There is no such thing as bad weather.... just soft people!!! A weekend of supposedly raining and miserable weather turned out to be blue skies and fluffy clouds! Sure, the Suns didn't win, nor did the Titans, nor did Dan Ricciardo for that matter but the inaugural Gold Coast Ramble did win...! We had a great turn out of participants, volunteers and spectators for what was a extremely entertaining day... who would have thought even the locals and tourists would get involved! To all those who took part in one way or another, your efforts and time are greatly appreciated... thank you. We maybe onto something that has a lot of potential for future years to come! (And to those who witnessed my amazing impersonation of an 80's elite athlete, I apologise... but I can give you the number for my hairdresser and stylist 😜). [See photo in separate article below. Note: you may want to get your sunglasses before proceeding. ☺ Ed.]
Onto the next big thing.... the Flat Pack School for the Samoa Victims Support Group is in full swing now and we are in the final push to raise the last lousy thousand needed. The collegiate of Schools headed up by Helensvale High have already done a mammoth effort in raising over $30k! Surfers Sunrise have been working overtime to bring this all together and we are nearly there... so if you wanna help out with fundraising, grab a book of tickets! If you wanna help out with the build itself, be in Samoa during the September holidays (we do have more specific details!) or if you wanna be involved in any other way shape or form please let us know... to save and improve the lives of so many is at the heart and soul of what Rotary is all about!
...as the first quarter siren goes off for the year, next week is April! Time sure does fly when you're having fun... see you all on Wednesday!
Last week's AGM was sweet and short: President Elect Larry Murray had his incoming committee well pre-organized indeed. Here are the duly elected members of Larry's 'kitchen cabinet' for 2017/18:
President Elect, Director Club Administration: Jo Gorman (see image on right)
Secretary: Mark Twyford
Treasurer: Mitch Brown
Director, Youth Services: Tania Laird
Director, Service Projects: Graeme Isaacson
Chairman, Wheelchair Trust: Daryl Sanderson
Vice President: Ian Mayberry
Director, Public Relations: Mario Fairlie
Director, Fundraising: Doug Lipp
Director, Membership (and Sergeant at Arms): Andy Bell
Chairman, The Rotary Foundation committee: Gerald East
You can download the full list of the incoming committee on the Download Section on the right.
Bob Harrison was at the door, Graeme Isaacson was Chairman and Andy Bell was Sergeant.
We had apologies from Adrian Crowe, Al Sirovs and Darrell Brown.
President Simon Brook welcomed all members and visitors:'our' YE Student from Japan, Kaho Koizumi, and Rosie McIntyre's charming young daughter Trinity. Simon briefly referred to the upcoming Gold Coast Ramble and our outbound YE Students will be off this coming Friday. Co-sponsored by our club, together with Warwick Rotary Club, is Kieran Power who is off to Germany (see his essay in the download section on the right).
Wheelchairs Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson reported on the happenings at The Shed: On a sad note: one of the long term regular Wheelchairs Volunteers, John Williams, recently passed away (aged 88). Despite the fact that John in his younger days had been 'a tough guy' in both the Navy as well as in the Army, his nick name was 'Mum', due to the fact that he was always took charge of making the tea... John is survived by his wife Fiona. A large condolences card has been signed by all members.
Some staff issues at the Palen Creek Correctional Centre caused a bit of a delay, but they will come in this week. Finally, our regular contributor Andy Rajapakse (Rotary Club of Burleigh Heads) is planning to make the Wheelchairs Shed a tourist attraction...
Foundation co-ordinator Gerald East wants you to bring your "Spare Change" Boxes back...
Secretary Mark Twyford and Franz Huber emphasised the importance that all members of our club get fully behind the upcoming Gold Coast Ramble (see more details under a separate article). This is our major fundraiser for the year. Try to get a team from outside our club to participate. All details are on the website - just google 'Gold Coast Ramble'. It's also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goldcoastramble. Mark showed us a Certificate of Honorary Membership, ready to be presented to our Charter President Bill Moir, at some time in the future.
District Youth Exchange chief Chris Thurtell will accompany a bunch of outgoing students to Scandinavian countries, flying with them to Copenhagen, from where they will go on to their respective destinations. And Kaho will shortly be leaving for Goondiwindi, where she'll stay for the remainder of her year. Kaho was hosted for the past quarter by Rosie McIntyre - thank you, Rosie! Bon Voyage! "The future for Youth Exchange is looking good", Chris advised.
Treasurer Mitch Brown wants to ensure that now all members have received their current year RSL Club membership card. And membership dues for the second half are due absolutely no later than 28th February. You should have received an invoice to the email address that is recorded against your name in Clubrunner. Contact Mitch if you haven't received either of these.
Graeme Isaacson is organizing a Chinese New Year do on Saturday 28th January - see separate article and flyer in the Downloads section on the right.
On Sunday 26 March 2017, Gold Coast Rotary in partnership with Surfers Sunrise Rotary and Griffith University Satellite Rotary Club will stage the inaugural Gold Coast Ramble - a major community event. This goes way beyond a Fun Run. It is great fun, since you need observation skills, the ability to solve some trivia questions. And last, but not least: you will help us support various very worthwhile local charities, including PCYC, the Salvos, Beyond Blue, Gold Coast Homeless Youth, just to name one. See more details on the Facebook page.
Whilst it is the inaugural event for the Gold Coast, the concept has been well and truly proven successful by the Rotary organizers in Perth. We are licensing their IP, the application software (apps) etc, so there is absolutely no doubt that it not only will work as planned, but it will be our club's major fundraiser for the year. It is a must participate event for all members and friends of Surfers Sunrise! Registration can be for individuals or for teams between 4 and 6 people. It can and should be promoted as a major corporate team building event. Spread the word! Organize a team! Register!
Anyone with a Grouse or a Shouse? Yes, Doug Lipp had one each: He and his charming wife Sue are celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary, and, regrettably, his horse was last Saturday beaten by a whisker... Does anyone know what special day is today? Yes, Mark Twyford knew: it was Winnie the Pooh Day [for a fleeting moment I thought he was going to refer to former Prime Minister Paul Keating's birthday... ☺] Simon Brook: yeah, the same old hoary chestnut... Mitch Brown, how do Hobbits celebrate Christmas? Gerald East, just what did you think when you selected that shirt this morning? But Franz Huber's socks would surpass even that shirt [one begs to disagree - they are a close imitation of what Roger Federer wears. Albeit that is where the similarity ends... ☺] Mario Fairlie, your health report: "improving:" Bob Harrison: finally something to fine you for: Bob built a boat. He spent two years on it. But it is too small to take you for a spin on the Broadwater: it is only 1 metre long... (it is an exact to scale replica of the Endeavour)... Graeme Isaacson, just because you drive a convertible Volvo, does not mean you are permitted to speed, overtake... Des La Rance, I take it that in your capacity as Pope, you would have been busy over Christmas? Ian Mayberry, did you get a haircut? (yes, he did, long time ago!) Angus Miller went away for New Year's Eve and took the 'Raquel Welch Suite'... Paul Seymour, welcome back from a beaut European Holiday! Neil Thurlow, you are looking super fit! Must be all that bicycling... Tania Laird, you are looking better than ever, but having been off the booze for the past couple of months has sent De Bortoli's balance sheet into the red... Chris Thurtell, is your jetski still afloat? (yes, only just...) And have a look at Kaho's legs: Chris had her in a wet suit, riding on the jetski - just look at the tan to determine where the wet suit ended. Obviously Japanese sunscreen doesn't work very well in Australia... Rosie McIntyre, welcome back. And last but not least: Mark Twyford, what happened?? you are wearing normal shoes...!
Social Events organizers Graeme Isaacson and Ray Higgs want you to join them at the Chinese New Year Festival, to be held on Saturday 28th January 2017. Attendance is free.
Download the flyer from the Download Section on the right.
It will be held at the Alstonville Community Centre, just a 20 minute drive from Ballina, or if you prefer not to drive, a bus is organized. The band is Tallowwood Bush Band (yes, "No 96 to the snack bar please"...). The line-up includes a swag of incredibly talented multi-instrumentalists who present folk music from around the world with a strong Celtic influence and an emphasis on preserving the Australian family bush dance that transports the audience through time and emotion leaving no doubt why this band has been the winner of so many music awards and been so popular at festivals and events throughout Australia. And for food? Master Chef Tony Koelner will have an open spit bar-be-que.
You can register online right now: go to this link or go to the conference's main website: http://www.rotary9640conference.org.au/You can also book accommodation at that site. Don't leave it to the last minute! Conference attendance itself is free, but, fair enough, some fees apply if you want to get lunch, participate in the bush dance on Saturday night etc.
At the beginning of the year, President Simon presented a very concise document on our club's goals for the year. It is in the Download Section to your right. C'mon! Download it again, have another look at it! Then think about it. Some may be out of your reach. But at least, Membership is very much the responsibility of all of us. When did you last time ask somebody to check out Surfers Sunrise?
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Last week's AGM was sweet and short: President Elect Larry Murray had his incoming committee well pre-organized indeed. Here are the duly elected members of Larry's 'kitchen cabinet' for 2017/18:
This Wednesday, our Guest Speaker will be the Police Assistant Commissioner for the Gold Coast, Brian Codd..png){kind=logo}
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Anyone with a Grouse or a Shouse? Yes, Doug Lipp had one each: He and his charming wife Sue are celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary, and, regrettably, his horse was last Saturday beaten by a whisker... 
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