Congratulations Franz, for sourcing a hugely interesting speaker last week. All present were well educated on the topic of Nuclear Submarines. Many questions were asked and a lot of surprising stats were provided.
Don’t forget next Monday, starting at about 11.00 am, is our annual golf day. We need as many helpers, players and spectators as possible. Last week, we met one of the original charter members of the club, Ralph Pownall, who has returned from roaming the southern regions for a few decades. He has put his hand up to assist. Thanks Ralph! The big push has to be selling raffle tickets as there are numerous prizes, so ask Charles for tickets.
Shortly after this bulletin is published, there is a Zoom meeting at 5.00 pm to enlighten us on the status of the Regionalisation Project. As a club, we need to vote on a number of factors before 30th October 2023. At this Wednesday’s social meeting, we perhaps can decide on our best approach in going forward.
See you Wednesday.
Thought for the Week: "Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right." Christopher Reeve
Yes, I know, it was meant to be "just" a social meeting at the Surf Club. And, as some of you well know, at "social" meetings there is often more club business discussed than at formal meetings! (Just as one sometimes attends an event or seminar not just to hear the formal speakers, but to mingle at the coffee breaks. That's where you really find out what's going on!)
The pilot project on Regionalisation, in which our District is participating, is a major proposition that affects EVERY Rotarian, even though, officially, initially there is no change to the structure of clubs per se. The major change is in the governance of Rotary above the level of clubs, where the changes will be substantial. So, even if you usually don't find the time to attend social meetings, this one might just be worth your while.
If you don't have time to attend this afternoon's Zoom meeting, click on this link, or download the FAQ document in the Downloads section, to learn more.
Every now and then, we have a guest speaker who can engage the listeners well. Then sometimes, we have one where the engagement is so strong that the meeting Chairman has to stop question time. Nigel Hennessy is one of those speakers. Then, when you look at his CV, no wonder: In a previous life, he was the principal analyst for Polaris Submarines in the UK. "I have always had a background in subs" he said. "To the extent that I was "banned" from working in other jurisdictions..." Since then, he has worked as a company director in some 50 companies, both listed and unlisted in a wide range of industries. For example he was Managing Director of CCN Ltd, the owner of Cabcharge and also head of defence for BAE Systems as well as Chairman for a US Golf Technology company.
But Nigel's main subject was Nuclear Submarines, and in particular the cancellation of the 'French Contract', that made so many headlines. According to Nigel, the debate of 'nuclear' or 'not nuclear' has been going on since 1959. Going nuclear was on the agenda even in 2011, when the Federal Government commissioned a 'root-and-branch review' relating to sustainment, maintenance and upgrade of the Collins Class submarine fleet. And as to surprise: "The French probably did know that Australia intended the cancel" he said. Many people are not aware that the original design of the French sub was nuclear, but Australia had it converted to diesel electric. Staying with the French would have been the cheapest option, according to Nigel.
Nigel conducted a brief Q&A on diverse subjects such as 'Why do we need submarines', 'How many submarines are there in the world?' 485 all up, of which 128 are nuclear, of which the West (US, UK and France) have 90. And possibly the most frightening fact: every one of the nuclear subs has the capacity to totally obliterate the world... [Hope you sleep well tonight, my friends. Ed.]
Photo: Nigel Hennessy (right) with our Chairman of the day, PDG Darrell Brown.
This year's Surfers Sunrise Golf Day will be held on Monday, 30th October 2023, at the usual location, the Surfers Paradise Golf Club. It will be a 'Shotgun Start' at 12:00 pm (registration from 11:00 am). Several options:
Corporate Hole Sponsor (includes 4 players, signage and advertising)
4-player Team
Single individual player
Chief organizers Doug Lipp and Charles Thomasson are looking both for players, helpers as well as Raffle Prizes. Invite your friends, associates, customers, suppliers and make up a 4-player team or two! Tickets are strictly limited. Bookings close on 23rd October, or when all tickets have been sold.
Secure online booking site is now open. Click on this link, or scan the QR Code:
The annual Golf Day on 30th October will be one of our major fundraisers for the year, and the raffle we conduct forms a very significant part of the income generated. Fundraising Director Ross Augustine needs your assistance to get a big table of prizes together. Congratulations to Evan Mita, who has received a commitment for a week's holiday stay at the Mariner Shores Resort! Thank you!
Do you have a half day (or two) a week to spare? Or do you know somebody who would enjoy the fellowship of fellow volunteer workers at the shed, re-purposing discarded bicycles into wheelchairs? Well over 11,000 have been shipped so far, but the need is constant.
A number of formerly regular volunteers at the project shed have "retired", some due to ill health, some because they landed a job which prevents them from attending Wednesdays and/or Saturday mornings. The work is easy and not heavy. It can involve the dismantling of bikes, the cutting of plywood (using a template, called a "jig"), painting the wood and/or the frames, or assembling, checking and packing the finished product, just to name a few.
If you are interested, please contact Franz Huber or Larry Murray, or simply turn up on Wednesday and/or Saturday morning, from 07:30 am.
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
that she was going to give me a fake phone number...
A false conclusion once arrived at, and widely accepted, is not easily dislodged; and the less it is understood, the more tenaciously it is held. Georg Cantor, German Mathematician (1845-1918)
The real trouble with reality is that there is no background music.
Invite your friends, associates, customers, suppliers and make up a 4-player team or two! Tickets are strictly limited. Bookings close on 23rd October, or when all tickets have been sold.
The annual Golf Day on 30th October will be one of our major fundraisers for the year, and the raffle we conduct forms a very significant part of the income generated. Fundraising Director Ross Augustine needs your assistance to get a big table of prizes together. Congratulations to Evan Mita, who has received a commitment for a week's holiday stay at the Mariner Shores Resort! Thank you!
Do you have a half day (or two) a week to spare? Or do you know somebody who would enjoy the fellowship of fellow volunteer workers at the shed, re-purposing discarded bicycles into wheelchairs? Well over 11,000 have been shipped so far, but the need is constant.
