strength.☺ Ed.]
The return trip to Pentecost Island has been organised and paid for by the club for three workers- John, Mitch and Matt. A meeting to organise final details is to be arranged as soon as possible.
Any involvement by the District 9640 of “Luke’s Long Walk” which was supposed to be from Grafton to Brisbane has been canned. Luke was given a deadline to have all insurance requirements in place but he did not, so DG Dave Harmon decided that the District would not be involved.
We’ll have our regular social meeting on Wednesday morning and drinks at Benowa Tavern on Thursday from 4:30 pm for those who can make it.
We sent an email to the new Community Leasing Officer at the Gold Coast City Council, regarding an update at the project shed, but have not heard a reply; we understand she is away for a month now.
Thought for the week:
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. Dr Seuss
An awful lot of people, including the front-line professionals (e.g. police, ambulance officers, psychiatric health workers) would swear that this is so. “The human head consists of approximately 80% water and 20% solids. So wouldn't it make sense that the moon, which moves the tide, could have an effect on the brain?” our guest speaker, Acting Chief Superintendent Dr Geoff Sheldon, asked.
But… there is not a skerrick of evidence. And he would know: not only has he served in the police force (predominantly as a detective) for over 40 years, but he earned himself a doctorate, the thesis of which was just that. He meticulously analysed over 900,000 police jobs stretching over a period of eight years. Each job was analysed over 30 items of data, that is over 27 Million pieces of data. And the conclusion: Not so! Not across the board, nor on specific areas such as crime or traffic accidents. “I felt like a small kid who has been told that there is no Santa Claus” he said.
Dr Geoff kindly allowed us to upload his PowerPoint presentation (in PDF format) – check it out in the Download Section on the right.
Photo: Dr Geoff Sheldon (right) with Ian Mayberry [who, as a former racing driver and Supercars Clerk of the Course, would possibly have had the odd discussion with the Boys in Blue before. And presenting a bottle of wine might not always have fixed the issue… ☺
A very special night yesterday Wednesday for two tireless workers of our project shed: John Hall (picture left) and Bryan Tuesley (picture right) were recognised by the Federal Member for Moncrieff, Angie Bell MP, for their work and dedication to our project.
Congratulations to both of you, and thank you and all your fellow volunteers for your ongoing work and dedication! Your efforts provide mobility to thousands of disabled children and adults in developing countries.
Our Wheelchair volunteers have a special relationship with Del Cole, who runs a charitable organisation with a special emphasis on Papua New Guinea. Over the past couple of years, Del has taken several of our wheelchairs to be distributed to places where they are desperately needed. Recently, she received an email from the Mt Hagen Provincial Hospital, with this letter attached, which she forwarded to us. And how come there is a reference to Gladstone? Because the wheelchair referred to was made by the Rotary Club of Gladstone, one of many this club has finished for us. (see photo right for an example of their work). What can we say, other than "You are welcome, Nurse Heather Nil!"
Last Monday afternoon, the Greg Hebble, the Chief Executive of Wheelchairs for Kids (Scarborough, WA) visited our project shed to meet with members and associate members, including Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray, President Doug Lipp (who is also a Trustee and is Treasurer of the Wheelchair Trust) and Trustees Peter Morgan and Geoff Croad, to outline their design as well as WfK's plans for the future. Their design was demonstrated by John Hall and Bryan Tuesley at the meeting of 26th July (click here to read the story).
Whilst their design is "more upmarket" and thus also considerably more expensive to manufacture, Greg outlined various alternatives where our club could enter into some form of a cooperative partnership with Wheelchairs for Kids. This might be an excellent opportunity for us to expand the utilisation of our project shed and run this as a complementary project. Very much "early days" yet, but certainly well worth considering.
Last Tuesday, Darrell Brown (organiser), Ross Augustine, Geoff Croad, Adrian Crowe and yours truly got out of bed "when it was still yesterday... Yawn! ☺" to depart to the Brisbane Business Expo, where we manned the car parking and collected an entrance contribution from exhibitors and patrons. In total, over $560.00 was raised (this may be added to, we are awaiting advice). For example, this would be more than enough to pay for a RYPEN candidate. We have already collectively given ourselves a pat on the back... ;-)
Another Business Expo is planned for September on the Gold Coast.
Over the years, Surfers Sunrise has supported a fair number of successful applicants to the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF). Who could forget Sophie Seumahu (photo left, when she reported on her experiences in March 2022), or Briana Dorrough (photo right, 2021)?
Well, applications for the NYSF 2024 are now open. So, do you know a genuine Science student who might qualify? Note, despite the rather stiff price tag of $2,450, plus $65 application fee, competition for the places available is quite severe. However, in the past, our club has partly subsidised this. More information on their website: https://www.nysf.edu.au/
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
Note: Wednesday 12th July is a formal, NOT social meeting to bring the calendar into alignment.
[I know, Rotary is meant to be non-religious, but after the Magpies won the minor AFL premiership, I couldn't resist this. Apologies if this causes you stress... ☺ Ed.]
Just because something is on Facebook, doesn't necessarily mean it's true. William Shakespeare.
“Men who think they have all the answers generally don’t ask very interesting questions.” Glenn Haybittle - 'Byron and Shelley'
Everybody wants to live in a police-free world until a bare-ass naked (bleep-bleep) with a samurai sword and a huge (bleep) starts chasing you down the street.
An awful lot of people, including the front-line professionals (e.g. police, ambulance officers, psychiatric health workers) would swear that this is so. 
A very special night yesterday Wednesday for two tireless workers of our project shed: John Hall (picture left) and Bryan Tuesley (picture right) were recognised by the Federal Member for Moncrieff, 
Angie Bell MP, for their work and dedication to our project.
Our Wheelchair volunteers have a special relationship with Del Cole, who runs a charitable organisation with a special emphasis on Papua New Guinea. Over the past couple of years, Del has taken several of our wheelchairs to be distributed to places where they are desperately needed. Recently, she received an email from the Mt Hagen Provincial Hospital, with this letter attached, which she forwarded to us. And how come there is a reference to Gladstone? Because the wheelchair referred to was made by the Rotary Club of Gladstone, one of many this club has finished for us. (see photo right for an example of their work). What can we say, other than "You are welcome, Nurse Heather Nil!"
Last Monday afternoon, the Greg Hebble, the Chief Executive of 
Last Tuesday, Darrell Brown (organiser), Ross Augustine, Geoff Croad, Adrian Crowe and yours truly got out of bed 
ld forget Sophie Seumahu (photo left, when she reported on her experiences in March 2022), or Briana Dorrough (photo right, 2021)?
