Cal Toft is heavily involved with his Rotary Club of Bundaberg's Water Wells RAWCS project in Cambodia where they have been responsible for installing 32 Water Wells & Pumps in Rural Villages near Siem Reap. He has also been a Team member of a RAWCS project. For the last 2 years they have fitted artificial hands to mine victims in Cambodia.
He will be accompanied by his wife Beth who is President of the Bundaberg Inner Wheel Club.
Well, if you missed it: too bad! The District Conference over the last weekend was nothing short of superb. So much quality. So much emotion. Your Editor's view is expressed in my email to District Governor Michael Irving and his chief organizers Jodie Shelly and Col Lee:
G'day Michael, Jodie and Colin,
Just a note to congratulate you and your organizing team for a superb conference. What amazing speakers! What variety - mixing the likes of Bill Boyd and Noel Trevaskis with the deep end of journalism of Kerry O'Brien and flower arrangements of Mark Pampling. And then, I thought... ok, I would "suffer" Ita Buttrose, expecting that this really was more for my better half - how wrong can one be. To top it off, a man of the calibre of Noel Pearson's eloquence, telling it like it is... How good is that!
Well organized, from our view as a guest, all ran like clockwork! Take a bow.
Famous international photographer Paul Freimanis (www.paulfreimanis.com) has created a new video about our wheelchair project. Filmed over the past 5 weeks, naturally with the inventor of the concept Des La Rance in the lead role, Paul has provided this at no charge to us - Thank you! You can play it from our website www.rotarysurferssunrise.org, click on the Wheelchair Trust Tab at the top. And don't forget to click on 'Like'!
Paul Freimanis, on his website, has some absolutely stunning images from his portfolio. Go and check it out, it's really worth your time!
She flies under the banner of 'The Coaching Godmother', as in Life Coaching. Well, if anyone ever clearly outlined that Nike's trademark 'Just do it' is not just for top athletes, or for that matter anyone running around in cross trainers and lycra - well, Margaret is your coach!
Born in New Zealand, she landed in Darwin in the 1980, answering an advertisement to look after a Quadriplegic, a teenager not just quadriplegic, but also suffering an intellectual disability. She wasn't really prepared, she didn't understand the "personal care" aspect till then, except that she herself had suffered a personal breakdown. Well, that person in a wheelchair may have been severely disabled, but that didn't stop her from wanting to... skydive. Skydive? How do you get a quadriplegic, wheelchair bound person into a tandem parachute harness? And then, to top it off, the plane isn't big enough to allow two people to jump, because Margaret had to help pushing her out? But, it was a major item on her charge's "bucket list". Never mind that in the excercise, she suffered two broken knees...
"Always take the road to the left of life" is Margaret's credo. She has worked with indigenous people, a paraplegic Rugby player, whom she accompanied as a fully paid carer to Canada and Los Angeles. On to Tijuana, where the owner of the Taxi she hired, a "huge, scary guy with tatoos all over him" unceremoniously lifted her ex Rugby player up and gently placed him in the car, then drove them to a huge meeting hall in the middle of nowhere, outside of which were parked some 300 Harley Davidsons... The road to the left of life? More like it the entire road! ☺
Rosie McIntyre was at the door, Tania Laird was Chairman and Andy Bell was Sergeant.
We had apologies from Graeme Isaacson, Peter Morgan, Paul Seymour, Jo Gorman, Darrell Brown and Des La Rance.
President Simon Brooks welcomed our guest speaker, Margaret Smith (see separate article above). Simon reminded all of the coming weekend's District Conference in Ballina, as well as the School for Samoa being under way. A working bee at The Shed is organized for Saturday 13th May - put it into your diary now!
Doug Lipp announced that he and Sue had become Grandparents for the third time: another grandson - Mother and child are all well. Congratulations!
Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson was in contact with a lady who is involved with Cambodia, and he had a phone call from Papua New Guinea - they are looking for a wheelchair. Daryl put them in contact with Donations in Kind.
Mario Fairlie referred to Jo Gorman's proposed Vocational Visit to Substation 33 (refer bulletin of 15/03/17, it's still up on the left side of our Home Page) on 24th May 2017: This will be a lunch time meeting. There is a high potential that we might all meet at Yatala Pies for lunch (to be confirmed) before going to Substation 33.
Youth Services Director Tania Laird advised that we have 4 candidates confirmed for the upcoming RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment) camp, plus an additional one who, whilst nominated by us, will be financed by the Rotary Club of Gold Coast.
And Adrian Crowe invited all members going to the District Conference in Ballina to join him and Beverley for pre-bushdance cocktails at his motel. [Note: Adrian and Beverley have nationwide reputation on this subject. Adrian's cocktails puts everyone into the "right mood" for the evening to come...
A couple of weeks ago, at our Surfers Sunrise meeting, our Guest Speaker Margaret Smith acted as the 'Lucky Ladybird' and drew the winning ticket (picture, on right). Since this article is public, we are of course not revealing the name of the winner, but your Editor is prepared to reveal that it is a family member of one of our longest serving members His/her initials are NM. Looks like a good family holiday in Fiji is coming up! ☺.
The results: in total 223 tickets were sold which raised a respectable $5,575 towards the cost of the School for Samoa. Still short of the target of $12,000 though.
which will connect you to the specific secure website Rotary Australia Word Community Service (RAWCS). All donations are fully tax deductible.
Special thanks go to Neil Thurlow, whose company Accent Print and Copyprovided all the printing of the tickets free of charge, and congratulations to Geoff Croad, who came tops in the sales department: he sold 6 books! President Elect Larry Murray also emphasised the enormous work done by Rosie McIntyre (left on picture) who not only organized the prize itself from Bartercard, but also kept track of all the money collected and managed the online sales, and Mario Fairlie, in charge of all relations between our club, RAWCS, authorities and the Samoa Victims Support Group who are our representatives over there.
Richard Smith, you are just soooo nice... Gerald East collected the absolute top gong for the most interesting shoes in the building [see picture on right - anyone remember the 'Polka Dot Bikini song? - but that is definitely where the similarity ends! Ed.]Geoff Croad, you didn't bring the name badges back from Hope Island! Not so! Franz Huber has got them safely stored at his home... Never mind, Geoff, in that case: at his great age, has published a new photo on Facebook - still no wrinkles! Franz Huber, you look like a Builder's Labourer! [which prompts me to dig up an old copy of The Builders' Labourers' Songbook - see below...] And then Rosie McIntyre has engaged in what can be described as criminal behaviour: she broke into her neighbour's letterbox to retrieve the envelope with the raffle money she intended to give to our treasurer... Simon Brook[yes, you guessed it.]Mario Fairlie is back from his "Best Trip Ever" to Las Vegas... Tania Laird, welcome back from Vietnam! We have had letters from bars over there, advising that they now had to lay off staff since you left... Larry Murray, looking at you, you must be starting in a new job today? Ian Mayberry, those pants you are wearing: were they originally trousers which shrank in the washing machine?
From'The Builders' Labourers' Song' (Author unknown), published in the Builders' Labourers' Songbook 1975 by the(in)famous Norm Gallagher:
So keep your powder dry – hold your head up high It's class to class and face to face; our limit is the sky We've got a fighting history and we never will be cowed A builders' labourer is a name to make a man feel proud
Not sure if this picture, taken by Adrian Crowe, of our incoming District Governor Darrell Brown should be under the 'Inspirations' segment... But here he is, on Sunday night at the District Conference, singing together with Rachael Beck. What's next? The Voice! (I reckon he'll go with Delta Goodrem...)
"Who are we? We are a service, not a fundraising club. No one joined Rotary to cook sausages or participate in a book fair."
Rotary International Director Noel Trevaskis, talking on membership at the District Conference.
"... there’s nothing like the power of a good idea. A good idea properly presented and well argued will always strike a point with a conscientious mind." Kerry O'Brien channeling Paul Keating at the District Conference.
Cal Toft is heavily involved with his Rotary Club of Bundaberg's Water Wells RAWCS project in Cambodia where they have been responsible for installing 32 Water Wells & Pumps in Rural Villages near Siem Reap. He has also been a Team member of a RAWCS project. For the last 2 years they have fitted artificial hands to mine victims in Cambodia. 
project. Filmed over the past 5 weeks, naturally with the inventor of the concept Des La Rance in the lead role, Paul has provided this at no charge to us - Thank you! You can play it from our website 
She flies under the banner of 'The Coaching Godmother', as in Life Coaching. Well, if anyone ever clearly outlined that Nike's 
trademark 'Just do it' is not just for top athletes, or for that matter anyone running around in cross trainers and lycra - well, Margaret is your coach! 
A couple of weeks ago, at our Surfers Sunrise meeting, our Guest Speaker Margaret Smith acted as the 'Lucky Ladybird' and drew the winning ticket (picture, on right). Since this article is public, we are of course not revealing the name of the winner, but your Editor is prepared to reveal that it is a family member of one of our longest serving members His/her initials are NM. Looks like a good family holiday in Fiji is coming up! ☺..JPG)
Richard Smith, you are just soooo nice... Gerald East collected the absolute top gong for the most interesting shoes in the building 
right - anyone remember the '.jpg)
