To celebrate 100 Years of Rotary in Australia, Surfers Sunrise will be participating in the Rotary Baton Relay on Friday 16th April. Other clubs involved on the day at this stage include Parkwood, Runaway Bay and Broadwater Southport. Surfers Sunrise will be doing a walk with our Rough Terrain Wheelchairs from the Rotary Broadwater Chapel, down through Broadwater Parklands to the G-Link station where we will then deliver the Baton via tram to the Gold Coast University Hospital. Broadwater Southport has many events planned for the afternoon and will finish with a BBQ at the Kokoda Memorial Wall in Cascade Gardens which we are all invited to. All Rotarians should wear the Rotary Says No to Domestic Violence T Shirt so we can make an impact on the day. More details to follow over the coming weeks and any suggestions welcome.
This Wednesday morning we have a formal meeting at the Surf Club where we will hear from Tammy Ritchie – it would be great to see everyone there to hear Tammy’s story. Angus Miller is on the Door and Geoff Croad is Chairperson.
On Wednesday evening, we have a Chinese New Year Celebration at Highland Court Benowa. We will also be presenting Excellence in Workmanship Awards to celebrate local businesspeople that have provided excellent service. At this stage we have 35 people coming along and although the Trybooking page has now closed, if you do want to come along let me know asap and I will add you to the list.
This Wednesday 17th February, our guest speaker is Tammy Richie, a remarkable woman whose story is a powerful reminder about what we are truly capable of as human beings. Way back, she was told that as a woman she couldn't become an Airforce Maintenance Engineer... well, no prizes for guessing: that is exactly what she did for 17 years, before becoming an internationally renowned speaker. See you at 07:00 am at the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club!
Note: online bookings for the evening function at the Highland Court Chinese Restaurant are now closed.
‘A genie gives you a single wish. What is it?’ is one of my standard questions when I interview somebody. Bryan’s answer, given without hesitation, was “To regain my health”, which underscores his valiant health battle. The permanent illness, which affects his nervous system, was caused from work exposure to poisonous chemicals during his 40 year career as a Compositor and Photo Typesetter and all pre-press large format film and photographic paper processors. [For those of you younger than 50: before electronic publishing, newspaper type was first set in lead blocks made on so-called Lynotype and Ludlow machines. The Compositor was the tradesman doing that type of work. No Henrietta, he did not compose any symphonies, nor operas... ☺ Ed.]
Born in 1952, Bryan is a proud third generation Southport citizen. (Yes! In 1920, his grandfather ran the Ferry Service from Carrara to Benowa!) He joined the Gold Coast Bulletin in 1968 as an apprentice. Some 40 years later, when he was forced to retire early due to health issues, he had been the longest serving staff member there.
Bryan’s involvement with Rotary goes all the way back some 48 years, to when he met his wife Lesley at a Rotaract event in Brisbane. After some travel through Europe, they became engaged in 1979 and married a year later. Their two daughters are both professionals in Marine Biology and Aged Care respectively.
We all know Bryan as a sort of “Volunteer Foreman” at our Project Shed. But what does he do when he is not toiling there every Wednesday and Saturday (and often on other days too)? “I go camping!” he said. “Or I read a good book (Sydney Sheldon and Wilbur Smith are two of his most liked writers), or I listen to “good ol Rock n Roll”, Glen Campbell or… wait for it… Michael Jackson…” [Michael Jackson?? Bad? No, it's Off the Wall, probably Dangerous! What a Thriller! Try and visualise Bryan moonwalking...☺ Ed.] And there is a big goal ahead: to travel our wide brown land! The Caravan is ready to roll…
Picture below (provided by Bryan): Tuesley's Broadwater to Tippler's Ferry.
Surfers Sunrise sponsored not just one but two RYLA Awardees at this year's event! Photo (curtesy Rotaract Burleigh Heads) shows the Rotaract team at the Rotary Youth Leadership Award a couple of weeks ago (click on link for details of next year's). KJ Jewson (back row right, next to DG Andy Rajapakse) and Sasha Kimber (front right). Looking forward to JK and Sasha's presentation on 31st March.
Our club has been involved with the Gold Coast Ramble since its inception, regularly fielding teams. Are you up to it this year? Click on the picture to go directly to their website. At last week's meeting, David Baguley (RC of Gold Coast)the details of this event, to be staged on 21st March 2021, starting on Chevron Island (see article below). With a much more modern App, this year’s event only requires four check points to be manned. We need prizes! Can you assist?
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
The Dunning – Kruger Effect: In simple words: "people who are too ignorant to know how ignorant they are"
A shark tank has no meaning without a 007 falling into it.
Right now, scientists are in exactly the same position as Renaissance painters, commissioned to make the portrait the patron wants done. And if they are smart, they’ll make sure their work subtly flatters the patron. Not overtly. Subtly. This is not a good system for research into those areas of science that affect policy. Even worse, the system works against problem solving. Because if you solve a problem, your funding ends. All that’s got to change. Michael Crighton - American Author (Jurassic Park, State of Fear etc)
‘A genie gives you a single wish. What is it?’ is one of my standard questions when I interview somebody. Bryan’s answer, given without hesitation, was “To regain my health”, which underscores his valiant health battle. The permanent illness, which affects his nervous system, was caused from work exposure to poisonous chemicals during his 40 year career as a Compositor and Photo Typesetter and all pre-press large format film and photographic paper processors. 
Surfers Sunrise sponsored not just one but two RYLA Awardees at this year's event! Photo (curtesy Rotaract Burleigh Heads) shows the Rotaract team at the 
The Dunning – Kruger Effect: In simple words: "people who are too ignorant to know how ignorant they are"
