Gidday members of Surfers Sunrise Rotary members, associate members and friends of Rotary,
Just arrived home from a terrific afternoon with a number of Surfers Sunrise Rotarians and friends. A number of Rotarians and their partners attended the park at Paradise Point for a free concert of 60's and 70's music. It was a bring your own everything format and thus free of charge, and it was fantastic. The camaraderie amongst everyone was outstanding. A huge thank you to Adrian.
At the beginning of my term I asked Adrian Crowe to take charge of arranging social events for the club and Adrian has embraced the challenge. Just before Christmas, we had a luncheon at Stanley’s Barn, a car museum in Upper Coomera. It was a very successful day enjoyed by many members and partners.
Last week, I had the honour of inducting Bevan Sim into our club. Immediately after, Bevan was engaged as our speaker—our official guest speaker had to cancel at short notice—and he was asked to step in. Unprepared, he gave us a brief outline of his life to date, his work, and his hobbies. His talk, off the cuff, was funny, sombre, and totally engaging.
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This week, Ross Augustine (our Fundraising Chair) and I will meet with Sgt Cherie McLean from the PCYC, to discuss how we can work even closer together. Note, that we have a breakfast coming up on their premises on the 26th of February, for the “official” handover of the gym equipment we sponsored.
One of our longest-serving members, Ian Mayberry (a man of few words, but who cares) suggested a new project for our club: There are children in our community who, through no fault of their own, are doing it tough at school because their parent(s) are unable to afford books, laptops or even excursions. Ian’s idea is we ask members to contribute $5.00 per meeting. This would be totally voluntary. As our club has a strict policy of only supporting organisations rather than individuals, we would approach either the St Johns Crisis Centre or the PCYC to identify a child in need. Let’s put this on the agenda and discuss it.
Cheers. Remember - Do as you fear most and nothing changes if nothing changes.
Last Wednesday, President Andy Bell inducted our newest member, Bevan Sim, into Rotary. Welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Bevan!
Bevan was introduced by Doug Lipp (photo left). His classification, since he is a qualified Architect, is Architecture. But really, did not just architecture but, until retirement, was also a builder. Interestingly, Bevan also specialised in acting as an expert witness in building & construction disputes, submitting forensic reports to the court. Often was appointed as a formal mediator to resolve conflicts well before they went to court.
"My father was a Rotarian as well; I recall him proudly displaying The Objects of Rotary on his office wall", he said. Watch out for more details in a future report.
Our social events convenor, Adrian Crowe, organised a great get together at Paradise Point, listening to a live band playing 60's and 70's music. Some members of the Gold Coast North Innerwheel Club joined us too. And yes, we also had people there who hadn't even been born yet in the 1960's! Thanks Adrian - good show! (more photos on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/rcsurferssunrise
How good is it to have another young volunteer helping at our wheelchair shed: Brendan is just 52 years old!
Some 6 months ago, he and his charming wife Michelle relocated from Sydney to the Gold Coast. “Because I’ve always had a strong interest in “tinkering” (his words), restoring bicycles and vintage motorbikes, I saw an ad on Marketplace and came to this place to buy a bike for my own use, to restore to its former glory.” And that is when he saw what we did and decided that combining his hobby with doing something truly worthwhile would be ideal. Since then, Brendan has worked on most sections at the shed, from disassembly to painting to assembly of the wheelchairs.
So, what does a young man do when he is not working at the shed? Well… “I decided to take early retirement” he said. In his former life he had his own consulting business, specialising in corporate finance systems. With clients such as the Macquarie Group, certainly not a stress-free occupation! Besides restoring bikes and motorbikes, together with his wife Michelle he enjoys gymnastics. (Michelle is a Queensland and Australian champion in her Masters category). For quiet time, he reads SciFi novels (favourite author Blake Crouch), and occasionally watches streamed quality shows produced by the ABC or SBS. Back in Sydney. Brendan also was involved in a group to support Veterans’ mental health and might well again become involved in something similar here.
Welcome to the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Project, Brendan!
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
Here are a couple compliments of Gerald East:"I hear the guy who invented lozenges died today.""Oh, he did? I bet there will be no coffin' at that funeral!"
OK, so I made a comprehensive To-Do list for today. Ooops... forgot an important item: find somebody who will do all that stuff.
The man who has nothing to boast of but his illustrious ancestry is like a potato - the best part is underground. Thomas Overbury, English poet (1581 - 1613)
How good is it to have another young volunteer helping at our wheelchair shed: Brendan is just 52 years old!
