Who thought I ever get here. OK lots to do. I talk more about that on our first meeting this Wednesday morning.
Well this is it - my first newsletter. The Changeover last Sunday was a grand event and was sociable, with a touch of formality. Andy, as normal, excelled in his role as Master of Ceremonies. Graeme's organisation of the venue & the food was excellent and it was great to see how many came along. Jo presented the awards for the year and Franz will have details later in the Bulletin as well those being given a Paul Harris Fellows. [See below. Ed.] I think everyone enjoyed the day. Many stayed on after.
The next few weeks are going to be rather busy. Our first meeting I try to give you all a brief overview of what’s ahead.
Last week, Val & Ray Higgs and Sylvia & I were invited to attend the Surfers Paradise Life Saving Awards Dinner. Obviously, many awards were presented during the course of the evening. Towards the end the major awards were presented and the LUTZY Award was presented to the ‘Junior Life Saver of the Year’, Jazmin Zimmerman. Jazmin was over the moon. She had recently attended RYPEN. Thus, we have another member of the Life Saving Club involved in our Rotary projects. You may recall that Lucy Thorburn, who won the LUTZY Award a year ago in 2018, is presently in the USA on Youth Exchange. Great work.
This year our club's Exchange will involve a young lady from Japan. More about her later and Chris Thurtell will give us details in due course. However, Julie Ford, a potential member of our Club, has indicated that she and her family would be able to be a sponsor her for the first 3 months. Julia has 2 children at St Hilda's and everything looks very positive. This is wonderfully news.
Next was related to a news item regarding a mobile Sleeping Pod for homeless people, developed by Peter Whiffin and supported by Councillor Dawn Crichlow. One thing lead to another and Larry & Des are now investigating the possibility of manufacturing these at the Project Shed. The Rotary Club of Runaway has committed $7,500.00 for the first 10 pods. This all looks exciting and would supplement the wheelchairs project. A meeting with Councillor Dawn Crichlow, Peter Whiffin, Larry & Des will be at the Shed this coming Saturday morning. Please join us around 9:00am.
Also, a special meeting and barbeque on Saturday 13th July (to be confirmed) will be held at the shed. In essence, it will be Joanne’s changeover for the shed. Please bring your wives, lover & children. Full details in next week’s bulletin. This should be a good morning for all.
A bit over a week ago, our club held its annual Changeover Luncheon, presided over by (now Past) President Jo Winwood and (now) President Mario Fairlie. The Changeover Report (there is a copy in the Download Section on the right for you, in case you didn’t get the specially bound first edition at the luncheon) outlines the various reports that were given, so I’ll refrain from rehashing it all.
But on that occasion, we also had the presentation of the club's major annual awards to their well deserving recipients:
Rotarian of the Year: Larry Murray. No doubt recognized by his peers for the sterling job he did taking on the role of running the Project Shed, organizing the Big Bike Sale, and keeping it all going. Even though Larry is at pains to emphasize “I’m not the one in charge!” Yeah, right…
Quiet Achiever: Neil Thurlow. We mightn’t see him all that often at meetings, but be assured that Neil’s work behind the scenes, with his company Accent Print and Copy doing all the printing for our club as well as for a lot of the District, at no charge.
Doug Waller Trophy (also known as the ‘Just do it’ award: Secretary Mitch Brown. If you have never done the Secretary’s job, well, you simply have no idea how much time and effort is required to stay on top of all the paperwork, and all without anyone ever noticing it. Well deserved, Mitch, the club owes you a big THANK YOU!
Fellowship Cup: Andy Bell. Well, what can I say? Mr Fellowship impersonated!
It is always one of the big moments in Rotary, when a Paul Harris Fellowship (PHF) is presented. For those of you who are not yet familiar with this important recognition: For over 100 years now, Rotary International has run its own, highly recognized Charity, The Rotary Foundation (TRF). TRF is recognized not just within Rotary, but also by independent "valuers": Charity Navigator, the most recognized of these, has given TRF it's coveted (and very difficult to achieve) 4-star rating for over a decade in a row. In a nutshell, it means that your hard earned money is not chewed up in Director's fees, "Administration Charges" (quotation marks deliberate), but ends up where it counts, be that the End Polio Now campaign, be that building clean water wells or sponsoring a Peace & Conflict Resolution student. Click on the links above to find out more about TRF.
But back to what a Paul Harris Fellowship is all about: Individuals can donate $US 1,000 to the foundation to receive a PHF, or to nominate another person But so can any organization and to this effect, in addition to the awards shown in the story above, our club has selected an outstanding individual to be recognized: Tanya Twyford. While Tanya is not a member of our club (yet??), to no doubt her untiring work with the Wesley Mission makes her a highly deserving recipient.
In recognition of their service to the club, Larry Murray, Andy Bell and Mitch Brown were also presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship Award. Congratulations to all!
When Mario Fairlie attended the President Elect Training Seminar (PETS), he met with the Presidents Elect of the Broadbeach and Gold Coast Rotary Clubs, Dr Graham Sivyer and Rowan Johnstone respectively. Dr Graham indicated that he had identified a major need for a X-Ray Unit to be established in a hospital on the Espiritu Santo Island, in the Samna Province of Vanuatu. The hospital doesn't have one at all; travel to the nearest one that does have one takes over 5 hours. It needs more than just a X-Ray Unit: they don't have electrical power off the grid, so it needs to be solar / battery powered...
We all know that "there are no flies" on Des La Rance, our Chief Designer and Mover & Shaker at the Project Shed. He set to work and here is the preliminary draft. To an extent, it is based on the very successful design of the Samoa Schools we have installed, with solar panels and batteries. Next step is to obtain a District Grant as well as a Global Grant. For the Global Grant, Mario will liaison with his friend who introduced him to Rotary, PDG Fred Hansen in Norway.
Jump over to the Photo Album Section on the right for more images of Des' design. Note: Des will present at a joint meeting on Wednesday 17th July with the Rotary Clubs of Gold Coast and Broadbeach.
Duty Roster - note: subject to change. Please check every week:
New duty: Fellowship. What does it entail? Your job is to ensure that all members, in particular new members, visitors and guests, and in particular the Guest Speaker, are welcomed, are introduced to other members and are comfortable. If required, explain the usual procedures, e.g. when we have our meal, when the speaker is expected to be at the rostrum etc.
“We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better.”C. JoyBell C., American Author.
The worst person is the person that resists change. You could be that angry older guy who can be mad about it or you can embrace it. Anytime you try something different, people are going to be like, ‘That’s not how it used to be.’ It was. Guess what? That’s how it is. You have to adapt to it. You can’t be mad. Donnell Rawlings, Actor
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Rotarian of the Year: Larry Murray. No doubt recognized by his peers for the sterling job he did taking on the role of running the Project Shed, organizing the Big Bike Sale, and keeping it all going. Even though Larry is at pains to emphasize “I’m not the one in charge!” Yeah, right….JPG)
Quiet Achiever: Neil Thurlow. We mightn’t see him all that often at meetings, but be assured that Neil’s work behind the scenes, with his company Accent Print and Copy doing all the printing for our club as well as for a lot of the District, at no charge.
Doug Waller Trophy (also known as the ‘Just do it’ award: Secretary Mitch Brown. If you have never done the Secretary’s job, well, you simply have no idea how much time and effort is required to stay on top of all the paperwork, and all without anyone ever noticing it. Well deserved, Mitch, the club owes you a big THANK YOU!
It is always one of the big moments in Rotary, when a 
When Mario Fairlie attended the President Elect Training Seminar (PETS), he met with the Presidents Elect of the Broadbeach and Gold Coast Rotary Clubs, Dr Graham Sivyer and Rowan Johnstone respectively. Dr Graham indicated that he had identified a major need for a X-Ray Unit to be established in a hospital on the Espiritu Santo Island, in the Samna Province of Vanuatu. The hospital doesn't have one at all; travel to the nearest one that does have one takes over 5 hours. It needs more than just a X-Ray Unit: they don't have electrical power off the grid, so it needs to be solar / battery powered...
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