"Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration" said Thomas Edison. You are running (or have been running) a company. Over the years, you have incubated numerous ideas on how to present your goods and services in a better way, how to make it more attractive, easier to buy. You have motivated and convinced your fellow directors and staff. Yes! You have experience in stuff like this! This Wednesday, it is this very one percent we are looking for: the inspiration.
But hey, isn't fundraising the job of the Fundraising Director? No! The job of the Fundraising Director is to coordinate the project. To come up with the project and to put it on the map is the job of every member. To then be involved is the job of every member. To see it through is the job of every member.
So what is your big idea for a Big Project for 2016? Sure, we'll have a few sausage sizzles, the traditional tin rattles for Polio Plus etc. But that won't cut the mustard. To support the projects and charities we want to help, we need a new major fundraiser that brings it in in the multiples of $10,000. The Rotarians of Surfers Sunrise have always been of the maverick kind. So, time to put on your thinking cap as you read this. Time to think outside of the square. Time to jot down a few notes to present it to your fellow members on Wednesday.
Chris Thurtell (with Martina) was at the door, Simon Brook was Chairman and Andy Bell was Sergeant
We had apologies from DGN Darrell Brown,Tony Bird, Mario Fairlie and Tania Laird.
Simon started off with a good story about three Architects having an argument about the pleasures of sex... much to your Editor's regret, seeing that there are some faint hearted people amongst our readership, even the very word caused the firewall to pop up... ☺
President Paul Seymour greeted all members and visitors Jo Gorman (guest of President Paul Seymour), Mark Twyford (on paper still a guest, but in reality a member...), David Baguley and Dean Castell (Rotary Club of Gold Coast), Sarah Cooper and her daughter, returning YE Student from Finland, Felicity Cooper, Allan Cottrell, (RC of Mermaid Beach) and, last but not least, our own YE Student Martina Missarelli. Paul emphasised the importance of today's meeting, the purpose of which was to find new ideas for fundraising.
Treasurer Mitch Brown reminded all that, if you have not received your Tax Receipt for your (indirect) donation to The Rotary Foundation by email, you have your Clubrunner email address out of whack! [Please advise me if you didn't, and I'll look into it. Franz.]
Terry O'Shea, in charge of the Guest Speaker program, announced some top level speakers coming up over the next three weeks: On 27/1/16 we'll have Katherine O'Shea, an expert in Occupational Therapy (yes, she is Terry's daughter!), on 03/02/16 Paul Hopgood (of Hopgood Ganim Solicitors fame) on Divorce (yes, you are invited to bring your spouse along!) and on 10/02/16 Felicity Cooper will give us an overview of her year in Finland.
Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson presented his usual comprehensive report on the happenings at The Shed: A call from the Rotary Club of Gladstone, Councillor Margaret Grummitt will very much be on our side to retain The Shed's lease from the City Council: Daryl also made contact with Eddie Saroff, whom we understand will stand in Margaret's Division as she is retiring. And Daryl lamented the drop in Resources values: much similar to the share price of BHP, the scrap metal value has halved over the past 12 months...
Des La Rance has landed a half page article in the Gold Coast Sun relating to the Samoa School Project.
Simon Brook has an invitation from the Rotary Club of Broadwater Southport to attend a Chinese New Year function
President Paul Seymour advised that he is finalizing the hosting details of the incoming GSE Team from Pensylvania in May.
Treasurer Mitch Brown counting money rather than paying attention (that's his job!!)... Simon Brook is a very careful skateboard rider: he carries his skateboard across the road... Des La Rance, no doubt over the festive season has had lots and lots of blessings to do... Tania Laird, freshly back from New Zealand, nothing but groans and moans... Not so! said Tania: it was bloody fantastic! Angus Miller demonstrated his impeccable diving skills: yep, he dived in at the shallow end... Daryl Sanderson, did you take time off? Where is that newspaper article in the Helsinki Newspaper? Andy finished off by lamenting the reliability of local tradespeople: to get his swimming pool renovated, the tradie came along and emptied his pool. Then he disappeared, not to be seen since for several weeks...
Andy's last segment dealt with him acting a Gigolo, worming himself into a drug ring. After that, he was headed for "retirement" from undercover work and was transferred back to Christchurch, with the respectable rank of Sergeant in the local Police Station. Andy meets girl named Toni, moves in with her, to live happily ever after...
Yeah Right. Not too long into his new job, coming home from a night shift, his bosses called him: "just a small job, maybe taking a week" was the request. Flies up to Wellington, on to Auckland, where he was provided with a bag containing $50,000 in bank notes and a Berilla (Beretta?) pistol. "Head down to the 'New Criterion' Hotel (picture on right), there's a guy there selling LSD, cocaine and whatever other drugs, was his brief. An experienced undercover cop didn't take long to locate the man: 'Albie' was offering in any quantity. Andy wanted to buy some 10,000 tabs of LSD, valued at some $50,000. But to verify Andy's genuineness, Albie demanded that he take a tab of LSD himself. Or get shot... OK then... take a tab onto your finger and throw it back into your throat. Inexplicably (really??), it stuck on his finger so Andy didn't ingest it but instead won himself an Oscar acting as if he had...
The plan was to transfer the money in a unit belonging to one of the local senior police - half the money on view, then Andy would move off to the bathroom to get the other half, where his colleagues would spring from to arrest the guy. But the plans of men and mice... 'Albie' pulls a gun, but one of Andy's colleagues manages to hit him over the arm with a hockey stick, cleanly breaking it. Even Andy was a bit shaken after that: "I sat on the bed for some 40 minutes, shaking" was his understated comment.
So, would this now mean that he goes back to Christchurch to live happily ever after? No - "just another small job: we believe the Hare Krishna's are selling drugs. We want you to infiltrate." [hmmm... the mind boggles. I'd pay for a photo of Andy in a Hare Krishna outfit... Ed.] "In those days, anyone could join them", Andy said, "I started as a (Novice Monk), was issued with a set of finger cymbals and immersed myself in the daily routine of getting up at 3 am, chant, going on 'missionary duties' (e.g. chanting in the streets of the town) at 1 pm. And not a single drug or drug seller to be seen! As it ultimately turned out, it wasn't the Hare Krishna's who were selling the drugs, but one of their hangers-on. The man was nicknamed 'Mad Dog Morgan' (we had one of those in Australia too, about a century earlier), who was arrested an extradited to Australia.
So, the original "just about a week" turned into some three months. Andy returned to his girlfriend's flat, only to find the door to be answered by a total stranger. Had Toni moved out? No, she was still there! Andy ended up marrying her... [you are supposed to take out your handkerchief about now. Ed.]
Geoff Croad sent me a very interesting article, written by Michael Bucca, a 32 year old member of the Rotary Club of Central Ocean Toms River, New Jersey, USA.
"You might think that I, a 32-year-old member of a 110-year-old organization, would be preoccupied with trying to modernize my club’s way of doing things. But remarkably, my experience in Rotary is teaching me to spend more energy convincing my generation – which keeps trying to reinvent everything – that there is much to be gained in the lost art of personal connection...." ... Think of this as a real-life Facebook status combined with a weekly GoFundMe campaign."
Make a new bequest, gift or pledge of at least $10,000 and you will get a free ticket to attend this dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane on 27th February 2016. The goal is to raise $10,000,000 for The Rotary Foundation. See flyer in the Download section on the right for full details.
WHAT IS A ROTARY FOUNDATION GLOBAL GRANT SCHOLARSHIP? Established in 1947, the original Ambassadorial Scholarship program, valued in excess of $20,000 was designed to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries. With the launch of the Rotary Grants model, scholarships are now used to fund study by graduate students whose career goals support an area of focus. The funding is the same as a Humanitarian global grant with a minimum scholarship amount of US$30,000. Upon returning home, Rotary Scholars share with Rotarians and others their experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country, and what career they will go into in order to meet the six areas of focus and spread good will and understanding. WHY DON’T YOU NOMINATE A GRADUATE STUDENT FOR A SCHOLARSHIP?
A couple of old geezers, Bill and Jack (not their real names), come into their local watering hole. There they spot not one, but two superbly well proportioned young back packers (yes, their long sight vision is still ok, in case you ask!)
"Now, Jack, which one of these would you like to be stuck with in a lift?" Bill asks.
"Whichever one knows how to fix a lift."
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
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Andy's last segment dealt with him acting a Gigolo, worming himself into a drug ring. After that, he was headed for "retirement" from undercover work and was transferred back to Christchurch, with the respectable rank of Sergeant in the local Police Station. Andy meets girl named Toni, moves in with her, to live happily ever after...
Wellington, on to Auckland, where he was provided with a bag containing $50,000 in bank notes and a Berilla (Beretta?) pistol. "Head down to the 'New Criterion' Hotel (picture on right), there's a guy there selling LSD, cocaine and whatever other drugs, was his brief. An experienced undercover cop didn't take long to locate the man: 'Albie' was offering in any quantity. Andy wanted to buy some 10,000 tabs of LSD, valued at some $50,000. But to verify Andy's genuineness, Albie demanded that he take a tab of LSD himself. Or get shot... OK then... take a tab onto your finger and throw it back into your throat. Inexplicably (really??), it stuck on his finger so Andy didn't ingest it but instead won himself an Oscar acting as if he had... 
Make a new bequest, gift or pledge of at least $10,000 and you will get a free ticket to attend this dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane on 27th February 2016. The goal is to raise $10,000,000 for The Rotary Foundation. See flyer in the Download section on the right for full details.
