Stories

Last Wednesday: District Governor John Oomen

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 14, 2025

Since our Charter in 1987, our club has gradually built a reputation of doing things somewhat differently and unconventionally. It started with our VERY unconventional club banner (sadly, bowing to progressive thinking pressures, now relegated to 'History' – you can still find it on our website), and continued with being rather relaxed about attendance at a time when Attendance was still written with a Capital letter (anyone remember Col Johnson’s ”50 mile rule”? 😊). Another one I remember is a record for the shortest speech by a District Governor ever (at our Changeover 1997, when Paul Gillet (may he rest in peace) broke all records with a 30 seconds speech...)

We now have another unconventional event to add to the list: A District Governor’s visit where the DG doesn’t give a speech at all, but engages the troops in a Question and Answer session. Very refreshing indeed!

His concept is “Look outside to see what’s happening outside” (I don’t know whether willingly or accidentally, he borrowed this from a Horror Game “Look Outside”...) After briefly introducing himself (you can read it all on the District 9640 website) he asked questions. And John answered in a clear and uncomplicated manner. Including a question on what is happening with Regionalisation? The answer is too complex to publish in this post. Allow me instead quote the (in)famous Italian politician and diplomat, Niccolo Macchiavelli: “There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order.”

All the way from Port Macquarie...

Posted by Franz Huber

Recently got a message from Sherene and Tim who had seen the Channel 9 broadcast, asking if we would have any use for a wheelchair in very good condition? Yes, sure do!

So they brought it with them, as they headed further up north. Came with removable foot plates as well.

Thank you, Tim and Sherene. This will make a disabled person in a developing country very happy.

121 Wheelchairs are off to Sri Lanka

Hard work, but these guys can handle it! A few days ago, a 20-foot container was filled up with 121 Rough Terrain wheelchairs, destined for Sri Lanka. There was some spare space, so we added several 'standard' wheelchairs that had been donated to us from various sources. The distribution at the receiving end will be organised by Vanny Hope, a major international charitable organisation.

Picture: two of our regular hard working volunteers, Nev Tate (left) and Rick Parry. There are a couple more photos (and lots of other goodies) on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/rcsurferssunrise - why not check it out?

Very successful Surfers Sunrise Golf Day last Monday

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Monday's Surfers Sunrise Golf Day, one of our regular fundraising events, again was very successful, raising around $7,000. All proceeds to go towards our 'Rough Terrain Wheelchairs' project and to local charities. Regrettably, your Editor was living it up in Sydney, so wasn't there to take the usual photos. Check our Facebook page for some photos that were sent to me by fellow members - hopefully more to come.

Overall winner: Daniel Bisker's team (names to come), Rotary Club winner: Gold Coast Corporate Rotary, Corporate Team winner: Astill Cronin Lawyers (photo). Thank you to all the players and sponsors. It's a great way to raise some funds whilst having a lot of fun. And, as always, a special thank you to the principal organisers, Charles Thomasson, Doug Lipp and Fundraising Director Ross Augustine.

Visitor from Argentina: Melanie de Luca

Posted by Franz Huber

Melanie (Photo - with Vice President Andy Bell) recently arrived on the Gold Coast on a Working Holiday visa. She only politely enquired whether it would be ok for her to visit our club, as her father is very active in Rotary in her home country, Argentina. Well, talking about an opportune moment: regrettably, the guest speaker, who originally was expected, had to cancel at late notice. "So, how about coming in as Guest Speaker?" I asked her...

Unfortunately, your Editor was unable to attend, travelling interstate, and "somebody" had forgotten to recharge the batteries of our PA system - please accept our apologies for that, Melanie! Still, I understand that the meeting went well. Perhaps we need to get you back again, next time with a functioning PA system!

Last Friday was World Polio Day

Posted by Elizabeth Celi on Oct 25, 2025

Particularly younger people may not even know what Polio is, and certainly have never seen a person suffering from it. It is an illness that severely affects children - in German, it's called 'Kinderlähmung' - Children's Paralysis.

It's caused by a virus, it is incurable, but it can be vaccinated against. Up to 1986, almost every country in the world except "developed" nations (but including France, Denmark, Germany and Spain) had it. Some 350,000 children were suffering. Then, Rotary embarked on one of the most audacious programs ever undertaken in the world: the eradication of Polio. Just as Smallpox had been eliminated before. Today, it occurs endemically in just two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. And until these are Polio free, we need to keep on keeping on.

Do yourself a favour and view the video and the slides of the link below. It will take just 5 minutes, and it will make you proud to be a Rotarian.

https://www.endpolio.org/ (or click on the image)

Surfers Sunrise Golf Day next Monday

Our annual Golf Day will be held at the Surfers Paradise Golf Club on Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters 4217. Download the brochure (Download Files on the right). We need players, Raffle Prizes, helpers on the day. We need players (both corporate and individual), raffle prizes, helpers on the day. To play: Book online https://www.trybooking.com/DDEDP or scan the QR Code

For donation of Raffle Prizes or to put your name down to help: Contact Ross Augustine

"I am a lighthouse keeper's daughter!" - Christine O'Connor

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 15, 2025

One of my favourite quotes about our organisation is by Sir Clem Renouf, the first Australian Rotary International President: “Rotary takes ordinary men and gives them extraordinary opportunities to do more with their lives than they ever dreamed possible”. Well, allow me to mangle that and say “Rotary allows ordinary men (and women) to meet people who have done more with their lives than you ever dreamed possible.”

This morning, Christine O’Connor (picture right),

who recently transferred to Surfers Sunrise from another club, presented her ‘Rotarian behind the Badge’ talk. “I am a lighthouse keeper’s daughter!” she proudly declared. The uncommonness of such a childhood only became clear as she outlined, in the clear and concise manner of a former University Professor, some of the difficulties of daily life when one is stuck in a lighthouse, for obvious reasons deliberately built in a location of extreme exposure to the weather. All up, her upbringing occurred in four locations on the eastern coast of Victoria, from Gabo Island, to Wilsons Promontory, to Cape Everard and Cape Otway. Gabo Island? How did you get there? From the Mallacoota bar... the trawler was often in poor condition... going through the bar, we lost a rudder once... had a fire, ran aground... And talking about the need to be self-sufficient: No electricity.

Home schooling. Eventually, at Cape Otway, a 45 minute trip by bus to the school. Yet that did not stop Christine to have a career as a highly recognised Psychologist and Academic for over 35 years. Visiting Professor at Washington State Uni, working in Paris, Bordeaux, Vienna, Norway.

There was almost no time to talk about her passion: ‘The Arts’. Yes, that's a very broad subject, and certainly the remaining 7 minutes were nowhere near adequate. So we’ll have to have you back, Christine! You can download Christine’s PowerPoint (in PDF format) with lots of great pictures – go the the Download Section on the right.

End Polio Plus Movie Night, 24 Oct: The Travellers

Posted by Franz Huber

The Travellers, directed by Bruce Beresford, features iconic Australian actor Brian Brown. All proceeds are donated in support of Polio Plus - one of the major Rotary Foundation initiatives. Organised by PDG Lisa Hunt, it will be screened at the Event Cinemas in Coomera. There is a restaurant nearby, and after the movie, we may go to have dinner there in company with other Rotary members and friends. Download the flyer from the Download Section on the right.

YOU MUST BOOK. Click on this link, www.trybooking.com/DFXCK or scan the QR Code.

Anna Caldwell - LifeFlight

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 01, 2025

Well, let's hope we'll never need the services of LifeFlight. But if we ever did: how good is it to know they are there! At this morning's meeting, Anna Caldwell (picture, with President Paul Seymour), is the ‘Community Engagement Lead’ for the Gold Coast and Brisbane. She outlined some astounding details about this Not-For-Profit organisation.

Established in 1979, LifeFlight (formerly CareFlight) has grown into the largest aero-medical service organisation in the southern hemisphere. 21 Helicopters, 4 fixed-wing aircraft, 8 bases from Cairns in the north to Archerfield in the south of Queensland. On the Gold Coast alone, in the last 12 months, they had 42 Arrival Missions. Disasters, Floods, Neo-natal care, Search & Rescue, Accidents of all sorts, and “inter-facility” hospital transfers – the entire spectrum. Their staff comprises not just Doctors, Paramedics and Pilots. There is a world-class, state of the art training organisation as well, equipped with a simulator... [I’d pay to go on one of these...Ed. ☺] They also do ‘First Minutes Matter’ training courses which can be tailored to the specific purpose.

LiftFlight is financed via a combination of a State Government service agreement, Community Support (donations, bequests etc), and ‘Profit for Purpose’ enterprises such as the above mentioned training facility.

There is MUCH more, so download Anna’s presentation from the Download Section on the right and have a look for yourself! There is also lots of information on their website: https://www.lifeflight.org.au/ or you can contact Anna on Anna.Caldwell@lifeflight.org.au.

"Club Assembly?" Don't bother, they said...

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 20, 2025

I don't know about other clubs - I've only ever been a member of the Rotary breakfast club on the Gold Coast, and our club assemblies certainly are worth your time. At last Wednesday's meeting, Vice President Andy Bell valiantly tried to cram all the agenda items into the one hour available.

To start off, Andy clarified the relationship between the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Trust and the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club. In simple terms: The Rotary Club is the full owner of the Wheelchair Trust, and all decisions, as well as the management and running of the project shed and it's associated wheelchair building processes, are the responsibility of members of the Rotary club. The Trustees, headed by the Chairman (Geoff Croad) must all be members of the Rotary Club. The Wheelchair Trust is the registered charity into which donations can be made.

A number of directors and committee chairs briefly presented: Fundraising Director Ross Augustine elaborated on various aspects, including the upcoming Golf Day, the Containers for Change system, an upcoming Bunnings Sausage Sizzle at their Nerang Store on Saturday 25th October, just to mention a few. By the way: did you know that last year, the club has paid a total of $12,481 for overhead expenses at the project shed? Rates, motor vehicle expenses, consumables, power... Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad advised of a $25,000 donation "from a member", and another $25,000 donation can be expected "from an honorary member" once the formalities for a trust has been completed. Both wish to remain anonymous. Ian Mayberry brought us up to date on the status of our new 'School Mates' project. Our new member Tulip Penney has agreed to take on the clubs Public Relations job, with the aim to get more exposure in both the electronic as well as the print media. Youth Services Director Mitch Brown outlined the various District 9640 youth programs, with particular emphasis of RYTS (Rotary Youth Transition Seminar), designed for Year 11-12 Students. Applications are now open. Note: advise Mitch directly if you know of a candidate. For suitable applicants, full sponsorship by our club is available to cover the $800 fee.

Rotary Club of Gladstone: continued assistance

Pretty boring picture, huh? Well, there is a good story behind it: It's a pallet loaded with 12 wheelchair kits, on the way to Gladstone. For years, the Rotary Club of Gladstone (Qld) has helped us to build wheelchairs. This is how it works: we send the raw bicycle frames, unsanded and unpainted plywood and new components etc to Gladstone. They then finish it all off, and return it back to us, ready for despatch to whatever destination. The Toll Group provides transport free of charge. How good is that?

Kieser Bundall Open Day

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 13, 2025

Today, our corporate member Kieser Bundall opened their clinic to the public and invited our club to run a sausage sizzle out front (yes, they even supplied the sausages!

Here is the first shift shortly after firing up, with Angus Miller (chief sizzler), Rock O'Keefe with Min, an Exchange Student from Korea helping and Emma, one of the Exercise Scientists from Kieser.

Welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Tulip, Christine and Robert!

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 03, 2025

OK, even for a vibrant, almost hyperactive club such as Surfers Sunrise Rotary, the induction of three new members is somewhat uncommon... So, when this morning our Vice President Andy Bell (in absence of President Paul Seymour due to illness) inducted three new members, this was a special day indeed. Welcome Tulip Penney (nominated by Mario Fairlie), Christine O'Connor and Robert Thomasson (both experienced Rotarians who transferred from another club). In case the name Thomasson sounds familiar: yes, Rob is the father of our Treasurer, Charles Thomasson. Our very first Father & Son member team!

Kieser Bundall - Open Day 13th Sept

Posted by Franz Huber

Have a bad back? A weak leg? Arthritis? Osteoporosis? Or you simply feel that "exercise is beyond me"? Yes, this might come as a surprise: scientifically supervised (and very gentle) strength exercise can much improve your life for the better. Several of our members currently participate in their strength exercises, which are tailored by qualified Excercise Scientists to the individual, and supervised by exercise scientists and physiotherapists. All welcome.

Our corporate member, Kieser Bundall (headed by Kane Chisholm) will run an Open Day next Saturday 13th September at their clinic. There is a packed program - see Download Files on the right. Our club will run a Sausage Sizzle on the premises, with all proceeds (yes, Kieser is even buying the sausages!) going to our fundraising efforts.

Guests from Mooloolabah Lions Club

Posted by Geoff Croad on Aug 30, 2025

This morning, we welcomed guests from the Sunshine Coast: President Kerry & Lyn Naumann, Lorraine Buhk and Tim Fraser from the Mooloolabah Lions Club, a major donor to our 'Rough Terrain' wheelchairs project, visited the wheelchair project shed this morning. Welcome to the Gold Coast!

These bikes failed to graduate at Bond University...

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 23, 2025

... so we were asked to pick them up so, for once, they could be good for SOMETHING rather than just lying around in the University's store room...

This morning, Geoff, Rangesh, Mike and yours truly took an excursion on a magnificent early Saturday morning to the leafy surrounds of Bond Uni. Rich pickings indeed!

Andrew Csabi: Getting out of a fight

Posted by Franz Huber

OK, so Andrew’s official topic was “Situation Awareness and De-escalation of violence in the workplace”, and as Australia’s best known survivor of the 2002 Bali bombing attack, Situation Awareness would be – literally – burned into his retina. 202 people were killed, 88 of them Australian, and hundreds more were wounded. Over 20 years later, Andrew still gets quite emotional, even when just mentioning the horrors in passing. His left leg was amputated above the knee, and he lost part of his right foot.

These days, Andrew runs his own Security Company, AGC Pro-Tec. One of his company’s specialisations is the teaching of – well, just that: How to avoid a confrontation, how to avoid a brawl, how to perhaps even avoid walking into a serious accident. It’s not easy to compress a 4 hour course into less than half an hour, yet we still received some invaluable advice. Let me just recount some major points:

“Situational Awareness is picking up cues from the environment... ... and using that understanding to predict what may happen next” he stated. A lot of the avoidance strategy is non-verbal. “Our natural reaction, when we are in normal conversations with people, is to move closer to them. When dealing with conflict, we need to do the opposite”. For example, if somebody approaches you with an aggressive stance, walk away from it if you can. If you can’t, put a barrier between you to create time and distance. Concealment. Check where your Exit Points are. Do all you can to de-escalate the situation.

‘Should I study Martial Arts?’ was one of the questions. “Not unless you take it very seriously” was his advice. “Those moves have to be trained, repetitively, hundreds of times, before you can be effective.” Instead, practice avoidance: walk away, try to maintain distance, put up a barrier, take a non-aggressive stance. And yes, be conscious, watch out and start avoidance early.

(Photo: Andrew Csabi (right) with our Meeting Chairman of the day, Mitch Brown)

Meet our Volunteers: Darren Green

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 16, 2025

Before retirement, Darren was a qualified Electrical Fitter and Mechanic, and he assures me that he still has a current license. Originally from the Central Coast of NSW, he moved north around the year 2000, initially to a Brisbane suburb. He moved to the Gold Coast about 6 years ago. A medical condition resulted in his forced early retirement from work some two years after arriving here on the Gold Coast.

Darren is an “all-rounder”, but he has an affinity for the refurbishing of bikes suitable for resale, and he is happy to deal with clients who come to our door looking for a bargain (and there are plenty of bargains to be had! See photo: a good row of them, all ready to go.)

Digging a bit into his past, one finds out that he used to do this for a private business as well, acquiring used bikes from sources such as Marketplace, refurbishing them and reselling them again. Hobbies? An interesting combination indeed: ‘Post Classic’ motorbikes (he used to race a Suzuki T250), classic watches (as in pocket watches) and... classic mobile phones – yes, the old Nokias and early iPhones, for example. To keep him in a good mood, he listens to 4CRB (our favoured station, they give us a plug every now an then), with The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd his favourites. Welcome to the Wheelchair Trust Team, Darren!

Container with 300+ wheelchairs is on the way!

The 40-foot container with some 300-plus 'Rough Terrain' wheelchairs is on the way to Durban, South Africa! (Yes, it IS full!) The Rotary clubs in the region will take care of the distribution into the South African Hinterland.

A big THANK YOU to our donors who make this possible.

Noah Siladyi is the winner of the 2025 Lutzy Award!

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 06, 2025

At this morning's meeting, the 10th Annual Lutzy Award was presented to Noah Siladyi. The award is in memory of our late member Keith Lutz, who not only was a leading light in our club but was one of the major leaders and sportsmen of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club.

Every year, the awardee is nominated by the Surf Club, not on the basis of being the best surfer (he/she can be, though!) but to be an emerging leader of the Surf Life Saving Movement. Congratulations, Noah!

Photo shows Noah (second from right), with (l - r) Immediate Past President Andy Bell, Ray Higgs, and Pierre Trapper, Vice President of the Surfers Paradise SLSC. Watch this space - a photo album of the event will be published within the next couple of days.

Sometimes, it's plain hard yakka at the Wheelchair Project Shed!

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 02, 2025

Sometimes, it's plain hard yakka at the Wheelchair Project Shed! We had a working bee to load a 40-foot container with approximately 300 wheelchairs, destined for South Africa. Several of our Rotarians came over to help, with a number of the volunteers putting their muscles and backs into it as well. By morning tea, it was all done. But meanwhile, inside the shed, "the show goes on": grinding, sand blasting, running a bandsaw and a router around the plywood boards, applying heat to donated moulded chairs so they fit, clamping bikes that potentially can be refurbished for sale on and ultimately dealing with prospective customers.

All rewarded by half an hour of great fellowship with Lionel's traditionally brewed coffee, tea, biscuits and cakes (picture). There are over 20 photos on our Facebook page of real work being done. Click on this link: https://www.facebook.com/wheelchairtrust/

International helper at Saturday's Bunnings Sausage Sizzle

Posted by Franz Huber

We had a visitor helping us at Bunnings Fundraiser at Nerang: At our sausage sizzle (first time at the Nerang store today), Rock O'Keefe brought a guest from South Korea along: Min is currently hosted by Rock and Joan. Welcome to Australia, Min, and thank you for helping!

Many thanks also to all the other members who helped: Mitch Brown, Bevan Sim, Charles Thomasson, Fundraising Director Ross Augustine, Darrell Brown, Ralph Pownall, Andy Bell, Doug Lipp, Paul Seymour, Rob Thomasson and yours truly. Final results are not yet in, but should be good - things were quite busy.

Stephanie Ho – Endurance Athlete, Adventurer

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 24, 2025

So you thought you did the odd daring thing when you were young? OK, perhaps a bushwalk? Real daring, there are poisonous snakes out there! Hmmm, what about the snowy Alps of New Zealand? The arid regions of Morocco? Perhaps trekking to Everest Base Camp, 5364 metres above sea level, in Nepal? Only takes a few weeks, but for good measure, throw in a spell at a local school volunteering, and whilst there, plan a fundraiser of, say, $15,000 to help that school? Actually, once back in Australia, Stephanie raised $20,000. Are you still in it?

Well, Stephanie did this in preparation for her next major project: to walk from the West Coast of Greenland to the eastern side. To train for this, she attached two big tyres to her harness, to simulate towing her 50 Kg sled, and dragged it along the beach front on the Gold Coast. “The closest to home where I could simulate the exercise” she said with a smile. Then she did it – 600 Km of unforgiving, bitterly cold, living for 30 days in the glacial wilderness, overnighting in her specially designed tent.

All this, and more, is in preparation of her major project: to Solo Ski to the South Pole next year. 1130 Km, 60 days, from the continental west coast of Antarctica. 1,130 Km, 60 days. Temperatures between minus 5 to minus 40 degrees. Yes, overnight in a tent.

Why? OK, Stephanie obviously enjoys adventures way beyond the endurance capabilities of the average citizen. However, she is also affiliated with the University of Wollongong and the University of Tasmania for research purposes. Like metabolic rate to pinpoint thermal requirements, or nutritional requirements, or sports psychology.

What can I add? We are in awe, Stephanie. We wish you every success in your venture. (A PDF copy of her presentation is in the Download Section on the right)

Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Project is screened on A Current Affair!

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 14, 2025

On Saturday night, Channel 9's A Current Affair screened an update on our Wheelchair Project, 28 years after the first screening in August 1997. Click on this link to view it on the Channel 9 Website. If you would like to contribute too, our website

www.wheelchairtrust.org.au

has facilities to donate bikes, time or money. Or send us an email to info@wheelchairtrust.org.au. Donations to our Wheelchair Project in consequence to the broadcast have been substantial. I'll provide a more detailed update as time goes on, and by the time we have our Social Meeting this Wednesday, we'll have more specific results.

Oh, and very important: It was of course our volunteer (and former member of Surfers Sunrise) Rick Old, who deserves a special mention: It was Rick who contacted A Current Affair to get this big ball rolling! Thank you, Rick!

Drivers needed to collect bikes to make wheelchairs

Posted by Franz Huber

Do you have a current Class C drivers license, and are reasonably fit for your age? At our Wheelchair Project factory, we need people to assist in the collection of discarded bicycles from various places on the Gold Coast. We do have a ute and a large trailer (by the way, a large trailer is much easier to reverse than a small one - training provided if you have never done it) - we just need somebody to drive it and/or help with loading and unloading the bikes. The shed operates every Wednesday and Saturday morning (either or both - no specific commitment required, and you still will have time to come to our meetings. However, alternative days could be arranged.

Interested? Contact our Wheelchair Trust Chair Geoff Croad directly (click here to email, or call him on his mobile).

Our new President – Paul Seymour

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 10, 2025

Last Wednesday, at our first ‘formal’ club meeting of the new Rotary year, our new President Paul Seymour ran a Club Assembly, outlining his plans for 2025-26. Paul stated that his theme for the year is ‘Participation’. It doesn’t get more straightforward than this: every member is expected to be active in the various activities. There are plenty to choose from: Paul circulated a list of members for everyone to indicate their preferences. Here are the major changes:

Wheelchair Project: Geoff Croad agreed to continue heading our keynote project; however, Geoff made it quite clear that he wants to hand over to someone else. Whilst Wheelchairs have gone strong, he foreshadowed a potential for some strong competition when the lease of the Project Shed comes up for renewal again. Thus, the ongoing viability of this project depends on proper planning and execution.
New Directorship: Community Services. Rock O’Keefe will head this. It encompasses liaison with the PCYC, where we have now been active for the last two years, liaison with Fundraising Director Ross Augustine in respect to the Containers for Cash program (where a number of major donors, such as High-rise buildings, demand the proceeds to be spent locally).
Community Services also incorporates a major sub-division: School Mates. Ian Mayberry will head this new program. A couple of months ago (May 2025), John Walters from the RC of Goonellabah visited our club to speak about this program that was instigated by his club. Read about his presentation – click here. Past President Andy Bell is very enthusiastic to get this program up and running quickly.

The other major directorships of Fundraising (Ross Augustine), Membership (now headed by Doug Lipp), Youth Services (now headed by Mitch Brown), Rotary Foundation (Dr Elizabeth Celi) and Club Administration (Franz Huber) will continue as before.

You have to admire the former greats...

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 21, 2025

You have to admire the former greats: Here was Mick Veivers (picture left), at the ripe old age of 85 (and soon to be 86), as he was "interviewed" by the famous comedian and impersonator Danny McMaster, fluently recounting "the good ol' days" of his career as a Rugby Union, then Rugby League player, then State politician. Mick was

followed by 'Spida' Everitt, (picture right) who played very close to 300 Senior AFL games (St Kilda, Hawthorn and Sydney), and now, for the past 11 years, has hosted a breakfast show on MMM Radio. Oh, how I wish I could print some of the jokes and barbs that flew!

And to round it off, Danny created on-going, rolling laughter with some of his classic impersonations, from Joh Bielke Petersen all the way to the current Donald Trump... Yes, it was supposed to conclude at 3 pm. Yeah, right...

Yesterday's Sportsman's Lunch at the Surfers Paradise Golf Club was a wonderful way to fundraise for our club. Results will become known soon. A huge Thank You! goes to the organisers Doug Lipp, Charles Thomasson and Ross Augustine.

New Sandblaster has just arrived!

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 14, 2025

Our Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad certainly didn't hang around for long after the board approved the purchase of a new Sandblaster for our Wheelchair Project team. It just has arrived last Saturday. This will make the stripping of old paint and rust from bicycle frames so much easier and more efficient!

(Photo: Just about finished unpacking it. Curtesy of Al Sirovs)

Our Sportsman's Luncheon this Friday 20th June 2025

Posted by Franz Huber

Our Sportsman's Luncheon is this coming Friday, 20th June 2025.

Here is an opportunity to mix with the greats of Rugby League and Rugby Union, whilst being entertained by the master comedian, Danny McMaster, whilst enjoying a plethora of various finger foods and unlimited drinks (wine, beer or softdrinks) for the entire 3-hour event.

We will have a Minibus there to take people who may have gone above the 0.05 Limit (Max 15 Km). As we are not a licensed Taxi or equivalent service, we'll accept your generous donation rather than a fixed price.

Here is the link to book online: https://www.trybooking.com/DBQWK or scan the QR Code.

Dianne Kozik - 'A Hand Up'

Posted by Franz Huber on May 23, 2025

For most citizens of the Gold Coast, the base levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (food, water, shelter, and safety) are “normality”; they are “simply there” without much further thought about it.

Last Wednesday's Guest Speaker, Dianne Kozik, who is the CEO of St John’s Crisis Centre, presented us with a stark alternative: Her outline of our city’s homeless and destitute people is quite confronting. “The official figure, according to the 2021 Census, is that some 2,500 people are homeless. The reality, however, would be much higher,” she stated. Over the last 12 months, St John’s provided almost 40,000 meals, 3,500 school lunches, and temporary accommodation and even financial emergency assistance. The recent decision by the Gold Coast City Council to eliminate the tent cities in the local parks wouldn’t make it any easier.

St John’s Crisis Centre coordinates with various other organisations, such as OzHarvest (collecting donated food), Orange Sky (providing mobile laundry services) and numerous donors, both private and corporate. For instance, SnapFresh provides airline-style ready meals which can be handed out instantly.

Further, the authorities discontinued a scheme that had, without any doubt, produced results: The ‘Public Safety Liaison Officers’ (PSLOS). It was working. (Details are in the slides of her presentation in the Downloads Section on the right.) A reduction from 292 active PSLOS cases in March 2023 to 187 by January 2025. Then it was scrapped. Go figure.

Not all bad news, though: the Gold Coast Common Ground initiative for a supportive housing model is coming to fruition. St John’s has secured land from the State Government. Next step: build it. Why not volunteer at St John's? Our member Mario Fairlie does (as a Director of the Board). By the way: it will greatly assist you to fulfil the third level of Maslow's. And the fourth. And the fifth.

John Walters – School Mates program

Posted by Franz Huber on May 08, 2025

Last Wednesday’s Guest Speaker came all the way from the Rotary Club of Goonellabah (near Lismore). John Walters outlined an interesting program his club is running to curb the ever-present problem of underprivileged children attending school being undernourished, and in consequence, underperforming. Hold on! Undernurished?. Hungry? In Australia? Yes.

From a lower rate of 15%, to as much as 96% of children in schools don’t get breakfast. More than 40% don’t have lunch. Combine that with the stigma attached to wearing a second-hand uniform when starting the first year High School... well, there is no need to greatly elaborate.

John’s Rotary Club has established a program in conjunction with the local schools (since promoted to many other schools in the vicinity): This is how it works and why it works: the Rotary club communicates with the Headmaster to identify what is needed (not which kids need help). Not just food, but also uniforms, shoes, learning materials, access to special programs or events and activities that are out of a family’s financial reach. Individual children are NOT identified, as goods (or food) are purchased and distributed by the school. The club organises the financing and liaises with the school.

In the Download section (top right-hand side), you can find a detailed PDF of the School Mates program. Spend a bit of time studying and evaluating it. It makes sense, it is effective and is a program well worth adopting, because it produces results. (Photo: John Walters (on right) with our Meeting Chairman of the day, Ray Higgs)

Foundation Committee meets to prepare for grants in 2025-26

Posted by Elizabeth Celi on Apr 11, 2025

The Foundation committee met 5th April 2025 to discuss and debate both District Grant and Global Grant applications for this incoming Rotary Year.

We are now in process with Fundraising Director Ross Augustine kindly collating a District Grant, due 31 May. With assistance from Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad collating numbers and details and any of us with anything else needed to fill in any gaps. The focus of the District Grant is to order additional materials for manufacture of the wheelchairs - additional materials as the purchase/expenditure would need to be around July AFTER the district Grant is approved and provided, with our matching funds. BIG BIG thanks to Ross and Geoff.

Global grant application - as it stands, consideration of applying for a Global grant is on pause as we deliberate short term, medium term and long term considerations for both the Shed and Club member/volunteer involvement. We can apply for a Global Grant anytime of the calendar if we decide to go ahead.

The Foundation committee will meet again in a couple of months to discuss both

viability of applying for a global grant, how best and whether we go ahead, and,
consider and discuss in earnest a LOCAL project/service that we also utilise the shed for, as we moderate the degree of work on the wheelchairs.

Earnest consideration of number two is necessary in light of particular matters raised. Such as,

longevity of manpower required for wheelchair manufacture as it’s becoming an issue,
considering a LOCAL project the shed can be effectively used for in parallel to wheelchair manufacture/delivery, and
effective use of the shed that brings good light to renewing the lease when it comes up in 2028. That is, minimise the risk of losing the shed space if the Club wants to keep hold of it. A local project will make it even more attractive for the lease to be renewed for the Club.

Elizabeth Celi, Foundation Director.

District Leadership personalities visit our Project Shed

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 28, 2025

What is the collective noun for a group of top level Rotary leaders? Whatever it is, we were honoured today by the visit of District 9640 and Rotary International leader personalities, taking time out from this weekend's District Conference to visit our Project Shed. Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad (centre at back) welcomed District Governor Lisa Hunt (3rd from right at back), District Governor Elect John Oomen (4th from right) and his partner Narelle (front left), as well as PDG Jennifer Scott (front right) and her husband Ian, who are representing RI President Stephanie Urchick.

Welcome to the Surfers Sunrise Project Shed!

Last week's guest speaker: Angie Bell MP

Posted by Franz Huber

Angie Bell MP, “our” member for Moncrieff, the federal electorate that spans from the Spit in the north, west to Nerang and south to Miami, has become a popular regular speaker at our club. “I am a product of Rotary” Angie stated, opening her talk. Why? In her teenage years, she was selected to participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, and sent from her home in Gawler (Adelaide) off to Denmark for 12 months. In her considered opinion, this had a profound impact on her future life and career. Elected to parliament in May 2019, today she is the Shadow Minister for Youth, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, among a number of other positions.

Naturally, as a member of the Liberal Party, Angie touched on her party's policies, details of which can be downloaded from the party’s website. However, in view of Rotary’s strict policy of remaining politically neutral (with which I’m in full agreement), no details should be mentioned in this report. On the local scene, Angie formed the ‘Moncrief Community Cabinet’ and the ‘Gold Coast Youth Cabinet’. Both are designed for a simple and straight purpose: to hear the views of representatives, “real” representatives, of her community. Coming up again on the last weekend this month, for several years now she has organised ‘Impact Gold Coast’, a Youth Summit, which will again together 200 young people, representing various demographics from across the Gold Coast.

For our club, Angie was instrumental in helping us to obtain several grants; a major one was to enable the purchase of a new electric forklift for our project shed. Thank you, Angie, for the work you do for our community and the nation at large.

(Photo: Angie Bell MP with Past President Doug Lipp)

Handover of Gym equipment at the PCYC

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 27, 2025

(Photo: some of our members, with Sgt Cherie McLean (front row, 2nd from left) and Stacey Ambrose (4th from left)

So you are wondering where all the money goes we raised at the last Golf Day? Well, a very substantial portion of it (together with a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation, via the District 9640) went towards purchasing some $7,477 worth of badly needed gymnastic equipment for our local Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC). At last Wednesday's presentation, Sgt Cherie McLean cooked us a pile of yummy Egg & Bacon rolls... Thank you, Cherie! Here is a summary, of the comments by Sgt Cherie McLean (Manager of the PCYC) and Stacey Ambrose, the Club Manager:

"We especially loved being able to hand pick the items for purchase, as it allowed our Gymnastics Program Leader to order items that were identified as crucial to our program. Some items purchased were to add to our supply of coaching aids. These items have provided our gymnasts with a variety of learning aids which have enhanced their learning experience, and enabled them multiple ways to practice skill technique.

Some items were purchased to accommodate the incredible growth our gymnastics program has experienced. In the last 12 months, our program has grown from approximately 135 gymnasts, to this week 233 gymnasts! The additional items have meant we can accommodate more participants on the floor at any given time. The two big mats were purchased to complete the fit out of our gymnastics floor. We were using older mats that really were not ideal for the area under our junior rings as they were too soft and smaller in size. The new mats are designed specifically for that apparatus which has improved the safety of the area.

The PCYC Gold Coast are very grateful for the support from Surfer's Sunrise Rotary, and look forward to other opportunities to support each other in the future.

(Check for more photos in the Photo Album section on the right)

Chanelle Morris: Empowerment is the Answer

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 14, 2025

“I was on the starting blocks at my school’s Swimming Carnival. Then I heard somebody yelling ‘Stop the race!’. Next thing, they took me halfway down the pool, announcing that I was disabled and thus should be given a handicap. And that was when I truly felt disempowered. And I was devastated.”

That was the opening statement of a captivating presentation Chanelle gave us last Wednesday. She was just 10 years old when she was diagnosed with a serious vision impairment, with only 30% vision in her left eye, and totally blind in the other. Her condition, its cause still to this day not clearly determined, led to negative beliefs, led to self-doubt, which can be more devastating than the illness itself. “I was embarrassed by my disability, I hit rock bottom” she said.

Fast forward to today, when Chanelle looks back on her fight to be… just normal. To play golf, so snowboard, to be a leader. “I was a leader for me” she explained, “leadership results in empowerment.”

Briefly explaining her condition, Chanelle told us of her journey to leading an {almost) normal life. The Rotary Vision Statement ‘To see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change’ became hers. She wants to promote awareness, education, self-belief. Her journey is truly inspiring. “I take advantage of my other senses being much sharper than that of people with normal vision,” she said. “I can smell bacon frying 5 minutes before anyone else can, I can recognise people from the way they walk…”

What can I add? Perhaps her advice to everyone: dream bigger!

Chanelle gave us permission to load her presentation for download – see download pages on the right. She can be reached via her website www.chanelle.au.

Photo: Chanelle (centre) with her support person Phoebe and our meeting Chairman of the day, Adrian Crowe.

Big shipment of hospital beds and wheelchairs to Fiji

Posted by Geoff Croad on Jan 23, 2025

A number of the guys at the shed yesterday assisted in the loading of 18 beds and 18 mattress which Del Cole and her son Davin provided the truck to collect the beds. This morning they delivered them to Alexandra Hills to be loaded into the container for shipment to Fiji. Thank You Del & Davin.

Also yesterday a number of our members assisted in loading our ute & trailer with the the remaining 3 pallets of 36 wheelchairs plus a number of white boards, being part of the shipment to Fiji. With the assistance of Bryan Tuesley, Rick Old and Rick Parry, the balance of 3 medical beds , 3 mattress and 64 'Rough Terrain' wheelchairs were loaded on to another truck this morning. Rick Old and myself delivered them to RAWCS/RARE at Alexandra Hills, to be loaded into the container with the 18 beds etc for shipment to a Hospital in Fiji.

This is a joint project with the Archerfield Rotary Club who provided the 40ft container organised by Ray Deen and also John Paskin Manager of RAWCS/RARE Alexander Hills who is organising the shipment of the Container, with 21 Hospital Beds & 21 Mattress plus 100 wheelchairs. I would also like to thank all the members of the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Wheelchair factory for their full support and dedication in the manufacture of these wheelchairs.

(Picture, by Geoff Croad: John Thompson, Brendan Aspery, Don Ferguson, Rick Parry. More pictures on our Facebook page)

New Sawdust Vaccuum at the project shed

Posted on Dec 27, 2024

Just before Christmas, Al Sirov's sent in a selfie with (from left) Bryan Tuesley, President Andy Bell and Fundraising Director Ross Augustine: work in progress installing the new sawdust vac system at the project shed. It will be good to get rid of the masks. Good on ya, fellows!

Bikes for St John's Crisis Centre

Posted by AL Sirovs on Dec 27, 2024

ROTARY Surfers Sunrise Christmas delivery of bicycles for disadvantaged children was organised and delivered by Santa Mario Fairlie with helpers Al Sirovs, Geoff Croad and Rick Parry (photo by Al Sirovs). Well done, and thank you all, including the team at the shed who worked hard to restore the bikes!

Great Christmas breakfast

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 18, 2024

Great Christmas breakfast was had this morning at the Spit Restaurant. (So I'm told by President Andy Bell - regrettably your Editor wasn't able to attend this year). Here are a heap of photos sent to me by Andy - thank you! More photos in our Photo Album section on the right.

Wishing you all a joyous festive season, and a smooth slide into the new year. Catch up with you at our first meeting on 8th January (social meeting), or first "formal" meeting on 15th January.

Meet our volunteers: Damian Knoll

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 11, 2024

Born in Sydney where he also met his wife, Damian and his wife moved to the Gold Coast in their thirties. All his three children were born here; one of his daughters is a Bio Scientist, his son is in Real Estate and the youngest daughter is in her prep year. Regrettably, they later decided to separate amicably. “I still have a very friendly relationship with my former wife” he said.

Being an all-rounder, Damian changed from running a restaurant to running his own roofing and roof restoration business. Then disaster struck: two years ago, he suffered a severe mental breakdown. “I don’t mind talking about it” he said, “it’s one of the most horrifying experiences”. Professional treatment allows him to steadily rebuild his life. “Joining the team at the shed has been massively helpful to improve my condition, it has real benefits for me. The beauty of my coming here is that I can work within a group of friends, in a no-pressure environment. And I know that my work results in helping other people”.

In his spare time, Damian enjoys Golf, spending quality time with his children and listening to music, such as George Michael. And he reads and watches… Astro-physics science related stuff, such as Brian Cox and Sean Caroll…

Good to have you on our team, Damian!

Shed Volunteers' Christmas Luncheon

Posted by Franz Huber

The Project Shed volunteers had their annual Christmas Luncheon on Saturday. Photo (by Al Sirovs) shows our President Andy Bell in full swing giving a rousing Christmas oration!

Now, if you check out the Photo Album (on the right), you'll find a few photos from Lelepa Island, Vanuatu. It is as good proof as any I've seen to depict the difference a "Rough Terrain" wheelchair makes to its recipient. Check it out again.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for all the work you have done over the past year. Looking forward to another year of making "Rough Terrain" wheelchairs. Every one you make will provide the gift of mobility to a disabled child or adult somewhere on one of the South Pacific islands, or PNG, or Africa, or...

Surfers Sunrise well represented at The Rotary Foundation Seminar

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 17, 2024

Our Foundation Chair, Dr Elizabeth Celi, together with her team at today's District 9640 Seminar on The Rotary Foundation, at Twin Towns Services Club. Looks like Surfers Sunrise Rotary turned up in a strength not seen at this type of event for quite some time! Photo: Dr Elizabeth (front, from left Ross Augustine, President Andy Bell, Paul Seymour. Doug Lipp was also on location to attend a District Finance committee meeting, in his capacity as District Finance Chairman. Watch out for a summary of the day (hopefully) to follow shortly.

St John's Crisis Centre needs to prepare 250 Hampers

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 17, 2024

As we have done every year for decades, our club will again support the St John's Crisis Centre in their endeavours to produce some 250 Christmas Hampers for families in distress. Our members Mario Fairlie, who is a Director of St John's, and Ian Mayberry will coordinate our club's efforts this year to source presents, food parcels or gift vouchers to be exchanged for food.

There are several options: bring along a gift suitable for a child aged i[ to 17 years, unwrapped. It is a massive job, so they request them to be delivered no later than Monday, 9th December. You can either bring it along to one of our meetings, or deliver them personally to the Church of the Holy Spirit, 73 Salerno Drive, Isle of Capri.

Check out the PDF in the Download Section on the right, which contains a specific list of goods they require. Alternatively, you can simply drop off a gift voucher, or give it to Mario at one of our upcoming meetings.

Thank you from Lelepa Island, Vanuatu

Posted by Franz Huber

Recently, some of our wheelchairs made their way to Lelepa Island, Vanuatu (about 30 Km north-west of Port Vila). Organised by a Mr Brad Casey, they were delivered to six disabled people who, until now, had no mobility at all. Below is an extract from a note from Brad:

Hi guys

I really thank you for all of your help with the wheel chairs for Lelepa island.

The chairs which were delivered yesterday and were so warmly received by the 6 people it was really touching. The boy who got the chair name is Kiki, he is 17 years old and has some physical and mental difficulties. As is has gotten older it has become more and more difficult to leave the house as he needs to be carried, so most of his time is spent on a mat in the main living area. He was so excited to get the chair he could not stop laughing and waving his arms around. The difference the chair has made to his life is truly incredible.

Again thank you.

Regards

Brad and the Lelepa Village (and Kiki)

So, did you ever wonder if your efforts really would make a difference? Give yourself a pat on the back! Check out the Photo Album on the right for more photos

Kal Glanznig – “Ambassador for the Sea”

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 30, 2024

Have you ever met a person that exudes so much energy that, by comparison, you feel like a couch potato, irrespective of whether you aim to keep reasonably fit and switched-on? Well, Kal Glanznig is one of these people…

Sutherland Shire (Sydney) awarded him the Young Australian of the Year in 2020, and in 2023 Environmental Citizen of the Year. Before that, whilst in High School, he raised $100,000 to put solar panels on his High School, and and … There is more, much more, but I better start telling you what Kal’s visit to Surfers Sunrise was all about:

Ocean pollution. For example: Roughly in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. you will find a floating “island” of discarded rubbish, predominantly plastic (as in empty bottles, shopping bags, packaging), two times the size of New South Wales. No, no kidding; read that again. And when you think that a plastic bottle takes 450 years (e.g. until the year 2674) to bio-degrade in the ocean, be assured that the problem will not go away by itself. The only solution is education – world wide, at all levels.

Methinks that Kal has set himself a “Moon Shot” project. But then, if as little as 30 years ago, you had predicted that by 2024 practically anyone, anywhere in the world, can talk free of charge to anyone else, anywhere else in the world… what would you have been called? Kal, “I dips me lid”, and we all wish you every success in your endeavours.

A copy of Kal’s presentation is available for download in the Download Section on the right. You can also access a movie trailer and a video: Click here and Click here. Photo: Kal with Larry Murray.

Record number of players on Surfers Sunrise Golf Day

Posted by Franz Huber

Breaking News:

This year's Surfers Sunrise Golf Day has just concluded. With well over 90 players, a record (and, I dare say, most likely also a record fundraising effort). Photo is of the winning Corporate Team: Astill Cronin Lawyers. Golf Day organiser Charles Thomasson (second from left) introduces Glenn Screech, Ashley Cronin, Glenn O'Kearney and Ethan Ahrens. The same team also won the overall competition. Photo Album is now uploaded - see segment on the right. Full report in next week's bulletin.

Visitors from Scotland visiting our project shed

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 27, 2024

Paul Seymour, who recently attended a Rotary Friendship Exchange Team to Pennsylvania, brought some members of another RFE team from Scotland to our project shed. Very obviously impressed by our setup, all of them donated handsomely, each "buying" a wheelchair (and then some!). Thank you very much, Sheena, Fraser and John! We really appreciate your donations.

(Photo, from left: Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad, Alison & Ron Borland (Mermaid Beach RC), the three Scots John Owens, Sheena & Fraser McGillivray, Christine O'Connor (Mermaid Beach RC)

Last Wednesday's speaker: Jesse Dixon

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 04, 2024

"That's what happens when you attend a RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) camp - you get to race V8 Supercars" would be a slight exaggeration... Organised by our resident car racing enthusiast, Ian Mayberry, Jesse Dixon might be the only RYLA attendee ever who had raced at the Bathurst 1000 - before attending the camp (he started racing GoKarts at 6 years of age). Still, he left no doubt that this experience had a profound impact on his future career. Jesse recounted moments when, every morning, the wake-up call "Goooood morning, Vietnam" (from 1987 film, starring Robin Williams) came. Team work exercises (yes, you guessed it: Jesse was unanimously elected Team Leader), singing in front of an audience, building rafts. But more than anything, Jesse remembers the sharing of 'stories of your darkest moments'. "I lost my dad of cancer at a young age" he recalls. "We learned how important it is to truly think first before you judge somebody" he said.

In the photo, Jesse holds the first ever GoKart steering wheel, when a very supportive mum encouraged him to take racing seriously. Meanwhile, he runs the Dixon Racing Academy, with "the singular mission to be the ultimate driver academy for racers at all levels" His facilities include a simulator, so tuition can occur in a safe (and far less costly if you crash) environment. Jesse indicated that he would be happy to host a vocational visit - we'll organise this for sometimes in February/March 2025. Watch this spot.

One final must watch item: click on this link to view a video where he demonstrates a 'Hot Lap' to a lady who has never been in a race car. Sound is useful, but not essential - just watch her expressions. It went viral, and no wonder! There is also a copy of his PowerPoint presentation (in PDF format) in the Dowload Files section on the right.

Meet our Volunteers: Rick Parry

Posted by Franz Huber

He might not be the longest-serving Associate Member at our project shed (he joined our team in 2021), but certainly Rick is one of our most active ones. But what a distinguished “pre-wheelchairs” career! “I joined the Navy Reserve in 1967 as a Radar Plotter (yes, the same guys they use in recruiting advertisements), and retired 51 years later, in 2018”, he said. Why the Navy Reserve? Well, his father was a Navy officer, his brother was a Navy diver… “By joining the Reserve, I could do
anything the full-time guys can, but I can also do the civilian thing” he replied. His varied deployments included a total of 5 years full-time service. He was tested as a Navy Diver (where he busted his ear drums) so had to change to a Gunnery Sailor up to the rank of Petty Officer. Then he was commissioned as an officer, retiring as a Lieutenant-Commander (equivalent to Major in the Army). Rick served in various deployments including the United Nations, the Australian Navy, The US Navy, and other coalition forces.

In “civilian” life he worked with the Department of the Navy for 5 years, then moved to the Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) and ultimately… the Australian Taxation Office, helping businesses to get on top of the newly introduced GST at the turn of the Century. He was then snatched up by the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to do the same thing over there.

Personal life? Believe it: yes, he does have one! He married Sharon in 1996, and together they travel, both locally (caravanning) and internationally. For some extra excitement: hunting and fishing when time allows, and perhaps reading the occasional Lee Childs novel, spy books, or watch a Wolverine movie.

I keep being astounded when I see the wide range of professional backgrounds of our volunteers!

We need raffle prizes for the Golf Day!

Posted by Ross Augustine

The annual Golf Day on 28th October will be one of our major fundraisers for the year, and the raffle we conduct forms a very significant part of the income generated. Fundraising Director Ross Augustine needs your assistance to get a big table of prizes together.

Please contact Ross directly on rosscoe1244@hotmail.com, thank you.

Want to promote the event? Download the brochure - see Download Files on the right, which includes the link to book.

Last week's guest speaker: Cindy Donald – Raise Foundation

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 04, 2024

So you hear about Youth Crime every night on TV. You hear about Australia leading the world in the Youth Suicide statistics (according to the ABS (abs.gov.au), in 2022, in Australia a total of 3,249 suicides were recorded, of which 10.2% were aged 19 and lower, the vast bulk 14 –19). Yes, way more than twice the number that were killed in motor vehicle accidents. Not even mentioning kids who feel disengaged, bullied, who feel they have no future. What is being done about it?

Since Rotary is strictly non-political, it is not within the scope of this article to find out what is being done (or not done) by government. But what a breath of fresh air: Cindy briefed us this morning on what her private organisation, the Raise Foundation, very effectively is doing about this: Early Intervention.

Working with High Schools, the concept is to pair individual youths who are considered to be at risk with an adult mentor from her organisation.

What is required to be a mentor? Other than the obvious attributes and attitude, you need to be available for 2 hours every week (at the same time), for 20 weeks (during school times). Full training is provided. Why not ask for an Info Session? Click here. Or view their very informative website.

You can download Cindy’s PowerPoint presentation, on which all the major points are listed, from our Download Section on the right. (Photo: Cindy Donald with our meeting chairman Trent Belling (left) and President Andy Bell)

This Wednesday 21/08/24: Lutzy Award presentation

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 19, 2024

Bookings have closed, but you are welcome to attend (simply buy your own breakfast and sit at the back)

This is one of our premier events of the year. Created in honour of our late member Keith Lutz, the award, in the form of a fully fledged surf ski, is presented to a young emerging leader personality, nominated by the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club. (Picture: last year's winner, Mia Watson (centre) with Keith's widow, Jan Lutz and the 2022 winner Pieta Jackman.

The Science of Kieser - Kane Chisholm & David Adamo

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 07, 2024

Before you start reading: perhaps download the PowerPoint file from the Download Section on the right. We were unable to show it this morning; regrettably, the big screen in the upstairs venue refused to cooperate with our guest speaker's computer.

Kane Chisholm and David Adamo came strongly recommended by our member Angus Miller, who is subscribing to their program of improving one’s health by a relatively brief, but regular strength training program. Our guests are the local operators of the Gold Coast franchise of this worldwide program. Not only are highly qualified, but they really know what they are talking about. We had almost record attendance this morning, so the subject is obviously of great interes. The vigorous question time is clear proof.

So, why should you seriously consider the Kieser method? Look at the second slide (Benefits of Strength Training): all the principal benefits are listed there. For me personally, the “greater function and independence (as one gets older), would be the most important. Too young? Too old? Their clients age range is from 13 to 91 years old...

Now, of course you could do your own strength training, either at home or at a “standard” gym. But… the equipment at Kieser isn’t available at a normal gym. Nor will you find the advice and supervision of a tertiary qualified Exercise Scientist and Exercise Physiologist.

In view of the strong interest shown this morning, it was decided that we’ll organise an on-site Vocational Outing to their clinic. This is tentatively set for Wednesday 13th November 2024, in place of a standard meeting.

Photo: David Adamo (left) and Kane Chisholm (right)

This coming Wednesday: The Science of Kieser

Kieser? Well, you'll just have to wait... Our guest speakers, Kane Chisholm (left), an Exercise Scientist, and David Adamo (right), an Exercise Physiologist, come highly recommended by our member Angus Miller. They specialise in the Science of Kieser. They will briefly touch on what they offer at Kieser that makes them unique, a typical client pathway and some of the significant benefits of strength training that positively impact your health and quality of life in the short and long term.

Good (though short) working bee at the shed

Remember the around 300 moulded seat chairs we were donated recently? Well, they had had their legs removed, which needed to be stacked into a large skippy bin and the seats stacked inside a container. And half a football field (OK, slightly exaggerated...) of bikes needed their wheels removed, chains cut off etc.. So, Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff called for a working bee, to which quite a few responded. And then it started to rain... But a perfect morning tea/coffee with the usual "calorie-free" cake and biscuits made it all worthwhile anyway. (Photo by Ian Mayberry)

Not ALL wheelchairs at Surfers Sunrise are "Rough Terrain"...

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 21, 2024

A couple of weeks ago, Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad received an enquiry from CMS Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions, asking whether we would have a use for 5 conventional wheelchairs? Veolia is a huge, international company in the Water and Waste Industries. We believe they hosted a worldwide conference of their engineers, and after the conference wanted to donate them to a good cause... They found us via our website. The result: Associate Member Rick Parry (2nd from left) swiftly took our ute and trailer and picked up five practically brand new wheelchairs. They most likely will be part of a container shipment to Fiji, together with hospital beds, linen etc etc, and of course Rough Terrain wheelchairs. A big 'Thank You!' to Ashok Damodaran, Oceania Region Director of Veolia (far right) and the company for reaching out to us!

Bruce Howlett: Malaria Vaccine Project

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 13, 2024

What do you think would be the most deadly animal in the world? Snakes? Sharks? Jellyfish? Spiders? OK, so if you include "animals" in human form, perhaps the biggest killer of humans is Homo Sapiens? Close, but no cigar: wrong on every count: Mosquitos kill about 1 Million humans every year, by spreading Malaria.

Bruce Howlett (a member of the RC of Burleigh Heads, is the Vice Chairman of one of Rotary's most audacious endeavours, the Malaria Vaccine Project. At our meeting last Wednesday, Bruce enriched us with how it It started, and what it's current status is. It's happening right here on the Gold Coast, at the local campus of Griffith University's Institute of Glycomics. The project commenced back in 2015 by PDG Sandra Doumany and her husband Sam Doumany, as well as PDG Prof Graham Jones.

Bruce gave us a very factual presentation on how the project started and where it is at present. To the uninitiated, having "commenced human trials" might not sound much, but let me tell you: this is a massive milestone! Next: human trials in a country that is severely affected, such as PNG or an African country. The ultimate target: the elimination of Malaria worldwide. Check Bruce's slide presentation in the Downloads section on the right.

Photo: Bruce Howlett with our Meeting Chairman of the day, Geoff Croad.

This coming Wednesday 12th June: Bruce Howlett

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 08, 2024

Bruce Howlett, who is a member of the Burleigh Heads Rotary Club, will bring us up to date on one of the most daring Rotary projects ever undertaken in Australia: Developing a vaccine against Malaria. This project, which is undertaken at the local campus of Griffith University, is funded through a number of clubs throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Last week’s speaker: Ralph Pownall

Posted by Franz Huber on May 31, 2024

A few of our members may have known Ralph for close to 40 years - after all, he is a Charter Member of Surfers Sunrise (January 1987) and was our club’s third President. (He also is a foundation member of the Surfers Paradise Golf Club). Then he decided to seek greener pastures… Greener? Well, if you think Lightning Ridge as a “greener” place, yes!

For decades, Ralph has been a registered valuer of gemstones, specialising in opals. He also has, for decades, taught opal gem cutting at TAFE. Did you know that, on a per carat basis, opals are more valuable than diamonds? “But diamonds are forever”

I hear you say. Too true! Ralph recounted a story where he was called to value a Bank Deposit box full of opals, expected to fetch several 100,000 dollars. As they were kept for years in a rarified, dry environment, they all had… crumbled. There are specific ways to store them - best engage Ralph to give you advice. Want to buy an opal? Again, beware of the traps: whilst a true black opal might fetch $40,000 dollars per carat, a ‘Doublet’ (example, photo right) is only worth about $3,000. As to a ‘Triplet’… well, don’t bother!

Ralph had several humorous as well as instructional stories to share from his time in the opal fields out west. Sorry, you should have been there! Good to have you back at Surfers Sunrise, Ralph!

You might say "Big deal, so, we "bought a brick"

Posted by Franz Huber on May 31, 2024

You might say "Big deal, so, we "bought a brick"... Yet, "it all adds up", as the saying goes. The $500 donation from us added to the realisation of a major project by the Rotary Club of Hervey Bay Sunrise. They built a school Shree Janasiddha Basic School, in a Nepalese village that was devastated in the 2015 earthquake.

Just as Surfers Sunrise, Broadbeach and Gold Coast Rotary clubs built an X-Ray Unit in remote Pentecost Island, Vanuatu, there was a desperate need in that Himalayan region. But it wasn't just the building: they also supplied desks, chairs, a smart TV (the school's first ever!) and facilities fo provide dental care for the village.

Our congratulations go to Hervey Bay Sunrise for the successful completion of this project. Rotary in its truest form!

Wheelchairs sent to Zambia 15 years ago still in service!

Posted by Franz Huber on May 24, 2024

Ho-hum... 5 of our wheelchairs, parked against a wall... So what?

Well, not so fast: Recently, incoming Wheelchair Trust Chairman Geoff Croad received a photo from Pastor Ken Wigglesworth from the Spirit of Life Church, of 5 of our wheelchairs they had delivered to the Mahatma Ghandi Memorial Clinic in Zambia - back in May 2009, i.e. 15 years ago. And they are still very much in use! At that time, 64 of them were despatched, shortly to be followed by another 140! (see snippet of our club bulletin of 13/05/2009). Good to receive some feedback!

Surfers Sunrise was well represented at the District Conference

Posted by Franz Huber

Surfers Sunrise Rotary was well represented at Saturday's District Conference in Ballina. Picture includes the President of Mermaid Beach RC, Gillian Reeve (you recall, she spoke at our club recently about her experiences of administering the Polio vaccine in India) who came over to say hello...

Very good conference, top keynote speakers, good company, good fellowship, well organised.

Top keynote speakers at the District Conference

Posted by Franz Huber on May 18, 2024

Ok, I admit that I’m not the most religious person you’ve ever met (unless you describe Rotary as a religion). So in recent years, the only time I heard a priest talk was at a funeral. And no, I never before made notes either.

But one of today's speakers, the Very Reverend Morgan Batt, is not your everyday priest. During his keynote address at the conference in Ballina he had the entire audience hanging on his every word. One moment we would be heartily laughing, then dreading what might follow. I give you an example: On one of his first postings in Guatemala in 1992 (yes, Guatemala, right in the middle of its major civil unrest), he politely enquired where the current ‘Padre’ was? “He was executed a couple of weeks ago” they said… It was not long after when he found himself with a gun pointed at his head… Well, since he spoke to us today, he obviously must have survived it.

Fr Morgan Batt claims to have performed the highest altitude mass ever, when he climbed Mt Everest. The North Face, not the main route. Bivouacking overnight near the summit at over 8000 metres, he found himself awakening next to his climbing mate who had passed away during the night. Then came the task of bringing the body back down.

Towards the end of his speech, I found myself somewhat flustered when I realised that I had, literally, forgotten to keep taking notes. I think the correct English descriptive word is ‘mesmerizing’. Or should it be ‘tantalising’? Invigorating, challenging, arresting? Stimulating? Perhaps all of these. And there were seven other major presentations today as well! A big ‘Thank You!’ goes to DG Dave Harmon & Robbii and his conference team. A very well organised and smoothly run conference indeed.

Last Wednesday's guest speaker: Susan Sheehan

Posted by Franz Huber on May 15, 2024

What's the difference between a truly professional speaker and a "non-professional"? Well, when you hear Susan Sheehan speak, fluently, clearly, without 'uuumms' and 'basically' etc, you'll know very quickly which category she belongs to. Last Wednesday we had the great pleasure of welcoming Susan and her business partner, Caroline Barton at Surfers Sunrise Rotary. Susan's principal theme was 'Resilience', but it was interspersed with numerous other useful tips on how to keep your mind (and that of your children) on track. Some very gentle ("yes, you CAN reconfigure your thinking!", some quite direct (with good reason, but definitely not offensive). Susan elaborated on how she copes with having a son with an 'intellectual disability'. And, and... ... and then, as is often the case with top speakers, we ran out of time...

If you need a speaker, particularly one who can address youth (or youth affairs), Susan is your woman. Navigate to her website: https://sc7international.com/

(Photo: Susan Sheehan with our meeting Chairman of the day, Andy Bell)

IMHO U R ovreactng

Posted by Franz Huber on May 06, 2024

So u thnk 2ds youth has gone too far? Or is it bcs u dont want to undrstd it? SWYP? OMG not anotr boomer whng about 2ds youth? Got news: AFAIK txt is new nrml. In 2ds fast wrld, KISS!

OK, so we oldies have scratched our heads trying to decipher TXT abbreviations. (For those of you who are struggling with the above: IMHO = In My Humble Opinion, bcs = because, SWYP = So what’s your problem? OMG = Oh my god, AFAIK = As far as I know. KISS has been used for decades.

Of greater concern is the emerging bad habit of leaving out punctuation (and not just by young people!). The most popularly quoted case in point is ‘A woman without her man is nothing’. With punctuation: ‘A woman: without her, man is nothing.’ [Yes, Henrietta, you did tell me. Ad nauseam...] Or, as Shakespeare may have written:

‘Good Lementio, who calls at the gate?

‘My lord, a woman without; her man is nothing.

‘Bid her enter then, and show her man to the livery.

But I digress… May is Youth Service Month. Throughout the world, Rotary Clubs expend serious time, money and effort on Youth projects. Seeing that modern youth seems to mostly ignore convention on many fronts, are our hard raised funds really well spent?

OK, let me go back a little, say 20 years. Young people (and those young at heart) embraced email with gusto. But there were still an awful lot of people who refused to participate in this novel method of communication and continued… faxing. Yes, they did!

SWUP? Language and methods continually evolve, particularly as we move from the written to the spoken word - as in listening to podcasts or talking into our Smartphone “OK Google, what time is our Zoom meeting today?”.

But what has changed very little over the decades, indeed over centuries, millennia, is leadership. Leadership can be learned. Leadership can be coached. Rotary’s Youth programs are just as important today as they have always been. According to the ABS, our target demographic (aged 14 – 24), make up 14% of our population. That’s roughly 3 ½ Million people. Without resorting to platitudes, it is our responsibility to help the generations following us to maximize their leadership potential. Yeah – u rely dont get how awesome an opp u provide to young ppl and u shud all b very proud of ur work!

(Get full details of our District's Youth Programs from www.rotary9640.org - Top right side.)

Conference Keynote speaker: Craig Foster AM - Socceroo

Posted by Franz Huber on May 06, 2024

OK, so I should say former Socceroo. Still, I'd say that still today, Craig Foster (they called him Fozzie) could dribble a ball around an opposing team. If you are lucky, he might talk a bit about his career with the round ball, but more likely he'll talk about another passion of his: Human Rights. (You might recall him playing a high-profile role in the campaign to free Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi from detention in Thailand in from late 2018 to early 2019,)

As Rotarians, Human Rights must play a major role in our lives and in our thinking and attitudes. Whatever your views are on refugees, here is a man that's worth listening to!

Gillian Reeve - Administring Polio Vaccine in India

Posted by Franz Huber on May 01, 2024

An alternative title to this story might have been “Why you should attend a Rotary International Conference”. That is where Gillian, the current President of the Mermaid Beach Rotary Club and the Polio Plus Chair of our District, met fellow lady Rotarians from Sandringham, VIC. She was enthused to join a team to administer the Polio vaccine in Moradabad, an industrial town in Uttar Pradesh, some 170 Km east of New Delhi, India.

And the rest, as they say, is history? Far from it! The work Gillian and her co-travellers did, as with all the Polio Plus efforts, will have ongoing effect: the ultimate eradication of the Polio virus. But, how do you round up the children, 5 years old or younger, in an Indian city, including those living in a slum? By telling them to be at such-and-such place by XX:00 hours? No! Together with the local Rotary Club and the town’s government, you organise a march through the town to advertise the event. You put a booth in a very busy main street. Then you apply the vaccine (orally, 2 drops), and paint their “pinky” fingernail purple. Other than the obvious reason, this is to ensure they don’t come back a second time to collect the soft toy each child gets as a present… 😊 Helped by local health workers, they would even stop motorbikes with small kid passengers, they applied some 295 doses on just the first day. Then, onto the slum areas…

Gillian went there in 2015, 2016, 2018 and would have returned again in 2019, but “the Indian Government had run out of vaccine”.

Anti-vaxxers? “Of all people, only one refused” Gillian declared. Officially, India is Polio free since 2014, but as there are still cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan, eternal vigilance is the word. By the way: how do you determine whether a child is 5 years old or younger? “You ask them to reach with their left arm over their head to touch the right ear. If they are younger, they can't do it” she said. Come on! Next time you meet a toddler, find out yourself!

Gillian’s PowerPoint pictorial (in PDF format) is available for download - see Download section on the right. (Photo: Gillian with President Doug Lipp)

Welcome to our newest member: Dr Elizabeth Celi

Please meet our newest member of Surfers Sunrise: Dr Elizabeth Celi.

Elizabeth works as a psychologist, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) trauma clinician and author, with a focus on complex PTSD. She is an experienced Rotarian and is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Mt Martha, (Melbourne, VIC). In our club, she has requested to be assigned to the Rotary Foundation committee.

Welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Dr Elizabeth!

(Photo with President Doug Lipp)

Last Wednesday’s guest speaker: Angie Bell MP, Member for Moncrief

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 08, 2024

“I am a product of Rotary” Angie stated, opening her talk. Why? In her teenage years, she was selected to participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, and sent off to Denmark for 12 months. In her considered opinion, this had a profound impact on her future life and career. Today, she is the Shadow Minister for Youth, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, and co-chairs delegations to foreign countries, including Malaysia and Taiwan. She recently was part of an international delegation to Indonesia to supervise their national elections. Imagine: a country of almost 205 Million voters, 800,000 polling booths, and the total time when people can vote is… just 6 hours!

Naturally, as a member of the Liberal Party, Angie touched on her party's policies, including the distinct difference of wanting to open the conversation to consider nuclear energy (note: energy, not weapons) to provide stable and secure electricity for our households and for industry. On the local scene, Angie formed the ‘Moncrief Community Cabinet’ and the ‘Gold Coast Youth Cabinet’. Both are designed for a simple and straight purpose: to hear the views of representatives, “real” representatives, of her community. Last March, she organised ‘Impact Gold Coast’, a Youth Summit, which brought together 200 young people, representing various demographics from across the Gold Coast.

For our club, Angie was instrumental in helping us to obtain several grants; the most recent one was to enable the purchase of a new electric forklift for our project shed. Thank you, Angie, for the work you do for our community and the nation at large.

(Photo: Angie Bell MP with the meeting chairman, Adrian Crowe. PS: When somebody quipped "are you dressed up for a job interview?" her answer was that "in my job, every day is a job interview!" ☺)

Fundraising Chief Ross Augustine lands a big one

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 10, 2024

At last Wednesday's meeting, President Doug Lipp announced tremendous news: Our club's Fundraising Director Ross Augustine was successful in raising a grant from the Queensland Gambling Community Benefit Fund of over $28,000. This will allow us to purchase a desperately needed replacement for the old forklift at our project shed. Ross even negotiated with the supplier that they'll pay for the freight (around $350.00)!

Fabulous news; congratulations, Ross. Give yourself a pat on the back!

Charles Thomasson - 'Great Expectations'

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 08, 2024

Charles' "The State of the Market" presentation has now not only become a regular event, but one of the most popular talks of the year. Last Wednesday was no exception, with a near-record number of attendees, and questions coming thick and fast. A consummate Financial Advice professional, Charles titled his talk ‘Great Expectations’. No referral to the novel by Charles Dickens of the same title; this time, the “expectations” relate to interest rates falling. Or not…

As always, Charles was at pains to emphasise that his talk was “general advice only”. Still, some very pertinent facts surfaced. For example, Charles elaborated on the “Weighting” of different cyclical sectors in his company’s (Wilson Advisory) standard portfolio, e.g. where he is “overweight” and where they are “underweight”.

Charles discussed various stocks, the weighting of different sectors in his company’s standard portfolios (see his Wilson Advisory report in the Download Section). Note: this file is not the same as he used in his presentation, which he suggested would “not be suitable for disclosure to the public”. Sorry peeps, you should have been there!

Photo: Charles (left) with meeting chairman of the day, Peter Morgan.

PS: Fans of Charles Dickens would know that ‘Great Expectations’ in 1860-61 was originally published in weekly episodes, and promoted as a "coming of age story", a comic novel, crime fiction, a Gothic novel, a silver fork novel, a historical novel". So, just where does the Stock Market differ then? Ed.

Last Wednesday's speaker: Thomas Robinson

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 27, 2024

One of the characteristics of the “average” Australian (is there really such a thing?), is their tendency of self deprecation. So, when one of our new members, Thomas Robinson (photo left, with meeting chairman Andy Bell), opened his ‘Rotarian behind the Badge’ speech with “I’ve had a pretty average life”, it rather had the effect of him gaining respect and endearment than being relegated to “average”.

He spent 20 years in IT (“I stumbled into jobs”, he said) in web hosting, sales of services to business at Melbourne IT, one of the very original major IT enterprises (originally owned by Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull). “Average”, huh? Yeah. Right.

Anyway, some 5 years ago, he decided to switch tack and embark on a career in professional community services, with Mission Australia. “Mission Australia has some 500 programs to choose from”, Thomas remarked. He selected Youth Support, counselling young people aged 15 - 24. His work involves the entire spectrum: finding them employment, housing, education, and providing life guidance. “Often, I support people who have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), Anxiety, complex trauma background, or generational unemployment”, he said. His tertiary qualifications include a Diploma of Community Services and a Diploma of Counselling.

And what does he do in his spare time? “I go and explore nature with my son, motorbiking, or magnet fishing”. Magnet fishing? That’s when you aim to catch anything that hangs on to a magnet, as in stuff people have thrown off a bridge. “You’d be amazed at some of the stuff that comes up!”, he jested. And very much worth mentioning: Thomas is also a member of the Reserve Army, a Reserve Rifleman.

Throughout the world, Rotarians aim to make the world a better place. It’s good to have members in our club who, including his mentor Evan Mita, also do so professionally. Welcome to the club, Thomas!

Vale Bruce Pallesen

It is with great sadness that we need to report the recent passing away of Bruce Pallesen, one of our regular volunteers (Associate Members) at our project shed, at the age of 84. Our deepest condolences go to his wife Maureen and his family.

This picture was taken in September 2020 at the shed. We also have a write-up about him in the archives of our website - click here to access it.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday 31st January, 9:55 am - 11:25 am (AEST), at Somerville Funerals, 44 Nind Street, Southport.

January is Vocational Service Month

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 07, 2024

“The best augury of a man’s success in his profession is that he thinks it the finest in the world” so wrote the renowned English novelist George Eliot in 1876… So, what has changed? Today, 148 years later, her statement is still true. [No, Henrietta, George Eliot definitely was a lady… ☺]

The international monthly Rotary theme for January is what in the “good ol' days” used to be one of Rotary’s major Avenues of Service: Vocational Service. Since Eliot’s time, lots of changes relating to vocations have happened, and lots of prognoses have been made. 40 years ago it was the demise of the Industrial Age, which was replaced by the “Information Revolution”. Indeed, this has largely happened; in case you haven’t noticed: We are right in it. Today’s plain vanilla mobile phone, with a measly 64 Gigabytes of memory, is roughly 250 times as powerful as the Commonwealth Bank’s mainframe computer of the mid-1970’s (it had 256 Megabytes of RAM). On top of this, it has access to unlimited information of the Internet. And now, the next major disruptor is the combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Biotechnology, which will have a far greater impact. AI has been around for decades - refer to the spell checker (ca 1984) through to Google Maps (ca 2005) and now Chat GPT and a whole swag of others, not so well published (2023).

Yet, whilst the method by which we do things may change, the ethical principles as depicted in the Objects of Rotary have not changed. Click on this link for the complete set of Rotary’s Guiding Principles. For this article, it's the second object that is relevant:

“High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society.”

A Christmas Breakfast with a difference

Our social convenor Graeme Isaacson (with the possible assistance from Anne ☺) organised a Christmas breakfast with a difference: at the restaurant on the 77th floor of Q1! Great buffet, everyone enjoyed themselves. Check out the Photo Album on the right!

Andy Bell is President Elect 2024-25

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 14, 2023

At the recent Annual General Meeting, Andy Bell was elected (by secret ballot) to the position of President Elect 2024-25. Congratulations, Andy!

Andy brings some considerable experience in the job with him - in addition to numerous other senior roles and board positions, he was President in the 2017/18 year.

Sorry, we have been unable to deliver your parcel…

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 30, 2023

Last Wednesday we received a professional presentation on how to AVOID crime, by three representatives of Crime Stoppers: Keith Knight, Tracey Chase and Julie Echin. I assume you already know what Crime Stoppers is all about (if you don’t: click here). In short: if you suspect a crime has been, or is about to be committed, or you have information which may lead to a prosecution, you can call 1800 333 000 anonymously. No names, no phone numbers, no personal details of any sort are collected. You are assigned an identity code, which you may refer to if, at a future date, you may be able to collect a reward. Yes, also anonymously! And, contrary to popular belief: Crime Stoppers is a charity, NOT a government agency! [There. You learned something new today! Yes, I shook my head too. Ed.]

“Put your mobile phone away for two days” Keith Knight from Crime Stoppers challenged us. Yes, I agree, we ARE addicted. We do everything with it: Call, text, google, play music and videos, make payments. Yet…

Welcome to two new Surfers Sunrise Rotarians!

(Well, almost new - both have decades of Rotary experience and now have joined our great organisation again… ) President Doug Lipp this morning inducted Ralph Pownall (picture left) and Rock O’Keefe (picture below right) as “returning” Rotarians. Both photos also include Lisa Else, who is a personal friend of Rock (and we hope we can convince her to become a member as well!).

But wait, there’s more! Ralph is not only a Charter Member of our club (chartered in January 1987), but in 1989/90 was our third President!

Damian Hussey - Cinematographer, Writer, Film Director

What does a young man do when he is not sure what career path he should follow? “You can do what you want” was the advice Damian got. “But that was not necessarily helpful” our guest speaker last week drily remarked… Well, the Army was recruiting, and, provided one signed up for 6 years, one could learn a trade into the bargain. He ended up becoming an Avionics Technician, specialising in Helicopters, and was posted to Afghanistan. But the work in the Army didn’t provide the job satisfaction he was after.

Today, Damian runs a Video Production company, Iron Forge Pictures, based on the Gold Coast. The path to success was not exactly a bed of roses: After the Army, he travelled Europe with his own camera. “I have always enjoyed shooting silly videos,” he said, which he edited himself and then published on streaming sites such as YouTube.

At age 28, Damian embarked on a career in Video editing. He enrolled at the local International Film College, hunkering down to serious study of the art, earning an Advanced Diploma. But it’s not as easy as… In 2012, when the Australian Dollar was on par with the US, it was cheaper to make movies in the US, so work was scarce. So he started making his own short films. But, 3 days before shooting was to start, his Director pulled out… No other option but to learn how to direct himself.

And the rest is history, so they say. His feature film ‘The Lost One’ debuted in 2020. During the COVID period in 2021, he wrote four feature length scripts and directed his second feature, ‘Girls Night Out’ in 2022. Today, Damian writes, directs, edits and even distributes his own work. ‘Gunpowder’ is destined to be published as a graphic novel. In addition, he regularly lectures at TAFE college. “No flies on you”, I think, is the correct colloquial Australian expression…

(Photo: Damian Hussey (right) with meeting Chairman Gerald East)

Surfers Sunrise Golf Day is next Monday

Posted on Oct 22, 2023

This year's Surfers Sunrise Golf Day will be held on Monday, 30th October 2023, at the usual location, the Surfers Paradise Golf Club. It will be a 'Shotgun Start' at 12:00 pm (registration from 11:00 am). Several options:

Corporate Hole Sponsor (includes 4 players, signage and advertising)
4-player Team
Single individual player

Chief organizers Doug Lipp and Charles Thomasson are looking both for players, helpers as well as Raffle Prizes.

Invite your friends, associates, customers, suppliers and make up a 4-player team or two! Tickets are strictly limited. Bookings close on 23rd October, or when all tickets have been sold.

Secure online booking site is now open. Click on this link, or scan the QR Code:

https://www.trybooking.com/CLLLR

October is Economic and Community Development month

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 05, 2023

“Economic and Community Development” sounds like some BIG thing, something that one would expect the Federal Treasurer or the UN to tackle. Lots of big speeches, platitudes, committees, enquiries. How could a little Rotary club like ours possibly get involved, not to mention make a difference? Or could we?

In the “good ol’ days”, Community Service was a directorship all of its own (see the old logo from the last millennium on the right - things were less complicated then...). Most of us would have travelled our great country and have stopped at a Rotary Park somewhere beyond the Black Stump, with a Bar-be-que area, ubiquitous in country towns. Look closer to home: when the Gold Coast Botanical Gardens was established, local Rotary clubs were very active in planting trees and shrubs. At Cascade Gardens, there is a Kokoda Memorial, established by the Broadwater-Southport club, and Hope Island has constructed an Armistice Memorial. In Coomera, they have a monthly book sale where the locals can obtain very inexpensive reading material, DVDs etc. Keep looking – there are a lot more.

Our club’s Wheelchairs project is as much a community service project as it is an international service project. Our volunteers enjoy the twice-weekly companionship of their fellow workers, whilst they are “doing good”. Our club supports a number of local projects, such as Angel Flight (last year’s District Governor’s personal project) and this year, the major beneficiaries of our Golf Day are Pancare Aid and the Police Citizen’s Youth Club.

Yes, a small club CAN make a difference. As a member of one of the most trusted organisations in the world, YOU and I can make a difference, by participating in events, by promoting Rotary.

The team that re-erected the X-Ray Unit on Pentecost Island

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 23, 2023

(from left): Matt Hayward, Kristen 'KJ' Jewson, John Groves (the master builder), Mitch Brown, Ava Pearson, Hudson Sirovs, Al Sirovs and (front) Dan Snart.

Not your average meeting last Wednesday: Not only did we welcome a new member (see separate article above), but the team that went to Pentecost Island, Vanuatu to erect the X-Ray Unit at Mauna Health Centre fronted the club.

This wasn’t a simple task by any means: Master Builder John Groves eloquently outlined the enormous task of getting the X-Ray and Pathology Lab Unit built. After a two day trip, by Air to Port Vila, then by ‘Rock Hopper’ plane to Lonorore and a three-hour boat trip to the Mauna Health Centre, the task was to unpack the “flat pack” building which was shipped in two containers from our project shed in Arundel in February this year. There isn't much flat space there! To get it up the hill and re-erect it was a massive task. “Without the huge work of locals, it would never have happened”, John said.

Hard work it might have been, but the team was unanimous in declaring the exercise as a “once in a lifetime experience”. Twelve days of basic accommodation in a guest house, no electrical power (except in the Medical Centre), locally cooked

Vanessa Jansen: Corporate Membership

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 08, 2023

“We need to get a number of visitors together to form a Rotary Group” was the brief given by (then District Public Image coordinator) PDG Andy Rapajakse. The idea was to form a new Rotary Club based on corporate, rather than individual membership. That was in 2018 (incidentally, the same year our club, Surfers Sunrise, introduced corporate membership into our bylaws – we claim to have “invented” the concept… ☺). The result was a new club named Gold Coast Corporate Rotary, chartered in 2020. Today, the club counts 38 members. At the District 2022 District Conference, her club received the award for the Highest Membership growth in District 9640).

“It started off with door knocking,” she said, in other words: the ages-old method of aiming for personal contact. But her club works differently to conventional Rotary clubs: they meet just once a month on the 3^rd Wednesday at 5:30 pm. The meeting usually takes place at one of the members’ boardroom, or perhaps at a café, for cheese and crackers. “We are looking for businesses rather than just individuals (but, of course, individual members are most welcome too, just as any other club does). Corporate members can nominate up to 8 people who can attend meetings in rotation. An annual fee of $900 entitles a business to have up to 5 voting members. The club runs various projects, including a mentorship program. Interestingly, this also involves online courses available from Rotary’s very own Learning Centre, on the Rotary International website www.rotary.org. For example, to visit the section of Personal Development, Click here (you'll need to login). Thank you, Vanessa, for a very instructive presentation!

A copy of Vanessa’s PowerPoint presentation (in PDF format) has been uploaded to our Download Files section on the right. Photo: Vanessa Jansen with Paul Seymour, our meeting Chairman.

Special recognition for two of our Associate Members

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 24, 2023

A very special night yesterday Wednesday for two tireless workers of our project shed: John Hall (picture left) and Bryan Tuesley (picture right) were recognised by the Federal Member for Moncrieff,

Angie Bell MP, for their work and dedication to our project.

Congratulations to both of you, and thank you and all your fellow volunteers for your ongoing work and dedication! Your efforts provide mobility to thousands of disabled children and adults in developing countries.

Lyssia Demeulenaere returns after 10 years

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 05, 2023

What a lovely surprise this morning at Surfers Sunrise: visit by Lyssia Demeulenaere, our Youth Exchange Student from Belgium who arrived almost exactly 10 years ago in July 2013 (Picture left). And whilst we have all aged 10 years... NOT FAIR! Well, you be the judge! Must have had something to do with the air and her lifestyle: Upon returning to Belgium and completing her degree, she went off to Bolivia and all sorts of other places.

Welcome back to the Gold Coast, Lyssia! Great to see you!

Last meeting's Guest Speaker: Angie Bell MP

Angie opened her discourse with the story of a young woman, living in her electorate: The massive cost of living increase causes her constituent acute stress. And the forecast is that over the next months inflation will get even worse. Families struggle, not only due to inflation, but also due to rise of interest rates. The Reserve Bank tries to get inflation back to a target band of 2 – 3%. “The average family, due to inflation, is $25,000 worse off” Angie said. There is nothing in the recent budget to help people who suffer from mortgage stress, nothing for retirees, nothing for local communities, nothing for small business. Angie also referred to bracket creep in taxation.

On job seeking, the opposition’s policy is to allow people who are on welfare to work more hours before their benefits get affected. She is the product of 3 generations of factory workers in South Australia. “The harder you work the luckier you get” is her motto. She also elaborated on the Superannuation changes and Early Learning. In relation to the latter, the major issue is not just money, it is getting access to it: in many regions, there isn’t sufficient staff.

In her capacity as the newly appointed Shadow Minister for Youth, Angie formed a ‘Youth Cabinet’ across the Gold Coast. She then organised and chaired a summit, the ‘Gold Coast Impact Youth Summit’ with the aim of giving young people opportunities, “the same opportunities I had as a young person”. Some 200 young people from public and private schools, and community groups attended.
Angie told us about a young, somewhat dejected man who came to her office seeking help. At the recent Youth Summit he was included in a break-out group where he could meet with people who went to university (or planned to go); let’s call them people he would consider privileged and opposite to his situation. Of course, the frank exchange of views proved beneficial for both sides.

Angie concluded by relating some information on workng with her colleagues and her leader, Peter Dutton. “Peter Dutton has the hardest job in Australia, but he has a great sense of humour” she said. [Yes, quite different to what the press, particularly our national broadcaster and the left-leaning press, loves to depict him… But Rotary’s creed is to be above politics, so allow me to desist from further elaborating… Ed.]

Official hand-over of X-Ray Unit for Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 05, 2023

Photo by Mark Urquhart (from left): Cr Darren Taylor, Greg Bowler, Assistant Governor Sheila Ponting, Mario Fairlie, District Governor Karen Thomas, Sam O'Connor MP, John Paul Langbroek MP, Des La Rance OAM, Dr Graham Sivyer, Cr Ryan Baildon-Lumsden, President Burleigh Heads Rotaract Club Dan Snart, President Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club Mitch Brown.

Last Wednesday, the three Rotary clubs, Surfers Sunrise, Broadbeach and Gold Coast celebrated the official hand-over of the X-Ray and Pathology Unit, destined for Pentecost Island, Vanuatu. The building was constructed, then dismantled and flat-packed into a container at our project shed in Arundel. Mid-February, the containers were on the way to be shipped to their destination. Some 60 attendees enjoyed a hearty breakfast at Catalina Cafe on Broadwater Parklands, honoured by the presence of several dignitaries, including our District Governor Karen Thomas and Assistant Governor Sheila Ponting, local MPs John Paul Langbroek and Sam O'Connor, Councillors Ryan Baildon-Lumsden and Darren Taylor, the President of the Gold Coast Medical Association, Professor Philip Morris, just to name a few. Regrettably, the dignitaries expected from Vanuatu were unable to join us, due to the massive devastation that was caused by the two cyclones that recently struck their country.

Master of Ceremonies Trent Belling, a third generation Rotarian as he proudly introduced himself, led the proceedings with aplomb. Mario Fairlie and Dr Graham Sivyer, who together with Greg Bowler were the project's leaders, provided a brief outline of its history. They had visited Vanuatu twice, both the destination at Pentecost Island as well as for meetings with authorities in the capital Port Vila. This should ensure a smooth transfer once the containers have arrived at Port Vila. Well deserved, they also gave the "inventor" and leader of the building concept, Des La Rance OAM due credit. "There would have been a thousand people involved all up," Mario emphasised, "from the helpers on the ground to the individual donors of both finances and materials. Equally important is that we recognise the Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation and not least the young Rotaractors. Young people are essential to have around, not just for young ideas, but for physically demanding work".

Local member for Surfers Paradise, John Paul Langbroek briefly outlined how important the ongoing work with South Pacific countries, at all levels of Government as well as at basic population basis is. "JPL", a diminutive he is fondly referred to by his friends and colleagues, has had extensive experience with Trade Missions into these countries, including PNG and Vanuatu. JPL also acknowledged our achievement of some 11,000 wheelchairs that have been despatched to all corners of the world.

District Governor Karen Thomas referred to the "ROSE" award (Recognition of Significant Effort) which she recently presented to the three clubs at the District Conference in Yamba. This was in recognition of our three clubs successfully working together on this massive project.

The two containers are now at sea. On-site re-erection of the building and the commissioning of the X-Ray and Pathology equipment is expected to take place in June. Watch this spot!

(Also, check the Download files on the right for a slideshow and press release. There is also a photo album by photographer Mark Urquhart online - click here)

This coming Wednesday 22. Feb: breakfast AT THE PROJECT SHED

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 20, 2023

This week our meeting will NOT be at the Surf Club, but at the project shed in Arundel, next to the Arundel Community Centre, 175 Napper Road, Arundel 4214.

Past District Governor Tony Heading is the District Chair for The Rotary Foundation (TRF). Most people, and even most Rotarians, are not aware of the size of influence TRF has in the world, nor that it is one of the most efficiently run large charities (a rare 4 stars on Charitynavigator.com). He will give us an outline of "our" foundation's multi-faceted programs.

Join us for the traditional Bacon & Eggs barbeque. We need to load a container (yes, another one), this one with wheelchairs bound for South Africa. The shed will open at 6:00 am, so if you can, please help.

Dignitaries visit shed prior to send-off of X-Ray Unit

Last Saturday morning, Federal Member Hon. Angie Bell MP, State Member for Bonney Sam O'Connor MP and Councillor Ryan Baildon-Lumsden visited our project shed in Arundel this morning to inspect the X-Ray Unit, prior of its being dismantled, to be packed into a container and sent off to Pentecost Island in Vanuatu.

Mario Fairlie and Dr Graham Sivyer visited Vanuatu

Posted by Franz Huber

Last week, Mario Fairlie and Dr Graham Sivyer (RC of Broadbeach) visited Port Vila in preparation of the delivery and installation of the X-Ray Unit for Mauna Health Centre on Pentecost Island. There, they met with various officials from the Vanuatu authorities, including Dr Richard Leone, Head of Surgery (who originally instigated the project when on a visit to Australia). This was to ensure a smooth and incident-free transfer of our container from wharf, through Customs and on to a barge and ongoing transport to Pentecost Island.

Watch this space for a full report in next week's bulletin. Photo: Mario Fairlie (centre) with Dr Graham Sivyer (right) and Mr George Pakoa, pathology and development officer.

Wheelchair Shed donates bike to Wesley Mission

Occasionally, we receive a bike at the Wheelchair Shed which is in good condition and can be restored perfectly. It is then donated to a worthy cause. Such an opportunity arose when Tanya Twyford, who heads a division within Wesley Mission, needed a lucky door prize for a Christmas Barbeque recently held at Macintosh Island in Surfers Paradise. Our "Wheelchair Foreman" Brian Tuesley and Dom Chant, who regularly volunteers at our shed, presented the bike. Well done, fellows!

Great Christmas Breakfast at Marina Mirage

Last Wednesday, our members and partners enjoyed a delicious Christmas breakfast at the Sunset Bar of the Marina Mirage in Main Beach. Organised, meticulously planned and executed by Graeme Isaacson, we had excellent fellowship in most congenial surroundings. Thank you Graeme Isaacson, give yourself a pat on the back! See the photo album section on the right for more photos.

District Governor Karen Thomas – Club visit 23 Nov 22

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 24, 2022

Has anyone dug a bit deeper into the concept of this year’s Rotary International Theme logo ‘Imagine Rotary’ (see picture right)? Did you get an inkling too that it has an Aboriginal feel to it? Correct, that was certainly very deliberate. Designed by an Australian artist, Riki

Salam, the design is reflecting Aboriginal culture: the circle signifies our connection to one another, and the dots around it represent people; seven because of Rotary’s areas of focus, the solid line underneath is a digging stick. The colours green, purple and white are not necessarily connected to aboriginal culture. You can read all about it – click on this link.

“I worked in the medical field since I was 17 years old”, Karen stated with justified pride. She is a registered intensive care nurse but has worked in several areas in her field. Hence, her personal projects are related: At the top is ‘Liveblood’, the campaign to donate blood. Did you know that people undergoing Chemo require blood products every two days? There is a distinct shortage, which can even result in the doctors needing to decide on a triage-type process.

Karen highlighted the upcoming District Conference at Yamba, from 10^th – 12^th March 2023. There will be several hugely interesting keynote speakers – watch this space in upcoming bulletins, or go to the District website www.rotary9640.org – Registrations are now open.

But a major point of emphasis for this year is ‘DEI’ (yes, another Rotary acronym…): it stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion. Yes, we’ve all been pounded with the ‘flavour of the period’ [my remarks, not the District Governor’s. Ed.] But Karen highlighted a hugely important point: Not all disability is visible. Have you thought about people with hearing difficulties? Allergies (think gluten)? Chronic pain? Intellectual? [no, please don’t start. It’s not funny.] No, neither did it pop up in my mind first off.

Thank you, DG Karen. As our meeting chairman, Adrian remarked: “I’ve actually learned something at a DG’s club visit.”

Maria Leebeck, Gold Coast Youth Service

“We supply them with tents because there is nowhere else to put them”, was one of the stark statements we heard from our guest speaker, Maria Leebeck, last Wednesday morning. She is the President of Gold Coast Youth Service, an organisation that primarily is set up to care for the homeless and destitute young people on the Gold Coast. And yet, they are not allowed to set up those tents in Council owned caravan parks…

“Currently, there are roughly 250 “rough sleepers” on the Gold Coast we know by name” she said. They come from all types of backgrounds, but most are young people who are ‘still at home’, but don’t want to live there, due to issues such as

Big working bee at the shed last Saturday

Posted by Franz Huber

Big working bee on Saturday to move completed wheelchairs from the shed into an outside container. Other than simply making more space inside the shed, this is required so a proper Workplace Health & Safety Audit can be carried out.

A big Thank You! to all the associates and members who attended (too many to mention individually - you know who you are, give yourself a pat on the back!) Photo: The inventor and driving force behind our wheelchairs project, Des La Rance wrestling the pallet lift up a very temporary ramp, capably assisted by some muscular associate members...

Sunday Family Picnic at Evandale Park and HOTA

Angus Miller is organising a social picnic at Evandale Park, followed by a visit to the new Home of the Arts (HOTA). Everyone welcome, including Associate members and grandkids! If the weather is inclement, only HOTA!. Following this, you may want to join us for a coffee or lunch at the HOTA Cafe. Bring your own everything, including camping chairs, sunscreen (here is hope!

)

Special visitors from South Africa

Last Wednesday, we had the pleasure of welcoming Clive and Kathy Hassell, from the Rotary Club of Uitenhage, South Africa. Welcome to Australia and particularly to the Gold Coast!

Hadn't it been due to having two guest speakers on the day, Clive would have had sufficient time to present one of his club's projects, that of improving the lives of the disadvantaged children in his region. In essence: The region suffers from almost extreme unemployment, resulting in most families being unable to get their children enrolled in Early Learning classes. Clive has uploaded a short video to Youtube, which outlines the project. Click here to view it; at the end you find a QR code which leads to his Crowd Funding page. A very worthwhile project; any small donation helps!

Meet our newest Corporate Members

At last Wednesday’s meeting, we had the pleasure of the key people of Cole Residential, Nick Cole and Nicole Bricknell, giving us a deeper insight into their personalities, their work and their families.

First up: Nicole Bricknell.

Real Estate is her chosen vocation (and very professional too: men of the calibre of our Mario Fairlie don’t do business with amateurs). But Nicole’s major passion is Horses, particularly Horse Racing. No wonder, she literally grew up on the race track: she is the daughter of the Gold Coast’s famous bookmaker, Laurie Bricknell!

After her schooling at the local Girl’s School St Hilda’s, she qualified in Beauty Therapy. But racing is her passion. With great enthusiasm, Nicole recalled some memorable events, including one of her horses running in the Melbourne Cup, winning the Monster Cup, and – not to be sneezed at – being given a lift to the race track by nonother than… Prime Minister Bob Hawke. “He used to call dad for tips” she quipped…

Following the breakup of her marriage, Nicole studied to obtain a Real Estate Agent’s license. “I have become a very strong, resilient woman,” she said. She joined Cole Residential in 2018 and was introduced to our club by Mario Fairlie when she sold his former home on Paradise Waters and found him his new home. Mario introduced her to the fundraising committee of St John’s Crisis Centre, and she soon was immersed there in a major and very successful fundraiser.

Following on was Nick Cole, (Director of Cole Residential): Nick went to school at the local TSS, the prominent Boy’s School (PDG Darrell Brown’s son Lochlin was in his class as well). Even though his mother was well established in the local Real Estate industry, his choice was to complete a Bachelor of IT. On completion – off to London, then Sydney, where he worked with Rabobank and UBS. Upon his marriage in 2008, he joined the family business (Lucy Cole Prestige Properties). His qualifications enabled Nick to establish a major upgrade of the company’s IT systems. Eventually, he decided to “step out of mum’s shadow” and founded Cole Residential, with offices on the Isle of Capri.

Nick is very active and an avid supporter of various local community groups, including the Mermaid Beach Surf Life Saving Club.

(Photo, from left: Meeting Chairman Ian Mayberry, Nicole Bricknell and Nick Cole)

A load of hospital beds and equipment for DIK

A load of hospital beds and other medical equipment goes to Donations in Kind. The equipment originally was donated by the Gold Coast Hospital (I think) and was temporarily stored at our Project Shed. Yesterday, it was picked up to go to their Brisbane warehouse. Picture shows Bren Milsom (DIK) with Geoff Croad - just one box left to load...!

This coming Wednesday: Nicole Brickwell and Nick Cole

Our newest corporate members, Nicole Bricknell and Nick Cole of Cole Residential will give us a bit of an insight into their background and particularly their hobbies and passions. Both have already been active in our club, assisting with the fundraisers and Nick has written up the Services Committee report from the recent Strategic Planning meeting.

Very much looking forward to it!

Rapper Geoff?

So you always thought Geoff Croad to be the most collected, quietly spoken gentleman anyone could imagine, never a loud word... Then you see this rapper type at the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club, wearing his hat the wrong way round, chatting with a guy wearing dark glasses who is reputed to have designed half the high rise buildings on the Gold Coast, and you think...

Yes, it's him. But no, he's not a rapper, he just put it that way because the sun became too hot...

Separating the rubbish from recyclables

There is a lot of work out at our project shed which is not directly related to making wheelchairs or construction of buildings: Al Sirovs sent me this picture of one of our Associate Members, Ron Thompson, dismantling bikes. A fair portion of the components, such as the tyres, the pedals, etc are not suitable for either use on the wheelchairs nor for recycling. The aluminium components such as the wheels (without tyres) are separated as they fetch a higher price than iron or steel. The latter goes into a huge 10 m3 skippy bin, collected by Sims Metal on a regular basis. All proceeds go back into the wheelchairs account.

Putting finishing touches on the X-Ray Unit

For all intents and purposes, it looks like it's largely finished, but there is still some work left to do on our X-Ray Unit for Pentecost Island, Vanuatu. This photo shows our "resident builder" volunteers Roger Browne (left) and Jimmy Pearce at work on the outside trim. Al Sirovs, Des La Rance and Laurie Roberts are working on the inside - hopefully I'll get a picture in the near future too. ☺

(Photo by Al Sirovs)

Tash Price wins the "Champion of Sport" Award

Our hearty congratulations to our members Natasha Price and her business partner Adam Sheppard. Tash won the "Champion of Sport" section of the Gold Coast Bulletin Women of the Year awards. Picture shows Tash with at last night's celebrations.

Well done, Tash and Adam!

Finally! Old bicycle tires sent to recycling plant

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 18, 2022

For two years we had been looking for an alternative place that would accept our bicycle tyres, after the company that previously took them seemed to have gone AWOL... Last week, the trailer was loaded to the rim and the load went all the way to Ipswich, to Chip Tyre Pty Ltd. Good work, fellows!

Photo (by Al Sirovs), from left: Bryan Tuesley, Rick Parry and Ron Thompson.

DGN Lisa Hunt - Regionalisation

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 17, 2022

Last Wednesday, DGN Lisa Hunt presented a concise outline of the proposed Regionalisation Pilot program for Zone 8 (Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific islands). Together with the UK, Zone 8 which includes our District 9640, has been chosen to participate in this program. Her presentation was strictly for the purpose of informing, not to influence. Some major points to mention:

The RI Board is asking us to vote on whether we approve participating in a pilot to develop, test, and evaluate a new regional approach to supporting and governing Rotary and Rotaract clubs and members in Zone 8 from July 2023 to July 2026.
If the pilot proceeds, it will occur whilst districts remain in place and in full consultation with districts and clubs.
Our members, clubs, projects and programs remain at the heart of what we do.

Following discussion, a vote was taken and our club voted. The result of the vote is not for publication, however, any member who was unable to be present is welcome to enquire directly with one of the board members. Over the next few weeks, all other clubs in the district are required to vote (one vote per club).

Photo: Lisa with our Chairman of the day, Peter Morgan.

Polio confined to some remote areas of Afghanistan? And New York.

You would be forgiven if, in view of some other matters taking precedence in the media over the last few days, you might have missed this.

The Governor of New York has declared a State of Emergency, in response to the Polio virus having been discovered in waste water, both in New York as well as in four neighboring counties.

In 1979, Rotary International launched the fight against Polio. In 1985, Polio Plus was launched, with the aim of eradicating this terrible disease, mostly affecting children. Since then, billions of dollars have been spent, and millions of volunteer hours have been expended to apply Polio vaccines throughout the world. The result: from a count of about 350,000 cases EVERY year, vaccination has largely eliminated Polio in almost all countries, with the exception of some remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where access to the people distributing and applying the vaccines is, sadly, severely restricted. Until now.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

"Unofficial board meeting" at Benowa Tavern

"Unofficial board meeting" at Benowa Tavern last Thursday. And yes, thanks for asking: We DID make the world a better place. Don't know whether the world listened though... OK then, call it "Council of the Elders" instead.

Now set to be regular, every second Thursday from 4:30 pm, on the days we don't have a 'formal' meeting in the morning.

This Wednesday: DGN Lisa Hunt - Regionalisation

Posted on Sep 08, 2022

This Wednesday DGN Lisa Hunt will visit our club to talk about the proposed Regionalisation Pilot program for Zone 8. This zone includes Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific islands. Our District 9640 has been chosen for a pilot program, aimed to determine whether the proposed new governance scheme is feasible, workable and indeed whether the expected benefits will materialise.

If adopted, this would involve major changes. In essence, the current Districts would be abolished and replaced with regions (approximately 2 - 3 per District). Hence all members should inform themselves before all clubs in the district are asked to vote, shortly after DGN Lisa’s presentation.

There is a major website https://rotaryzone8.org/page/rotary-regionalisation-project (which largely outlines the proposed scheme, thus naturally leading to the ‘Pro’ side of the argument). It contains a very detailed outline, including an extensive list of Frequently Asked Questions.

To learn more about the negative side, a PDF with two opinion pieces by PP Peter Truer (RC of Boonah) and PDG Jeff Egan (RC Mt Warning AM) has also been distributed to all members. It is important to note that both are stating their personal view, not the official view of the District. To save you finding it, I’ve uploaded it to the Download Section on the right.

Very successful fundraiser last Friday

Posted by Franz Huber

Good fundraiser today at Bunnings Olsen Avenue Sausage Sizzle. Exact figures not available yet, but expected to be the best ever for a Friday event. The new pricing scheme (dictated by Bunnings) would certainly have made a difference. A big thank you to all the helpers (see President's message above). Photo shows the clean-up crew at the end of the day: (from left) Anne O'Connor, Angus Miller, Ray Drowley, Geoff Croad.

The Lutzy Award goes to Pieta Jackman

Posted by Franz Huber

Congratulations to Pieta Jackman who at this morning's meeting was presented with the Lutzy Award - including a flash new paddle board. The award is in memory of our Charter Member Keith Lutz who passed away in 2013. It is presented to a young emerging leader, selected by a committee of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club. As David Orchy from the SLSC pointed out: the selection of Pieta was unanimous.

Jan Lutz, who this morning presented the award for the 7th time in honour of her late husband, said "They do a magnificent job in all areas and the vibe between them and our wonderful Surfers Paradise Surf Club just keeps going. I am very pleased to still be part of it, although today was more difficult due to the recent loss of Jason [their son - Ed.]. So maybe I can be excused for not ramping up on the speech. Good luck Rotarians, with all your future dealings."

Photo (from left) President Mitch Brown, Jan Lutz, Pieta Jackman, David Orchy, Scott Andrews.

The lift at the Surfers SLSC is now operating

Posted by Franz Huber

WOOHOO! THE LIFT AT THE SURFERS PARADISE SLSC IS NOW OPERATIONAL!

Good news for our members and guests with a disability or impairment! See you on Wednesday morning!

Lutzy Award Presentation this coming Wednesday, 31st August 2022

Posted by Franz Huber

This year's winner of the Lutzy Award will be presented again at the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club. You'll have a hearty, plate served breakfast of Bacon & Eggs (choice of fried or poached), Sausage & Fried Eggs or a bowl of Acai, for the same cost as last year's ($11.00 per person). Hey! Where else can you get a hearty meal for $11.00? Bookings have now closed. If you forgot, or if you have just emerged from an extended trip up the Amazon ☺, please contact Graeme Isaacson directly.

By the way: the lift is now operating! (see separate note below)

(Image is from last year's presentation to Jet Milford - Ferguson)

Zoe Humphries – My Community Legal

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 21, 2022

Last Wednesday we were introduced to an organisation the majority of us didn’t even know it existed: My Community Legal (MCL) provides “a free, responsive and accessible legal service to those who most need it”, Zoe outlined. The vast bulk of MCL’s services are provided pro bono publico [yes, Henrietta, my Latin might be a bit rusty, but I still remember that this means free of charge!].

But they are not only there to provide legal services, they are also engaging in legal education. This might be related to clients, but also provides emerging lawyers, such as Zoe, with an opportunity to practice under the supervision of experienced law professionals. Whilst MCL is giving advice, they do not go to court on behalf of clients. However, they can refer clients to the appropriate services.

Established in 2014, MCL has grown to service up to 45 clients every week, currently around 1000 annually. Whilst all areas of legal services are addressed, heavy emphasis is given to Domestic Violence – some 781 clients last year. Yes, it is a major problem: “1 in 4 women has experienced emotional abuse by a current or previous partner. Even more concerning: 1 in 6 have experienced physical or sexual violence” Zoe informed us.

You can check out Zoe’s PowerPoint slides – see Download section on the right, which include contact details.

PDG Darrell Brown celebrates 50 years in Rotary

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 18, 2022

This is somewhat equivalent to receiving a telegram from the Queen… At yesterday morning’s meeting, PDG Darrell Brown was presented with a framed letter from our current Rotary International President, Jennifer Jones, congratulating him on his 50th year of Service Above Self.

And well deserved too: Not only is this a rare occurrence, but in those years Darrell has held just about every officer’s job, including multiple runs as Club President, and numerous District Committee Chairmanships, culminating in his appointment to District Governor in 2017-18.

In the words of C.J. Dennis: ‘I lift me lid’. Congratulations!

Photo: Darrell with Assistant Governor Sheila Ponting and fellow Architect, PP Simon Brook, whom he sponsored to join Surfers Sunrise in 2014.

Tash Price wins Sunshine Coast Half Marathon

Hot off the press: on the weekend, our member Tash Price, coached by Adam Sheppard, won the Sunshine Coast Half Marathon wheelchair race. Congratulations, Tash and Adam! Is Tash a little bit too modest? "Although I didn’t quite reach the course record I set a few years back, I was under 2 mins off it and considering how unwell I’ve been the last few months, I couldn’t be happier" she posts on her Facebook page. Give yourself a big pat on the back, Tash and Adam!

This coming Wednesday 17th August: Zoe Humphries

Zoe Humphries is a lawyer with My Community Legal, who specialisies in Domestic Violence cases. With the ever occurring cases of DV (keep in mind, only the very serious ones make the news media), it is ever so important that we learn how we can contribute to its prevention.

In addition, we also will have a very special event - see President's Message above - that morning! Well, you'll just have to be there!

Sgt Cherie MacLean – PCYC

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 05, 2022

“I have the best job in the Police Force” was Sgt Cherie Maclean’s opening. Cherie would easily qualify as the friendliest, yet very professional, Police Officer I’ve ever met. OK, the heavy 9 mm pistol, a taser and whatever other paraphernalia a police officer is required to carry around telegraph that she is ready to tackle whatever Police job might pop up at short notice. But there are no two ways: Her enthusiasm and her positive and outgoing manner leave little doubt that she indeed takes her vocation of managing the Gold Coast Police Youth Citizens Club (PCYC) very seriously.

The organisation has existed for over 70 years, with some 57 clubs in our state of Queensland. What does it do? Well, perhaps if you download her PowerPoint (see Download Files on the right), you get a good, broad picture: As the name would suggest, Youth and Community is the major thrust. Early intervention, Crime Prevention, a program named RUBY, designed to help people suffering Domestic and Family Violence…

A program ‘Braking the Cycle’ [no Henrietta, no spelling error – it’s braking as in slowing down, I did check! Ed. ☺]. They are looking for mentors. To do what? Mentoring young learner drivers, assisting them to reach the required 100 hours of driving to get their P-Plates. “Me?? Sitting in a car with a L-Plater??” I hear you ask. Yes, it is safe. Yes, you will receive training. No, not with your own car – they’ll supply the vehicle. Yes, you can get more info online: brakingthecycle.pcyc.org.au where you can also apply.

There is much, much more to Cherie’s story. Click on this link to learn more about this wonderful organisation: https://www.pcyc.org.au/ (Photo: Chairman of the day, Doug Lipp with Sgt Cherie McLean)

Welcome Cole Residential - our newest Corporate Member

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 03, 2022

At this morning's meeting we had the pleasure of witnessing the induction of our latest Corporate Member, Cole Residential Real Estate. Welcome! We much look forward to seeing you at our meetings.

Photo (from left) Ali Boccassino, Jane Starr, Ashleigh Baker, Nick Cole, Nicole Bricknell, with our President Mitch Brown.

Hi! Would you like to marry me?

No, don't you start rumours... your Editor is quite happily married already. But I put in this headline to outline how silly it would be to ask somebody, full-on, "Would you like to join Rotary?" Yet, the adage that "if you don't ask, it is unlikely that they'll ask you" always applies.

So, you've met that person who is of good reputation. You may have briefly talked about what you do in our club. You know he/she may be interested in becoming involved. How do you ask?

OK, there is the old hoary chestnut of the proverbial "alternative close" (as in "would this Wednesday be suitable or would you prefer Wednesday 17th?"). but this is unlikely to work as an opening. In good salesmanship, the so-called 'Elevator Pitch' is the best. This needs to be in your words, your style, highlighting a couple of important points.

Here is just one where Surfers Sunrise shines: We are big in Youth Services. Is your potential member a parent or grandparent? We sponsor young people, from high school through to early adulthood, to attend a variety of confidence and leadership development camps. Click here to get the whole list of them. We sponsor budding scientists to attend the National Youth Science Forum. We work with the local Surf Life Saving Club and present an annual award in the form of a $2,500 surf ski to an emerging leader in the Surf Life Saving movement. Coming to think of it: it's happening at the end of this month. Why not ask someone to come along on 31st August?

This coming Wednesday 3rd August: Sgt Cherie MacLean

Some of our members have already met Sgt Cherie MacLean when we visited the Gold Coast PCYC in June. She is the officer in charge of that organisation. In view of our club's ongoing involvement with Youth Services, she will introduce the activities of the PCYC and outline various ways where our members may want to participate.

July is Leadership Month

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 22, 2022

When Rotary International refers to Leadership, the first thing that springs to mind is the change of Presidents and board members in most clubs, in the district and internationally.

In our club, the first board meeting under President Mitch Brown will take place this coming Wednesday 27th July (07:00 am at the Surfers Paradise SLSC). So, if you have any specific item you'd like to have dealt with, now is the time to mention it. Like RIGHT NOW (the draft agenda closes on Monday night). Naturally, you can ask for any item to be added to the agenda of any of our board meetings.

But leadership does not just apply to the club's or district's leadership team. Year after year, our club promotes youth programs, many of which specifically foster leadership: Click on this link to see the various events. Surfers Sunrise has sponsored - and will continue to sponsor - participants to almost all these events. In addition, we promote leadership in the local Surf Club: the annual Lutzy Award. It is presented to an emerging young leader nominated by the Surf Life Saving Club. The winner is not necessarily a surfing champion but is selected on the basis of his/her efforts to lead and help others. The award comes complete with a $2,500 surf ski, donated by our club. This year's presentation will be at our breakfast meeting of 31st August. Mark it in your diary now.

Update on the big electric wheelchair to Honiara

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 21, 2022

A couple of weeks ago we reported the story of a big electric wheelchair and hoist which was sent to Honiara, Solomon Islands. Organised by our former member Col Laurenson and the Medical Repurposing Network, it was transported out of Amberley Air Base by the Australian Royal Air Force.

Col has sent us an update with pictures of the recipient, Joel Teheroha, a young lad who has suffered from severe cerebral palsy since birth. The story also featured prominently in the local press - click on this link to view the report in the Solomon Star, the island's daily newspaper.

Give yourself a pat on the back, Col! Good to see you are still very active in helping disadvantaged people in developing countries.

One of the best kept secrets of Rotary

Posted by Franz Huber

I've been away for a couple of weeks, culminating in accompanying my better half to the Innerwheel District A77 Changeover in Bundaberg. Who? What is Innerwheel? Well, it is one of the best kept secrets in Rotary.

Think about it for a moment. Note: The presumption to this story: You are a man and your partner is a woman. Hold it! Don't shoot just yet! Yes, I acknowledge, in these enlightened days it may well be illegal for me to even mention - sorry, I mean ignore to mention all the other possible relationship options. But I'll persist. And let me state it clearly: the opinions of the editor do not necessarily represent those of the management.☺ So, onwards...

Let us assume that you pass away before your wife does. Statistically proven to be a distinct possibility, and no snide jokes please! Would your wife still enjoy a regular circle of friendship? A circle of friendship that is still there some 3 or 6 months after your funeral? If so, that's great! If in doubt (or if you are indeed female and this has sort of triggered your interest), keep reading.

In the 'olden days' (not sure if I'd want to call them 'good' olden days though), Rotary clubs were the exclusive domain of the male of the species and they had Ladies' Auxiliaries, commonly called 'Rotaryannes'. With the advent of (a) Rotary clubs inviting women to join and (b) women more and more engaging in business, the traditional Rotaryannes just about vanished.

Enter Innerwheel. This organization is, as far as I know, exclusively for women. And no, you don’t need to be a widow to join, of course. The sole requirement is to be of good character, a desire to enjoy friendship and good companionship and to serve the community. Their men are quite welcome to tag along to their social functions. Usually, there is a "Men's Tour" whilst the ladies have their conference. This year, we were hosted by Ohana Winery, a Bundaberg business that brews innovative alcoholic fruit wines, ciders, ginger ale and liqueurs. Yes, complete tour with samples...

The Innerwheel organization is not new: it was founded way back in 1924 in Manchester, England and first appeared in Australia in 1931, in Ballarat VIC of all places. Today, they boast over 100,000 members in 108 countries. In our region, we have two clubs on the Gold Coast. They generally meet once a month and support a major research project. At present, their primary support goes to Cordblood (Stem Cell) research, carried out by Prof Michael Doran (QUT).

Friendship? Over the past 20 years or so, I have accompanied my wife to dozens of Innerwheel conferences. Friendship is the very item that pervades the atmosphere. And if you think these generally elderly ladies are just taking it easy: wait till you see them dancing the jig!

For more information, click here and here, or contact the editor who will gladly forward your enquiry to the nearest club!

Jennifer Jones - first female President of Rotary International

Posted by Franz Huber

Rotary International’s incoming President for 2022-23, Jennifer E Jones took office on the 1st July, making history as the first female president in Rotary history. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor Roseland, Ontario, Canada, and founder and president of Media Street Productions, an award-winning media company in Windsor. Having previously served Rotary in a variety of roles including vice president, director, and Rotary Foundation trustee, her talents have strengthened Rotary’s reach and impact. Learn more about Jones in a profile in the July issue of Rotary magazine. Watch the presidential changeover ceremony on Facebook.

During her year, she will focus on four presidential initiatives that Imagine Rotary:

· advancing our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI);
· creating a welcoming club experience;
· empowering girls; and
· expanding our reach.

Read the entire story of the Presidential Initiatives. The site is very comprehensive. It also includes video messages.

Excellent start of the Rotary year with Changeover Luncheon

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 02, 2022

At many Rotary events (actually the majority) the meal consists of an alternative drop of fish/chicken and steak/roast. Not at Surfers Sunrise! We had an excellent start of the new Rotary year with our Changeover Luncheon at Bambino's Italian Ristorante, eating a variety of different pizzas and pasta. As is the rule with Surfers Sunrise Rotary, speeches were very short and fellowship very big. Welcome new President Mitch Brown! Some highlights:

Simon Brook was Master of Ceremonies and kept the formal procedures to the brevity Surfers Sunrise Rotary has been known for the past 3 decades... We were honoured by (now Past) District Governor Jeff Egan, representing Rotary International who gave us an equally brief reply to the Toast to Rotary International. Outgoing President Paul Seymour briefly outlined our club's activities and achievements for the past 12 months, then presented the club's recognitions and awards:

Paul Harris Fellowships to Angus Miller, Paul O'Neill, Adrian Crowe, Ian Mayberry and Mario Fairlie.

The major awards were received by

Doug Waller Trophy: Mitch Brown
Fellowship Cup: Darrell Brown (accepted by Andy Bell on his behalf)
Quiet Achiever: Doug Lipp
And the "big one" - Rotarian of the Year (determined by silent poll by the members): Geoff Croad

Congratulations to all!

Following the presentation, Paul handed the President's collar to Mitch Brown, who after a brief address introduced his new board (see photo above). For more photos see the Photo Album section on the right.

The Changeover Report has been uploaded - see Download Section on the right. It includes the President's, Treasurer's as well as the individual chairmen's reports, as well as a summary of the past year's speakers and events.

Best Long Term Project: and the winner is...

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 26, 2022

Surfers Sunrise wins the Best Long Term Project Award for 2021-22. At today's District Changeover, District Governor 2021-22 Jeff Egan presented our club with this award in recognition of our long term Wheelchair Trust project. Give yourself a pat on the back! Photo shows District Treasurer Mark Twyford who accepted the award certificate on behalf of our club.

Zahra Forbutt - RYPEN camp

Posted by Franz Huber

"Ah, today's youth...!" Haven't we all heard people whinging whenever they have forgotten what ratbags they themselves were at 15 years of age? Well, they haven't been at a Rotary meeting where a young person, freshly returned from one of our various youth camps, presents a clear and concise report of what they have experienced. Now, visualise yourself when you were 15 years old. You have honed your presentation with a PowerPoint [yes I know, but visualise anyway...] to drive the message home. Then... there is no computer to run it on! Panic? That's where one can determine the difference: Zahra was quite unfazed and delivered her speech flawlessly, clearly and without the "ummm's, aahh's" and "like" we so often hear. Obviously, she enjoyed the camp and benefited from the learning experiences and team-building exercises. Oh, by the way, she was appointed team captain too. Those kids coming from Surfers Sunrise are just special... Read her speech and watch the PowerPoint she was unable to display: it is on the Downloads section to the right.

Photo: Zahra with our meeting chairman of the day, Simon Brook.

This Wednesday 22nd June: Alycia Bird & Amber Clode

OK, so after Ros Byrne, who was originally scheduled to speak, suffered an accident, her replacement cancelled as well, due to COVID... Here are the definite speakers for this Wednesday: Alycia Bird and Amber Clode, from Wesley Mission. (Thank you, Mark Twyford!) They will speak on 'How to prevent burn-out and boost productivity. (I'll need that now... Ed. ☺)

Before that, we'll also have a brief presentation by our RYPEN awardee, Zahra Forbett, who participated in this event a few weeks ago.

This will be our last 'formal' meeting for the Rotary year, so let's have a big turnout! By the way: Have you booked yet for the Changeover Luncheon? Click on this link now.

Have you booked for the Changeover Luncheon this Saturday 2nd July?

This year we'll have a Luncheon Changeover. Incoming President Mitch Brown has selected Bambino's Italian Ristorante in Benowa. Very interesting menu of shared platters of various pizzas (including vegetarian) and pasta (Carbonara, Truffle Pappardelle... just to name a few. And dessert pizza, of course. Did you say Dessert Pizza? Yup. You'll have to be there. You must book: click on this link:

www.trybooking.com/BZTAW

Bookings close tomorrow Tuesday 28th June 2022

Hugely interesting visit to the PCYC last Wednesday

Hugely interesting "social" meeting last Wednesday with Sgt Cherie McLean, who is in charge of the Gold Coast PCYC, off Monaco Street. (Test: which one of the group is dressed like the proverbial Accountant?) Until now, I always thought it to be a venue for young people, some of them who are possibly drifting towards the wrong side of the law... How wrong can one be? Massive venue, almost 1000 subscribers to various sports training courses, including their gym. Including - wait for this - a group of demure elderly ladies coming in for... a Boxing Lesson. I'd pay to watch when some hapless thug tries to snatch their handbag!

Note: Cherie will be our guest speaker on 3rd August 2022.

Very successful fundraiser at the Small Bus Expo

Great fundraiser last Wednesday afternoon and Thursday at the Gold Coast Small Business Expo. First time at the new (massively larger) venue at Coomera. Photo shows the last shift who helped on the 'Bump-off', sorting and stacking up the tables and chairs and assisting the organisers. Many others of our members were engaging over the two days as well (too many to mention). Special thanks go to Darrell Brown who organised it all on our side and to Paula Brand, the principal organiser and owner of Small Business Expo, who offered us the opportunity.

Darrell has just advised that the funds we raised at this event covers our Youth Services budget for the coming 2022-23 year. That includes sponsoring candidates for RYTS, RYPEN, RYLA, National Youth Science Forum, just to name the regular ones. Give yourself a pat on the back! Now, put the next date into your calendars: the Brisbane Event will be on 5th and 6th October.

Gold Coast Small Business Expo Fundraiser is this week

Posted on Jun 12, 2022

We have again been offered this very important fundraising opportunity. We get paid handsomely for our services. Our organiser, Darrell Brown, advises that the miniumum number of people required on the roster has been filled, but if you feel like giving us a hand, particularly on the Bump-in and Bump-out sessions, you are welcome!

NOTE: The venue is at the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre 56 Beattie Road, Coomera, NOT where it was last year at Carrara.

Date	Time	What job
Wednesday 15/06/2022	1:00 pm - 3:30 pm	Bump-in
Thursday 16/06/2022	6:30 am - 9:00 am	Traffic control
Thursday 16/06/2022	6:30 am - 9:00 am	Assist unloading
Thursday 16/06/2022	9:00 am - 11:30 am	Coin collection
Thursday 16/06/2022	11:30 am - 1:00 pm	Coin collection
Thursday 16/06/2022	1:00 pm - 2:30 pm	Coin collection
Thursday 16/06/2022	3:30 pm - 5:30 pm	Bump-out

By the way: Thursday is also the day when some of our members have a quiet drink and a good chinwag. Good chance we'll do this this Thursday as well.

A meeting with a difference at the project shed

A club meeting with a difference this morning at the project shed: Angus Miller had his barbeque out and cooked the bacon & eggs, Larry Murray briefly presented the status of our wheelchairs and X-Ray Annexe for Vanuatu projects. Good to see Councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden joining us as well, and a couple of special visitors: our Charter President Bill Moir was there and so was our Charter Member Col Johnston, who came all the way from Mackay! Come more often, Col! Then there are some really tough guys like our Chairman of the day, Trent Belling, who seems to be impervious to the cold temperature... Photo by Al Sirovs.

June is Rotary Fellowship Month

The discussion revolved around the current monthly theme of International Rotary Fellowships. “Isn’t Rotary supposed to be non-political??” The discussion among the group of young Rotarians started to become, even for young Rotarians, uncommonly heated. “Why is there a LGBT Fellowship?”

“Why not?” retorted a former Peace Fellow . “Rotary means business; it is totally non-political, non-denominational and, since about 1987, certainly non-sexist!”

So how come there is a fellowship for Singles but not for Marrieds? Or for that matter Doll Lovers, or Birdwatchers?” “Maaate!!” his colleagues yelled out, “we are not talking about that kind of dolls and birds!” [Yes, quite right, Henrietta, there is no need say anything!]

One of the stouter members joined in: “Ah, I’m more into the epicurean stuff, like Wine, Whyskey, Rum, Beer, Gourmet Cooking, even Bathhouses. I like antique cars, and I like hitching up the caravan to my 4 x 4 truck, then travel into the blue yonder and in the evenings study my rare books. I listen to Jazz, actually any music. And I’m probably the only male in hundreds of miles who makes quilts. My wife is much more into Italian and Latin Culture. And in this context she joined the Magna Graecia fellowship. “The Magna what?” several shouted out. “Well, it is based in Southern Italy, but you can join. Just look it up.”

“Ah, ever since I swapped my caravan for a big fat Recreational Vehicle, I’ve given up the caravan. The total quality of my Winnebago is just superb” said a Doctor. I can hook our bicycles on the back, tie my canoe and surf board on the top and I even can play Table Tennis on a fold out table. When I’m out in the sticks, I can join the meeting of my e-Club and thus maintain my Social Network. Evenings we study European Philosophy, Ethics and Cultural Heritage. We have close contact with an Honorary Consul whom we met on a Cruise and with whom we recently did a Home Exchange. Naturally, being Swiss, he is far more into Railways, Hiking, Curling and Shooting sports. He is a Past District Governor, intimate with Rotary heritage and global history, and he has a massive collection of Rotary Stamps and Rotary Pins. Of course, he goes to all the conventions. I joined him at one of his club meetings. Did you know that former Swiss Tennis great Martina Hingis is a Paul Harris Fellow and is closely involved with Polio Plus?

“Well, I’m more into the fitness stuff” said a Military Veteran, who now is in Law Enforcement. I like Scuba Diving, Fishing, Rowing, blue water Yachting, Skiing, riding my Motorcycle. I’m a Scout Leader, I run Marathons and Triathlons and I play Cricket. I listen to Heavy Metal and if ever I have a quiet moment, I study Russian culture.”

“Too hard for me!” retorted a Lawyer, and his fellow professionals, a prominent Editor and Publisher and an Educator, joined in. “As principals of our firms, we are constantly looking for better Corporate Social Responsibility, Strategic Planning, Social Networks, the Environment, Public Health and… Golf. And if I need solitude, I fly my Cessna...”

“Geez… isn’t there any group I can join where it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?” I whimpered. “Most definitely!” came the answer. “There is Amateur Radio, Chess, Draughts, Photography, Esperanto or Genealogy. Even very general subjects as the Internet. But don’t be fooled: the group is very active in around 100 countries! And if you are into Eastern board games: Go. Or you might want to become a Magician and if you need calming down, play Bowls or do some Yoga.” So, with almost 90 different Rotary Fellowships worldwide, there truly is something for everyone! Just click on the links!

This Wednesday 8th June: Breakfast at the Project Shed

Posted on Jun 02, 2022

Next Wednesday 8th June, we are NOT meeting at the Surf Club, but instead will enjoy a traditional BBQ Bacon & Eggs at our Project Shed. (Don't panic if you are into health foods, we'll have something for you as well!) Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray will bring us up to date on the current happenings there, and you'll get an opportunity to inspect the just about completed X-Ray unit for the Mauna Health Centre on Vanuatu.

Lismore Library Book Appeal: Please hold off..!

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 01, 2022

Thank you to all who have responded to the appeal for books to donate to the Lismore Regional Library. We have been asked to hold off for the moment, as they "have been totally overwhelmed by the response". They will still require more books, but wait till about October when they should have been able to sort the currently received donations and also the repairs of the library should have progressed. Watch this space...

Flood Appeal: Lismore Library needs books

Posted by Franz Huber on May 29, 2022

Lismore Regional Library is seeking donations of new or near new books to replenish their supply that was destroyed in the March 2022 floods.

Adult Fiction
Large Print books
Junior & Young Adult books
Children’s Story books
Children’s DVDs
Jigsaws
Audio Books
Parenting Collection (non-fiction books on parenting topics)
Junior Non-Fiction books

Donations can be made at the Library at 6 Centenary Drive, Goonellabah NSW 2480, Monday to Thursday between 9:30 am and 3:00 pm, or

Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club will organise a collection on the Gold Coast for them to be shipped to Lismore in one consignment. If you have any to donate, please click on this link to send us an email so we can make arrangements.

Peter McGuiness - You Choose Road Safety

Posted by Franz Huber on May 25, 2022

It would have to be a parent's worst nightmare: receiving the news that your 18 year old son was killed in a horror car smash. But it was worse, much worse than that: Jordan was speeding and under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he drove his car into a stationary vehicle. His choices not only caused his death but made him responsible for the death of four other human beings. "It not only affected us as parents, it affected Jordan's siblings as well as the families and friends of the other victims.

Peter rejects the incident to be called an accident. "It was a direct consequence of Jordan choosing to drive while under the influence. "

At today's meeting, Peter McGuiness outlined his organisation, 'You Choose - Youth Road Safety', which he and his wife Melissa set up, following that horrendous event in 2012. The program is mostly presented at High Schools, to Year 11 students.. "The approach is novel and innovative," Peter said. "Not 'the poor kid had an accident, but instead of preaching and lecturing, the concept gives emphasis to the fact that the kid made the choice to drive at 120 Km/Hr. The students are actively engaged. "What would you do?" is the question asked. "Interestingly, on every occasion, we are the ones who are learning", Peter said.

Think about it: There has never been more money spent on road safety, car safety and stringent policing. Yet, road trauma, at best, remains static or is increasing. The thing that has not changed is the culture. You Choose Youth Road Safety addresses that. And perhaps, with the various Interact clubs Rotary is running in various High Schools, perhaps we might have an ideal vehicle to help Peter and Melissa to get the message across.

Photo: Peter McGuiness (centre), with his organisation's Chairman Todd Cole (4th from left), new corporate member Nick Cole (third from right) Visit their website: www.youchooseyrs.org.au

Surfers Sunrise sponsors a RYPEN camp awardee

Posted on May 15, 2022

Our club sponsored Zahra Forbutt, a year 10 student from the Queensland Academy of Health Sciences. RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment) is a residential camp that takes place over 2.5 days. for school students aged between 14-16 (Year 8-10) that focuses on the development of self-concept, relationships, and is designed to develop skills that will assist them in the transition to adulthood. Participants participate in a range of activities that will challenge them on many different levels. It concluded yesterday (Sunday 15/05/22). Zahra will come to our meeting of 22nd June to give us some feedback on her experiences.

Wheelchair shed donates bike to girl from Ukraine

Posted by Franz Huber on May 14, 2022

Last week, Rick Parry (picture right), one of our regular volunteers at our project shed, learned of a refugee family, mother and her children, a girl (6) and a boy (12), having come to the Gold Coast from Ukraine.

The father remained behind to run a bomb shelter. They needed a bike for the girl to provide mobility. Enter the men at the wheelchair shed. Terry Donovan (picture left) refurbished a girl's bike (the blue one on the picture right), which was donated to the family. No need to mention that they were, of course, over the moon. Well done, fellows!

And whilst we are at it: Check out the interview of Des La Rance and John Hall with Don Glover of Radio 4CRB (89.3) in the Download Section on the right.

Rotarian behind the Badge: Ross Augustine

Posted by Franz Huber on May 11, 2022

“It’s interesting to have KJ with us; we spent a lot of time with her grandparents in Melbourne, working in Pharmacy” Ross opened up. Born in 1944, he was one of four kids. Regrettably, Ross’ mum died when he was just 9 years old. Dad remarried, and so the family expanded to six. He elaborated on one of his family holidays to Alice Springs, followed by a trip across the Simpson Desert. “We drove to Broken Hill and then turned left. We shot our own food…” He attended Mordialloc High School, then graduated in Pharmacy in 1967. Ross and Coryn married in 1980. They have three children.

Growing up on the beach, it is natural that he is a keen sailor. “We towed a boat from Melbourne to Brisbane for a championship.” Otherwise though, free time was scarce, as it was compulsory to have a qualified Pharmacist present at all times, so they were totally tied to the business.

(there's much more: click on 'Read More' for the full story)

Launch of City Council's Senior's Garden

Past President Joanne Winwood and Paul O'neill launched the Community Bench at Cascade Gardens today. Paul promoted our wheelchairs project, complete with pull-up banner. The council had organised a "Senior's Garden Party" to launch "the first purpose built, safe and accessible garden space for seniors..." [note the handrails fitted to the climbing ropes in the play gym behind it 😊). Jo, who works for Feros Care, organised the installation of the bench, designed specifically for people not just to sit down at each end, but to also talk to each other. Visit her organisation www.besomeoneforsomeone.org

Rosie Rocco's team to run again at the Gold Coast Ramble

Posted by Franz Huber

Our former member Rosie Rocco and her team (which includes her daughter Trinity) will run again in this year's Gold Coast Ramble. As in previous years, Rosie is running in support of RizeUp, which provides emergency items and housing for those impacted by Domestic Violence, and builds awareness in the community of the impact of DV. Click here to support her,

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle starts early...

Posted by Franz Huber

Started real early last Friday at Bunnings, first cooking at their Trade event. Free bacon & egg roll for all tradies, capably fried and lovingly prepared and serviced (inside the marquee, from right) by Brian Pearson, Anne O'Connor, Uwe Seifert, Johnny Bueti, Geoff Croad and Andy Bell (not in picture). Geoff and I picked up the gear from the shed at 6:00 am - yawn...! Later in the morning, the equipment was shifted to the usual place, where Mario Fairlie, Adrian Crowe, Al Sirovs, Angus 'Onion King' Miller, Darrell Brown, Ray Drowley and Ross Augustine joined the ranks later in the day. Good work, everyone!

Last week's guest speaker: Angie Bell MP

Posted by Franz Huber

“They really are only in it for themselves” was the disparaging remark I overheard recently at a weekend brunch with friends. As it naturally would at this time, the conversation had turned to the elections. So I risked being shot down in flames by openly disagreeing. In various Rotary projects over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with members of parliament from both major parties. Really: it’s a 24/7 job. The ridiculous over-exposure of just the major parties’ leaders - particularly on the TV news as well as in the Facebook and Twitter scene - is not helpful. How can so-called ‘Gotcha moments’ and the twisting of an innocent remark to make it sound demeaning help voters reach a sound judgment?

Last week, Angie outlined her engagement and leadership in her electorate of Moncrieff. “Rotary changed my life” she declared. Coming from a family of “three generations of factory workers”, the mere thought of international travel seemed impossible. That was until she was offered to spend a year on Rotary Exchange in Denmark.

Eloquent and articulate, she outlined the various facets of her work since her election in 2019. Faced with the major issue of homelessness, she set up the Moncrieff Community Cabinet, comprising various community organisations such as St Johns Crisis Centre, representatives of various religious bodies, media, State Members of Parliament, Rotary and business. She also closely works with Soheil Abedian’s ‘Serving Our People’ charity.

“Do you know we build rockets and satellites on the Gold Coast?” she asked. Setting up the City Heart Taskforce, a cross-industry peak body has the aim of increasing the region’s manufacturing capacity. “Do you know that Griffith Uni has developed world-leading 3D-Printing to generate minuscule bone parts which can be used to restore a broken wrist?”

There is much more [sorry, you should have been there! Ed.] Just one more thing, specifically concerning Surfers Sunrise Rotary and our X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu project: After things had become almost hopelessly bogged down, Angie was instrumental to arrange for the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed by the Vanuatu authorities. Thank you!

George Keily keeps bringing in spectacles by the car load

Posted by Franz Huber

Gerald East and I met up last Thursday with our Honorary Member George Keily, who tirelessly continues to collect spectacles from chemists and optometrists all over the Gold Coast. Here he is with a load of some 740-odd pairs of both prescription as well as sunglasses, which are on the way to Donations in Kind for re-deployment in developing countries. Great work, George!

Griffith Uni Malaria Vaccine Project update

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Wednesday, Dr Danielle Stanisic (photo left), one of the project’s team leaders, and PDG Graham Jones, the Committee Chair of Rotary Against Malaria provided us with an update.

Australia has been free of Malaria since 1981, but that doesn’t mean that there are no risks. Dr Danielle explained that we still have the “right” mosquitos in the Northern Territory. But world-wide, one of the major concerns is that case numbers are no longer decreasing. In short: this means that the virus may have become immune to the treatment drugs. Vaccination (which results in your body generating natural immunity) is the answer.

There are various methods that can be used. The Malaria Vaccine Project’s aim is to perfect a ‘Whole Parasite Vaccine’. In essence, Dr Danielle explained: “We take the parasite and treat it so they can’t grow anymore…” [sounds really simple, doesn’t it? If only... Ed.] A major contribution of $500,000 by the Federal Government helped to bring the project well and truly in the Human Trial stage.

Next challenge is how to get it to the areas in the world where it’s needed: Liquid format is too bulky and too expensive. So they are developing a method where it can be ‘powderized’ and at the destination, “just add water”… It’s when I listen to people like Dr Danielle Stanisic, when I realise how much the world, particularly the “developed” regions, owes to scientists such as her and her team.

(See the slides of Dr Danielle and PDF Graham Jones’s update on RAM in the Download Section on the right)

A personal 'Thank you' visit from South Africa

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Wednesday, we welcomed a guest from South Africa, Neil McDonald. Neil is the CEO of Khanya Hospice, which is a recipient of some of the wheelchairs we despatched to South Africa last year (see report in the Download Section of our website), sent by the RC of Port Alfred, South Africa). Neil is also a member of the Rotary Club of Amanzimtoti which was one of the clubs involved in the distribution. Neil wanted a group photo (that's him, front, in pink shirt) and also visited our project shed where he met some of our volunteers.

Isn’t it great to receive some feedback from “the other side”. Thank you for visiting us, Neil!

Fast response to our appeal for $1,009 to complete the electricals of the X-Ray Unit

On Good Friday, I posted an appeal on Facebook for donations to complete the electricals of the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu. It was wonderful to see the responses - several "three-digit" donations saw the target of $1,009 reached by Saturday evening. A big 'Thank You!' to all who donated. A brief survey indicated that they wish to remain anonymous, hence no names need mentioning. You know who you are!

(That doesn't mean that the Wheelchair Trust can't do with more donations: the current supply chain problems dictate that we order and commit to purchasing components such as wheels, tyres, castors etc as much as six months in advance.) Click on this link: https://wheelchairtrust.org.au/donate/

PS: The project is far more advanced than is shown in the picture. Time I went out and got some updated photos!

12 years ago: Matafaa Village School, Samoa

Posted by Franz Huber

Amazing what you find when cleaning out your computer!

Good Friday… the pubs aren’t open (OK, I never go to the pub before 11:30 am anyway

) so I decided to clean out some old stuff in my computer. I found a super large 650 MB file (at the time designed by Neil Thurlow's elves for hi-res printing) of a full report on our club’s major 2010 MATAFAA VILLAGE on Samoa, to build a school, toilet block and play gym.

The tsunami in 2009 devastated the village and its school. This building followed the same principal design by Des La Rance, as the school our club delivered to Phuket, Thailand, after the tsunami of 2004. This concept (designed to withstand cyclones) is also employed with our current project of an X-Ray unit for Mauna Health Centre, Vanuatu. It’s in our Downloads Section (converted to low-res). Go on! Check it out!

Wheelchair Trust receives a $1,000 donation

Last Friday, our Wheelchair Trust received a donation of $1,000 from 'Living Choice Retirement Villages'. Photo shows Living Choice Directors Ian Tregoning and Graham Hobbs OAM presenting Des La Rance OAM and Charles Thomasson at the formal presentation of the cheque. The donors were made aware of our project by our Associate Member Gaye Miles (also fondly known as 'The Scones Lady' at the project shed ☺). Thank you!

Record Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Sunday's glorious weather no doubt contributed to reaching a record result at the Bunnings Sausage Sizzle. "We kept running out of sausages..." was the (pleasant) complaint. A big Thank You to all the helpers on the day: Brian Pearson, Uwe Seifert, Paul O'Neill, Charles Thomasson, Mario Fairlie, Gerald East, Ross Augustine, Kristen 'KJ' Jewson, Andy Bell, Doug Lipp (together with two of his grandsons), Al Sirovs, Ray Crowley, yours truly and, of course, organiser Geoff Croad.

Geoff organised another date: Friday 29th April 2022. Same roster times. An email will be sent to all members and associates.

This Wednesday 13th April: GC Uni Malaria Vaccine Project

This coming Wednesday you'll get two for the price of one: Prof PDG Graham Jones (picture left from when he presented to us last year on the US Elections) will be joined by Dr Danielle Stanisic (The project's Associate Research Leader) to outline details of the Malaria Vaccine Project.

The project has reached another major milestone: Announced on the five-year anniversary (March 23), the Phase 1 clinical trial will test the vaccine, PlasProtecT, in human volunteers in Australia to confirm its safety and efficacy. This important project enjoys major support from Rotary clubs throughout Australia.

Hard at work - Fundraising for the Flood Appeal

Posted by Franz Huber

Would you believe it, those guys are hard at work actively fundraising? So why are they not wearing the 'Rotarians at Work' hi-vis vests? Great Northern Brewing is donating the proceeds of beer sales at 222 participating pubs to the Rotary Flood Appeal for the NSW northern regions. Howzat! Picture (by Charles Thomasson) shows them at Benow Tavern - from left Darrell Brown, Mitch Brown, Charles Thomasson, Paul Graham Seymour, Paul O'neill, Andy Andrew Bell.

Last Wednesday's guest speaker: Sophia Seumahu - NYSF

Posted by Franz Huber

Fewer than half of the applicants are accepted into the annually held National Youth Science Forum (NYSF). Sophia Seumahu, a student at Kings Christian College, certainly made the grade – indeed, hearing her enthuse about anything to do with science and research: no wonder!

Last Wednesday, Sophia gave us a well prepared speech on her experiences. “While I’m not sure about living on Mars one day, I would love to be one of the engineers that help us to land humans on another planet for the first time,” she said. Talking about having set a clear career path!

COVID prevented the usual physical gathering at the CSIRO in Canberra; it was all online. The program was packed: 73 live digital sessions with 195 speakers, including two Nobel Prize winners. The experience took them all over the world: From Antarctica to ANSTO (Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) to a live cross to particle physicists at CERN laboratories (Hadron Collider) in Switzerland and back to Parkes and its huge radio telescope. There were also 15 in-person visits in Perth, with others scheduled in other states “when safe to do so”.

Sophia is one of the co-founders of a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) club at her school. “I feel more motivated to study and work hard, knowing that I’m not just doing it to get a good grade but because I love it” she summed up, expressing a sincere Thank You to our club for sponsoring her.

You are most welcome, Sophia. Enthusiastic emerging scientists like you are exactly what the NYSF has been designed for. We wish you every success in your future career.

Sophia’s full speech is in the Download section on the right.

Why I go to Rotary District Conferences

Posted by Franz Huber

Last weekend’s Tenterfield conference was the first ‘in person’ one since 2019 and it certainly was one with a difference! Not the glitzy 5-star hotel or big club ballroom, but a true country-style bar-be-que affair. It started off on Friday night at the local Railway Museum (the old Tenterfield Railway Station). Roughly 300 Rotarians, partners and guests lined up. Roughly half the participants were seated in rows of tables and chairs along the platform, the other half inside the historical railway carriages. A well organised ‘production line’ managed to get everyone’s plates filled to the rim with multiple choices of meat and veggies in a remarkably swift time.

Saturday’s program included a local farming couple speaking of the enormous hardship and heartbreak suffered due to the drought and fires. This was a farm which benefited from the ‘Fodder for the West’ program organised by the Rotary Club of Hope Island. I wish I had the writing skills of a Bryce Courtenay

District Expo is this week!

Posted on Mar 21, 2022

The District Expo starts this Friday 25th March. This year's event is going to be a real country affair, it's in Tenterfield! Go to the Expo Website https://rotary9640.org/page/district-conference and check out what's happening. There you find the program, a brief summary of all the Keynote Speakers, and of course, you can register. But of course, one of the big attractions of attending a conference is always the deep feeling of Rotary Fellowship. Being in the country, formalities will be kept to a minimum. There is a lot more to a District Conference than Keynote Speakers and Rotary business. There is lots of social interaction:

Friday morning is the District Governor's Golf Challenge
Friday night is the Welcome Dinner - held at the historical Tenterfield Railway Station
Saturday night is a Dinner Dance (and yes, you can drink; they have organised bus pick up to/from your accommodation place)
Sunday morning are two styles of breakfast: one the Champagne Breakfast up near Bald Rock (image right), the other at the Historic Walk with PDG Harry Bolton

The (almost) final program is now on the Downloads section. Go on, check it out! A reminde tr: At this time of the year, Tenterfield can be quite balmy and/or quite chilly, particularly at night. So make sure you pack some warm clothing as well. If you are booked on the Bald Rock breakfast tour on Sunday morning, you need good footwear as well as a torch or a headlamp.

Welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Ross Augustine!

Last Wednesday, President Paul Seymour inducted Ross Augustine formally as a member of our club. "Formally," you say? Yes, Ross (photo left, with President Paul Seymour) has been a regular visitor from Frankston Sunrise to our club for years, and for the past 6 months or so has been regularly attending our meetings. Due to Covid, the member's badge just took a while to arrive... Photo by Charles Thomasson.

Who says you are too old to learn a new skill?

Posted by Franz Huber

Who says you are too old to learn a new skill? Here's Brian Pearson who completed his training course and freshly graduated in ... BRIDGE!

Picture shows him receiving his certificate from Dot Piddington, a Director of the Gold Coast Bridge Club. Congrats, Brian!

District has set up a flood donation account

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 05, 2022

District Governor Jeff Egan recently wrote a letter (see Download section on the right) to all Rotarians in District 9640, advising that a dedicated Flood Appeal account has been set up for Rotarians (and anyone else, for that matter) to contribute to a flood appeal to benefit victims of the horrendous floods some regions experienced over the past two weeks. As is common for any Rotary-based appeals, there will be no administration fees, director's remunerations etc. All funds end up directly at the target, the people who were affected.

If a donor does not require the donation to have tax deductibility status, it is preferable that donations should be deposited into the following account:

Rotary International District 9640 Ltd.

BSB: 084462, Account No: 816279059

This is the account to which Rotary clubs should donate.

If tax deductibility is required, please use this account:

Keith Wilson Relief Trust Fund

BSB: 633000 Account No: 175308303

The name of the donor needs to be included on the deposit AND please send via email to PDG Sandra Doumany at srmd@bigpond.net.au (Note: the original post had a typo - this is the correct address): 1. the name of the donor 2. the amount of the deposit 3. any requirement for the donation to be spent on a specific area (if requested).

March is Water and Sanitation Month

Posted by Franz Huber

For the last two years it was COVID. And here we are: the first serious armed conflict in Europe in well over 50 years [yes, Henrietta, Ukraine is indeed in Europe, and so was Czechoslovakia 😐] and – puff – all other concerns are swept from the front pages. What chances then that a bland, mundane theme such as Water and Sanitation would even come to our conscious mind? OK, exception: over the past two weeks, we’ve had quite a bit too much of the stuff falling out of the sky…

In our (relatively) civilized society we take water and sanitation for granted. Isn’t that what we pay Water Rates for? Yet, visualise for a moment: you have no (running) water. (Paradoxically, some regions in District 9640 are in that very position right now; let’s hope it is only temporary).

You can’t? Well then, walk out to the street and turn the mains water tap off and see how long you last before you crack. You will also discover that without water, there isn’t any sanitation either. Now, suddenly your problem is bigger than whatever leads the TV news.

Well, that is exactly what, in the third decade of the third millennium, an awfully large proportion of our planet’s population faces every day. And it’s not just “over in Africa” (forgive me if that sounds callous). As an individual, in concert with your Rotary club, you very much can make a difference. For example, about 2015, a team from Stanthorpe Rotary Club delivered and installed a massive system to provide secure water to Naiyala High School in Fiji. It didn’t make the evening news on TV, but then, that’s not what Rotary is all about. As Rotarians, we are proudly part of an organisation which boasts the most esteemed of charities, The Rotary Foundation and, on the local scene, the Rotary World Community Service (RAWCS). Click on this link, then apply a filter of ‘Water’ and you’ll find a list of 55 water related RAWCS programs currently running.

About 100 years ago, Austrian philosopher Karl Kraus wrote about war: “first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose; then, one is satisfied that he too is suffering. In the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost.” As individuals, we can’t do much to change the course of a major conflict. But that doesn’t stop us from winning some battles which bring joy rather than misery. In contrast to an armed conflict, this is a battle that we can win.

Ashleigh Symes - Corporate Member

Posted by Franz Huber

“I’m now a ‘Full Advisor’!” Ashleigh Symes (photo right, with President Paul Seymour) proudly describes her vocation. (For the uninitiated: with the severe tightening of government rules and regulations relating to the licensing of financial advisors, this is not an easy goal to achieve!) Together with Charles Thomasson, Ashleigh is one of our Corporate Members with Wilsons Advisory, a nationwide organisation that spans the spectrum from Private Wealth to Corporate and Institutional financial advice.

Born on the Gold Coast, she is the proverbial go-getter: “Whilst I studied for a Bachelor of Commerce and Business, I worked full time in Merchandising with Proctor & Gamble, sold pot plants [no Henrietta, nothing to do with the pot you are thinking about, heavens forbid!], worked as a Mortgage Broker and taught Surf School.” Then she decided to go traveling to Europe, “couch surfing” through France, Spain, Poland, Albania, Romania, just to name a few of the countries. Even hitch-hiking when Romania's public transport system left something to be desired....

In London, she found employment with a Fund Manager, and that is where her initiation to the world of finance started. “...though I started dabbling in shares at 13 years of age, so the subject always fascinated me” she quipped.

Upon return to the Gold Coast, Ashleigh was selected by a recruitment agency for Wilsons Advisory, whose local office is located in the Oracle complex in Broadbeach. Her specialisation is in Compliance and providing ‘Strategic Advice’ to private clients.

‘And when you are not providing financial advice?’ was one of the many questions: “Netball, Surf Life Saving (with the local Surfers Paradise SLSC).

‘Any good share buying tips?’ The expected “this is only general advice” popped up. Still, a couple of specific sectors and worthwhile ASX codes were mentioned. [Which ones? Sorry, you should have been there… Ed.]

Good Bunnings Sizzle despite the weather

Posted on Feb 27, 2022

Last Friday's Bunnings Sausage Sizzle was very successful, despite the rainy weather. (I wonder how many people, particularly men, go for a good ol' shopping therapy session when the weather is inclement? And those same people are, of course, our very target market! ☺) Picture shows the last shift of the day: Anne O'Connor (foreground), Neil Thurlow, Doug Lipp and Andy Bell. Other helpers on the rosters were Brian Pearson, Uwe Seifert (RC of Broadbeach), Mitch Brown, Paul O'Neill, former member Richard Smith and wife Sue, Al Sirovs, Ross Augustine. Special thanks to organisers Geoff Croad and Angus "Onion King" Miller who organised and delivered the sausages, bread and onions, chopped according to Angus' secret cutting method... ☺

This coming Wednesday 23rd: Social brekky at Espresso Bonsai

This coming Wednesday 23rd, we can't have our meeting at the Surf Club; they won't have electricity early morning due to construction work.

So, instead we'll have our social breakfast at Espresso Bonsai, 66 Thomas Drive, on Chevron Island. Plenty of parking off the road, at the rear of the building - entrance from Anembo Street. Now...

Christian, the chief there, offered a free coffee to all of us on arrival! Howzat for a welcome! See you all there at 07:00 am.

Nigel Fotheringham – Angel Flight

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Wednesday we met the proverbial ‘gentleman of an old sort’. Nigel is with an organisation that provides a massive free social service to the people of the bush. Yet – as far as I’m aware of – no modern Banjo Paterson has written a poem about Angel Flight. Nigel, raised in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) is a volunteer pilot. He, and dozens of other pilots, donate their time AND their planes to fly non-urgent medical missions from outback places to either a regional airport or – more often – directly to the location of the hospital. Most of the time, these flights are of several hours’ duration, both ways. The flights do not carry medical staff, so they don’t engage in medical emergencies as does the Flying Doctor Service.

Nigel outlined a couple of examples: A woman requiring regular dialysis. A child requiring regular chemotherapy, or follow-up treatment after a serious accident. By road and/or train, the trip could take 8 hours each way, and outback roads are not exactly as smooth as the M1!

Angel Flight often also takes carers with the patient on the same flight. This is, of course, of huge importance, particularly for children.

“This must cost a fortune to run!” I hear you exclaim. Yes, it does indeed. Their 2020-21 Financial Statement shows expenses of over $1.5 Million. And how much financial support do they get from Government (State or Federal)? Zero. Zilch. Nada! [Don’t get me started. Ed.] So, they rely on donations. Their pilots provide not only their time but also their planes free of charge.

In the words of C J Dennis, the famous Australian Bush Poet: “I dips me lid.” There is lots more information on their website: https://www.angelflight.org.au/. Angel Flight is a registered charity and donations are tax-deductible.

Good to see project shed open again!

A hearty welcome back to our volunteer workers last Saturday!

Good turn up, despite the fairly stringent Covid prevention restrictions we put on. We are back to normal, opening every Wednesday and Saturday morning. But please do observe common sense Covid restrictions. Particularly, please stay away if you are feeling unwell, irrespective of whether you think (or have tested) to have Covid or you think it's just a common cold. Thank you.

Pre-screening of The Duke cancelled

Posted by Gerald East

We much regret to advise that the pre-screening of The Duke movie on 16th March had to be cancelled.

We understand that any tickets that have already been booked and prepaid will be refunded directly.

New Bunnings Sausage Sizzle date

As you know, the end of January event had to be canceled due to the COVID situation. Now, the situation has settled down again, Geoff Croad has received the go-ahead from Bunnings Olsen Avenue for a new date for a Sausage Sizzle fundraiser on

Friday 25th February 2022

so we need manpower! Only 3 shifts - 4 people minimum required per shift to comply with Bunnings rules.

First Shift, 7.30am - 10.30am
Second Shift, 10.30am - 1.30pm
Third Shift, 1.30pm - 4pm

We require 4 people per shift. Please book your time slot with Geoff directly, by text message or send him an email. NOTE: Several of our "regulars" are unable to participate. Please...

Project Shed to re-open this coming Saturday

Posted on Feb 07, 2022

Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray and our 'Shed Foreman' Bryan Tuesley have decided to open the Project Shed earlier than originally planned: they'll open this coming Saturday morning, 12th February, usual time.

Now... not too fast... We are very much concerned about all of our volunteers' wellbeing. So, please take note of the following rules which MUST be adhered to:

Do not come if you feel unwell - irrespective of whether you (suspect) it is COVID related or not
If you have any (non-COVID) medical conditions, you should ask your doctor whether it is wise to attend or not
You must have been double-vaxxed, and ideally have received your booter shot too
Sanitize your hands immediately upon arrival
Masks MUST be worn when in close proximity to other people and throughout the time at the shed if one feels it best to do so
Before taking morning tea, hand sanitizer must be used after washing hands. Disposable cups ONLY to be used and tongs might need to be used for food handling
Every second chair was turned around on the first open day after the Christmas break but possibly further room may be necessary
Members who are concerned about the morning tea arrangements are encouraged to bring their own morning tea food and drinks
For the time being, if you are not intending to work (e.g. want to come for social purposes only), perhaps stay away for another couple of weeks until the current COVID wave has abated

Feel free to contact me if I can provide you with further clarification.

Best wishes,

Franz Huber

Club Administration

Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise Inc

0484 597 451

Last Wednesday: Kate Worboys on RYTS

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 05, 2022

We’ve all met people, of any age group, who’d rather jump into a shark tank than stand in front of a group of people (particularly “grumpy old men” ☺) and give a speech. Not so Kate, who had recently returned from her RYTS (Rotary Youth Transition Seminar) camp. OK, so RYTS might have enhanced her ability, but one can’t help the feeling that there was a good amount of natural talent already there!

RYTS is a program with the focus to assist the transition from school into the next phase of life. The program is delivered at a 6 day residential camp for students who are in the senior years of school (Year 11-12). Our club sponsors at least two young persons every year and we have had many “after the event” presentations, but few, if any of the calibre of Kate’s.

Meticulously prepared, including a PowerPoint display, she launched off with… a power dance. Hard to describe (ok, it includes the ‘Oh what a feeling!’ jump of a well known car manufacturer). It’s on our Download section for you to view and so is her PowerPoint presentation. Go on, get it! I wish I had the words to effectively describe the combination of the zest of youth, combined with unbridled enthusiasm and competence. Sorry, you should have been there!

And whaddya want me to do about it?

Posted by Franz Huber

February is Peace and Conflict Prevention Month.

The media is running hot: Russia musters tanks and ballistic missiles on the border of Ukraine. China is determined to bring Taiwan “back into the fold”, and.. and... Yup. And whaddya want me to do about it?

That is the obvious question the average ‘Mr & Ms Average’ ask themselves. [Is there such a thing as a Mr & Ms Average? After all, we are all individuals, aren’t we? Like everybody else.] One gets a feeling of helplessness and irrelevance; if one has relatives “over there”, even anxiety. Whenever the subject of Peace and Conflict Prevention is brought up, the first thing that pops into your mind is international conflict. We visualise war, in whatever form, from economic coercion all the way to… (shudder).

Our club has in recent years proudly sponsored multiple International Peace Fellowships. But Peace and Conflict is not limited to international, political boundaries. It is as much an issue in the work place and at home. Just ask your local police officer how many Domestic Violence incidents they respond to every day. In Australia, the statistics are stark: according to the Federal Government’s Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), one in six women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former partner, but men are not entirely safe either: there, the ratio is 1 in 16. ⁽¹⁾ But it’s not just the immediate violence that concerns us. DV is one of the leading causes of homelessness. And, by the way, DV is not just happening in the so-called ‘lower socioeconomic classes’.

So where do we come in as Rotarians? Well, if it is that pervasive as one in six, perhaps it occurs right in your neighbourhood. Perhaps you could take an active role, at least advise the authorities, if not “give an ear” to a person whom you know (or suspect) is affected. If you don’t want to be directly involved, you can volunteer or donate. Pick your favourite charity, from Mission Australia, the Salvation Army, Lifeline, Vinnies; they are all battling this insidious disease.

⁽¹⁾ https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-risk-factors/domestic-violence/overview

No "official" meeting this Wednesday (Australia Day)

This coming Wednesday 26th January is Australia Day, a public holiday and thus we won't have an "official" meeting. Anyone who wants to come over to the Surfers Paradise Surf Club anyway might still find a few fellow Rotarians there, in spite of the fact that two of three of our members (or their family members) are in isolation. As far as we are aware though, none of them are seriously ill; wishing you all a speedy recovery.

Next week (Wednesday 2nd February), however, we'll have a planned 'formal' meeting upstairs, with our wheelchair athletes and fellow members Adam Sheppard and Tash Price presenting. Next Wednesday we'll also welcome Kate Worboys, freshly back from her RYTS camp experience.

Bunnings sausage sizzle cancelled

Regrettably, due to a number of our club members and/or their family members testing positive, we decided to cancel this Friday's fundraiser. Geoff Croad will communicate with Bunnings to arrange for an alternative date when hopefully the situation will have stabilised again.

Thank you to all the people who offered to help - we'll be in touch when a new date has been set.

Project Shed expected to reopen on 19th February

We regret to advise that our Project Shed at the Arundel Community Centre remains closed until further notice, due to a number of our regular key volunteers as well as members testing positive to COVID. At this stage, we hope to reopen again on Saturday 19th February. We'll advise as soon as we are able to confirm.

However, we expect our regular club meetings to take place as per schedule, every Wednesday morning.

Our project shed: Future direction

Posted by Larry Murray

I was happy to report that our wheelchair project at the shed essentially is in good order. The production of wheelchairs is running along nicely, though there is a need for two additional workers. However, if we are to maximize the facility and its resources, we need an ongoing program to make improvements wherever and whenever possible.

The report from 180 Degrees Consulting is very professional and informative, helping us to identify points of action, most of which we were aware of but had not been fully addressed. It did strongly advise that we take advantage of Social Media to raise our profile and raise funds. Whilst we frequently post to our club’s Facebook page, this is not happening with the Wheelchair Trust website; there are few or no social media posts. It is necessary to appoint an individual to this job, who would, in turn, need additional help as the job can be quite demanding.

It was agreed that Mark Twyford and Paul Seymour would talk to their companies’ Social Media specialists to see if they can help. It was suggested it may be a service, we will have to pay for, the matter is to be further developed at the next board meeting where a decision can be made if we do nothing it will be a lost opportunity.

The issue of additional shed utilization has so far been a disappointment. All avenues we had explored did not develop into a practical operation; the last attempt was an effort to copy some of the projects they run at Substation 33. I believe this still has potential but is lacking a leader with sufficient technical knowledge. In the meantime, we could consider additional projects utilizing existing facilities, including the manufacture of coffins! Perhaps dog kennels, general pet equipment, including pet coffins? That type of work, if successful, would be undertaken by a different group of people on different days, allowing us to increase the number of days the shed is in operation.

When the shed reopens (expected to be on 26th January) we intend to make a few pet products to test the market and will keep the club informed. The shed is open for everyone in the club. Any suggestions or help is very much appreciated. Please, whenever you can, join us for coffee on Saturday mornings.

To summarize: we are going to do something about Social Media and actively look at additional products. We encourage members to contact anyone they think could volunteer on Saturday mornings.

Larry Murray is Chairman of the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Trust, an Australian registered Charity organisation

This coming Wednesday: The future of our Project Shed

Posted on Jan 07, 2022

We recently received a very comprehensive management report from 180 Degrees Consulting (Bond University branch), a worldwide organisation which provides free services to non-profit organsations such as our Wheelchair Trust. This report is our starting point to do a comprehensive forward projection of the direction our Project Shed can (will) take. Hint: It might not just involve wheelchairs!

Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray will outline his views, followed by open discussion of the various points. This is an interactive session - you are invited to actively participate in the discussion!

So you are freshly out of NY Resolutions?

Posted by Franz Huber

As I write this, just one day out from New Year's Day, I just realise that I hadn't committed to one single personal New Year's Resolution. [Yes, a certain country song, starting with "It's hard to be humble..." springs to mind... ☺]. No, primarily I think this is a sign of old age. Particularly, there isn't much anymore I want to give up!

But there is one resolution I have decided to really give a go: Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta's challenge of "Each One, Bring One". Membership is every Rotarian's responsibility. That includes not only finding new members but equal emphasis must be given to ensure that we keep current members engaged and comfortable within our club. Anyone joining me in the challenge?

Meet Kate Worboys - our RYTS awardee

Posted by Franz Huber

In two weeks' time, on 17th January 2022, Kate will attend our District's Rotary Youth Transition Seminar (RYTS) at Bornhoffen PCYC. RYTS is a transition program with the focus to assist the transition from one area of study into the next phase of life. The program is delivered at a 6 day residential camp for students who are in the senior years of school (Year 11-12). Click on this link for more details. In the past, we have had numerous awardees for this excellent program, many of whom have gone on to International Youth Exchange as well as the Rotary Youth Leadership Award program, for example, one of our regular Rotaractors Kristen 'KJ' Jewson, Lucy Thorburn, as well as Lutzy Award Winner Jessica Webb, just to name a few.

Kate studies at St Hildas Girl's School in Southport, where she is a member of the school's debating team. She already has numerous achievements well worth mentioning, including the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award and the Reuben F. Scarf Memorial Foundation Award. She participated in the State Athletics Championship (Javelin is her forte) as well as in the BSRA Rowing Championships and many other sports.

Congratulations! Looking forward to your presentation upon your return.

Kate will join us on 2nd February for a brief outline of her experiences.

It's History now, but it was great!

Posted on Dec 30, 2021

Our last meeting for 2021 was our Christmas breakfast at Edgewater Dining. A big thank you to Charles Thomasson for organising this for us. Great attendance too - almost 40 people, including some of our "young un's" Rotaractors. Photo depicts President Paul Seymour giving a super short address - by the time people realised he had started, it was already finished...

(There is also a brief video on our facebook page www.facebook.com/rcsurferssunrise)

Big weekend at Surfers Sunrise!

Posted by Franz Huber

Nobody needed to be bored or in search of something to do over the past few days: On Thursday night, we were invited to participate in a Bunnings Community Event. We "waved the flag" and exhibited our very special 10,000th wheelchair, sold a couple of bikes and one of the children's bikes was raffled off. See photo left of the happy winner, flanked by President Paul Seymour and District Treasurer Mark Twyford.

Then on Friday, our "Minister for Everything" Geoff Croad organised another Bunnings Sausage Sizzle (amazing how many people buy a snag on a Friday! 😊). Many thanks to all who helped on the day: Brian Pearson, Uwe Seifert (RC of Broadbeach and one of our volunteers at the shed), Gaye Miles (the lady who brings scones to the volunteers on Saturday morning), Al Sirovs, Mario Fairlie, Franz Huber, Angus Miller, Andy Bell, Paul O'Neill, Adrian Crowe and special occasion: Doug Lipp brought along two of his grandchildren to help. Getting the next generation involved in serving the community. Good on ya!

This was followed on Saturday morning with the big Christmas Brunch, held at the Project Shed, organised by Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray, in appreciation of our volunteers' hard work during the year.

Meet Sophia Seumahu, our NYSF Awardee

Last Wednesday, Sophia Seumahu briefly introduced herself at our breakfast meeting. It is important to note that a place on the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) is very hotly contested - it is considered one of the big prizes to be won if you are a fan of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Congratulations, Sophia!

Sophia will go into Year 12 next year at Kings Christian College. There is no doubt that she is VERY enthusiastic about STEM - almost bubbling with the joy of expectation, the anticipation of meeting or having direct online conversations with a STEM enthusiast's equivalent of a rock star... Her speech was delivered fluently - not a single 'like...', 'uuhmmm...' one normally expects from a young person (as well as from some not very young either! ☺).

Read her well-structured and informative speech - it is in the Download Section on the right. Sophia will be doing a full presentation on her experiences on 2nd March 2022.

(Photo: Sophia with her father Ben (left) and PDG Darrell Brown, our District's Chair of Youth Programs.)

December’s monthly theme is Disease Prevention and Treatment

Posted by Franz Huber

When we think of Rotary + Disease Prevention, our first thought goes to that humongous international project, Polio Plus, the eradication of Polio. It was started just a bit over a year before our club was chartered in February 1987, with a budget of – then – eyewatering $US 120 Million. At the time, there were an estimated 350,000 cases of Polio in 125 countries. Since then, 2.5 Billion children have been immunised. Today, Polio cases have been reduced by 99.99%, with only very few cases remaining in regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, almost impossible to access.

But let’s look closer to home:

In our club, Surfers Sunrise, we have the almost completed X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu, and of course our ‘Rough Terrain’ wheelchairs our volunteers manufacture by repurposing unwanted bicycles. For the latter, one might argue that it cannot be classified into ‘preventing disease’. Think again.

At District Level, there is the huge Malaria Vaccine Appeal. So far, our district has raised some $1.1 Million towards project. It is conducted by Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, in 2020 reached human trial stage. Click here for more details. On a broader scale is the long running Rotary Against Malaria (RAM). The aim of this is not just elimination, but, meanwhile, prevention via reducing mosquito population and plain vanilla, but effective measures such as mosquito nets.

Nationally, in Australia and New Zealand we have Australian Rotary Health (formerly called the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund). This fund awards around $1 Million every year in grants to researchers in various disciplines, but primarily relating to mental health, as well as scholarships for training of indigenous nurses.

Another important District Project: the Human Brain Research Project. The program funds a 3 year program for a PHD student doing research into Parkinson’s Disease.

There are various other both local as well as international projects at both individual club as well as at our District level aimed at Disease Prevention and Treatment. Check out our District Website.

Many of our members are regulars at the Project Shed

Posted by Franz Huber

We have of course our volunteers regularly rolling up at the Project Shed to help with the wheelchairs and/or the Vanuatu project. But it is also worth mentioning that our Rotaractors as well as many of our members are out there frequently. Last Saturday, for example, we saw the Rotaractors Catherine Kopp and Dan Snart (both all the way from NSW!), Kristen 'KJ' Jewson and Matt Hayward, as well as Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray, Mario Fairlie, Al Sirovs, Geoff Croad and Paul O'Neill (pictured). Paul has "secured" himself the job of sanding and painting the plywood components.

Ian Mayberry wins 2021 Queensland Sports Award for Motorsports

Posted by Franz Huber

This is the first time ever that Motorsport even figured among the awardees. Good to see Ian’s lifelong service as a Clerk of the Course on hundreds of Supercar races is recognised. Our hearty congratulations, Ian!

Photo shows Ian receiving the award from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Not all our wheelchairs go to children

Posted by Franz Huber

Here are some photos sent to us by Charmaine Wheatley, our "go-between" with the South African Rotary clubs. We sent a container there a few months ago. The distribution is organised by some 12 different South African Rotary clubs there. These wheelchairs went to Lesotho, a high altitude, landlocked small country in southern Africa. See also some relevant files to this project in our Download section on the right.

Collecting Gold Coins at Horizon Boat Show

Paul O'Neill teamed up with the Northern Gold Coast Rotaractors to manage the parking at last weekend's Horizon Shores Boat Show in Jacobs Well.

Picture above shows Trent and Joe (President) setting up. Good work, fellows!

Thank you letter from Kilu'ufi Hospital, Solomon Islands

Posted by Col Laurenson

Whilst we have no doubt that all our wheelchairs arrive at their destination and are most appreciated by their recipients, it's always nice to receive formal acknowledgment. Recently, a letter arrived from Richard Maegerea, Director Nursing at Kilu'ufi Hospital in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands. Richard confirms the very purpose of why we make these wheelchairs:

"... this donation will for sure touch the lives of some of our patients, which will enable them mobilised..."

The full letter is in the download section on the right.

All of you who work on wheelchairs and/or are involved in getting them to the "end-user" and raise funds to make it possible: give yourself a pat on the back!

Remember all those chairs we cleaned up?

Posted by Franz Huber

Remember all those chairs we cleaned up and loaded onto a container for the Solomon Islands, on the last Saturday in August (photo right)? Well, they have arrived over there, and the local Rotaractors are involved in their distribution big time... In the Download section on the right is a pictorial of them receiving and distributing the goods, sent by our logistics specialist Col Laurenson who is arranging all the container traffic for us.

Give yourself a pat on the back, people!

Yes, TWO fundraisers this coming weekend!

In addition to the Bunnings Sausage Sizzle on Sunday 21st November (organiser: Geoff Croad), our new member Paul O'Neill is arranging a roster to collect Parking Fee Gold Coins at the Horizon Shores Boat Show this coming weekend, from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st November 2021. It is at 80 Cabbage Tree Point Road Steiglitz 4207 (Jacob's Creek). This could, of course, result in an annual fundraiser.

Two people required for each time slot:

Friday 19th November, 3:45 pm to 7:30 pm
Saturday 20th November, 08:30 am to 12:00 pm
Saturday 20th November, 11:45 am to 4 pm
Sunday 21st November, 08:30 am to 12:00 pm
Sunday 21st November, 11:45 am to 4 pm

Paul has arranged all the gear (buckets, vests, Square terminals etc).

Of course, why not stay and check out the boats while you are there? Click here for tickets to the boat show

Last Wednesday: Bill Edgar – The Coffin Confessor

Posted by Franz Huber

It’d be unusual for guest speakers at Rotary meetings to have experienced living on the street or having seen the inside of Boggo Road Jail (and I don’t mean as a tourist). Nor would they professionally disrupt funerals. And be paid 10,000 dollars doing just that – compliments of the deceased.

But that, in 50 words, tells you the basics of this extraordinary man. Bill Edgar, last Wednesday’s guest speaker, briefly started by outlining his career: from living on the streets of Surfers Paradise, to gaining a full scholarship at a prestigious private school (and leaving it), to becoming a nightclub bouncer, to becoming a licensed Private Detective. But what is quite unique about Bill is his self-described business: ‘The Coffin Confessor’ started off when one of his clients, on his death bed, engaged him to – literally – “crash” his upcoming funeral and interrupt the service. His client, very unhappy to find out that his best mate was trying to have an affair with his wife, wanted it to be known to everyone.

They are not necessarily all as vindictive as that. Take another one of his clients, the Sergeant of one of the big bikie gangs: he desired to be buried together with his Harley. “Can’t be done!” they said. “Can be done indeed!” said Bill, and arranged it. Another wanted to be sure that his family wouldn’t find out about his very deep secret; all evidence was to be removed. The evidence? In his basement, he had a sex dungeon…

Bill makes sure that it is all proven and above board: everything is pre-investigated to ensure it is true, all interviews are recorded. Meanwhile, Penguin has published his book and he has secured a deal for the movie rights. Like to get a more detailed account? Get Bill’s book ‘The Coffin Confessor’!

Thank you, D'Arcy Arms, we appreciate your support

Posted by Franz Huber

Last week, Larry Murray presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Flossy Porter, General Managerof D'Arcy Arms, Larry's favorite Irish Pub. Over the years, we have received many very nice gift certificates from them in support of our various projects. Thank you! Much appreciated.

This coming Wednesday: Bill Edgar - The Coffin Confessor

Bill Edgar is a licensed private detective, specialising in... funerals. Funerals? Yes, if you would like somebody to reveal the truth at your funeral instead of somebody reading a eulogy full of lies, Bill is the man. He is also an internationally published author - his book 'The Coffin Confessor' is a bestseller, with a TV series to follow.

This is a must attend event - I assure you, you won't be disappointed.

"Supporting Act": Ellen Wark, who is in charge of Administration of RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award), will visit us to give us a brief outline of what RYLA is all about. Over the years, we have supported dozens of RYLA awardees. The most recent: Kristen 'KJ' Jewson and Sasha Kimber back in January this year.

Excellent Surfers Sunrise annual Golf Day

Posted on Oct 27, 2021

Last Monday, we conducted the annual Surfers Sunrise Golf Day. Superb day, excellent organisation by Charles Thomasson, Doug Lipp and Paul Smith. Hey, even the rain held off on our patch of paradise on the Gold Coast! Well done everyone. Check out the full photo album on our club's website www.rotarysurferssunrise.org - right side of home page. Photos: (above) the overall team winners: Phillip Eddy, Aiden Pennell, Tim Crouch, Jack Curtis and (below) the winner of the Best Rotary Club team: Currumbin-Coolangatta-Tweed, from left: Eric Prosser, Bev Prosser, CCT President John Giuricin, Carol Outen

This year's Lutzy Award goes to Jett Milford-Ferguson

Posted on Oct 27, 2021

After two postponements, this morning we presented the coveted 'Lutzy Award' to Jett Milford - Ferguson. Congratulations! The award is in honour of Keith Lutz, who was not only a Charter Member of our club but also a highly respected leader of the Surfers Paradise SLSC. The exclusive surf ski is sponsored by our Rotary Club and is presented annually to a young person selected by the committee of the Surfers SLSC. The winner may not necessarily be the top surfing champion but is selected because he/she has demonstrated real leadership qualities. Often, the winner goes on to Rotary youth development programs. Go to our District 9640 website www.rotary9640.org and check it out - top right of menu on the home page.

(Photo - from left: President Paul Seymour, Jan Lutz, Jett Milford - Ferguson, David Orchy, Charles Thomasson)

Last Friday: Polio Plus Train and Tram Ride

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 23, 2021

A large number of clubs participated in this PR exercise, riding the train from Varsity Lakes to Helensvale, then the tram via Southport to Broadbeach, and back again. Surfers Sunrise was represented by Rotaractors Matt Hayward and Kristen 'KJ' Jewson, Gerald East and Franz Huber. Next to KJ is the famous Karen Kolenko with her Polio Plus bear, who was fitted out with a specially tailored Polio Plus miniature T-Shirt and face mask...

Anyone knows a concreter "with heart"?

We would like to put down a concrete slab at our Project Shed and are looking for a concreting company "with heart" who will give us a very special price. This drawing outlines details - a high-resolution version and more specific details are of course available. Please contact Larry Murray directly if you can refer someone.

Polio Plus Train Ride this coming Friday

Posted by Franz Huber

A bit late notice, I know... This coming Friday 22nd October, the annual Polio Plus drive on the Gold Coast train and tram is on. Click on this link to get the time table from the Download section, you'll find the entire time table. Gerald East and yours truly will be on it from Helensvale Tram station at 07:43 am and Parkwood (Park & Ride) station at 07:47 am respectively, riding it down to Broadbeach and back again. Of course, you can join the train or tram at any of the stations indicated; you'll find plenty of other Rotarians on it. Will you join us? Wear your Polio Plus or Rotary T-shirt.

Going to the Italian Long Lunch? You'll have plenty of time to get there!

New compressor has arrived at the Project Shed

A big THANK YOU to our member Brian Pearson, who donated the funds for the new industrial grade compressor.

Photo shows Des La Rance navigating it into position, Larry Murray making sure that it fits into the space.

Angus Miller arranged for the pickup and at the same time also picked up two massive new batteries for our motorised pallet lift.
Photo shows him contemplating whether to lift it off the ute by himself, but then thought the better of it... See above. (Photos by Paul Seymour)

Last Wednesday: AFL legend Simon Black

Posted by Franz Huber

It’s good to have members with connections. Even better, if members have AFL legends as business partners. Our Corporate Member, the Bank of Queensland, Southport branch, is co-owned by Paul Smith and Simon Black. “Simon who?” one of our members asked. “What is AFL?” asked another. Well, the latter I can easily answer: Aussie Rules is team sport’s “poetry in motion”, a mix of choreography on grass, ‘Fast & Furious’ (on foot rather than on wheels) and aerial combat (without aircrafts). But faster. As to the former: Click on this link to view the video we screened to open the meeting. It eloquently displays what Aussie Rules Football is all about.

Paul Smith skilfully “interviewed” Simon on his background. You can obtain a lot of data from his Wikipedia page, so let’s concentrate on some personal stuff: In one of his first sessions with Brisbane Lions super-coach Leigh Matthews, he learned about how tough it is to reach the Senior team in an AFL club:“I’ll be here in 2 years’ time, but I don’t know how many of you will be.”

Naturally, the glory years were mentioned: three consecutive Premierships in 2001, 2002 and 2003, and almost a fourth one in 2004. If ever there was a lesson in team play: “Play your role” the coach would insist, “and accept your role. Your individual reputation entirely depends on your team’s reputation.”

Today, Simon is coaching the Brisbane Lion’s “forward line and attacking systems” (watch that video again to see what is meant by this). In addition, he runs the Simon Black Australian Rules Academy, teaching young men the skills of playing Aussie Rules whilst gaining a Diploma in Sports Development or even a Bachelor of Business – Sports Management. “In the morning, we wear them out, in the afternoon we get them to study” he said.

Oh, did I mention that, in 2019, Simon also competed in the ‘Australian Survivor’ series? Not enough space here to describe it, click here for more details.

Photo (from left): Charles Thomasson, President Paul Seymour, Simon Black, Paul Smith

Great Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings

Posted by Franz Huber

A glorious day for a good Bunnings Sausage Sizzle today. A big Thank You to all the helpers on the day: Paul, Brian, Uwe, Mark, Gerald, Andy, Colin, Al, Neil, Darrell, Charles, Gaye, Paul, Adrian, and yours truly. I let you guess who is the person behind the mask...

Italian Long Lunch this Friday 22nd October

Due to the recent few COVID cases, we had to postpone it again... hopefully, this new date will stick: it will be Friday 22nd October 2021, from 12:00 pm. All people who have booked have been notified. All tickets have been sold out, but if any cancellations were to come in, Johnny has a waiting list. If you want to be on that list, please contact him directly.

There will be plenty of Italian style Christmas dishes. Johnny has secured a major sponsor: My Carte, and a number of corporate tables have been sold as well. The price includes all food, unlimited wine and beer, entertainment. All proceeds go towards the X-Ray Unit and Blood Analyser for Vanuatu. Note: COVID restrictions impose an upper limit of just 120 attendees.

DG Jeff Egan had the congregation captivated

Posted by Franz Huber

Some people will accuse me of blasphemy, but...

I've heard people comparing Rotary to be a close substitute for church. [Don't shoot the piano player! I am well aware of Rotary's principle of being non-denominational etc. But guilty as charged. Ed]. But when Al Sirovs sent me this shot he took last Wednesday of "the congregation" paying close attention to District Governor Jeff Egan's address via Zoom, I couldn't help the comparison... The big monitor was placed quite high above, just as the pulpit would be in a cathedral. DG Jeff, you had them spellbound!

A BIG Thank You to Ball & Doggett

At this week’s meeting at our Project Shed President Paul Seymour (left) and Neil Thurlow (right) had the pleasure of presenting a Certificate of Appreciation. This was in recognition of a very substantial donation of cardboard packing boxes in which our wheelchair kits are packed prior to shipping to their destinations overseas.

Ernie Bargewell (centre), accepted the certificate on behalf of the donor, representing his company Ball & Doggett. In the background on TV is our District Governor Jeff Egan, who joined our meeting via Zoom.

This coming Wednesday: Meeting at the Project Shed

This coming Wednesday 29th September, our meeting will be at the Project Shed, at the Arundel Community Centre, NOT at the Surf Club (yes, you'll get fed!). Unless lockdown restrictions with NSW have been lifted by then, or he can wrangle some special exemption, District Governor Jeff Egan will join us via Zoom. We will showcase our wheelchair and X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu projects not only to our DG, but also Neil Thurlow will introduce us to the very generous donors of some $6,000 worth of packing cartons for the wheelchairs.

A hearty Bacon & Eggs breakfast will be provided (yes, we'll have some food suitable for Health & Fitness adherents too). Chief Designer and Mover & Shaker, Des La Rance will showcase our wheelchairs as well as the Mauna Health Centre X-Ray project, which is now getting close to lock-up stage.

See you there from 07:00 am!

"Our" Tash Price wins Myabetic Diabetes Award!

For those of you who know our wheelchair athlete Tash, it might not even come as a surprise. Here is one very determined woman, who keeps on not just winning races, but also keeps on winning over the challenges her disability presents her with. Last night, she was awarded the Myabetic Diabetes Award for inspiring determination within the Diabetes community.

Our hearty congratulations, we are so proud, Tash and Adam, to count you among our membership.

Finally, the Paul Harris Fellowship pins have arrived!

Finally, the Paul Harris Fellowship Award pins have arrived from locked down Sydney! On Wednesday morning, Immediate Past President Charles Thomasson was able to present the pins to the deserving winners. Pictures show CT with Kristen 'KJ' Jewson and Matt Hayward, who were awarded their PHF for the huge amount of effort and time they spent in developing the new websites for our Wheelchair Trust www.wheelchairtrust.org.au and the Mauna Health Centre www.maunahealthcentre.com. Neil Thurlow was awarded a PHF for the vast amount of printing he provided mostly at no charge, not just to our club but to the District too. Last but not least, Ray Higgs, Gerald East, Peter Morgan were given their pins which they earned for their regular annual donation to The Rotary Foundation. Congratulations to all, well done, well deserved. See all photos in the Photo Album section on the right.

Brian Pearson: Cooking, my passion

(Thank you, Mitch Brown, for taking the notes in my absence. Ed.)

At last Wednesday's meeting, our new Surfers Sunrise Rotary member Brian Pearson, who recently transferred to our club, gave us an insight into his background. As is customary at Surfers Sunrise, new members are encouraged to expand their 'Rotarian behind the Badge' talks to include one of their major hobbies or passions.

Brian opened his talk about his culinary journey around the World. He invoked the memory of food rationing in post-World War Two Britain which continued into the early years of the 1950s. After briefly touching upon his early life in Grimsby and work as a sales manager in speciality chemicals, he regaled members with colourful stories of gastronomic explorations, first in Europe and northern Africa and then later, after relocating to East Asia and marrying, some of the more exotic dishes he savoured, including a Cobra Cocktail (of sorts) and various indecisive seafood dishes.

Brian shared his love for cooking and provided his recipe for the best Wagyu steak – ever. His mantra to eat the local cuisine rather than their attempts at replicating western dishes was perhaps, given some of the more bizarre dishes he had described earlier, lost on some members...

(Photo, by Andy Bell: Brian (left) is presented a 'Thank you!' by meeting chairman of the day, Larry Murray.)

September is Basic Education and Literacy month

Take a couple of minutes and seriously think about this month’s theme. What springs to mind? Do you have an image of children in “developing countries”? Sure, and our club’s very substantial efforts in providing schools for tsunami devastated Phuket (Thailand), Mataafa and Apia (Samoa) without a doubt made a difference.

But according to a report by the ABC, "Forty-seven percent of the Australian population are functionally illiterate," meaning that “they can't read the instructions on a medicine bottle, they can't read a map, they can't read a recipe." OK, the report is dated 2012, but it is unlikely that matters would have substantially improved. On a less critical view, the Australian Bureau of Statistics says that, as at 2020, about 4 out of 5 people have attained year 12 or Cert II. That still leaves about 20% of the adult population who are struggling.

Sounds like a task simply too enormous? Well, if 25 years ago Rotarians had thought it impossible to achieve the inoculation of more than one billion children some 2 million children today would not be walking. They would be sitting in a wheelchair (if they had one).

Surfers Sunrise Golf Day: Monday 25th October

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 02, 2021

It's happening! On Monday, 25th October, we'll again host a Golf Day at the Surfers Paradise Golf Club. It will be a 'Shotgun Start' at 12:30 pm (registration from 11:30 am). Several options:

Corporate Hole Sponsor (includes 4 players, signage and advertising)
4-player Team
Single individual player

Chief organizer Charles Thomasson is looking both for players as well as helpers. If you and/or your friends, associates, customers, suppliers want to play: Bookings have now opened - click on this link https://www.trybooking.com/BTZXE or click on this QR Code.

Bookings will close 6 pm this Wednesday 20th October!

A whole bunch of Paul Harris Fellows

In many clubs, the awarding of a Paul Harris Fellowship (PHF) is quite an unusual event. In short: the club donates US$ 1,000 in the name of the recipient to The Rotary Foundation (TRF), one of the largest and, according to Charity Navigator, certainly one of the most efficient international charities in the world. TRF then issues the PHF award to the individual. Generally, the club awards the PHF for outstanding efforts made

by the individual. In many cases, this is not their first award: for each additional award, a sapphire is added to the pin (see picture right for a sample of the pin with 2 sapphires, depicted as PHF +2). This morning, Immediate Past President Charles Thomasson bestowed a PHF to a whole bunch of our members. The picture above shows those members who were present at this morning's breakfast meeting (from left): PP Charles Thomasson, Geoff Croad (PHF + 3), Doug Lipp (PHF +3), Graeme Isaacson (PHF +1), Angus Miller (PHF +2), Paul Seymour (PHF +1), Andy Bell (PHF + 1), Larry Murray (PHF +2). Other awardees were Fred Hamblen (his first), Ray Higgs (PHF +1), Gerald East (PHF +1), Peter Morgan (PHF +1), Neil Thurlow (PHF +2). And how come they were not announced at the Changeover? (You may recall, Charles awarded PHFs to Neil Thurlow, Rotaractors KJ and Matt and your editor.) Well... our club has, for many years, registered all members for a yearly US$100 donation to TRF. The above members have reached the US$ 1,000 "maturity"! Sign of getting older? No! Recognition of continued loyalty to the club!

Presentation of the Lutzy Award in two weeks

Confirmed: the new date is set for 15th September 2021 (let's hope we are not getting another lockdown!).

All pre-booked tickets have been retained, but of course, you mightn't have been able to participate on the original date, or you may want to invite some friends to come along. Here is the link to book: https://www.trybooking.com/BTFCL. Choose from the menu when booking: Poached or fried eggs, bacon or sausages, and if you prefer a vegetarian meal: a bowl of Acai with toasted granola, shredded coconut and fruits. Bookings close on Sunday night, 12th September.

Please feel free to contact Franz if you require further information.

Big Saturday coming up at the Project Shed

Col Laurenson has arranged for an empty container to be delivered at the Project Shed this Friday, in readiness for it to be loaded on Saturday. We have a large trailer load of school desks and chairs coming in from Toowoomba. They might need some TLC to clean them up before we load them. Col advises that loading desks and chairs is “a bit of a jigsaw puzzle” to optimize the space.

Can you help on the morning?

While we are on the subject: a huge ‘Thank You!’ goes to Neil Thurlow who donated a massive compressor and associated accessories, worth several thousands of dollars (see photo right). ‘On ya, Neil!

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle in perfect weather

Last Saturday, the gods contributed to a very successful day with perfect weather. From 07:30 am till the late afternoon, our members and volunteers generated that irresistible scent of fried sausages and onions. Angus "Onion King" Miller, as has now almost become a tradition, organised bags full of chopped onions, a large Esky of sausages. Our "Minister for Everything" Geoff Croad had worked his fingers to the bone organising the volunteers and picking gear. Results aren't in yet, but no doubt it was a very successful fundraiser. Our thanks go to all the organisers and helpers on the day (in no particular order) Andy Bell, Darrell Brown, Gerald East, Al Sirovs, Franz Huber, Johnny Bueti, Catherine Ayad (Johnny's partner), Paul Seymour, Kristen Jewson, Matt Hayward, Brian Pearson, Geoff Croad, Angus Miller, Ashleigh Symes, Mario Fairlie, Tash Price, Adam Sheppard, Adrian Crowe, Charles Thomasson, Mitch Brown, Ben Loots, Neil Thurlow. And of course a big Thank You to Bunnings, who provided all the Marquee and all the cooking equipment.

(Photo, from left: Charles, Johnny, Johnny's partner Catherine and a customer)

Meet our newest member: Brian Pearson

At this morning's meeting, President Paul Seymour inducted our newest Surfers Sunrise member, Brian Pearson. Brian had transferred from Broadbeach Rotary Club, as he prefers not to be driving by night and thus found it hard to attend his former club's regular meetings. A big loss for Broadbeach, a big win for us! Here is a brief outline - watch this spot for his 'Rotarian behind the Badge' presentation.

If you hear him speak, you'd know that he has a mild accent... [ok, I hear you, no need to shout! ☺ Ed.] His career involved Speciality Chemicals, culminating in 12 years in Hong Kong as Managing Director of the North Asian Subsidiary of a U.K. chemical company. Brian moved to Australia in 1999 and subsequently retired here, joining the Rotary Club of Broadbeach in 2008. He served as club Secretary, and 2 years later as President. He also held positions as Foundation Director and Bulletin Editor for several years.

In 2011/12 Brian was elected as District Secretary and served under DG Graham Jones and again the following year under Sandra Domany. He also served as District Polio Chair and District Chair of ROMAC.

Thank you, Nicole Hickey!

Last Saturday, Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray (photo left) presented Des La Rance with a Certificate of Appreciation to give to his daughter, Nicole Hickey. Nicole, who together with her husband runs a business "in the pharmaceutical industry", provided all the supplies necessary to re-fill our much depleted First Aid station at the Project Shed. Thank you! Much appreciated!

[Old German Proverb: "Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm.' Translated: 'The apple doesn't fall far from the trunk'. The English equivalent is 'A chip off the old block'. I think the German one is more precise... Ed.]

Who can be invited to join Surfers Sunrise Rotary?

In the olden days, for a new member to join a Rotary club the unofficial rule was, expressed in simple terms, he should be "somebody who is in a position to hire and fire". Yes, 'he'. Thankfully, around 1987, the 'he' was expanded to also include the fairer sex. There were lots of other rules too, for example, weekly attendance at our meetings was considered to be just about essential.

These days, the rules are very simple and straightforward. Here is an extract from the Membership section of our Club Consitution of 2019 ⁽¹⁾:

Section 1 — General Qualifications.

This club shall be composed of adult persons who demonstrate good character, integrity, and leadership; possess a good reputation within their business, profession, and/or community; and are willing to serve in their community and/or around the world.

That should be simple enough. In other words, the majority of people in your circle of friends, in business, your suppliers, your customers qualify. Rotary is absolutely non-denominational, absolutely gender-neutral. All we ask for is of good character, has integrity, and a good reputation. Start making a list and invite them to come to one of our meetings.

⁽¹⁾Members can download the Club Constitution from our website: (you need to login to the Member Area, top right of home page), then select Organisation, Documents and search for Constitution.

Why would one want to join Rotary?

There are many reasons. But the most obvious ones are often overlooked:

The Opportunity to Serve

Rotarians provide service at both the community and international levels. Our club, Surfers Sunrise is most prominent in International Service (our Project Shed) and Youth Services, where we support a broad spectrum of events. Being a member gives you the fulfillment that comes from giving back to the community.

Professional Networking

A founding principle of Rotary was to provide a forum for professional and business leaders. Members are leaders in business, industry, the professions, the arts, government, sports, the military, and religion. They make decisions and influence policy. Rotary is the oldest, most prestigious service club organization in the world.

Personal Growth and Development

Membership in Rotary ensures continuing personal development. Leadership, public speaking and communication, organization and planning, team-building and fundraising are just a sampling of the skills that can be exercised and enhanced through Rotary.

Friendship

Fellowship was a primary reason Rotary was started in 1905, and it remains a major attraction. Today, with more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries, Rotarians have friends wherever they go. Rotary helps to build community as well as enduring friendships. Did you know that you can join any Rotary club meeting in any country in the world? No need to be invited. You can simply turn up and say

"G'day!, I'm from the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club, on the Gold Coast..."

There is a person whom you thought to invite. Do it now.!

Project Shed to open again this coming Saturday

If no new COVID restrictions come into effect, the Project Shed will open again this coming Saturday morning, 14th August. Note: usual regulations apply (Masks, social distancing, check in etc). See you there!

Each one, bring one.

Rotary International President Shekar Mehta has a simple target. Really too easy for everyone to achieve: 'Each one, bring one'. If we all do that, we'll double our Membership. Double?? Now, it suddenly looks lofty, doesn't it? But why shouldn't it be achievable? Our Membership Chair Angus Miller wants you to generate a list of potential people you can take into closer consideration. Doctor, Dentist, Candlestick Maker [ok, they don't exist anymore...]. Accountant, Lawyer, where you get your car serviced, Real Estate Agent, your neighbor, the guy you play golf with... you name it! Then let's invite them to join us for breakfast.

Now, those of you who have been in business and/or in sales: To get one prospect you have to ask many more people than just one. To get one new customer, you need to have many prospects. Finding suitable Rotarians is really no different. And just as you would have determined the parameters for your ideal customer, you should do likewise when determining who is suitable to become a Rotarian. As President Paul outlined in his brief address at the changeover: we are looking for quality.

Need some ammunition? Refer your potential member to our website www.rotarysurferssunrise.org and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/rcsurferssunrise. Both are maintained constantly. On top of that, we have the new sites relating to our Project Shed: www.wheelchairtrust.org.au and www.maunahealthcentre.com, recently set up by KJ Jewson and Matt Hayward.

This thing weighs a ton! (Well, a quarter ton anyway!)

Last Saturday morning, volunteer Ben Loots, Rotaractor Blake Foster, Al Sirovs and yours truly towed our trailer to Tingalpa, South Brisbane. One of Ben's mates had a Chest X-Ray Unit to donate, destined for our Mauna Health Centre project in Vanuatu. Note: it is not the new, modern one (we'll get one of those as well), this one is just to take Chest X-Rays; you have probably been pressing your chest against one of those ice-cold plates yourself! Picture shows us wrestling that heavy monster out of the trailer. It is now safely stacked away in the Ladies’ toilet in the shed! [No, it's not connected to electricity. No need to take your top off. Ed.]

'You Beauty!' Changeover at Edgewater

Last Wednesday we had our Changeover Breakfast at Edgewater Dining on Isle of Capri. It had to be moved from the originally intended Luncheon at Hope Island, as COVID restrictions meant that they would not have been able to accommodate our numbers until late August. And it was good! As they did last year, Edgewater Dining came up with a yummy breakfast, plate served. Here are the major points:

After MC Andy Bell's welcome, Secretary Mitch Brown proposed a toast to Rotary International. "Our" resident Past District Governor Darrell Brown responded, highlighting (now Past) District Governor Andy Rajapakse's major goal of increasing the membership from 1210 at the beginning of the year to a "moonshot" total of 1400. Impossible! they said. Well, that number was indeed achieved, but as is not unusual, at the end of the year, numbers slightly dropped to an excellent 1376. District 9640 can now boast of having the largest membership in our Zone.

(Now Past) President Charles Thomasson outlined a summary of the past 12 months' major highlights: The continued re-organisation of the Project Shed, the Italian Long Lunchand the Golf Day major fundraisers, the induction of new members. Our commitment to the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu project, the new websites for the Wheelchair Trust and the Vanuatu projects. He foreshadowed that another Lutzy Award presentation coming up on 4th August.

Charles then moved on to present special recognitions:

Project Shed to re-open this Saturday

Unless new COVID rules appear before, our Project Shed at Arundel will re-open this coming Saturday 24th July 2021 and onwards every Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Note, you will need to check-in using the Qld Government Check-in App. All the usual COVID rules apply.

District 9640 Q&A Sessions

Do you want to hear about…

Planning effective projects?
Tips for Membership Retention?
Being a diverse and inclusive Club?

Our District is holding a number of Q&A sessions, in lieu of the usual District Training Assembly. All sessions start at 09:00 for 09:30 am start and are expected to conclude by 2:00 pm, with social time afterward.

The Gold Coast session is on

Sunday 22^nd August

09:00 am for 09:30 am start.

Mowbray Surf Club, Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads

Bookings close - Friday 13th August

https://www.trybooking.com/BSXFE

Price of $20.00 includes a light lunch. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about effective project planning and creating a vibrant and inclusive Club through membership retention with members of the District Leadership team. There will also be plenty of opportunities to discuss matters raised by the on-line District Assembly presentations.

This coming Wednesday 21st July: Breakfast at Edgewater

With the ongoing COVID restrictions announced, we could not secure a date within a reasonable time period with The Links Resort to accommodate our numbers for a Luncheon.

Thus, the decision was made to instead have a Changeover Breakfast next Wednesday 21st July 2021 (from 07:00 am, for 07:30 am start) at

Edgewater Dining

Shop 3 G7, Capri on Via Roma

Isle of Capri 4217

(same place as last year).

We'll have the entire restaurant to ourselves, and the menu will again be a delicious pre-selection of

“The Halloumi” (Vegetarian)

“Classic Benedict”

Tea, Coffee or Juice

The cost per person is $30.00. Bookings have closed and we have advised the restaurant of numbers. If you haven't booked, but would like to attend, please call convener Graeme Isaacson directly.

See you there!

Last week's Guest Speaker: Malia McMahon

Most people, even of mature age, tend to simply freeze up if they are put in front of a group of people whom they don't know personally and are asked to give a speech. If they are of school age, well…

So it came as a quite refreshing change to see Malia McMahon, just 14 years old, quite confidently get up in front of a bunch of mostly elderly, mostly unsmiling gentlemen [OK, I said mostly, there were some young members as well as ladies there too! ☺ Ed.] and give us a presentation about herself and particularly about her experiences at the recent RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment) camp. RYPEN is for 14 – 16 year olds, ‘designed to develop skills that will assist them in transition to adulthood. She was nominated by the Surfers Paradise SLSC as an emerging leader and sponsored by our Rotary club.

You can download Malia’s full speech, well worth reading, from the Download Section on the right, so I won’t rehash it. But one of the outstanding moments was when she briefly struggled with her emotions. “The CODID-19 lockdown in 2020 was one of the hardest things I’ve probably ever experienced. I experienced frustration… anger… tears… and for the first time in my life… a form of depression.” Malia described the typical symptoms of depression she experienced: lack of motivation to accomplish anything, wanting to do nothing but sleep all day… With a bit of ‘physical close standing by’ from her mum, she quickly recovered herself though. And that is the hallmark of a future leader: the ability to recover, to regain control.

Thank you Malia. That was impressive indeed.

Photo: Malia (right) with the meeting's Chairman, Ashleigh Symes

Gold Coast Makers Rotaract Club features in RDU

Just in case you were hiding under a rock for the past month (and who could blame you...): The Gold Coast Makers Rotaract Club, which was chartered in early June, has its "Head Quarters" at our Project Shed. Charter President Blake Foster (picture right), who is one of the many Rotaractors who regularly assisted on our projects, such as the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu and our wheelchairs, managed to get a full page in this

month's Rotary Down Under magazine (page 13). They meet on the first Wednesday of the month (ok, so last Wednesday they couldn't due to COVID restrictions). If you would like more details, click on this link to contact Blake by email. They are also on Instagram.

Excellent fundraiser at the Gold Coast Small Business Expo

Excellent fundraising effort last Wednesday and Thursday at the Gold Coast Small Business Expo. A big thank you to the Expo organiser Paula Brand for giving us the opportunity to have a stand and run the Gold Coin collection. 'Bump-in' on Wednesday afternoon, controlling car park traffic and manning the Gold Coin collection stand at the entrance certainly made it worthwhile: Total collection was roughly double that of last year. A big thank you to Darrell Brown for rounding us all up and managing our side of the bargain, and thank you to all who helped (just about half of the club members, as well as 'Honorary Queenslander' Ann O'Connor and Rotaractor Matt Hayward). The new format of changing the Gold Coin collection from the entry to the car park to the entrance door, and deploying a facility for Credit Card payment, certainly made a difference too.

Picture: front Matt Hayward and organiser Darrell Brown; at rear Franz Huber, Adrian Crowe, incoming President Paul Seymour, Al Sirovs). Another couple of pictures on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/rcsurferssunrise

Meet our volunteers: Jimmy Pearce

… “So you’re retired?” I asked him. Yeah, right! Jimmy is one of these people who will never be inactive!

He was born some 67 years ago in Invercargill, on the very southern end of the New Zealand South Island. (Yes, they breed them tough down there; there isn’t much between that town and Antarctica…) Jimmy's vocation - and passion - is Building Construction, and specifically, the management of major commercial projects. Jimmy is a citizen of the world: his career took him to places such as New Caledonia, Amsterdam, the UK. One of his major projects was with Jacobs Engineering Group in their Singapore branch, where he had a senior role in the construction of a major centre for a Pharmaceutical company. “That was not only one of the most remarkable projects I’d done, but I also learned a lot there about modern construction methods,” he said.

Today, he still keeps fully active, not just at our Project Shed, but he also is in charge of maintenance at the Tamborine Mountain College. But it’s not just large-scale construction: one of Jimmy’s hobbies is fine woodworking. He recently built his own guitar, and is now learning how to play it! To balance the physical work, he follows his other hobbies of Computer Assisted Design, listens to Rock: ”Uriah Heep, Jimmy Barnes (think Working Class Man… ☺) and the like”, and keeps fit. Very fit, working out at the Gym, Martial Arts, walking about 10 Km a day…

Unfortunately, some 5 years ago, Jimmy’s wife passed away quite suddenly, due to a severe Melanoma. “I’m still finding the transition to being single again quite difficult”, he said. His daughter lives in Invercargill, and he is the proud grandfather of four grandkids.

Welcome to the Surfers Sunrise Project Shed, Jimmy!

Charles Thomasson: State of the Market

Last Wednesday, President Charles Thomasson (photo left, with meeting Chairman Johnny Bueti), wearing his hat as a Partner of Wilsons Advisory, gave us a brief run-down on how the stock market reacted after the 6-month reign of US President Joe Biden. As is customary, Charles opened up with Disclaimer – “not designed as specific investment advice”.

“Donald Who?” seems to be the expression not uncommon in his professional circles these days. “Historically, markets perform well under a Democrat President,” Charles said. Certainly, one cannot call it anything other than going strong (see graph on right). Had you invested 12 months ago (should that read: had you dared to invest), you would have had a return of

24% on the ASX, 33% on the S&P, or if you had just bought Iron Ore: 110%! The reason? “There is no other alternative”, Charles quipped. Cash rates are so low (10-year Bond rates are at just 1.7%). Borrowing costs are low. Australians are spending their money locally (Harvey Norman, JB HiFi etc) or on online markets such as Amazon. Charles elaborated somewhat on emerging markets, on the China situation (“the US and China owe each other a lot of money…”), the US Corporate Tax Policy (generally, they go up under a Democrat regime).

And what about our budget returning to Black? In Charles’ view, the handling of the Federal Government’s COVID crisis with ‘Jobkeeper’ made the big difference between massive unemployment, with the result of the economy crashing, vs employees retaining their jobs and businesses staying afloat. With the building and Real Estate industries going gangbusters, there are now substantial issues as a consequence: Building material prices have risen sharply, due to supply chain issues.

Some more detailed information can be downloaded from the Wilson Advisory website: Click here and here.

Wonderful feedback from South Africa

Last week we received some wonderful feedback from the Rotary Club of Port Alfred, South Africa. This club has been in charge of distributing 20 of our "Rough Terrain" wheelchairs to worthy recipients. And they would have many more who are in need of them.

A copy of their report, as well as some photo compilations, can be accessed from the Download Page on the right. How good is that!

Photo above: Do we have an African model of our 'Happy' boy who is displayed on our promo material?

New Wheelchair Trust website bears fruit

Had an interesting call this morning from Valerie at Apple Marketing. (For those of you who don't know: Apple Marketing, over the years, has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for our wheelchairs project. Thank you!) Anyway, she had a donor on the line who wanted to donate $500, but wanted to be absolutely sure that it was tax-deductible (it always was), but to make it easy, she simply processed it via our new website. Howzat!

The sites are already live. Still, the main developers, Craig Parker (Digital Connections), Rotaractors Kristen 'KJ' Jewson and Matt Haywood continue to spend serious time on further enhancement. Click on these links:

https://wheelchairtrust.org.au/

https://www.maunahealthcentre.com/#

A big THANK YOU! go to the dedicated development team, who all worked on a voluntary basis. Furthermore, Craig Parker arranged free Google Adwords advertising. All going according to plan, this should assist us to raise much needed funds in support of our wheelchairs and building projects.

Inaugural Repair Café and Tool Library at our Project Shed

On Sunday, in conjunction with the newly formed Gold Coast Makers Rotaract

Club and the Gold Coast Tool Library the inaugural Repair Café was staged at our Project Shed. In essence: volunteers from the Repair Café offer their services to repair your tool, or (once you have subscribed to be a member), you can borrow a tool, just as you can borrow a book from the library. Go to the Tool Library's website www.gctoollibrary.org.au for full details, including contact details.

Group photo: President of the GC Makers Rotaract club, Blake Foster (third from right) and Harrison Howick (4th from right). Second photo: Our treasurer Doug Lipp gets his edge trimmer fixed.

Repair Shop and Tool Library at our Project Shed

Our Repair Shop is a free event where our volunteer menders and fixers invite the community to bring along their broken household items for repair. The owner of the item is encouraged to join in and together we endeavour to make a repair. This has many benefits including encouraging social connections in the community, as well as transferring the skills and knowledge of repair, which can often be an intergenerational sharing as frequently it is the older generation who has the experience in repairing items.

We will also have an extensive range of refurbished bicycles for sale.

We will also trial a Tool Library. For example: Need a drill for a weekend? We'll have a licensed electrician who volunteers and he is the only repairer who touches 240V items.

Why not drop by at the Project Shed (see map) on Sunday 13th June, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm?

Neil Thurlow wants you to join him to ride 400 Km with him

Neil Thurlow wants to know if you'd like to ride 400 Km with him in his Multiple Sclerosis Society fundraiser? Do I hear replies along the line of "No, thanks. Too much action, too dangerous" or "Sorry, I sold my bicycle last week"? In that case, why not SUPPORT Neil Thurlow by donating to his goal of raising at least $1,000 (but the real goal is several times that!). Neil will ride 300 Km 'solitary cycling' over the period of a few days [I'm groaning just thinking about it... Ed.], then will ride in the 100 Km Brissie to Gold Coast You can "ride" with him from your lounge chair. This is the link to access his webpage directly: https://www.brissietothebay.com.au/fundraisers/neilthurlow. DO IT NOW.

Neil is our master printer who supports Rotary all year round by providing printing services either at no charge or at a ridiculously low price. Now it's your turn.

GC Business Expo 23 - 24. June: Helpers needed

We have again been offered to do the 'Bump-in' and 'Bump-out' at the Gold Coast Business Expo as well as for the Gold Coin collection post at the car park and at the door. Looking for helpers on both days:

Wednesday 23/06/21 at 2:00 pm Bump-in: some more people would be good

Thursday 24/05/21 at 3:30 pm Bump-out - need lots more

Thursday 24/06/21 Gold Coin Collection

08:00 am - 10:00 am - 3 people needed

10:00 am - 12:00 am - 3 people needed, tapering off to 2

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm - 2 people, tapering off to 1

Please email Darrell Brown directly the times you can be there, or call him on his mobile, thank you.

George Keily ongoing drive to collect spectacles

For the past couple of decades, our honorary member George Keily (picture right) has collected "superseded" spectacles from Optometrists all over town. They are then collected to be despatched to recipients in developing countries, via Donations in Kind, a division of the Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS). By now, the count would have to be in the ten thousands! Main picture shows Shobha Srinivasan (Rotary Club of Burleigh Heads) collecting an entire car boot full. Good on ya, George and Shobha! Your good work will provide hundreds of people with clear sight. (Photo by George Keily)

This Wednesday 26th May: KJ Jewson and Sasha Kimber

This coming Wednesday, Kristen 'KJ' Jewson and Sasha Kimber will give us a presentation on their experiences at the Rotary Youth Leadership Award camp they attended in January.

See you at the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club, 07:00 am! Grab your breakfast at the bistro downstairs and take it to the upstairs venue for some fellowship before the meeting starts at 07:30 am sharp.

WHAT? Where is this leading to?

A young lady (yes, by Rotarian standards, being well below 40 definitely is young) will be District Governor in the oldest District in Australia (Melbourne). Yes, that is Amanda Wendt, a young business woman (“and I’m not about to retire”) who gave a hugely inspiring keynote presentation at last Saturday's District 9640 Conference. This was preceded by a Zoom presentation by Jason Browne (he looks a bit like Bob Marley, complete with dreadlocks - sorry, Gen Y and Millennials. Before your time!) from the US. This was followed by an interview of four young Rotarians, half my age, from newly chartered clubs (Gold Coast Passport, Gold Coast Corporate, Currumbin Beach, Lismore Networking). Then there was ROTEX, the Society of past Youth Exchange Alumni. Not meaning to whinge, but I'd have given my left arm for such opportunities when I was young... ☺

Over my last 34 odd years of Rotary membership, I’ve attended most of the annual conferences. This was the first time it was shortened to just one day, and thus some of the most enjoyable and important ingredients, such as the Friday and Saturday night events and their associated “deep” networking, were sadly missing. But there was plenty of the conventional stuff too: The Entrance of the Flags, led by Angie Bell MP (she was an Exchange Student to Denmark), Dr Michael Pyne talking about the Koala Chlamydia epidemic, Prof Michael Good AO on the status of the Malaria Vaccine project which is massively supported by Rotary.

Attending a District Conference is somewhat akin to recharging the old “Rotary Enthusiasm” batteries. Or perhaps I could compare it to applying a good cut and polish: Presentations such as the interview by the District’s Youth Programs Chair, “our” PDG Darrell Brown, with four awardees of leadership development programs (picture above), reinforce one’s commitment “to the cause”. You should have been there!

Last Wednesday's Guest Speaker: Vandy S Kamara

There are some 56,000 (!!) registered charities in Australia. Vandy Kamara's “private” charity, the Sonjor Community School, is not among them. With “private”, I mean that Vandy finances this school, located in a remote region of Sierra Leone (West Africa), from his own and some of his friends’ savings. Extraordinary!

Located “about 3 – 4 hours’ drive from the nearest town”, the school provides education to underprivileged children. Since his presentation last year, the school has been expanded to cater for the increased enrolments. They have also invested in teacher training and provided learning materials and resources. Vandy is coordinating with the local village chiefs to source some building materials locally. But a lot of building materials such as cement and iron rods need to be imported.

Vandy, who works at Wesley Mission Queensland caring for homeless people in various areas all the way to Katherine in the Northern Territory, emigrated to Australia some 11 years ago. Talking about applying the proverbial Aussie "Have a go" principle! He holds numerous academic achievements, including a Master of Public Health and an Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management. Although last year his application to a World Peace & Conflict Resolution Scholarship was unsuccessful, our club nominated him again upon instigation by the Rotary Foundation to apply again this year.

Photo: Vandy’ (centre) with President Charles Thomasson, Rebecca and Tanya from Wesley Mission and Ray Higgs. Vandy's presentation is in the Download Section on the right.

District 9640 Conference is this coming Saturday

On Saturday 15th May 2021, our District 9640 will hold its Conference at Twin Towns Conference Centre. In view of the COVID situation, the format is a one day event. This brings the cost down to just $60.00 per head ($20 for Rotaractors and $10 for Interactors) which includes morning tea break and Lunch.

Among the hugely interesting keynote speakers is Jason Browne (via Zoom), Public Image Co-Ordinator, Zone 28 & 29, Pennsylvania State University Rotary Club, on "Can we make M&M's in Rotary?" Click here for more information and to book.

Note: Officially, bookings closed on 1st May, but if you hurry, you might still be able to slip in...

This coming Wednesday, 12th May: Vandy S Kamara

Vandy S Kamara last year was our World Peace Fellowship Nominee. He will give us an update on his personally financed charity to run a school in his native Sierra Leone.

X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu will be "Completely Knocked Down"

Our Logistics Guru, Col Laurenson sent me this photo, with the comment that the 20' storage container will be used "to hold ckd building until ready..." Explain "ckd"? "Completely Knock Down". Eventually, when we are able to travel on-site to erect it, we'll transfer it to the shipping container, together with all the other gear such as roof and wall panels, doors, hardware etc.

May is 'Youth Services' month

OK, over the past 12 months, we haven't put a lot of emphasis on the Rotary International monthly themes, neither in our club media nor at District level. But Youth Service, the theme for May, is one of our very strengths: we support RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award, a leadership training seminar for 19 - 28 year olds - KJ Jewson and Sasha Kimber's presentation coming up in 4 weeks), RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment, for 14-16 year olds -3 candidates going into this month's camp), RYTS our club has numerous times in the past supported, International Youth Exchange (come off the boil in very recent times due to COVID though), but we had a successful candidate for the National Youth Science Forum with the CSIRO in Canberra (Briana Dorrough, in January), and of course we are always actively engaged in RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) with multiple seminars held each year for senior students at local high schools.

In addition, this year Youth Services Director Darrell Brown has budgeted to support a candidate for MUNA (Model United Nations Assembly, happening this weekend!). Of course, we have met our Rotaractors KJ Jewson, Matt Howard, Blake Foster, Chumani Brookhouse, Harrison Howick and many other Rotaractors who helped on the Vanuatu project at the shed and on our new website. Is your head spinning yet? Yes, Rotary has so much to offer. [In my next life, I might join a less hyperactive organisation, such as a Quilting Club, instead. What?? Rotary has a Quilting Fellowship? Ok, then perhaps Whisky Appreciation? Yes, Rotary has that too... ☺ Ed. ] Meanwhile, keep your eyes open for potential candidates. Our District Website has a complete rundown of all youth programs, including the dates, locations, qualifications required etc. Click here: www.rotary9640.org and select

'Youth Services' at the top menu. Or ask Darrell Brown, there isn't much that he doesn't know about the subject!

This month's edition of Rotary Down Under magazine has a special feature on Youth Service. Click here to access an online version of the magazine.

Last Wednesday's Guest Speaker: Angie Bell MP

“You changed my world!” Angie enthused after outlining her early life experiences, being sent to Denmark as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student. [OK, you can now slowly come down off your high, but it’s nice to know that Rotary had a major influence in her career… ☺] She was nominated by the Rotary Club of Gawler (a suburb of Adelaide). But visualise: You are aged 17, you arrive in a non-English speaking country, you are hosted by a family where no one spoke English… Does this qualify to be put into the category of ‘being thrown in at the deep end’ or what? Studying to play the Tenor Saxophone, Angie came to the attention of famous Jazz Musician Don Burrows and scored a scholarship to study music at the Conservatorium. The resulting grounding is most unusual indeed for any member of parliament: she became a Professional Musician! But learning never stops: some 25 years later, she went back to Uni to study for a Business Degree.

There would be so much material to talk about. Angie selected her travel to Bangladesh in January last year, on behalf of the ‘Save the Children’ fund, visiting refugee camps. “I witnessed a small girl chopping off the nails of chicken feet to supplement the food in her mum’s wok” she graphically outlined the experience. The problems faced are immense. The camps total around 1.1 million people, some 750,000 recent arrivals alone people who escaped persecution in Myanmar. To accommodate the camps, virgin jungle is torn up, in the process seriously threatening the survival of wildlife, such as the Indian Elephant.

On the local scene, Angie works closely with Ministers Stuart Roberts and Karen Andrews on the ‘Re-imagine Gold Coast’ project. Space does not permit us to elaborate, but find out all about it: click on this link to download it all from Angie’s website.

In summary: Isn't it refreshing indeed to listen to a Member of Parliament who can fluently put some words together, speak freshly and coherently “off the cuff” and, most importantly, who talks sense!

More feedback from South Africa

It's always a great pleasure to receive news from "end users" of our wheelchairs. Here is an update from Heather Howard of the Rotary Club of Port Alfred, South Africa, one of the clubs which was allocated about 40 from a container we recently sent there (refer bulletin of 27th January 2021 for last update):

Just in case you were wondering about our progress, we write to confirm that we have distributed almost all our 20 wheelchairs and have been given two extra by Kenton because we have found such a need here.

We have sourced the recipients through the local health clinics which has proved very effective, and have been travelling round delivering the chairs to excited and grateful people, young and old, or their carers.
As soon as we have completed the distribution, we’ll be reporting to you with signed forms and the relevant photograph on each form, and also with a report.
In the meantime, we attach a newspaper cutting featuring the story. [You can download it for full viewing - see Download Section on the right. Ed.]

There is a good chance that we'll hook up to have a Zoom meeting soon - watch this space!

This coming Wednesday 28th April: Angie Bell MP

This coming Wednesday, our Federal MP for Moncrieff, Angie Bell, will join us at our meeting at the Surfers Paradise SLSC. This is your once a year opportunity to meet with your Member of Parliament! As usual, order your meal at the downstairs bistro and take it to the upstairs venue for fellowship, with the meeting starting at 07:30 am sharp.

Tash Price wins Bronze at National Championships

Howzat! Our member Tash Price wins the Bronze Medal at National Championships in 400 metres wheelchair race! This is special, when considering that just a few weeks ago, our fellow Surfers Sunrise Rotarian was in hospital. She put in a time of 1:30:35 in the final. Congratulations, Tash, and your coach, business partner and fellow Surfers Sunrise Rotarian Adam Sheppard (photo left) deserves a huge pat on the back!

Baton Relay - RC of Parkwood transfers to Surfers Sunrise

On Friday morning, members of the Rotary Club of Parkwood handed the baton to Surfers Sunrise. Parkwood President Margaret Grummitt (picture left) paddled across the Broadwater by Canoe - Howzat! President Charles Thomasson was joined by a fair number of Surfers Sunrise members and associate members and paraded the baton with our 'Rough Terrain' wheelchairs along the Broadwater foreshore. The baton relay is organised in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first Rotary clubs being chartered in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the theme of 'Rotary says NO to Domestic Violence' is depicted on purple coloured T-Shirts, worn by many members.

Great BBQ Breakfast at the Project Shed

Breakfast with a difference: instead of our regular venue at the Surf Club, this week we met at the Project Shed at the Arundel Community Centre. We were joined by members of the Rotary Clubs of Broadbeach and Gold Coast, as well as our local Councillor, Ryan Bayldon. Thank you, Ryan, for taking the time, we appreciate your support.

For the benefit of our visitors, President Charles Thomasson briefly outlined our wheelchairs and building projects, in particular the current project to provide an X-Ray unit for the hospital on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu. Project Services Director Larry Murray provided additional detail, and particularly highlighted the contribution of our member Ben Illes, who arranged the donation of all timber by Paradise Timber & Trusses. Thank you!

President Elect Paul Seymour foreshadowed our Changeover Luncheon to be on Sunday 4th July 2021. Details to follow, but put into your diary now.

Mario Fairlie has organised a meeting for this coming Saturday 17th April at 08:00 am at the Community Centre adjacent to the shed. Its principal purpose is to elaborate on the Global Grant application to be submitted to raise the total of $100,000 required for the X-Ray equipment for Vanuatu.

Photo: Wheelchair Trustee Peter Morgan, Volunteer Brian Mitchell getting served by our BBQ Chef Angus Miller

Tash Price in 3 events at the National Athletics Championships

This coming weekend, Friday 16th to Sunday 17th April, our member Tash Price (that's her, training in full flight) will represent Queensland at the Australian National Athletics Championships in Sydney. Our best wishes, Tash! Go for it, Queenslander!

This coming Wednesday 14th April: Breakfast at the Project Shed

This coming Wednesday, 14th April, we'll meet at the Project Shed instead of the Surf Club, to receive an update on our X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu project (image on left). Angus 'Onion King' Miller will have the Bar-be-que on full speed from 07:00 am onwards and cook a hearty breakfast for you!

Guests and visitors welcome - why not invite a friend to come along?

But there is more! See next story.

Nationwide Forklifts donates two Pallet Jacks

The Pallet Jack at our Project Shed has started to deteriorate. So, Geoff Croad and Ian Mayberry contacted Nationwide Forklifts. Managing Director Ron Layton quickly agreed to come to the rescue: the company donated not just one, but two almost new Pallet Jacks, valued at about $800.00, to our good cause, which were delivered last Wednesday. Thank you, Ron, thank you Nationwide Forklifts! Photo (from left): Ian Mayberry, Bryan Tuesley, Robby (?) who delivered the goods and President Charles Thomasson, the two Pallet Jacks on the ute behind them ready to be unloaded. [Aren't they model citizens? Perfect social distancing, masks only taken off for the photo... ☺ Ed.]

Tony Schaper delivers another load of... what??

Tony Schaper has been doing this for years. On Saturday, he dropped off another 4 bags of ring pulls he and his wife Sue have collected over the last 12 months. That's about 128 KG, estimated to be about 433,898 beer cans. (No, he didn't drink them all by himself! ☺☺) Tony has been collecting ring pulls for Wheelchairs for about 14 years. By now, he and his wife would have collected close to a ton. At current rates of recycled aluminium, this would amount to as much as $1,500 in total. Thank you, Tony!

Remember our "pocket rocket" from Italy?

Remember our "Pocket Rocket" Youth Exchange Student who returned to Italy in 2016? Meanwhile, Martina Missarelli has graduated in Economics and Management - here is a photo of her, proudly displaying her Cartoon Well Done Stock Illustrations – 318 Cartoon Well Done Stock Illustrations, Vectors & Clipart - Dreamstime

graduation certificate. Congratulations, Martina, well done!

Welcome to our newest member: Trent Belling

At last Wednesday's meeting, President Charles Thomasson inducted our newest member, Trent Belling, under the Vocational Classification of 'Information Technology'. Proposed by Simon Brook, Trent holds both a Bachelor of Laws as well as a Bachelor of Commerce. About 7 years ago, he joined Griffith University, where he works in an IT Management capacity. Before that, he worked in IT with UQ. Watch this space - we'll advise when Trent will give us a deeper insight into his persona when he'll do his 'Rotarian behind the Badge' presentation.

Jeremy Bishop – The Realities of Rain

When I got up early on Wednesday morning and put on the kettle, my still foggy brain didn’t give the slightest thought on what makes it possible for me to simply turn on the tap. Nor dare I say did 99.99% of the 30-odd people present at our meeting, nor the 600,000 residents of the Gold Coast, nor the 3 Million people who are daily relying on SEQ Water to fully function. Turn on the tap and sweet water pours out. Yet, just visualise for a moment the consequences of the water not running, say, just for a couple of days. Not having your morning cuppa would be the least of your problems, particularly if you live in a high density area!

Jeremy Bishop, who describes himself as an ‘Engagement Advisor’, together with his co-worker Katrina Lambert, provided us with a very professional, concise presentation on the huge organisation which quietly ensures that such a nightmare scenario will not happen. In control of some $11 Billion worth of dams, water treatment plants and pipelines, SEQ Water doesn’t just provide drinking and bath water, but also irrigation water to 1200 farmers.

Remember the “Millennium Drought”? It wasn’t pretty. The Hinze Dam (at that time Stage 3 hadn’t been built yet), as well as overall dam levels in South East Queensland went on average to around the 20% mark. Meanwhile, we have a Desalination Plant and Stage 3 of the Hinze Dam, built in 2011, doubled its capacity to over 310,000 Million Litres. Our ‘Water Grid’ boasts some 600 Km of bi-directional water pipeline. Space does not permit to outline Jeremy’s seminar in detail, but on the Download Pages (right side) you will find a PDF of his PowerPoint which is very interesting reading indeed.

(Photo, from left: Chairman of the day, Peter Morgan, Katrina Lambert, SEQ Water, Jeremy Bishop)

Neil Thurlow promotes Rotary in Ipswich

Neil Thurlow rode the 100kms Ipswich charity cycle event yesterday, organised by the Ipswich Lions club. He rode in his Rotary outfit to promote the Rotary brand!

'On ya, Neil!

This coming Wednesday 17th March: The Realities of Rain

Jeremy Bishop is an Engagement Advisor for Seqwater. His presentation will cover various aspects of one of our most important resources:

Current dam levels and how Seqwater responds to drought
Future challenges to our long-term water security
Climate-resilient water source options, like desalination and purified recycled water

Following Jeremy, Ben Loots, Mario Fairlie and Dr Graham Sivyer (RC Broadbeach) will give us a brief update on the status of our X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu project. Oh, plus our newest member Trent Belling will be inducted into the club!

Big morning coming up! Members & Associates: Please wear your Club T-Shirt. (KJ wants to take a photo of us for the new Wheelchair Trust website.)

From Major General (Rtd) Susil Chandrapala: Thank you for the wheelchairs

It's not every day one receives a letter signed by a Major General. You may recall a post some time ago where we reported a load of wheelchairs and hospital beds going to Battaramulla, Sri Lanka. The arrangements were made by Adjit Abeywardena of the Rotary Club of Jindalee. Last week, we received a personal letter from Major General (Rtd) Susil Chandrapala MD, who is the Chairman of his Rotary club's Wheelchair Project. the 11 wheelchairs were delivered to the Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Hospital (RRH) in Ragamana, Sri Lanka.

Quoting from his letter: "On behalf of the President and members of RC Battaramulla of RID 3220 Sri Lanka and Maldives, I wish to sincerely thank you and Members of your club for your generous contribution. These wheelchairs will be used by the poor and needy children who are being treated at RRH."

Thank you for the feedback, General. Good to hear that together we are all making a difference!

Meet our volunteers: Ben Loots

Ben spent his early years in Holland (Eindhoven), where he became a qualified Electrical / Electronics Technician and worked for the first 10 years with Philips, the giant international electronics company. At our shed, you’ll mostly find him up a ladder - he is the one who does anything to do with electrical work, as he holds a ‘Sparkie’ license. [Please don’t ask him “what’s the weather up there?”… he has heard it many times before… ☺ Ed.]

In 1983, he moved with his family to New Zealand (“for two years” – haven’t we heard that before!), where he worked in Industrial Automation for 7 years, then started his own company, specialising in Voice – Data – Radio communications. In 2002 he sold his business and came across the ditch to Australia, where he specialised in Nuclear Medicine, before coming to the Gold Coast in 2013, continuing in his technical career in keeping medical electronics working.

Ben’s interests are very wide: Firstly, he reads “anything to do with technology” [some people might call him a ‘Nerd’… Ed.] Electronics is not just his profession, it is one of his hobbies too. He is an avid photographer – “I have about four cameras... or so” he commented. Add to that Alternative Energy, Environmental Science (in 2014 he won a federal award for his work in cleaning up a waterway in the estate where he lives), even small scale food production. So it’s all technology? Oh no! Ben also sings in a choir (contemporary), and for relaxation listens to 60’s and 70’s Rock n Roll (Beatles, Clearwater Revival), reads good novels (Jeffrey Archer is his favorite author) and (ahem) books, internet posts and magazine articles on Nuclear Fusion, Particle Physics…

Wheelchairs getting deployed in South Africa

You know that recently we despatched a container load of wheelchairs to South Africa, via the Rotary e-Club of South Africa. Here is some feedback: we received an email from the Rotary Club of Port Alfred, South Africa:

Dear “Surfers”

We have just taken delivery of 30 wheelchair kits, 20 for Port Alfred and 10 for Rotary Club of Kenton on Sea, (25kms from us along the Eastern Cape coast, halfway between Durban and Cape Town, both surfing centres).

We have so far made one prototype this week and were excited to see it taking shape; very simple but clever design, sturdy and manoeuvrable when done. It took us 50 minutes after a couple of false starts but we reckon 25 mins maximum now we know what we are doing!

We wanted to bring the story to our local press, our Rotary Africa Magazine and to Facebook so we have looked up the story on your webpage and would now like to attach a couple of photos taken during construction, just for you to see. We plan to create a work party to do the others. The men in the photos are PP David Hawkins and PP Martin Allison of Rotary Club of Port Alfred.
Distribution will be handled soon. There is such a need for this sort of robust conveyance that we shall have no difficulty in placing them.
We thought of attaching safety belts, have you any ideas about this?
Thank you also for the knitted jerseys which we will distribute. Do your Rotary Anns do these?
With congratulations on this great project, and best wishes
Heather Howard
for Rotary Club of Port Alfred.

Tammy Richie: The Art of Limitless Living

When President Charles forwarded Tammy’s email offering to speak at our club, one part caught your Editor's attention: She became an aircraft maintenance engineer in the Australian Air Force – 27 years ago. Well, at that time, that would certainly have been unusual indeed. During her presentation she then also mentioned her training with the SAS, lugging 25 Kg packs around Kokoda. “A hard way to learn about yourself!” she claimed… I’d say, there would be sufficient material in there for a book! 😊

Today, Tammy is an entrepreneur, a motivational speaker, a trainer. She created a training program with the theme of “How to jump over yourself”. She teaches teamwork, how to work together to achieve a better outcome than working individually, how to visualise their aims, how the choices you have made throughout your live affect your future. “But be careful what you ask for though!” Tammy cautioned [haven’t we learned that before - the hard way! Ed.] .

Another skill she trains is First Aid. First Aid? “Well no, it’s not sexy” she laconically mentioned. But it is a skill she greatly benefited from when, some 16 years ago, she found her 16 month old toddler son floating face down in her swimming pool. Yes! He survived.

Read more about the services Tammy offers on her websites: www.youcan2.com.au and www.firstaidyoucan2.com.au or to contact her by email , click here

Meet our Volunteers: Bryan Tuesley

‘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 had two Awardees at this year's RYLA

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.

Briana Dorrough: National Youth Science Forum

Our guest speaker last Wednesday was astounding. If you ever have prepared to do a presentation yourself, you can appreciate the amount of time and energy Briana would have invested to deliver with perfection: fluently, clearly, precisely and with good diction. She made it look all so easy, she had her audience nailed! And quite uncommon for a teenager: not a single ‘Uhmmm’, ‘like’, ‘basically’, ‘ya know’ ...!

Our club sponsored her to attend the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF). Normally held in Canberra, this year COVID-19 forced it to go on-line. Still, so Briana enthused, it was very worthwhile indeed! “I found NYSF’s most valuable resource to be their range of STEM experts” she said. Among these were Professor Barry Marshall, Dr Carola Vinuesa and Professor Brian P Schmidt. Both Professors Marshall and Schmidt are Nobel Prize Laureates, Dr. Vinuesa is the co-director of personalised medicine at ANU.

Briana made it clear that attending the NYSF is not just about pure science but about live values, such as the value of perseverance. A point in case is Prof Barry Marshall, whose discovery of a cure for duodenal ulcers earned him the Nobel Prize. “There were over 20 years between his original discovery and his receiving of a Nobel Prize”, she said, then cited the Professor: “If you have the facts, you don’t have to worry if nobody believes you.”

Question Time, as expected, was boisterous. What are your future plans? she was asked. “I changed my initial intentions of a career in computer science or biomedicals to go for medicine” she said. Other than Science, Briana is involved in the Duke of Edenborough program, studies Literature, High Level Maths, Classical Singing (she participates in the choir), helps in Student Prep and Debating.

Briana’s PowerPoint presentation and her corresponding speech is available from the Download Section on the right. You should run the two concurrently, the text shows when to change slides. Photo, from left: President Charles Thomasson, Briana's father Michael Dorrough and Briana Dorrough.

Queuing up at the Australia Day Sizzle

They were queing up at the Botanical Gardens for a chance to get hold of a sizzling sausage cooked by the Surfers Sunrise Sizzle Team at the Australia Day event ! We were invited by David Baguley (RC of Gold Coast) who, with his better half Rana, organised the stand of the Friends of the Gold Coast Botanical Gardens. Thank you, David and Rana for offering this fundraising opportunity, and a big thank you to the sizzlers Adrian Crowe, "Onion King" Gus Miller, Geoff Croad and Andy Bell, as well as Shed Volunteer Ben Loots. Photo by David Baguley. More photos on our Facebook page.

Very special event last Saturday at the Shed

Very special event last Saturday morning at the Project Shed: President Charles Thomasson, Project Shed Chief Larry Murray and Des La Rance OAM (he designed the original concept of the Rough Terrain Wheelchair) presented Certificates of Appreciation to two highly deserving recipients. John Boucher (left image) has volunteered at the shed for years and years. Right image is with Albert Raffone, the artist who painted our "official" 10,000th Wheelchair. Congratulations! Photos by Al Sirovs.

This coming Wednesday 3rd Feb: Briana Dorrough

Our club sponsored Briana Dorrough to attend the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) course in Canberra - she has just returned. The NYSF is a heavily contested with far more candidates applying than can be accepted. It is a 10 day course designed to give students with high STEM capabilities a broad understanding of their career choices.

Wheelchairs have arrived in South Africa

We have received a message from Charlie Panday of the ROTARY CLUB of RESERVOIR HILLS (near Durban, South Africa) to advise that our container of wheelchairs and other paraphernalia have arrived and are "being distributed as we speak". Thank you to all who were involved, particularly our volunteers who manufactured them, Charmaine Wheatley who was our go-between with the South African Rotary Clubs, and Col Laurenson who organised the shipping and communication with his logistics counterparts in South Africa. Well done all!

Last Wednesday's speakers: Adam Sheppard and Tash Price

So you think you have got a problem, huh? Well, visualise for a moment: you were born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (Adam). Or you are a professional dancer touring the UK and come down with a rare disease which, almost overnight, leaves you close to totally blind and paralysed (Tash). How do you proceed?

Last Wednesday, our new members Adam Sheppard and his business partner Tash Price gave us a good run down of what you can achieve, regardless of your disability. Let’s start with Adam: at 38, is happily married to Christy. They have a beautiful son Fletcher, aged 4. He was introduced to Rotary via RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment) and RYTS (Rotary Youth Transition Seminar) which he attended in 1998. Incidentally, that is where he met his wife… [OK, I've heard some enthusiastic reports from RYTS attendees before, but that takes the cake! ☺ Ed.] Adam has been involved in racing wheelchairs himself, as well as coaching both able bodied and disabled athletes for some 13 years now. Tash is not only his business partner in InvincAble, but he is also her coach.

Tash Price not only had to overcome her paraplegia and blindness, but in addition had the challenges of diabetes, gastric paralysis, severe chronic pain and arthritis. That didn’t stop her from taking up wheelchair racing. She owned her racing wheelchair for just six weeks when she took out the Bronze Medal in her first competitive Marathon (yes, it’s 42 Km as well!) in July 2018. OK, go on..! in October 2019 she took out Gold in the Auckland Marathon! Next target: representing Australia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

I could go on, with heaps of inspirational anecdotes they recounted. But why not check out Adam and Tash’s PDF ‘Meet Team InvincAble’ in the Download Section on the Right. It’s a truly inspiring read and also has some great pictures! Needless to say, we are so stoked to have you both joining Surfers Sunrise Rotary!

This Wednesday 20th: Adam Sheppard and Tash Price

This coming Wednesday 20th January, our new members Adam Sheppard and Tash Price (that's them at their induction in November last year) will present a 'Rotarian behind the Badge' about themselves. Very much looking forward to it: did you know that Tash is racing wheelchairs at world championship level? And guess who is coaching her... :) Grab your meal at the bistro of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club, and take it upstairs for a bit of fellowship. Starting at 07:00 am for 07:30 start! Guests and visitors of course are welcome!

Rotaractors make up the numbers at Bunnings BBQ

How good is that! At last Saturday's Bunnings Sizzle, "our" Rotaractors came to help on the the final shift, and so did our regular visitor, Ann O'Connor. Photo (by KJ), from left: Blake Foster, "KJ" Jewson, Matt Howard. In background, our regular visitor Ann O'Connor. Thank you all! We much appreciate your help!

Join on-line - Rotary Network on National Day

On our National Day, Tuesday 26th January, Rotary South Pacific organises an on-line event to celebrate Australia Day, in the year of Rotary's celebration of 100 years in Australia and New Zealand. The event starts at 11:30 am Queensland time (12:30 pm ADST)

You can join the event by registering on this link:

https://events.humanitix.com/rotarydownunder_100_national_australia_day_event

Ever heard about Rotary Action Groups?

About half a year ago, I wrote about Rotary Fellowships (using a title which should have made you look… 😊) There are dozens of them – the forementioned document has the links to every one of them.

Now here I am, a reasonably dedicated and committed Rotarian with almost 34 years of membership under my belt, quietly browsing the January issue of Rotary International’s monthly magazine, now re-branded Rotary Magazine. (Go on, click on the link! It’s very well done, way better than the old fashioned layout of The Rotarian). I was never aware that

Rotary Action Groups

existed! From Addiction Prevention to Clubfoot [no Henrietta, nothing to do with clubs, nor with people who suffer from "foot in mouth" disease… Ed.], Food Plant Solutions, Hearing, Multiple Scleroris , just to name a few of the 25 groups all up. Well worth your while to browse. And you learn far more than if you hang around Facebook or Twitter…

January is Vocational Service Month

January is designated by Rotary International as 'Vocational Service Month'. Last year, Richard Smith spent heaps of time and effort to organise our Excellence in Workmanship Award night. But COVID prevented us to actually run it. We still can't make a decision yet whether we can hold it this year. So, what else can we do to highlight Vocational Service in our club? Well, how about we have a brief 3 minute presentation of 'What's new?' in their profession? Any volunteers?

But, on an all encompassing level, the old Rotary Vocational Service Objective is still as relevant in 2021 as it was 20, 50 or 100 years ago:

Adherence to, and promotion of, the highest ethical standards in all occupations, including fair treatment of employers, employees, associates, competitors, and the public.
The recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, not just your own or those that are pursued by Rotarians.
The contribution of your vocational talents to solving the problems of society and meeting the needs of the community.

Vale Dr Frank Mouser PHF

It is with great sadness I report that on Sunday 20th December, our Honorary Member Dr Frank Mouser passed away, aged 97. Frank, who was a Surgeon, was a Charter Member of Surfers Sunrise, transferring from his original club Surfers Paradise when we were chartered in February 1987.

Our sincere condolences go to the Mouser Family. Today Monday 4th January, Charter Members Peter Morgan and your Editor attended a brief commemorative gathering at Alambie Gardens to celebrate the life of this proverbial Rotarian.

Great Christmas Breakfast at Edgewater Restaurant

Great, yummy Christmas Breakfast this morning at the Edgewater Restaurant on Isle of Capri this morning. Thank you, Graeme Isaacson and President Charles Thomasson for organising this. Above expectance 46 members, partners, Rotaractors and guests attended this function, and a good time was had by all. (OF COURSE!! What did you expect when a bunch of Surfers Sunrise Rotarians get together?!?) Sergeant Ian Mayberry explained how our "fines" money he extracted throughout the year is invested in Christmas presents for St John's Crisis Centre, going to children who otherwise would end up... ... with no presents. Thank you all whose misdemeanours (true or otherwise) contributed to the funds, and thank you to all who brought a present along as well.

... and there are the LONG Italian Lunches...

There are lunches. There are Italian Lunches, and there are the LONG Italian Lunches... What an event! Johnny Bueti (second from left in picture) and his team organised last Thursday's hugely successful event at Gemelli's Italian Restaurant at Broadbeach. Pizza, Pasta, Calamari, Gnocci, Vitello Saltimbocca, Gnoccetti for desert. And - ahem - unlimited beer and wine... Entertainment included an Italian Tenor who brought tears to the eyes of serious opera lovers! It was a fundraiser to help us finance "Rough Terrain" wheelchairs (yes, we still can make them for about $100 each, and let me assure you, there isn't a cent of wages included - all volunteer work!) Thank you Johnny, Paul and the team, thank you to the generous sponsors of Raffle prizes! More photos in the Photo Album on the right!

This coming Wednesday: AGM and Planning Meeting

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 09, 2020

This coming Wednesday 9th December at our usual location at the Surfers Paradise Surf Club, upstairs venue: AGM, President Elect Paul Seymour will be confirming the incoming Board and Committee positions for 2021/22 as well as forward planning. Secretary Mitch Brown sent out all the relevant documents to all members on 25/11/20. If you don't have a copy: it's also on Clubrunner, in the Member's Area: Organisation, Documents, Secretary... (you need to log in). Or drop me a message l and I'll send you a copy. There are also a number of non-board positions to be filled too, so you need you to be there (or you might be "elected" in absentia! ☺). There should also be some time to discuss other club business.

Meet Sasha Kimber, our second RYLA nominee

Youth Service Director PDG Darrell Brown has nominated Sasha Kimber to join Kristen "KJ" Jewson (see Bulletin of 25th November) at the upcoming RYLA camp in January 2021. Here is her brief Bio: "I'm a small-town girl born and raised in Emerald Central QLD. My first introduction to Rotary was in 2015 where I worked with The Rotary Club of Emerald Sunrise to establish the Central Highlands Interact Club. This gave me the amazing opportunity to be sponsored for a Rotary Youth Exchange which I completed in Taiwan for the duration of 2017. Now I am in the final year of my bachelor's degree studying Actuarial Science and majoring in Big Data. Following the completion of my degree, I hope to work in Data analytics and eventually transition into Crime Statistics. I am a member of the Burleigh heads Rotaract club and look forward to continuing to work with Rotary in the future."

Looking forward to meeting you soon at one of our meetings, Sasha!

Farley S Tolpen – Mediation

For most people, the need to consult a litigation lawyer brings up a feeling akin to the need to get a root canal on your front tooth. You know it will hurt (including at your hip pocket), it is unpleasant, time consuming, but… unavoidable. So it is most refreshing to hear a lawyer professing that his every effort is to keep you away from litigation.

Last Wednesday, Farley Tolpen presented on how to stay out of court. A lawyer for 36 years specialising in Mediation, his aim is to resolve a dispute amicably, rather than confrontationally. Why would Mediation work better? Well, for a start, it is faster than litigation, typically completed within 30 days. Therefore, it is less expensive – on average, about 9 hours of his time will sort it out. But most importantly, the outcome is agreed to by both parties, the conflict is resolved and thus there is a high chance that the relationship between the parties is retained and even improved. And all that contributes to you retaining your sanity. There are other benefits: Staying out of court, confidentiality is retained, the process is not intimidating, and your chances of an agreed resolution are around 90%.

So how does it work? Initially, there are several serious telephone discussions, individually with both parties, so the Mediator can become totally familiar with each side’s position. All discussions are subject to confidentiality. The aim is to build rapport, to have a clear understanding of each side’s grievances. The Mediator will then arrange pre-mediation meetings, both private and jointly. The aim is to obtain an agreement to mediate. Goals of what each party tries to achieve are set. In addition to the knowledge of the law, a Mediator must master various techniques and skills, particularly in relation to active listening, being non-judgmental, empathetic. As an example, Farley mentioned the 1970’s Detective Show ‘Columbo’: “I don’t quite understand… can you explain that again?” So, instead of saying “See you in court!!”, perhaps think “Let’s call Farley”. Click on this link to go to his website. Photo: Farley accepts his "Speaker's Reward", a uniquely labelled bottle of red, from Gerald East.

Welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Adam and Tash!

Welcome to our newest members of Surfers Sunrise Rotary: Adam Sheppard and Tash Price.

This morning, President Charles Thomasson inducted two very special new members into our club: Well, this is real special: while we have, for some 25 years, been involved with "Rough Terrain" wheelchairs for underprivileged children in developing countries (10,000 of them - see below!), this is actually the first time we have members who... USE a wheelchair themselves!

Adam and Tash run a business named 'InvincAble Pty Ltd'. Well, the name says it all! We'll have more formal introductions later in the year or early next year, but let me spill some beans just a little bit: Tash Price won the 2019 Auckland Marathon (COVID prevented her from competing there this year) and is the 2020 Queensland State Champion in 100, 200 and 400 metres! And guess who is her trainer? ☺ Great to have you both in our club!

Photo: Adam and Tash, with Chairman of the meeting Gerald East and President Charles Thomasson.

Final Update: Mark Twyford's ride for Misión México

Today marks the end of Mark Twyford's fundraising challenge for Misión México, the charity which his daughter worked on last year? (That’s her on the right – click on this link to read the story again). Maggie continues to be involved with the Mission. This November will also mark the charity’s 20th anniversary. To celebrate, they are holding their biggest ever global event; the Move for Misión México - 20/20/20 Challenge: 20,000 kilometers on foot, bike, in the water, any way you can think of while working together to raise £20,000 for their education program. All money raised will go towards Mision Mexico's Education Program.

Mark has exceeded his aim of raising $AUD 1,000.00, committing to riding a minimum of 500Km in the month of November. As of today 30/11/20, he has cycled 520 Km and has raised $1,350.00! Well done, Mark, you deserve a big pat on the back! You can still support financially - just advise Mark on mark@bradendmdtaccounting.com.au so he can provide you with direct deposit details. Send him an email and he'll send you details. A tax receipt will be issued once funds are received.

Meet our RYLA candidate: KJ Jewson

Many of you already know Kristen "KJ" Jewson (she prefers to be called "KJ"). Together with her fellow Rotaract members, she is a regular at the Project Shed, working on the Vanuatu project and she has joined our meetings on Wednesday mornings a number of times. KJ will hold the Surfers Sunrise flag at the upcoming Rotary Youth Leadership Award camp at the end of January 2021. This is the introduction she wrote:

I'm Kristen, better known to all as Kj. I'm 26, and am in my 7th semester studying Digital Media Production at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremerhaven, Germany.

My days currently consist of Work, Uni (albeit at 2am), and Rotaract. I'm president of the Rotaract Club Nordwest in Germany, a new member of the Rotaract Club of Burleigh Heads, and am involved in helping the newest club in the district, the Rotaract Club Gold Coast Makers come to life. Through Rotaract I currently have the chance to work on an international project with the Rotary Club Surfers Sunrise to build a hospital annex for clinic on Pentacost Island, Vanuatu.

Rotary has been a part of my life since I was 14, I've been to RYPEN, RYTS, Youth Exchange to Germany in 2012, and since then have become a member of Rotex and Rotaract. Due to unforseen circumstances (COVID) I am back in the country for the moment, and RYLA just seemed like the next step.

As I'm almost finished Uni, and now need to make the decision as to where I want to work and live in the world; I find myself at a crossroads, and think RYLA could possibly give me some clarity for the future, so I can't wait to go!

This Wednesday 25th Nov: Farley S Tolpen

Farley S. Tolpen is the founder and CEO of The Mediation Experts, a Brisbane based dispute resolution organization. Farley is an international mediator, arbitrator, trainer and lawyer with over 35 years experience mediating, arbitrating and litigating. His areas of expertise include Workplace, Employment, Family Law, Estates, Workplace, Commercial and Business Law, Real Estate and Construction. He is currently a mediator for QCAT and Queensland Small Business Commissioner (QSBC) for retail shop and commercial leases and Covid19 issues.

He will speak on the topic of "Mediation - How and Why it Works". Farley advised that he will "make it interactive, with humour and some stories". Looking forward to it!

We'll have another Bike Sale on 12th December

Last week's 10,000th Wheelchair celebrations, combined with a Bike Sale, produced a good number of sales. But our volunteers have worked so hard, not only building wheelchairs, but also re-furbishing bikes which are simply too good to be wrecked for parts. We have about another 50 to go! So we'll have another one two weeks before Christmas! Put it into your diary now, and tell your friends:

Saturday, 12th December

Big Bike Sale

Surfers Sunrise Project Shed

Arundel Community Centre, off Napper Road

Arundel 4214

Order Rotary Christmas Cakes by Wednesday

This Wednesday 18th Nov 2020 afternoon is deadline to order! Mario Fairlie will place the order directly on behalf of all members and friends of the club. Please order directly with Mario by email (not verbally) to mario@fairlie.com.au. We have had them in the past - they are real yummy! And the cakes come in a tin, so they stay moist. Why not order right now?

Note, this is also a bit of a fundraiser for The Rotary Foundation: for every fruitcake or steamed pudding, a donation of $2.00 is made; $1.00 for the baked pudding.

Our newest members active at the Shed

Good to see our newest members Natasha Price and Adam Sheppard join us on Saturday at the Project Shed. Picture shows them with the hyperactive Rotaractors from Burleigh Heads who come and help us with the Vanuatu project every week, and in the back row President Charles Thomasson, Al Sirovs, Angus Miller (is he really wearing his cap "Lleyton Hewitt" style?? C'mooon!!☺) and Wheelchair Trust Director Larry Murray. Oh, by the way, for those of you who don't know: both Adam and Tash ARE wheelchair bound. None better to appreciate what we do!

This Saturday 14 Nov: 10,000th wheelchair celebrations

This Saturday 14th November, we'll have a big celebration at the Project Shed: on display is the 10,000th Wheelchair. We expect quite a number of dignitaries to to join us - Councillors, State Members and possibly even Federal Members of Parliament!. The celebrations officially start at 10:00 am. But we need all hands on deck at 07:30 am to get ready! The celebrations are held in conjunction with a Big Bike Sale! Bring a few dollars with you to buy a Raffle ticket and/or a Sausage. Members: please park at the top (behind the Community Centre) so the usual car parks remain free for visitors, thank you.

Photo: Bryan Tuesley (centre) organised an artist to paint some historical pictures on it. With President Charles Thomasson (left) and Wheelchair Trust Director Larry Murray (right). More pictures in the Photo Album.

This Wednesday 11/11/20: PDG Michael Irving - Climate Change

PDG Prof Michael Irving will speak on one of the currently most contentious subjects: Climate Change. Michael, who was our District's Governor for 2016-17, has held professorial appointments in Universities in Canberra, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, New Zealand, Oman and the USA. He has been University Vice-Chancellor in Wellington and Sohar, Oman. Prior to his retirement, his field of expertise was in Biochemistry and Cancer Research. However, he also spent time at Scott Research Station in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica. Would this put him into that much debated category of "the science is settled" Scientists? You'll have to be there to find out!

Pimpama College new Wheelchair design

Some time ago we reported that Pimpama State Secondary College is working with their students to develop a new wheelchair design. Recently, teacher Stephen Robinson sent us some photos of their progress, showing students at high levels of concentration welding, grinding and assembling their design. Note: they will have a display at next Saturday's 10,000th Wheelchair celebrations! See more photos in the Photo Album on the right! Good on ya, fellows!

Burleigh Rotaractors pick up Hospital beds for Vanuatu

Last Saturday, a bunch of mildly hyperactive Burleigh Heads Rotaractors, organised by Dr Graham Sivyer and Harold Bush (Broadbeach RC), picked up a trailer load of hospital beds, destined for Vanuatu. Well done, guys!

Photo (by Dr Graham) shows (from left) Harold Busch (Broabeach RC + Rotaracters. Blake, Harrison, KJ, Matt and James. More photos in the Photo Album - see right hand side.

Congratulations: Mario Fairlie gets his 7th PHF

At last Wednesday's meeting, President Charles Thomasson presented Mario Fairlie with his updated 'Ruby' Paul Harris Fellowship pin. A pin with a ruby stone embedded indicates that Mario now holds a total of seven PHF's! Congratulations, Mario!

Jo Winwood: Loneliness

Last Wednesday, we enjoyed meeting our Past President Jo Winwood again (she and Tony now live in Byron Bay). Jo, now a member of the Rotary Club of Byron Bay, is heavily involved with her project ‘Be Someone for Someone’. “In the last 5 months, there has been an immense increase in loneliness” Jo declared. Her company Feros Care is a leading Aged Care provider, supporting over 60,000 each year in 5 states and territories. “According the carers, this is now the biggest problem they face”, she said. Jo cited the example of a man suffering the loss of his wife: “In many relationships, it is the woman who makes the social arrangements. So suddenly, after she has passed away, he finds himself without much of a social life. Not everyone has social skills which enable them to find new friends”.

Download the PDF in the Download section on the right and see the slide “The Shocking Truth”. Let me pick just one of the facts: according to a scientific report, published by the US National Library of Medicine (J Holt-Lundstad, Brigham Young University), Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26%. Or the equivalent of smoking 26 cigarettes a day. The problem is acute world wide; in the UK, they have appointed a Minister for Loneliness.

So how can we help? Well, engage with people whom you suspect of being lonely. Your neighbour might be in that category. An invitation to join you for a cuppa is a good start! Would you like to support financially? Feros Care will again run a Christmas Brunch for lonely people - see Download section - 'Be Someone for Someone - Corporate Support'.

Jo’s presentation can be downloaded from the Download section – see right side. TPhoto: Jo with Chairman of the meeting, Mark Twyford

Sunrise Golf Day a huge success!

OK, we can't take the credit for the superb weather... after some quite heavy rains on the weekend, the Gold Coast enjoyed the most perfect day imaginable. Today's Rotary Surfers Sunrise Golf Day turned out in the very best way imaginable. We had almost 100 players (see President Charles' message above), made up from some 13 Corporate Teams and 6 Rotary Teams from other clubs. At this stage, no results are available yet. But we have the two major winners: Overall winners were the team of Steve Hamilton, Dave and Daniel Bisker and James Dayton (picture above), the winner of the Rotary Challenge (only open to Rotary Club teams) was the Rotary Club of Currumbin - Coolangatta - Tweed, with Bev & Eric Rosser, Jan Robertson and Ian Petherick. A photo album will be uploaded shortly. - more details in next week's bulletin.

A big thank you goes to President Charles Thomasson and Treasurer Doug Lipp who were the principal organisers, to all the sponsors and competitors, as well as the superb turnout of our members - too many to list - who helped on the day. Well done all!

Geoff Croad's Seaquester Quays raises $2,150

In a recent newsletter to their residents, Geoff Croad announced that their Containers for Change project has so far raised over $2,150. Not only will this have prevented some 21,500 bottles going to landfill, but it also has bought the materials for some 21 wheelchairs. Great effort, Geoff and your team Ged and Graeme Stanyer! (Photo - June 2020 - shows them receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from (then) President Mario Fairlie)

Good to see some new faces at Surfers Sunrise!

Good to see some new faces this morning at Surfers Sunrise! Photo shows two potential new members (no pressure...!

) Adam Sheppard and Natasha Price. With them are former Rotary Youth Transition Seminar chairman Simon Brook, President Charles Thomasson and current District Youth chairman PDG Darrell Brown. Adam and Natasha are old hands at Rotary Youth programs, contributing by teaching that suffering a disability doesn't mean disablement. You see, both Adam and Natasha are wheelchair bound...

Golf Day 2020 tomorrow Monday!

We have record corporate team bookings for this year's Golf Day which will be held tomorrow Monday, 26th October 2020. It will be held at the same location as last year, the Surfers Paradise Golf Club on Fairway Drive, Carrara. We'll need both volunteers to man the course, and of course we need participating teams. Check out the flyer in the Download section on the right. We need some more prizes. Can you spare a nice bottle of wine, or convince your favorite restaurateur to donate a free dinner? Volunteers: please be there no later than 11:00 am.

Bookings are now open - click on this link: https://www.trybooking.com/BLJDK

PDG Graham Jones: US Presidential Elections

PDG Prof Graham Jones worked for many years as a Professor of Mathematics in the USA, and has a deep understanding of their electoral system. He is also deeply involved in the fundraising for the Griffith University’s Malaria Vaccine Project, and provided us with a brief update on this. But on to the US Elections:

A graph of US States’ results in 2016 (see Graham's PowerPoint slides in the Download Section) showed a sea of red (for Trump) of 304 Electoral College votes, against 227 for Clinton. “It was not even close” Graham outlined… “But have a look at the Popular Vote, and you see that Trump was 3 Million votes behind Clinton, yet Trump won the Elections.” Graham went on to explain the US system of House of Representatives and Senate, somewhat similar to Australia’s, with the former represented on the basis of population (435 members), whereas the Senate has just two Senators per state (100 members). So, for every House of Representatives and Senate seat, there is one Electoral College (EC) vote, plus 3 votes for the District of Columbia (Washington). Thus, in total there are 538 EC votes.

Graham briefly went back to historical times of the first Presidential Election in 1789 when there were just 10 states, when George Washington won with 69 out of 138 EC votes. John Adams, who came second, became Vice President. (It’s not within the scope of this article to elaborate).

Now to the crux of the matter: Where does the people’s vote come in? Well, in all but two states (Nebraska and Mayne), all the Electoral College votes go to the winner of the popular vote. Thus, for example, were Trump to win California by just one vote, all of the 55 EC votes of that state would go to Trump. To win the Presidency, the candidate thus needs to win a total of 270 (half + 1) of 538 EC votes. Votes are cast by Electors (delegates) on 14^th December. The winner is formally declared on 6^th January.

“But what if no winner can be declared, due to disputes, legal wrangling?” was your Editor’s question. Well, in that case Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Reps will take over temporarily, and if she is not available, the next in line is Senator Chuck Grassley, aged 87…

The meeting was recorded on Zoom. If you would like a link (members only), please let me know. Ed.

GC Business Expo a success despite COVID

On Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday, a large numbers of our members helped with the setting up, manning the Car Park "Gold Coin Donation" gate and again in taking all the tables and chairs down at the end of the day. Final figures will become known once Treasurer Doug Lipp has arm wrestled his friends at Suncorp Bank to put the bucket of coins through a counting machine. A big thank-you goes to all the helpers: Organiser PDG Darrell Brown, President Charles Thomasson, Karen Holland, Ashleigh Symes, John Chirio, Paul Seymour, Geoff Croad, Andy Bell, Angus Miller, Larry Murray, Johnny Bueti, Neil Thurlow, Franz Huber, our newest member Ramez Salib, as well as our 'Honorary Queenslander' Ann O'Connor and Associate Member Tracy Zimmerman and her Lutzy Award winning daughter Jazmin. Many who took multiple shifts, and some, including Darrell and Charles, were there for the full time from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday evening. And particular thanks must go to Paula Brand, whose business staged the Expo, for providing us the opportunity for this fundraiser. COVID-19 caused massive obstacles for her business, but Paula beat all the negatives and still made it happen, against all the odds! Well done all!

Photo (from left): John Chirio, Larry Murray and PDG Darrell Brown blinking into the sun on Thursday morning at the "Gate".

This coming Wednesday: PDG Graham Jones - US Elections

This coming Wednesday 14th October, PDG Prof Graham Jones, who worked in the USA for several years and is intimately familiar with the convoluted process of the Electoral College system, will present again on the US Presidential Elections. This year probably more unusual than any time before - COVID means no mass rallies, the incumbent is probably the most unpredictable candidate ever and the challenger... [Sorry, Rotary must stay out of politics...] And yes, he is happy to take questions! Not to be missed!

Usual location, at the Surfers Paradise SLSC upstairs. Grab your breakfast downstairs and take it up for some fellowship before the meeting starts at 07:30 sharp.

Last week’s Guest Speaker: DG Andy Rajapakse

Well, over that past 33 years, I have heard many inspiring District Governor’s presentations. I have also sat through some truly numbing experiences. All of them, in essence, extolled the high values of our great organisation, the virtues, benefits and duties of being a Rotarian, and exhorted us to increase our membership. In other words, without meaning to be derogatory, preaching - to the converted. Not so Andy…

Instead of starting off with a prepared speech, Andy simply asked the question “What would you like to hear from the District Governor?” The requests from the audience were largely of general nature: ‘Overall, how is our District going?’, ‘How can we obtain money from the District?’ etc. Impressively, Andy deftly eased from a Q&A style to a relaxed summary of our District’s notable achievements. Membership growth was specifically addressed: “The District is doing very well, both in terms of membership as well as financially”, Andy said. “Did you know that 9640 has the highest increase in membership in Zone 8 (14 countries): since 1^st July, we have had a NET increase of 45 members!” This is not the result of just the last few months, Andy accentuated, this is the result of the last 5 years of steady building up. New clubs were formed, some of quite different style, such as Gold Coast Passport. “Do you know that District 9640 has the largest percentage of family membership in Australia (34%, compared to average of 26%), partially due to no District dues applying to partners? We have the largest percentage of Under 40’s? A new club, ‘Corporate Centre One’ is in the process of being established, its potential membership based on about 40 companies whose offices are in that large office building. But it’s not easy! To increase membership, “you have to hit the street”, Andy said. You have to ask people to join. The competition is high: there are some 152 networking organisations on the Gold Coast!

So, after 33 years, I continue to be grateful for having been invited to join Rotary, to witness every year the leadership dynamics of a new Club President, a new District Governor, new Rotary International President.

Welcome to our newest member, Ramez Salib

Delighted this morning to welcome our newest member, Ramez Salib, to Surfers Sunrise. And to make it even more special: District Governor Andy Rajapakse was there to formally induct him! Ramez, originally from Egypt, transferred from the Rotary Club of Varsity Lakes. His classification is 'Pharmacy'. Watch this space for a date to see him give us a 'Man behind the Badge' presentation. Just trying to tie up a suitable date.

(Photo, from left: President Charles Thomasson, Ramez Salib, DG Andy Rajapakse).

Burleigh Heads Rotaractors helping with Vanuatu project

On Saturday, we had Burleigh Rotaractors Harrison Howick and Chumani Brookhouse, coming to the Project Shed to help us with the Vanuatu project. Photo shows them (in pink T-Shirts) with Angus, Des La Rance and Dr Graham Sivyer of the Rotary Club of Broadbeach. The floor area of the X-Ray unit is starting to take shape!

Burleigh Heads Rotaractors help with Vanuatu project

Good to see two Rotaractors from the Rotaract Club of Burleigh Heads coming to the Surfers Sunrise Project Shed this morning to help with the construction of the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu! Thank you Harrison Howick and Chumani Brookhouse!

VIP visit to the Project Shed

On Saturday, Division 7 GCCC Councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden visited the Project Shed to check out what we are up to. President Charles Thomasson (left) and Project Services Director Larry Murray (right) gave him a guided tour. Great to see you taking an interest in our projects, Councillor!

Jade McMahon is this year's Lutzy Award winner

JADE McMAHON is the winner of the Lutzy Award 2020! This morning, we had a very special meeting at the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club: we presented the Lutzy Award. This special recognition, in memory of our Charter Member Keith Lutz, is given to an upcoming young leader and mentor, selected by the SLSC. In the words of David Orchard, "it was unanimous": Jade McMahon was selected in recognition of her ongoing demonstration of leadership and nurturing of younger members, as well as her efforts and dedication to the Surf Life Saving movement. The award includes a very special Surf Rescue Board, which this year was sponsored by Immediate Past President Mario Fairlie and Justin Benney of Advent Security. Congratulations, Jade!

Some of the previous winners, Jessica Webber and Lucy Thorburn, went on to participate in our District's Youth programs and, of course, you may be aware that Lucy also spent a year in the USA as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student.

Photo (from left): Immediate Surfers Sunrise Past President Mario Fairlie (sponsor), David Orchard, Jade McMahon, SLSC President Trevor Hendy, Jan Lutz, Justin Benney from Advent Security (sponsor), Surfers Sunrise President Charles Thomasson, Andy Bell. Some more photos in the Photo Album section.

This coming Wednesday 7th Oct: District Governor's visit

Normally, this would be a social meeting, however, District Governor Andy Rajapakse will honour our club with his official visit, so this will be a club business meeting, which will be held upstairs in the usual way.

Three On-Line Zoom meetings this week re Polio Plus Train

Phil Fairweather, the District Rotary Foundation Chair, this week will be hosting three 40 minute Zoom meetings to explain and exciting initiative: Train Ride to End Polio, which will be held on Friday 23 October (see Download Section to download a flyer)

Our District and your club have the opportunity to participate in an exciting initiative that has 5 objectives:

Create awareness of the End Polio program and Rotary (Public Image)
Raise funds through Sponsorship (Fundraising)
Rotarian Engagement (Fellowship)
Create a new challenge (Inspire)
End Polio (Transformation)

The Zoom meetings will be held at 6pm on each of Monday 28 September, Tuesday 29 September and Thursday 1 October.

Zoom meeting details for all 3 are as follows:

Topic: Train Ride to End Polio

Time: Sep 28, 2020 06:00 PM Brisbane

Sep 29, 2020 06:00 PM

Oct 1, 2020 06:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79475110911?pwd=eU5WR21ydzhkS1ZMTTZSOGQ0Qm95dz09

The meeting has a passcode. To obtain it, simply reply to this bulletin or contact the Bulletin Editor Franz Huber. (A separate invitation has been sent by direct email to all members).

Wheelchairs have arrived in PNG and Solomon Islands

Sometimes we might be a bit remote, a bit detached from the results of our work to manufacture the 'Rough Terrain Wheelchairs', raising the funds and the organisation of getting them shipped. So it is great to receive two separate messages, one from Papua New Guinea, one from the Solomon Islands, confirming that the goods have arrived and are being distributed. The photo on the left is from the Reverend Hoge Ramura from PNG, who wrote

"Good day to you all good Rotarians in Rotary club of Surfers Sunrise in Qld, Australia.

I am a retired Reverend, Hoge with my wife Vagahu Rabura of the Rotary Club of Port Moresby in Papua New.

We have great interest to volunteer in the Wheelchair Trust project in the your club...

I am 63 yrs old and my wife 58 yrs old.... We also do other social work like volunteering in the Prisoners Bible teaching, and are facilitators in HIV AIDS, TB, GBV, etc trainings.

But, our interest is in volunteering in the Wheelchair project..

Can we have a chat re the above request and please show me the correct form of communication...

Please see some of the wheelchair donations pictures, we did on behalf of Rotary club Port Moresby... within Port Moresby and outside...

There is great need for wheelchairs for all ages, we want thank your club again for such support.... Many thanks

Rev Hoge and Vagahu Rabura.

moringapng123@gmail.com

Shortly after, Col Laurenson forwarded a couple of photos from Honiara, Solomon Islands. They, as well as a lot more from PNG - see our Photo Album Section, together with a couple of photos sent from Honiara, Solomon Islands. Fellows, give yourself a pat on the back!

This Wednesday: Lutzy Award presentation

This Wednesday, on 30th September, our club will present the 'Lutzy' Award to a young emerging Surfing Club leader. Ray Higgs and Graeme Isaacson have arranged for a VERY special deal with the caterers at the Surf Club: a plated meal for just $10.00! But we need to advise your choice of 5 menu options: Acai Bowl (very healthy, gluten free, vegan), or either poached or fried eggs with either bacon or sausages and toast. Of course, partners and friends are most welcome too. The online booking site has now closed. Any enquiries, please call Graeme Isaacson.

(Picture shows last year's winner, Jazmin Zimmerman)

Meet our Volunteers: John Boucher

He might be 84 years old, but as the old Aussie expression goes: No flies on John! And his dedication to the job is today just as strong, as meticulous and encompassing as it would have been some 60 years ago. Then, in 1960, just 24 years old, he started a 20 year career with The British Phosphate Commissioners on the island of Nauru (later the Nauru Phosphate Corporation). His background in his parents’ business served him well to take care of the Bulk Store. Just imagine what is required to cater for some 150 staff and about 1400 Chinese and Pacific Island labourers, with a 3 month lead time! A mere 5 years later he was appointed to be Secretary to the Island Manager.

And just to prove that he was not just all about work: at the time there were just 3 single (Caucasian) women on the island. One of them, a young lady named Vana, was the manager’s stenographer. Anyway… they married… the wedding was organised by the company, right there in Nauru! [Knowing John’s commitment to his work, it is not known whether he took a honeymoon holiday or not… Ed. 😊]. One of their children was born on Nauru, the other in Melbourne. Among other duties, Vana was in charge of maintaining the Land Schedule, what appears to be somewhat similar to our Titles Registry Office. Except that on Nauru a piece of land can have as many as 100 male owners. So the register is in the name of the women. There is a complete separate story in there!

Comfortably retired now, other than volunteering at our Project Shed, John enjoys reading good novels (Jeffrey Archer, Wilbur Smith, Lee Childs etc), listening to traditional Jazz and Rock 'n' Roll and studying World War 2 History. Ah, did I mention that, for 3 years in his youth, he also was a Cadet Midshipman? And heavily involved with the Sea Scouts movement?

Dr Serge Macanovic: Age is just a number...

So you buy packaged food which is marked as ‘Fat Free’ in big letters? But does that mean that it won’t have any influence on gaining weight? Well, think again! Croatian born Dr Serge Macanovic, who is the Lead GP at Our Medical Home in Oxenford, begs to differ: 'No fat' doesn’t mean no calories. And it’s the unused calories which your body automatically converts to fat. “We were not made up when we were born”, Dr Serge elaborated. “We are the product of millennia of evolution. People had to work, to hunt for their food. Often they would go hungry…”

Opening with a quote by Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern that “Age is just a number, not a state of mind or a reason for any type of particular behaviour”, he emphatically pointed out a major link between health of your body and health of your mouth. Yes… did you listen to your mother? Gum disease doesn’t just give you bad breath and causes tooth decay. It massively increases the risk of

Vale John Ellemor, PHF

It is with great sadness I report the passing away of our Honorary Member John Ellemor. He passed away peacefully, in palliative care, on Sunday. He was almost 93 years old. We are advised that, in view of COVID-19, no public funeral will be held, but a memorial service may be held in the future.

John, a consumate inventor and industrial designer, joined Surfers Sunrise Rotary in 1992 after "retiring" to the Gold Coast from a very successful business career in Victoria. Around that time he was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship. He is best remembered for his continued active participation in all our projects and was instrumental in organising the inaugural Education Expo on the Gold Coast in the early nineties. He was also recognised as one of the very few Rotarians worldwide who could boast 100% Attendance over a period of 50 years! This would have involved hundreds of 'Make-up' visits to various clubs throughout the world.

Our condolences go out to his family.

New COVID Safe Plan for Project Shed

Last week President Charles Thomasson and Project Chief Larry Murray published our COVID Safe plan for the Project Shed, with immediate effect. Not only is this is to ensure we comply with government regulations, but of course its real purpose, to keep our members, associate members and the community safe and prevent community infections. In short:

You will need to provide your details for record keeping upon arrival
You will need to use alcohol-based hand sanitiser upon arrival (supplied)
You will stay at home if you feel unwell
You will practice social distancing and good hygiene whilst at the Shed
You will use disposable cups for water, tea or coffee
You will be aware of signs and information in regards to stopping the spread of COVID-19 and staying safe

The plan is available for download from the Download section on the right.

We don't need no education...

'We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone.'

Roger Waters, Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979)

Two of my most favourite composers of classical music, Roger Waters and David Gilmour released this album over 40 years ago. [Classical? Yes, Henrietta, of course I’m serious! - - OK, let’s compromise: ‘modern classical’. Crikey! Must be getting old..!]

September is Rotary International’s ‘Basic Education and Literacy Month’. You now have an image in your mind, don’t you? And I bet that that image is something like a “developing country” classroom full of highly attentive, smiling kids with perfect teeth, sitting on the floor, or at best on old school benches and an early 20th Century style blackboard (possibly donated by Rotary). Correct? Last week, Vandy S Kamara demonstrated to us that just one man with serious determination can make a massive difference (see report above).

Now, I don’t for a moment suggest that those Rotary programs, which supply material, financial support and sometimes human resources, are not worthwhile. Are they ever! There is only one way to improve the lives of the impoverished people regardless of where they live and that’s Education. Starting with basic literacy and numeracy, it is indeed the only way. With Rotary’s concept of having a partner at the recipient’s end, our efforts also have a much higher chance of success. This generally is the policy of The Rotary Foundation, as well as – closer to home – the rule of Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS).

But what about right here? the largest national peak body for adult and community education, Adult Learning Australia, published an OECD survey that found some 44% of adult Australians “lack the literacy skills required in everyday life. Of these, 1 in 7 (14% !!) have literacy levels which are so low they struggle with everyday tasks.” With numeracy skills, it is even worse. Is it because we are not spending enough of our taxes on Education? Personally, I don’t really think so. It goes much deeper than that. [Disclaimer: This is the author’s personal view and may not represent that of Rotary. Ed.]

It is not Rotary’s task to set Education Policy. But perhaps we could become involved in old fashioned Community Service. Remember? "In the olden days", Community Service used to be a Club Directorship all by itself. And perhaps we could arrange (or cooperate with) local adult learning projects, to the benefit of (now) adults who recognise the errors of their younger days?

Last Wednesday's Guest Speaker: Vandy S Kamara

Vandy Kamara is approved and endorsed by our District as a candidate for the Rotary Peace Fellowship program. Last Wednesday, we had the pleasure of hosting Vandy to talk to us about his own, personal charity to provide schooling to underprivileged children in his native Sierra Leone, a country with a population of some 7 Million in West Africa. Like many countries in the region, Sierra Leone suffered from Civil War, major health issues including Polio. "I saw a lot of atrocities" he mentioned laconically. Vandy, who works at Wesley Mission Queensland caring for homeless people in various areas all the way to Katherine in the Northern Territory, emigrated to Australia some 10 years ago. Talking about applying the proverbial Aussie "Have a go" principle! He holds numerous academic achievements, including a Master of Public Health and an Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management. But that is not what he came to talk to us about...

Primarily it was about his charity, the Sonjor Community School which he founded in 2012. Its Mission Statement is 'To provide education and other related services for girls, that will lead to empowerment and sustainable livelyhood'. Another major underlying objective: 'To delay the prevailing early child marriages

A big trailer load of bicycle tyres go to recycling

As we are "re-purposing" old bicycles to become Rough Terrain Wheelchairs, we remove the tyres from Aluminium wheels which become valuable recycling metal. Over time, the tyres pile up! On Friday, your Editor and four helpers loaded our big tandem trailer (10' x 6' x 4') to the rim with old bicycle tyres and took them to Molectra Technologies in Loganholme. They recyle any tyres and make other products ranging from rubber sleepers, rubber mats all the way to punching bags. Check their website. Molectra has offered to wave the usual $1 fee per tyre - thank you John Dobozy! Photo shows our volunteers who helped loading and unloading at the destination (from left): John Hall, Bryan Tuesley, Ray Drowley, John Dobozy (MD of Molectra) and Don Ferguson.

This Wednesday 2nd Sept: Vandy S Kamara

Ray Higgs, District Chair of the Rotary Peacebuilding & Conflict Prevention committee, has organised a speaker who is a candidate for this program.

Vandy S Kamara came to Australia 10 years ago from his native country, the civil war torn Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa. He lived a great part of his life in 'Internally Displaced Peoples' camps [what a euphemism! Ed.] and various refugee camps. This gave him a strong belief in humanity and education. Vandy started his own Foundation, largely financed from his own savings. It started with providing water points for communities, funding vaccination for children and later a community school, which now has an enrolment of some 380 pupils.

Vandy currently works with Wesley Mission Queensland, supporting homeless people, young people and their families in the Logan to Ipswich region.

Welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Johnny Bueti!

Last Wednesday, Johnny Bueti, who is the General Manager of Go Transit Media Group, became our "newest" member (although not new to Rotary - he transferred from the Burleigh Heads club to be closer to his work place). Picture (from left) PDG Darrell Brown, Johnny Bueti, President Charles Thomasson. Welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Johnny!

The GOYA principle

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 17, 2020

Forgive me if I mentioned this before: Maintaining and expanding our membership is the responsibility of every member, not just the committee.

But perhaps we should look at some reasons why it is perceived that, in today’s world, there is less interest in joining a Service Club such as Rotary. Then, think about how we are going to address these reasons. Some may be real, but most are imagined.

Lack of resources. Because of dues and other commitments, membership in clubs has a financial cost that not everybody can afford, especially during hard economic times.
Lack of time. Life and work pressure keep people busy; membership in clubs may take too much time for some, especially under the traditional weekly meeting format.
Less prestige. Membership in Rotary may not have today the same prestige that it once had.
Less professional networking opportunities. Membership may not bring the same professional networking benefits as it did in the past, or at least there are now more alternative ways to network professionally.
Lack of vitality and size. Some clubs may not look attractive to younger generations; they may not be as vibrant as they used to be, especially when they are very small. [I don't really think we have this problem - I'd challenge anyone to tell me that Surfers Sunrise is not vibrant! But perhaps this is one of the best kept secrets on the Gold Coast!]
Lack of interest in community service. This last factor is controversial, and personally I don’t believe that there has been a reduction over time in interest in service work, but some have suggested that this also has contributed to membership loss.

So, how are you going to address this? This Wednesday, we'll "formally" meet two new members who transferred from Burleigh Heads club to be closer to their place of work. Whilst that in itself is significant, what is even more interesting is that of these two members are below 40! That much for “today’s young people… etc etc”! Further, our club's recent decision to cater for 'Corporate Membership' certainly can assist! But you need to start. Several decades ago, in a sales training manual, I came across the expression of the 'GOYA principle'. Many of you know what the acronym stands for. OK, if you don't, feel free to ask me! It's still as relevant today as it always was.

Flat out at first COVID period Sausage Sizzle

On Saturday, we had our first 'COVID period' Sausage Sizzle fundraiser at Bunnings Southport. We were very lucky with the weather - after all, it was expected to rain all day, and all we got were some very brief showers. Certainly nothing that would keep our customers away! Excellent result, this time also the first time with Credit Card facilities - thanks to Mark Twyford for lending us his gear! Photo shows the first shift (07:30 - 09:30): from left: John Chirio (2 shifts), Ray Higgs, Angus Miller (3), Mitch Brown, Larry Murray, and capably supervised by Bunnings staff member Debbie. Other shifts were crewed by Andy & Robby Bell (2), Col Laurenson, President Charles Thomasson (2), Gerald East, Neil Thurlow, Simon Brook, Geoff Croad, Karen Holland, Doug Lipp and your Editor (2).

Special appreciation to Bunnings for their professional planning of this fundraising opportunity to ensure we conform to COVID laws and regulations, as well as for providing all the equipment and marquees and one of their staff for the entire day to assist us with compliance. Community organisations need to raise funds to enable them to operate. A sincere thank you!

This Wednesday 12th August: Social meeting

This coming Wednesday, 12th August, we'll have a social meeting, downstairs at the Surfers Paradise Surf Club Bistro.

Also, we need a few more people at this Saturday's Bunnings Sausage Sizzle. Contact Angus Miller or Geoff Croad to find out which slots are still open.

Good roll-up on Saturday at the Project Shed

"Many hands make light work" is the old saying... Well, last Saturday, Wheelchair Trust chief Larry Murray's call to help moving timber and other gear, destined for the X-Ray Unit in Vanuatu, was answered by a good number of members. Some came early, so by 9:30 am, the job was done and we all settled in for a bacon, sausage, egg and onion brunch, cooked by 'Onion King' Angus Miller with his usual competence. Picture, from left: at rear: Karen Holland, Paul Seymour, Darrell Brown, Mitch Brown. Front: Ray Higgs, Geoff Croad, President Charles Thomasson, John Chirio, Andy Bell. Also helping were Col Laurenson, Franz Huber and Immediate Past President Mario Fairlie [did you know that he buys his shoes to match the colour of his car? See picture right, taken by your Editor just in time before he closed the door...☺]

If you throw enough spaghetti against a wall...

In his inaugural District Governor’s newsletter last month, DG Andy Rajapakse announced a “crazy big goal” to grow District Membership to 1,400. According to our District Website, we’ve had 1,208 members at the end of June. So, the goal is an increase of 192 members, or 16%, or about 4 members per club on average. But if we used the End of May total of 1,297 members, we’d only require 103 new members, or just 8%, or 2 members per club. Actually, hadn’t we lost any of the 200 members who left over the last 12 months… well, we’d be there already!

“So, where are you going with this??” I hear you ask, “it’s normal to have a steep reduction in membership at the end of the Rotary year!” Normal? Sure, some of the 200 we lost may have left because they moved away. Some were called “to higher service”. But, the bulk of them decided that Rotary simply wasn’t “their thing”, not worth their time, effort and expense.

In business, losing a major account rings alarm bells. And unless they went bust, sold out or died, most likely it’s because they found your opposition more attractive. Your responsibility really. So what do you do? You go out to look for

John Paul Langbroek presents at Surfers Sunrise

Last Wednesday, our local State Parliamentarian for Surfers Paradise John-Paul Langbroek presented at our club. “JP”, as he is affectionately known to the locals (and with an electoral margin of over 20%, he is obviously very popular), gave a brief yet informative talk about his work of representing the people of his electorate. He particularly talked about his work as Shadow Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2032 Candidature, as Shadow Minister Sport and Racing (that suits me well, quipped Chairman Doug Lipp, who is a well known identity in the Horse Racing game… ☺). But most people would not be aware: He is an Honorary Rotarian (with the Rotary Club of Gold Coast). “I’m proud to be a Rotary Member” John-Paul iterated, “particularly now that the attendance rules have been relaxed, I’m able to participate”.

Recently, JP indeed was active in one of our club’s project, the ‘Sleeping Sanctuary’ (POD), where he met with Immediate Past President Mario Fairlie, Councillor Darren Taylor and others to address the important problem of homelessness on the Gold Coast. “This is not an easy problem to address”, he elaborated, “some people do not wish to be in permanent accommodation”. Of course, it’s not just

This Saturday 8th August: Big job at the Shed

Project Shed Chief Larry Murray needs helpers this Saturday morning: Starting at 08:30 am (or earlier if you like), we need as many able bodied helpers as possible at the shed, so if any Rotarians know people like this perhaps they could encourage them to come. We will be shifting the lumber from the workshop to the 40’ container. Some of the larger planks weigh as much as 50 Kg, necessitating a 2 man/woman lift; well within the capacity of the average fit Australian. Once again this may involve our trusty Rotarians seeking the help of younger family members. This may necessitate the passage of some gratuities in the form of bribes or suitable inducements.

Should the members feel able to avail themselves for this task we recommend the following precautions should be followed to minimise the possibility of personal injury and/ or embarrassment.

Please bring heavy duty gloves to avoid splinters, before putting on the gloves make sure nasal passages and other orifices are clear of debris, as excavations will not be possible whilst gloved up and in mid lift.
Please wear suitable clothing, no bell bottom trousers high heeled shoes jewellery or loose clothing (flamboyant scarfs, flashy silk handkerchiefs or cummerbunds ) anyone with cross dressing tendencies will be restricted to making the tea.
Suitable footwear is essential. Carpet slippers are a no go, the shed has a pair of heavy steel toed boots available, it may be necessary to share these, those with foot issues should in fairness to fellow Rotarians avoid exposing others to any contagious foot or feet conditions.
Do not partner with a person stronger than yourself.
Have about your person any pertinent medical details together with information on next of kin and details of any money bequeathed to the shed. ☺
Please do not expect any financial reward, like most good things you do, it is best to be discrete, in the hope of a reward in the afterlife, if there is one (for those over 60 this is a good time to hedge your bets)

The work should only take 2 or 3 hours and will include light refreshments and interesting conversation.

Chris Thurtell gets special pin created by the YE Students

by PDG Darrell Brown - Current District 9640 Youth Program Chair)

When I first proposed Chris Thurtell for membership to our club he indicated that he was interested in helping Youth. That became an understatement this year! Not only did he help Youth in our club but he took on the Chair of the Youth Exchange Program for the District 4 years ago. This year tested his skills.

Over the time of his tenure he transformed the Youth Exchange Program with his caring attitude & dedication. Chris retired from the District Chair position last December and when his intended replacement was unable to fill his shoes, I was asked to take over the role until the end of the Rotary year. Thank goodness for Chris’s sense of responsibility. When I rang Chris for a briefing he said that he would stay in the role as it would take too long & be too difficult to become acquainted with the role for such a short time. Then COVID-19 struck. YEP became a minefield of problems dealing with countries closing down programs, arranging a safe environment for students & the logistical nightmare of getting students home.

Chris deserves a medal and he got one. He was awarded his first Paul Harris Fellow at the District Changeover a week ago in recognition for what he has achieved & the tumultuous time he has been through. The unfortunate aspect of all of this is that Chris has resigned from Rotary. I understand his feelings. His role was such an intense commitment to the Youth of our District that he needs a break from Rotary. He is exhausted. He hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to the fold in a year’s time but he needs to concentrate on his own family, his new job & to regain equilibrium.

$28,000 added to Malaria Vaccine Project fund

Many many moons ago (June 2017 to be exact), Dr Danielle Stanisic - see picture left - presented at our club on a major project at the local campus of Griffith University, aimed a developing a vaccine to eradicate Malaria. Over the past 12 months, this was also the 'District Governor's Partner' project; Shauna Bolton raised $18,965. In addition to that, it was suggested that people who were entitled to a refund of pre-payments for the cancelled District Conference donate it instead. This raised another $9,065, making the total over $28,000 for the year.

PDG Graham Jones, who is the chairman of the Malaria Vaccine Project, expressed his delight in a recent letter to (now) Past DG Harry & Shauna Bolton. The project, which also attracted a grant of $500,000 from the Federal Government, is now in its 'Phase 1 - clinical trials in a non-endemic country' - yes! Australia. Read more about it on their website.

By the way: Did you know that Dr Stanisic was sponsored by Rotary to attend the National Youth Science Forum, to which our recent guest Briana Dorrough (see bulletin of 29/07/20) also aspires to. Yes, Rotary sponsoring Youth works!

Ray Krebs, NBNCo: Getting the best out of your NBN

Ray Krebs’ official title is ‘Community Ambassador’. [Yes, it is, but nowhere near as much as what Microsoft calls a product specialist who is employed to spread their word: they are called ‘Evangelist’…☺ Ed.] Ray joined us via Zoom from Brisbane. He started off by giving us a brief introduction: NBNCo is a wholesaler, meaning they only do business with Phone and Internet Providers. It is owned by the Federal Government. Ultimately, the National Broadband Network will replace most of the existing landline based phone as well as internet services.

Ray outlined the various ways to connect (fixed line, WiFi, Mobile Internet - e.g. a “dongle”). Did you know that in Australia the average household consumes about 258 GB of data per month? Viewing habits have changed – real time video streaming directly to your Smart TV now dominates as the No 1 data consumption. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon: between 2012 and 2019 consumption has increased by 820%! Anything else you can connect? Yes, you can have Smart Power Points, Smart Light Globes, Smart Fridges, Security Cameras, Watering Systems, temperature controlled toilet seats which also will

The 10,000th Wheelchair loaded for despatch

On Saturday morning we loaded the 10,000th 'ROUGH TERRAIN' WHEELCHAIR despatched to various developing countries. It is destined for Honiara, Solomon Islands. Picture (by Angela Thomasson) shows some of our regular volunteers at our Project Shed, with Des La Rance (holding up the box), who has been the driving force behind the program since the mid nineties and our logistics guru Col Laurenson (in Hi-Vis Vest in front) "holding it up". Expect more "official" celebrations following later in the year! More photos in Photo Album section on the right.

Qld Correctional Services Wheelchair Video

How often do you hear something truly positive coming from a prison? Most of you would be aware of the long standing relationship we have with Palen Creek Correctional Centre, where inmates have been engaged in manufacturing wheelchairs from discarded bicycles for quite a number of years. So far, they have made over 2000 of them. Recently, Queensland Correctional Services posted a brief video online of this program. Click here to view it.

By the way: this most precious wheelchair (picture right) was painted by one of their inmates. No, it's not for sale! ☺

Testing the new BBQ at the Project Shed

OK, so besides the wheelchairs work they have the PODs as well as the X-Ray unit for Vanuatu projects running, so there certainly isn't a case for "nothing to do". But our brand new Bar-be-que needs to be tested before it is going to be used for many major events coming up in the next few months! From left: Bryan Tuesley, President Charles Thomasson, Ian Mayberry, Terry Donovan, Larry Murray. (Photo by Al Sirovs)

This Wednesday 15th July: Changeover at Edgewater

This coming Wednesday 15th July we have our Changeover Breakfast, at Edgewater Dining on the Isle of Capri. If you have not already booked, do it now - click on this link. The annual Changeover Report is on the website - see right hand side; of course there will also be some hard copies there on Wednesday morning.

And it won't just be any old Rotary breakfast: we will be joined by some high calibre dignitaries - check this: District Governor Andy Rajapakse and the newly elected Councillor for Division 10, Darren Taylor. And lots of our partners have already booked too!

All details are on the booking site. See you Wednesday morning! Don't forget to book - bookings close Monday night. Remember: opens at 07:15 for 07:30 start.

President Charles Thomasson: My vision for 2020-21

In "normal" times, the statement "we'll have more of the same we had in the last year" would not be the most inspiring articulation of a leader's vision. Unless one knows that the year just gone, under Immediate Past President Mario Fairlie, has been not "just good", it was "real good"! At our first 'formal' meeting for the new Rotary year, incoming President Charles Thomasson outlined his overall aims. There isn't much purpose me listing them here; much easier if you download his PowerPoint (see Download Section on the right), where all his individual goals are outlined.

But the major segments certainly bear mentioning specifically:

Rotary in Australia will this year celebrate its 100th Anniversary. This in itself is a major milestone, but we are going to combine this with
Delivery of our 10,000th Wheelchair: in August 1997 we delivered the first 10 wheelchairs to Fiji, which was filmed and broadcast on Channel Nine's 'A Current Affair'. Our aim is to get Ray Martin, who was that program's host at the time, to participate in a special event to celebrate this major achievement.
The 'Sleeping Sanctuary' (PODs) is a definite goer. The aim is to involve all the clubs in Cluster 7
The X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu, a joint project with the Rotary Clubs of Broadbeach and Gold Coast which commenced in the previous year, is destined to be delivered and installed in June 2021
Youth programs (RYDA, RYTS, RYPEN etc), including the 'Lutzy Award' will continue, and so will other programs such as the Excellence in Workmanship Award
Some old, some new ideas in relation to fundraising, membership retention and development will be employed

So, download the PowerPoint and look at the details. Be assured, there won't be any boredom for our members, certainly no such thing as "I don't have anything to do!". In other words: Be involved!

RI Honolulu Convention: hardly anyone was there... ☺

Last Saturday week (20^th June), the Rotary International Convention opened in Honolulu. Except that hardly anyone was there… You see, just like our District Conference, dozens of AFL and Rugby matches and ordinary club meetings, also this event could not be held physically. Modern technology allows the life streaming of the conference and this was the first ever where anyone could attend – free of charge! However, not everyone has the time (or inclination) to spend the better part of a week sitting at their computer, particularly if one of the most attractive components of any conference is missing: the coffee breaks, the lunches and dinners which allow you to network with fellow Rotarians from all over.

Enter ‘Post Conference Streaming’. The whole lot is up on Youtube. You can watch the whole lot, or just selective segments. Even better: not meaning to be derogatory, but you can fast forward or skip what I (in streamed business seminars) used to call ‘Corporate Gumph’… Even better: if a speaker speaks (in your view) too slowly, you can run the video at 1.5 speed or even double speed. How good is that!

Click here to access the opening session on Saturday 20^th June. Whatever you do, don’t fast forward past the contribution of the Australian Pop Opera Quartet ‘Aria’, dedicating a Rotary version of the popular song The Prayer (think of Andrea Bocelli with Céline Dion) starting at 0:59:00. Now, just in case it sounds somewhat weird: you probably need to set playing speed back to 'Normal'... ☺

Pimpama Fix-ed College designs wheelchair improvements

Surfers Sunrise Rotary's Projects are going beyond the international community: Fix-ed College, a project of the Pimpama State Secondary College, is cooperating with our Wheelchairs Project to design improvements. Teachers Stephen Robinson and Dwayne Scicluna run it to inculcate their students in both design and physical work. Well worth your while to

jump to their website to learn more about it. Here are a couple of photos (by Stephen Robinson): a draft design, a student is using a acetylene torch to cut it out.

Plenty more photos in the Photo Album on the right!

Support Neil Thurlow's ride for MS

He is pedalling like mad - he is almost there! Just another 100 Km to go, and he'll make it easily. And it also looks like he is getting some support, including a few from our club. So, don't hesitate to pull out your Credit Card and pledge a few dollars to his very worthwhile target to support Multiple Scleroris.

Our indefatigable printer extraordinaire, Neil Thurlow, is cycling 400 Km in lieu of the usual 'Brissie to the Bay' event, which due to COVID had to be cancelled. This is a fundraiser in support of MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Click here to go directly to his website, or click on the image, or download the full brochure from the Download Section on the right.

Neil will organise something similar to raise funds for our various Rotary projects. Stay tuned!

Broadbeach Rotarians help with X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu

On Saturday, we had 4 Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Broadbeach at the Project Shed, busily painting trusses destined for Vanuatu. Picture (by Al Sirovs) shows Harold Bush and Neil Jones, with Broadbeach President Dr Graham Sivyer and Uwe Seifert out of the picture...! Thank you, fellows! For those of you who have come in late: The X-Ray Unit for Pentecost Island, Vanuatu is a joint project between the Rotary Clubs of Broadbeach and Surfers Sunrise. Pre-manufacturing has commenced recently at our Project Shed in Arundel.

Peter Morgan: Man behind the Badge

Some of our members simply keep under the radar… I wanted to find a picture of Peter on the web – there isn’t anything! How good is it then to get a bit of a deeper insight into the life of one of our Charter Members. Some of us would have known that he currently holds the position of Corporate Solicitor at Suncorp, the largest listed company in Queensland. Some would know that he is a family man through and through. But did we know of his extensive community service, outside of Rotary, with the Catholic Church’s Finance Board, or with the Life Education organisation?

His law career goes back to the early 1980’s, when he was a partner at Rapp Hickey & Morgan on Short Street in Southport. Peter elaborated on multiple projects: One of his major clients, Ron McMaster, was one of the largest Hi-Rise developers on the Gold Coast. A large number of houses in a target area would be bought up (sometimes at outrageous prices, such as a $200,000 house on the land where Bayview Harbour was to be built, for $600,000. Concurrently, public road closures resulted in crown land being converted to freehold. Apartments in the proposed development were sold off the plan, sometimes as far as two years ahead of the completion of construction. 10% deposit would secure a title; the obvious idea was to “flick it on”. Peter recalled one development where there were units that were re-sold as much as 8 times before completion! Profits of as much as $100,000 were realised. And that was before the Capital Gains Tax was introduced. Then, once the building was completed, settlement for all units was to be on the same day! Not just a massive project, also a massive legal job!

On to ‘Family’… He married Helen in their mid twenties and by 1986 there had two boys and a girl, all under the age of 3… Peter recalled with nostalgia when back in those days, the Sergeant would fine him with monotonous regularity for being ‘last in the door’. Well, having to help organising breakfast and getting the kids to school would explain that! Our Club Member/Trophy-Maker Barry Manteit (remember him?) even got him a special trophy ‘Just on Time’… Forward to 2010: the two sons married. Another 10 years on and there are 9 grandchildren! “So when they visit, the house is converted into a child care centre”.

Obviously, Peter enjoyed a high level of respect and trust in his church. In the mid eighties he was invited to join the Surfers Paradise Catholic Church’s Finance Board. Its task is to guide the parish priest and make decision on a wide range of finance aspects, including the decision on what to do if a Church – come Community Centre, such as the one in Surfers Paradise was, is to be renovated or whether a new church complex is to be built. Such was the case when by 1986 the new Catholic Church and primary school was built on 10 Hectares on Fairways Drive, opposite the Golf Course. Contrast this with the Broadbeach/Mermaid Beach Church, sitting on one acre on Hedges Avenue: where a 400 m2 block on the other side of the street sells for about $5 Million, do you sell and build somewhere else or stay? Big deliberations, big decisions, an awful lot of footwork.

Finally to Life Education: Peter’s involvement started in 1985. It was started in 1979 by Ted Noffs (of Safe Injection Rooms fame) started the movement. The principle is simple: Prevention is better than cure. Ted convinced two of Peter’s legal clients, Ron McMaster and Brian Ray to establish a Life Education Centre on the Gold Coast, based on the successful model employed in Sydney. A ‘Peppercorn Lease’ was established on Council Land. At the time, in 1986, in excess of $1 Million of work was performed Pro-bono. Peter joined the Management Committee on establishment in 1987 and 5 years ago was appointed its Chairman. The organisation, which employs some 50 staff, teaches Nutrition and the importance of healthy activity, Cyber Safety, respectful relationships and advises on legal and illegal drugs, including tobacco and alcohol. A staggering number of some 200,000 children are visited by Life Education every year. Funding used to come from the Queensland Government – until Labor came to power, when “the tap was initially turned off”. (Luckily, it has been re-instated in recent years.) Fortunately, a benefactor bequeathed $1.2 Million, which was used to establish a ‘Regular Giving’ scheme. Today, they have some 6,300 donors who regularly contribute.

There was of course much more in Peter’s presentation than can be written up in the limited space of a club bulletin. Hearing his outline emphasises the fact that one of Rotary’s overriding concept is Vocational Excellence and Leadership. There is no doubt that Peter has, in his 33 years of membership, indeed lived up to that premise.

Photo above: Peter showed us ‘Healthy Harold’, the 2^nd most recognised mascot after Ronald McDonald.

Guess what's on on 4th July? Guess who is...

It was going to happen in April, but COVID came in-between. Angus Miller is again organising a "Guess who is coming to Dinner?" event. This is a great social evening with an air of mystery as neither the guests nor hosts know who is attending, respectively who will host. Gus advises that he has the volunteer hosts already set up, but would like a "reserve host", just in case we get more people participating than we expect. Regardless of whether you are hosting or not, he will need final numbers of attendees so we can make sure that we have enough hosts. Note: it is an 'impromptu, minimal fuss' affair: if you are hosting and you are an accomplished chef and want to show it off: by all means, slave over a hot stove and cook a five course dinner! At the other end of the scale, simply have a bar-be-que or some take-away pizza. Or anything in-between! The principal purpose is to have a great night!

For those who have not attended one of these dinners before: Firstly, you will all gather at a particular address (will remain secret until we get closer to the event) for a drink & nibble. The hosts' addresses for the evening will then be allocated, who will then make their way to that address for the dinner. Each host will have nominated the number of guests they would like, but they will not know who will come to dinner, nor will the guests know who else will be at that given address. The food is provided by the hosts, for which the guests will contribute $15 per person and provide their own drinks [and perhaps have a spare bottle for the hosts too..! Ed] . The menu is entirely at the whim of the host, anything from caviar to take-away Chinese.

Angus needs to know who will be participating by this Wednesday 24th June. Please register your interest directly with him via email agjpmiller@gmail.com, advising how many people will participate and whether you can be a "Reserve Host".

Presentation of Certificates of Appreciation

Last Saturday morning, President Mario Fairlie presented a number of Certificates of Appreciation to people who were instrumental in providing their goods and services to the Project Shed. Here are some:

Neil Aitkenhead, Premier Timber & Trusses: (above left) Neil's company not only provided the material for the Trusses for our Vanuatu project at no charge, they also manufactured them at their factory in Arundel and delivered them at no charge! Thank you!

John Dodozy, Molectra Technologies: (above right) All the bicycles we collect to make wheelchairs with come with tyres, which we cannot use, nor can we dispose of them at the tip. John's company has a patented technology to recycle the tyres. He has by now collected several hundreds of them! Thank you!

Brian Ross, Diesel Services Queensland: (below left)Brian's company recently provided a big truck at no charge to deliver a 40' container to our Project Shed. It will be used to ship the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu. Thank you!

(below right) Mario also provided two certificates to recognise the services of Graeme and Jed Stanyer, who are instrumental in collecting the 'Containers for Cash' at Geoff Croad's residential complex. Regrettably, the gentlemen were unable to be present on Saturday morning, so Mario presented them this Monday morning.

Other certificates awaiting to be presented are for AB Crane Hire and Sinclair Containers.

New Wheelchair Fundraising Poster

The print design magicians at Neil Thurlow's Accent Print & Copy have again created a new poster, designed to raise funds for our Wheelchairs Project! It is in our Download Section on the right. Thank you, great design!

Project Shed reorganisation on full steam

Well, just have a look at this! If you knew what the shed looked like before, you'd hardly recognise it! Won't be long before we are ready for full production mode again.

Further to that, here is a brief outline from President Elect Charles Thomasson, referring to the recent meeting of the Wheelchair Trust's Board:

The Trustees of the Wheelchair Trust and President Mario met last Thursday. Did you know that the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Project is on target to ship our 10,000 Wheelchair in the 100^th Year of Rotary in Australia? A wonderful achievement by all those involved. As such, the main focus of the meeting was to discuss the distribution of our current stock of over 400 manufactured wheelchairs and how to work with other Rotary Clubs to best get them to those most in need - we look forward to updating the Club soon. We also look forward to Wheelchairs being manufactured from ‘The Shed’ for many years to come.

Angie Bell - MP for Moncrieff

Great to have our local Member for Moncrieff, Angie Bell joining us on Wednesday morning for our regular On-Line club meeting.

Interestingly, Angie was a Rotary Exchange Student to Denmark in 1986. “This will tell you how old I am” she quipped [we know that anyway; your Bio is plastered all over the Federal Parliament’s website! ☺ Ed]. “Rotary Exchange changed my life” Angie enthused, “even though I haven’t been able to get a lot of use out of my Danish skills”. Angie outlined the importance of foreign aid. Bangladesh (where in the past we have sent some wheelchairs to) has some 900,000 Rohingya refugees who walked across the border from Myanmar. The Australian Government sponsored ‘Safe the Children’. “Amazing what can be done with quite a small amount of money” Angie said, “I think we are talking about approximately $160 Million for this humanitarian crisis. To put it into perspective: this is only about 1.7 Km of Light Rail… ” [☺ Ed.] She mentioned that another reason why we spend that money is that that region is quite important to Australia’s national security (Angie is on the Defence and Veteran Affairs Backbench Committee and also has defence history in her family).

In relation to Covid-19: In the early stages, Angie put together a ‘Community Cabinet’, consisting of leaders of various community and multi-cultural groups on the central Gold Coast. Among others, District Governor Elect Andy Rajapakse is one of the members. Angie emphasised how very important it is that everyone is downloading the Covid Safe App to our smartphones. Angie outlined in detail why it is important. In essence: should somebody become infected, other people who might have been in contact with that person can be traced.

There is little doubt as to where Angie stands when it comes to getting the Gold Coast’s economy back on its feet: she forcefully called for the Queensland border to be re-opened. Alas, so far all the meetings she and her fellow “movers and shakers” on the Gold Coast have had with the representatives of the Queensland State Government seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

Naturally, there would be so much else to elaborate on and to discuss. It is quite uncommon in our club that a speaker is allowed to substantially go over the allotted time, but with Angie we simply lost track of time! You can find out lots more on her website https://AngieBell.com.au – simply click on the Help menu. Angie’s presentation has been recorded on Zoom. A link was sent out to all members – if you require a link, please email the Webmaster. To sum it up: I’m sure I speak for all members when I state that we all much enjoyed her refreshingly open and uncomplicated manner of keeping us up to date on what happens in Canberra and how she is fighting for the betterment of the Gold Coast. By the way: Did you know that for quite some time, she was a professional Musician? Next time, we much hope that circumstances will allow us to insist that she brings her Saxophone along!

Containers for Change: Our Accounts

In view of the Wheelchair Trust Deed's fairly strict limitations (money donated can only be spent on materials for wheelchairs and nothing else, not even for the shipment to their destination), we have registered an alternative account for Containers for Change. If you deposit your empties directly, and wish to donate the proceeds to the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club - General Account, please use this account code:

C10262571

(The account for the Wheelchair Trust is also still active: use C10199443 instead).

So, keep your soft drink bottles, stubby bottles, aluminium cans, milk cartons etc. As a general rule, most drink containers between 150ml and 3L can be returned for a refund under Queensland's container deposit scheme. Containers should be empty, unbroken, the lid removed and display a 10-cent refund marking on the label. Something like the image (right), but many others are simply marked as suitable for recycling. Note: they must NOT be crushed. See image above what is and what is not accepted. For details of what can / cannot be returned for cash, and where the locations are, click on this link.

Working bee at the Project Shed

Last week, we had working bees on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at the Project Shed. The main purpose is to re-organise the shed to have more working space. This will be achieved by moving the shelving to the outer walls and relocate the finished wheelchairs into the 40' container which was recently delivered. Thank you to all members and volunteers who participated: Larry Murray, Angus Miller, Franz Huber, John Hall, Geoff Croad, Al Sirovs, Des La Rance, Bryan Tuesley, John Chirio, Darrell Brown, Laurie Roberts, Andy Bell, Paul Seymour and Charter President Bill Moir. Good to see you still active in Surfers Sunrise, Bill! More photos in the Photo Album on the right.

(Photo by Al Sirovs - maintaining Social Distance: everyone would if the other guy wields an angle grinder...! ☺)

Roof Trusses for Vanuatu project arrive

Last week, Paul from Premier Timber & Trusses rolled up at the Project Shed with a load of trusses, destined for the X-Ray Unit at Pentecost Island, Vanuatu. Important to mention: the company not only donated the timber but also delivered it free of charge. Thank you!

Photo (by Geoff Croad) shows how things are done in modern times, with their lifting crane built onto the truck. How good is modern technology!

Maggie Twyford: Volunteering with Misión México

Some young people, to get a “challenging overseas trip”, go for a week to Bali. The more adventurous ones go to London. Our Guest Speaker Maggie Twyford, after 4 ½ years as a Junior Officer in the Australian Navy, decided she needed something a bit more outside the square. So she volunteered with Misión México, in Tapachula (population ~320,500), a border town close to Guatemala. The mission was founded in 2000 by Pam and Alan Skuse, a couple from the Sunshine Coast. Designed not to be an institution but a family home, Misión México caters for about 30 – 40 children and young adults on a permanent basis. Most of the children are orphaned or, in Maggie’s eloquently understated expression, “can’t be adopted”. The organisation includes a Community Outreach program, Education Scholarships, Life Skill Training, Work Training, English and swimming lessons. Plus ‘Misión Surf’ – yes, a surfing school. Their funding is entirely based on donations, which go directly to the organisation.

Just why would one choose Misión México? “They encourage long term volunteering and they are inexpensive compared to others (3000 Pesos, or about A$300) over 5 months, which includes accommodation and meals” Maggie explained. Further, the organisation doesn’t participate in the problematic industry of “Voluntourism”. Voluntourism? A modern term for ‘normalising’ access

Additional 40' container arrives at the Project Shed

Last Monday, at the Project Shed an additional 40 foot container from Sinclair Containers was installed, for the principal purpose of temporary storage of goods while the shed is re-organised (see last week's bulletin). A special big Thank You! to AB Crane Hire, who provided one of their humongous mobile cranes at no charge to lift the container off the truck and place it in position, and Diesel Services Queensland, who transported it free of charge. Very much appreciated!

So, whom would you consider to be the greatest?

On the weekend, the passing away of Little Richard made the news on just about all channels. ("Little Who??" I hear the younger ones among you yell out…) Well, let me tell you: he was one of the greatest! OK, I might be betraying my age now, but just to put you straight: I don’t just listen to 50’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, I was a fan of Pink Floyd long before the Dark Side of the Moon! Groan. Yup, another one from the Boomer period... Oh, well, still betraying my age then, I guess… OK then, so whom do you think is the greatest entertainer of the last 100 years? I would imagine your responses to be highly predictable and relative to your age: Satchmo, Bing Crosby, Sinatra. JOK, Kamal, Barnsie, Farnham, Olivia, Kylie, Acca Dacca. Delta. Justin Bieber. SAINt Jhn …

What the heck has all this got to do with Rotary? Well, let me stretch your brain: excluding our founder Paul Harris and Arch Klump (the founder of The Rotary Foundation), whom would you consider the greatest Rotarian of the last 100 years? ---??--- Having a blank? But surely, in an organisation that covers over 200 countries and exceeds 1.2 million members, there must be somebody who pops up, who stands several heads taller than the rest? Come on, quick! We are an organisation that can organise the immunization of over 1 billion children and is within a whisker of reaching its target of eradicating Polio world wide. Surely we must have some all-time icons that are household names for everyone on the planet?

Yes, of course there would be. Hundreds and thousands of them. It’s just that they are not there for their own glory. There is no big media, no Spin department, no Grammy or Aria Awards. Is it relevant of whether a Rotarian is a fan of Opera, old crooners, Metallica, Muse or Funk? Not at all. But, to paraphrase Past Rotary International President Sir Clem Renouf: if you are a Rotarian, you have an organisation behind you that gives you, an ordinary person, the opportunity to do more with your life than you ever dreamed possible.

IMHO U R ovreacting

Posted by Franz Huber

So u thnk todays youth has gone too far? Or is it bcs u dont want to undrstd it? SWYP? OMG not anotr boomer whng about 2days youth? Got news: AFAIK txt is new nrml. In 2days fast wrld, KISS!

‘Good Lementio, who calls at the gate?

‘My lord, a woman without; her man is nothing.

‘Bid her enter then, and show her man to the livery.

But I digress… May is Youth Service Month. Throughout the world, Rotary clubs expend serious time, money and effort on Youth projects. Seeing that modern youth seems to mostly ignore convention on many fronts, are our hard raised funds really well spent?

Let’s go back another score years (well, almost): I recall, in 1983, being given a demonstration of that newfangled device, the facsimile machine. The salesman carefully placed the heavy $3,500 device (in 1984 dollars!) on a desk, laboriously connected it to a phone line, phoned his Sydney office to make sure they were ready to receive. He faxed one of our letterheads and 10 minutes later they faxed it back with a few added scribbles on it. My boss (then in his mid sixties) said: “No way! Who would spend that sort of money when you can buy a stamp and stick it in an envelope??”

Go back another generation. I studied for my Diploma of Commerce in Switzerland in the mid sixties. One of the “must master” items was correct formal business correspondence. Letters would start with “Sehr geehrter Herr [name]” (translated: Most honoured Mister [name]); this applied even if the addressee was anything but honourable. We young turks all rebelled about this ridiculously formal method of addressing but those were the rules. Today? Most emails start off with nothing but the first name, or, if you really want to be formal, Hi Jack, Hello John, Dear Mary…)

But what has changed very little over the decades, indeed over centuries, millennia, is leadership. Leadership can be learned. Leadership can be coached. Rotary’s Youth programs are just as important today as they have always been. The current COVID crisis has stopped (for the moment) MUNA, RYLA, RYPEN and a dozen other acronyms. But -pandemics permitting- next year’s National Youth Science Forum in 2021 is almost certainly going to happen, so will other Youth events. According to the ABS, our target demographic (aged 14 – 24), make up 14% of our population. That’s 3 ½ Million people. Without resorting to platitudes, it is our responsibility to help the generation following us to maximize their leadership potential. Yeah – u rely dont get how awesome an opp u provide to young ppl and u shud all b very proud of ur work!

Franz Huber

Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise Inc

Last Wednesday: PDG Ross Smith - Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture

Whenever we visit a famous city, we admire the cathedrals, the opera theatres, the museums, the palaces, and often not just the buildings from decades or centuries past. We might even exclaim 'How the heck did they build that??' But are we ever considering who was the Architect, whose brain and imagination conceived the design and then translated it into reality?

PDG Ross Smith, whose "real" career spans roughly 50 years of teaching and, as principal, managing High Schools, lists Architecture as one of his special interests. Ross' On-Line presentation last Wednesday revealed a deep love of this artistic profession. He picked one of the world's most famous Architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, as his subject. To give you an idea how famous: The UNESCO World Heritage last year added 7 buildings to its list. All of them were designed by him. "Architecture equals Form and Function, in our living and working lives" he is quoted as saying. 'Form' can be associated with 'Memorial', 'Function' as in 'Factory'. Ross recalled his assessment of the High School building, when he commenced work as Principal; it was anything but functional!

Over the next 20 minutes, Ross introduced us to a number of Wright's extraordinary designs. Of the commercial buildings, the most outstanding one would be the Guggenheim Museum On New York's 5th Avenue. It is not just round, it is a spiral, wider at the top than at the bottom! (see photo right of Ross on the inside) Click here for a 'walk-through'. And, keep in mind, this was designed and built a long time before Computer Aided Design (CAD); all done by slide rule and log tables. His private residence designs would be topped by 'Fallingwater', originally designed as... a holiday retreat! It is - literally - built over a waterfall. No garage, but 6 car ports...

In total, Wright designed over 500 buildings. Some designs are just a little bit unusual. For example, a grand piano was built into a wall where on the other side it hangs out above a hallway. Some buildings, such as the Hollihock House on Sunset Boulevard, on the one hand were outrageously expensive to build, yet have never been lived in!

Well, what can I say! This came from left field. I knew that Ross was a highly accomplished and respected High School Principal. But also very well read in Architecture? The depth, the knowledge of our fellow Rotarians never cease to amaze me.

Containers for Cash: are you in it?

Posted by Franz Huber

Some time ago, our "Minister for Everything" Geoff Croad has advised that he set up an account with 'Containers for Cash', which has so far has raised well over $1,100 for our Project Shed (Surfers Sunrise Wheelchairs Trust). Particularly now, when we cannot have fundraising events such as a Bunnings sausage sizzle, this would greatly help. So, why not collect the empties for us as well?

Our ID / Registration Code is

C10199443

but many others are simply marked as suitable for recycling. Note: they must NOT be crushed. See image above what is and what is not accepted. [No Henrietta, your wine bottles are not, but you still can recycle them in the yellow council bins...] How do you go about it? Very straight forward: click on this link www.envirobank.com.au/locations which will show you where you can drop your containers off, using the above Registration Code. That is also where you can pick up their orange coloured Envirobank bags, suitable for 50 containers. When you drop off your bag, simply use the above Registration Code. Make a note of it now. You have started setting all those containers aside, haven't you?

Be Someone for Someone Campaign

At last week's meeting, Past President Jo Winwood (now a member of RC of Byron Bay), brought one of her organisation's major projects to our attention. Appropriately named '1000 notes of friendship', the project aims to reduce loneliness, particularly for people who are in retirement and nursing homes. Write (best hand write) a note, a postcard or a letter to a 'mystery person' and post it (yes, by old fashioned snail mail) to Jo. This is to safeguard privacy. Below is Jo's summary. There is also a PDF in our Download Section (on the right) and their website, click here. This will also be discussed in more details in the upcoming meeting this coming Wednesday.

Help 1,000 of our most vulnerable seniors by making them feel less alone with a simple note of well wishes / friendship.

Be Someone for Someone is Aged Care provider, Feros Care’s initiative to tackle loneliness– and never has there been a greater need for our help. Right now, millions of vulnerable seniors in Australia are in self-isolation, with no visitors and no chance of leaving their home. We know that loneliness leads to anxiety, depression, chronic disease and worse. We want them to know that they matter, and we are thinking of them.

What you can do

Write a letter/note or card - leave the name section blank ( the part where you normally write "Dear" and Jo will personalise them for you.

Post the note to

1,000 Notes of Friendship Campaign
PO Box 585
Byron Bay
NSW 2481

The team at Be Someone For Someone will take care of the rest

PS: Include your address if you would like to encourage a response.

Now, is that a project worth supporting or not?

Snippets of last week's meeting 150420

Our first On-Line meeting with a Guest Speaker! ☺(see separate article). President Mario Fairlie welcomed all members. We also had some visitors: Joanne Winwood (our Past President, now member of RC of Byron Bay), Pat Fleming (RC of Ashmore, Steve Garfein (RC of Poulsbo, WA, USA), ), as well as three colleagues of Dr Trent Lipp, Dr David Walker, Dr Sanjay Dhupelia, Dr Sean Lowry. And last, but not least: our "disappeared" fellow Surfers Sunrise member Fred Hamblen, who joined us all the way from Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA. Good to hear you are still around, Fred! You are officially fined $100 for going AWOL - just deposit into our regular club bank account! ☺

On conclusion of our Guest Speaker, Dr Trent Lipp's presentation , President Mario invited Jo Winwood to talk about one of her projects of combating loneliness and isolation. This started well before COVID and Jo described it as 'a growing epidemic'. Do you know that it is estimated that 1 in 4 adults suffer loneliness? This then has massive consequences in both mental and physical health. Please see separate article in this bulletin on Jo's Project, which she has asked our club to become involved with. Overall, her project goes much further, but specifically, where Jo would like us to be involved in is for us to write to those people. She named it 'A Thousand Notes of Friendship' - click on this link to go to their website. There is also a PDF on our Download Section - see right side. (Note: this coming Wednesday's meeting, 22/04/2020, is dedicated to discuss this, among other topics). Jo also elaborated on her other project relating to 'Community Friendly Benches'. President Mario indicated that our club is very happy to be involved in this. One aspect of such a project is 'Sustainablity', e.g. that the facility is not only properly maintained, but that it is not ending up as a canvas for graffity or even an overnight sleeping bench. Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray confirmed that the volunteers are indeed able to build them, however, that finance needs to come from external sources. Jo confirmed that funding would be coming from her sources (Government as well as philanthropists).

Doug Lipp re-enforced Dr Trent Lipp's message that COVID vigilance is all important: Despite meticulously following precautions, one of his friends caught it, most likely from a neighbor who is an airline stewart. So, don't lower your defences!

National Youth Science Forum: looking for candidates

As we won’t be able to participate in RYLA & RYPEN this year, NYSF is a possible alternative at this stage. We need a student going into year 12 next year to participate. At this Monday's meeting, this was approved by our Board; we do have approximately $1800 that we would have expended with (then now cancelled) RYLA & RYPEN camps. This would cover more than half the cost of NYSF (with the parent contributing the other half) if we gained a successful student.

For full details, (District Website) click on this link - for the NYSF website click here: https://www.nysf.edu.au/

Please contact Youth Services Director Darrell Brown directly if you know of a suitable candidate.

Rotary volunteers make full face masks for health workers

Interesting post came up: As is the case all over the world, the USA also experiences a severe shortage of face masks, in particular those that shield the full face. Enter the Rotarians in District 5320 (Southern California). They organised the manufacturing of thousands of full face masks for their local health workers. Click here to view the post and watch a video.

Weekly fee, so we can meet the club's obligations

The COVID-19 situation has stopped any fund raising activities. Therefore, as mentioned in President Mario's message, a fee of $10.00 per week per member ($130.00 per quarter) is levied to ensure our club can meet its obligations. $5.00 of this goes towards the compulsory contributions to Rotary International, the District and for the Rotary Down Under magazine. We are also committed to contribute $100.00 per member per annum to The Rotary Foundation. The other $5.00 goes towards us purchasing Christmas presents for the underprivileged children, which we donate via St John's Crisis Centre.

To lighten the workload of our Treasurer, please do a direct deposit of $130.00 for this quarter (April - June 2020), directly into the club's bank account:

Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise Inc

BSB: 484-799

A/c: 047306431

Please ensure you put your name into the reference field.

Thank you.

Project Shed definitely remains closed for now

There seems to be some ambiguity, so let us make this totally clear: we much regret it, but the Project Shed needs to remain closed until the Government lifts the restrictions. We'll of course keep you all posted. Also, please feel free to contact us by phone or email if we can provide you with assistance, or if you simply would like to have a good ol' chinwag! ☺

Our inaugural On-Line meeting keeps us in touch

OK, it was 1st April, but this was not an April Fools joke; this was very real [can a virtual meeting can be described as real??]. At 07:30 this morning, some 18 members logged on and, while not quite as good as meeting in person at the Surf Club (my suggestion to my better half to put on a buffet of bacon, eggs, sausages and baked beanz fell on deaf ears...), certainly much better than not meeting at all! Some 18 members logged on - that much for the mistaken view that elderly gentlemen would be severely challenged by technology! The only one who seemed to have some issues was one of the "young 'uns", Simon Brook, whose Audio was all garbled up... ☺ We had apologies from Ray Higgs and Karen Holland, both already on building sites at 07:00. Some key points:

President Mario Fairlie welcomed all. He briefly elaborated on the Vanuatu X-Ray building:

A big thank you to Geoff Croad for arranging the donation of trusses by Premier Timbers & Trusses. So, if you need timber, please get in touch with them.
Ben Illes has been very active in organising building materials, most of which he reckons we can obtain by donations or at real 'mates rates'
The project is, however, on hold until the Covid-19 situation has abated and we are back to normal. We also need to consider the time of the year when it will be implemented on site, due to seasonal weather and temperature.

Treasurer Doug Lipp presented the account balances of the General and Wheelchairs accounts. He also confirmed that a firm assessment has been done in relation to insurance cover at the Project Shed, both for the buildings as well as its contents.

Youth Services Director Darrell Brown advised that, in essence, all Youth Programs in the district had been suspended indefinitely, including the upcoming RYLA camp (we had a candidate lined up for it). Spare a thought for our beleaguered District Chairman for International Youth Exchange, Chris Thurtell: Not only do our currently residing Overseas students want to come back early, the Japanese students who are with us at present (including our Ayana) don't want to return for the time being!

On a much more pleasant note: District Treasurer Mark Twyford advised that he has become a Grandfather! Baby Charlotte May Rix and mum are all well. Congratulations! (Picture left)

Keeping up the club's finances: In "normal" times, we have a contribution of $10.00 per person, per meeting, plus any fines etc. Since, due to the general lock-down and social distancing rules, we are unable to conduct any fundraising events, not even the Bunnings Sausage Sizzles. Yet, we still have our obligations, including our obligation to contribute $100 per annum / per member to The Rotary Foundation. Therefore, it was decided that for each member, for each week's meeting, a contribution of $15.00 will be raised. This is made up of $10.00 being the usual meeting fee, plus $5.00 to contribute to a monster raffle, to be drawn at a time to be advised. President Mario indicated that he, for one, will donate a major prize towards this (do I feel a bottle of Grange Hermitage coming up??) You can pay directly into the club's bank account - look out for an email in your Inbox.

The meeting concluded at 08:05 am due to the 40 minute limit for the free of charge Zoom subscription. We have now subscribed to the Pro version, which provides for unlimited time of up to 24 hours per meeting.

Donated Trusses for Vanuatu ready to go

The COVID-19 crisis is not going to last forever. And when normal life resumes, the trusses for the X-Ray Unit to be built on Pentecost Island, Vanuatu are ready. Last Thursday, Neil Aitkenhead of Premier Timber & Trusses advised that it's all ready to go! OK, so they will need to remain in storage for a while, but that doesn't diminish the superb generosity of donating the timber for our project. Thank you! Picture shows Michael, one of the staff who assembled them.

This Wednesday: our first On-Line meeting!

Last week, we had a test meeting using Zoom with a few of our board members. It went quite well, and another training meeting will have been held on Monday night. This coming Wednesday, 1st April at 07:30 am, we will run our inaugural On-Line meeting - no April Fools Joke! Since this bulletin goes out to some 200-odd addresses (and for the first meeting we don't really want 200 people to join), a link and instructions on how to connect will be sent out to our members individually, under separate cover. Please advise if you have not received it.

So, what could one possibly do On-Line? Well, almost everything, except you can't shake hands, pat each other on the back (literally, but you can do so figuratively) and you'll have to prepare your own breakfast. President Mario will address the meeting, the Directors can report, even the Sergeant can have a session (we'll trust you to hold on to your fine until we have our first meeting!) - a record will be kept... And once we are comfortable with it, there is no reason why we can't have a guest speaker. With Zoom, the speaker's screen can be shared, and thus any PowerPoint presentation or 'White Board' can be displayed. Let's work on this together and make it happen. Please call Franz if you require assistance.

Well, another 'First' for Surfers Sunrise Rotary!

So, come on! It's not difficult. Join us!

Last Sunday the Gold Coast Ramble was on

Last Sunday, the Gold Coast Ramble probably was one of the last "physical" events of the Rotary calendar for a while. "Our" teams of Rosie Rocco (Action Heros - see photo left with Rosie's daughter Trinity and Lucas van den Elsen) and Ashleigh Symes (Surfers Stingrays - photo right, with Steven Symes, Richelle Roe, Jason Levy, Maddison Levy) came a very respectable 4th and 6th respectively. As Rosie reports: "We started off at a 70point disadvantage for not hitting our fundraising goal. Clawed our way up from 7th starting out to 4th in the end." I suspect that the same applied for Ashleigh's team. Great pity really, both supported a very deserving organisation - Rosie ran for the Australian Anti Ice Campaign and Ashleigh for the Orange Sky Laundry (they support the homeless people with a mobile laundry).

A load of discarded bicycles - mothballed...

It might be a while before these are going to be used... Picked up a load of discarded bicycles from the Surfers Royale last Friday. Since all activities at the Project Shed have been suspended to protect our members and volunteers from COVID-19, they'll remain mothballed for the foreseeable time! But when it starts again, rest assured there will be sufficient materials for our volunteers for a couple of weeks or so.

Confirmed: Gold Coast Ramble is still on!

Just received confirmation from the chief organiser, David Baguley: the Gold Coast Ramble this coming Sunday is still on. They have modified it that, in essence, competitors and spectators won't be any more exposed to COVID-19 than if they simply went for a stroll. There are no check point volunteers. Therefore, would it be fair if I asked you to join me and support the two teams associated with our club? All donations go to major charities

One of our new corporate members, Ashleigh Symes (picture left) heads a corporate team from Wilsons Advisory

Click here to support Ashleigh's team

Last year's winner, headed by our former member Rosie Rocco (picture right)

Click here to support Rosie's team

Regrettably, this year Simon Brook is not competing at the Ramble; he is fielding a team at the Maximum Adventure Race on the Sunshine Coast which happens on the same weekend.

All club meetings and events suspended

As reported in last week's bulletin, the club's board has decided to suspend all club activities, including the activities at the Project Shed, for 28 days due to COVID-19. This decision very shortly afterwards was affirmed by a directive from Rotary International. This is the resolution:

Motion to suspend Club activities because of the COVID-19 virus pandemic
Resolved that:
Effective immediately the Club suspend for a period of 28 days all activities including but not limited to:
a. the Project Shed;
b. formal Club meetings;
c. the Excellence in Workmanship Awards ceremony;
d. the Gold Coast Ramble 2020.

Explanatory Note
Because of the uncertainty surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 virus, government recommendations regarding social isolation to assist in limiting its spread and the fact many of the Club’s members and Shed volunteers fall within the cohort of those most at risk in the event of infection, the Board believes that in discharge of the duty of care owed to members and volunteers that Club activities should be suspended for 28 days.

Covid-19 pandemic forces cancellation of District Conference

District Governor Harry Bolton and his committee have advised that this year's District Conference in Tenterfield had to be cancelled. In his message to all members, DG Harry explained the principal reasons for making this difficult decision. Here are the most important ones:

Tenterfield is a reasonably small town with a population of less than 4000 people, with a high % of people in the High-risk category (70 years plus)
The town is only equipped with an 18-bed hospital with minimal services and facilities
The Tenterfield Rotary Club have 3 members who are integral staff members (nursing staff) of these facilities
Rotary is an advocate for disease control and eradication and must take the high moral ground on this issue
Most importantly – Tenterfield may be able to contain or deal with this virus if it doesn’t hit us hard, in other words - moves through the community slowly. By introducing the possibility of accelerating the spread of this virus throughout our community would have a disastrous effect on the community
Finally, and most importantly, I have a duty of care to my fellow Rotarians (many who are in the high-risk category) attending this conference and to the community of Tenterfield.

The committee is currently working on organising to refund monies pre-paid to registrants. As an alternative, a donation to Shauna Bolton's "DG Partner's Project", the Malaria Vaccination Project of Griffith University, of which Rotary is a major partner. Stay tuned!

Bookings for the Excellence of Workmanship Awards close Sunday

Vocational Services chief Richard Smith is again organizing the annual Excellence in Workmanship Awards. Social dinner night of course, so make sure your partners know about it too, and all friends and guests are welcome. Eight candidates have been selected and thus nominations are now closed.

Where? Quality Inn (Lone Star Tavern),

97 Markeri St, Mermaid Waters QLD 4218

When? Wednesday 18th March 2020,

06:00 pm for 6:30 start

Cost: $35.00 per person.

Please book and pre-pay online. Bookings will close on Sunday 15th March, we need to provide exact numbers to the venue on Monday morning. Click on this link: https://www.trybooking.com/BIIBP

Our Associate Members: meet Terry Donovan

Often, one meets people, one walks past, says “G’day!”, perhaps have a brief yarn about… the weather. One doesn’t realise that the man with the generous smile before you has lived almost 30 years longer than originally expected. Come again?? Yes, Terry Donovan was just 50 years old, some 29 years ago, when he was the recipient of a heart transplant. No wonder, when asked what he is passionate about, he names that as the highlight of his life.

In his working life, Terry was a Sales Engineer, traveling to mining sites. He lives in Carrara with his wife Nook (yes, correct spelling!). These days, besides contributing to our efforts at the Project Shed (he is a master at restoring bicycles that can be resold), his ‘Theme of Life’ is simply to be happy: being with his wife, the family and grandchildren (grandson Nathan was named after his heart donor), playing golf, listening to Country and Western music, reading (Lee Childs is one of his favorite authors) and admiring visual art, such as his granddaughter Abbie’s paintings… And, only sometimes, indulging in his biggest vice: eating the “wrong” food.

So, at 79 years of age, does he still have stuff on his bucket list? “Yes!”, Terry replied, “Getting the OBE!” Getting the Order of the British Empire? “No, getting over bloody eighthy…!”

(Photo and interview by Al Sirovs)

Be part of the Gold Coast Ramble!

In two weeks, on 22nd March 2020 the 3rd Gold Coast Ramble will be on. This year it will start from Macintosh Island Park. Organiser David Baguley (Rotary Club of Gold Coast) is looking for more teams, as well as volunteers to help on the day. There are some fabulous prizes on offer!

2 exclusive nights at Spicers Hidden Peak Cabins, valued at $2,000
$1,500 sponsorship package on the Gold Coast's own 94.1 FM
One month's family membership of KDV Sport, valued at $800.00
Hop-on Brewery Tours, Distillery Tasting Tour, Professional Photography, Lunch at Southport Yacht Club, just to name a few. See Download files on the right for a full list!

But you need to compete to have a chance at winning those!

Participants can choose to support any of 7 charities: Australian Anti Ice Campaign, Baby Give Back, Bravehearts, The Butterfly Foundation, Orange Sky Laundry, The Prostate Foundation of Australia and the Salvation Army. Full details, and to register, please visit the website: www.goldcoastramble.org.au.

(Photo: last year's winners, Rosie Rocco and her team)

District Conference starts in 3 weeks

This year's event is going to be a real country affair! Here is another one of the speakers, Jo Taranto. Jo is one half of the dynamic grassroots campaigners behind ‘5 for Ryde’, a community initiative to fight a war on single use plastic in Sydney. She’s also Director of social enterprise start-up ‘Good for the Hood’ who’s mission is to inspire communities around the country to fight their own war on waste. Waste crusaders. Connectors. Community Experts. We are a social enterprise that’s all about projects that help people and planet. We are not afraid to get dirty to make communities great. Please fill out this survey for Jo prior to District Conference.

Go to the Conference Website http://www.rotary9640conference.org.au and check out what's happening. There you find the program, a brief summary of all the Keynote Speakers, and of course you can register. But of course, one of the big attractions of attending a conference is always the deep feeling of Rotary Fellowship. Being in the country, formalities will be kept to a minimum. You have an opportunity to meet, eat and drink with other Rotarians and their partners from other places in the District, you'll meet overseas people, Exchange Students. But I know, you are all quite shy... Not to worry! So far, our club has 9 people registered, so if worse comes to worse, you can always talk to one of us... ☺

Ayana Sadaka, our YE Student from Japan

OK, so just visualize this for a moment: You are sent off to a country where the language has not even an infinitesimal similarity to the language you have been brought up with, the language of your parents, your school, your TV shows. To top it off, the letters of your new country’s alphabet have zero similarity. Compared to the magnificent calligraphies of Kanji or Hiragana, the letters of your new country would appear to be somewhat unsophisticated. So, are you starting to get sweaty palms yet? No? OK, now picture yourself being stood in front of a bunch of (generally very) adult people and told to give a talk in your new country's language...

I never cease to be amazed at the relative ease our Youth Exchange students, particularly from Japan, manage to learn our language and alphabet in a few short months. Today, Ayana gave us a brief insight into her family (we will hopefully meet them when they come over at the end of this month). Ayana comes from Gifu, in the Prefecture of the same name on Honshu island, population about 400,000. She likes Taylor Swift and One Direction, and her plans for the future is to become an Immigration Inspector.

“I love Australia!” she exclaimed… well, there is an excellent opportunity coming up in a couple of months, when she will participate in the traditional ‘Safari’ that comes up for international Youth Exchange Students in May.

RYDA is on again

Geoff Croad is again looking for people who would like to assist with "herding" the students who attend the various RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) events. These are the dates on which they will be held:

18th June - All Saints Anglican College
21st July - Australian Industry Trade College
29th July - Elanora SHS
25th August - Australian Industry Trade College
15th September - AB Paterson College
13th & 16th October - Pimpama State Secondary College

Please communicate with Geoff directly to advise which days you are available. For those of you who have never experienced it: The job is dead easy - just guide your group of students to the classroom where the next lesson will be presented, then signal the instructor as it gets close to the end of their allotted time. By the way: the lessons are very interesting. It wouldn't do any harm to pay attention yourself, even if you have been driving for well over 50 years as I have! Of course, you'll also meet some interesting people, such as a Highway Patrol Police officer, and you are provided with a nice morning tea with cakes and a generous lunch.

This Wednesday: Our YE Student Ayana Sakaka

Ayana has now been with us for quite a few months, and most of our members have met the quiet young lady from Japan, some of us had the pleasure of seeing her wearing the traditional Japanese costume at our Christmas party (no, she won't be wearing it this time; she's got to go to school immediately after the meeting!). And if you have been out at our Project Shed, you would have had a good chance to meet her there helping with the packing of wheelchairs!

See you Wednesday morning. Grab your breakfast downstairs from the bistro and take it upstairs for some fellowship before the meeting starts at 07:30 am.

Gold Coast Ramble: support our teams!

We have two teams with close connections to our club competing at the Gold Coast Ramble on 22nd March:

One of our new corporate members, Ashleigh Symes (picture left) heads a corporate team from Wilsons Advisory

Click here to support Ashleigh's team

Last year's winner, headed by our former member Rosie Rocco (picture right)

Click here to support Rosie's team

Regrettably, this year Simon Brook is not competing at the Ramble; he is fielding a team at the Maximum Adventure Race on the Sunshine Coast which happens on the same weekend.

Last Wednesday: Paul Smith, "Have a go!"

Well, I’ve met people would claim that life dealt them a lemon right from the start: being born into a family of 9 kids, being raised on a pig farm, would entitle them to special treatment… On the other hand, people such as our newest Corporate Member Paul Smith, have had the slogan “Have a go!” inculcated into their DNA from an early age. In his teenage years, his father convinced him to save his money and - - buy a pig. “Well, I sold it for $250.00 and that paid for my first car, a Holden…!” Thus was born an Entrepreneur.

“But when I was a young bloke, all I wanted to do was play Golf”, Paul declared. “We lived near a Golf Course in Queanbeyan (Canberra), and I got my handicap down from 27 to 9.” He completed a Golf Pro Apprenticeship for 3 years, then played in every major tournament in Australia. Quite an achievement, considering that there were some 1,500 applicants and only 140 players can make it.

But professional golfing didn’t “keep body and soul together”, he said. His father decided to go into the Funeral Director business. He learned the trade in somebody

February is Peace & Conflict Prevention Month

This year, District 9640 had two applications for endorsement for Rotary Peace Fellow Scholarships: 1 from Pakistan; 1 from Nigeria. There were no local applicants. One application, from a Pakistani lady, was endorsed by the District Governor and was forwarded to Rotary International. She had also applied two years ago, when she was granted an ‘alternative’ position (read: put on a waiting list) and ultimately she would have been successful. Regrettably, she was unable to take it up since she had just given birth to her daughter.

Do you know someone that may qualify for a Rotary Peace Fellowship Scholarship? These scholarships are a valuable learning activity for a young adult up to study in overseas universities in that very subject. Basically, all expenses are paid for. Click on this link: Rotary World Peace Fellowships, or contact me if you know of a potential prospect.

Ray Higgs,

Chair, Peace & Conflict Resolutions Committee

Rotary District 9640

Sleeping Sanctuary displayed in Maleny

So I am at our Project Shed on Saturday morning, having a quiet coffee with the volunteers (including multiple pieces of purportedly totally calorie-free cake,

urged on me with determined persuasion by Al Sirovs... ☺), when a gentleman whom I'd never met before stands up and starts a speech... He introduced himself as Alan Wilson (that's him on the right, but he was dressed a bit more casual...), Past President of the Rotary Club of Maleny on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Turned out that his club borrowed our Sleeping Sanctuary to display it on Australia Day and to demonstrate to their local community that Rotary is not just about having breakfast or dinner and sizzling sausages! They displayed our prototype of the Sleeping Sanctuary on Australia Day! Bewdy, Alan!

Lovely Chinese New Year dinner

Excellent social event at last Wednesday's Chinese New Year dinner. Great food, great atmosphere, great fellowship! Thank you Charles Thomasson for organising that! We had 28 people there, including former member PP Peter Baruch and Tom, a Youth Exchange Student from France, currently hosted by Karen Holland and her husband Peter Zollig (foreground of picture left).

New Wheelchairs Flyer - see Downloads

Our super generous printer, Neil Thurlow and his very talented design artists at Accent Print & Copy have created a new flyer for our wheelchairs project. He has also provided some 2000 printed copies, which will be sent out by Apple Marketing to their mailing list of previous donors. It is uploaded to our Download Section (see right side), where you can download it and send it on to anyone whom you consider could be interested.

Thank you, Neil and your team!

Jeff Egan is District Governor Nominee for 2021-22

District has confirmed the appointment of Jeff Egan of the Rotary Club of Mt Warning AM as District Governor Nominee 2021-22. Picture on right shows Jeff with his partner, Anne Egan, who was District Governor for 2015-16. Anne sadly passed away in November 2017, succumbing to a serious illness.

RI President Elect Holger Knaack releases Theme 20-21

At this week's Rotary International Assembly, RI President Elect Holger Knaack released his Presidential Theme for 2020-21. Knaack, a member of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany, revealed the 2020-21 presidential theme, Rotary Opens Opportunities, to incoming district governors at the Rotary International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA, on 20 January.

"Rotary isn’t just a club for people to join, but rather “an invitation to endless opportunities,” said Knaack, who becomes President on 1 July. He emphasized that Rotary creates pathways for members to improve their lives and the lives of those they help through service projects. “We believe that our acts of service, big and small, create opportunities for people who need our help,” Knaack said. He added that Rotary creates leadership opportunities and gives members the chance to travel the world to put their service ideas into action and make lifelong connections. “Everything we do opens another opportunity for someone, somewhere,” he said.

Wayne Leathem: Medical Repurposing Network

Did you know that hospitals' medical equipment automatically gets shunted out as "unserviceable" after 10 years, regardless of whether it is still functional or not? And we wonder why our health budget keeps blowing out...

Enter the Medical Repurposing Network (MRN). Last Wednesday, we welcomed Wayne and Janet Leathem to speak about their organization. Wayne, a member of the Currumbin-Coolangatta-Tweed Rotary Club, outlined their three guiding principles: Repurposing - Sustainability - Responsiblity. So, when medical or educational equipment becomes redundant, ask yourself...

Repurposing: "Are there others who could benefit from it?"

Sustainablity: "Should I throw this away? What else can I do?"

Responsibility: "Does this really need to go into landfill? Am I polluting the environment?"

It all started off when Wayne participated in the Tour de Timor, a cycling event in the vicinity of Dili, East Timor. There, he was made aware of a severe shortage of hospital beds. And once a Rotarian gets started... This was followed by 4 Ultrasound machines to the Philippines, 60 beds to a Children's Hospital in a remote region of Fiji... But, one of the big aspects is the cost of shipping: it costs approximately $700 - 900 to ship an Ultrasound unit. Compare that to a new, Chinese manufactured, laptop based unit which costs around $2,500.

Whilst in our country Tuberculosis is these days quite uncommon, in PNG, with >300 cases per 100,000 population, this is still a major issue. One of MRN's new project is the supply of Digital TB X-Ray screening system to remote regional areas of Papua New Guinea. The project's patron is the PNG High Commissioner to Australia, Mr Sakias Tameo, and the Enga Province Health Authority is on board. They have seed funding of $7,500 and are looking for 5 Rotary partners to donate US$5,000 each. Link - http://mrnetwork.com.au/x-ray-2019.html.

But shouldn't we also look after our own? Yes! For outback remote Australian clinics, MRN is looking to supply 10 new Chinese made portable Ultrasounds, valued at $3000 each. These remote outback clinics are serviced by the Royal Flying Doctor service (RFDS) and not all aircraft carry Ultrasounds. While this may not change the outcome for some patients, being better informed and able to diagnose quickly and accurately will save delays and unnecessary trips to Alice Springs or Darwin. Just one remote retrieval by RFDS and returning would equal the cost of one Portable Ultrasound. Click here for more. And even in the very recent bushfire emergency saw MRN in action: via the RAAF, equipment was dropped into Mallacoota, which was totally cut off...

Wayne's PowerPoint Show has been uploaded to our website - see Download Section on the right, which also contains contact details.

This week's Guest Speaker: Wayne Leathem

This Wednesday 22nd January, our Guest Speaker is Wayne Leathem from the Medical Repurposing Network.

Medical Repurposing Network is a registered Australian charity that provides medical equipment and supplies to recipients in needy communities, both within Australia and overseas, by repurposing or recycling medical equipment that is still in good working order. It supplements this activity by purchasing medical equipment where necessary. For the past ten years, MRN has worked closely with Rotary Australia and overseas to source and fulfill medical needs. In view of our upcoming major project of the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu, this will be of major interest for us!

Lucy Thorburn returns to Oz

OK, so there is little resemblance between our Youth Exchange Student who spent the last 12 months in Minnesota, USA and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. And the (Fire) Tornadoes happened over here not over there. By now, Lucy would have returned to our shores. President Mario's message (see Bulletin of 22nd January) outlines an email from the Youth Exchange Director of Lucy's host club, Lynn Keilor, sent to Chris Thurtell, Chair of our district's Youth Exchange Committee.

We hear so often people making derogatory comments about "today's youth". Well, this sums up my view about the vast majority of "today's youth". Obviously, Lucy fulfilled her role as our ambassador for the Gold Coast and Australia in general with distinction and to our full expectations. Thank you, Lucy, and welcome back! We look forward to greeting you at one of our club meetings in the near future to hear all about your experiences!

Lucy will speak at our club on 5th February - not to be missed!

(Photo by Lucy, when she experienced some of the not so hot climates of Minnesota...)

Guilty as charged, your honour!

OK, first the good news: I’ve just read of the appointment of Dr Jesse Harman (picture left, with DGE Andy Rajapakse) of the Rotary Club of Wendouree, near Ballarat VIC, as “our” Zone Director to the Rotary International Board. [Yes, Henrietta, I just found out that DGE Andy had published this on his Facebook Page ages ago, but you insisted I that I tidy up the garage.] And yes, I now know she is not just a pretty face: Jesse holds a Doctor’s Degree (in Social Entrepreneurship, so don’t ask her about your ingrown toenail! 😊) and is Pro Vice Chancellor of Federation University Australia. And I’ve just learned that she was introduced to Rotary as a RYLA participant in 1987, and that she is a Past District Governor and Past just about every other high office that can be attained in Rotary.

So why do I sound a bit grumpy? After all, Jesse will make a refreshing addition to a Rotary International Board overwhelmingly male (18 to 2 in the current board, actually), and it wouldn’t even surprise me if she ended up to be the first female RI President sometimes down the track. Again, why do I feel grumpy? Well, if I was to know of a person of her qualifications, of her calibre and high profile in society, I would not even have considered asking her to join my club. “Holding down her job, with a family and three kids, she wouldn’t have time to scratch herself!” would have been my excuse. Anyway, she certainly wouldn’t want to join a Breakfast Club… Yes, your Honour, guilty as charged.

So, this being the period of the year when our New Year’s Resolutions start to conveniently fade into distant memory, perhaps now is the time to firmly commit to just the one: By the end of 2020, I will have witnessed the induction of a new member into my Rotary Club who was introduced by me. Doesn’t make a difference whether male or female though, but yes, a high profile lady like Dr Jesse would be great! So now, start thinking about whom you could contact, then… Just Do It!

So you need a list of Resolutions you can keep?

Posted by Franz Huber

So you need a list of New Year's Resolutions you can actually keep? No diets, no abstinence, no hard exercise, no mental strain, no time consuming study... This is compliments of a Sydney Rotarian, Evan Burrell.

A few more photos from Lucy Thorburn in the USA

Our Youth Exchange Student Lucy Thorburn, on her last month of Exchange in Minnesota, sent us some more pictures, one on the right with her host family making Christmas cookies. Head over to the Photo Album Section on the right - they are in her folder.

Hey all the snow has started to fall heavy and the temperatures keep dropping -23 Celsius. My family and I are ready for Christmas, I’ll be making a big pavlova, which my familly is really exited for!

I wish you all an amazing, safe Christmas and a happy New Years!! I’ll see you all soon in person.

Regards Lucy

Wonderful Christmas Dinner at the Surf Club

Last Wednesday, the Surfers Sunrise Rotarians, their partners and guests enjoyed a beautiful Christmas Dinner hosted by the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club. Lots of partners and friends, including our "Honorary Queenslander" Ross Augustine (RC of Frankston Sunrise) with his wife Coryn and granddaughter Alissa Lott (last year's Exchange Student to the USA). President Elect Charles Thomasson and his partner Angela brought their two daughters along (first time in decades we had children at our Christmas do!), David Orchid represented the Surf Club, accompanied by Jan Lutz, and Bryan Tuesley represented the volunteers from our Project Shed. With well over 50 people present, it was a truly social event, thus only very brief formalities: President Mario Fairlie, still a bit pale (he had only been discharged from hospital two days before), wished us all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

But, without doubt, our current incoming Exchange Student from Japan, Ayana Sadaka (picture left) stole the show, wearing traditional Japanese dress, a Kimono! Doesn't she look breathtaking?

On the following Saturday, some of our members joined our volunteers at the

Last Saturday's Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings the biggest ever!

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 16, 2019

Well, picture this: They were queuing up... Already by quarter to 12, we had run out of sausages and needed to arrange for Geoff Croad to rush out to get another Esky full, together with more of -- well, just about EVERYTHING. Paul 'Springbok' Seymour ended up playing traffic cop, directing people to "pay ova' haa, then move ova' thaa to pick up yoa' saozage.." [he is ideally suited for this too. Ed.]

As President Mario notes in his message, this was the biggest ever. And what was, from the organizational point of view, also very nice: including our YE student Ayana and her host Silvia Fairlie (see picture, front row), we had some 20 people all up helping. And they were needed too! Special thanks to 'Minister for Everything' Geoff Croad who made arrangements with Bunnings and organized this all, and of course all the helpers (too many to list; you know who you are.)

Looking for RYLA Candidates (19 - 29 years old)

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 12, 2019

At the last board meeting, approval was given to sponsor two RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) Candidates for the upcoming seminar 14 - 19th April 2020. Our club will sponsor $550.00 of the total cost of $650.00 per person to attend this superb training camp.

What is RYLA? It is a premier youth leadership development program for people aged 19-28. During a week long camp designed to promote proactivity, personal and professional development through a range of inspirational speakers, team building exercises and leadership training. The development of communication and presentation skills, problem solving, conflict resolution, self-confidence and self-esteem are key objectives of this program. RYLA is one of those “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences which truly has a lasting impact on your life. The high intensity seminar is filled to the brim with Australia’s leading inspirational and motivational guest speakers, who give up their time purely based on the benefits they see every year for those attending.

RYLA helps young people, the future leaders of the Australia to realise their full potential and ignites their passion for life. Whether you have a sister or brother, a son or daughter, a niece, nephew, cousin, friend, colleague or even an acquaintance within the age bracket, who you think may benefit from a week of personal discovery, professional development in an uplifting and infectiously positive environment, I urge you to send them along. It will be the greatest gift you could give. Need more information? Click here.

Do you know anyone who is a suitable candidate? Contact Youth Services Director PDG Darrell Brown.

Big Youth Exchange meeting last weekend

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 09, 2019

Last Weekend, "our" District Youth Exchange (YE) Chairman Chris Thurtell and YE Treasurer Gerald East organized a meeting for the inbound and outbound YE Students of District 9640. Photo shows (what is, judging by the number of badges on their blazers, assumed to be) the current inbound group. Our club's Ayana Sadaka front row, centre.

John Chirio is President Elect for 2021-22

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 07, 2019

At last week's Annual General Meeting, the members unanimously elected John Chirio to be President Elect Nominee 2021-22, an appointment which John graciously accepted. Thus, again, our club is assured of a solid, steady leadership in the coming years. Congratulations, John!

For a list of all the elected club officers 2020-21, please refer to the club bulletin, or login to our website and access the AGM minutes in the protected section, under 'Documents'.

60 wheelchairs to DIK, 3 hospital beds for Vanuatu

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 05, 2019

Last Thursday, Bren Milson and Shamus Davies (top) from the Burleigh Heads Rotary Club brought us 3 hospital beds, destined for our Vanuatu X-Ray unit to go to Pentecost Island and in turn picked up 60 Rough Terrain Wheelchairs to go up to Donations in Kind (a Rotary Australia World Community Service project) for distribution to various destinations in Oceania: East Timor, Solomons just to name a couple. That is how Rotary works, we work together to produce a result. That is why Rotarians are 'People of Action'. We DO, we don't just talk about it!

Photo, from top left, clockwise: Bren Milson, Shamus Davis, Des La Rance, Larry Murray.

Update from District RAWCS Chair Richard Crandon: "From this consignment, 6 wheelchairs have already been dispatched to go to the Ronton Hospital at Kiritimati (Christmas Island)." [No Henrietta! Not that Christmas Island! With the Millions of dollars the government is spending on that Christmas Island, they can well afford to buy their own wheelchairs! Kiritimati is on Kiribati, just about half way between here and Mexico. ☺ Ed.]

Surfers Sunrise awarded Rotary Citation

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 02, 2019

Alright, sometimes the mills of such a large organisation like Rotary can mill a bit slowly... Nevertheless, it's worth crowing from the rooftops: At the recent leadership meeting, "our" District Treasurer Mark Twyford and District Finance Chair Doug Lipp were handed a certificate to confirm that Surfers Sunrise was recognized with the 2018-19 Presidential Citation by (then) Rotary International President Barry Rassin. Give yourself a pat on the back, and particularly congratulations to Immediate Past President Jo Winwood! Come and see us again sometimes, Jo, it's only a bit over an hour's drive from Byron Bay!

The Project Shed needs some more bikes

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 24, 2019

Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray asks me to post a request for more bicycles to be donated to the shed. Yes, I know, we had to knock them back only a few months ago. Meanwhile, we have properly tidied up the area. Numerous skippy bins of unsuitable bikes and bike parts were sent to Sims Metal for recycling, the tyres went to Molectra for recycling, some bikes were restored in preparation for the next 'Big Bike Sale' and those frames that are suitable to be used for wheelchairs have been stripped off.

So, could you please spread the message: We need some more bikes! They can be dropped of at our Project Shed any Saturday morning, 07:30 am till 11:30 am. Drop us a message.

Meet our Youth Exchange Student from Japan

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 17, 2019

Ayana Sadaka has now been on the Gold Coast for quite some months, but still not all of our members have had the opportunity to meet this charming young lady! Here is a brief outline, written by her recently, and there is a Photo Album which you can have a look at - see right hand side. [Editor's Note: I did NOT edit her report. I challenge any of you to undertake Japanese studies and be as competent in just a few months as Ayana is in English! Well done, Ayana! ☺]

Hello everyone.

My name is Ayana Sadaka. I’m living in Gold Coast as an exchange student. My hobbies are listening to music, karaoke, playing and watching sports. I especially like basketball but since I came to Australia, I’ve also came to like netball. We are family of four. My mother, my father, my younger brother and I. And when I was in Japan, I was living in Gifu Prefecture. Since I came to Australia, I’ve experienced so many new thing, but I still have a lot of things that I want to do while I’m studying abroad. There are so many things that I want to do, but I especially want to play the Didjeridu, a traditional Australian instrument. I want to work at an international airport and be an immigration inspector in the future. To do so, I have to go to university that has a faculty of low and I need English skills. So, I’m studying hard now. I’ll do my best to achieve my goal. To be honest, I want to be in Australia when I am twenty-five years old. Because I was taken in by the charm of this country. I think there is no other country that has really beautiful nature and understands other cultures and multinationals. I wish I could be a citizen of this country in the future. Even If I can’t do that, I would like to come back to Australia. Thank you for supporting me. I’m a really lucky person who has been able to study in such a wonderful country. I’ll do my best for one year in response to your support.

I especially like English songs, and my favorite artists are Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen and One Direction. I also like classic music, and I like Gymnopédie composed by Erik Satie. When I do Karaoke, I often sing the song of Japanese singer “miwa” and “Miku Hatsune”. I have to go to university that can learn about law because I need to know to be an immigration inspector. Sorry I made a lots of mistakes.

Greetings from Lucy Thorburn in Minnesota!

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 16, 2019

Our Youth Exchange Student in Minnesota, USA, has touched base again with the "Mother Ship"... Lots of new photos on her Photo Album Page on the right hand side as well. This photo she is with Ian and Juliet Riseley, "our" Australian Rotary International President 2017-18.

Hey everyone it’s me Lucy, sorry about the lack of updates lately it’s been busy over here. The snow has started to fall again coming into winter, temps of -16 already. I’m back at school after Summer break and living with my 3rd and last host family. They are amazing people and I’m enjoying being part of their family. I’ve been to a couple of cabins in this last month and on a lot of hikes! It was really beautiful to see a real Fall for the first time with all the leaves changing. I also got to experience my first real Halloween with the pumpkin carving, costumes and Trick or Treat.

But the most exciting thing that’s happened lately was meeting Ian Riseley former president of Rotary International, whom I met this morning! It was great, I got to listen to his awesome presentation on Rotary International and I chatted to him and his wife Juliet after the presentation. They are really great people, it was great to talk to some fellow Australians it only made me miss Australia that much more!

I hope all is well with everyone back home and that everyone's friends and families are safe from the bush fires!

Regards Lucy.

The Sleeping Sanctuary was on A Current Affair!

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 11, 2019

OK, so they didn't display our website address - great pity! But you can watch it online: Click here.

Last Thursday, Associate Member Bryan Tuesley, Cr Dawn Crichlow, Kathleen Vlasic from Rosies and your Editor met with a reporting team from Channel Nine's 'A Current Affair' at Rosie's in Southport. There were interviews with all and our 'Sleeping Sanctuary' was filmed from all possible angles... and it is expected to be broadcast on Monday night - 7:00 pm. Some of you members and fans of Surfers Sunrise would recall that, back in 1997, 'A Current Affair' accompanied us to deliver the first 10 Wheelchairs to Fiji. Will this become the next huge project of the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Trust? Click on the yellow button to take you to a highly secure 'GoFundMe' page. Your donation will go to our Wheelchair Trust, an Australian registered charity. Remember, all labour and administration is done by volunteers - we have no overheads!

A few days before that, Councillor Dawn Crichlow and Kathleen Vlasic visited our Project Shed last Saturday, accompanied by a reporting team from the Gold Coast Bulletin. And here it is published in last Monday's (11/11/19) edition! Photo shows the two ladies, with Laurie Roberts (left) who built the prototype, and Des La Rance (right), who designed it. Looking forward to getting more traction on this great project, as is reported by Cr Crichlow in this reportage. For full text, please head to the Download Page on the right. Click here to go directly to our Wheelchair Trust GoFundMe page!

Play at the Surfers Sunrise Golf Day: 25th November

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 11, 2019

Play at the Surfers Sunrise Golf Day!

It will be held on Monday 25th November, shotgun start at 12:00 noon sharp.

Teams of 4 players, Corporate teams, Ambrose style. Individual bookings welcome - we'll team you up!

Where? Surfers Paradise Golf Club, 1 Fairway Dr, Clear Island Waters QLD 4226.

Bookings are now open: click on this link: https://www.trybooking.com/BFTYQ

Download the flyer: click here

This week's guest speaker: Manuela Boyle

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 04, 2019

Manuela Boyle is a cancer therapy specialist. The topic of her talk is a simple and illustrative on what integrative cancer care therapies are available in Australia.

She describes her role as "to identify the underlying causes that may be responsible for your disease. I use evidence based and unique natural medicine based interventions that are non-toxic. I design lifestyle changes and individualized diets. These qualified interventions are drawn from thorough review of hundreds of published peer-reviewed research papers.

If required, I work cooperatively with your medical oncologists/radiation oncologists/oncology surgeons/urologist/ haematologist and your GP. I also collaborate with other health care practitioners such as acupuncturists, psychologists, osteopaths, massage therapists, naturopaths and nutritionists. At all times, drugs/herbs/nutrients interactions are carefully analyzed."

Last weekend we hosted the RFE Team

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 04, 2019

What a weekend! Last Friday, Surfers Sunrise welcomed the Rotary Friendship Exchange team from Seattle and British Columbia. After we took them up to Skypoint at the top of Q1, Geoff & Carol Croad hosted a typical Aussie Bar-be-que at their resort, with the capable assistance of Angus 'Onion King' Miller in the role of chief bar-be-quer.

On Saturday, we first showcased our Project Shed (see picture), where Des La Rance gave them a good run-down on how the project evolved some 23 years ago, going all the way through to the total of well over 9,000 wheelchairs shipped since, plus numerous school buildings and the House of Hope in Apia, Samoa (see the Story of the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Trust in the Download Section on the right, or click on this link). A hearty Thank You! to Lee Smith and Pam Peterson, who donated $100.00 to the Wheelchairs Trust. Then, we moved up to the Springbrook National Park for lunch. And - after hardly any rain for the past two or three months, guess what! It rained. Well, a Rainforest is not really a Rainforest without rain, isn't it?

Sunday saw the entire group at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. They gave us a very healthy discount on the normal ticket price! Thank you Chris Thurtell, for activating some of your special connection there to get a nice area of their Cafe set aside, just for us. Naturally, our guests from North America just adored the Koalas, the Kangaroos, the Bird Show, the Sheep Shearing, the huge size Aviaries... In the evening, President Mario invited us to a dinner at one of the restaurants in Surfers.

The RFE team has now moved on to their next hosts in Warwick. After that they'll be in Lismore for a few days, then come back to the Gold Coast. There is another chance to meet them: the Broadbeach Rotary Club will host them at their club meeting on Tuesday 12th November, at the Lone Star Tavern in Mermaid Beach. Are you joining us? (Note, we need to advise numbers!)

A huge Thank You! goes to the hosts: Geoff & Carol Croad, Karen Holland & Peter Zollig, Richard & Sue Smith, Chris & Marie Thurtell, to my darling wife Catherine, President Mario Fairlie and all the helpers and participants for the sterling effort to make our guests comfortable. We have had nothing but very positive feedback; equally, on our side we enjoyed their company immensely.

A Photo Album will shortly be set up in our Download Section. If you have any photos that we can publish, please let me have them!

Welcome to our newest Corporate Members: Bank of Qld

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 27, 2019

Last Wednesday, President Mario Fairlie had the great pleasure of inducting our latest Corporate Member, the Bank of Queensland - Southport Branch, nominated by President Elect Charles Thomasson [for those of you who are not aware of the general structure of the BOQ: in essence, every branch is a franchise, which is privately owned. Ed.] Mario inducted Branch Manager Tara Werder and Lending Specialist Megan Davidson (see photo - Tara on the left). Tara, whose career in banking goes back several years, including a 2 year stint as a branch manager in New Zealand, took on the BOQ Southport Branch Manager's position just over 12 months ago. Megan has been with the Bank of Queensland for some 21 years and has been lending to the Southport community for 7 years. They both expressed their team's great appreciation for being nominated. Welcome to Surfers Sunrise! We are all very much looking forward to meeting you frequently at our meetings and activities.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Craig Thompson

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 26, 2019

OK, with Bathurst just behind us and the Gold Coast 600 in full swing, we all have heard of the V8 Supercars. But what about Aussie Racing Cars? Well, if you just give them a quick glance, they might appear to be just a smaller version. They might look like a Toyota Aurion, or a Ford Falcon or a Commodore. Alternatively, any classic shape such as the Holden EG, or a Ute. But actually, in physical size, they are only roughly half the size of a 'normal' car. Under the skin is a purpose built tubular space frame chassis, with an internal roll cage. All up, the car weighs just 450 Kg all up, which provides an amazing power to weight ratio. Sure, but how big is the engine? Well, it is actually "borrowed" from a motorcycle. The standard engine is either 1.2 or 1.3 litre. Come again? Yes, just 1.3 litre. And on the Bathurst straight they have been clocked at a staggering 230 Km/Hr, and they claim to do 0 - 100 Km/Hr in 4.9 seconds...

Craig Thompson, who in his business life runs a Hertz Rental Car franchise with some 2,200 vehicles, claims he got involved in Aussie Cars almost by accident. Some 5 years ago, having a bit of a chinwag, one of his mates mentioned that he was going to buy a new Aussie Racing Car and Craig casually mentioned "yes, sure, I'll have one too!" Then a few weeks later, he got a phone call to tell him that the car is now ready for pick up... "You really need to take it seriously" Craig mentioned, "it needs lots of work, so you don't come last in every race..." In the beginning though, the aim is to simply finish a race "without making a mistake". What mistake? Well, rolling it and landing on the roof. Multiple times...

So, what sort of financial commitment does one need to come up with to participate? "Not expensive" Craig mentioned laconically, "about $30,000 to enter a car for the year, about $60,000 to fund its upkeep for the whole year" he said. And, one would guess, you first need to actually buy a car - "from $65,000", according to their website. The sport is certainly high tension all the way. The famous saying in Car Racing circles applies: There is no such thing as a comfortable lead". Wanna have a ride? Click here to go for a round at the Gold Coast 600!

A huge RYDA class last week

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Friday, your Editor was joined by Geoff Croad, Gerald East, Darrell Brown, Norm Coventry (RC of Ashmore) and a volunteer, Sue Geelan to assist with "crowd control" of one of the largest classes ever attended the RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) event at the Southport Community Centre. All the students were from Marymount College in Burleigh Heads, and came in by bus. And - hey! - if anyone ever again whinges about "today's youth" and their lack of decent behavior, I'll refer them to Marymount College! What a pleasure to have such a switched on, polite group of young people.

The day involves six separate sessions that are facilitated by a Highway Patrol Officer, a Driving School Instructor, a road accident victim who has been wheelchair bound for 24 years, and others employed by Road Safety Education Limited, and of course Rotary. Well over 500,000 students have now been through this very worthwhile course. Students, who are in the 16 - 17 year age group and most with their L Pates leave at the end of the day with much to think about, and a workbook to take home. Their attendance will hopefully lower their risks as both a driver and a passenger....Rotary In Action.

Photo: Debriefing at the end of the day.

This coming Wednesday 23rd October: Craig Thompson

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 19, 2019

Our resident Car Racing guru, Ian Mayberry has organised another major Super Car personality to present at our club: Craig Thompson runs some 7 cars in the Aussie Racing Cars series! And as your Editor just found out today, Craig is also a regular philanthropist, having donated numerous self propelling, electric wheelchairs. Join us this Wednesday for breakfast at the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club!

Craig started in Aussie Racing Cars in 2014 along with one of his business partners Michaeal Rinkin who was a motor dealer in the Hunter Region. He is a Hertz Licensee of more that 20 years standing and one of around 20 in Australia. He lives in Western Sydney and in recent years has set up Western Sydney Motorsport, which fields 7 cars in the 2019 Aussie Racing Car Series, now in its 20th year. The team is having a very successful year. Craig drives #72, his brother Grant also drives for the team and Justin Ruggier in car #8 is, in reality, one of the two drivers who can win the 2019 series.

Truckload of Wheelchairs from Palen Creek Correctional Centre

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 19, 2019

Now, just in case you thought that this is a one-off: no, this would have to be the umpteenth time we have received a load of completed wheelchairs from Palen Creek Correctional Centre. Our Wheelchairs Trust have

been involved with them for years. They have a program which involves not only the production of wheelchairs, but in the process involves the inmates in learning maintenance skills. Photo right: this piece of indiginous art wheelchair, which we strictly use for display purposes only, has been painted by one of their inmates.

Check - Check - all electricals are compliant

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 12, 2019

In order to comply with Workplace Health & Safety regulations, our power tools and electrical equipment have to be regularly tested by a qualified and licensed Electrician. Last Saturday, Adam Kirkwood, of APK Electrical, came up all the way from Tugun to the Project Shed to do the testing, all pro bono! Thank you Adam, we much appreciate your generous donation of your time!

No harm to give Adam a bit of a plug: APK Electrical specializes in Commercial installations - click here to go to his website. (Photo by Larry Murray)

This week: Polio Plus collection 9 - 11th October

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 04, 2019

It's on this week: our annual Polio Plus collection at the Runaway Bay Shopping Centre. We have three days, from Wednesday 9th to Friday 11th October inclusive, at our usual spot at the Runaway Bay Shopping Centre. Gerald East maintains the Roster, so make sure you lodge your preferred time slot(s) with him. We urgently need to fill time slots on Wednesday, Thursday and particularly Friday.

For those of you who are young enough to be unfamiliar with Polio Plus: The Polio virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and our partners use to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide. Rotary started a campaign to eradicate Polio in 1985. Since then, the incidence of Polio worldwide has been reduced by 99.9% - yes, it is virtually unknown in most regions in the world. Rotary has invested more than US$ 1.9 Billion (AU$ 2.8 Billion) and countless unpaid volunteer hours to raise these enormous funds. More than 2.2 Billion children in 122 countries have been protected. But until such time as there are no further incidences reported, we need to continue the effort! Rotary is committed to raise some US$ 50 Million per annum, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed to match Rotary's efforts with two dollars for every dollar Rotary raises. More information: click on this link.

And, by the way: if you meet an Anti-Vaxxer, you have my permission to give him/her a good piece of my mind! Ed.

Interested to visit Pennsylvania and Arizona?

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 04, 2019

After Catherine and I participated in the recent Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) team to Seattle and British Columbia (BTW, we are hosting their reciprocal team in three weeks' time!), I can wholeheartedly recommend the concept!

District Chair for RFE, Wendy Scarlett has been approached by two districts in the USA and is looking for expressions of interest in exchanges with Pennsylvania and Arizona, leaving in September and October 2020 respectively. Just one of the many places of interest: the Martin Guitar factory and museum (Johnny Cash played one of them)... Contact Wendy directly by email - click on this link.

Will you join us for the Melbourne Cup Luncheon?

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 30, 2019

Our "Joint Chiefs of Social Events" Ray and Graeme, have organized for our members to experience that ultimate horse race that 'stops the nation', the Melbourne Cup. We'll be at the Sensa Nome Restaurant in Main Beach. No outrageous prices, just order off the menu, and it's bring your own wine too (they are also fully licensed if you prefer). But bookings need to be firm, so a "booking fee" of $5.00 per person applies for your seats (yes, regrettably in the past it happened that some people booked but didn't turn up - somewhat embarrassing for the organizers! The booking fee will be pooled to pay for the nibbles on arrival. There is a limit of 20 people, so first come first served. Ray Higgs and Graeme Isaacson will take your booking (and your booking fee). Even if you're not a race follower, the atmosphere and conviviality enjoyed at our social functions will enlighten and brighten your day, not to mention the sights and scenes happening around Main Beach.

Meet our Youth Exchange Student from Japan

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 30, 2019

For those of you who weren't there last Friday at the joint meeting with Broadwater Southport [or were there but didn't notice her; she didn't really make a lot of noise... ☺ Ed.]: Meet Ayana Sadaka, our Youth Exchange Student from Japan. Ayana is currently hosted by the parents of an outgoing student who at present is in Japan. She is enrolled at Robina High School. Her first report card is nothing to be sneezed at either: 'Excellent' in Japanese language (which can be expected of course), and very pleasing marks in most other subjects, including in English, with 'Excellent' or 'Very Good' in the 'Effort' column of all subjects! Howzat!

We are looking forward to Ayana coming along soon to one of our Surfers Sunrise meetings.

Join us for the Melbourne Cup Luncheon!

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 30, 2019

Our "Joint Chiefs of Social Events" Ray and Graeme, have organized for our members to experience that ultimate horse race that 'stops the nation', the Melbourne Cup. We'll be at the Sensa Nome Restaurant in Main Beach. No outrageous prices, just order off the menu, and it's bring your own wine too (they are also fully licensed if you prefer). But in all fairness to them, a booking fee of $5.00 per person applies for them to hold the table(s) free. There is a limit of 20 people, so first come first served. Ray Higgs and Graeme Isaacson will take your booking (and your booking fee). Even if you're not a race follower, the atmosphere and conviviality enjoyed at our social functions will enlighten and brighten your day, not to mention the sights and scenes happening around Main Beach.

Snippets of last week's meeting 270919

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 27, 2019

Last week we had another joint meeting with the Broadwater Southport club, held at the Southport Yacht Club. Andy Bell helped at the door. We had apologies from Ray Higgs, Larry Murray, Gerald East, Mario Fairlie, Richard Smith and Neil Thurlow. Good to see Karen Holland safely back from Switzerland, and one of our freshly baked Corporate members, Todd Cole from Wilsons Advisory joined us. District Youth Exchange Chairman Chris Thurtell brought our new YE Student Ayana Sadaka (see separate article) along as well - looking forward to greeting Ayana again at one of "our" meetings soon!

In view of this really being a Broadwater Southport meeting, there wasn't much Surfers Sunrise business discussed. Your editor invited all to participate in the upcoming Welcome Bar-be-que for the incoming Rotary Friendship Exchange team on Friday 1st November, and Charles Thomasson elaborated further on the Surfers Sunrise Golf Day on 25th November (see separate article).

We had an excellent Guest Speaker too: OK, with a headline "Speed Date an Architect", if presented by somebody of the calibre of Pia Willemsen (picture left), the Principal of Willemsen Architecture, many of the gentlemen present found it catchy all by itself... [no Henrietta, this it not a sexist comment, this is a compliment! ☺ Ed.] Pia presented on the upcoming Gold Coast Open House event coming up in October. Various private, corporate and public venues of particular architectural attraction and merit will be open for viewing by the public. Some are quite obvious, such as the newly opened Kurrawa Surf Club, to well known heritage buildings such as the Gold Coast Light Horse Museum in Mudgeeraba. But hey! Did you know that there is a Railway Tunnel in the Ernest Junction region of Ashmore? It is a remnant of the former South Coast Rail Line, which closed in 1964. 140 metres long, it is a walk way, but also is used for... a Concert Hall... There is far too much going on to list on this report, but you'll find it well worth your time to visit their website: www.goldcoastopenhouse.com.au. In total, you'll find well over 50 properties which can be visited, many of them only at specific times, by appointment.

Surfers Sunrise Golf Day - Monday 25th November

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 24, 2019

It's happening! On Monday, 25th November, we'll host a Golf Day at the Surfers Paradise Golf Club. It will be a 'Shotgun Start' at 12:30 pm (registration from 11:30 am). Several options:

Corporate Hole Sponsor (includes 4 players, signage and advertising)
4-player Team
Single individual player

The annual Movie night this Wednesday!

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 23, 2019

It's on: this Wednesday 25th September, 6:00 for 6:30 pm, HOTA (Gold Coast Arts Centre), Bundall

This is our annual fundraiser for Polio Plus as well as a great social evening - note: all the Rotary Clubs on the Gold Coast are participating in this! This year's movie is 'Ride like a Girl', the story of Michelle Payne, the first ever female rider to win the Melbourne Cup! See attached flyer for more details.

The price is $20.00 per person, of which $10.00 goes towards the Polio Plus collection. Foundation Director Gerald East will organize the tickets. Please do pre-pay them by Direct Deposit to our club's General Account (we really don't want to collect cash on the night). Its only on for one night, so tickets are limited - first come first served. Banking details as follows:

Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise Inc

BSB: 484-799, Account No: 047306431

Don't forget to put your name into the Reference section! Everyone is most welcome, partners, friends, volunteers...

Last week's speaker: Chris Thurtell - European YE Conference

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 15, 2019

Last Wednesday 11th September, "our" District Chairman in charge of Youth Exchange, Chris Thurtell, reported on his recent attendance at the Europe, Eastern Mediterranean & Africa Youth Exchange Conference (EEMA), which he attended in Valencia, Spain. "The theme of the conference was “Look to the future with Youth Exchange” and that theme was evident with the subject topic sessions throughout the weekend, although in practice the subject matter was not telling us things we did not already know. We all know how good the program is but what we need are innovative strategies to cope with our rapidly changing world and the rapidly changing face of those we send on exchange. Challenges we face here in Australia are universal and not specific to one country" Chris advised. He elaborated on a number of very important segments, just to name a few:

ROTEX (yes, what is ROTEX? - Check it out!)
Technology and its impact and dangers
The Z Generation
Expanding Youth Exchange beyond the 'traditional' countries, for example, bring in students from the African regions outside South Africa?
The Flag Game (a highly disturbing development, a "worldwide secret of exchange students, dangerous and damaging, not only to students but to those around them")

and many others. A copy of the full presentation is ready for you to download - see Download Section on the right.

Our club has been very active in international Youth Exchange - it is important that you keep yourself up to date.

Our very first Corporate Membership!

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 14, 2019

At last Wednesday's meeting (11th September), Past District Governor Darrell Brown inducted our first Corporate Membership team: Wilsons Advisory Gold Coast got the guernsey. Charles presented his fellow team members Todd Cole, Ashleigh Symes and Matthew Clayworth. (Photo - from left, Charles Thomasson on right). A hearty welcome to you all, and congratulations! We much look forward to greeting you at our upcoming breakfasts and functions.

How do Corporate Memberships work? In essence: All members are from the one company. At least one of the members is a "full" member (in this case, Charles Thomasson). The other members of the team can participate in any of the club's functions, but do not have voting rights and cannot stand for office.

Andrea Simmons – Australian Anti Ice Campaign (AAIC)

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 30, 2019

Picture this: a young, vivacious, successful woman, with a successful

business, a loving family. Andrea Simmons outlined in vivid detail how she was partaking in a bit of a knees-up at a swank hotel in town. Lots of good company, banter, laughter. Somebody suggests to her “take a puff of this, it isn’t going to hurt you…” and – literally – her world of success and love goes up in the proverbial puff of smoke. A rapid descent into addiction, psychosis and other major health issues, her wealth destroyed. “I spent as much as $500 a day” she explained, “and I didn’t know any way I could get out”.

That is just one case. Do you know that every day, on average some 27 young people become addicted to “Ice” (Crystal Methamphetamines)? Do you know the method on how to make Ice is in plain sight on the Internet?” Only some 2% come out at the other side; if successful, the withdrawal period is an excruciating 18 months. The Australian market is totally flooded with the stuff: wastewater sampling tests show an increase of as much as 480% in the six years to 2016 and it has gone worse since then. Do you know that kids as young as 12 years old are given “free samples” and then, when they inevitably become addicted, are offered a “franchise distribution”? Do you know that availability is easy? Andrea outlined an instance where, when visiting the Gold Coast, she obtained a “pipe” with great ease, just asking for it.

We hear and read daily in the news and media of cases where people crazed by Ice addiction cause serious damage to property, go berserk in hospital emergency wards. It has a massive effect across the board, from Mental Health to Police, Accident & Emergency to Hospital Services, with outrageous costs to the nation at large. Statistics prove that 1 in 3 kids who go into child protection comes from drug addicted parents. The long term effects are much similar to Parkinson’s Disease, but this one is preventable.

The Australian Ice Campaign is a Not For Profit organization, providing education at the very grass roots level, by distributing education kits to schools, providing workshops at schools and clubs and, at the other end, provides support for victims to help them to get off. A major, national fundraising event in multiple locations, ‘Walk Against Ice’ is held on Sunday week, 15th September. On the Gold Coast, it starts at 10 am at the Nikiforides Family Park in Broadbeach. Click here to book.

Photo (from left): Harold Bush (Rotary Club of Broadbeach), Leeanne Butcher, Andrea Simmons, Adrian Crowe.

Rotary - Micro to Macro

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 30, 2019

There’s a video on Youtube which in 75 seconds depicts the extremely large (as in the Universe) all the way to the extremely minute (as in sub-atomic). Have you ever thought of Rotary in a similar way? Come on, think about it: on the one hand, we have the extremely small (yes, YOU, rattling the Polio Plus bucket, running a mental health forum or removing graffiti), just one of about 1.2 million world wide. At the other end, you have the very large as, for example, The Rotary Foundation and within it, the Polio Plus campaign. At the Micro end, hundreds of millions of dollars collected via small “rattling the bucket” collections (visualize the granny giving her toddler granddaughter a coin to put into the Polio Plus bucket you are holding) through to giants of industry and commerce such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who, according to an article in Forbes Magazine in May 2019, have contributed some $US 3.7 Billion in total towards the eradication of Polio.

Whooaa Franz! Where are you going with this? Well, let me give you two examples of personal “Micro to Macro” experiences on the one day: Last Saturday, the day started off with a working bee at our club’s Project Shed. We loaded a 40’ container with over 200 wheelchairs, some 60 school desks and chairs, walkers etc, destined for PNG (ask Tanya and Mark Twyford how to stack so many in such a small place!). At an even more micro level, the wheelchairs had been lovingly put together by our volunteers, who stripped old bicycles, cut plywood, spray painted. At the other end, they’ll be handled by the local Rotary Club “over there”.

The second example is less complex, yet qualifies equally for “Micro to Macro”: I got a call from a personal friend of mine whose disabled brother had passed away. He had an almost new wheelchair, two walkers, a perfectly good laser printer and other paraphernalia. He knew that “Rotary can find a good home for that stuff”. Yes, but our club doesn’t handle “western” style wheelchairs, but the Burleigh Heads club does, via Donations in Kind in Brisbane. One phone call, a quick trip to deliver the goods, and I could assure my friend that the goods will end up in a good place, without any “baksheesh” being collected by a corrupt official. How good is it to be part of a “ready made” organisation like that? How good is it to be a member of Rotary?

10 years ago we launched RYDA

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 26, 2019

"Geez, this has been going for a while...! " I thought when my trusty computer reminded me that this Wednesday, together with another 2 members of our club, I am committed to assist in "herding" young students at the RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) event at the Southport Community Centre. So, I started digging through my old bulletin records and - lo and behold! - it started almost exactly 10 years ago. Here is an extract from (then) President Darrell Brown's (yep, that's him on the right!) message in the bulletin of 16th September 2009:

The RYDA project is off with a bang! We have 4 schools committed to a week of training from 23^rd to 27^th November (Schoolies Week). Committed clubs are Mermaid, Broadbeach, Southport, Robina, Parkwood, Surfers & Gold Coast Central. There will be a lot of work to be done, distributed amongst the clubs with me being Committee Chair, Margaret Grummitt - School Bookings Coordinator, Michael Cullen - Presenters Coordinator, Graham Jones - Rotary Volunteers Coordinator, Ken Gosney & Lisa Lock - Fund Raising / Sponsorship / Media Coordinator, me - Secretary, Bob Harrison - Treasurer, Ian Mayberry - Day Manager, Graham Jones, Ken Gosney...

Since then, thousands of kids have undergone this one day instruction course on Road Safety, specifically designed for the 17 year old age group. I'd dare to say it made a difference, probably saved numerous lifes. Proud to be associated with this great program. Give yourself a pat on the back, fellows!

Main photo above: some of the initial RYDA helpers in action 10 years ago (from left): Peter Baruch, Ray Higgs, Geoff Croad, Geoff McCoombe, Angus Miller, Ken Gosney.

Container loaded to the rim

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 24, 2019

Last Saturday we had a huge working bee at the Project Shed. While our regular Associate Members followed their "regular" jobs, our principal task was to load a container destined for Papua New Guinea with wheelchairs, school desks and chairs. We had very good numbers responding to the call and by 10:45 am the container was not only loaded to the rim, but we also assisted in dismantling some bicycles to separate the aluminium from the rest, pack up the old tyres for collection etc. All in all, a very productive morning. Good to see one of our newest members, Karen Holland, as well as our regular visitor Ann O'Connor participating very much hands on, and a big Thank You goes to Tanya Twyford, who, together with Mark, stacked wheelchairs, inside school desks, inside tables all morning! According to our Logistics Guru Col Laurenson, these are the numbers: 206 wheelchairs, 3 Wheelie Walkers, 59 School Chairs, 7 School Tables, 53 School Desks and 1 Teacher's Desk. All into just the one 40' container! A huge Thank You! to all the people who helped: in addition to the people already mentioned, the following members rolled up their sleeves (in no particular order): Adrian Crowe, Geoff Croad, Al Sirovs (good to see you back, Al!), Mark Twyford, Larry Murray, President Mario Fairlie, Darrel Brown, Angus Miller, Andy Bell, Charles Thomasson, Doug Lipp and yours truly. Photo (from left): Adrian Crowe, Andy Bell, Ann O'Connor, Mario Fairlie, Angus Miller. More photos in the Photo Album - see right side)

3 new members inducted into Surfers Sunrise

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 17, 2019

At last Wednesday's meeting, three new members were inducted into the Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise: Karen Holland, whose vocation is 'Technical Services' (but she has just completed a law degree!), Ben Illes, who is in construction, and Doug Garvie, one of Southport's leading commercial leasing agents.

Congratulations and welcome to the club!

Photo (from left) Karen Holland, Ben Illes, President Mario Fairlie and Doug Garvie.

People of Action alright!

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 17, 2019

Last week, two of our members participated in the launch of our new Rotary "People of Action" Public Image Campaign, designed to expand our brand awareness and attract bicycle enthusiasts to Rotary, in Burleigh Heads. The Bicycle team members represent 4 of the largest Rotary clubs on the Gold Coast. People of Action alright!! [I'm getting tired just looking at those racing bikes! Ed.]

Photo (by DGE Andy Rajapakse) from left: Past District Governor Ross Smith of Burleigh Heads, Rowan Johnstone President of Gold Coast, Wayne Kirby President of Hope Island, and "our" District Treasurer Mark Twyford and Neil Thurlow of Surfers Sunrise.

Councillor Dawn Crichlow on ABC Radio talks about our PODs

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 12, 2019

This Monday morning (12/08/19), City Councillor Dawn Crichlow OAM was interviewed on ABC Radio 91.7 on the deplorable situation of the homeless people on the Gold Coast. During that interview, she referred to the Rotary Surfers Sunrise 'POD', which Des La Rance and the volunteers at the Project Shed are building - refer to previous bulletins and articles on our website. It is well worth your while to listen to it: click here to access the broadcast (turn on your sound). The interview starts at Minute 4.18.

Rotary's Best Kept Secrets: RFE

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 10, 2019

So, you want to travel overseas, yes?

And you are happy to stay in "affordable" accommodation (read: 3-star or worse hotels) and want to work out the hard way what is and what is not worth seeing? And you won't grumble about paying around $2,500 per couple for Travel Insurance, in case you'll need an ambulance when you're "over there" and your health fund - not to mention Medicare - won't cover you? Do I hear an emphatic "Nooo!!"?

So, here is the golden alternative - only available to Rotarians and their partners: Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE). Best if I give you a couple of details from my recent experience: I responded to an invite sent to all members by RFE Distric Chair, PDG Wendy Scarlett, to participate in an Exchange to Seattle and British Columbia. Against all expectations, my better half and I were accepted. After a couple of meetings and some online meetings, a team of 10 gathered at an agreed hotel in Seattle. From then on, for the next two weeks, we were treated like royalty - hosted by 5 different Rotary Clubs and accommodated in private homes at all locations. The local Rotarians drove us to some of the 'secret' places of beauty

Neil Thurlow rode in the MS Brissie to Bay

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 04, 2019

... the man is indefatigable... Here is a picture of our club's Director for Public Relations, Neil Thurlow, in his brand new T-shirt, presented to him after cycling for a solid 100 Km in the MS Brissie to Bay event [I get tired just thinking about it! Ed.] . Neil raised some $1,320 sponsorship for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.

'On ya, Neil! What a trooper!

[This actually happened a few weeks ago in June, but somehow, it slipped through your Editor's (electronic) fingers. Simply can't trust those computers... ☺]

Greetings from Lucy Thorburn in Minnesota

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 26, 2019

Our Youth Exchange Student in Minnesota, Lucy Thorburn, has sent us some photos from her "Safari" tour in the USA. See Photo Album on the right. There are also some more in her Photo Album (see on right hand side). Here is her message:

Summer is in full swing here is Minneapolis. Our days are getting up to 33 degrees and very humid. About two weeks ago now I got back from my rotary East Coast trip. I left Minneapolis on June15th and drove
with 46 other rotary exchange students from both Minnesota and Wisconsin to the East Coast of America. We drove through 22 states and stop at 12 different city from St. Louis Illinois to New York City,
the trip was about 2 weeks long. By far this this trip has be the best part of my year so far. Some of the things we did ranged from River Rapiding in the Smoky Mountains, Line Dancing in Nashville, Touring a
Navy ship in Norfolk Virginia and visiting the city that never sleeps (and it’s true New York never sleeps). Now I’m back home enjoying the summer days with my friends on the lakes or hammocking in the
park.

Hope all it well with everyone back home and that your not to cold too!

Regards, Lucy.

After crawling for 35 years...

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 26, 2019

With almost 9000 Surfers Sunrise wheelchairs dispatched into all continents of the globe (except Antarctica), one could be forgiven for being a bit blasé... But a recent email including photo and video sent to us by Christopher Shadbolt of TTN Ministries (somewhere in Africa - sorry, will try to find out more info) brings the message home again with a thump. The email subject was 'After crawling for 35 years'. It depicts Regina, a young woman, now 39 years old, who is lame in her legs. This is Chris' response to my query about her condition:

Hello Franz

I wish I could elaborate more on the condition but that reality of it is she has grown up and spent her entire life in the village so actual details are non existent. At best it’s an educated guess.

This what we know: she is 39, the surviving twin just after her twin died she became lame (her family believe it is curse); my guess is polio that is what killed her (but that) is a guess.

But what I do know is she has never had the opportunity to have wheel chair, she moves by crawling- But beyond the disability it is clear she carries the pain of shame and has low self esteem and even lower self worth.

We thank Rotary and the team, the wheel chairs are so often a start to a different life.

For us we are in the process of see what funds we can raise for Regina and we are looking to purchasing a hand powered sewing machine (we have collection of materials etc and lady willing to travel to the village to train her) plus solar panel and battery with 12 volt clippers.

In short give her the capacity to generate funds by doing hair cuts (mainly for children) and sewing.

Thanks
In His Grip
Christopher Shadbolt

Des La Rance also received a 'Thank you' message from the Rotary e-Club of South Africa One (see photo on right), thanking us for our donation of 120 wheelchairs. There is little doubt that in addition to Regina mentioned in the story above, there are another 119 equally deserving disabled people whose life will have substantially improved as a result of the work of our volunteers and Associate Members who are "slaving along" every Saturday at the Project Shed.

DG Harry Bolton & Shauna visit Surfers Sunrise

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 22, 2019

At last Wednesday's combined meeting with Broadbeach and Gold Coast, we were honoured by District Governor Harry Bolton and his charming wife Shauna visiting Surfers Sunrise, coming all the way from Tenterfield. Rather than me trying to detail Harry's message, which really is applicable to all clubs, why not go to the District Website www.rotary9640.org and read Harry's inaugural and excellently edited DG Newsletter 'High Country Calling'? By the way: You should also have received in your Inbox if you are a registered member or have subscribed. In that edition, Harry also outlines his principal goals for the District. Read it! You'll be pleased to know that one of the goals we have already fulfilled: Shauna Bolton made the Malaria Vaccine Project at Griffith University her "DG's Partner" project. Our club has made a donation of $1,000 - see photo of Shauna together with President Mario Fairlie. (Photo by Charles Thomasson).

Gold Coast Passport Club Charter

Posted by Franz Huber

Hard on the heels of the new Varsity Lakes Club, chartered in September last year, another new club with a difference will be chartered next month: The Gold Coast Passport Rotary Club. "Passport"? Well, your Editor is not entirely sure either what this entails, but looking at their website, it would appear that their members are all below the age of 45, and their meetings will be "Wine and Cheese" style. The Charter night will be on Friday 16th August 2019, starting at 6:00 pm. More details to follow.

[I wonder: will the wine and cheese be served on a small airline style tray...? ☺☺ Ed.]

"Late" Award presentations

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 14, 2019

Last Saturday, President Mario Fairlie and Immediate Past President Jo Winwood presented three "late" awards to members who were unable to be present at our recent Changeover Luncheon in June.

Photos shown:

From top left:

Larry Murray: Rotarian of the Year
Neil Thurlow: Quiet Achiever
Mitch Brown: Paul Harris Fellowship.

Congratulations to all, well deserved!

Des La Rance awarded with Life Membership

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 14, 2019

At last Saturday's meeting at the Project Shed, President Mario Fairlie and Immediate Past President Jo Winwood presented our Chief Designer, inventor and untiring worker, Des La Rance OAM, with a Life Membership. Des of course is best known not only for his design and driving to fruition of our 'Wheelchairs from Bicycles' program (it started back in 1995) and various designs and completion of cyclone proof houses, schools in Phuket and Mataa'fa Village on Samoa, as well as the now famous 'House of Hope' in Apia, Samoa.

Congratulations, Des!

Photo above: President Mario, Des La Rance, Jo Winwood

This week: Major Multi Club Project meeting

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 14, 2019

This coming Wednesday 17th July we'll have the combined meeting with the Broadbeach Club, as previously advised.

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.

Our next major Project Shed item: a 'Pod'

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 08, 2019

A what?? A Pod? Isn't that something to do with flowers? [No, Henrietta, nothing to do with pot plants. Nor with pot... ☺] Or with something that is detachable from an aircraft?

No, it is a Mini-Accommodation on wheels for the homeless. Our indefatigable President Mario Fairlie has had discussion with the equally indefatigable local City Councillor Dawn Crichlow about this potential new project which Surfers Sunrise might become involved with at our the Shed. A picture tells a thousand words they say - so check out the attached image of the front page of a recent Gold Coast Bulletin article (you can expand it so you can actually read it - just press Ctrl + ). The estimated cost is $500 plus the bicycle to pull it. And yes, Dawn will take it to the council.

At last Wednesday's meeting, Des La Rance gave us a good run down on how this will happen. See President Mario's message above.

Changeover 2019: The Awards

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 27, 2019

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: Angus Miller. Angus is of course also known as 'The Onion King', then man in charge of organizing not just the onions, but all the food and drinks and paraphernalia when we have a fundraising barbeque. The club owes you a big THANK YOU!

Fellowship Cup: Andy Bell. Well, what can I say? Mr Fellowship impersonated!

Paul Harris Fellowship Award for Tanya Twyford

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 27, 2019

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!

Remember Jodie Chilby?

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 15, 2019

Remember Jordy Chilby, the Design Student from

Woollongong who came all the way up to the Gold Coast to investigate how we make wheelchairs, using materials from discarded bicycles? (See Bulletin 6th February 2019)? Well, she has finished it and - whaddya know?? - ended up on WIN News Illawarra! Ultimately, her wheelchair will end up in Tanzania... Full story on our Facebook Page. How good is that! Well done, Jordy!

Security System installed at the Project Shed

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 08, 2019

Over the last weekend, our new security system was installed at our Project Shed. President Elect Mario Fairlie advises that Peter and Karen of PTS Security (the company has

taken care of Mario's home security for some 15 years) worked all day to get it professionally installed. Sensors which are located indoors, outdoors as well as on the Roller Doors (see picture right), are connected to a control panel and are ultimately monitored 24/7.

Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Trust comes 'of age'

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 08, 2019

Did you know that the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Trust was formally brought into existence exactly 21 years ago? Here is an extract from the last club bulletin of 1997/1998:

Our Club registers its own Charity Company

At last Wednesday’s Board Meeting, the formal go ahead was given to setup our own Charity Organization. This was also necessary to ensure that the people donating to the Wheel Chair Project receive full Tax Deductibility, and that the materials purchased can be bought Salestax Exempt. [Yes, that was before GST! And yes, I still had hair then... ☺ Ed.] Jonathon Withers and Peter Presser have worked tirelessly to get this on the rails prior to 30 June. The structure of the company will be that the members of Surfers Sunrise will always have total control of the Charity Company: Its office bearers will always consist of both the current and past Presidents, plus another three directors as well as the Secretary and Treasurer are to be elected/confirmed annually to their positions by the club members. The initial board of the Charity Company will be as follows:

President: Des La Rance

Vice President: Phil Parry (Club President 1998/99)

Directors: Franz Huber (Immediate Past Club President)

John Appleton

Secretary: Johathon Withers

Treasurer: Bob Harrison

The Wheelchair Trust has truly come of age! 21 years later: going stronger than ever!

Visualize... Imagine a picture...

Posted by Franz Huber on May 24, 2019

OK, close you eyes… take a deep breath and regulate your heartbeat. Why? I’m about to ask you to deeply visualize. Visualize a bunch of close to 20 Surfers Sunrise Rotarians, Associate Members and their partners putting their shoulders to the wheel and their noses to the grinding stone at the Small Business Expo, where we were invited to assist and raise some badly needed funds. They were there the day before on Wednesday for “bump-in”. They were there on Thursday to man the Car Park to collect Gold Coin parking fees (as well as the equivalent in electronic form). They manned our display stand for the day, kindly provided to us by the Small Business Expo organizer, Paula Brand. And they were again there in force at the “bump-out” stage, removing and stacking up the tables, chairs and partitions.

The effort raised over $3,000, nearly double that of last year. Organizer Paula Brand (picture right) was so happy with our services that she increased the $500.00 fee for bump-in/out to $800.00 – just like that! Next year we’ll be moving the Sports & Leisure Centre next door, so it’s going to be bigger again!

So what is all that visualizing about? Simple: in the absence of your editor (he is still slightly damaged goods, albeit steadily improving), every one else was simply too busy to take photos..! ☺

A big Thank You! to all the participants and to Paula Brand and her team for inviting us!

Surfers Sunrise joins Islamic Society for an Iftar

Posted by Franz Huber on May 22, 2019

Iftar?? In a nutshell: the Islamic Society of the Gold Coast has invited the members of our club to participate in a meal, celebrating 'breaking fast', at the location of the Gold Coast Mosque in Arundel. Here is an extract of their invitation:

"In this sacred month of Ramadan, we would like to take an opportunity to invite you and your team to have an Iftar (breaking fast) and dinner at the Islamic Society of Gold Coast.... ... In order to spread the spirit of goodwill and happiness, we look forward to your participation, we hope you will take part in the event to make it a great success."

But - but - but... Isn't Rotary supposed to be non-denominational? Yes, indeed! But that doesn't mean that Rotarians are not permitted to practice their religion, or for that matter - as in this instance - communicate with members of other religions. Quite the opposite: The fourth Object Rotary is "The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service." (click here for the full text of the Objects of Rotary). The Islamic Society has in the past been instrumental of getting container loads of our wheelchairs into the war torn areas of Syria, Afghanistan etc. Yes, this is exactly what International Understanding is all about.

A fair number of our members and their partners attended (see picture, by Mark Twyford). To no doubt, it is events of this nature which provide the means to break down barriers. A sincere 'Thank you!' goes to the Islamic Society for the invitation.

Excellent Fellowship BBQ at the Twyfords on Saturday

Posted by Franz Huber on May 20, 2019

Last Saturday night, Mark & Tanya Twyford hosted a Surfers Sunrise bar-be-que at their home. The deal was quite straight forward: Mark & Tanya did the "hunting and gathering" (read: we'll provide the meat) and the guest were expected to bring not just their own drinks, but to also provide a nice bottle of red for the hosts to enjoy on a quiet evening on another night. Very generous arrangement! ☺ Mark reports that the event was most enjoyable.

No rest for the wicked though: as incoming District Treasurer, Mark was off at the crack of dawn to travel to Warwick to attend the first District Training Assembly! A big Thank You! to Mark & Tanya for putting this on!

Picture on left (by Mark Twyford): Mark, Sue Smith and President Jo enjoying the open fire in the court yard. Ah, the old open fire just makes such a difference to the ambience! More pictures on our Photo Album (see right side)

Changeover Luncheon: Sunday 23rd June

Posted by Franz Huber on May 18, 2019

Set your diary (and your partner's) for this year's Changeover Luncheon:

President Jo Winwood and Elect Mario Fairlie invite all members, Associate members and their partners and friends to join them for our traditionally classy event. This year it will be held at

Links Hope Island

Hope Island Road

Hope Island 4212

Price $30.00 per head for an elegant two course lunch.

Superb venue, easy parking.

Bookings have now closed. Please contact Graham Isaacson business@mainbeachpo.com if you require assistance.

Greetings from our YE Student in the USA

Posted by Franz Huber on May 08, 2019

Update from Lucy:

"This month I haven't been doing much", Lucy Thorburn, our Youth Exchange Student in Minnesota, USA reports... Besides attending school of course, just playing Badminton and building snowmen in April... Here are a couple of pictures: Left: Lucy (right) with some of her Badminton Team. Below: Snow in April - possibly not an unusual occurrence in Minnesota! Additional photos have been uploaded to the Photo Album Section on the right.

People of Action alright! Defibrillator training

Posted by Franz Huber on May 04, 2019

Rotarians are people of action alright!

Kerry Packer started it all, when in 1990 he financed the purchase of Defbrillators for all the NSW Ambulances, following his life being saved by just such a device. Recently, our club bought a Defibrillator which is now installed at our Project Shed. But how to use it? What do you actually do if somebody collapses in a heap and stops breathing, stops responding?

So, last Saturday, some 15 members and Associates underwent First Aid and Defibrillator training, provided by Cardiacsafe, the supplier of the device. We learned not only the principles of First Aid, but also how to deploy the Defibrillator. Let's hope we'll never need to use it, but as the frequently quoted saying goes: Hope is not a strategy!

By the way, did you know that the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest rises from 9% to approximately 75% if a Defibrillator is deployed within minutes? And, by the way, cardiac arrests don't just happen to senior people. It could just as easily happen to a competitor in a school footy game (or his dad getting over excited on the sidelines... ☺).

Perhaps it's time for all of use to have a bit of a refresher on First Aid? The Australian Resuscitation Council has lots of information, guide lines and flow charts to assist. jump to their website which has lots and lots of very practical and easy to follow stuff on the subject: https://resus.org.au/ And don't forget, the owner of Cardiacsafe, Tristan Hardwick, will speak at our club on 15th May.

Last Wednesday: Charles Thomasson on Election Finances

Posted by Franz Huber on May 03, 2019

It's quite bewildering trying to determine how the policies of the various political parties will affect one's own situation. If Franking Credits were removed, how will this affect the stock market and in particular that little nest egg you have squirreled away over the past several decades of working 12 hour days? What about the removal of Negative Gearing? What about the halving of the Capital Gains Tax discount? And most importantly: Whom can you trust??

One of the seldom mentioned benefits of belonging to a Rotary Club is that quite often there is an expert in a particular subject right among the members! Not only is he or she there, but you can be reasonably certain that trust is not misplaced. So, last Wednesday our very own Charles Thomasson, who is a partner at Wilson's Advisory, gave us a good run down on the major items one has to consider. Keeping strictly within the boundaries (Rotary is NOT involved in politics), Charles addressed the major aspects. As he is, by law, compelled to do, Charles also made it quite plain that anything he says is general advice, not specific to anyone's personal situation: Here is the official wording:

Charles gave the example of how a portfolio of an investor with a ‘Balanced’ Risk Profile could look. A risk profile is an assessment of an investor’s tolerance to investment risk. It is a key aspect of portfolio construction and is critical to determining appropriate asset allocation, recommended investments and target returns. The Wilsons Risk Profile is attached. The advice contained in this document is general advice. It has been prepared without taking account of any person’s objectives, financial situation or needs.

So, how will the stock market react? "Who knows?" was Charles' response, "but it is unlikely to make a big difference, simply because the policies of all parties have been out there for months beforehand, and generally the eventualities are already calculated in." Of course, there was lots and lots of other questions answered. Questions kept coming, all where competently answered. What? Sorry, you should have been there yourself! But, once the dust has settled, Charles promised to come back and give us an assessment of what will likely be happening once we know who will (or attempt to run) our wonderful country for the next three years. Stay tuned!

On the Download Section (right hand side), you will find Wilson's Risk Profile summary. Of course, you can contact Charles directly: Charles.Thomasson@wilsonsadvisory.com.au

Larry & Des demonstrate at the Blokes Lounge

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 26, 2019

Blokes Lounge? Yeah, I've never heard of them before either... ☺ According to their website, this organization "offers a friendly and welcoming environment where blokes from all walks of life can get together…". Yup, there's no mention of blokettes, or Sheila's...

Last week, Larry Murray and Des La Rance visited one of their meetings and not only demonstrated our wheelchairs project, but made them assemble one, which they successfully accomplished in 12 minutes flat! Larry, I'm sure with a tear in his eye, lamented that our club was short of finances and a quick passing of the hat raised a very creditable $333.70. There is no evidence who donated the 70 cents! Thank you to all the blokes!

The Small Business Expo just two weeks away

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 24, 2019

Just two weeks to go till the Gold Coast Business Expo on 23rd May. Surfers Sunrise Rotary will have a stand as well, where visitors can learn all about Rotary and in particular about Surfers Sunrise. We'll be collecting business cards with the aim to obtain contact details of people who might fit the required personality of a Rotarian.

And, hey, check out this flyer - download the full file from the Download Section on the right: they have some great speakers! Talking about powerful females...! And this is just one part from noon to 1:30 pm!

Last week: Tahlia Fenech & Jacqui Wark on RYLA

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 18, 2019

What a refreshing experience last Wednesday to hear Tahlia Fenech and Jacqui Wark speak about the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA)! Tahlia, who works with the PCYC's Project Booyah! was sponsored by our club to attend RYLA last February. Jacqui is one of the leaders and organizers. As the name would suggest, the week long event is designed to promote personal and professional development, goal setting and communication through a range of inspirational speakers, team building exercises and leadership training. In our District, it is held every year in late January or early February.

The girls started the presentation off with a video, showing the awardees enjoying every minute by participating in activities as straight forward as sliding down a slippery water slide to team activity of constructing a raft and then “racing” it across the pond. You can catch a bit of that video on the RYLA website. Obviously, everyone is having a ball! Your editor remarked that, from the video, it would appear that it is simply a giant holiday camp? “Far from it!” both the girls exclaimed, “I have repeatedly been taken way out of my comfort zone” Tahlia outlined. "One of the most beneficial items was to learn how to believe in myself" she said.

There are numerous activities which not only stretch the brain, but the various Keynote and motivational speakers really help the awardees to set goals and learn how to achieve these goals.

RYLA, now a program run in numerous Rotary Districts throughout Australia and internationally, is truly home grown: it was originally started in Queensland, as far back as 1959.

Photo (from left): Our club's Chair of Youth Service, Tania Laird, Jacqui Wark and Tahlia Fenech.

Simon Brook & Jodie McClintock have a baby!

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 15, 2019

This has not happened at Surfers Sunrise in decades: Simon Brook & Jodie McClintock are proud parents! Simon reports that this Monday morning at 07:05 am, Jodie gave birth to Lewis Lee, a healthy baby boy, 7 lb 13. Mum and Bub are doing well, and dad is slowly coming off the high of his life...

Our hearty congratulations to you both!

The Rotary Foundation - maximum effect

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 07, 2019

You may be considering supporting a worthwhile charity? And often, you just wonder how much of your hard earned money actually ends up at the "end user", rather than being gobbled up by Administration and Director's Fees? With some 55,000 Charities in Australia alone, whom can you trust? Some, even the major ones, have outrageous overheads. So it is comforting to know that, with less than 3% going in Administration Expenses, The Rotary Foundation has again scored the coveted 4-Star rating by Charity Navigator, for the 11th time in a row! If you would like to donate, and at the same time ensure that your donation is fully tax deductible, and is allocated against our Rotary Club you can do so directly from our District 9640 Website! If you allocate your donation to the Annual Fund, it means that part of your donation ultimately will come back to our District in the form of a District or Global Grant! Click here - it is plain and simple!

The Defibrillator is installed!

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 06, 2019

We have purchased a defibrillator for our hard working volunteers at the Project Shed! It was installed this week, and Des La Rance sorted out the mounting in a conspicious place. Professional training day on Saturday 4th May, 08:00 am. We have purchased a defibrillator for our hard working volunteers at the Project Shed! It was installed this week - - professional training day on Saturday 4th May - so would you kindly refrain from having a heart attack till then! 😊😊o would you kindly refrain from having a heart attack till then!

Lucy Thorburn takes the plunge - at freezing temp!

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 06, 2019

First feedback from our Youth Exchange Student in Minnesota, USA. Never mind freezing temperatures - Lucy Thorburn takes the plunge i

nto freezing water anyway - all for a good cause! Click here for video on our Facebook Page!

Good morning this is Lucy Thorburn, I wanted to send you a like update on my exchange so far it’s been a crazy two months already. So it start with the first week of me being here in Minnesota we had the Polar vortex temperatures of -38 degrees celsius, that week school was cancelled four days in a row due to the crazy cold temps! We’ve also had lots of snow this winter so I’ve been skiing, snowboarding, sledding, ice skating and snowball fights with friends. I’ve already met some really awesome people, my rotary club here is very impressed with everything you guys do with your wheelchair program, they started a program two years back in India to help girls get an education, right now they are funding around nine all girls schools and have help thunderous of girls in the last two years!

A couple of my friends and I participated in The Polar Plunge which was a fundraiser for Special Olympic (it’s pretty much jumping into frozen lake water temps below 0, craziness I know!) We ended up raising $1,900 as a team, I’ll leave some pictures and videos down below.

I’m also playing badminton at school for my after school spring sports with a couple of friends. My friend Lucy and I are playing doubles ( and yes everyone has a little laugh that we are both named Lucy). We made the varsity which is the best team to be on so we are really happy about that!

Photo on left: Menolly (host sister), Lucy Thorburn, Kelly (host mum), Brennan (host brother( and Bryce (host dad). More photos in Photo Album - see right side.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Des La Rance

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 04, 2019

He is the inventor, designer and moving force behind our major International project, the wheelchairs, the schools and the orphanages our club has delivered into all continents bar Antarctica! It's now some 24 years ago since Des visited Fiji, where he witnessed crippled and disabled children literally dragging themselves through the dirt, and decided that something needed to be done about it. Two years later, the project was brought to the attention of Ray Martin, at the time the host of 'A Current Affair', who promptly agreed to send a reporter and film crew, and accompany us to deliver the first 10 wheelchairs to Fiji (see my report on our website, under the Wheelchairs Tab).

The original wheelchairs not only recycled part of the frame, but also the wheels. As their tyres would go flat, this turned out to be not the optimal way, so new wheels and BMX style tyres with solid inner tubes have been deployed since. Since then, almost 9,000 wheelchairs have been manufactured from old bicycles, plywood and other components, at a cost of just $100.00 each. The most recent batch of 280, loaded into a 40 foot container, is destined for Bangladesh.

For many people, an achievement of this magnitude would do nicely, thank you. Not Des: visiting Vanuatu, he saw a family living under a bit of corrugated sheeting. "Something needed to be done about that" - the typical decision. Des designed a low cost house, which not only was easily built, flat packed for shipment in a container, but was also designed to be cyclone proof (and verified to be, by our Charter President and Civil Engineer Bill Moir). From this design emanated a design for a school to accommodate children who were orphaned in the Tsunami that devastated Indonesia and Thailand on Boxing Day of 2004. Just a few years later, in 2007, a tsunami hit Samoa. Our club, using a similar design, manufactured, supplied and installed a Primary School in the Matafaa Village on the south coast of Samoa. This was followed by a massive project, in concert with the Samoa Victims Support Group, to supply and erect an orphanage in Apia, followed by delivering a second classroom in 2016.

So where to from here? No rest for the wicked, as they say: President Elect Mario Fairlie has had discussions with other Rotary Clubs in the Surfers Paradise cluster to supply a Radiology Unit to a hospital in Vanuatu. "They have the hospital, but no X-Ray Unit" Des explained. "No flies on him", as the common Australian colloquialism says: Des' design is ready. It is similar to the last Samoa school, based on a 40 foot container, which ultimately becomes a major structural component of the building, with 50 mm Refrigeration Panels, wooden frames, cyclone proof...

The weekend that was the District Conference

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 01, 2019

What an event! Starting on Friday and going through till Sunday midday, the Lismore Conference was - in simple terms: hugely successful. I'm still buzzing, almost suffering from 'Sensory Overload'. Some people claim that a Rotary District Conference is... soooo booooring. Got news for you! Visualize the start of Friday night's dinner. A priest is called up to the rostrum to say grace. The MC warns him that he has no more than five minutes.... FIVE minutes??? For saying grace? Groan, here we go, it's going to be a long night... Well, take this from a guy who is not the most religious person you've ever met: in all the 3 score and ten years of my life, I've NEVER enjoyed the saying of grace as much! Glenn Samuel (formerly from Mudgeeraba Rotary Club and is now a minister in Lismore) presented grace in the format of a humorous poem. What's the...? Sorry, you should have been there yourself! But if you'd like a copy: let me know.

I've written an article in the most recent issue of the District Governor's newsletter. Click on this link to access it.

Ah, almost forgot: Surfers Sunrise won the Best Club Communications Award (picture right)

. And did I mention that the Rotary International President's Representative's (RIPR) - he's from Texas - speech was presented by singing it in Country Song style, complete with guitar? RIPPER alright!

Last week's Guest Speakers: The Blenders

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 25, 2019

Originally, when the group formed in 1988, they were called 'The Banana Blenders'... Introduced by David Bonifant (Rotary Club of Broadbeach), four members of the famous A Capella choir joined us: Barry Mallett, life member (over 20 years), Roy Tomkinson - life member (since foundation in 1988), Tony Egan and Rusty Lush, a former member of Surfers Sunrise. Roy started the show with a Video when they appeared on 'Australia's Got Talent' - click here to view it. Even Karl Sandilands loved it! Roy followed up with a history of The Blenders over the past 30-odd years. Today, the group has around 50 - 60 members. You can find a lot of information on their website - click here.

A Barbershop Quartett must strictly follow the rules of the Australian Association of Barbershop Harmony Convention. Bit the choir progressed - to one of its pinnacles of achievement, appearing at the Closing Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2018. "Every year, the songs get more complicated, but on the other hand, the learning materials also have become so much better, due to them being IT based", Roy advised. And it's not just voice, tonal and vowel matching. These days Choreography much comes into it too!

Barry Mallett followed up with a very interesting metaphor, comparing Barbershop style singing to Rugby... What?? Come again? Yes, Barry called it "Rugby without the contact"... Further, learning songs is good for the brain - not to be underestimated, as - as one gets older - anything that improves brain power is good for you! "Singing Barbershop Harmony sort of makes your bones vibrate," Barry said, "it's similar to guided meditation, or [censured]..." [sorry, you should have been there... Ed.] Reams of questions resulted in us literally running out of time. What a pity! An actual performance of one of their quartets would have put the cherry on the cake!

Thank you from John Hall

Posted by Franz Huber

We received a lovely note from John Hall who recently sacrificed his ~~Goldi~~ Silver Locks for a good cause to support research into Leukemia (see last week's bulletin). Since it is on a dark blue background, which makes it a bit hard to read from a photo, even in a large format. So, here is the text:

Surfers Sunrise Rotary - To President Joanne

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the generous donation you gave me with my recent sponsorship for the Greatest Shave. Your donation helped me to reach my goal.

The reason this charity is so close is because my wife recently passed away due to cancer and we have had a few friends who passed with the same

By fundraising for the World's Greatest Shave, I have helped give families facing cancer the emotional and practical support they need and fund vital research to help more people survive.

Kind regards

(signed) John Hall.

Massive injection of funds into our District projects

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 24, 2019

PDG Graham Jones outlined the fantastic achievement of the huge project our District supports at Griffith University: The development of a Malaria Vaccine. Our Rotary District so far has raised over $500,000. The program has now proceeded to the human trials stage. And, to give the project a serious push up, here comes our local member for McPherson and Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews, with the news that the Federal Government is topping this up with a further $500,000!

But wait, there's more! Graham also advised that the program originally started by the Rotary club of Maclean (and now taken over by the District) into Human Brain Research has been given a major boost via a Global Grant by The Rotary Foundation of $90,000. This will permit a second scholarship at the University of Queensland, specifically supporting the study of Parkinson's Disease. A fund has been setup within the Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS), which enjoys Deductible Gift Recipient (e.g. Tax Deductability) status. It is named The Rotary Australia Benevolent Society, or short RABS. Graham is looking to our club to chair the group in our District.

Best kept Secret: Botanical Gardens

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 17, 2019

Last Wednesday, Ray Higgs and I visited the Gold Coast Regional Botanical Gardens to participate in one of their guided walks 'Indigenous Use of Bush Foods and Flora'. So what?? I hear you ask, what's that got to do with Rotary? Well, one could say Ray and I were practicing good ol' fellowship (remember: this is one of Rotary's major objectives!), but most of you would not even be aware - or have forgotten - that a number of the Gold Coast based Rotary Clubs had a hand in the establishment of the Botanical Gardens. In the early years of the 21st Century, Past Rotary International Treasurer Brian Knowles instigated concerted efforts for local Rotary Clubs to be involved, and a number of planting days were organized. Over the last 15 - 20 years, those small tubers have grown into quite decent trees and shrubs! Rotary is very much there too, with a Rotary Education Pavilion.

Back to the guided walks: honestly, despite your Editor's genuine interest in the Australian Bush, I had no idea these walks existed. And there are more, several times every week! Butterfly Walks, Native Bee Walks... Click on this link to get directly to the Friends of the Gardens own website.. And, either before and/or afterwards, have a nice cuppa at the Friends of the Gardens Centre. And, as I couldn't, try to resist the urge to buy a jar of one of their special jams...

This coming Wednesday 20th March: The Blenders

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 16, 2019

A meeting with a difference: pure entertainment! The world famous Barbershop A Capella group 'The Blenders' will join us! Can't miss that!

And to make it even more interesting: PDG Graham Jones will drop in to bring us up to date on the Malaria Vaccine Project our district is partnering with Griffith Uni.

Choose from the club's Buffet or from their extensive breakfast menu, or just have a cuppa. Note: order in the bistro downstairs, then take your meal to the upstairs restaurant and enjoy the fellowship!

Surfers Sunrise to participate in Small Business Expo

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 11, 2019

At last week's meeting, Paula Brand, the head of the Gold Coast Small Business Expo, gave us a brief presentation on the project. As we were last year, we have again been invited to run a Fundraiser by setting up the day before and, on the day, run the Car Parking and, at the end of the day, take the tables and partitions down. The Expo will run on 23rd May 2019, so put that date, as well as the 22nd May into your diary now!

But this year, we have also been invited to run a booth ourselves! What a terrific opportunity for membership promotion!

You can find more information on the event on their website: www.smallbusinessexpos.com.au (don't be confused by the registration page popping up in your face - just close it to see the website itself.)

The Lismore District Conference starts this week!

Posted by Franz Huber

The conference starts this Friday, 29th March! Your Editor and his better half will go down on Friday for the three days and so are - at this point in time - 4 couples from our club attending. Registrations close this coming Sunday 24th March!

Why attend a District Conference?

Well, to start, it's fun: you meet lots of interesting people (the most interesting Rotarians DO attend the conference - not meaning to be bragging about myself of course)
You will hear Keynote Speakers for which you normally would pay hundreds of dollars to attend
The dinners are always superb fellowship events. The Saturday Night dinner is always very vibrant; this year they have a top notch Jazz & Swing band. Yes, we dance!
You learn a couple of things about Rotary which you may not have known before

Registration for Rotarians and their partners is free of charge, however, in fairness, a fee applies to partake in the events which serve food. Click on this link to go to the Registration Page. Note: Registrations close this Sunday, 24th March.

23rd March 2019: Guess who is coming to Dinner?

Posted by Gus Miller on Mar 11, 2019

Saturday week, 23rd March. Please register your interest with Gus Miller.

This is a great social evening with an air of mystery as neither the guests nor hosts know who is attending, respectively who will host. Gus needs about 4 volunteer hosts, but regardless of whether you are hosting or not, he will need final numbers of attendees so we can make sure that we have enough hosts. Note: it is an 'impromptu, minimal fuss' affair: if you are hosting and you are an accomplished chef and want to show it off: slave over a hot stove and cook a three course dinner! At the other end of the scale, simply organize some take-away pizza. Or anything in-between! The principal purpose is to have a great night!

For those who have not attended one of these dinners before: Firstly, you will all gather at a particular address for a drink & nibble. The hosts' address for the evening will then be drawn up, who will then make their way to that address for the dinner. Each host will have nominated the number of guests they would like, but they will not know who will come to dinner, nor will the guests know who else will be at that given address. The food is provided by the hosts, for which the guests will contribute $15 per head and provide their own drinks [and perhaps have a glass to spare for the host too..! Ed] . The menu is entirely at the whim of the host, anything from caviar to pizza.

Gus needs to know who will be participating by the next meeting on the 20th March. Please register your interest directly with Gus Miller 0418 886 422 or email agipmiller@gmail.com.

Visitors from Wisconsin, USA at the Project Shed

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 02, 2019

Last Saturday morning, we had the pleasure to welcome a Rotary Friendship Exchange team from District 6250 Wisconsin, USA to our Project Shed. The team is currently on the last segment of their two week tour of our District 9640, which officially ends on 04th March. Photo above shows the team at the Project Shed, with their hosts from the Rotary Club of Gold Coast, Parkwood and Runaway Bay.

'Rotary Friendship Exchange'?? It's just one of the many marvelous facets of Rotary. How does it work? Well, in essence, a team from one District is hosted by another District, and then, a few months later, vice-versa. [Your Editor and his better half will participate in a team going to the very north of the USA (Seattle) and British Columbia in June/July, and in turn we'll host their team in early November.] The team members pay their own individual costs (flights, restaurants, tours etc), but are accommodated by their host clubs. Interested? A team will visit Brazil in 2020. Click here for more details.

Update: Just a day later, we have received feedback from one of the members of the group, Tom Kaminski, reaching out to his contacts, both in Australia as well as in the US, who may be able to assist on obtaining materials at special prices and getting the wheelchairs to their ultimate destination. Yes, that is the worldwide network of Rotary!

Excellence in Workmanship Awards: great event!

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 22, 2019

Last Wednesday evening, we had dinner at the Quality Hotel (Lone Star Tavern) in place of our usual breakfast meeting. The event was to present an Excellence in Workmanship Award to six well deserving people. The following awards were presented - from left in photo above:

Chad Elger, Duty Manager at Club Helensvale and Luke Wade, Head Greenkeeper at Club Helensvale with sponsor: Gerald East

Sponsor Mark Twyford with Kate Hooper, Manager of Gold Coast Pistol Club

Shane Beacall, Operations Manager at Mission Australia with sponsor Tanya Twyford

Bonnie Graham, Service Manager at Frizelle's Southport, sponsor Col Laurenson and Chris Tompkins, Manager of Aus-Tech Electrical Services

More photos in the Photo Album Section on the right. All photos by Charles Thomasson.

Want to support the flood victims in Townsville?

Posted by Franz Huber

Whenever those horrendous weather or fire events happen, numerous appeals are being launched, by major organizations all the way down to the very small. And frequently, one wonders where your hard earned money donation will actually end up. I recall having read reports of millions of dollars that still sat in somebody's bank account two and three years later, for example in relation to the Victorian bush fires a few years ago. Well, this one you can be assured of will find its target: RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service) has launched a national project. They are working together with the Rotary Club of Townsville South West (District 9550)

Project Number 75-2018-19: North Queensland Flood Relief Appeal

Description: A Relief Project to accept donations for those affected by the 2019 North Queensland Floods.

This Wednesday: Vocational Excellence Awards

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 16, 2019

This coming Wednesday 20th February 2019, we'll again hold an event to recognize Vocational Excellence Awards night. (Note, there will be no breakfast meeting.) This is one of the premier social events on our club's calendar (and one of the very few evening events). Have you booked yet? Naturally, come along with your partner, family, friends. Why not invite a potential Rotarian to come along?

It will be held at

Quality Hotel (formerly Lone Star Tavern)

Cnr Markeri & Sunshine Blvd
Mermaid Waters, QLD, 4218

(plenty of parking right outside the door)

Time: 6:00 pm for 6:30 start

Cost is $35.00 per person, for a sumptuous 2-course meal (NOT tough roast etc - read the full article for the menu). Cash Bar will be open. The venue is very popular with Rotary functions; your Editor has attended several there and I have always been impressed with the quality of the meals and their service.

Please pre-book no later than Sunday 17th February 2019, and pre-pay: click on this link. Why not just do it right now? You can pay by Credit Card! Click on 'Read more' for full menu.

Project Shed fitted with new Roller Doors

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 16, 2019

OK, this might not be the sexiest picture ever on our club bulletin and website... [look, I was going to have Larry Murray in it, but he wasn't there. So here is a photo for you... ☺ Ed.] Still, it's worth mentioning that the club has, purchased two new massive Rollerdoors for our Project Shed at a cost of over $8,000. This comes hot on the heels of the purchase of a Defibrillator, to ensure that, should ever an emergency occur whilst our volunteers are working there, we are equipped. It should also be mentioned that no donated money to the Wheelchair Trust has been used for this, it was financed by the club. Funds raised from donations are used solely for the purchase of materials related to the wheelchairs.

Do you know a sign writer who would do us a good deal? We'd like it made very clear what Rotary is doing at our Project Shed! Contact Larry Murray with your details.

YE Student Alissa Lott presents: Minnesota!

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 07, 2019

At this week's Rotary meeting, Alissa Lott, our recently returned Youth Exchange Student from the US, presented us with a brief outline of her experiences in Minnesota and her various travels within the USA. Always great to see how much those young people have benefited from being "exposed" to a different culture (and to below freezing temperatures☺) for a year. Picture shows Alissa with her grandparents Coryn and Ross Augustine. Well done, Alissa!

Lucy Thorburn arrived safely in the USA

Posted by Chris Thurtell on Jan 21, 2019

As you are aware our exchange student Lucy Thorburn left on Saturday morning for her much anticipated 12 months as an exchange student to the Minneapolis region, USA. Whilst her flight left at 11.55am, this photo was taken around 9am at Brisbane international. In addition to the usual customs and immigration procedures you have to allow a further 75 minutes when going to the USA for additional security screening. Her flight time to LA was 14 hours followed by a 3 hour layover then another 4 hours to St Pauls International Airport. I can report she has arrived and was warmly welcomed by her host family and host Rotary club. Sincere thanks to my fellow club members for helping Lucy on the way. (Photo by Chris Thurtell)

New Rotary Theme for 2019-20 released

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 15, 2019

It's out! Rotary International President Elect Mark Daniel Maloney has announced the Theme for Rotary International for the up

coming Rotary Year. Click on this link for more details.

This coming Wednesday: Kay Chiswell, Commonwealth Games Multi Faith Centre

Posted by Franz Huber

Kay Chiswell, together with Lakshmi Narasimhan, was in charge of the Multi Faith Centre at last year's Commonwealth Games. So, how do you cater for the requirements of the multitude of religions that are followed by the athletes and officials from the various countries of the (former) British Empire and keep them from tearing into each other? Well, you'll just have to wait till Wednesday!

A car load of gifts for disadvantaged children

Posted by Franz Huber

Just before Christmas, Ian Mayberry again undertook the annual pilgrimage to St John's with a car load of presents for disadvantaged children. As in "who knows" how many years in the past, Ian has collected the gold coin contributions from the "after breakfast hangers-on" and has purchased a load of gifts to augment those that were donated by various members. And to no doubt, it would have provided a big lot of joy and happiness! Good work, Ian!

Morning Tea in memory of Bob Harrison

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 16, 2018

Last Saturday, Gloria Harrison and her family joined us at the Project Shed to share a meal with the members and volunteers of Surfers Sunrise. As reported previously, Bob had been a Charter Member of our club, commencing in 1987. See full details in the Download Section and the Photo Album on the right. Following President Jo Winwood's announcement that the club will make a donation of $500.00 in memory of Bob to The Rotary Foundation's Polio Plus fund (which will be tripled by the pledge of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to donate $2.00 for every $1.00 from Rotary), your Editor was privileged to say a few words on behalf of the members and volunteers. A number of people asked me about the poem I finished off with (by that great master, 'Anon'), which I feel suits Bob to a tee. So here it is:

Miss me – but let me go (Anon)

When I come to the end of the road

And the sun has set for me

I want no rites in a gloom filled room

Why cry for a soul let free?

Miss me a little – but no too long

And not with your head bowed low

Remember the love that we once shared

Miss me – but let me go.

For this journey that we all must take

And each must go alone

It’s all part of the Master’s plan

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick of heart

Go the the friends we know

And busy your sorrows on doing good deeds

Miss me – but let me go.

36 Wheelchairs from Gladstone

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 15, 2018

Some of you may not be aware that our wheelchairs are assembled in a number of different locations. A number of Men's Sheds and Rotary Clubs along the Eastern Seaboard, even the Palin Creek Correctional Centre is involved. The picture above shows a load of 36 wheelchairs sent by Gladstone Rotary Club, which Des La Rance picked up from Toll Roadfreight, which provides free transport. [No Henrietta, he was not overloaded, just looks that way... ☺] In turn, we sent another 24 sets of components up for them to continue working.

Memorial Morning Tea for Bob Harrison this Saturday 15/12/18

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 13, 2018

As was previously announced, our Charter Member Bob Harrison passed away on Friday 16^th November. The family opted to have a private, immediate family only funeral. A memorial celebration of his life relating to Rotary will be held at the Project Shed this coming Saturday 15th December - Gloria, as well as their sons John and Andy will come to the Project Shed at 10:00 am with a load of food. Gloria is looking forward to meeting you all.

Bob joined Surfers Sunrise at its Charter in February 1987, with the Classification ‘Land Surveying’. How would we all remember Bob? My description, and that of just about everyone I spoke to, came up with “the proverbial quiet achiever”, “Mr Reliable” and honorifics of similarly highly complimentary and very much deserved type.

So we knew that Bob was the Club’s Treasurer for over 20 years. We knew that he was the Wheelchair Trust’s Treasurer since its inception in 1997, when the first batch of 10 wheelchairs was delivered to crippled children in Fiji. We knew that Bob would unfailingly roll up on Saturday morning at the Project Shed to work hands-on. We knew that Bob was the hardest man for the Sergeant to fine.... Bob's contribution to Rotary and to the community is too extensive to fit onto the Home Page. I have written a full article about Bob; please download it from the Download Pages on the right. Ed.]

Mario Fairlie presented with PHF + 5 Sapphires

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 13, 2018

At last Wednesday's meeting, President Jo Winwood had the very special pleasure of presenting a Paul Harris Fellowship pin with 5 Sapphires to Mario Fairlie. Congratulations!

Inaugural Bike Sale a roaring success!

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 09, 2018

The inaugural Annual Bike Sale on Saturday was a roaring success, with about 3/4 of bikes sold! 5 weeks of preparation by our volunteers and members of Surfers Sunrise to get the bikes in shape, tidy up the shed and its surrounds was all very worthwhile. In total, just a little below $4,000 was raised, including some $320.00 in direct donations to the Wheelchair Trust.

Picture above shows Abigail, the proud new owner of the Cervélo Super Racing Bike, with (from left) PDG Darrell Brown, Andy Bell, Abigail's partner Ben, Chief organizer Larry Murray, Paul Seymour.

Picture on right: visitors Kaye & Ray Drowley happily handing over the funds to finance two wheelchairs to Des La Rance, who is not only the man who came up with the original design back in the mid 90's, but is a tireless worker at the Project Shed. Thank you, Kaye & Ray and to all the others who donated, to the people who bought the bikes and to all the volunteers and members who helped to make the day such a success!

See more photos in the Photo Album section on the right.

This Saturday, 8th December: Big Bike Sale

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 03, 2018

This coming Saturday, 8th December, we'll have the inaugural Annual Rotary Bicycle Sale at the Project Shed. By now, our volunteers have restored dozens of bikes to their former glory, simply far too good to be scrapped for just their frames to make wheelchairs. They were either donated, or were given to us by the Police - unclaimed property. For example: this Cervélo Racing Bike, light enough to lift with one finger (see picture right). Yes, new, they sell for $8,000. Read that again: Eight grand! They are ready to be sold at very attractive prices to the public, just in time for Christmas. But wait, there will be more! Music, Sausage Sizzle, Tours of the Shed...

We'll need lots of manpower [no, Henrietta, 'manpower' does not exclude women! ☺]. Contact Chief Organizer Larry Murray larrypm@ozemail.com.au.

Last Wednesday's Guest Speaker: Warren Humphries OAM

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 29, 2018

Warren's interest in Men's Sheds goes back to the time when he worked in London as a Maintenance Supervisor for some 3 hospitals, where he was also involved in Adult Education at a former technical college; in effect a Men's Shed. In Australia, his initial efforts started about 2005 when he got in touch with the Australian Men's Shed Association as well as (then) Councillor Margaret Grummitt. While he originally was promised the former Clean Away garage shed, this didn't come together. Ultimately, our Wheelchairs Project obtained the Storage Shed in the same location. However, a few years later, Margaret Grummitt was able to source a shed out at Labrador. Warren's submission, together with the Benevolent Society, resulted in the foundation of the first Men's Shed on the Gold Coast. The Council assisted with funds to bring it up to an acceptable standard. It was formally opened in August 2010. Recently, the Labrador shed had building extensions, doubling it in size, and membership is now in excess of 150.

In 2013, Warren assisted the Rotary Club of Coomera River to advise them in establishing a Men's Shed at Oxenford. It started in January 2014 with 38 paid up members. It now has in excess of 70 members and 14 female associate members. This was followed by consulting the Beenleigh Rotary Club in 2016.

So, without doubt, Warren is this region's expert in Men's Sheds! But what do they actually do? Well, you name it: fix bikes, lawnmowers, make cubby houses. You'll see young men working alongside older men, learning new skills. And vice-versa, the old fellows might just learn a couple of things from the young 'uns... You'll see teabags and coffee cups and an area where men can sit and talk. You will probably also see an area where men can learn how to cook, or how to use a computer. But what is really special? Well, most men in our culture don't talk about feelings and emotions, and that goes for men of all age groups and from all walks of life. That also means they usually don't ask for help. At the Men's Shed, there is no pressure.

These days, Men's Sheds have popped up in New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Europe, the USA and many other countries. Rotary Clubs around the world are involved. Which brings Warren to the question: "Would Surfers Sunrise consider incorporating a Men's Shed in our Wheelchair Shed?" No doubt, a lot of discussion would be required. Since our Wheelchairs operates under a Trust, the legals alone would present some substantial hurdles to be overcome. But the idea has lots of merits: more (associate) members, the shed could be open 6 days a week, less likelyhood of losing the building lease due to under utilization, being just a few.

For more information about the Australian Men's Sheds Organization, click here, for Men's Shed Labrador, click here.

Col Laurenson and DIK win another major national award

Posted by Franz Huber

Never mind that, for the better part of 6 months, Donations in Kind (DIK) had a serious warehousing problem; that wouldn't stop those hardworking volunteers to sort, recycle, pack and ship tons of goods to various countries in the developing regions. (By the way: in case you missed it, they have found new accommodation!) Nor would it stop them collecting major awards: after receiving last year's recognition by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILTA) (see District Newsletter December 2017 - click here), they have this year been recognized by receiving the highly coveted ASCLA (Australian Supply Chain & Logistics) award for Environmental Excellence.

Photo on left shows Northern Region DIK Chief Col Laurenson, flanked by regular volunteers Royce and Lynn Allan. Congratulations all! Well done!

Remember Lyssia Demeulenaere?

Posted by Franz Huber

Lyssia was our incoming Youth Exchange Student from Belgium in 2013/14. She recently celebrated her birthday, and our YE District Treasurer Gerald East sent her a message of good wishes. Here is her reply, from Bolivia, of all places!

I'm currently doing an internship in Bolivia and seeing how I cope with everything here, on my own, it really gives me the opportunity to see all I learnt during my time in Australia. It is a lot different of course. Here, I'm part of an organisation that works on food security and launched an organic garden in the city. My time here is divided between time in the office where I do research on urban agriculture and fieldwork in the garden. I'm really enjoying it all!

I hope everything is going fine at the Rotary Club. I follow a bit of your adventures on facebook. Please pass on my salutations to everyone.

As Gerald mentioned, when he read it, "Bolivia" conjured up memories of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid... [Yes, you are betraying your age, Gerald! Yes, it was in 1969! ☺ Ed.]

Hello from our YE Student Alissa from the US

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 11, 2018

Hello Surfers Sunrise,

I’ve been keeping busy on exchange as my time is almost over here in the States! In the middle of October it was MEA. This is a 3 day break we have from school when the teachers do workshops, from Wednesday to Friday. Since it is a long break, a lot of people use it to go travelling. My host family took me to Missouri! We went to Hannibal, the town that Mark Twain is from which was really interesting. We got to tour the caves that inspired the caves from the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn books as well as tour Mark Twains childhood home. It was all super fascinating to learn about. After that, we went to St. Louis where one of my host brothers is in college. We went to Oktoberfest, and I did an escape room with my family which was the first time I’d done that. It was really fun.

A couple of weeks ago we had a Rotary Fall Weekend with all the exchange students in the district which was so much fun! We carved pumpkins, went hiking, and had a costume party at night at the restaurant next to our hotel. I haven’t done anything too major after that, but last weekend I went rollerblading with my friend Maddy and this week is our school play and I am going to a concert with some friends from school.

It’s starting to get cold and people are getting ready for Thanksgiving, which will be really fun to experience for the first time! Here are some photos from everything I’ve been up to recently.

Alissa Lott.

[See more photos on our Photo Album on the right. Ed.]

Last Saturday - first stage of bike prep

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 11, 2018

Last Saturday we had 'Bike Prep #1': Good turnout on our first working bee in preparation to the Big Bike Sale (note: now scheduled for 8th December not 1st - we need more time to prepare the dozens of bikes ready for sale!) Photo (by Al Sirovs), from left: Mark Twyford, Peter Morgan, Charles Thomasson, Larry Murray, Ray Higgs, Geoff Croad, Franz Huber, Mitch Brown. Also there working, but not in photo: Andy and Robbie Bell (and there may have been others, your Ed had to leave at 10 am to meet another commitment). Of course, the volunteers including Daryl Sanderson and Des La Rance were there too, as they always are!

A pre-view of your burial

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 26, 2018

Visualize: you are standing (yes, standing, not lying) in your coffin, but it has a glass top and you are looking up. You are not six feet below, you are about 15 feet down. You have never seen any of mourners assembled around the grave - as a matter of fact, the "priest" is just a little bit mad. And they are not playing Pachelbel's Canon (as you gave strict instructions in your will); all is accompanied by a cacophony of thunder and lightning, heavy metal music, more lightning... you are quite positive the ground is moving (and I'm still not sure whether it did or not - it certainly vibrated). And when it was finally over, they the grave digger starts to shovel the dirt down over the top of you. But you are still alive...

Hmmm... not sure how many of our members who visited a "behind the scenes" tour of Dracula's last Wednesday felt like having a shot of brandy after the opening introduction - purely for medicinal purposes of course, just to ensure the heart is still going! Executive Producer Richard Macionis guided us through the venue, explaining the various aspects of how the show is created and staged. We visited the wardrobe department, where the chief seamstress Robyn is ready to design outfits which require a special wild imagination! And to top it off: Dracula's gave us a generous bunch of tickets for us to raffle or auction off for fundraising purposes.

Thank you, President Jo and 'First Bloke' Tony for arranging this - a Rotary meeting with a difference, indeed!

Polio Plus collection raises almost $1,000

Posted by Gerald East on Oct 22, 2018

This year's collection for Polio Plus was once again conducted at Runaway Bay Shopping Centre, an ideal venue due to its demographic of mainly older people, who are the givers to this type of collection. In the past we used to do Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Then to suit the working members of our Club who claimed they were unable to assist on any of those days, we changed to Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Last year we had no working members come on the Saturday, this year we had one (Simon Brook). As the Saturday has a lot of younger visitors who no nothing of Polio nor Rotary, and we therefore take less money, I would suggest that from next year we revert to the Wednesday, Thursday Friday format.....I believe it is still important to have a personal presence with this, as you have face to face contact with people. This year we had a woman who is a school teacher who is going to try and get her school involved in R.Y.D.A. after talking to her about it. Another woman with ties to the medical profession had an anaesthetic machine to donate for overseas use, we put her in touch with Col Laurenson and that is proceeding. So there is more to it than just collecting, we have to be out there in person.

This year we conducted 24 two hour shifts covered by Mark Twyford, Mitch Brown, Col Laurenson, Fred Hamblen Angus Miller, Andy Bell, Larry Murray, Simon Brook, John Chirio who did one shift each, Mario Fairlie, Ray Higgs, Darrell Brown (2 each) Geoff Croad (3) Gerald East (6). We collected $351 Thursday, $396 Friday, $220 Saturday a total of $967-00 if you add to that the amount that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation add to it with their two for one offer, it comes to $2901-00 or $60-43 per man hour which is pretty good in my book.

I would also like to thank Geoff Croad for his assistance with filling the gaps in the roster and for picking up and returning the equipment we use each time. Also, this collection enables the members some one on one fellowship time with each other. Thank you all for your help.

Surfers Sunrise wins Rotary International Presidential Citation

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 20, 2018

At last Wednesday's meeting, Immediate Past District Governor Darrell Brown presented Past President 2017-18 Andy Bell with a Presidential Citation, issued by (then) Rotary International President Ian Riseley. Andy accepted on behalf of the members of our club. The citation is issued to clubs that have achieved at least four major goals. Our club "scored" for the following (and possibly other areas):

Sponsor or have club members actively involved in a Polio Plus event

Partner with The Rotary Foundation by sponsoring at least one project funded by a global grant or a district grant.

Carry out at least one project focused on the environment

Attain a minimum contribution of $100 US per capita to The Rotary Foundation

Photo above (by Charles Thomasson): PDG Darrell presents Andy Bell with the certificate.

Donations in Kind has found a new home

Posted by Franz Huber

At last Wednesday's meeting, Col Laurensen (Chief of Donations in Kind - Northern Region), announced that - finally - they have found a new warehouse, even if it is for the moment not completely finalized. A few months ago, their previous one in Durack became unavailable; the lease could not be extended anymore.

According to DIK's September newsletter (copy in the Download Section on the right - there is also some interesting stuff in there!), "We have received an offer of the above premises in Kingston from the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works as an interim ‘home’ for Donations in Kind and we have responded suggesting the terms & conditions we would prefer. We look forward to their favourable consideration of these terms and conditions." Col has now confirmed that the lease has been signed, at a very attractive rate. And yes, Col needed to "forcefully lobby the State Government for over 9 months...". So, it won't be long before DIK can again accept goods for shipping to developing countries, such as hospital beds, computers, school uniforms, wheelchairs, just to name a few.

Well done, and congratulations, Col & Team!

Des La Rance OAM is recognized with Honorary Membership

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 30, 2018

Last Saturday morning, President Jo Winwood presented the original designer of our signature Wheelchairs project, Des La Rance, with an Honorary Membership of the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club. Des has been a member of our club since 1992. He shot to prominence when, in August 1997, his design to manufacture wheelchairs for disabled children in developing countries bore fruit: accompanied by a crew from the TV show 'A Current Affair', the first 10 Wheelchairs were delivered to children in Fiji (see article in the Download Section on the right - 'First 10 Wheelchairs to Fiji'). Meanwhile, well over 8,500 wheelchairs have been delivered to all continents on earth. In addition, Des is responsible for the design and supervision of construction of a number of schools in Thailand and Samoa, the massive House of Hope project in Apia, Samoa and its follow up project to add another classroom, just to name a few. As the saying goes, the rest is history. No! This is not just history. This is a lasting legacy. Only a couple of weeks ago, The Australian newspaper carried a story depicting a boy in war torn Syria sitting on a Surfers Sunrise wheelchair, delivered about 10 years ago (see bulletin of 5th September 2018).

Our sincere thanks go to Des, Daryl Sanderson OAM and their team of volunteers (too numerous to mention individually) at our Project Shed. And we mustn't forget Bob Harrison, currently recovering from surgery, who has been the Wheelchair Trust's Treasurer since its inception over 30 years ago. Last year's Rotary International theme was 'Making a Difference'. Did it? Does it? There is no doubt! This year's theme is 'Be the Inspiration'. Are those guys out at the shed living up to this? The word 'Absolutely' is often badly misused in a hyperbolic manner. But certainly not in this case!

Geoff Croad discovers Europe's western most Rotary Sign

Posted by Franz Huber

Always great to receive the modern equivalent of a postcard! Here is a pic of Geoff Croad posing next to (continental) Europe's western-most Rotary sign. No, Paul Harris wasn't buried there - looks like it was put up in memory of the 75th anniversary of Rotary by the Rotary Club of Sintra, near Lisbon, Portugal, in 1980. Geoff, did you find the equivalent of the 100th anniversary in 2005?

Well worth reading in the latest RDU magazine

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 14, 2018

OK, ADMIT IT: you are not reading the RDU Magazine cover to cover, are you. If you are anything like the typical Rotarian, e.g. up to your ears in work, or really trying to get on top of that bucket list you set yourself upon retirement and on top of that have the responsibility and demands of a young family, demanding hobbies or a bunch of grand kids, you don’t have much time to read magazines. So I thought I’d bring an unusually well written, interesting article to your attention. It is in the latest issue of the RDU Magazine (it should be in your mailbox now): See page 8 – The Ideas Factory, written by the Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Brisbane, Daniel Vankov. You can also view it online:

http://digitaledition.rotarydownunder.com.au/#folio=8

Or, if you want to have quick link to the strategic plan yourself, click here to download the PDF directly from the Brisbane Rotary Club's website link to the PDF.

Gold Coast Ramble 2019 will go ahead!

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 08, 2018

At the recent 'Debrief' committee meeting of the Gold Coast Ramble 2018, held in early August, the unanimous decision was made to continue this event next year. It can only get bigger and better!

Our Chief Organizer David Baguley (Rotary Club of Gold Coast) has put together a comprehensive outline of "what worked" and "what could be improved". If you would like details, please advise me - I'll email you a copy. Interestingly, despite the number of teams being down substantially on last year, the amount of funds (almost $7,000) was the same as last year. There is no doubt that we are "smiling in the dark" - we have primarily a marketing problem; not enough people know we exist. For example, a press release, which was issued two weeks before the event, was published by The Sun newspaper after the event...! Further, next year we won't have any major distractions, such as the Commonwealth Games and the District Conference. to have Rotarians overloaded with volunteer work. All in all, it was a superb day for all participants and organizers alike!

Do you want to be on next year's organizing committee? Why not? This will become a major fundraising event in the future if we manage to get momentum going.

Gold Coast Business Expo this week

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 05, 2018

Is your name on the list? PDG Darrell Brown has made arrangements with the organizers to allow us to participate in the Gold Coast Business Expo and raise considerable funds. What is expected of us:-

Thursday, 6th September, 2:00 - 5:00 pm, 5:00 pm to approx 8:00 pm: Set up 200 tables & 450 chairs. We will need 6 people minimum, but the more people we have, the easier and quicker it will be.
Friday, 7th September, 07:00 am to approx 3:30 pm: Park duty. Collect a gold coin in a bucket and direct exhibitors and visitors to their relevant area. Initially just 1 person, then probably two people from 9:00 am onwards to say 3:30 pm.
Friday, 7th September, 4:00 pm to approx 7:00 pm: Dismantle tables & chairs to stack in southern foyer for collection in two separate areas from two separate suppliers. Again, we will need 6 people minimum

Please put these dates into your diary. A Roster sign-on sheet will be circulated shortly.

Vocational Exchange Philippines March 2019

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 04, 2018

This is a wonderful opportunity to participate in a Vocational Exchange (formerly GSE) to the Philippines in March/April next year! Download the poster from the Download Section on the right - it contains all the details.

Nominations for Team Leader have officially closed, but if you are interested, Simon Brook might still be able to sneak you in. Nominations for team members remain open till 1st October 2018.

Last week's Club Assembly

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 03, 2018

Regrettably, your Editor was "herding grandkids" in Melbourne and thus unable to be present. Based on feedback from President Joanne, this is a summary:

2018 Vision:

More involvement from more people - everyone gets a chance to be involved
Improve - modernise image of the club
Get the word out in the community
Make Surfers Sunrise a place people want to join and belong - you'd be proud to invite your friends
Choose our service projects- 1 local and one international
Smaller board - more working parties
Design and implement a Club fundraiser we can run again and again
Set and achieve some goals - Rotary's and ours too.

Just a minute was allocated to outline the principal Goal Areas of Rotary, and two minutes to discuss the Rotary Citations for 2018-19 (you can download it, see Download Section on the right). Updates from the Treasury, Club Admin, Club PR, Club Membership, The Rotary Foundation, Service Projects got a generous 5 minutes each... (in case you are new to this: Surfers Sunrise's Committee Meetings and Club Assemblies are always snappy and to the point!)

Then, Jo introduced the "your turn" segment. Here is from her notes to the Editor:

"We did two little exercises also,

Everyone had to write on a post it note one word that summed up our club for them. The words were: fellowship, friendly, mateship, unique, fun, conservative, performers, family, comraderie, co-operative, friendly, disorganised. Fellowship came up 5 times
We had 3 pieces of butchers paper with the headings Stop, Start and Carry on and members could move between the three and put anything they wanted on the relevant one. The results were:-
- STOP - Banner, Sergeant's session, Flags, Queen, lectern, logo lady
- START - Marco Polo sessions, easter bonnet parade, posh pooch parade service dogs, coat of arms update banners
- CARRY ON - Sergeants session, youth projects, speakers program, fellowship events
We have agreed to lose the paraphernalia and also to look to change the banner to a new more contemporary image which reflects our Club better. Simon is going to design a coat of arms and work with Rosie on a pull up banner for us to use at meetings. Ray is going to be the Liaison officer with the Surf Club, but more about getting involved in their events and vice versa and is also going the Ramble debrief.
We have decided a new format for the meetings where we say fellowship etc as you please but the meeting starts at 7.30am with the Speaker coming on first.

All in all it was extremely useful and a good session in which everyone was very supportive. Best Club Assembly ever was used a couple of times so I was one very relieved President. Gus is organising 'Guess who's coming to dinner' for the end of October I think.

Surfers Sunrise Wheelchairs make the national press

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 02, 2018

In this Weekend Australian newspaper (01/02 October 2018), in an article on the horrendous conditions in Syrian refugee camps. No, they didn't modify the wheel camber to simulate racing car wheels - more like that it has had good use over the past 10 years or so, but now could do with some tender loving care.

Surfers Sunrise members at RYDA

Posted by Gerald East on Sep 01, 2018

Mario Fairlie, A

ngus Miller and Gerald East attended the RYDA attended the RYDA. (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) program day at the Southport Community Centre, assisting the expert instructors. We had two schools participating, Elanora State High School and Gold Coast Christian College, in total 99 students divided into three groups of 33, one group each. For those members who haven't been involved, the day commences at 8-45 am with the set up and concludes around 2-15 pm after tidy up. (Equivalent to six Rotary Meetings). The day involves six separate sessions that are facilitated by a Highway Patrol Officer, a Driving School Instructor, a road accident victim who has been wheelchair bound for 24 years, and others employed by Road Safety Education Limited. and of course Rotary. 500,000 students have now been through this very worthwhile course. Students, who are in the 16 - 17 year age group and most with their L Pates leave at the end of the day with much to think about, and a workbook to take home. Their attendance will hopefully lower their risks as both a driver and a passenger....Rotary In Action.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Tony Unicomb, Booyah Project

Posted by Doug Lipp on Aug 25, 2018

Senior Sgt Tony Unicomb and Youth Support Officer Sam Collins from the Queensland Police Service and Project Booyah, conducted by the Nerang PCYC. What's in a name? Simple: Booyah is a word used for Triumph and Excitement.

Tony and Sam run a 17 week program for disadvantaged boys. The main problem is that they are from areas where they are subjected to extreme cases of Domestic Violence. The main problem is the lack of trust and their self esteem needs to be restored. The boys come with aggressive attitudes. Various schools send worse affected lads to the program and there is also a web site that advises boys whom to contact. The classes are run out of PCYC clubs at Nerang and Ormeau with the head office at Logan Home. The boys attend for 5 to 6 hours a day but are then taken home. Some of them don't wont to go home so they couch surf at some ones place. They are taught life skills and their main message is that change will only happen if they really want to change.

Does it work? Most definitely! They were both very happy to report that on the last program 10 boys attended and 6 left with jobs and the other four returned to school. Want to support the cause? Click here.

Photo, by Charles Thomasson: Youth Support Officer Sam Collins (left), President Jo Winwood, Senior Sgt Tony Unicomb

Last Wednesday's Guest Speaker: Julius Czerny

Posted by Franz Huber

It wouldn't be easy to outline a near death experience, a sort of coming back from the other side, without being overly intensive, perhaps even a bit morose. To do it with a lot of humour and banter, yet to make you seriously think about it, is the métier of a professional speaker. "You only live once" so the saying goes, but "it might not be necessarily so" would sum up Julius' experience with death. Last year, in 2017, he "celebrated 7 years of life": 7 years ago, he suffered a cardiac arrest. Unconscious, not breathing, no pulse. He later on researched it: on that day, there were 31 cardiac arrests. The average survival rate is 1.4%. Not hot, hey. So what saved him? Primarily the First Aid skills of his fellow Surf Life Savers who organized the chest compressions, alternating with mouth-to-mouth and ultimately getting the Defillibrator into action. Plus somebody calling the Ambulance... Now, you might think that Julius probably was unfit, a bit overweight, had been a smoker... Wrong on all counts! At the time, he was a champion Life Saver. Besides the fast action of his mates and the Defillibrator which eventually was found, what saved him was the very fact that he was quite fit. This begs the question: "How would you survive a cardiac arrest??" Do you have a 'team' around you who know what to do?

Julius decided he needed to do more. He wrote a book about it ('Dead One Day - Laughing The Next'). But the message needs to go to the kids, so it gets impregnated into their minds from an early age. He designed an award winning board game to achieve just that and he named it Super Lifesaver. Click on the link for more info. If you would like a copy for your kids or grand kids, contact the Webmaster - Surfers Sunrise will place a bulk order shortly.

Photo above, by Charles Thomasson: Julius Czerny (right) with Franz Huber and President Jo Winwood.

Donations in Kind: 74 x 20' Containers in 12 months

Posted by Franz Huber

Most people would not even be aware that Donations in Kind (DIK) exists. Yet, this organization, a division of Rotary World Community Service (RAWCS) is doing so much "paddling beneath the surface", it is simply astounding. Just have a gander at these statistics for the Northern Region of DIK, provided by our member Col Laurenson, who is in charge of that region: "In the period from July 2017 to July 2018 we have loaded the equivalent of 74 x 20 foot containers (TEU) with an estimated value of $5.25 million. Plus, a 1 x LCL ('Less than a Container Load') shipment. Separately to this we loaded 3 x 40', 2 x 20' containers of our own equipment for storage, ie 8 x TEUs. This was necessary because our lease on the premises at Durack could not be renewed and no suitable premises could be found. Of these we shipped That's a total of 74 TEUs! That’s over 2,575 cubic meters which never went to land fill."

But more importantly: Would this have made a huge difference to the people at those destinations? You bet. Goods ranged from clothing (including pallet loads of school uniforms) to hospital beds, scanners, baby cribs, books, school desks and chairs, crutches, computer equipment, just to name a few. And - give yourself a pat on the back, fellows and volunteers who work at our Project Shed: tons of our wheelchairs!

(Picture above: Students in Kimbe, PNG at their newly installed desks. right: Book sorting at the former DIK warehouse. Photos by Ted Horsbrough)

Daryl Sanderson at Assisi Catholic College Fete

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 13, 2018

He rarely stops, doesn't he! Our Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson, together with the capable assistance of Des La Rance ran a display stand at last Saturday's School Fete of the Assisi Catholic College. He even raised some donations! Interestingly, the Principal of the College, Mr Michael Laidler initially commented to Daryl that, when a Principal in Burleigh Heads, he attended a presentation of some organization which made wheelchairs there. In Burleigh Heads?? Turned out that, once he met Des La Rance, he realized that it was indeed the same guy he had in mind...! ☺ (Photo by Daryl's daughter Dannye McFaul, who is, by the way, the President of the College's Parents and Friends Association. Talking about Apples not falling far from the trunk...)

Qantas Airways donates another 10,000 blankets

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 06, 2018

In addition to the hive of activity we had at the Project Shed last Saturday week (see last week's bulletin), Wesley Mission has also been hyper-active with Qantas blankets that PDG Darrell Brown organised: 1,000 were

collected by the team from the STARH Project (Supporting Those at Risk of Homelessness) and distributed at the recent Homeless Connect day held at Carrara Stadium. Photo above: Tanya & Bonita from Wesley Mission (pictured left), were in charge of another project there at the same time: Pets...! Picture right: pallets of blankets ready for distribution at Carrara Stadium. (Photos by Mark Twyford)

The winners of the 2nd Gold Coast Ramble: Monster Mayhem!

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 06, 2018

Last Sunday's Gold Coast Ramble, organized by the Rotary Clubs of Gold Coast, Surfers Sunrise and Griffith Uni, was a superb fun event! Surfers Sunrise fielded two teams, 'Monster Mayhem' (headed by Rosie Rocco) and 'Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Ramble' (headed by Simon Brook - see photos in the photo album). Monster Madness won the event - by just one point! The point score from questions and activities were identical, but Rosie's team raised $712.50 (in favour of Gold Coast Homeless Youth), which added 71 points to their score. Second placed 'Niopotamus' fundraising score was $705.00 - just one point less. The day was as glorious as can be - the Gold Coast at its best. A total of 20 teams competed, raising a total of almost $6,400, designated to charities of the teams' choice.

A special Thank You must go to chief organizer David Baguley and his team from the Gold Coast and Surfers Sunrise Rotary Clubs, as well as to the Surfers Paradise Alliance people who provided massive assistance with setting up marquees, providing tables and chairs etc. Looking forward to next year's event!

Photo above: the winning Monster Madness team, from left: Mohammed Meer, his charming wife Yasmin Omar-Meer and daughter Zara Meer, Rosie Rocco, Trinity McIntyre. More photos (by Karin Kolenko, RC of Hope Island) and Harry Ellis (RC of Gold Coast) in the Photo Album section on the right.

Rotary's Tax Deductible Farmers Relief Fund

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 04, 2018

Talking about Rotary - People of Action... Following my post on the weekend, featuring an article published in the Weekend Australian newspaper, Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) has setup a Farmer's Relief Fund which has Deductible Gift Recipient status. This makes any donations over $2.00 fully tax deductible. Named the Rotary Australia Relief Fund, it is managed and supervised by RAWCS. Being a Rotary fund, it also means that 100% of donations go to farmers; Rotary deducts no fees. The National Farmers Federation, Channel 9 and Rotary in Australia will work together to raise much needed funds.

Click on the image above or click on to this link or go to our District Website.to access more details and to donate.

Last week’s speaker: Doug Lipp – Horse Racing, King of Sports

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 03, 2018

Is the excitement of Horse Racing a good counter weight to the minutiae of scanning your clients’ books to ensure they are not caught up in the net of the ATO? Our member Doug Lipp, by profession the principal of a well established Public Accountant, was first hooked on horse racing way back in 1959, when he saw Blueden win the Toowoomba Cup. It paid a staggering 20:1… Blueden became one of the most successful horse of its era, winning 14 races in a row – keep in mind that in those days, there were much fewer races than are today, so winning 14 in a row was, well, extraordinary. 50 years later, in 2009 Doug’s cousin Rex Lipp won the same race.

Doug and his charming wife Suzie have been very active in horse racing (as owners, not as jockeys or trainers… J). Still, Doug admits that on occasion he has no aversion to placing a bet, but “You need to look at is as ‘entertainment’. My limit is $50.00, so it won’t break the bank” is his advice.

Horse Racing can be a quite expensive sport to participate. The cost to own a horse is approximately $70.00 per day when it is in training. “Some people have 10 horses and have never won a race…!” The advice he got when he started in this game: Put yourself in the best company, put your horse in the worst company”. In other words: put your horse in the lowest racing class possible which thus gives it the highest chance of winning. And the prize money is nothing to be sneezed at: Just jump on to Queensland Racing’s website http://www.racingqueensland.com.au and you can get statistics as well as video replays of any race going back for years. So, for example, one of the recent races (Moreton Cup) in which ‘In His Stride’ (Sue Lipp is a part owner) ran, the 1^st prize was $175,000, and even 6^th won $5,250 – but, in this instance, he came just 9^th. There is of course an entire science on how to select a horse – there isn’t sufficient space to elaborate on this. Interesting though is that, whilst having a sire or dame that has reached the pinnacle of horse royalty does not guarantee success for their offspring.

DG Partner Carol Brown answers 33 Questions

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 30, 2018

Here is the second instalment of the series: District Governor Terry Browns wife Carol answers the 33 Questions. See Download section on the right!

Daryl needs some helpers to unload 10,000 blankets

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 29, 2018

This coming Saturday, 4th August at 08:00 am, Wheelchairs Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson needs some bodies on the ground at the Project Shed to help unloading a truck load of 10,000 blankets, donated by Qantas Airlines, for Donations in Kind (DIK). Originally organized by PDG Darrell Brown (in addition to the truckload we secured for distribution to various Rotary Clubs in the District), the blankets need to be transferred and loaded into a container for storage until they can either be shipped or moved to premises which DIK may obtain to replace those they had in Durack. Can you assist? Please be at the Shed by 08:00 am. Many hands make light work - it should all be over in less than a couple of hours.

Last week's Guest Speaker: DG Terry Brown

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 27, 2018

I recall, way back in the early sixties, a newspaper cartoon depicting J F Kennedy sitting at his desk in the oval office, his brother Bobby standing next to him, and a secretary poking her head through the door, saying "there's someone out here who claims his name is Kennedy and he doesn't have a position in the Government yet..." No, it is pure coincidence that two successive District Governors share the same surname! Ed.

Last Wednesday, our club was honoured by the visit of DG Terry Brown and his charming wife Carol. Terry gave us a brief background about himself: Born in Bingara in North Western NSW, he may well be the only DG who started his professional life in Shearing! "Good money in those days..." he dryly remarked [I think it's still good money today! Ed.] But for the most part of his working life, he and Carol ran a business in Lismore, specializing in Irrigation. About 8 years ago, they sold the business to their nephew - it would appear that he took it from one strength to the next!

Terry explained the concept behind RI President Barry Rassin's theme logo for 2018/19, 'Be the inspiration': the wave depicts Barry's home of the Bahamas, the orange and red beams coming in from the right depict the sunbeams, signifying the diversity of Rotary.

Naturally, Terry's major goals are closely aligned with Rotary International's goals. One of the principal aims it to pay close attention to Membership Development. One of the methods is the formation of Satellite Clubs. Just recently, the (former)

This Wednesday: Doug Lipp on 'Horse Racing - King of Sports'

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 26, 2018

This coming Wednesday, 1st of August, we'll again meet at the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club - upstairs (same location as last week).

The 1st of August is considered the birthday of all horses. (It is also Swiss National Day, but that's another story!). Our very own Doug Lipp, himself an owner of race horses, will give us a presentation on this most glorified sport. We'll access a couple of very special races online, where Doug will explain what makes it so exciting! Note: The Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise will not accept responsibility for anyone who, in consequence of this presentation, has placed a bet on horses and lost... ;-) Price of $20.00 includes sumptuous buffet breakfast.

DG Terry Brown answers the 33 Questions

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 22, 2018

See Download Section on the right - District Governor Terry Brown has answered the 33 Questions! Note: this is meant to be lighthearted... That means neither the DG nor your Editor will enter into any correspondence... ☺

Next week: DG's "better half" Carol Brown's answers.

Peace Scholars meeting

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 20, 2018

On the 18th July 2018 we had a very special, Multi-Club dinner meeting: Four Rotary Peace & Conflict Resolution Scholars came down from the University of Queensland to give us a presentation about what that particular facet in the Rotary diamond is all about. OK, so you may have felt a bit crowded - partly your Editor (and Club Admin Chair) must take the blame: we almost doubled the number of attendees from about 40 to 80 within the last two days! Talking about leaving the booking to the last minute!

But it was a Super Meeting: with some 10 Rotary Clubs from the Gold Coast participating. Michelle Helman from the USA gave the principal address, with Mohamed Sheik Yussuf from Kenya, Miku Lagarde from the Philippines and Isabella Beron from Columbia giving a brief outline of their experiences and visions for the future. In the words of one of the speakers, Isabella Beron from Columbia (which has been in a state of conflict for some 56 years): "Before coming to Australia, I have never lived anywhere where there is no conflict". Worldwide, some 1000 scholars have undergone serious training at various University Campuses throughout the world in Peace & Conflict Resolution. Will it make a difference? You bet it will, more than politician's grandstanding.

Photo above (from left): Mohamed Sheikh Yussuf (Kenya), Mikaela Francine (Miku) D. Lagarde (Philippines), Michelle Helman (USA), Isabella Sinisterra Beron (Colombia). See more details about the presenters on the Download section (on the right) - Rotary-Peace-Fellowship-Dinner-18-July-2018.pdf

Breakfast this Wednesday 25th July: at the Surfers Paradise Surf Club

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 20, 2018

For breakfast this coming Wednesday 25th July we'll meet again at the Surfers Paradise Surf Club on the Esplanade, Surfers Paradise, where we recently had the Lutzy Award presentation. Meeting assembly at 07:00 am for 07:15 start. Again a special occasion: our newly baked District Governor Terry Brown and his partner Carol will visit, to outline to us their vision for the coming 12 months. Please join us to give them a hearty Surfers Sunrise welcome!

Parking: regrettably, the free parking has not come through (yet), so street parking or Early Bird at the Paradise Centre, off Hanlan Street.

Regarding the meal: we have noted your comments in relation to the food from a couple of weeks ago. So, this time we'll have an 'All you can eat' buffet breakfast, much more sumptuous too: eggs poached, eggs scrambled, baked beans, bacon, potato gems, sausages, pancakes, toasts, cereals, fresh fruit and house made yoghurt.

See you there!

Some more pictures from Alissa Lott, USA

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 14, 2018

Alissa's granddad, Ross Augustine, forwarded Alissa's report from Minnesota, USA. Just like we have the Safari here in Australia, in the USA they obviously have something similar, touring the country and even all the way up to the Niagara Falls! They don't make big reports anymore - a picture tells a thousand words, so with six new pictures, this is equivalent to about 4 pages A4...☺ See Photo Album on the right. Ed.

Hello Rotary!

In my exchange district we just said goodbye to most of the current exchange students as their exchange was a July to July. Because of this, we had the big Rotary trip as an end of year thing although it was in the middle for me! This trip was amazing. It was great to spend time in some of the most incredible places in the United States with friends, both old ones and ones we became close to on the trip. We had so many new and fun experiences, here are some photos! As always, thank you so much for being my sponsor District I am having an amazing time on my exchange!

Presentation of the 'Lutzy Award' 2018

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 12, 2018

At last Wednesday's meeting, Sebastian Robinson (14) of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club was presented with the annual "Lutzy" Award. No, it is not some plain certificate or plaque - it is a fully fledged rescue/paddle board!

The award, in honour of our Charter Member Keith Lutz who sadly passed away some five years ago, is determined in conjunction with the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club. Ray Higgs and Chris Thurtell from Surfers Sunrise Rotary team up with David Orchid and a selection committee from the SLSC. It is awarded not necessarily to the top surfer, but to a young, community minded person who is dedicated to mentoring and supporting other members of the club.

The photo above (by Charles Thomasson) shows the justifiably proud winner with (from left) Myles Giess, whose company Logan Steel Pty Ltd sponsored the paddle board, Andy Bell (Vice President of the Surfers Sunrise Rotary Club Inc), Trevor Hendy AM, Sebastian Robinson and Jan Lutz.

Last week's speaker: Jim Blackburn - Hydrogen Power

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 09, 2018

Hydrogen Power? Doesn't that relate to bombs? Well, yes (as a matter of fact, they are roughly 1000 times more powerful than the "plain vanilla" atomic bomb), but that is not what Jim presented on. Hydrogen power has been used for quite some time: rocket propelation, the Space Stations are powered by Hydrogen. Actually, the first Hydrogen powered fuel cell was invented in 1838. And the stuff is not exactly rare: Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe.

Jim, whose professional background is all things electrical and related to it, gave us a thorough insight into what undoubtedly will become the engine of the near future. In essence, the efficiency of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell is around 70% - compare this with an efficiency factor of about 20% of a Diesel engine - and many manufacturers have already fully developed Hydrogen Engines. At the forefront is a US based truck manufacturer, Nikola Motor Company (named after Nikola Tesla, who in 1888 patented the AC induction motor, no connection to Elon Musk's Tesla Motors). In the passenger vehicle market, many brands, including Hyundai, Lexus, Mercedes, Toyota, Nissan have already Hydrogen powered vehicles on the market or will have them available within a couple of years.

So, how does it work? Sorry, whilst - so Jim Blackburn - "it is not overly complex", it is just a bit too complex to outline in a Rotary Club bulletin... See Jim's Power Point presentation in the Download Section on the right, where you find not only his principal points of discussion but also plenty of diagrams.

In Australia, CSIRO is into it in a big way: they have invented a membrane which converts Ammonia to Hydrogen. Why would you do that? Because Ammonia is much more stable to store and is not highly combustible. Newcastle University is very advanced on Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) energy, just to name a couple. Very much worth your while to read up on it a bit more. Start with downloading the Power Point!

Gold Coast Ramble: can you help?

Posted by Franz Huber

The 2nd Gold Coast Ramble is on in just a bit over 3 weeks! Can you assist, participate, promote?

As last year, this year's event will be in conjunction with the Rotary Clubs of Gold Coast, Griffith University and Surfers Sunrise. It is one of our major fundraising events for the year, so we need your help!. The event is only a bit over 2 weeks away - SUNDAY 5 AUGUST - starting earlier at 9am and finished by 1pm. Details on website: www.goldcoastramble.org.au

How can you help?

Encourage clients, suppliers, staff, family and friends to enter a team/s - we have a template to send out invitations - please reply to the Editor or send a message via the Facebook link below.
Share the Facebook event with your Facebook friends - https://www.facebook.com/events/2038097703117798
We need more volunteers! If you can assist to help on the day, please email David Baguley (see address below) - we need to man 40 checkpoints from 08:30 to 12:30, as well as for setting up and taking down duties.

We would love to get more checkpoint sponsors - if you have business contacts in the Main Beach or Surfers Paradise areas, we can locate a check point to their advantage. Please advise contact names and we will follow up.

Please advise asap if and when you can assist.

Cheers

PP David Baguley

dbaguley47@gmail.com

This Wednesday 11th July 2018 - The Lutzy Awards

Posted by Franz Huber

It's on again! This week we'll meet at the Surfers Paradise (NOT Southport) Surf Life Saving Club to present the Lutzy Award presentation, in conjunction with the Surfers Paradise SLSC. The venue is on the Esplanade (corner Hanlan Street) Surfers Paradise - right in the middle, opposite the beach, in their upstairs restaurant. Usual time - meet 07:00 for 07:15 start. Plated breakfast will be served at a one-off price of $15.00 (normally $20.00) per person.

Note: if you have not already done so: you must advise Franz that you are / are not attending - we need to provide the SLSC with exact numbers.

"Our" (now Past) District Governor hands over the collar

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 02, 2018

"Our" (now Past) District Governor Darrell Brown handed over his collar to Terry Brown (no relation) at Saturday's District Changeover in Casino. Photo above, by DGN Andy Rajapakse, shows them cutting the cake, with their partners Kerrie and Carol. Congratulations to DG Terry Brown!

Report from Alissa Lott - US Youth Exchange

Posted by Franz Huber

Via her Granddad, Ross Augustine, comes this latest update from Alissa Lott, our Youth Exchange Student in Michigan, USA:

Hi Rotary!

Here’s another update on my time in America. We are officially on Summer Break! We have three months without school now, so I’ve got a lot of time to spend experiencing things to do in Minnesota and travel America on the rotary tour which I am super excited for. I just got back from a trip with my friends to the lake near where we live which was really fun, we camped out and went canoeing (we accidentally tipped the canoe- whoops!) and made a campfire. Soon my friends and I will go to one of the bigger theme parks in Minnesota, Valley Fair, and I’m going to see a musical called ‘Chicago’ in a theatre in Minneapolis too! Recently I had prom, and moved host families. Both went really well. My new host family is lovely and prom was super fun, I’m so glad I got to experience that while I was here! Thank you again for sponsoring me, I’m having an amazing time. I’ve attached some prom photos, and some photos from a Twins baseball game I went to!

-Alissa

Photo: On the way to the proms - For more photos check out the photo album on the right hand side!

Last week's speaker: Charles Thomasson - Instagram

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 28, 2018

In the "good ol' days" people communicated... well, meeting face to face. Then the telephone was invented, but we still largely communicated face to face. Not anymore! Social media is well and truly here and here to stay! And since writing takes too long, a picture tells a thousand words and takes all of a couple of seconds.

Charles gave us a concise outline of a major new trend which has emerged in addition to Facebook and Twitter: Instagram. The purchase of the app by Facebook in 2012 for $US 1 Billion (!!) put it truly on the map. In essence: you take a photo with your mobile device and you can instantly upload it to Instagram, to be viewed by all your friends who follow you. Their friends in turn might then also become aware of it, and so on... Talking about news spreading like wild fire!

Charles' Power Point presentation is uploaded in the Download Section on the right - it is quite self explanatory - just go over there and open it!

Update on Changeover Luncheon 2018

Posted by Franz Huber

Jacinta Veitch, a friend of our newly baked President Jo Winwood (yes, she got married last week!), came along specially to take lots of photos during our luncheon last Sunday at the Kurrawa Surf Club. Rosie Rocco has put them up on a Google Drive for you to view - click on this link. Some real pearlers in there!

For those of you who weren't there, here are the award winners for 2017/18:

Rotarian of the Year: Jo Gorman

Quiet Achiever Award: Mario Fairlie

Fellowship Cup: Richard Smith

Doug Waller Trophy: Franz Huber

Further, the following members were recognized and honoured with the awarding of a Paul Harris Fellowships: Geoff Croad, Simon Brook, Gerald East, Jo Gorman, Mark Twyford, Angus Miller and Al Sirovs (who was absent, traveling overseas).

This Wednesday 27th June: - different venue, pls advise attendance

Posted by Franz Huber

Note: Different venue: This will serve as a "trial meeting" for a potential new meeting venue. We'll meet at Freshwater Point Resort, Broadbeach, 33 T E Peters Dr, Broadbeach Waters QLD 4218. The caterers require us to give them numbers, so please call or email to Franz no later than Tuesday 09:00 am whether your are attending or not (yes, either way!).

They'll put up a sumptuous buffet style breakfast - cost of $20.00 per person. Charles Thomasson will run a training style introduction to Social Media, in particular Instagram and Facebook, and how we can use this not just to communicate among each other, but also spread our message to potential members. See you there!

Teacher's Pets (sitting in the front row...)

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Wednesday 20th June, Angus Miller, Mario Fairlie, Richard Smith, Gerald East and Franz Huber were joined by Kate Woodham from the Rotary e-Club of Next Gen to assist at the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) event at All Saints Anglican College. OK, perhaps a bit far fetched, but seeing them sitting in the front row, aren't they, in effect, Teacher's Pets?

Snippets of last week's meeting 060618

Posted by Franz Huber

Bob Harrison was on the door with Larry Murray as Chairman (for Graeme Isaacson) and Ian Mayberry was Sergeant. Apologies were received from Tania Laird, Jim Blackburn, Rosie Rocco, Daryl Sanderson, Des La Rance, Adrian Crowe and Fred Hamblen.

President Andy Bell welcomed all members, Charter President and Honorary Member Bill Moir, our YE Students Gigi van Ligtenberg and Benedetta Marniga, Michael Gambaro (guest of Doug Lipp) and a special welcome to long absent Simon Brook ☺. Andy reminded us of the Changeover Luncheon on the 17^th June. Note: you MUST BOOK. Online bookings are now open - see separate article.

Fundraising Director Doug Lipp was all excited: we got our bond back from the City Council... And we still have some money left over from the Samoa Project: are there any invoices left to be paid? Mario Fairlie is in contact with Dr Joshua Francis, in conjunction with his friend Christina Carberry. Dr Francis was one of the Keynote Speakers at the recent District Conference, who specializes in health systems relating to diseases still prevalent in Timor Leste, such as Tuberculosis and Rheumatic Heart Disease. In conjunction with the Project Shed, we are also looking at making an alternative to the wheelchairs: Rickshaws for disabled children! DG Darrell Brown donated another $100 to the Wheelchair Trust, in celebration of the birth of another Grandson. Congratulations! Membership Director Paul Seymour has another potential member lined up, and finally, President Andy was congratulated on his birthday, with a raucous rendition of the Happy Birthday song...

Last week's Guest Speakers: Gigi and Benedetta

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 11, 2018

Our two Youth Exchange Students, Gigi van Ligtenberg (Netherlands) and Benedetta Marniga (Italy) have recently returned from the 3 week's Youth Exchange Safari, and it is no surprise that they were quite excited about it! Who wouldn't? A bus full of 17 - 18 year olds from a wide range of countries and cultures, travelling along Australia's East Coast to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide then up through the Centre to Coober Pedy, Uluru, Alice Springs and back out to the eastern beaches...

As is almost obligatory, of course it rained on one of the first nights in Sydney and - yes - the tent was flooded. Up at 5 am, wring out the wet gear, cold and hungry. Back on the bus, onwards... Inspecting the Opal diggings at Coober Pedy, riding camels, scuba diving... eating Wichetty Grubs (apparently they taste like egg?).

Picture above: All the nationalities represented at Uluru; picture right: Gigi (front left) and Benedetta (second from right).

Last week's Sergeant: Ian Mayberry

Posted by Franz Huber

Andy Bell, I take it that you won't be on the list for next year's District Training Assembly..??? Al Sirovs: there we had our badges missing for weeks... and where were they found (well, at least some of them)? At the Project Shed! Graeme Isaacson, when you are on the Duty Roster as Chairman, you are supposed to be there early, not after the meeting has started ☺! Al Sirovs again: going on holidays? Are you taking your skate board with you? Franz Huber, good of you to pick up the club's mail, but you are not supposed to bring other people's mail in as well! Bill Moir, any guess how many times you have been fined over the past 30 years? Gerald East, as 'Flag Setter in Chief' you should have picked it up the they were not in correct order! Doug Lipp, good to see that you do have a friend! Larry Murray was name dropping about some famous restaurants, whilst Ray Higgs disputed that he was the last man in (but paid the fine anyway....) Darrell Brown, with the ever increasing size of the family: is BMW making People Movers? And, in view of some sort of a football game being on tonight, are there really any Blues supporters out there? Well, pay up then!

Changeover Luncheon 2018 - Have you booked yet?

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 04, 2018

Let's celebrate. Only a few days left. But you need to book by no later than today!

Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise Changeover lunch- a time to celebrate our achievements in 2017/2018 and ring in a new Rotary year!!

We'll meet at the new Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club

Beachfront Events and Functions Room

Old Burleigh Road (beach side, opposite Charles Avenue), Broadbeach.

Arrive from 12pm for 12:30 start

We would like members to invite family, friends and colleagues to celebrate the wonderful 2017/18 Rotary Year and to welcome in the Year 2018/19. President Elect Jo Gorman has negotiated for us to get a sumptuous buffet with three hot and three salad dishes, plus home made cake, all at the same price of $60.00 per person we had at Seaworld the last couple of years. Drinks will be cheaper too, at club member prices. Capacity is 80 people and we expect a big crowd so be sure to book early!!

Click on this link to book online: https://www.trybooking.com/VWMX

Last Sunday's District Training Assembly

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Sunday 3rd June, President Elect Jo Gorman led a team of Surfers Sunrise Rotarians to the District Training Assembly at Skennar's Head (Ballina). Jo was joined by Rosie Rocco, Mark Twyford, Andy Bell, Richard Smith, Mitch Brown, Chris Thurtell, Paul Seymour and your editor. As you can see, we were all enthralled by the spirited, motivational speeches to the congregation of current and future leaders in our District.

Mark Twyford also presented a lecture to incoming Club Secretaries. Your editor attended a lecture given by PDG Michael Irwing designed for incoming Club Administration Committee Chairmen. OK, so we have Andy Bell again in the Sergeant's position (fasten your seatbelts!). We'll have a new position on the Roster: Fellowship Officer, and unless somebody else challenges me for the Bulletin Editor / Webmaster job...

Last week's Guest Speaker: Inspector Bruce Kuhn

Posted by Franz Huber

Every now and then, being a Rotarian - and in this case, being a Surfers Sunrise Rotarian - gives one some quite exclusive "insider" information about what is going on. Many members have "the pulse" of the town, but it is uncommon for the Guest Speaker to have such intimate access to "the pulse" as Inspector Bruce Kuhn. You see, Bruce was in charge of controlling the Aboriginal protests at the recently held Commonwealth Games. So, how do you deal with a bunch of Aboriginal protesters who are unrelated to the 'Yugambeh' tribe, the local indigenous people on whose ancestral lands the games were held? In particular in view of the Yugambeh having no issues with the games and indeed were dead set against this mob muscling in on their turf? How do you deal with a bunch of protesters, many of whom are not Aboriginals themselves (but very much look like "professionals protesters")? The reporters and cameramen of the local and international media were just waiting for an opportunity to have a decent bust-up. Anything to break the dull monotony of following a baton relay stretching not just for kilometres of flat ground, but also for hours of, in essence, repetitive spectacle of the same baton handover from one well deserving and often high profile individual to another?

On the last day before the games started, our very own District Governor Darrell Brown was one of the Baton Bearers affected by this unauthorized protest which blocked Seaworld Drive. Your editor happened to be there too. My personal attitude to this sort of disruption is somewhat more teutonic and thus, in retrospect, I have nothing but great praise for the way the Police handled the issue in a way that indeed did NOT create the incident the sensationalist media were hoping for. 150 police personnel were on the ground. Their job was not just to maintain order, but to ensure that the Gold Coast would be projected as anything but violent. As those of us who also watched the evening news (or were at the Opening Ceremony) would know, the mob still kept agitating in the evening too. Bruce's team was right on the ball. There were no real ugly scenes. I dips me lid!

So, what is the real story? Much regret to say, but you should have been there yourself. Since Rotary is on principle not political and is far more determined to promote peace than conflict, the details of Bruce's presentation will not be reported in this bulletin. Suffice to say that, upon your Editor's question of who finances the 'Stolenwealth Games' organization (yes, it is an organization. It costs money to fly people in from as far as Perth), Bruce's answer produced the proverbial "sharp intake of breath" as writers of conspiracy novels would describe it. The organization is related to the highest levels of a major parliamentary party. Except that this is not fiction.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Rev Jon Brook

Posted by Richard Smith

Many thanks to Richard Smith for taking notes on my behalf! ☺ Franz.

Rev John Brook, from St John's Crisis Centre, spoke about his organization which helps with Alcohol and Drugs. John was a psychiatric nurse and plays guitar to relax. Alcohol has the greatest impact with only 5% of people who attend AA remaining sober. He holds three narcotic meetings at the centre.

Of the people who attempt to give up smoking only 17.5% make it. A pack of 25 cost $25 to $30 and a pack of 50 cost $50. By 2020 it will be over $40 for a pack of 25 - John's view is that the government is exploiting addiction. Homeless Australians – (there are 116,427) with an increase of over 40% in the last 5 years. The centre is required to advise the department of child safety if they find a child under 12 who is homeless. The largest causes of homelessness are domestic and family violence and family breakdown. The latter being the cause of youth homelessness. John said 40% of Australians live below the poverty line and the New Start Allowance has not increased in 25 years. There were many more statistics given by John.

The Centre does Christmas lunches and hampers and our Club helps by providing toys. They also provide laundry, showers, toilets, shelter, and medical services and want to add legal assistance. He said that once a person gets a roof over their head half of their problem being either drugs or alcohol disappears. Click here to obtain more information on the St Johns Crisis Centre, which also provides contact details.

Surfers Sunrise now on Instagram!

Posted by Franz Huber

OK, so some of you may not even have heard of Instagram. Some, like your editor, have heard of it, but relegated it to "kids between 8 and 18 years old or so" and thus remained blissfully ignorant. Wrong! Our incoming Membership Chair, Charles Thomasson is a young professional Stockbroker and Financial Advisor - and he is definitely not "18 or so". Charles knows that Instagram is one of the most effective ways to spread the word among young business people - our very target market for new members.

Our club's account is in the name of 'RotarySurfersSunrise'. So, how do you go about getting started? Dead easy: on your iPhone, go to the Apple Store, on an Android phone, go to Play Store. Search for Instagram and just follow the prompts to get and install it. Suggest you either use just your first name as a login - it will automatically assign a name and number combo, or use a shortened combo. Charles promised he'll hold a brief training session soon.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Andrew Rodgers

Posted by Franz Huber

Should Charity begin at home? Often misused by people who don't want to donate, nevertheless it is clear that there is a very pronounced need right here on our doorstep.

A member of the Rotary Club of Brisbane Centenary, Andrew Rodgers (picture above left with President Elect Jo Gorman) heard a guest speaker from the Foodbank organization at their club. Foodbank is Australia's largest non-profit distributor of food for the disadvantaged - they are a conduit between the industry's surplus food and the welfare sector. Andrew asked him how they get along for meat? "We never get beef!" was the answer.

So Andrew and his club set out to organize 'Beef Bank'. The concept is really simple: farmers, auctioneers, abattoirs, butchers, transport companies etc support the project by donating or supplying beef and their services at the lowest cost. People donate money, participate in their annual Fun Run (coming up on 27th May 2018) and Beef Bank buys cattle. In the 10 years since its inception, they have supplied nearly 500,000 meals! The statistics get better year on year: in 2016 they delivered 48,000, in 2018 they aim for 150,000 meals! Is it needed? More than ever: Just in the last 12 months, Foodbank reports an increase in requests by Community Support groups of 11%. On average, one out of 30 children go hungry.

One cow yields about 250 Kg of meat, which translates to about 2,500 meals, at 45 cents a serve. Beef Bank is a registered charity and any donations over $2.00 are fully tax deductible. Further, as is the case with most Rotary projects, there are no overheads since all directors and administration is done on an unpaid basis.

Download a full run down of the Beef Bank concept from the download section on the right.

Last week's Guest Speakers: Sgt Lyndon O'Neill & Team

Posted by Franz Huber

Our daily news feed provides us rarely with a friendly face of our Police Services: either it is a violent crime or, worse an over eager reporter shows video of alleged Police brutality. So it comes as a refreshing change to meet three Police Officers with big, hearty smiles: they are from the Gold Coast District Cross Cultural Liaison Unit. Deliberately meant to be "cross cultural", the ethnic origin of the members are telling: whilst Sgt Lyndon O'Neill (centre) is obviously Caucasian, Officer Jasylyah Kadir (second from right) is from Singapore and Officer Saga (pron 'Sanga') Selesby (on right) is Samoan.

Lyndon had a well prepared PowerPoint presentation to outline his unit's work and purpose (you can download the full PPSX in the Download section on the top right). The unit has 5 key areas of focus:

Safety Presentations for newly arrived migrants, students and visitors,
Increase Media Engagement,
Develop and Implement Policing Education

Snippets of last week's meeting 090518

Posted by Franz Huber

Geoff Croad was at the door, Simon Brook was Chairman and Tania Laird was Sergeant.

We had apologies from Jim Blackburn, Gerald East, Chris Thurtell, Rosie Rocco and Ian Mayberry.

President Andy Bell welcomed all members and guests Michael Gambaro (guest of Doug Lipp), Honorary Member George Keily and our guest speakers Sgt Lyndon O'Neill, together with Police Liaison Officers Saga Selsby and Jasyiya Kadir. For a demonstration of what Police Officers these days have hanging on their bodies, Andy called up Sgt Lyndon: Besides a heavy hand gun, there are handcuffs, pepper spray, Taser, Body Camera and a baton. Note: just in case you thought a small 30 cm long device couldn't hurt you very much: it extends to 3 feet in a flash!

District Treasurer Doug Lipp confirmed that the accounts of the recently held District Conference are definitely in the black, with some $22,000 surplus going to Australian Rotary Health, ROMAC (Rotary Oceanic Medical Aid for Children) and the Griffith Uni's Malaria Vaccine Project, bringing its fundraising to within less than $100,000 of the target of $500,000 .

Youth Director Tania Laird advised that we have now 4 candidates nominated for the RYPEN camp.

President Elect Jo Gorman confirmed details about our upcoming Changeover Luncheon on Sunday 17th June at Kurrawa Surf Club (see separate article), and Secretary Mark Twyford confirmed that we now have an official lease for our Project Shed for (the maximum period) of 5 years.

Honorary Member George Keily provided an update on his collection of used spectacles: some 25 bags with a total of 600 pairs. Further, the ongoing support of our Wheelchair Project by Apple Marketing is much appreciated: 6000 used stamps and over $7,000 have been collected over the past 12 months.

Planning for 2018-19

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Wednesday, after a 4 weeks break, was designated a planning meeting. President Elect Jo Gorman led discussions, which ranged widely from introducing her board and committee chairs to issues of fundraising, general policy and - yes, to put it in Real Estate Agent's terms: location, location, location...

Since this bulletin is open to the public, not all the discussions can be reported. However, of major interest was a very promising fundraising project proposed by Mario Fairlie, which involves not only our club members but also our volunteers at the Project Shed... More as decisions are being made!

See in the Download Section (top right) the full PowerPoint presentation of our President Elect - it all makes sense!

Wheelchair Volunteers on ABC National News

Posted by Franz Huber on May 02, 2018

Follow up from last month's article on the Wheelchair boys making the ABC National News:

Click on this link to view.

Last Wednesday, Daryl received a parcel in the post with a nice letter written by David Handley AM, the founding director of Sculpture by the Sea (Bondi, NSW and Cottlesloe, WA)), together with a nice book, featuring his exhibitions.

Dear Sir,

I am writing to congratulate you and your fellow Rotarians on the tremendous initiative of the Wheelchair Trust I have heard on the ABC Television News last night.

In response, I simply wanted to reach out to say well done and thank you. Our country needs more people like you. For my part I created these Sculpture Exhibitions within this book and I would like you to have a copy.

Yours sincerely,

David Handley.

Well, what can we add to that? "Legend" comes to mind...

RYPEN camp (for 14 - 16 years old) this month

Posted by Franz Huber

May is designated by Rotary International as Youth Service Month. Only one major youth event in May: the RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment) camp. Click on this link for details and to book.

RYPEN is for 14 - 16 year olds. The camp, over three days from 9am, Friday 25th May 2018 to 1pm, Sunday 27th May 2018 is designed to develop skills that will assist them in the transition to adulthood. Participants are involved in a variety of workshops and activities, which provide an opportunity for them to personally develop, gain self confidence, communication skills, challenge themselves, build friendships, and develop life skills.

Do you know any potential member to nominate? Contact our Youth Services Director Tania Laird - applications close 10th May 2018.

District 9640 volunteers earn over $220K on C'wealth Games

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 28, 2018

Many of our members were very active during the games. Some worked as unpaid volunteers, many others were manning the brooms and vacuum cleaners at the Athlete's Village. The total earnings for District 9640 was over $220,000 (see full report in the May edition of the District Newsletter). You'll just have to wait till Wednesday, when President Elect Jo Gorman will reveal how much of that is apportioned to Surfers Sunrise...

Photo: (from left) Adrian Crowe, DG Darrell Brown, Nick (team leader from Incognitus), Charles Thomasson, Peter Lyons from the PCYC of Toowoomba, Geoff Croad.

Even casual meetings are good fun!

Posted by Franz Huber

OK, so we didn't have a "formal" meeting immediately after the games. That doesn't mean it could not be interesting and lots of fun. Photo by Sergeant Tania Laird - note some very interesting visitors, by the looks of it, coming from the Commonwealth Games side. And Ross Augustine, grand dad of Alissa Lott (see her update above) was there too (peeking out between Richard Smith and Jo Gorman).

DG Darrell Brown ran in the Baton Relay

Posted by Franz Huber

OK, it's history now, but just because we didn't have a bulletin for the past 4 weeks doesn't mean that DG Darrell should not feature prominently... Here he is, surrounded by his beautiful family.

Our YE Student in the USA, Alissa

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 28, 2018

Hi Rotary!

Here’s an update on my time in America. My first few months have been crazy busy, settling in to school and meeting people, and the time has flown by. I can’t believe it’s already been almost four months! Still, in that time I’ve done a lot. I love the snow, and I’ve learnt how to downhill ski which is super fun. Apparently this is the longest winter they’ve had in a while, even though it’s April and meant to be fall, we had a blizzard on the weekend and we’re getting more snow this Wednesday. Everyone here apart from me and my friend Cate, an exchange student from Spain that goes to my school is sick of it, but I think it looks magical! It looks like Christmas card weather. Here’s a photo of Cate and I in the snow! We were the only ones who actually wanted to go outside, and after the photos we took we ended up with snow all over (snowball fights are amazing)!

Daryl Sanderson OAM in the C'wealth Games Baton Relay

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 02, 2018

This morning (02/04/18) our Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson OAM was running (OK, walking... ☺) in the Commonwealth Games Baton Relay at Runaway Bay. Here is a picture of Daryl in full colorful uniform, with some of the Surfers Sunrise members and Volunteers from the Project Shet cheering him on. 'On ya, Daryl!

Inspirations - well, sort of... 040418

Posted by Franz Huber

(Left): When you hear a good pun and you can't help it but smile...

I wish we could have state-of-the-art hospitals in every corner of the earth... but realistically, it's going to be a while before that can happen. But we can immunise every kid on earth, and we can prevent these diseases. It's only a matter of political will, a little bit of money and some systems to do it.

Seth Berkley, Scientist and founder of the International AIDS vaccine initiative.

Bread is like the Sun. It rises in the yeast and sets in the waist.

This Wednesday we'll meet at Bumbles Cafe

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 02, 2018

In view of the Commonwealth Games coming into full swing, this coming Wednesday 04th April as well as the following Wednesday 11th April, we won't have a 'normal' meeting, but instead we'll simply have a social get together at the

Bumbles Cafe,

Cnr River Drive and Pine Ave,

Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

Usual time - 07:00 am. No meeting fee, simply place your own order.

Charmaine Wheatley presents to the volunteers at The Shed

Posted by Franz Huber

You would recall the visit by Charmaine Wheatley, the dynamic lady from the Rotary e-Club of South Africa, who presented at our club in early February (see bulletin of 14th February - it is still on the website - see left). Last Saturday, Charmaine visited our Project Shed to see our volunteers, our Associate Members, to give recognition of the work they do. Charmaine again presented on the deployment of our wheelchairs in South Africa. The picture above (by Al Sirovs) shows her surrounded - - talking about a rose among over a dozen thorns... ☺

Last week's Guest Speaker: Nasser Kaviani - 'The wonderful work of the bee'

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Wednesday, we enjoyed a visit by Nasser and Nayer Kaviani (both members of the RC of Broadbeach). Nasser is an expert Apiarist (Bee Keeper) and "runs" several hives to produce that most wonderful of nature's food, honey. His presentation, entitled "The wonderful work of the bee" outlines in an easy, non-technical way the various types of bees, how bees are organized in hives, their life cycles, how they mate...

OK, we all know that central to the hive is the Queen. Then there are the Workers, who are the ones that collect the honey and the pollen. But did you know that the queen only mates with a Drone? Drones are the male bees and do nothing to help the Workers (which are infertile females). They congregate in a separate area high up outside the hive, waiting for virgin queens to visit for mating. Only a few get the opportunity to mate and, once their business is concluded, they simply die... The queen returns to the hive and from then on, the Drones are not permitted entry and usually die at the hive entrance on the ground.

Development depends on the type: it takes just 16 days to make a Queen, 21 days to make a Worker and 24 days to make a Drone. Their life cycle is between 5 and 7 weeks. There is no school for young bees - they know their job from day one. There is so much interesting stuff... if I have to pick one, it would have to be the Waggle Dance. Its purpose is to communicate with other bees where nectar and pollen can be found. Rather than me trying to explain it, why don't you just click on this link where it is all explained in detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ijI-g4jHg

The volume of honey produced is extraordinary: world wide, some 1,500,000 tonnes are produced, of which 462,000 tonnes is produced in China. Is the honey you buy in a supermarket the real thing? Well, not necessarily, so Nasser advised. Commercial honey sold in the supermarkets is heated to stop it crystallizing on the shelves. If this heating process is not managed well, all the mysterious goodies in the honey get wasted. So, raw and unheated honey is only the real one with all the goodies in it still intact. Nasser can supply you with just that! Simply contact the Editor and I'll forward your request on to him.

Photo Album of our District Conference

Posted by Franz Huber

Now, was that a conference or what!? Record numbers (some 580 registrations), very exciting speakers and superb fellowship. I've put up a small Photo Album on our website - it's on the right hand side. You will find a comment against each photo.

There is also a massive album up on the District Website www.rotary9640.org - just go to Photo Gallery (at the top) and it's all there.

"Our" District Conference

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 12, 2018

OK, time to allow our fingernails to start re-growing! After over a year of pre-preparations, dozens of committee meetings and hundreds, nay, thousands of email exchanges (just my small department of organizing the Registrations had well over 500 incoming mails outside the 580 registrations themselves!), we concluded the conference with a 'Paella in the Park' event. Regrettably, the weather was anything other than what one would visualize to go with Flamenco and Salsa dancers, but, hey! we still had a marvellous time out there. The wheelchair boys with help from all over erected the marquees, Graeme Isaacson was in several places at once, organizing the Paella chefs, the ice cream van and the Flamenco Guitar player...

We had so many remarkable events, outrageously funny and inspiring keynote speakers, award presentations and good old fashioned Rotary Fellowship. So, why would I pick for this bulletin the only event that was truly affected by the rainy and blustery weather and where no grand speeches were held? Well, because there is no way I can report on the happenings of a three day conference in the space allowed in a club bulletin! Wearing my other hat as the DG's Newsletter Editor, I'll make a genuine effort to put together a reportage for the upcoming April edition of 'NINE Six FOUR Oh!' - it will be in your mailbox on or about 29th March. To Jo Gorman, her organizing committee and all the helpers and volunteers: you did a superb job! Thank you.

Photo: Kate Kimmorley (RC of Gold Coast, who was an "inner cabinet" member of the committee), Tony Winwood (Jo's fiancee) is smiling - he might even again get to spend a few moments with his wife to be, District Conference Chairman Jo Gorman! And Des La Rance expresses what everyone thought about how successful the conference was! Bonza!

RYPEN attendees and Rotary Peace Fellows

Posted by Ray Higgs on Mar 12, 2018

If by chance, you missed DG Darrell Brown’s District Conference on the weekend just gone, you missed a Biggy. Though the overall concept was far greater than the few words following, I would like to mention a small part.

You missed seeing speakers, whom you as members have supported and who are fabulous ambassadors of Surfers Sunrise. Honestly, you had to be there! To mention a couple that are directly associated with Surfers Sunrise:

our RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment) attendees Jessica Webber and Lucy Thorburn spoke in the Youth segment about their experiences at RYPEN. Both are recipients of the “Lutzy” Award Surfers Sunrise presents to awardees suggested by the Surfers Paradise Surf Lifesaving Club. Great presentation, girls!
Surfers Sunrise sponsored a Rotary Peace Fellow, Jackie Kauli, who gave an emotive and passionate presentation of how she was tackling domestic violence aspects of life in Papual New Guinea. She does this through drama sessions to the villagers.

It was great to see a successful outcome, to what our Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise programs and support can achieve. Speaking of achievement, I’d like to extend my personal thanks to all my fellow Conference volunteers, as in working as a team, the best and most successful Conference (in my opinion), was achieved, and I was proud to be a small cog in that Rotary wheel. [Ray, among lots of other jobs, was in charge of program planning and execution. Just visualize: the Run Sheet, which details to the minute what will happen, exactly at what time, done by whom: 17 pages of spreadsheet, in small print with no big blank spaces! That is why the conference ran like clockwork. Ed.]

Gigi and Benedetta visit the Project Shed

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Saturday, our Youth Exchange Students Gigi (left) and Benedetta (right) visited our Project Shed to learn all about how to convert unwanted bicycles into wheelchairs. Here they learning how to trim the plywood to the correct size. WH&S Inspectors: relax, pull your head in: no need for goggles, ear protection, steel capped boots: this was for show only, the machine was not even switched on. [I hope. Ed.] Photo by Al Sirovs.

This Wednesday 07 March: Get ready for the District Conference!

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 03, 2018

This is going to be one of the biggest District Conferences ever. Chief Jo Gorman has been working her fingers to the bone. We have well over 500 registrations. But, together with the RC of Gold Coast, our club is hosting the conference. We provide the organization, the personnel, the know how, a lot of the volunteers. YOU MUST BE THERE! All leave has been cancelled until the 12th March.

But then, on the 14th, we have one of the most exciting Guest Speakers - a genuine one-off: Dr Dainis Zirovs (Al Sirov's nephew) will speak on the transformation of his native Latvia from Russian control to Western Democracy. See Upcoming Events section on the left.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Anna Vlamis - Love Bites

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 03, 2018

Love Bites? Last time I looked, this meant anything but Domestic Violence! I recall, (some 50 years ago) one of my mates one day rolling up to work with one of them planted firmly on his upper neck. He suffered ribald and rude comments for the better part of a week... Now, to the more serious issue of domestic violence: the statistics are... well, simply unbelievable: one in three females are suffering from Domestic Violence (DV) at some stage in their lives, one in 5 males... Unbelievable, so I jumped on Wikipedia, where it said just that. OK, perhaps a more sober place then: The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Officially, "no single agreed definition of Domestic Violence" it says. There they call it FDV (Family and Domestic Violence). The ABS statistics for FDV, say that in just one year (2015) FDV related assaults range from 177 victims per 100,000 population in the ACT to a staggering 1,668 victims per 100,000 in the Northern Territory. Click on the link to read the whole report. Warning: the homicide statistics relating to DV are no less scary. Based on this very uncomfortable reality, the summary which Anne provided me for this bulletin (printed below) is rather tame and benign. That does not mean it is less disturbing, just not as stark as the raw statistics are. Ed.

The Love Bites Reference Group began on the Gold Coast 2013 as a collaborative approach in managing the delivering of the program using a model to include best practice given the sensitive content.

Love Bites is a Respectful Relationships Program that aims to provide a safe space to discuss relationship violence and sexual assault for year 10 students. It aims to educate youth regarding domestic and family violence and sexual assault supporting young people to develop respectful relationships, engaging young people in conversations about gender equality, valuing difference and anti-bullying, clarifying rights as a human being; how to assure safety, access support and also be aware of the consequences for actions.

Pride of Workmanship Awards 2018

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Wednesday, we presented a Pride of Workmanship Award to 6 well deserving people. It was also a great social night, with the awardees and their partners joining with our club members and their partners. Richard Smith, in charge of Vocational Service at our club, presented the awards as follows:

Name	Nominated by	Vocation
Jody Murray	Graeme Isaacson	Post Office Operations
Dee Johnston	Mark Twyford	Logistics Administration
Joel Burns	Franz Huber	Air Conditioning Supply and Installation
Janusz Radzki	Franz Huber	Furniture Upholstering and Restoration
Dr Stephen Coulson	Gerald East	Dentistry
Ken Hildegren	Gerald East	Dental Technician

You can find the full citations in the Download Section on the right.

Photo below, from left: Richard Smith (convener), Mark Twyford, Graeme Isaacson, Dee Johnston, Jody Murray, Joel Burns, Gerald East, Ken Hildegren, Dr Stephen Coulson, Franz Huber, Janusz Radzki.

Charmaine Wheatley to present at The Shed 24. March

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 25, 2018

You would remember Charmaine Wheatley who recently gave us a presentation of how our wheelchairs make a difference in her neck of the woods in the South African bush? She will present again at the Project Shed on Saturday 24th March, 10:30 am, so our untiring volunteers also get a chance to see how their efforts make a difference. [And this time we hope to have the projector working for Charmaine... ☺ Ed.]

First bike for future sports star

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 25, 2018

Well done to the gents at the project shed in helping to prepare our first Community Bike Sale. The young person in the photo took ownership of the bike through the Assistance of the Wesley Mission QLD program, Youth At Risk Alliance (YARA). This program assists vulnerable young people and their families in times of need. The young person has been identified as having future sporting potential and this is recognized by her School. A placement was offered to her to join the AFL sporting excellence program. The bike will assist in not only her transport to and from school, building independence but also enhance her training program. What a great story to "kick" off this local community service program.

Benvenuto, Benadetta Marniga!

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Wednesday, District Youth Exchange Chairman Chris Thurtell introduced us to our latest YE Student from Italy: Benadetta Marniga. Benadetta comes from a small village called Borgosatollo, near Brescia in the northern area of Italy. She will be hosted by our club for the second half of her stay in Australia. Welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Benadetta!

Last week's speaker: Col Laurenson - Adani Logistics

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 16, 2018

"The average spend for logistics on a project is 3 - 5%. For a $10 Billion project, that equals to $300 - $500 Million. If we can save 10% on costs that equals $30 - $50 Million." Col opened up his presentation with. At that stage, your Editor (and I think most of his audience) still hadn't quite clicked on the enormous magnitude of the project. Until his next point: There really are 3 projects, not just one: The Carmichael Mine, the expansion of the Abbot Point Terminal and the rail line from the mine to Abbot Point. Col briefly elaborated on why Mackay is the ideal entry port for the rail construction: not just the shortest distance to the mine site as well as to Abbot Point, but the port has already the infrastructure and experience to handle the type of materials required.

Still a bit foggy on the size of the project? Well, just look at the rail project alone: 800 Km of tracks require 48,000 tonnes of rail, 198,000 tonnes of sleepers, plus bridges, signalling, rail clips, ballast material, estimated to total 988,000 tonnes of material. And how will they transport this? Road trains with 4 side tippers can handle 315 tonnes at a time. That therefore will require 3,136 trips.

What about distances? Well, Brisbane to Sydney is 921 Km. Brisbane to the Carmichael site is 1237 Km! Even from Abbot Point, it is 457 Km. And it is not all flat either: If you drive out there, you'll come across flood signs: not 1 metre - 3 metres! And one needs to consider just how to get the equipment required out there: The Burdekin Bridge has a maximum dimension of 6.1 m high and 7.41 m wide. Problem is that some of the gear is 10 metres wide.

And so it goes on... Adani will have an airport for fly-in/fly-out workers. 12 Km away, there will be a village with 2, 000 beds for construction workers... traffic management: 1 truck arriving for unloading every 9 minutes. We have not yet started to discuss projected peak fuel requirement of some 300 million litres...

And just how would Col Laurenson know about all this? Well, that was his job at Adani. One never ceases to be amazed at the Rotarians one meets at Surfers Sunrise. Col's PowerPoint is uploaded - see Download Section on the right - 2 files.

Pride of Workmanship Award Evening

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 16, 2018

This Wednesday, 21st February 2018, we'll present Pride of Workmanship Awards to several worthy recipients. It will be an evening meeting in lieu of our usual breakfast. Of course, bring your partners and friends along too! Several nominations have already been received, but if you have anyone in mind who deserves this award, simply contact Vocational Services Chair Richard Smith and provide him with details.

Surfers Paradise RSL Club

9 Beach Road

Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

(you can park in the Bruce Bishop Car Park across the road)

6:30 pm for 7:00 pm start

$20.00 per person, includes dinner

Last week's Guest Speaker: Charmaine Wheatley

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 11, 2018

I keep coming back to this year's Rotary International theme: 'Making a Difference'. Here is a lady who is giving 110% to improving the lives of the disadvantaged members of her community in South Africa. Upon receiving some 120 wheelchairs donated by our Wheelchairs Trust, Charmaine Wheatley, a member of the Rotary e-Club of South Africa, made it a point to come and visit us all the way to say thank you and to give us an insight into how she applies her skills, her connections and her energy. Even though we (regrettably) were unable to get her laptop to communicate with the projector at the SLSC due to a missing adapter, Charmaine's presentation was still very powerful. She concluded by presenting a certificate of appreciation, which Daryl Sanderson accepted on behalf of all the volunteers at the Project Shed. Equally relevant is Col Laurenson's Donations in Kind organization, which was instrumental in getting the wheelchairs shipped. A picture tells a thousand words. Go to the Photo Album on the right side and see for yourself!

Note: Charmaine will visit the Project Shed on the morning of Saturday 7th April 2018. We'll make every effort to have a working projector ready! ☺

Two Baton Bearers from Surfers Sunrise

Posted by Franz Huber

Do you know that Surfers Sunrise has not just one, but two Baton Bearers running at the upcoming Commonwealth Games? Here are the details:

DG Darrell Brown: 12:28 pm

Date: 04/04/2018 Start time: 12:28 pm

Start Location: 200 meters after intersection of Doug Jennings Park Access Road on Seaworld Drive, Main Beach QLD 4217, Australia

End Location: 400 metres further on.

Daryl Sanderson OAM:

Date: 02/04/2018 Start time: 10:01 am

Start Location: 172 Bayview Street, Runaway Bay 4216

End Location: 153 Bayview Street, Runaway Bay 4216

See you on location to give them enthusiastic applause!

AB Paterson College students to make wheelchairs

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 05, 2018

Last Saturday, Ms Toni Kirton of AB Paterson College visited our Project Shed to discuss a new Community Service project her school will instigate. Ms Kirton, in her position of Director of Positive Education and Leadership is a member of the Senior Leadership Team at the college. Des La Rance introduced her to the various aspects of our operation. We understand that, initially, the college's students will make 5 wheelchairs for us. This could be the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship between Surfers Sunrise Rotary and AB Paterson College!

(Photo provided by Al Sirovs)

Last week's speaker: Charles Thomasson, Man behind the Badge

Posted by Franz Huber

Our newest Rotarian will turn just 40 in a couple of months... Here is a professional in full flight of his career: by the time you read this, Charles will have taken over his business! Congratulations! But let's go to the beginning: he is an "original" Gold Coaster, having been born and bred right here. His father (also a Rotarian) is a well known Veterinarian. After Trinity Primary School, Charles continued his education at TSS. Recounting a funny episode: visiting the Gold Coast and TSS by Peter Phillips (Princess Anne's son - that's him on the right),

Peter was billeted at the Thomassons. As is traditional in such occasions, if there is no spare room, the guest sleeps on a mattress on the floor. Charles' mum however thought that "one could not possibly ask a Royal to sleep on the floor", but tradition did indeed prevail: Peter did sleep on the floor (and was quite happy about it! ☺). Following TSS, Charles attended University in Brisbane, studying Accountancy.

Initially he worked in Brisbane, but then spread his wings to go to London. His employer for the first three months, a major Hairdressing organization, happened to also employ a highly attractive young lady named Angela... Yes, you guessed it, she became his wife in 2008. They married in Angela's home country, Wales. They now have two lovely daughters aged 5 and 7. Charles moved quickly over to Finance, and upon return to Australia, to Stockbroking. His company, Wilsons Advisory, is a major national Financial Adviser organization. As mentioned, Charles has just taken over the local franchise.

And for leisure? Cricket, Rugby and Golf. His current handicap of 18 still has "room for improvement". And of course, regular trips to the family's holiday house on Stradbroke Island.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Greg Beard, Mater Foundation

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 27, 2018

That's what is called dedication: Greg Beard, himself a Rotarian, has worked exclusively in the not-for-profit sector for almost 20 years. Whilst most of us would have heard about and seen the Mater Hospital in South Brisbane, few would be even aware of the extent of that organization: it comprises seven hospitals, Health Centres, the world-class Mater Research, as well as Mater Pathology and Mater Pharmacy. Greg's section, Mater in the Community is the philanthropic arm.

The story of Mater starts with a vision that remains as current today as it was in 1861 when the first group of Sisters of Mercy arrived on Brisbane and set up a 20 bed private hospital in North Quay. Check out this online video. This was the start of a tradition of providing compassionate care for the sick and the needy – which eventually led to the establishment of seven hospitals treating over 500,000 patients each year. Mater in the Community provides an opportunity to learn more about Mater today. Just a few salient facts: Mater Mothers Hospitals deliver more than ten thousand babies each year and providing specialist care for more than 2000 premature and seriously ill babies! Not just 'traditional' Hospitals: there is a Neurosciences Centre of Excellence including a Stroke Unit and an Epilepsy Unit, the Mater Young Adults Health Centre Brisbane for people aged 15 - 24. They provide education, they tackle homelessness and refugee health.

Did you know that Mater had the first Radiation Room in Queensland? Today, the technology certainly has changed: Micro Surgery, allowing operations which just a few years ago would have involved hospitalization for days and weeks, completed in a short time with keyhole surgery and the patient is on the way home in as little as 4 hours...

Colonel Sanderson addresses the troops

Posted by Franz Huber

This picture, provided by Fred Hamblen shows "Colonel" Daryl Sanderson OAM addressing the troops at the Project Shed about how they have a container coming for 270 wheelchairs and they need to ensure they have that many ready when the container arrives 9 February...

Last week's speaker: Franz Huber - Imagine: No electricity

Posted by Franz Huber

It all came about when I read a novel by William Forstchen 'One Second After'. It is the first volume of a trilogy which, in rather detailed form, outlines the physical as well as psychological effects of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), caused by a nuclear strike above the atmosphere of the earth. A novel, therefore it is fiction, isn't it? Numerous other novels in the dystopian genre have been written: from classics like George Orwell's 1984, Aldous Huxley's 'A brave new world' to more recent, modern writers such as Veronica Roth with her 'Divergent' series or Suzanne Collins with her 'Hunger Games' series. But it's not going to happen, isn't it..! All those hypothetical situations would be preventable, had the people been vigilant and arrested the decline before it was too late. (Hmmmm... would they?)

But coming back to EMP: is it fiction? I went digging a bit more and found numerous scientific references which clearly confirm what the underlying theme is all about. I give it to you in a nutshell: Should such an attack (or multiple attacks) occur, it will instantly (within seconds) totally obliterate everything that is electrical, electronic. Transformers will simply melt. All of them. Any device with electronics in them (transmission and communication equipment, motor vehicles, aircraft, ships, electric motors, just to list a few) are irretrievably damaged. It will not affect living organisms, e.g. nobody

Check out Col Laurensen's answers to 33 Questions!

Posted by Franz Huber

Freshly uploaded into the Download Section on the right: Col Laurensen answers the 33 Questions. [Gina Lollobrigida? Well before my time! NOT.] See if you can guess which one of his answers to Question 33 is correct?

Surfers Sunrise gains international recognition

Posted by Franz Huber

At last Wednesday's meeting, Assistant Governor David Baguley presented Past President (2016/17) Simon Brook with two banners from The Rotary Foundation (TRF) for our club's special achievements in his year. Our club was recognized for punching well above our weight when it comes to supporting The Rotary Foundation. Quoting from a letter from TRF's chief Philanthropy Officer, of a total of 35,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide, we are one of just 1,573 (4.5%) clubs scoring in the Top Three Highest in Per Capita Annual Giving, and one of only 5,034 (14%) clubs worldwide to attain status as an Every Rotarian, Every Year club. And we are one of only 4,136 clubs (12%) to become a 100% Foundation Giving Club. To achieve this, the club must achieve an average of giving US$ 100.00, with every member personally contributing US$ 25.00 or more to TRF. Well done, fellows!

RI President Elect Barry Rassin’s Theme for 2018/19

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 18, 2018

At the recent International Assembly, RI President Elect Barry Rassin released the new theme for 2018. Here it is!

District Webmaster Denis Hallworth has uploaded the videos to the District Website. Click on this link. Denis also has uploaded the links to 12 videos of individual speakers from that event (just below it, or go direct via this link.

Last week's Guest Speaker: our new Exchange Student Gigi

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Wednesday, in addition to the AGM, we enjoyed a brief presentation by Gigi, our Youth Exchange Student from the Netherlands. We are "sharing" Gigi with the Broadwater/Southport club where she has been hosted for the past 6 months. Gigi showed us a number of slides from her home country: Tulips, dykes... Dad is in business, he is a Life Saver, Mum is a Mesologist (yes, I needed to look it up myself! ☺) and both are amateur acrobats...

Your editor has patiently been waiting all week to receive Gigi's report, but... Here is a photo provided by her host, our District Youth Exchange Chairman Chris Thurtell, who organized her a part time job at Seaworld.

A couple of attractive young ladies walked into a shed

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 13, 2018

Our spies are everywhere: Last Saturday, our Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson was sought out by a couple of attractive young ladies at The Shed. Daryl happily outlined to them the details of our various projects of course. Where did they come from? Your intrepid reporter understands that they are running a cooking class in the Community Centre next door and wanted to come over to check what all those interesting men did over there! Could we start some sort of a joint venture here?

(Photo by Col Laurensen)

Last Wednesday we had a social get together at Bumbles

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 05, 2018

As is traditional for Surfers Sunrise, our first meeting of the year is a social event. This year we met at the famous Bumbles Cafe in Surfers Paradise (by the way: their home backed Fig / Nut bread toast is divine!) Good opportunity for our President Elect Jo Gorman to show off her sparkling new Engagement Ring: Tony proposed to her at Christmas! Oh, how sweet... ☺

Kerrie Brown's cushion goes to the Miller clan

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 05, 2018

The Angus & Virginia Miller clan has a new heirloom: a ticket belonging to their family was the winning entry for Kerrie Brown's hand embroidered pillow. Kerrie selected ROMAC – Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children as her 'District Governor's Partner Project'. ROMAC flies severely disfigured or injured children to Australia for surgery. All work by the surgeons and volunteers is provided at no charge. Now you normally expect District Governors to ask for money. This time expect the unexpected. We are giving you something for money. Fair deal? I hope so. Kerrie is aiming to raise $25,000 for an operation to save the life of a child. We call it “Stitches for Stitches”. She has made 54 embroidered cushions - one for every club in the district. Every one is unique. There are 10 hours minimum in each cushion and about $50 of material.

Congratulations!

Last week's Guest Speaker: Ross Eastgate OAM

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 16, 2017

It might have been a few moons ago when Ross Eastgate graduated from Duntroon and was assigned to the Signals Corps. Still, his dedication to his (now former) profession of being a soldier and an Army officer becomes quite clear when he states that, "when Whitlam withdrew from Vietnam, it was devastating for us". How come? Because this would, in the view of the recent graduates, rob them of the chance of seeing "real" action. But that didn't stop Ross being despatched to a number of different overseas postings. For example, the Middle East, Jerusalem to be specific, with the UN peace keeping forces. It was called an "Interim Force"... but they are still there!

"Defence of the olden days was different to what it is today", Ross explained. "After Vietnam, we enjoyed a 20 years of 'Great Peace' - Australia didn't go anywhere". Then came the various engagements: Namibia, Cambodia, PNG, Bouganville, East Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan. For the last 20 years, and in particular post 9/11, there have been constant overseas operations. "The current Australian soldier is the most experienced in history", Ross explained. Whilst today's soldiers are all volunteers,

Our YE Student in Germany scores high mark in German

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 15, 2017

Recently, Kieran Power, our Youth Exchange Student in Germany, sat for a test to prove his knowledge of the German language. He scored 1.6 (where 1 is best and 5 is worst) - well done, Kieran! The photo on the left is of his (finally) presenting the Surfers Sunrise banner to his club.

Col Laurensen gets PHF +2

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 14, 2017

Hard on the heels of his recognition by the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT) at the end of October, Col Laurensen was presented with a Paul Harris Fellow with double Sapphires for his services to Donations in Kind. Col has been the chief organizer of Northern Region of this marvellous Rotary organization for donks. Whilst he may have taken the CILT Award "on behalf of the team", this one is definitely for you personally, Col!

Picture below shows Col flanked by PDG George Grant (District 9600) and PP Ted Horsbrugh (RC of Toowong). More pictures from this link: 2017-12-14 DIK Col's PHF

Samoa Project featured in Murdoch press

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 11, 2017

La Rance alluded to it at our meeting a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't have an image to show you. But our 'Mr Reliable' Bob Harrison came to the rescue... You can download an image of the full article - go to the Download Section on the right.

Read the full transcript, click on the article in the Download Section. It includes a correction - the reporter got the name of the Rotary Club wrong...

RYDA recognizes Rotary for our services

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 11, 2017

Recently, Larry Murray and Geoff Croad went up to Brisbane to be presented with an award from RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness), in recognition of the ongoing volunteer work Rotarians do to assist throughout the year. In total, some 50,000 High School students undergo this one day training every year. The "rose between the thorns" is Hannah Olsen, the program's Queensland Coordinator. Well done, fellows!

RYDA recognizes Rotary for our services

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 11, 2017

Meet Alissa Lott, our 2018 Youth Exchange Student to the USA

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 06, 2017

Update: Alissa has arrived in Minnesota! Looking forward to her first report.

At last Wednesday's meeting, Matt Lott introduced his charming daughter Alissa to the club. Alissa has been selected to represent our club in Janesville, Minnesota for the 12 months starting end of January 2018. She is (was) a student at Emmanuel College, and naturally, she is very much looking forward to the experience. "To be given the chance to live in another country and culture and

become a member of their community is a truly unique experience and I am so, so grateful for you giving me the opportunity to participate in this program". And what are her expectations (other than having a good time of course!)? Only a couple, she said: Go into the exchange with as an open mind as possible, be ready to try everything and become part of the community. Alissa epxects that it will "allow me to get out of my comfort zone". [you can bet on that! Ed.]

We are very much looking forward to receiving your reports, and don't forget, your Surfers Sunrise Bulletin Editor is always looking for quality material to publish! So, let's hear about it! ☺

Snippets of last week's meeting 061217

Posted by Franz Huber

Rosie McIntyre was at the door, Ian Mayberry was Chairman and Tania Laird was Sergeant.

We had apologies from Des La Rance, Simon Brook, Gerald East, Mario Fairlie, Charles Thomasson, Daryl Sanderson, Jo Gorman and Darrell Brown.

President Andy Bell welcomed all members and our guests Alissa Lott and her father Matt, as well as our Guest Speaker, Racing Driver Warren Luff. Andy emphasised that members should visit our Project Shed more frequently, even if only for a cuppa at morning tea time. Our volunteers there, now officially 'Associate Members', much welcome members of the club visiting. He also confirmed that the Christmas Breakfast will be at the Sheraton Mirage on 20th December 2017. More details, including cost, to be advised.

Franz Huber briefly outlined his experiences at the RYTS (Rotary Youth Transition Seminar) dinner on Tuesday night. In brief: unbridled energy, very obviously huge fun for all participants... and ... very loud!! One wonders whether the fact that the Tyalgum Ridge Retreat is out of Mobile Phone Range and thus there is no texting, no mobiles hanging on everyone's ears has anything to do with it? [I'm betraying my age, I know... Ed.] See next month's edition of the District Newsletter for a full write up.

Col Laurensen referred to the article in last week's bulletin regarding George Keily and Heather Barnard's presentation for their efforts in collecting pre-loved spectacles for DIK (Donations in Kind). Is DIK one of the best kept secrets in Rotary?

Secretary Mark Twyford briefly referred to the renewal of the lease for our Project Shed with the Gold Coast City Council: Originally, we were expecting a 15 year lease, however, the formal documents still only show a 5 year lease. This is due to a specific policy ruling at the Council in relation to the control of Obnoxious Gases which does not permit a longer lease. However, we understand that renewal after 5 years should be a foregone conclusion provided the premises are used in the way it is intended.

Project Director Rosie McIntyre has been involved with the Mudgeeraba Special School: in order to demonstrate the practical aspects of Engineering, the school uses our wheelchairs as a good example who innovative design can lead to something useful being created from what other people may consider to be rubbish. Rosie also briefly referred to the Awards ceremony at the Coomera College and retrospectively presented Doug Lipp with a Certificate of Appreciation. All the certificates were designed and printed by Neil Thurlow and his design elves at Accent Print & Copy.

Ian Mayberry will again invest the 'Coffee Club' money (about $400) into presents to be given to the St John's Drop-in Centre. As we have done in the past, members are encouraged to also provide some presents. Please DO NOT WRAP them.

Chris Thurtell, in his capacity as the District Chair of Youth Exchange, introduced Alissa Lott and her dad Matt. See separate article on Alissa's presentation. He has received another report from our outbound student in Germany, Kieran Power - the year is almost gone! He'll be back about the same time when Alissa will head off to the USA. They recently had a "whole country exchange" when the incoming and outgoing students were matched by country of origin/destination.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Nina Smythe - Shen Yun

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 02, 2017

How can you compress 5000 years of culture into a 2 1/2 hour show? After all, the Chinese invented the compass, gunpowder, fireworks, the toothbrush, paper, tea...

Well, in 2006, the Shen Yun dance company was founded in New York, by practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline, with the aim to revive the essence of 5000 years of Chinese Culture, which it states "had been almost destroyed by the Communist Party Government".

It is based on three dynamics: Form, Technique and Bearing. Approximately 40 dancers of mostly Chinese ethnicity (there are one or two western dancers in Shen Yun) perform some 20 vignettes of classical Chinese dance - which has three basic components, form, technique and bearing - as well as ethnic and folk dances eg Tibetan and Mongolian ethnic dances. Shen Yun's overarching concept is Harmony: The accompanying Philharmonic Orchestra bridges the musical system of two cultures. It includes several traditional Chinese instruments, such as the Pipa: four-stringed, it looks a bit like a mandolin (but that would be where the similarity ends...)

Shen Yun combines the traditional with modern technology: the background combines traditional landscape painting with digital animation. Add to that the dazzling display of some 400 costumes and hairpieces! No need to visualize: click here to watch a video.

Nina has offered a very special treat to members of our Rotary Club: for every two tickets purchased, you will also receive a free program book - she'll make arrangements with the Merchandise Desk at the Gold Coast Arts Centre - just send her an email with a copy of the tickets you purchased. Psst: keep this under your hat!

OK, I admit to a fondness of oriental art, but regardless, I wouldn't miss that show for quids! Ed.

Heather Barnard recognized - 1000's of spectacles collected

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 02, 2017

It all started off with Heather's father, Ken Ince, a Rotarian from Ashmore Rotary Club. He had the idea of collecting used spectacles from optometrists throughout the Gold Coast, to be forwarded to Donations in Kind (DIK), from where they could be despatched to developing countries. Ken is now 97 and thus not as mobile anymore as he used to be... His daughter Heather picked up the baton. She has since collected thousands of spectacles from Optometrists from Ashmore to Pacific Fair. Yes, thousands - approximately 2000 every two months, our Honorary Member George Keily (left in picture below) reports. 'People of Action'? You bet!

Last Saturday, President Andy Bell presented Heather with a Certificate of Appreciation for her services at The Shed. Congratulations, well done!

Recognition for our School for Samoa team

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 27, 2017

Last Sunday, Rosie McIntyre (first on left sitting on the bench) organized a 'Samoa Project Appreciation Ceremony' for the people who were instrumental in organizing, constructing and delivering the recently completed School for Samoa project. Attended by about 50 people, it was held at the Upper Coomera State College, one of the five schools who were involved in both fundraising as well as personally working on the project (the others are Helensvale High School, Coomera State High School, Pacific Pines State High School and the Pimpama State Secondary College). In addition to a number of our club's Rotarians and Volunteers, there were also teachers and students of the college there. Many of these had personal involvement on-site to erect the pre-manufactured building in conjunction with the Samoa Victims Support Group in Apia, Samoa. 'On ya! Give yourself all a pat on the back!

Another clean-up working bee at The Shed

Posted by Franz Huber

Last Friday, starting at 07:00 am, we had another working bee at The Shed to clean up (and get rid of) some of the stuff that had accumulated over the past decade or so... Good news for girls: after removing half a ton of junk from the Ladies' Toilet, you have absolutely no excuse now to stay away! ☺ Guess it's a sign of old age: even though the pubs would have been open by the time we finished, we all opted for a cup of coffee... Picture below, from left: Geoff Croad, Col Laurensen, Andy Bell, Des La Rance, Robbie Bell, Angus Miller and Larry Murray.

Last week's speaker: Andy Bell: Home Security

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 25, 2017

Regrettably, our scheduled speaker was unable to make it, so at short notice, our President came to the rescue, giving us some valuable tips on Home Security. Most of us had heard him speak on his career and escapades as an Undercover Cop in his younger days. However, prior to retiring recently, Andy was managing a major Security Firm. "So, you want your home to be secured? So you go out and buy an Alarm System..." he thundered. "Well, let me tell you: it's a total waste of money... unless it is monitored. An alarm system will not stop burglars, as a matter of fact, when I was a young (uniformed) cop, if we came to drive down a street and heard an alarm going off, we'd do a 180 degree turn around..." So, what is one to do? Here are 12 of the major points Andy listed:

Build a fence or a wall, and of course ensure that your gate corresponds to the wall. Make it difficult to enter.
If you do have an alarm system, make sure that everybody knows. Display the sign of your security monitoring company prominently. They might just pick on another place.
Ensure you have deadlocks on your doors and window locks installed. Burglars might enter via a window, but they don't like to carry your TV out through a windows. Did you know that the bathroom window is the most popular place of entry? (However, don't deadlock the doors during the night).
Install sensors, they work on detection of body heat difference but be aware that they only work from approximately 1 metre above the ground.

Rotary: You're in a good place

Posted by Franz Huber

I've uploaded a video which beautifully outlines what Rotary is all about. Go on, have a look at it. It's only a bit over 2 minutes, but very well done. Go to this link to view it:

vimeo.com/243490493

Melbourne Cup Party 2017

Posted by Franz Huber

T'was the first Tuesday of November... a great time was had by some of our members at the Melbourne Cup party at Seaworld. Congratulations to Sue Lipp who won best dressed! Check out the Photo Album Section on the right for more pictures.

Photos by Jo Gorman.

And now in my dream it all comes back:
I bet my coin on the Sydney crack,
A million I've won, no question!
“Give me my money, you hooked-nosed hog!
Give me my money, bookmaking dog!”
But he disappeared in a kind of fog,
And I woke with “the indigestion”.

Last stanza in Banjo Paterson's 'A Dream of the Melbourne Cup' Click here to read the full poem.

This coming Wednesday: Jane Rushton - Accepting Change

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 09, 2017

Jane Rushton’s inspires and motivates people by sharing her journey of her near fatal, head on car accident in Balcutha, New Zealand in 1992 where she was unrecognisable and had to learn to walk again. After many surgery’s Jane realised she had to make a choice to be a victim or to learn how to heal herself and accept the changes so she could create more balance, bliss and productivity in all areas of her life. With Jane's easy formula, "MIND TRICKS 5 KEY STEPS" Jane and her clients have discovered how to create more balance, bliss and productivity in their life's. Easily and effortlessly

Jane, a successful Author, 'Mind Tricks' Coach, Spiritual Healer, Pilates and Gym Instructor, as well as an International Netball Festival coordinator and Director of two companies, has been an entrepreneur since the age of twenty-four.

Jane’s has been inspired to share her vision, started over twenty years ago when she began her search to find direction in life to uncover her passions and work through life’s challenges. Jane 's say's "Life's a Roller-coaster it's good to learn how to reduce the dips in life". She has studied so many modalities in Personal Development, Natural Therapies, exercise and rehabilitation she has lost count.

NOTE: New venue: Pavilion, Southport Surf Life Saving Club. Arrive early enough to order breakfast before meeting starts at 07:15 sharp.

This Wednesday: social brekkie at new venue

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 02, 2017

This coming Wednesday 8th November we'll have a social breakfast at our new venue, The Pavilion at the Southport Surf Live Saving Club. You can order the meal from their extensive menu (click here to read it) as you arrive, so if you prefer a toasted Croissant with Ham, Cheese & Tomato ($6.00) or a Bacon, Eggs & Cheese Muffin ($7.00), it's all there!

This is the location:

Pavilion Restaurant

Southport Surf Live Saving Club

Macarthur Parade,

Main Beach QLD 4215

See you there at 07:00 am!

Last Week's speaker: Bob Berryman - Race Caller

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 02, 2017

Arranged by District Treasurer and Public Accountant Doug Lipp who, in a parallel universe also runs racehorses, last Wednesday's guest speaker was Robert “Bob” Berryman. Bob lived in Melbourne for 48 years around the Flemington area. He was a licensed stable hand at the Flemington track and held a Trotting trainers license. He has a diverse knowledge of the Melbourne Cup and has developed a tape/cd of the greatest Melbourne Cup ever (in his opinion) He is former Rotarian and has been involved in many Melbourne Cup "Calcuttas” for various clubs in the Gold Coast area.

"Well, in my days if one lived near a race course, he would either own a horse or he would ride one..." Bob quipped. When he was about 15 or so, he was too heavy to ride. Owning a horse was not quite on the cards either, so he had to think of something else. Well, Bob ended up becoming one of the most renowned Race Callers this nation has seen [or should I say "heard"?].

Over half an hour, Bob regaled us with one light hearted story after another of life "in the olden days" on Melbourne's race tracks and in their communities. You know the style: "There we were on our way home from a Calcutta night, we found a loose horse on Racecourse Drive..." Stories of what may be perceived as "insider jobs". The enormous change of - well - everything over the past 5 decades, from the size of the horses (they used to be as high as 17 hands) to security on the stables.

But the classic entertainment would be Bob's calling of 'The Greatest Melbourne Cup of ever run'. The field includes 20 horses from Carbine (1890) to Phar Lap (1930) to Think Big (1974/75) and Makybe Diva (2003/04/05)... [Your editor has been searching all over the Internet for a recording - unsuccessful, I'm afraid. You should have been there!]

This Sunday: Q&A Session with DG Darrell Brown

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 01, 2017

On Sunday 5th November, DG Darrell Brown and the District Training Chief, PDG Wendy Scarlett, will host an online Q&A session - 'All about Rotary'. Note: you need to register - there are a maximum of 50 seats. Click on this link for more details and to register.

Col Laurensen's Donations in Kind wins major award

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 30, 2017

On the weekend, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) presented a major award to our member Col Laurensen, in his capacity of chief of Donations in Kind - Northern Region. Get the full story in the Download section on the right!

Congratulations, Col!

BBQ at Southport Library

Posted by Ray Higgs on Oct 30, 2017

Thank you to those that assisted with the Sat. 28th Oct 2017 Southport Library BBQ, from the To & From transporters in Daryl Sanderson & Mark Twyford, Croadie who was there in spirit when not able to be there, Franz Huber; Ian Mayberry; Andy Bell; with special mention to Robby Bell for her help under sufferance from Andy's infliction of loose tooth and mouth disfigurement from a "Medicine Ball" thrown during "Exercises" in the morning; also worthy of special mention is "Onion Supply & Cutter," Angus Miller, who came to setup and stayed till 12:00 and likewise with Al Sirovs who also came to setup and stayed till finish.

Your help is and was greatly appreciated to one and all.

Last week's speaker: Franz Huber - Rotary: People of Action

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 30, 2017

Shortly after I had attended the first provisional meeting of Surfers Sunrise in December 1986, I couldn't resist the urge to call my "most cosmopolitan" sister to tell her I'd joined Rotary (I was 41 at the time). Her immediate reply: "Why would you join a bunch of old fuddy-duddies like Rotary??" That was the perception of Rotary in the general public at the time. Regrettably, it seems, not much has changed in he following 30 years. Rotary still is at best an unknown quantity for most of the general public and, if somebody indeed knows more about us, the recognition is in relation to a bunch of generally elderly people sizzling sausages at Bunnings. In short: we know what we are all about. We know that Rotary does a lot of good in the world and has done so for over 100 years, but we are not very good at telling our story. Well, now we have tools to tell our story. For example, there are a couple of videos which you can forward to your prospective member. In particular 'Rotary - Making a World of Difference' is superb. Click on this link to download it.

Enter Rotary's new Public Relations Campaign, based on the slogan "Rotary: People of Action". I had the pleasure of

Very successful Polio Plus collection

Posted by Gerald East on Oct 22, 2017

I had to go into recovery mode after three hectic days devoted to the delights of The Rotary Foundation Fundraising Campaign.

This campaign required twenty-four two hour shifts manned by two people per shift, a total of forty-six man hours and two woman hours. I would like to extend my thanks on behalf of the Foundation to all who participated. Participants (in alphabetical order) were...(multiple shifts are in brackets)

Andy Bell, Darrell Brown, Geoff Croad (4), Adrian Crowe, Gerald East (6), Mario Fairlie (2), Jo Gorman, Bob Harrison, Ray Higgs, Franz Huber (2), Col Laurenson, Doug Lipp, Angus Miller, Daryl Sanderson.

I would also like to thank Geoff Croad for his assistance during my absence with distributing the roster and collecting the items needed from the Project Shed and returning them afterwards. Also thanks to Mario Fairlie for donating two new stands for the banners, and to Neil Thurlow for printing the two new banners at the correct shopping centre height of 1.5 metres. None of these things just happen!

Donations collected this year totalled $1149-20. This was better than last year which was conducted a month later. Picture above right: District Governor Darrell Brown with a happy mum and daughter donor to the cause.

Since the inception of Rotary's Polio Plus campaign in 1985, Rotary has invested over $US 1.7 Billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize over 1.2 Billion children in 122 countries. With the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation matching every Rotary dollar with two of theirs, our collection efforts will result in the vaccination of about 5,700 children. So far this year, only a total of 11 cases have been reported: 6 in Afghanistan and 5 in Pakistan. Nigeria, which reported 4 cases in 2016, has remained free of Polio. Click on this link for details.

Meet our newest Surfers Sunrise Member: Charles Thomasson

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 19, 2017

Charles Thomasson, introduced by no other than our District Governor Darrell Brown, is a Finance Consultant with Wilsons Advisory. Looking forward to your 'Man behind the Badge' presentation, Charles!

Picture above: Charles (right) with DG Darrell Brown (centre) and President Andy Bell (left)

Lift the Lid - Hat Day this Wednesday

Posted by Franz Huber

Don't forget to wear your hat this coming Wednesday 18th October!

Australian Rotary Health every year finances various research projects into Mental Health. Remember, one of DG Darrell Brown's major goals is to raise $33,000 to sponsor a PhD Scholarship in Mental Health. Darrell also emphasized that we should support Rotary's own projects - well, this certainly meets the guidelines!

The school on Samoa has been completed

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 02, 2017

Our team has returned from Apia, Samoa, with lots of unforgettable memories and loads of pictures (bless the guy who invented smartphone cameras!). Sincere thanks go to the members and volunteers who helped during the pre-construction of the building at The Shed and the team, including the students and teachers of the participating High Schools of the Northern Collegiate of Schools who went over to get it all erected. Photo above by Al Sirovs (in hi-vis shirt at the rear) shows the completed school with students "trying it out". Project coordinator Rosie McIntyre has put started a photo album on Google Drive - click on this link. As time progresses, photos from other participants will be added. Below, Al Sirovs is directing the team in the early stages of construction (picture by Rosie McIntyre). The new Rotary slogan is 'Rotary - People of Action'. Will this image depict action? Sure does! Will it make a difference? You bet.

Megan Blake: Life in the Fast Lane

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 25, 2017

To the uninitiated, last week's Guest Speaker Megan Blake turned out to be a surprise: There is no question that there is a strong resemblance of her face to that of our President Elect Jo Gorman (see picture left). No wonder: Megan is Jo's daughter! She is a Creative Team member at Manning Gottlieb OMD, one of the world's largest advertising firms. Based in London, one of her tasks is to sell Renault, a French brand, to the British...

"So, what's changed since Mad Men?" she asked: Well, in the 'olden days', we had principally two sections: Creative and Media. Today, we have the above, plus PR, Auditor, Experiential (no, not a typo: it means 'Events' etc), Digital, Data Agency, Customer Experience, Outdoor, direct mail, online, mobile, podcasts, Video on Demand, sponsorships, social ads, search ads, affiliates... Get the drift?

Megan took us through a comprehensive set of steps of planning and executing a marketing campaign. From 'Product Insight' (e.g. Saloon market is declining,

Samoa School for abused children is almost built

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 24, 2017

As President Andy's message in this week's bulletin states, the construction of the Samoa School is ahead of schedule! Below is a picture by Al Sirovs (left), Tanya and Mark Twyford (3rd and 4th from left. Mark, without doubt, will win this year's 'Best Dressed Male' award.), and isn't the lady with the 'Breakfast at Tiffany' sunglasses our very own Rosie McIntyre? There are more photos on Al's Facebook page.

Our DG Darrell Brown is over there now. And if you were wondering about the curved walls and beams: haven't you heard of the latest architectural designs?? ☺

Your news starved editor is looking forward to receiving an updated report!

August was Membership Development Month. Are you developing?

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 18, 2017

Just in case I haven't mentioned it: Our District Governor Darrell has quite a lofty goal for his year: double our Membership. Yes, lofty it may be, but it is achievable! Our Membership Chair Paul Seymour wants you to generate a list of potential people you can take into closer consideration. Doctor, Dentist, Accountant, Lawyer, where you get your car serviced... you name it! Then let's invite them to join us for breakfast.

Got 10 minutes to spare? [Don't say no - nobody is THAT pressed for time!] In the September issue of Rotary Down Under (sent to you by mail last week) on Page 8 you find a letter from 1928, well worth reading. "... even 10 years ago there were hundreds of clubs... ...all largely composed of men in their middle thirties..."

In the recent District newsletters NineSixFOUROh (which are sent to all Rotarians in the district), you will find several articles on promoting membership. If you have lost / deleted or simply ignored it: click on this link to download the latest edition, or here for the August edition.

By the way, have you recently visited the District Website www.rotary9640.org? Our new webmaster Denis Hallworth has continued to build on the massive work of his predecessor Teresa Dawson. It is kept current, smooth and tight, so why not go and have a look?

Peter Baruch: A life worth lived - stage 2

Posted by Geoff Croad on Sep 08, 2017

At last Wednesday's meeting, our former member Peter Baruch presented the second part of his amazing story of escape from the Holocaust via Japan. Download his story from the Download Section on the right, including some photos.

DG Darrell Brown adds another stone to his PHF

Posted by Franz Huber

At last Wednesday's meeting, President Andy Bell presented District Governor Darrell Brown with his new PHF Pin - with a Ruby in it. This depicts that a total of $US 7,000 has been donated to The Rotary Foundation in Darrell's name. Congratulations, Darrell! (Picture by Mark Twyford)

I take the liberty to hammer the incorrect view (and I know that our DG will join me), that a Paul Harris Fellowship Award (PHF)"cannot be bought", but can only be bestowed on a member, because "it is designed to be awarded for a member's services to Rotary". Certainly, it is indeed a superb recognition when a club (or other Rotary body) bestows a PHF on a member. My comment here certainly is not intended not diminish this type of recognition in any way. However, the very original purpose of a PHF is, and has always been, to make a donation to the foundation. Over the last 100 years (yes, TRF was founded in 1917), the organization has become one of the biggest non-government charities of the world. It also is one of the very few major charities which have only very negligible overheads - according to Charity Navigator, an independent organization that rates charities, TRF has an overall score of 97.87 out of 100, which gives it the coveted 4 Star rating. So, if you are worried that a substantial portion of your donation ends up in graft or director's salaries, The Rotary Foundation is your answer! Ed.

See Rotary Foundation Director Gerald East for more details.

Peter Baruch: A life saved - a life worth lived

Posted by Geoff Croad

At last Wednesday's meeting, Peter Baruch, a former member and Past President of our club, presented the first segment of his family's escape from Nazy Germany and the holocaust, thanks to a Japanese diplomat. You can download an extract from his publication in the Download section on the right. Interesting reading indeed!

Peter will present the second segment of his story on 6th September.

Samoa School packed up and on the way

Posted by Franz Huber

... judging by the photo, one could be excused to think that they have pushed so much stuff into the container that it bulged at the sides... No, it is just Al Sirov's special camera...

Now, my fellow club members are not exactly communicative, so this comes from our club's Facebook page. Project chief Des La Rance wondering how the rest of the stuff will fit! Click on the link for more pictures. Yes, with some grunting, pushing and shoving, it was all managed.

Barry Rassin elected to be Rotary International President 2018/19

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 21, 2017

Barry Rassin, of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2018-19. He will be declared the president-elect on 1 September if no challenging candidates have been suggested.

Rassin’s nomination follows Sam F. Owori’s death in July, just two weeks into his term as Rotary International president-elect.

For the full story, click here.

Remember when you were inducted into Rotary?

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 04, 2017

August is Membership Development and Extentions Month. Can you remember when you were inducted into Rotary? Have you considered why you were proposed by your sponsor? What made you to decide to join? Did you feel a sense of pride, of achievement, to be invited to join an organization of the highest international repute? Did you feel that your sponsor did “The right thing” by considering you to be potentially a good Rotarian ? Did you feel a little bit overwhelmed, sort of “am I really up to this?” You did?

“The more hands Rotary has, the better and more effectively the ideal of service will be achieved. Hence the importance of membership.” These words, spoken by one of Japans foremost Rotarians, Kanejiro Matsumoto put the point very straight. I put it even straighter: If we are to spread the workload of running this club, if we are to achieve our aims on the local scene (Youth Service, Vocational Service, Community Service), if we are to pull our weight on the International cart, we have an obligation to not only maintain, but increase membership. Whom have you asked lately to come along to one of our meetings?

"Pre-loved" bicycles requisition form

School for Samoa pulled down. And...

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 30, 2017

Hang on! Before you panic: no, not at all - the project is still very much on track! But now we are in the final stage before shipping and on-site erection in Apia, Samoa: Under the careful supervision of Project Chief Des La Rance, the school is being disassembled panel by panel, beam by beam and stacked into a container ready for shipping. Last Saturday saw quite a number of our members on site at The Shed, helping to bring this largest of our club's projects in several years to fruition. Picture above (by Al Sirovs): Secretary Mark Twyford and District Treasurer Doug Lipp loading panels. Also present were Al Sirovs, Ray Higgs and several of the regular volunteers at The Shed.

Record Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings last Sunday

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 24, 2017

Our Youth Services Director (and Sergeant) Tania Laird organized a super Sausage Sizzle last Sunday at Bunnings, with over $1,250 raised to help finance Rotary's many worthwhile projects. Your Editor was there for the second session of the morning, and by midday we had run out of sausages! I went shopping, bought another 18 dozen, and then we run out again an hour later... And would you believe, by 2 pm we sent Tania to go and buy yet some more! Many thanks to all the helpers on the day: "Onion King" Angus Miller, Ray Higgs, Mitch Brown, Geoff Croad (double shift), Fred Hamblin, Gerald East, Doug Lipp, Tania Laird, Adrian Crowe. But a special thank you goes to Ken Hermann and his charming young daughter Lauren. Thank you for volunteering with Surfers Sunrise Rotary! The picture above shows Ken and Lauren serving one of the many happy customers we had on the day. Lauren studies at St Hilda's, a school which our club is well associated with through the international Youth Exchange Program.

School for Samoa featured on Channel 7 News

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 22, 2017

Last Saturday 22th July, the team at The Shed, led by Des La Rance, together with a group of students from the Northern Collegiate of High Schools, including Helensvale, Coombabah, Coomera High Schools, were interviewed by Channel 7 (see picture above, by Al Sirovs). The segment featured on Saturday evening's Gold Coast News. To view it, click on this link: https://www.facebook.com/840702249361798/videos/1348880745210610/

The school is almost completed and just about ready to be disassembled and stacked into a container, to be shipped to Apia, Samoa, where it will be re-constructed in September. Our team from Surfers Sunrise will be joined by a group of students from various schools from the Northern Collegiate, who have worked hard to raise funds - yes, the conventional way: movie nights, sausage sizzles... Next time somebody gives you a whinge along the lines of "today's youth just aren't the same anymore", point them to this link: https://www.facebook.com/NCprojectsamoa/

Surfers Sunrise sponsors three RYPEN awardees

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 12, 2017

At the same meeting we had the presentation of the Lutzy Award (see above), we also welcomed the three awardees to the recent RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment) awardees.

Jaali Hendy joined with the Lutzy Award winner Lucy Thorburn and last year's Lutzy winner Jessica Webber (picture left). [must be something in the water over there... ☺ Ed.] RYPEN is a weekend experience in the Gold Coast Hinterland for youth aged 14-16 years, designed to develop skills that

Lucy Thorburn: winner of 'The Lutzy'

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 12, 2017

Photo above, from left: President of Surfers Sunrise Andy Bell, Jan Lutz, Lucy Thorburn and Surfers SLSC President Trevor Hendy.

At last Wednesday's meeting, Lucy Thorburn was presented with the annual "Lutzy" Award. No, it is not some plain certificate or plaque - it is a fully fledged rescue/paddle board!

The award, in honour of our Charter Member Keith Lutz who sadly passed away some four years ago, is determined in conjunction with the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club. Ray Higgs and Chris Thurtell from Surfers Sunrise team up with David Orchid and a selection committee from

Changeover Luncheon with refreshingly "unboring" speeches

Posted by Franz Huber

On a glorious first Sunday of July, we had our Changeover Luncheon in the salubrious environment of the Presidential Suite at the Seaworld Resort. (Now Past) President Simon Brook handed the reigns over to Andy Bell.

Now, anyone who has been in Rotary for longer than, say, three years, would have at some stage been subjected to one of those "oh groan' speeches - you know, where they have a lengthy sermon, preaching to the converted. Not so at Surfers Sunrise!

Special congratulations go to to the winners of the major Club Awards:

Mario Fairlie received a Paul Harris Fellowship in recognition of his ongoing strong support of the various schools for Samoa projects
Quiet Achiever Award: Al Sirovs (Al regrettably was unable to attend) for his continuous and hard work at the wheelchair shed. Al is a big contributor to the wheelchair Project & Samoan School Project.
Fellowship Cup: Tania Laird for her bubbly and contagious, outgoing personality, friendly, extra effort in welcoming guests, participating in fundraising and club event, great team player.
Doug Waller Trophy: Mark Twyford, not just the Club Secretary, but 'Minister for Everything', our club's representative on the Gold Coast Ramble committee and many other functions
Rotarian of the Year: Jo Gorman (picture) Not only is she a very active committee and board member, she continuously has her "shoulder at the wheel". But what a year of Guest Speakers we had!

Congratulations!

In the Download Section on the right, you will find both the Changeover Report 2016-17 (President, Treasurer and individual director's report of the past 12 months) as well as a summary of what happened at the Changeover Luncheon. It contains transcripts of Jo Gorman's toast to Rotary International and DG Darrell Brown's reply. Further on, in the Photo Album Section, you'll find some snapshots of "Who's Who" in Surfers Sunrise.

Meet our new President, Andy Bell

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 03, 2017

At last Sunday's Changeover Luncheon, Andy Bell was given the President's collar by Simon Brook. Here is a brief Bio provided by him:

Born in Scotland, moved to New Zealand as a child. Served an electrical apprenticeship with the NZ Ministry of Defence before joining the Police. During the time in the Police, I worked for 3 years undercover, predominantly in Narcotics, then went on to Major Crime Squad, Armed Robbery and Homicide. Was seconded to Victoria Police for 6 months, to assist in the investigation of the murder of 2 NZ citizens. After completion of the investigation, returned to NZ to continue working in Drug Squad. In 1980, I relocated permanently to Melbourne, Australia, where I worked in Senior Management positions for a large international security company. I then moved to Sydney, working in various senior roles within the security industry including chairing a number of Government and semi Government bodies associated with education and training. During this time, I wrote and had published an autobiography relating to my undercover Police work. 8 years ago, I moved to the Gold Coast and continued my work within the security industry. I am now retired and working on my second book.

For some light reading: download Andy's answer to '33 Questions' - see download section on the right!

School for Samoa is taking shape

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 26, 2017

It all starts coming together... From last Saturday's working bee at The Shed: chief designer and construction boss Des La Rance is re-checking the measurements. (Photo by Bob Harrison)

Congratulations: Daryl Sanderson OAM

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 12, 2017

What a pleasure to announce that our Wheelchairs Trust Chairman for 19 years, Daryl Sanderson, has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal in today's Queens Birthday Honours List, in recognition of running The Shed for almost two decades. Our heartiest congratulations, Daryl! Well deserved. And with you are over 8,000 disabled children throughout the world who have received the gift of mobility via one of the Surfers Sunrise wheelchairs. Take a bow, my friend.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Dr Danielle Stanisic - Malaria vaccine

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 09, 2017

Let's begin with an important comment by Dr Danielle: "As a High School student I was sponsored by Rotary to attend the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) in Canberra. In consequence I decided that I didn't want to become a Medical Doctor but instead opted for a career in Science and Research". Meanwhile, she has become one of the leading scientists at Griffith University, working on the development of a vaccine for Malaria. Danielle's presentation, titled "Progress in the Hunt for a Malaria Vaccine" states the obvious: it is still work in progress, however, there have already been highly successful trials with mice and the first trials involving humans were conducted in March this year (see Grffith University Report here). How big is the problem world wide? Well, there are up to 500,000 deaths annually that can be ascribed to Malaria. There are approximately 214 Million cases, of which 90% occur in the Sub Saharan region. 40% of the world population is exposed to potential Malaria infection. Is that a big enough reason?

So, what is the situation? Well, Malaria is not a single item: there are six species of Malaria. Dr Danielle is working on the two most common ones: Plasmodium Falciparum (approx 75%) and Plasmodium Vivax (approx 20%). The virus is

carried by the female Anopheles mosquito (we fortunately don't have those here on the Gold Coast). When they penetrate your skin, the virus infects red blood cells. It then lodges itself in the liver, where it multiplies thousand fold. "Interestingly, it is not the virus itself that makes you sick. It is the response by your Immune System which causes it", Dr Danielle explained.

Now, if your Editor had only a tenth of the brain of Dr Danielle, you would find a detailed explanation of her discourse. However... A picture tells a thousand words: see on the right just one of her slides to outline the enormous complexity of the task...

Dr Danielle expressed her admiration for Rotary: she is a member of the recently formed Rotary Satellite Club of Griffith University. At a meeting last year, she explained the need to purchase a special magnet (I think the process is called Magnetic Fractionation - Ed.), costing $10,000. Shortly afterwards, the unit was financed.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Sid Cramp MP

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 01, 2017

A common Australian "sport" (quotation marks deliberate) is the derogatory comments about politicians. "Lazy, in it just for themselves, snout in the trough" are just some of the more civilized descriptions. And when one reads the newspaper, in particular the boulevard press (and, I regret to say that even Brisbane's major paper just about meets all the criteria for this category), one frequently reads stories that may give justice to such remarks. But then, one meets the "real" person. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working on a committee with two of them when helping to organize a couple of Mental Health Forums for Australian Rotary Health. One was Peta-Kay Croft, then the member for Broadwater, and Christine Smith, then the member for Burleigh. No problems working with us late into the night. Ask for anything within reason. Whilst I have not had the opportunity to work with Sid Cramp, the sitting LNP member for Gaven, I can't help the feeling that Sid falls into the same hard working category.

Before entering politics, Sid had worked for 14 years for the Queensland Ambulance Service. At the time of his switch to politics, he was Acting Chief Inspector. And in case you thought that conservative politicians are the proverbial "Tories", e.g. "us against them", I've got news for you: Being very unhappy with the (at the time) incumbent Union, Sid actually organized a new Ambulance Officer's Union, the Emergency Medical Services Protection Association. (They rather want to be known as a 'Professional Association' than a Union). This body now has some 1100 members in Queensland. "In 5 years I never lost a case, because we always worked with the management to resolve an issue" he said.

Feel like you can't get access to your local member? Well, Sid challenges that 'tarring all with the same brush' concept. "My office is like Central Station", he quipped. "Yet, only 7% of my constituents actually come to my office at some stage. My challenge is to meet the other 93%". So, he engages the community in meetings, heavily works towards preventing Domestic Violence and Bullying in Schools. "Did you know that 95% of Domestic Violence victims are women and children?". It is just one of his many areas of active engagement. And, as an active member of Rotary (Nerang Rotary Club), he thus practices the theme 'Rotary Serves Humanity' on a daily basis.

Fun with Rotary - Conference 2018 at Seaworld

Posted by Franz Huber on May 22, 2017

A couple of weeks ago, Jo Gorman (who is our Conference Chief), released the promo video for next year's District Conference at Seaworld.

Holy Moley! Talking about removing even the last shred of 'stuffiness' from Rotary's image! The theme: 'Fun with Rotary'It is on the District 9640 Website:

Just click on this link:

http://rotary9640.org/Page/district-conference-2018

Registration will open on 1st June 2017 (link in next week's bulletin), so you have plenty of time to get your name in. There is also an updated Organization Chart - see Download Section on the right. Are you on Jo's team? If not, better tell her now!

Have you booked for Darrell's DG Changeover yet?

Posted by Franz Huber on May 17, 2017

Note: No meeting next week. Instead In just 10 days, on Sunday 25th June 2017, "our" incoming District Governor Darrell Brown will accept the collar from Michael Irving. The event will be held at a luncheon at Kingscliff Beach Bowls Club. This is a "once in a lifetime" festive and ceremonial event when one of our own members takes the top job in the District. A must attend for all our members and partners.

To register, click on this safe link:

HTTPS://WWW.TRYBOOKING.COM/PUVY

You can download the flyer from the Download Section on the right.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Cal Toft - Prosthetic Hands

Posted by Joanne Gorman

Cal Toft was introduced by Adrian Crowe who met Cal and his wife Beth at Bundaberg for the annual inner Wheel Conference (Beth is the President of Bundaberg Inner Wheel).

He spoke on two projects - the first being water wells in Cambodia. It all started when he was on holiday there and the cab driver (Chan) showed them a waterhole he had built for 4100 for a village. Cal came back with the idea and together with a group of Clubs, has built some 32 wells over the last 4 years. These wells were built for villages, schools and even a maternity hospital which prior to that, had no clean water. They are relatively easy to construct as the water table is quite high. For $100, a village or facility can have lovey fresh water. The project has become a RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service) Project. In one example, once fresh water was available, the village built a school and Rotarians helped sponsor teachers for the School - $100 per month for a teacher! $2400 for 2 teachers for 12 months - changes lives forever.

The second project: Prosthetic Hands for the thousands of victims of land mine explosions of the post Pol Pot era. Often children who are sent out to collect firewood and have their arms and hands blown off by unexploded devices. In the first year they fitted 203 and in 2014 they fitted 214. Cal told of a number of instances where victims had been spotted by the Rotarian volunteers - in cafes and on streets and they had been approached an fitted on the spot. This completely transforms lives. Build a hand. Change a life.

The prostethic hands are imported from the US in packs of 10 and are assembled by Rotarians. Cost of a pack is $5,000. Cal and the team have also taught the local University Rehab Centre to fit hands for people. He and Beth were joined by 13 Rotarians on their last trip.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Margaret Smith

Posted by Franz Huber on May 08, 2017

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! ☺

What a District Conference that was!

Posted by Franz Huber on May 08, 2017

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.

Thank you all for your combined effort.

Franz & Catherine Huber

$4,500 Samoa School Raffle was drawn last week

Posted by Franz Huber on May 03, 2017

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.

You still can donate directly online: click on this link

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 Copy provided 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.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Hetty Johnston AM

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 28, 2017

"I could talk underwater with a mouth full of marbles" Hetty confessed... Well, that may be so, but a lot of people who do that would well be advised to study the art of abridgment. Not Hetty! There would be few people who have never heard of Bravehearts [no Henrietta, I'm not referring to Mel Gibson's Brave Heart Movie.] What I didn't realize is how long this organization has already been in existence. Back in 1996, Hetty and her husband found themselves in the horrendous situation of their daughter having been sexually assaulted - - by a close relative. As Hetty later on pointed out, relatives are very commonly found to be the perpetrators. A dreadfully difficult decision had to be made: whom do we protect?, Ultimately, the choice was made to report him. But then, Hetty found that there wasn't very much going relating to support services. "What are we doing as a society?" she asked. At the time, Hetty was the Queensland State Leader of the Australian Democrats party (then led by Cheryl Kernot). "I dropped everything", she informed us, "and we decided to found an organization where not only parents of abused children (or suspected of having been abused) could turn to, but much further reaching, to educate the children. She opened a counselling centre, she mobilized politicians from all sides, she got into the Education Department and ultimately all the schools, she got the corporate heavy lifters organized to not just sponsor her movement, but to arrange training events. "Children's safety is right up there with Workplace Health & Safety" she stated. And what about the "official" channels? Well... "Currently, the system itself is the most dangerous" she says, "do anything to avoid it!" Huh?? Yes, children who get placed in 'institutional care' are, in essence, forced to live with known sex offenders. The recent case of a foster father being accused of the murder of a school girl and and his son being charged with incest indeed highlights Hetty's concern.

"Children's Sexual Assault is preventable" Hetty stated. Not just by providing

This week's Guest Speaker: Margaret Smith

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 28, 2017

Margaret Smith - The Coaching Godmother

Margaret recently moved to the Gold Coast. She is an accomplished speaker and internationally accredited Life Coach, author and motivational speaker, currently working on P & O cruises . Her honest no nonsense approach to life is both refreshing and intriguing . Margaret will entertain us with her stories as a caregiver to the disabled.

Last week's speaker: Andy Bell - Undercover Cop

Posted by Franz Huber

What do you call a Policeman in bed? An undercover cop.... [ok, I know, I'm asking for it... ☺ Ed.]. But that is exactly what it would appear Andy's job was. Back in 1969 in New Zealand, he got his first assignment to go undercover, with a princely expense allowance of $50 and a direct phone number to the head of the Drug Squad, to crack a major drug importing gang. But we are getting ahead of the story: Andy, at the time a uniformed policeman, had a problem to go undercover: he had short hair which, in the late sixties and early seventies depicted you to be either Army or Police. Unless... Andy gave himself out to have deserted from the British Army, then hiked from his native Scotland via Singapore. Singapore, under Lee Kuan Yew, had no tolerance for long hair. And it worked! . Adopting the name of Adrian McKellar (always ensure your first name initial is the same as your real name!), he had found himself at the Waterloo Hotel, where he managed to attract serious interest from a barmaid, who worked at the pub that was suspected to be a major hub of the trade. That then led to attracting the head lady of the organization named Jennifer Ann Wilkinson, who "appropriated" him entirely for herself... Nicknamed 'The Hiker', his initial deployment within the gang was to shoplift "to order". Yup, place your order for whatever you want, and Andy's gang would procure it. Earnings: about $1,200 a trip - in 1971 (wages were about $90.00 a week then).

Not long after Andy graduate to distributing 'Buddha Sticks'. They were imported in 44 Gallon Drums, dumped outside the harbour from the importing ship and picked up by small vessels. His cut: $1 per stick- which earned him a cool $30,000 a year when his annual salary was about $10,000! Ultimately, Andy got the entire gang arrested...

Rather than retiring from undercover, Andy was soon assigned to infiltrate a gang threatening to cause serious disruption, including potential killings, during the upcoming visit of South Africa's Springboks Rugby team. Visualize Andy wearing appropriate clothing to get into a Hippie style gang: Seer sucker flares, platform shoes, lime green and maroon shirt, blue velvet jacket... The issue was serious enough that he was briefed by the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the Police Commissioner...

There is much more to the story! Andy has written a book about it: 'Adrenalin Rush - The Adventures of an Undercover Cop'. The Gold Coast Library has several copies. Pick it up!

Dinner Meeting this week - Mike Bennett

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 16, 2017

Note: this Wednesday we'll meet for Dinner, NOT for breakfast. 6:00 pm for 6:15 pm start at the RSL Club. Guests most welcome. Still only $20.00 per person. But if you would also like to have just a social get together for breakfast: meet at Bumbles Cafe, 21 River Dr, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217.

Guest Speaker: Mike Bennett - A life with the media

Hailing from the UK with a background as newscaster, cameraman and interviewer for ITV, Mike has regularly been asked to provide live camera for ITV national news and to supply interviews and packages for major news events. Interviews have included politicians, sports personalities, so called "celebrities" and, on some occasions, "real people!" From fire engine chasing to cats stuck up trees, Mike has filmed every type of local news story and interviewed anyone from emergency services to eye witnesses. He has also produced speedway programmes for Screensport, Motors TV and the ITV network.

Mike still hosts two radio shows and now runs his own media training business "Media Answers", here on the Gold Coast.

Here with us to share his life with the media and some insights into how to handle the press for the celebrities among us, join us for this insightful and fascinating dinner.

Samoa School pre-construction has started

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 09, 2017

The pre-construction of the School for Samoa, supported by Helensvale High School, has started. The picture (by Bob Harrison) on the left shows 'Chief of Construction' and designer of the concept, Des La Rance with Al Sirovs at The Shed last Saturday.

The Samoa School Raffle will close this coming Saturday 29th April 2017.

Surfers Sunrise Rotary will build a school for disadvantaged kids in Samoa. Have you sold your tickets? Or, if you prefer to buy on a secure website, see link below. Making a difference, that's what Rotary is all about. Our Club, Surfers Sunrise, will build a school for disadvantaged children in Samoa. We just need a few more dollars to raise the final funds, so we have organized a Raffle with a huge prize.

Only 500 tickets - Family Holiday in Fiji valued at AUS $4,522. Closes 29th April 2017.

Full details on this website: Click here to go to a secure website to place your order: https://www.rafflelink.com.au/rotary4217

These tickets make a fantastic, quick and easy gift too. OK, Easter has just gone, but whom did you forget to buy an Easter Egg for?. Would you help us to spread the message? Log on to Facebook, go to our club's page www.facebook.com/rcsurferssunrise and share the post. Come on, do it right now, before you forget!

Imagine how you would feel if you lived in a country where you couldn't afford to send your child to school? In Samoa there are many children who don't have the privilege our Aussie kids have of getting an education and creating a better life for themselves, as they live in extreme poverty. The Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise, in conjunction with the Northern Gold Coast Collegiate of schools, will build a cyclone ratified school for the Samoa Victims Support Group to provide a place for these children to learn for free.

We have plenty of experience, with similar buildings erected in Thailand after the 2006 Tsunami, Samoa after the 2009 Tsunami and the House of Hope in Samoa in 2012. All labour is provided pro bono, there are no commissions, wages etc. Crikey! The construction crew even pays for their own airfares and accommodation!

Thank you for all your help.

Last week: Jo Gorman & Tania Laird - Leadership Institute

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 09, 2017

So how does one cram a major leadership seminar into a 20 minutes presentation? It would have to be quite a difficult task indeed to do such a precis. But Tania and Jo came up with a good summary. “Start with Rotary and good things happen” – ok, perhaps the slogan is a bit corny, but – yes indeed! – this is what happens. Developed in the US in 1992, the Rotary Leadership Institute is designed to teach potential Rotary Club leaders about Rotary’s major aspects. It is a general education program rather than “job specific”, as many other programs are. And the lecturers? They don’t come much more senior than District Governor Michael Irving (himself a former University Professor and Vice-Chancellor) and the Chairman of our District’s Rotary Foundation committee, Neil Jones. The program goes over 3 major parts, but for the purpose of this article, let’s just concentrate on the first segment:

Insights Into Leadership
My Rotary World
Ethics-Vocation Service
Foundation I: Our Foundation
Engaging Members
Creating Service Projects

Jo and Tania specifically addressed a point all clubs, including ours, need to seriously concentrate on: Membership development and retention: Identify the target audience, Define how to go about it, Attract potential members, show them the value of potentially engaging with us and ongoing involvement.

Jo also provided a brief outline of The Rotary Foundation. Starting with a foundation capital of $26.50 (yes, no misprint), today it is one of the largest non-government charitable organizations in the world.

But perhaps we should go back to basics first: Can you remember The Objects of Rotary? What about The 4-Way Test, in essence the 10 commandments distilled into 4? Yes, we have seen them so many times, one gets a bit blasé about it. Keep reading below…

The District Conference is this weekend!

Posted by Franz Huber

Have you registered? Not too late: click on this link.

The detailed program has now been released: click here.

Starting on Friday, but you can attend any of the sessions (except the College of Governor's Lunch, unless you have PDG, DG or DGE in front of your name...). Hey, how about Professor Lyn Griffiths, the Biomedical Director at QUT (Saturday at 09:25 am). Or famous TV journalist Kerry O'Brien (yes, of the 7:30 Report and 4 Corners) at 11:25 am. Then, in the evening we have a bush dance: It will be held at the Alstonville Community Centre, just a 20 minute drive from Ballina, or if you prefer not to drive, a bus is organized. The band is Tallowwood Bush Band (yes, "No 96 to the snack bar please"...). The line-up includes a swag of incredibly talented multi-instrumentalists who present folk music from around the world with a strong Celtic influence and an emphasis on preserving the Australian family bush dance that transports the audience through time and emotion leaving no doubt why this band has been the winner of so many music awards and been so popular at festivals and events throughout Australia. And for food? Master Chef Tony Koelner will have an open spit bar-be-que.

Conference attendance itself is free, but, fair enough, some fees apply if you want to get lunch, participate in the bush dance on Saturday night etc.

Wouldn't miss it for quids. See you there!

The inaugural Gold Coast Ramble: What a rip-snorter!

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 27, 2017

As Simon Brook writes in his President's message, what a magic day! After the heavy rains of the previous days, a day of sunshine, pleasant temperatures and... lots and lots of enthusiastic participants, volunteers, helpers, and yes, even the family dogs participated! Considering that this is our first go at staging this major event, I have no doubt that it will become an annual major event. Close to 60 teams registered, almost all dressed up in one way or another, some with very imaginative names such as 'Poodles and Oodles', 'Niopotamus', 'The Peach Fuzz', 'Coast Busters', 'Run like the Winded', just to name a few.

The 4 Hour section was deservedly won by 'Blues Clues', a team supporting the 'Beyond Blue' foundation. Our very own Rosie McIntyre, competing under the banner of 'The Annihilators' (!!) won the 2 Hour event, capably supported by her husband Andrew and daughter Trinity, (Picture right, courtesy of Harry Ellis). And President Simon rolled up with his 'The Elites' and took out the 'Best Costume' category. (Picture left).

Our club was also well represented in the volunteer section (however, there is still massive room for improvement...). Special recognition must go to Mark Twyford, who had the Financials portfolio (including budget preparation), Ray Higgs, DGE Darrell Brown and Geoff Croad who each took on a Team Leader job, joined by Chris Thurtell, Graeme Isaacson, Angus Miller, Paul Seymour, Richard and Sue Smith. Your Editor's finger nails are starting to re-grow, after being chewed off worrying about the IT side of Registrations and checking them all in with the capable help and calming influence of Tania Laird (no major hick-ups though). The Wheelchair boys - Daryl Sanderson, Des La Rance, Bob Harrison and Al Sirovs, had a display of our wheelchairs. (If I missed anyone: sorry, I didn't see you!) But the laurels must go to the principal organizers: Assistant Governor David Baguley and his Broadbeach Rotary Club team and the Satellite Club of Griffith University.

We'll have a Photo Album shortly, once the photos from all the various snappers have been gathered together.

The people one meets in Rotary: Jack Millbank - Bargara Brewery

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 12, 2017

Many of you would not be aware of Innerwheel, a Rotary organization exclusively dedicated to women (yep! you read this correctly! Just click on the link). Fellow member Adrian Crowe and I accompanied our better halves to a big Innerwheel do at Bundaberg. The men of course are never allowed into the inner circle of "secret women's business", so normally a "Men's Tour" is organized for Saturday afternoon. This weekend we visited the Bargara Brewing Company and Bunda Ginga. Both outstanding stories of success. Space only permits me to elaborate on the one: Bargara Brewery. By profession an Agronomist, Jack Millbank (that's him on the left) and friends started this enterprise not even 2 years ago. The mission:

"To brew the best craft beer sustainably, while contributing to conservation projects that really matter, and are doing something, not just talking about it."

So we went to check them out. Jack gave us a comprehensive tour of the craft brewery he built from scratch, whilst we nursed a pot of one of his many variations. He explained the technical details of why a Pale Ale (their name: 'Drunk Fish' comes to taste differently to a "Hefeweizen" (their name: 'Phat Heffa'). Fortunately for us there wasn't an exam at the end of the lecture, but to be sure, we went back to the counter to make doubly sure that our initial impression of "bloody marvellous" was not in error...

So what's special? Well, Bargara Brewery has landed numerous Export contracts to sell their craft beer into South Korea, Vietnam and China shortly to follow. They are totally swept off their proverbial feet! So much so that they now have to farm part of their production, under license, out to a Sydney brewery which can handle the volume. So, I am asking the question: why is the Australian media not jumping on superb success stories like this instead of the never ending bitching between the political parties?

Now, I'm assured that some of Bargara Brewery's products are available in local Dan Murphy and First Choice stores. I'll check that out shortly.

Last week's Guest Speaker: Simon Schmidthe, Substation 33

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 11, 2017

Sometimes I meet somebody who clearly demonstrates that there are people who are more switched on than me, and sometimes I meet somebody who makes me feel all nostalgic. The latter happens when a guy starts to talk about periods when 16-bit CPUs and 8 Kb were the hottest stuff in computing (Kilobytes - NOT Gigabytes! We talk about 1985). But this was the first time I can recall when both these emotions happened to come at the one time:

Simon Schmidthe from Substation 33 (that's him on the left, holding a replica of a T-Rex skull he printed using one of his 3-D printers) demonstrated how his organization is engaging Work for the Dole and even disabled people to make 3-D Printers, using recycled computer components. Yes, a 3-D Printer using a 16-bit CPU, some components such as rails and stepper motors pulled out of old printers. The total cost is about $63.00. Come again? Yes, $63.00. "The most complex component is the software" Simon elaborated, "but that is 'Open Source' software which is free".

But they also make other stuff, such as an automatic sign which Councils can place in flood prone areas. The device contains a floating mechanism which automatically causes a "Road Flooded" sign to flash and automatically notifies the Council computer and authorities that a particular road is now flooded and closed. And what are you using for power? Wait for this:

Snippets of last week's meeting 080317

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 09, 2017

Chris Thurtell was at the door, Richard Smith was Chairman and Andy Bell was Sergeant.

We had apologies from Gerald East, Larry Murray, Peter Morgan, Daryl Sanderson and Des La Rance.

President Simon Brook welcomed all members and our guest speaker Simon Schmidthe (see his presentation above). In celebration of International Women's Day which was last Wednesday, he briefly referred to the struggle the first lady members had, back in about 1986: their club's Charter was withdrawn! [But it didn't take long. On the Gold Coast, our club actually was the last club to be chartered, before Ashmore was chartered as the first mixed club here. Ed.] A board meeting will be held in two weeks' time, the Gold Coast Ramble will be on in two weeks, and on 19th April we'll have another 'Sunset' meeting - see Events section. On 26th April, we'll have a Joint Meeting with RC of Hope Island.

DGE Darrell Brown reported from his visit to the McLean Rotary Club and presented a banner - VERY Scottish indeed! Darrell also referred to the upcoming District Assembly (was the weekend just gone by), the District Changeover will be on 25th June 2017. Darrell's better half, Kerrie is donating one of her quilts (see picture above). It is valued at least at $1,000 and will be the first prize in a raffle to be conducted over the District Assembly and Changeovers. Proceeds will go to the Australian Rotary Health fund. (Kerrie's own 'Partner's Project' will be ROMAC though). On 21st July 2017 will be the Australian Rotary Health Muster. Broadwater Southport and us will change the normal meeting and have a Bar-be-que on the Broadwater Parklands. Expect about 20 caravans to roll up! More as we get closer to the date.

Rosie McIntyre (picture right) has scored a major prize for an Art Union: as reported by Mario Fairlie, Bartercard is sponsoring a Family Holiday to Fiji, all expenses paid, worth $5,000! Hip Hip Hooray, Rosie!! The target is $12,000 which will all go towards our School on Samoa. Note, there will be a fundraiser for the Samoa Victims Support Group on Saturday 25th March 2017 - see flyer in the Download section. Our regular conduct with Samoa, Lina Chang will be there.

Doug Lipp advised, on behalf of President Elect Larry Murray on the upcoming District Assembly on this coming Sunday 12th March: all incoming board members and club executives need to attend.

Last week's speaker: Franz Huber - Bush Poetry

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 04, 2017

So how come we have a guy with a Swiss accent trying out Australian Bush Poetry? Well, it has for a long time been one of my most favorite pastimes. Some 40 years ago or so, I heard famous Australian actor Jack Thompson recite part of the last stanza of Banjo Paterson's 'The Man from Snowy River'. Of all things, it was for a TV commercial to promote the (then) early beginnings of the Clean up Australia campaign:

And down by Kosciusko, where the pine-clad ridges raise
Their torn and rugged battlements on high,
Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze
At midnight in the cold and frosty sky,
And where around The Overflow the reed beds sweep and sway
To the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide....

... don't rubbish Australia!

Well, it still is goose pimple stuff today, in particular if Jack Thompson recites it.

In Australia, the art is well and truly developed. Sure, everyone has heard and read the old masters: in addition to Banjo, for example, "In the days when the world was wide" by Henry Lawson. Many however may not be aware that there was some quite fierce competition, if not antagonism

How to attract Heavy Lifters like Ian Raisley to join Rotary

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 02, 2017

You might well ask: How the heck would a "heavy lifter" of the calibre of Rotary International President Elect, Ian Riseley, be enticed to join Rotary? Well, guess what: another Rotarian asked him. Ian, a member of the Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria since 1978, was an everyday practicing accountant. One of his clients asked him to be guest speaker, on Taxation Matters of all things. He accepted. And so it evolved.

You can read the full story and interview in The Rotarian magazine. It is available online, but you need to subscribe to it. Go to www.rotary.org and go to My Rotary.

Have YOU asked somebody to join Rotary recently?

Last Wednesday we celebrated

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 24, 2017

We had a grand time! Surfers Sunrise celebrated the 30th Anniversary of its charter, so instead of the usual breakfast, we met for dinner. Lots of guests were there too, and quite a number of our members also brought their partners along. (See photo album in the download section on the right).

Still, there was some "normal" club business, so here are some snippets:

Daryl Sanderson drew the short straw and was at the door, Paul Seymour was Chairman and MC and Andy Bell was Sergeant.

There was no call for apologies. President Simon Brook welcomed all members and their partners, our Honorary Members, Charter President Bill Moir, John Ellemor, who was accompanied by his daughter Lynne Wright and her partner James, George and Natasha Keily, and in particular Jan Lutz, Carole Waller and her friend Lenie Johansen. Clive Edwards (RC of Young, NSW) was accompanied by his charming wife Margaret, and Ray & Valeria Higgs' guests were John & Rosemary Rowe. To save time, members' partners were not individually introduced. He asked all past Presidents of the club to be recognized. Simon briefly summarized (have you noticed? in Surfers Sunrise, speeches are kept short!) a world of 30 years ago: There were no women in Rotary yet (that came in 1988), no internet, Bob Hawke was Prime Minister and Joh Bielke-Petersen was Premier, and Nicky Webster was born, the very first mobile phone was released ("the brick"), fuel was 52 cents a litre, [it is actually about the same today: according to Australian Government's CPI Index, we have had an inflation factor of 2.43 times since 1987, which would make 57 cents equivalent to $1.38 in today's value. Ed.(also known as 'Smart A...')]

Not running in the Gold Coast Ramble? Volunteer!

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 24, 2017

The inaugural Gold Coast Ramble will be on in a month's time, on Sunday 26th March.

We need your help!

We need about 120 volunteers. We have 40 checkpoints with 2 volunteers on each checkpoint so about 80 volunteers on checkpoints from 10am to 4pm. At each checkpoint, the entrants use the Gold Coast Ramble App to download a challenge about the immediate area – this could relate to the heritage, the natural environment, street art or local infrastructure.

Other volunteers are needed between 7am and 10 am for site and checkpoint set up, and between 3.30 and 5pm for site and checkpoint pack up. Three shifts are available - see registration. There is no cost involved.

Another team will manage registrations, marshalling at event start and other administration.

Click on this link to register as a volunteer

Click on this link to register to participate with a team

This Wednesday 22nd Feb: 30th Anniversary Dinner

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 18, 2017

Yes, we were chartered some 30 years ago! In celebration, instead of breakfast, our "official" meeting will be for dinner at 6:00 pm for 6:30 pm - same place, same price of just $20.00 per person (bring cash please). All members, guests and friends welcome.

Surfers RSL Club

9 Beach Road

Surfers Paradise 4217

You can park across the road in the Bruce Bishop Car Park. Bring your ticket with you to have it pre-paid for you.

Do you have any memorabilia for general display? Photos? Bring them with you!

But we'll still have a social meeting in the morning. Meet at 07:00 am at

Bumbles Cafe (Budds Beach)

19 River Drive, Surfers Paradise, QLD 4217

Please bring cash for your breakfast as there can only be one bill per table ( 2 or 3 tables will be set up).

Rotary International Theme for 2017/18

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 11, 2017

RI President Elect Ian Riseley (Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria) introduced his International Theme at the recent International Assembly in San Diego. The event was attended by "our" incoming District Governor Elect Darrell Brown and his charming wife Kerry.

The President Elect gave a very good speech, executed in his relaxed Aussie style - well worth 18 minutes of your time. Go to this link: http://video.rotary.org/AUak/ian-hs-riseley-theme/ or you can download a PDF version of it. Needless to say, that as an Australian (Ian will be the 4th Australian RI President), you won't have any problems with his accent!

Last week's Speaker: Ian Mayberry - Goodwood Race Meeting

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 11, 2017

Ian jumped in at short notice after our booked speaker Garry Green was unable to make it. Now, just for those of you who don't know already: Ian could - unkindly - be ascribed the tag of 'Petrol Head'. I say unkindly because he is not the 'Bogan' Petrol Head type - Ian has had an association with car racing going back for decades and, in particular in his younger days, has actively raced not just souped up touring cars but also 'open wheelers' (see picture on left). He regularly serves as the 'Clerk of the Course' at major race meetings such as the Gold Coast Castrol 600.

So it came as no major surprise to learn that he recently shouted himself a ticket to the annual 'Goodwood Revival' Race Meeting in England. Revival? Well, they are not just displaying old racing cars, such as Jack Brabham's last Tasman Series, or $20 Million Maseratis. They are racing them! There are even people who go through the trouble of shipping a restored car worth millions from here to the UK, race it over there and ship it back again. And just in case you doubted that the event is for people who have more than just a couple of bob to rub together: the Ice Cream Van is a vintage Rolls Royce (picture on right). But wait, there is more...

Guest Speaker extraordinaire: Assistant Police Commissioner Brian Codd APM

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 26, 2017

“Coming to an event like this is cathartic” Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd exclaimed on opening his address. Cathartic? Your Editor made a mental note to look up the proper meaning: according to Wikipedia, it indeed means ‘the purification and purgation of emotions—especially pity and fear—through art or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration’. Thank you, Commissioner! Perhaps we should invite more Policemen and women to join us for a Surfers Sunrise breakfast – one of the best stress relievers – we now have the Commissioner’s endorsement! ☺

Joining the Queensland Police Force over 30 years ago (remember the Fitzgerald Enquiry?), one can rightfully expect that there isn’t much to do with crime that Brian has not seen and experienced. The audience would be forgiven to expect lots of content relating to terrorism, shoot-outs, drug arrests, coward-punch attacks, and with Melbourne’s Burke Street tragedy still fresh in our mind, nut cases driving cars. “On the Gold Coast”, he asked, “where do you think is the most dangerous place to be?” Yes, it is the home. Domestic Violence, assaults, paedophilia. “50% of assaults are Domestic Violence” Brian explained. The officers loathe being called to a DV incident: Not only is it always a very tricky situation, but it can well be that both the perpetrator as well as the victim will turn against the officers.

On the Gold Coast, a new approach is being trialled with considerable success. Officers wear Body Cameras, thus recording every second of what happened, who said what. “There has been a 48% increase in DV cases reported” Brian elaborated. But he doesn’t believe that this is an actual increase. The incidents were always there, they just did not get reported in earlier days.

It has a severe effect on staff morale and even the officer’s mental health. Which brings us to his next most important topic. What would you think is the leading cause for violent death in the age group of 15 – 44 years old? Judging by the daily news, it would have to be Bicycle / Motorbike / Car crashes? Sorry, no. It’s Suicide. “In Australia, we have over 3,000 suicide victims every year. On average 8 every day. That is double the road toll. And, for every ‘successful’ suicide, there are 30 attempts.

So, next time you are annoyed when you get pulled up, just keep in mind that the guy outside your car window may have just come back from attending a domestic, or worse.

Picture above: President Simon Brook gets a brief demonstration how one deals with miscreants... ☺

Introducing: President Elect Andy Bell

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 21, 2017

As announced recently: Andy Bell is our President Elect, taking over from Larry Murray. Here are the duly elected members of Andy's 'kitchen cabinet' for 2017/18:

President Elect 2018/19, Director Club Administration: Jo Gorman

Secretary: Mark Twyford

Treasurer: Mitch Brown

Director, Youth Services: Tania Laird

Director, Service Projects: Graeme Isaacson

Chairman, Wheelchair Trust: Daryl Sanderson

Vice President: Ian Mayberry

Director, Public Relations: Mario Fairlie

Director, Fundraising: Doug Lipp

Chairman, The Rotary Foundation committee: Gerald East

You can download the full list of the incoming committee on the Download Section on the right.

New Year's Resolution: I'm giving up booze start exercise

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 08, 2017

New Year's Resolution: I'm ~~giving up booze.~~ OK, I'll ~~start exercise~~ Too hard. OK, ~~no more fatty Take-Away~~. Yeah, Right. Groan, and it's only the second week of the year!

Here is a New Year's resolution you won't have any problem to keep:

Find and introduce a new member to our club

It's easy to promote our club! Due to the heavy work by relatively few, our Wheelchairs and Schools projects are internationally popular and have won multiple Awards - the most recent one being the 2016 Public Relations - Single Event award for the TV exposure Chairman Daryl Sanderson organized. But we have numerous other things to brag about, not least our continued involvement in Youth, with regular awardees to the major events of RYLA, RYTS, RYPEN and International Youth Exchange (YE), with our club's District YE chief Chris Thurtell and Youth Service Director Tania Laird pulling strings in the background. And our Darrell Brown is incoming District Governor. So, what else do you need to brag about?

So, make it YOUR resolution: identify three friends / business partners / customers / suppliers / fellow members of another regular circle you are in / professionals (yes, your doctor, dentist, accountant, solicitor.... you get the drift. Invite them to come along to a meeting. There isn't a better one coming up than the 25th January, when our Program Chief Jo Gorman has arranged for the Gold Coast Police Commissioner Brian Codd to be our guest speaker.

"Our" Youth Exchange Student Kieran soon will be off to Germany

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 05, 2017

This year, we "borrowed" a Youth Exchange candidate from the Warwick Rotary Club. His name is Kieran Power, an all-round high achiever. Not only academically, he also plays the lead in school musicals, plays the guitar and a whole swag of other things. You can download an essay he wrote - see Download page on the right. Below is a photo published by his school 'The School of Total Education'. You can read the entire article at this link: http://www.sote.qld.edu.au/latest-news/rotary-exchange-to-Germany

Christmas Party at The Shed

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 03, 2017

OK, Christmas is over and so are the New Year celebrations. But, since no bulletin was published since, it still is much worthwhile to show a couple of pictures provided by Larry Murray from the annual party at The Shed, . Above left: 'The Three Amigos', from left: Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson, Trust Treasurer Bob Harrison and Des La Rance, the overall acknowledged 'Chief Guru', whose design and project management skills are not just limited to the wheelchairs but also to the various schools and houses that were erected in Thailand, East Timor, Vanuatu and Samoa.

By the look of the almost formal table setting, they could apply for a position in hospitality any time..! ☺

YE Students visit Purling Brook Falls

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 12, 2016

On Monday this week, your Editor had the pleasure of introducing a group of 5 Youth Exchange Students to our magnificient Rainforest areas in Springbrook National Park, walking down to the base of Purlingbook Falls. The above picture shows them there - from left: Kieran, Ellie (at rear, from Italy), Sophie (at front), Kaho (from Japan) and Lachlan. Kieran, Sophie and Lachlan are outbound, leaving our shores in January. What a great group! Thank you, Chris Thurtell, for organizing this!

Last week's Guest Speaker: Tony Winwood on Superannuation

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 03, 2016

If a guest speaker, with lots of numbers and statistics, doesn’t roll up with a PowerPoint, but instead he blue-tacks a sheet of old fashioned easel paper on the wall, one can expect a presentation with a difference… And so we did. Tony came up with a hugely entertaining presentation on a very complex subject. But first the numbers:

The first number with lots and lots of zeroes is Two Trillion Dollars. Two Million Million Dollars. That is the size of funds in Australian Superannuation Funds. The $350 Billion is the unfunded liability of various Governments [about $195 Billion of that is Federal Government, according to Budget Papers. Ed.] That 2 Trillion is approximately 1/3^rd of the total wealth of Australia, estimated to be about 6 Trillion according to Tony. The Government collects taxes of about $7 Billion per annum. So, what’s the problem? Quite simply: we live too long. Or we don’t save enough. Take your pick. The figures are actually quite simple:

Sarah Cooper: 'Swapping Children'

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 26, 2016

... no, this is not some new TV Reality Show (which mostly are highly edited and highly tedious and nothing like reality). This is Real Life! Last week's Guest Speaker, Sarah Cooper (Photo on left, with our 'on loan' Exchange Student Kaho Koizumi from Japan), is the mum of Felicity, one of our most recent outbound Youth Exchange Students to Finland. Sarah is 'an old hand' at this game. In her presentation, an opening photo (in Black & White) showed her as a 14 year old, the age at which she herself went on an exchange to France. "I had an absolute ball!" she enthused... [name me one 14 year old kid who wouldn't... Ed.]

Since then, Sarah and her husband Mark have hosted lots and lots of International Exchange Students, some organized via schools and some via Rotary. And it wasn't always an easy ride: recalling a girl who came from Japan: "It almost turned out to be a disaster. She was shy, she couldn't speak English. We tried all sorts of things, including getting Japanese food..." On the other hand, Sarah gave us recollections of several others, from France, Osaka (Japan), Emma from Toronto (Canada). Emma had never been to the beach in her life before! Emmie, another Japanese girl. "Emmie was always very quiet, appeared worried... Then, upon her return home, we received a handwritten letter from her: 'I had the time of my life!' she wrote." Just goes to say...

Of course, we all recall our very own Laura Burtscher from Austria (see photo right, cooking Goulash at Sarah's), whom the Coopers hosted whilst their daughter Felicity was in Finland. "It's like having another family in another country. Everything in life is a circle - I have now 'daughters' all over the world".

Sarah has agreed to return again in the new year to talk about the psychological aspects of Youth Exchange, both from the student's as well as from the host parents' point of view. With herself and two of her daughters having done exchanges in foreign language countries and having hosted students from all corners of the world, who would be better qualified? Looking forward to it!

Christmas Breakfast this Wednesday 14th December

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 21, 2016

Our Social Services chief Graeme Isaacson has organized the the "Bazaar Interactive Marketplace" located at the QT Hotel (previously named the Gold Coast International) on Staghorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise.

Meeting time: 06:45 am for fellowship with juices, tea & coffee on the lawn for 07:15 am move to our tables for a unique breakfast service. Free parking on-site.

Cost is $30.00 per person.

PRE BOOKING ESSENTIAL – NO WALK-INS ON THE MORNING PLEASE.

Full payment to be received into our club's bank account no later than Wednesday the 7^th of December or cash to our Treasurer at the meeting on that day. All welcome to invite guests at the special members price of $30.00.

Our club's bank details for direct deposit:

BSB: 484-799

A/c No: 047306431

Or book online with Credit Card, click on this link:

https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?embed&eid=247489

Last week's Guest Speaker: Mayor Tom Tate

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 19, 2016

The temptation to quote stacks of statistics is hard to resist. As Mayor in charge of a city with an annual budget of over 1.3 Billion dollars (the second highest in Australia), Mayor Tom Tate would have plenty of things to crow about. I leave the stats to Wikipedia, and the revelation of publicly available stuff to the Mayor's Facebook page. OK, perhaps just a little bit: born in Vientiane, Laos, he entered Scots College in Sydney as an 11 year old. Like most boys, in order to "get out of studying, I subscribed to the Boxing Class", he said. In the first lesson, they tied the gloves on, but omitted to tell him that "boxing" in one of the top Sydney schools had no relevance to Thai Boxing... In those days, the resulting damage to his opponent's self esteem resulted in him being given a note to present to the head master. Thinking that he was about to be congratulated on his victory over a much heavier opponent, this instead was to collect a caning for not adhering to the Marquess of Queensberry rules...

And it would appear that Tom's (may I call you by your first name, Your Worship?) career had much to do with a very positive attitude to win. "Right place, right time" is one of his mottoes. First elected in 2012, he found that there were just 2 cranes on the Gold Coast horizon, both on the (Queensland Government) Griffith Uni / Hospital project. "Tourism, Education and Construction is our core", Tom declared. Thus, he instigated not just the sacking of of the council's Chair of Planning, but also declared that there would be no Infrastructure Levies for the next 6 months. Vigorous lobbying of Chinese and Japanese developers brought up projects such as $1 Billion Jewels project after the much maligned Broadwater Wave Break Island Casino project got knocked back. Following Jewels is the announcement by Chairman Xin Wang of the Hong Kong based Forise Holdings of a 88 storey tower on the former Iluka site, topping Q1 as the tallest building. [It is the policy of Rotary, and of your Editor, to remain non-political, so no further comment. Ed.]

Other major endeavors are in the sector of Education. "Students are Tourists", Tom declared. "So, we cooperate with this 1.5 Billion Industry by facilitating their efforts with our Tourism Industry and Tourism Authorities".

And what will happen after the Commonwealth Games? "The 'Village' will be converted to a specialized medical industry precinct, manufacturing body parts" Tom enthused. And with the extension of the Light Rail to Helensvale, at a cost of some $55 Million to the Council (this is 17% of total cost), the ongoing expansion of the Gold Coast is not going to stop. "Our Town Plan is to promote 'going upwards instead of sprawling out" he said. This would explain why we can expect a substantial relaxation of the 3 stories limit, which apparently was originally set because that is the height of the trees...

Any politician who makes things happen, will always have opponents, usually more than one who doesn't. But, in 2016, Tom was elected with a majority of 73% of the two-candidate vote. This would indicate that our Mayor indeed has the backing of the bulk of the population.

Photo above: President Simon Brook presents a vote of thanks.

Last week's Sergeant: Andy Bell 091116

Posted by Franz Huber on Nov 11, 2016

[Your Editor was quietly taken aside so the correct wording could be explained: it is 'Grouse' not 'Grouch', and it is 'Schouse', not 'Shout'... The former is positive, the latter apparently is derived from a colloqialism in Scotland or New Zealand that describes a place where people are resorting to to tend to calls of nature... Ed.] Anyway, Andy's Grouse was the recent game where Ireland beat the All Blacks at Rugby, and his Shouse was South Africa beating just about everyone in the world from Cricket to Rugby [there are no reports on their performance in other sports such as Chess...]

Barry Lea, nice to see you. To no doubt, the fact that the omelette was strictly Halal would have had specific attraction... Richard Smith needed a solid 5 minutes of training to get on top of his gig as today's Chairman... Jo Gorman, no doubt the richest woman on the Gold Coast: Seen on Channel 7 parading with the winning Race Horse... Mark Twyford, quite respectable shoes today for a change, but what about the shirt! Peter Morgan, how's the knee? [very good, thank you...] Angus Miller had his birthday on Saturday. Mate, for a 98 year old, you are not looking bad at all! Ian Mayberry at last night's board meeting, showed his appreciation of the Sergeant's Red Wine: just give him a bottle and a glass, and he won't leave anymore! Mario Fairlie has been doing it tough recently: down to his last 30 Million or so, he bought a $150 replica pen... Gerald East and Fred Hamblen: what a dress combination! A picture is a thousand words - see right... Darrell Brown in comparison is dressed downright dull... Mitch Brown's nick name of Billbo Baggins from the Hobbits has been confirmed - he actually answers to the call... Simon Brook: that joke you told...

The people one meets when doing a Make-up

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 30, 2016

Membership in Rotary simply is the gift that keeps on giving… Where else would you have the opportunity to meet so many extraordinary people? Past RI President Clem Renouf’s famous statement keeps coming to mind: “Rotary takes ordinary men and gives them extraordinary opportunities to do more with their lives than they ever dreamed possible.”

A couple of weeks ago, whilst in Sydney, I attended a meeting of the Brookvale Rotary Club. If you met their guest speaker, Liz McDougall on the street, you may simply consider her to be an “ordinary” person. Ordinary? Yeah Right. You’d change your view very quickly after hearing her speak for just a few minutes! Liz is extensively involved with Fiji “outside of the tourist areas” and has visited the Ra Maternity Hospital at Navunibutu, at the head of Viti Levu Bay for almost 20 years. It serves the remote north coast and interior of Fiji’s main island. You may recall that the first 10 wheelchairs our club produced went to Fiji, documented in a video broadcast by Ray Martin’s A Current Affair, in August 1997 (see report in the Download section on the right). The huge devastation caused by Cyclone Winston in February 2016 is off the scale: 46 people were killed, tens of thousands of homes destroyed, 500,000 people left homeless. Winston was the worst cyclone to ever hit the southern hemisphere, hitting the northern islands, as well as the northern parts of Viti Levu, the main island. But that is NOT where the tourists go, so the view from an outsider is that “everything looks quite normal”.

Well, in Clem Renouf’s words, Liz is one of those, "ordinary" people who achieve extraordinary results. Her full report, which also outlines some of her work with other Rotary Clubs, is in the download section on the right. Go on, well worth your time to read it!

Last week's Guest Speaker: David Zolkwer - how to organize an event

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 13, 2016

How do you get the man who is in charge of running the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2018 Commonwealth Games to speak at your Rotary Club? Easy. You wait till he comes over and asks you to lend him a hammer… ☺ Thus started the relationship between our DGE Darrell Brown and David Zolkwer, his neighbour across the road. But David has had exposure to Rotary before: Some 20 years ago, on one of his many major assignments in London, the Rotary Club of Maidenhead was a major contributor of volunteer labour at one of the events he organized. Today, David is Executive Vice President and Director of Public Events of Jack Morton, the multinational company that has organized events such as Opening Ceremonies at Olympic and Commonwealth Games for some 77 years. They have won close to 100 major awards. But they are also involved in lots and lots of corporate promotions – some 10,000 (yes. Ten Thousand) events over the last 12 months. Their client list reads like a Who’s Who of major brands: BP, Google, IBM, Nike and the list goes on.

Recently appointed to run the events at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (the fact that they also ran the Glasgow games and the London Olympics would not have been a disadvantage), David outlined an in principle timeline of staging. And it is not easy, in particular where one deals with lots of people who have all their own view of what it is important. “The list of what should and what shouldn’t be in the show is just about identical…” he quipped. [Hmmm… with ‘PowerPoint Pete’ in charge of the games, I’d love to be a fly on the wall… Ed.]

So where do you start? Well, with a principal concept of course. On Jack Morton's website, under ‘What we do’, they state “We create experiences that strengthen the relationships between brands and the people who matter most to them.” Sure. On the timeline David outlined, some 5 major segments are broken down into hundreds of steps. And always, one is on the lookout to separate ‘Shock and Awe –v- Substance’, over-hyped and over-inflated statements. “There is a difference between a good idea and the right idea”.

Youth Service Programs: RYPEN

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 09, 2016

Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment - RYPEN
This is a weekend camp for 14-16 years old students. No specific qualifications are required.

The program is designed to develop skills that will assist them in the transition to adulthood. Participants are involved in a variety of workshops and activities, which provide an opportunity for them to personally develop, gain self confidence, communication skills, challenge themselves, build friendships, and develop life skills

Applications Due: 21/4/17 - more information and an application form at this link: http://www.rotary9640.org/SitePage/rypen

Date: 9am, Friday 19/5/17
1pm, Sunday 21/5/17

Cost: $275.00

Venue: Bornhoffen PCYC

Chair: Dr Stewart Hase:
0417 255 995
stewart.hase@gmail.com:

Wheelchairs - Totally Wild? Yes! See Channel 11 show

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 08, 2016

On Saturday morning, our wheelchairs team featured on Channel 11's 'Totally Wild' program - good show! You can watch it online - click on this link.

http://tenplay.com.au/channel-eleven/totally-wild/season-24/episode-12

If you only want to watch the wheelchairs segment, fast forward to 19:59 - it is the last segment of the show.

(Photo by Al Sirovs)

Youth Service Programs: RYLA

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 30, 2016

Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA)
This has been one of the most successful Youth Programs ever. It is a one week camp is specifically designed to develop leadership and promote personal and professional development. It is for young people aged 19 to 28. Note: Leadership Development - don't hesitate to apply if you feel you have it in you - you don't need to be the proverbial 'Alpha Male' or 'Alpha Woman'. Throughout the week, awardees will participate in numerous exercises involving inspirational speakers, team building and goal setting. Check out their website at this link: http://www.ryla9640.org/. You can download a summary of all of District 9640's Youth Service program: click this link.

Date: 20th to 27th January 2017

Cost $550

Venue: Tyalgum Ridge Retreat

Chair: Peter Clarke
0401 754 411
pjsclarke@bigpond.com

Youth Service programs: RYTS

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 25, 2016

Rotary Youth Transition Seminar (RYTS)

Saturday 3rd to Friday 9th December 2016

As foreshadowed in last week's bulletin, over the next few weeks we'll outline the major Youth programs which our club is involved in (and perhaps a couple which we have not yet been so far).

RYTS is a one-week residential camp for students who have just left school and are aged 17/18 years, and for Year 11 students who will be taking on leadership roles in their Year 12.

The focus on the program is the development of skills needed to make the transition from school into post-secondary education and employment. RYTS provides practical advice on topics such as renting, budgeting, goal setting, career choice and self-confidence.

Click on the Download section on the right hand side to get a comprehensive 2 page brochure 'What is RYTS'. Application forms are available on the left hand menu, and can be made online.

Location:
Tyalgum Ridge Retreat
783 Tyalgum Road
Tyalgum NSW 2484

Cost to sponsor:

$590.00 per awardee

Last week's Guest Speaker: Bianca Topp - Donate Life

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 25, 2016

When I think about the subject of Organ Donations, the vision before my mind is an emergency operating theatre, a police motorcyclist transporting a donor's heart in an Esky (ok then, a sophisticated Esky) arriving within the required maximum allowed time of 4 hours... move to the final segment of a tired, yet smiling patient getting off his hospital bed... Whilst this is most certainly a very valid scenario: it goes way beyond the Police Motorcycle; in Queensland, the Donate Life organization has priority access to the Government's Air Wing, e.g. the Premier's aircraft! And, according the last figures available from the Qld Government website, as of December 2013, (sorry, looks like the current incumbents don't want you to know what their plane is being used for), 'Organ Transplant' made up over 20% of the jet's usage.

But it's not just the heart, kidneys, liver, lung, pancreas that can be "recycled". A lot of other tissue of your body, from intricate bits such as heart valves, to skin, bone and eye tissue can be re-used... And if you think that they are only interested in body parts from young persons (whatever the definition of "young" is): age is no issue! Bianca recounted a case a kidney donor 84 years of age! But what about if your view is "they can have my heart, liver and kidneys, but I don't want my body to end up in a spare parts catalogue of sorts. No problems, you can indeed stipulate which parts you want to donate upon your demise. And yes, you need to be formally declared brain dead; just being in a coma doesn't allow them to start snipping off any items that are no longer considered to be of much use to you...

However, "Donation is a rare event", Bianca stated. In 2015, nationally there were just a total of 435 donors. But there were a total of 1241 recipients who benefited!

Still, it is a complex issue indeed. You need to discuss it with your loved ones, and you need to do it when you are NOT in an emergency award, declared "brain dead". Very difficult to discuss your views with family members then. Interesting statistic: where a person has registered as a donor, consent rate is 91%. Where the donor has not registered and the family doesn't know, it is not even half, just 42%. There is a stack of stuff on their dedicated website http://www.donatelife.gov.au including a form to register, either online or by downloading a form and mailing it.

Our Youth Services: let's get going

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 19, 2016

OK, our club has numerous times in the past supported RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment, for 14-16 year olds), RYTS (Rotary Youth Transition Seminar, for 17 - 18 year olds who have just left school, and RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award, a leadership training seminar for 19 - 28 year olds. Last week, our Youth Service Director Tania Laird advised that these will be the programs we'll support this year, since we won't have an International Exchange Student this time.

In the past we also have had several successful candidates for the National Youth Science Forum with the CSIRO in Canberra, and of course we are always actively engaged in RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) with multiple seminars held each year for senior students at local high schools.

Then, there is MUNA, Conoco Philips Science Experience, HESS, Earlyact, Interact, Rotaract... Is your head spinning yet? Over the next few weeks, each program will be individually featured. Meanwhile, keep your eyes open for potential candidates. Our District Website www.rotary9640.org has a complete run down of all programs, including the dates, locations, qualifications required etc. Meanwhile, you can find a well presented 1-Page outline in our Download Section on the right, as well as on - click here to get there directly.

Rotary Club of Northbridge kicks a goal towards the Vanuatu School

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 17, 2016

Chantal Clarke informs us that the Rotary Club of Northbridge, District 9685 (Sydney) has kicked the first goal towards our Vanuatu School, following the first (personal donation) Behind by Arthur Morehouse from Nowra Rotary Club. (Sorry, this is the season of AFL finals...) Their International Director, Elizabeth Gray, advised that her club has donated a total of $2,200 towards Chantal's projects in Vanuatu, of which $1,235.00 was allocated to the Dequeros Primary School project (RAWCS project 2016-16/70) school at Mantanas on Espirito Santos island.

Thank you, Northbridge Rotary! Quoting Clem Renouf: “Rotary takes ordinary men and gives them extraordinary opportunities to do more with their lives than they ever dreamed possible.” Clem's remarks were made in his year as Rotary International President 1978-79, when it was a male-only organization. These days, read the names of the people behind it: Elizabeth, Chantal... do we need any more proof that women are well and truly included in his view?

Last week's Guest Speaker: Major David Rogerson

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 17, 2016

The Salvo's - one of the most established and trusted charities. A Household name, they have been at the forefront of quietly providing support services for the less fortunate in our community. In the 'olden days' their efforts would concentrate on homelessness and alcohol related problems. For the past decade or so, sadly, another major issue has been added to their list of programs: supporting people who have been caught in the trap of drug abuse.

Last Wednesday, Major David Rogerson outlined one of the signature projects of The Salvation Army: the Turning Points Admission Centre in Southport. In 2015/16, they had a massive 6,300 enquiries, including 828 walk-ins. This figure is actually much greater, with reception overflow calls and drop-ins not recorded. Whilst the 61% males are not necessarily surprising, it is of serious concern that the age distribution is unexpected: one would expect the bulk to be young people: Not so - 21% are under 29, almost 60% are 30 - 49 years and 20% are 50 years plus. "Ice (Crystal Methamphetamine) used to be just about 17% pure. Today it is about 60% pure, which results in a much higher rate of serious problems" Major Rogerson declared.

David's career in the Salvation Army goes back some 25 years, of which 15 years was in Rehabilitation, the last 5 years in the Fairhaven Recovery Program on Mt Tamborine. And to complete a total commitment in the family: his wife is in charge of the Coomera Mission. The initial step to getting admittance is to undergo a 1 1/2 hours assessment at the Southport Assessment and Referral Centre. This doesn't just involve the current status, but the applicatant is subjected to a full check of their history, including criminal history. Successful clients go the the Fairhaven Withdrawal Unit for detoxification. This unit of 11 beds is fully funded by the Queensland Government. It includes round the clock nursing and training programs during the day. If deemed successful, they go home, if not, they may be referred to another program. Download a full outline of the Fairhaven Recovery Program, provided by Rowan Johnstone, from the Download Section on the right.

Following Major Rogerson, Rowan Johnstone, who is in charge of Fundraising and Public Relations, briefly outlined the functions of his department. He needs 3 helpers:

1 for their online volunteer system (a web based app that will revolutionize recruitment of collectors, collecting and receipting donations from suburban streets, shopping centres and other high traffic areas and in workplaces
1 for their community collection points throughout the city
1 for their schools and service club program.

4 meetings a year (tops) and a commitment on the Door knock weekend (May 27 & 28, 2017) to be hands on to oversee its success. Interested (or know anyone that could be)? Please contact Rowan on 0407 142 014.

A Rare Man: Daryl Sanderson

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 17, 2016

Many of you may not necessarily read the District Governor's Newsletter from start to finish... Well, you should! In particular when our Wheelchair Trust Chairman, Daryl "Saint" Sanderson is featured with a full page. So, if you haven't yet read the article written by DGE Darrell Brown, click to this link:

There is lots more there - go to the District 9640 website www.http://rotary9640.org/ and browse. By the way: the September newsletter has just been released.

3 wheelchairs and toys go to West PNG

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 12, 2016

Hot off the press: "our" go-between in Vanuatu, Chantal Clarke, introduced a friend of hers, Annie Fuller, to our Wheelchair Shed. Annie picked up 3 wheelchairs, together with some toys from the Toyboys, to go to West Papua New Guinea. Annie is with the Kilungga Foundation, an organization to help West Papuan refugees. Photo below (by Al Sirovs): Annie, Chantal and our Wheelchairs Chairman Daryl Sanderson desperately trying to control his blood pressure.... There! if you want to experience some excitement, you have to be at The Shed on Saturday morning!

Meet our newest Surfers Sunrise Rotarian: Rosie McIntyre

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 08, 2016

At last Wednesday's meeting, Rosie McIntyre was inducted into our club under the classification of 'Peak Performance Coach'. Introduced by our Sergeant and Membership Director Andy Bell, Rosie has been a familiar face at our meetings for several weeks now. The formality of the induction put "the cherry on the cake". Congratulations. and welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Rosie! Our Program chief Jo Gorman has set aside a slot for 'Woman behind the Badge' speaker segment on 2nd November. We are looking forward to it!

This Wednesday: District Governor Michael Irving +

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 05, 2016

The major official visit of the year:

This Wednesday, District Governor Michael Irving and his charming wife Roz [you did wonder what the Plus sign was all about, did you?] will join us at Surfers Sunrise. See also more details of what you can expect in President Simon's message above. Many of us have heard Michael speak before, last time at our club when he presented on his experience in a Research Team on Antarctica. Michael's professional career includes multiple Vice Chancellor positions, including one at a Middle Eastern (Oman) University. This is going to be good!

You can read his full CV at this link: http://rotary9640.org/50205/Page/Show?ClassCode=Page&Slug=district-governor-michael-irving-(roz)-2016-2017

See you Wednesday at the RSL Club in Surfers Paradise!

Surfers Paradise Rotary Club Race Day

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 27, 2016

The Rotary Club of Surfers Paradise is again organizing a Charity Race Day on the first day of the Spring Racing Carnival, Saturday 8th October 2016. It will be held at 'The Dome' at the Gold Coast Turf Club. Our club has supported the event last year. Can we again get some 10 tables together? Cost per table is $700.00 (Note: correction from last week's typo). Contact Fundraising Director Tania Laird.

Many hands make light work....

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 27, 2016

At last week's meeting, Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson called for helpers to unload a container loaded with 3,000 wheels... Well, the response was quite positive! The group photo below shows the team. And, even though there are rainbow colours in it, your Editor is quite positive that this has nothing to do with supporting a certain political correctness movement, but is all about somebody's wish, such as receiving a wheelchair, coming true... ☺ Go to the Download section on the right for a whole lot more, provided by Jo Gorman, Tony Bird and Geoff Croad.

DGE Darrell Brown collects his 5-Sapphire PHF pin

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 21, 2016

At last Wednesday's meeting, President Simon Brook presented District Governor Elect Darrell Brown with his 5-Sapphire Paul Harris (PHF) Fellow pin.

Darrell, like many other Rotarians throughout the world, is a member of the Paul Harris Society, whose members annually contribute US$ 1,000 (AUS$ 1,310) to The Rotary Foundation, the principal charitable organization of Rotary International. A pin with 5 sapphires represents a total of $US 6,000 to date, which may have been made as a combination of a PHF being awarded to the recipient by the club or District, or by a donation having been made.

The Rotary Foundation is one of the most efficient major charities in the world, with annual contributions in the vicinity of US$ 269 Million, of which a mere 1.8% go into Administration overheads. You can download a summary what is a Paul Harris Fellowship from here:

https://www.rotaryd9710.org.au/foundation/paul-harris-fellows/paul-harris-fellow-meaning.html

and a summary of facts about the foundation from this website:

https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/document/rotary-foundation-facts

School for Vanuatu project hits a snag

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 21, 2016

It looks like our School for Vanuatu project has been hit with a snag (and we don't mean a Sensitive New Age Guy!) we understand that Tursa employment has pulled the pin on their sponsorship of the project to the tune of $23,000 in materials and labour.

"This does not mean the project will be discontinued" said Mario Fairlie, our chief organizers of grants. Mario advises that a school in Sydney has expressed interest to come to the party with some $10,000, and a major effort will be started to seek donations of both materials and dollars from corporate and individuals.

Can you help, or do you know anyone who can be involved? Please email Mario (via the link on the right side under Committee - Public Relations).

Last week's Guest Speaker: Mat Rogers - Volunteering at the Games

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 13, 2016

Some guest speakers are definitely worth having double the members attending. So we did double our numbers... Hope Island Rotary Club joined us, introducing their youngest Rotary Disciple Riley (Clinton & Amy Ford 's 6 months old daughter). And if ever somebody tells me that Rugby players have trouble stringing a sensible sentence together, I'll send them Mat Roger's way! What a refreshingly smooth, eloquent and humorous presentation!

Mat, a former star Wallaby and Gold Coast Titans player, is manager of Volunteer Engagement for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. "Rio has 65,000 volunteers", Mat exclaimed, "but Rio has a population of 6.3 Million. The Gold Coast, with a population of just 600,000, needs 15,000 volunteers". This is the first time that such a major event has been held at a regional town. And whilst they will receive applications literally from all over the world, preference will be given to locals, for a number of reasons, not least being that it is expected that availability of accommodation will be scarce.

But why would you want to volunteer? "There is no doubt that the volunteers are a crucial part of such an event", Mat said. "They made a lasting impact on the Sydney Olympic Games, as has been attested time and again. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You are the "face of the games", you will meet lots of interesting people, you'll be part of the biggest event in Australia in 10 years, you'll become an Ambassador for the Games."

So what are the pre-conditions? Not much other than what makes perfect sense: Be available from 4 - 15th April 2018 for a minimum of 10 days, 8 hours per day, as well as for 3 - 4 days of training. You'll need to pass a background and Police Check, be friendly and cheerful, flexible, have a 'can do' attitude, dedicated, resilient, motivated (anyone got a thesaurus? ☺) There is a well laid-out website specifically dealing with the volunteering of the games, where you can register your interest as well as research an exhaustive list of Frequently Asked Questions: https://gc2018.com/take-part/volunteering

What is the timeline? Applications open in February 2017 - they expect about 40,000. Interviews will be conducted in the Q2 of 2017 with about 25,000 expected, in Q3 the offers will go out, in Q4 there will be 'role specific' training and in Q1 of 2018 will be 'venue specific' training. You can email Mat, either at mat.rogers@goldoc.com or volunteer@goldoc.com.

Last week's Guest Speakers: Peter and Sharon Crean, Beyond Water

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 06, 2016

Don't you sometimes despair when you follow the petty squabbles in the media, be they of a major international scale such as the current race (to the bottom??) about who will be the next President of the USA, the deplorable state of Australian politics based on personality rather than policy or the trumped up furore by the twitterati over Bill Leak's cartoon in the Australian Newspaper, telling nothing but the truth, so help me god?

Well, let me give you a wonderful antidote: join Surfers Sunrise Rotary (or for that matter any Rotary Club) and hear and see what real people can achieve to help those less fortunate in the world, in areas where a safety net provided by the Government is not even thought of, where public health is unknown, where the youth, instead of getting an education, spends 3 hours of each day carrying dirty water from some waterhole to their shanty, so they can survive. In the recent past we had Chantal Clarke with her project in Head Hunter territory of Vanuatu. Last week we had Peter and Sharon Crean and their daughter Liz, the organizers of Beyond Water, all the way from Nairobi, Kenya. They operate not just in Kenya, but also in Ghana and Rwanda. Peter is a member of the Rotary Club of Nairobi Lavington. Their life work is to assist the local population to get clean water from a proper well. This will free their young generation from the ridiculous time waste of carrying water instead of getting an education. Clean water can also be achieved by installing guttering on their buildings so rainwater can be collected. Clean water has the obvious, but not necessarily apparent effect of a major improvement in health. Health can be improved by having proper toilet facilities (no, I don't mean the flushing type with a bidet!).

Whilst donations of materials etc can be effective, regrettably, this is not necessarily the best solution. "Getting containers is not the problem. Getting them off the wharf is: I have to have about $10,000 in my pocket..." Peter advised. So, to support their project, you are better off to go to their website www.beyondwater.org.au and make a donation. The money will be used to pay for local labour and goods sourced locally. There is stacks of additional information there about their humanitarian projects.

Program Director Jo Gorman, Sharon and Peter Crean: the toilet roll in Sharon's hand and Peter's coffee cup have a connection: you guessed it: for the cost of a cup of coffee a day, you can sponsor a major sanitary improvement in a village in Kenya.

Surfers Sunrise to build a school on Vanuatu!

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 30, 2016

About once or twice in a Rotary Year, there comes what President Simon Brook calls a Rotary Moment. Simon's announcement that it's "all systems go" for our club, in conjunction with RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service) to build, deliver and erect a school in the northern area of Vanuatu. The RAWCS project number has been formally assigned: 2016-17/70. Click on this link for details, where you can also donate funds. An awful lot of 'paddling under the surface' has already happened: You recall a few weeks ago, Chantal Clarke (Rotary Club of Currumbin-Tweed-Coolangatta) presented her RAWCS project to refurbish a Community and Health Centre in Port Orly, north of the tourist areas of Champagne Beach.

The school, using Des La Rance's well proven design as has already been deployed in Thailand (2007) and again on Samoa (2010, 2012 - see picture above) was going to be pre-manufactured by a local company specializing in Work for the Dole and Disability Employment Services. They had committed $23,000 towards the project for the procurement of some materials, in addition to providing the labour at their factory. Regrettably, they now have pulled out. So, our club will need to come up with substantial funds (about $40,000). All donations are fully tax deductible. One of the major materials components will be the roofing panels (refrigeration type), estimated to cost about $7,500. Click on this link to donate.

The pre-manufactured components will then be shipped to Vanuatu and, similarly to the way it was done in the past, a team of volunteers will travel on site to organize the erection and hand-over of the building to the local people.

Des La Rance, who designed the concept of a 'Flat Pack' school that is not only inexpensive but also cyclone proof will lead the project, liaising with any local company that wishes to participate with labour and/or materials, RAWCS and Chantal Clarke.

Mario Fairlie, who has had extensive experience in dealing with RAWCS (and other) grants, will be involved in that side. "Members are invited to go to Vanuatu to assist in the building of the school there" Mario said. "Keep in mind, it will be rough! Not like on Samoa where there was a tourist hotel within an acceptable distance from the site."

An organizing committee will be formed shortly. And to kick of the fund raising: our regular visitor Arthur Moorhouse presented a $50.00 note to President Simon. All donations over $2.00 are fully tax deductible. Click on this link to donate (fully tax deductible).

Last week's Speaker: Richard Smith - Man behind the Badge

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 28, 2016

Well, considering Richard has a degree in Accounting, his presentation was remarkably invigorating! Anyone who hadn't quite caught up with him at the beginning, would have woken up when he mentioned "Three bears, three little pigs, three musketeers, three blind mice..." Huh?? Well, it certainly worked: Richard referred to "the power of three", being a principle that, ultimately, "makes the speaker appear knowledgeable while being simple... - That's me, he declared..."

His family moved from Armidale to Toowoomba when he was 1 year old, where he remained until, with his charming wife Sue they recently decided to retire to the Gold Coast. (Wistfully, Richard wondered why the idea didn't occur to them earlier!) Schooled in Toowoomba Primary, then Grammar School studying Science, he found that that was not to his liking. Nor was sport: Richard was diagnosed with Scheuermann's Disease, a degeneration of the bones. [Richard, just reading about it makes me shiver... Ed.] Instead of sport, he opted for Scouting. Still today, his then Scoutmaster is a perpetual idol to look up to. On to Darling Downs Institute of Education (now University of Southern Queensland) to study Accountancy, graduating with a Bachelor of Business.

Does an Accountant have passions? Yes. Besides marrying his childhood sweetheart Sue (yes! girl ~~next door~~ across the road!) Richard learned to fly, getting his wings in 1976. Later, he progressed to IFR (Instrument Flight Rules). "It is always a great feeling to come out of a cloud at the right place..."

So, coming to the third segment, Love... "Sue lived across the road when we were kids in primary school... ... we eventually married and now enjoy the the company of our children and grandchildren." Does it get any sweeter? Yes! Going to the Caravan & Camping Show last year to purchase some LED lights, they ended up coming back with an off-road camper trailer...

Read Richard's entire story in the Download Section on the right, together with a light hearted segment of his answers to 33 Questions. As always, the 'Behind the Badge' talks are among the most interesting - one never ceases to be quite surprised and amazed at what is behind the persona of an individual.

Last week's Guest Speaker: John-Paul Langbroek MP

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 21, 2016

"I ran for parliament because people said I couldn't do it..." John-Paul Langbroek [lets abbreviate this to JP for the remainder of this article, ok?] opened up. Well, it would appear that the member for Surfers Paradise since 2004 much prefers to discuss just about anything other than his own very impressive personal background. Go to the NLP's website, there is an almost painful absence of news younger than 2 months. Go to his personal webpage, you find only a brief mention about himself (but numerous photos), but plenty about his city, his constituents, his views and goals for Surfers Paradise. But a quick look into Wikipedia reveals that, whilst born in the Netherlands, his family emigrated to Australia when he was only a few months old. Prior to entering politics, JP, who holds an Honours Degree in Dental Science, ran a Dental Practice. [Useful, I'm sure, since getting the opposite members to actually answer a question would be similar to extracting teeth! Ed.]

JP first ran in 2001, when Rob Borbidge resigned after he led the coalition to a landslide defeat, but missed out to Lex Bell, one of the most prominent personalities of the Gold Coast. But in 2004, he won comfortably, and in 2009 became the leader of the recently formed LNP. Since then, an awful lot has happened in State Politics, and this is not the space to cover it...

Currently, he is Shadow Minister for Health & Ambulance Services and the Commonwealth Games. If you want to put the various portfolios into context: Of a $54 Billion annual budget, Health & Services takes some 40% of the cake, with about 80,000 staff, or 1/3rd of the entire public service. Compare that to Tourism, which as 100 staff!

So, why don't we hear more about what's happening? The explanation is quite straight forward: "News depends on ratings. TV News generally have just one, 'highly polished' story per day" he says. For example, when he recently gave a 20 minute Press Conference on Child Safety issues, it didn't get reported at all! Then there is the 'technique' of delaying news (or bringing them forward): An example JP cited was the recent Toowoomba By-Election, which was soundly won by the LNP. But the State Government just happened to release the report into the Barrett Centre closure a solid 3 weeks after it was presented with it, so it would - oh, so conveniently - coincide with the By-Election.

The mark of a Guest Speaker is always the level of interest in Question Time. Well, just as well that JP allowed for half of his time! They came thick and fast! What were the questions? Well, you should have been there!

President Simon gets the boot - just 3 weeks into his term

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 20, 2016

Your Editor has seen some unusual things happening in his almost 30 years in Rotary. We have seen Presidents going AWOL after a few short weeks into the term (more than once - Vice President Ian Mayberry, who in his career as VP twice got caught up in such a situation, visibly got the jitters when he first heard about it..! ☺), but never before has a President been given the boot after just three weeks in office! OK, 'given the boot' with a twist: Regular visitor from Nowra, Arthur Moorhouse's better half had severely injured her foot some time ago. Now, the 'Moon Boot' was no longer required, Arthur thought it would certainly become a useful item to be included with a consignment of wheelchairs... Arthur hence presented the boot to an initially puzzled President Simon! Never a boring moment at a Surfers Sunrise breakfast!

Last week's Guest Speaker: Chantal Clarke - Humanitarian Projects in Vanuatu

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 17, 2016

"We change the world through action. We teach them how to make things. The villagers teach us how to be humble". Profound words indeed. Chantal's business, SUP Wilderness Adventures (SUP stands for Stand Up Paddleboard), can take you to places where you not only can experience the original way nature was before the tourism developers came along. One of the segments of her company's offerings is 'Voluntourism'. In essence, you take a holiday into a "rough" area, and while you are there, you help the locals with some volunteering work. What a great idea! Are there Headhunters? Ask Chantal. You might be surprised!

Chantal's specific presentation was on one of her projects, the refurbishment and upgrade of a Health Clinic and Kindy at Port Olry, Vanuatu. This is a fully approved RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service) Project (#70) of her Rotary Club Currumbin-Tweed-Coolangatta and the Rotary Club of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu at the recipient's side.

Espiritu Santu is the largest island of Vanuatu (albeit not the one where its capital, Port Vila, is located). The project is located at Port Orly, quite a bit further on from the northern most point for tourists, Champagne Beach.

So what sort of work is being performed? Lots, from refurbishing a Kindergarten through to the relocation of Sea Cucumber. Relocation? Yes, Sea Cucumber has been grossly over-fished by the Chinese. This resulted in a massive disruption in the overall ecology, causing issues with algae, causing coral bleach, causing loss of the fish population.

But one of the major aspects of the project is also to teach the locals how to carry out sustainable farming. This is done in conjunction with the Vanuatu Agricultural College. Kids can come along too: Chantal's daughter helped repainting the Kindergarten.

Two major stages are about to happen: Stage 1 (August 2016) involves the refurbishment of the existing Health Clinic and Kindy facilities, Stage 2 (October 2016 - June 2017) relates to the establishment of occupational training workshops and sustainable economic development.

See a comprehensive outline of the project in the Downloads section on the right.

'The Lutzy' - Presentation of the inaugural award to Jessica Webber

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 10, 2016

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... Well, here you are! But there is more! Check below, and in the download section on the right.

Snippets of last week's meeting 060716

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 07, 2016

What a cracker of a meeting to start off the new Rotary Year! Lets first get to the routine stuff: Des La Rance was at the door, Graeme Isaacson was Chairman and Andy Bell was Sergeant.

We had apologies from Jo Gorman, Richard Smith, Tania Laird, Bob Harrison, John Franich and Neil Thurlow.

President Simon Brook, greeted all members, but in particular our special guests: Jan Lutz, Jessica Webber and her parents Peter and Sue, Paul Chapple, Managing Director of Major Sponsor Astute Projects, Craig Chapman, President of Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC), and a large entourage of members of his club.

In view of the special occasion of the meeting (see further on), Simon and the directors kept announcements to the minimum: Simon outlined details of the upcoming Kokoda Challange, as well as foreshadowing that the meeting of 24th August will be at the Wheelchair Shed in Arundel. More details coming up.

Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson presented a brief report, announcing that a container of Wheelchairs will leave for Sri Lanka on 20th July, and some 10 wheelchairs each will be sent to Vanuatu and to Longbok (Indonesia). A container with some 3000 wheels and tyres will arrive very shortly (help needed). And, last, but not least: an donor wishing to remain anonymous has come up with a donation of $10,000 to the Wheelchair Trust! Thank you!

But the main part of the meeting was all about the presentation of a very special award: The inaugural Keith Lutz Award, in memory of our esteemed Charter Member who unexpectedly passed away some 3 years ago, was presented to Jessica Webber. Keith was a highly recognized and dedicated member of the Surf Life Saving movement. The award is specially designed to meet the aims of Rotary's encouragement of young people to aspire to leadership on the one hand and continuing the profound positive effects "Lutzy", as he was affectionately known in the SLSC.

See major report in this bulletin and on the website.

"Keith Lutz Award" will be presented this Wednesday 6th July

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 06, 2016

This has been in the making for almost two years, but finally has come to fruition: The inaugural Keith Lutz Award will be presented at this coming Wednesday's meeting at Surfers Paradise RSL Club. Keith Lutz. a Charter Member of our club was also a high profile member of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club. The award has been created in his honour and will be presented by Jan Lutz to an outstanding young person from the Surf Life Saving movement, Jessica Webber - see photo on left.

Meet the two newest members of Surfers Sunrise

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 03, 2016

At the last meeting of last year, (now) Past President Paul Seymour inducted two new members: Richard Smith (left) and Al Sirovs (right). Richard transferred from Toowoomba Garden City (also a breakfast club) to the Gold Coast, and of course he joined Surfers Sunrise! Al Sirovs, proposed by Doug Lipp, is a retired Electronics Guru. Watch future bulletins for more details about these two fellows, as they do their Man behind the Badge and - coming up shortly, when they reveal their deepest inner selves with their answers to the traditional "33 Questions"!

Meet the new Rotary International President - John F. Germ

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 02, 2016

The Glenn Miller Band had a major hit with Chattanooga Choo Choo. (Ok, so I'm betraying my age...) So what?? I hear you ask. Well, that is where John Germ hails from! And one thing one can definitely claim without fear of being contradicted: he was no wallflower: As one reads his bio, it gets better with every line: Tennessee Young Man of the Year 1970, Engineer of the Year 1986, Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year 1992 and so the list goes on. No need for me to rehash it all: just click on this link to get the full details from the RI Website: And at this link you find his first monthly message, well worth reading.

Last Sunday's Changeover Luncheon: The Award Winners

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 26, 2016

Last Sunday, Paul Seymour handed over the tiller to incoming President Simon Brook. A good time was had by all - thank you, Chris Thurtell, for organizing the venue for us!

Past District Governor Sandra Doumani and her husband Sam were our guests of honour, representing Rotary International.

President Elect 2017-18, Larry Murray was our Master of Ceremonies. Only Larry knows how to keep an event, which really can be a quite formal occasion, in concert with the Surfers Sunrise tradition of also making it a relaxed good fellowship event without losing its sense of importance.

On behalf of DG Anne Egan, Sandra presented President Paul with a Governor's Recognition Certificate, in acknowledgment of our club's many achievements over the past 12 months. DGE Darrell Brown, with a concise summary outlining the achievements of Rotary International over the past century and a bit, proposed a toast to Rotary International, responded to by PDG Sandra Doumani with an equally, refreshingly brief yet dignified response.

Besides the superb fellowship, the highlights of the day was a brief "Arrivederci!" address by our Youth Exchange Student Martina Missarelli, who by now has returned to her native Italy. And of course, the announcement of the club's awards:

Doug Waller Trophy for services to Rotary and in particular to the club: Mario Fairlie

Quiet Achiever Award: Geoff Croad (regrettably, Geoff was unable to attend)

Fellowship Cup: Gerald East

Rotarian of the Year: Simon Brook

Congratulations to all!

A pictorial of the Award Winners is in the Download Section on the right.

Last week's speaker: President Elect Simon Brook

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 18, 2016

... the man obviously believes in fast track careers: At the tender young age of 33, Simon is Managing Director of one of the foremost Architectural firms in Queensland, Burling Brown & Partners (refer last week's summary of its former Managing Partner, DGN Darrell Brown). On the Rotary side, Simon was selected to be on the Group Study Exchange (GSE) team to Wisconsin, USA. In 2014, he joined Surfers Sunrise as its youngest member, and in 2016/17, he will be President of the club.

"Rotary means to me:

Personal Development
Business Development and Ethics
Friendship, Fellowship
Making a difference.

Why am I telling you that?" he asks. "Because I want everyone to focus on it!"

Simon explained that, in 2010, when he had his first experience at the Surfers Sunrise Club, he had a "Rotary Moment", when he saw a picture of a young orphaned child who benefited from the school that our club organized to be delivered and built in the tsunami devastated region of Khao Lak Beach in Thailand.

So, what's coming up in the next 12 months? Well, Simon's list is deliberately designed to be a bit ambitious, yet are quite achievable. You find a specifically designed flyer he designed on our download section of our website (on the right hand side). There is something in there for everyone, including a possible expansion to a 'Surfers Sunset' segment for Friends of Surfers Sunrise.

And, very important: "Our" District Governor for 2017/18 will need lots of support. Simon's request is quite simple: "Every member to contribute and participate in the preparation and running of the District Conference 2018".

"Have your own Rotary Moment" is Simon's advice: "Be a mentor. And, in accordance of the Rotary International Theme for 2016/17: Serve Humanity".

Last week's speaker: DGN Darrell Brown: My Gold Coast

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 12, 2016

For those of us who have lived on the Gold Coast for a while, or even have grown up here, Darrell's presentation evoked many nostalgic memories. With a 40 year history of designing High-Rise buildings in this city, he can indeed proudly use the title "My Gold Coast" for his speech: Starting with The Anchorage in 1970 through a list of landmark buildings. HiHo, Pacific Plaza, "The Mara's" (there are three of them), Gemini Court...

Darrell channeled Sir Clem Renouf, Past RI President (1978-79) who said: “Rotary gives ordinary people, extraordinary opportunities to do more with their lives than they ever dreamed possible.” (Sir Clem was the principal instigator of the Polio eradication campaign, and again re-kicked it into action in 2010. Click here to see an ABC 7:30 report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scTIoeepZFg.) Too right! Darrell was selected in the 1972 GSE Team to Pennsylvania (yes - where the recent team came from). And he never looked back. Immediately upon his return he joined Rotary, where he met up with his future business partner, Ron Burling, to found the now world famous Burling Brown & Co Architects.

Silver Point, Contessa, Spinnaker, Rivage Royal, Belle Maison... and so the list (and evolution of design) goes on. Not just High-Rise, but also schools (TSS, St Hilda's, All Saints, St Andrews). They include Resorts such as Greenmount Beach Resort. Then came a quite different challenge: the Theme Parks, starting with Seaworld.

And just to prove that the Gold Coast isn't the only town: Quite some time ago, Darrell was commissioned to design buildings in Darwin. Lots of them, to the extent that he has now become a regular commuter between the two cities.

"Architectural design today has changed" Darrell remarked somewhat wistfully. Look at Q1, Soul and Surfers Paradise Jewel (see photo on right), a $1 Billion project, financed by a Chinese company. You are not wrong, Darrell! But, as Greek Philosopher Heraclitus (535 - 475 BC) said about 2,500 years ago: "The only thing that is constant is change".

Girl Guides Qld - Swimming Lessons in Cambodia

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 12, 2016

Remember in September 2014, one of my personal friends, Joy Ord (she is the Gold Coast Region chief as well as International Manager of Girl Guides Queensland) gave us a presentation of one of her projects, "drown - proofing" young kids in Cambodia. She had conducted this type of project before, with great success. Yes! A very large percentage of kids in that country cannot swim, yet they face serious dangers since there is certainly no pool fencing around the numerous ponds that exist everywhere. Surfers Sunrise provided Joy with $500 to conduct another one of these projects. , who has carried out this type of projects before, had planned to conduct another swimming school in February this year, but it had to be cancelled due to ... cold weather! [Hmmm... perhaps that's why they changed the terminology from 'Global Warming' to 'Climate Change'... Ed.]. It is now planned for August this year. A positive aspect: Because our donation was changed to $US, she got $US 451.00, not the $370.00 she would get today (and heavens knows what it would be in August!).

An interim report from Joy is on the download list on the right. Check it out!

Franz Huber.

Last week's speaker: Graeme Isaacson - From UAE to Israel to Greece

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 05, 2016

OK, so I have used one of the most profound German proverbs before: "Wenn einer eine Reise tut, so kann er was erzählen" (When somebody has done a journey, he can tell a story). And so was it certainly with Graeme Isaacson (picture on left, still a little bit jetlagged...), freshly returned from a cruise starting in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), going on to Jordan, Israel and Greece. Wot?? Deliberately going near the hot spots of the Middle Eastern war zones? The UAE (yes, "crimes" such as alcohol consumption and pre-marital sex are punished by flogging) is just across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, Syria is to the West of Iraq, Israel doesn't need further comment. And Greece... ok, not as physically dangerous. Only that the nation's debt problems have already become history there, whereas Australia's population is hoping it will go away all by itself, and their refugee crisis makes Australia's look like a Sunday afternoon walk in the park...

But the ship Graeme and Anne selected is, according to Graeme, "on the standard of the Versace Hotel". Except that everything is included, from cocktails, 'vintage' wines and of course a cuisine which would be the equivalent of the Versace Hotel. And, in contrast to most cruises, with this one there were 2-day on-shore stays, so one could not just sight-see but also "experience" the localities.

From Dubai to Jordan where one could see the Ruins of Tetra, now under UNESCO Heritage, onwards towards Israel. Whether one is interested in religion or not, a visit to Jerusalem would have to be of major interest: the three primary 'Abrahamic' religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam are represented there (not necessarily living in peaceful harmony though...).

Then on to sailing the Suez Canal. Considering that Napoleon already considered building it (he didn't proceed because they were of the opinion that the sea levels on the Mediterranean side would be different to the Red Sea side), the concept only came to fruition 100 years after Napoleon's birthday, in 1869. That despite the fact that the British opposed it. From 1967 to 1975, whilst Egypt was at war with Israel, the canal was blocked by Egypt, leaving several ships stranded for the whole of 8 years.

Then on to Greece, where "not to pay tax" is a national tradition. So, the country has 23% of GST - more effective indeed!

What about security, in particular potential attacks by pirates? Well, the ship had 8 Commandos on board, "for the comfort of passengers"...

Seaworld by Night - only with Rotary!

Posted by Franz Huber on May 30, 2016

Do Dolphins sleep at night? Obviously not! And I'd challenge anyone to tell me that they don't enjoy every minute of their performance!

Last Saturday, with Chris Thurtell's organization (ok, as a 'Big Wig' in Village Roadshow, he would have a couple of strings to pull which mere mortals don't even know are there!) we enjoyed a wonderful evening, enjoying the Dolphin show whilst being served unlimited food and drinks... How good is that! It was also the "official" birthday party for Mario and Rae Fairlie, even though Mario had his birthday a couple of weeks ago and Rae will only have had it about now (some 40 tickets were paid for by him for the purpose). So, a belated "Happy Biiiiirthdayyy tooooo yoooooou!"

The proceeds of the evening are going towards our Wheelchairs Project. Some 20 years after we started this, Daryl, Des and Bob, together with their helpers still can produce a wheelchair for less than $100.00. Over 7,100 have been sent to underprivileged children on every continent of the world. Howzat!

Last week's Guest Speaker: Jenny Old - McAllister

Posted by Franz Huber on May 28, 2016

George Essex wrote a very deep poem specially dedicated to 'The Women of the West'.

Well, not exactly in the case of Jenny: she didn't leave a mansion on the hill, she had returned from a stint in London, dressed in the latest European fashion (mini skirt etc). Not only was she a qualified Nurse, but her upbringing made her very well versed in the art of farming, a horse woman of outstanding skill. But what can come between two young lovers, who both have obvious capacity for such an enterprise as starting a farm literally in the middle of nowhere in the deep north of Queensland?

Last Wednesday, Jenny and Rick Old outlined their early years on McAllister, as their farm was named. "It was a completely blank canvas - no homestead..." Rick started off building a shed. The "kitchen" consisted of a 44 gallon drum... Fencing, yard building took up all their time. After six weeks, Rick presented Jenny with an engagement ring: "Will you marry me?" OK, the ring was not exactly of Fifth Avenue standard. It was made out of fencing wire (see picture on left). But, as a symbol of enduring love, it would be dearer than a 5 carat diamond. They had a formal wedding, under the theme of "Old Bull" (Jenny's maiden name was Bull). Then came Bessy. No, not their first child. That is what they named their first car they bought when on their honeymoon in the city: an old Holden FJ, worth $80.00. On the way back to McAllister, the Windscreen busted, so Jenny traveled with a pillow in front of her face to ward off the dust and the insects. Then they had to take the bonnet off, because it kept boiling over...

Look, dear readers, I could write half a book just from the 20 minutes presentation Jenny and Rick gave us last Wednesday. To get the full story, you'll just have to buy the book. Just go to their website: www.jennyold.com where you find not only a link to buy the book, but also a stack of photos. Truly inspiring! I started off with a poem, so perhaps it is fitting to finish off with a stanza of one of my favorites. From Banjo Paterson's "Black Swans":

Oh! ye strange wild birds, will ye bear a greeting
To the folk that live in that western land?
Then for every sweep of your pinions beating,
Ye shall bear a wish to the sunburnt band,
To the stalwart men who are stoutly fighting
With the heat and drought and the dust-storm smiting,
Yet whose life somehow has a strange inviting,
When once to the work they have put their hand.

Reflections of Group Study Exchange - by Simon Brook

Posted by Simon Brook on May 28, 2016

Download Simon's write up on his recollections of the recent Group Study Exchange (GSE) team visit from Pennsylvania. It's in the Download section on the right.

Benvenuto a Surfers Sunrise! Martina's parents are here

Posted by Franz Huber

A special welcome to the parents of a very special person: Our Youth Exchange Student from Italy, Martina Missarelli, welcomed her parents Gabriele and Rosanna to our shores. A hearty welcome to you! We put out the best weather possible - enjoy!

Cocktails with the Dolphins - Seaworld - Saturday 28th May 2016

Posted by Chris Thurtell

Fellows, Girls! This is happening this coming Saturday!

Chris Thurtell who is the chief organizer of this event, urges you to be on time at 6:30 pm at the Seaworld Resort Hotel (formerly Seaworld Nara Resort). The first show will start shortly after, so if you are late, you'll miss it!

Please spread this out on your Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and whatever other Social Media you participate in! This is only possible if you have a "big wig" of Seaworld in our club! Chris Thurtell and President Elect Simon Brook have organized a cocktail party at Seaworld on the last Saturday in May. See the flyer in the download section on the right.

Book and pre-pay online at this address: https://www.trybooking.com/LKDW

See you there!

Surfers Sunrise receives Best Public Relations Award

Posted by Franz Huber on May 15, 2016

At the recent District Conference, Surfers Sunrise won the 'Best Public Relations - Single Event' award, in recognition of our Wheelchairs Project featuring on the ABC 7:30 Report. This is just one of innumerable efforts of our Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson. Last Saturday, the inventor of the concept, Des La Rance OAM and Wheelchair Trust Treasurer Bob Harrison presented the award to Daryl, who accepted the award on behalf of his team. [C'mon Daryl, no need to be meek: organizing the ABC was your effort! Ed.]

Last Saturday's GSE Team visit to 'The Shed'

Posted by Franz Huber on May 15, 2016

Following our Bar-be-que on Wednesday night at President Paul Seymour's place, the GSE Team from Pennsylvania visited 'The Shed' on Saturday morning to learn about our principal club project, manufacturing wheelchairs, housing and schools for underprivileged children in developing countries. The inventor and major mover and shaker of the concepts, Des La Rance, presented a brief history of the first delivery of 10 wheelchairs to Fiji, the schools built in Thailand and Samoa and the major project, the 'House of Hope' on Samoa. From left President Paul Seymour, DGN Darrell Brown, Geoff Croad, GSE Team Leader Hector Ortiz (in red shirt), Des La Rance and Angus Miller (at the rear), at the front Jaime Arroyo-Milanes, Natalee Colon, behind her Zachary Zimmerman, President Paul's guest and nephew Sean (not part of the GSE team), Christine Fultz, Pauline Murray, Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson. Top left: the magic number 7147, the total number of wheelchair so far despatched.

Last meeting's speaker: Chris Thurtell - So you want to develop a Theme Park?

Posted by Franz Huber on May 09, 2016

Chris stood in at short notice for Tacha, the Polar Bear trainer at Seaworld. There was a requirement to do some urgent maintenance work at the bear pit. Tacha is not only the trainer, but also – on the very unlikely chance of the maintenance workers being attacked, the shooter…

So Chris, who has been with Village Road Show (the owners of Seaworld, Movie World and a swag of other Theme Parks) for decades, gave us a detailed presentation of what is really involved if you want to design a Theme Park. Chris, by training is an Architect. By long term experience, he is involved in the entire sequence from planning to design to conclusion of a project. And when it is completed, the cycle of coming up with new attractions begins. “In order to get the people to come back, one needs to have a new major attraction approximately every three years” Chris outlined.

By now, Theme Parks are firmly woven into the fabric of the Gold Coast. A long way back, Seaworld, being the first one on the Gold Coast, was not much more than a lake. Chris became involved when the concept of Movie World emerged. The Di Laurentis Studios were up for sale. A representative of Warner Bros by the name of CD Wood came over to have a look at it. It was by no means certain that the deal would proceed, but then they took him to the Oxenford Tavern for a bite to eat (and probably a couple of beers). CD Woods declared that he had just been served “the best Cheeseburger ever”… and bought it (the Studios, not the pub), together with the surrounding land. A master plan was created in partnership with Peter Lawrence (then owner of Seaworld). The first meeting occurred way back in 1988.

There is an awful lot of thinking to be done. Theme Parks were not in the Australian culture; it was all in the US. Why would you want to have one? “It has to be fun!” What theme do you want to use? Well, with Warner Bros behind it, Movies would come to mind.

Who would come? How much do we need to spend? In 1989, $AU 10 Million was committed. A concept plan was designed. It was a Joint Venture between Warner Bros and ??? Leisure. It is not just a question of building it, somebody needs to run it afterwards. How much will you want to charge the public?

Then we get to the design detail: How are people going to get there? There was no Public Transport worth mentioning on the Gold Coast [not much has changed since… Ed.] So people will come by car. How will overseas visitors get to the park? By bus. So, 40% of the parking area is for buses. How much power do we need, how much water? What are we going to do about sewerage, fire services, rubbish? How do we get people to come back again? What balance do we need for young and old, so grandparents, parents and children are equally catered for? How do we keep them occupied? (The park will be open for 7 ½ hours, of which at least 4 hours need to be “experience”. We’ll need souvenirs, T-Shirts… We’ll need food and drinks. (By the way: Chris iterated that food accounts for the biggest money maker in the group). How do we cater for foreign language guests? What will be our opening times (not too hard: planning laws prohibit opening at night).

What approvals are needed? Planning approval. Building and Height restrictions, Safety. (Queensland Fire Services were heavily involved in assisting in the design of the facilities to keep people safe, in relation to evacuation plans etc).

And then comes the ‘Budget Check’: It is always over [Governments don’t seem to have these… Ed.] Then you scour the world for specialist personnel and manufacturers. Who can build all the gear that go with Special Effects? There are constantly the two opposing forces of Conventional Construction and Special Effects. What happens if it burns? The materials may be very difficult to inflame, but if they do, they might become highly toxic. The manufacturers come from all over the world: Italy, China, the US. Then come the Safety Tests: for example, if just a single seat belt is not fastened, the Roller Coaster simply won’t even start. And to be approved, it needs to have a minimum of 800 trouble free runs in a row. Something goes wrong on the 799th, start counting from 1!

Then there is staff hiring, training, emergency procedures, Public Relations. What? No, there is much more to be done before we can open up…

See ya later - Farewell to the GSE Team - Saturday 14th May 2016 12:00 pm

Posted by Simon Brook on May 02, 2016

On Saturday 14th May, a farewell luncheon for the GSE Team from Pennsylvania will be held at Southport Golf Club. The flyer from the Download section on the right has all the details!

Last week's Guest Speaker: George Friend OAM - Kokoda Memorial Hospital

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 25, 2016

George Friend OAM, a member of the Broadwater Southport Rotary Club, is known for a number of major projects. Last Wednesday, George, a former came to bring us up to date on two major project of his: from 2015 - 2012, the Kokoda Memorial

Wall in Cascade Gardens and before that, in 1995, commenced the building of the Kokoda Memorial Hospital. There is no doubt that George has a lot of fondness for the area, for the 39th Battallion RAR and for Kokoda in particular. At the time as a member of the Australian Army, he walked the famous (infamous?) Kokoda Track in 1988. He trained in the Kokoda Barracks (these days known as Canungra Warfare Centre). Some 20 years ago, he approached (then) Mayor (and now Councillor of Division 7) Gary Baildon to commission a memorial to the bloody battles which now have become major tourist attractions in Papua New Guinea. He traveled the country from Sydney to Melbourne, Perth and even to Japan to interview veterans of that era, including veterans of the Japanese Imperial Forces who, at the time, would have been the sworn enemies of the Australian Defence Force. In conjunction with the Australian and Papua New Guinea governments, Rotary and lots of volunteers, the hospital was built in 1995.

Later on, in stage 3, Bronze Statues were added to the Memorial Wall (see picture on right).

To close the presentation, our Terry O'Shea recited the poem 'Our Flag' - you can download it from here: http://www.monarchist.org.au/australian-flag.html

Bellissimo! Martina has returned from the YE Safari

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 23, 2016

Bellissimo!

Martina has sent an essay, outlining just one specific segment [just as I asked her to do, Ed.] of her journey of the Youth Exchange Safari.

It is in the Download Section on the right. Download it now!

Great time was had by all at the Rotaract Trivia Night

Posted on Apr 17, 2016

Simon Brook led the team from Surfers Sunrise in the Rotaract Trivia Challenge last Friday. Some good pictures in the Photo Album on the right, also on our Facebook page. Go on, go and have a look!

President Elect Simon Brook answers 33 Questions

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 17, 2016

OK, he did so two years ago, but in view of him being our 'Captain' in the upcoming year, here it is again!

Swing & Sizzle BBQ next Tuesday - Broadbeach Rotary

Posted on Apr 17, 2016

A notice from Brian Pearson of Broadbeach Rotary Club: this would be worth going to! See PDF flyer in the download section on the right.

Dear Friends,

In October 2015 we held our first Sizzle ‘n’ Swing for a polio free world, this event was a complete sellout with everyone enjoying the BBQ dinner plus dessert for a modest $25. The fantastic music of the 40’s to the 60’s provided by the “Chris Restom Swing Group” kept the Broadbeach Rotary Club Hub, humming all evening. We are now offering the same treat on Tuesday 26^th April, Chris is bringing along his 5 piece band plus two great singers (also two members of the band singing) to the Broadbeach Rotary Hub once again.

The BBQ promises an enjoyable feed, we will also have a special wine raffle and Rock ‘n’ Roll competition, with all drinks at very modest prices.

I hope you will all circulate this information as widely as possible within your respective clubs and collect a list of those wishing to attend, I need final numbers by Friday 22^nd April, tickets will be allocated on a first past the post basis – please don’t let your club miss out.

On a serious note we are definitely winning the battle against this terrible disease with the wild polio virus now only occurring in two endemic countries, with zero outbreaks outside of these. In 2016 up to 13^th April, Afghanistan has recorded 2 cases (1 in same period 2015) and Pakistan 8 cases (21 in 2015). Since this disease can only be transmitted from human to human maybe we are in sight of the end. Much work remains in ensuring the continued decline and to avoid reoccurrence, immunisation programmes are happening in many countries at great expense, so our continued fund raising efforts, together with the generosity of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is of great importance.

I thank you for your assistance in this most worthwhile effort.

Best wishes,

Brian.

Updated Wheelchairs Newsletter

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 11, 2016

Neil Thurlow and his team of graphics wizards has created an updated Newsletter for our Wheelchair Trust supporters. It is in the Download Section on the right - download it now!

Eddie the Eagle comes to the Gold Coast

Posted by Franz Huber

If you never have looked at anything to do with the Winter Olympics, this would have missed out on one of the most remarkable stories of "flying" on skis: Eddie the Eagle. Now they have made a movie about it, which also includes Hugh Jackman in a leading role.

This is another Polio Plus fundraiser, Gold Coast Arts Centre at tomorrow Thursday 14th April at 6:30 pm. Usual fee of $20.00 per head - first come first served!

See poster in the download section on the right.

Jo Gorman answers 33 Questions

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 28, 2016

Our newest member, Jo Gorman, has agreed to answer the traditional 33 Questions! Download it now from the section on the right hand side.

And this Wednesday, 06/04/16, Jo will give us an insight into her life so far in 'Lady behind the Badge'!

Lt General David Morrision AO secured as Guest Speaker at the District Conference

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 20, 2016

Aaa-ten-shun!! Australian of the Year 2016, Lt General David Morrison AO secured as Guest Speaker at the upcoming District Conference 6 - 8th May 2016 in Murwillumbah.

However you may want to describe him, General Morrison certainly cannot be described as a wall flower... The former Chief of the Army first came to the attention of "ordinary" Australians with his public denunciation in 2013 of certain sexist elements in the Army. It is unknown at this stage what the theme of his speech will be, but whatever, certainly something to look forward to!

Have you registered yet? here is the link:

http://rotary9640.org/SitePage/district-conference-2016

Quite simple: As President Paul points out in his message above, if you want to eat, you must register before 15th April 2016.

"Our" former YE student Lyssia Demeulenaere on 'The Voice'

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 20, 2016

Well, stone the crows! We all remember Lyssia from her year with us in 2013/14 as our incoming YE student from Belgium. Lyssia on Belgian TV, competing in that country's The Voice!

Compliments of Isabelle Franich, our outgoing Youth Exchange Student to France 2014/15, here is the link to Lyssia's performance:

http://www.rtbf.be/video/detail_lyssia-demeulenaere-couleur-cafe?id=2081851

and here

http://www.rtbf.be/video/detail_lyssia-demeulenaere-valentine-hofman-bullet-proof?id=2084831

The card sharks were out last Saturday...

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 14, 2016

What's the difference between a respected Public Accountant, a Race Horse Owner, a Rotary District Treasurer and somebody who entices people to come along to play cards whilst having a couple of beers or a glass of wine? None. It is all one and the same person!

Doug Lipp (without doubt with the capable assistance of his better half Sue) organized a very successful Crazy Whist night last Saturday. And President Elect Simon Brook brought along most of the Rotaract Club of Southport. Obviously playing cards is not necessarily just for oldies! Thank you Doug and Sue, well done!

Photo courtesy of President Paul's Facebook page.

Is your name on DGN Darrell's list?

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 14, 2016

"Our" District Governor Elect Nominee, Darrell Brown, last week foreshadowed a BIG upcoming year in 2017/18. In particular, the District Conference will require a massive manpower effort. If you are a member of Surfers Sunrise, Darrell's list will be attached to your bulletin email. If you are not a member, but would like to participate, please reply to the bulletin email, or send a message to franzhuber@onthenet.com.au to receive a list of current vacancies.

Rotaract Southport - Trivia Night for Fiji Cyclone victims

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 13, 2016

On Saturday 16th April, the Rotaract Club of Southport (Yes, they were there in force at the recent Crazy Whist night!) will stage a "Tropicana" themed trivia night with games, raffles, bake stall and more.

Early bird (til Mar 31): $30/head or $220/table of 8
Regular: $35/head or $260/table of 8
Includes BBQ buffet and snacks. Drinks available for purchase.

Proceeds will go towards providing relief in Fiji, following Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston; their strongest cyclone on record. We, the Rotaract Club of Southport, are partnering with the Rotaract Club of Lautoka Sugar City, who are on the ground in Fiji providing much needed assistance to locals. This includes food packs, sanitary items, school supplies, building materials and more.

Simon Brook aims for a table of 10 people to participate. Are you coming?

Last week's speaker: DGN Darrell Brown: Towards 2017

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 13, 2016

2017/2018? Loooong time in the distant future! Huh? Think again. It is only about 15 months away! "Our District Governor Nominee" already has a full time job preparing for the big year coming up: Leadership meetings every quarter, and - without doubt NOT! - Darrell's favorite activity: to create a budget. Hundreds of ways to spend money, but only very limited sources of income.gst the many segments of Rotary activity to be reviewed is the District's engagement with International Youth Exchange: in the "olden days" it was not uncommon to have 40 Exchange Students, now we have 7... Yet the results demonstrate every time that the program is very worthwhile. Is there a way we can promote this, perhaps by providing support for students who can't afford the expense?

Our club will be well represented on the District's Leadership team, with Chris Thurtell as incoming Youth Exchange Chair, with Gerald East as his Treasurer of the Youth Services committee.

There are lots of major events to be organized, including Pre-PETS (Presidents Elect Training Seminar), PETS and the District Assembly, which will be held in Lismore. Goals will need to be set: one of the current major goals, to promote 'Donate Life' (Organ donorship) to be continued.

Roz Irwing, DG Elect Michael Irving's better half, has nominated the Fred Hollows Foundation as her 'DG's Partner's Project'. Kerry Brown is still evaluating potential contenders - feel free to make suggestions!

Darrell, himself a former GSE (Group Study Exchange) awardee, is checking out other districts in the world who may want to have an exchange with District 9640. Possibly, first time ever, we may host a team from South Africa?

Then, there is the major event of the year, the District Conference. to start off, quite a challenge to set the date - the Gold Coast will host the Commonwealth Games around the same time! It will be held at the Seaworld Nara Resort. Our member Terry O'Shea has agreed to take the Chairmanship, and Geoff Croad will be Conference Secretary. Chris Thurtell will organize the technology aspects (Sound, Video etc) - as a senior 'Mover and Shaker' of Seaworld, no doubt Chris knows a couple of people who consider this subject as a walk in the (theme) park... (pun intended). A substantial number of senior positions have been filled by Rotarians from other clubs, but there are dozens of positions still to be filled. Members will be sent a table with the most important ones listed. Please put your name against one of the free areas!

Last week's Guest Speaker: Gabrielle Burey

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 29, 2016

Gabrielle recently returned from her year in Minden, Germany. The town of Minden, on the Weser river, goes back for centuries. Famous for its bridge over a bridge (see picture), one of its major events in history was the Battle of Minden on 01 August 1759. The locals call it Annus Mirabilis. That, however, certainly is not what Gabrielle describes her year there.

Her first host family’s cooking was all Vegan – Howzat for a completely new experience? She stayed there for 6 months, with the occasional ‘Sugar Craze’, or acute craving for a steak or at least a hamburger… “I grew very close to my last host family”, Gabrielle reported. All in all, a very interesting and character building experience for her indeed.

She went to school at the Ratsgymnasium (no, nothing to do with Rats – pronounced ‘Raat’s’, from the German word ‘Rat’ as in Gemeinderat (Local Council Authority), and Gymnasium as in College or High School).

There was a lot of Rotary activity, firstly with the sponsoring Rotary Club of Minden – Porta Westfalica, as well as with multiple major excursions, not just around Germany, but internationally throughout Europe. One of the local activities of the local club is ‘Baumpflanzen’ (tree planting): for every visiting student, a tree is planted. They can then return at any time in the future and check how it has grown, and perhaps in another 40 years, bring your grandchildren there!

Gabrielle engaged herself in a new hobby: drawing and painting. Good training for her intended career path: she will shortly commence a University course at the University of Queensland in Multi Media Design. And to continue her involvement with Rotary, she’ll also join a local Rotaract Club in Brisbane, the Rotaract of Brisbane CBD. And, just in case the brain is not stretched far enough: how about a course in Spanish?

Meet our newest member: Jo Gorman

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 29, 2016

Yes!! Jo Gorman joins Tania Laird as our second lady member! Last Wednesday, President Paul Seymour inducted Jo into our club, under the classification of Employment Services. Welcome to Surfers Sunrise, Jo! We look forward to your "Lady behind the Badge" presentation on 6th April.

Crazy Whist night this Saturday 12th March

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 14, 2016

Doug Lipp is organizing another one: Saturday 12th March 2016. Bring friends along. Whilst for some the rules of the game may be somewhat "different", it all contributes to everyone having a good time. Lots of hilarious moments! See Events pages.

Felicity Cooper: what a difference a year makes!

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 14, 2016

OK, nobody would ever have considered Felicity to be anything but confident. Still, last Wednesday, she proved what "keeping it all together" means. Just think back the years when you were 18 years old (yes, a half century for many of us). Now, imagine that you had planned your presentation all nicely on a Power Point. After all, you had been to many meetings, and the laptop and projector were always there... But not this time! Then you madly try to get it from your Smartphone, so at least you have the major bullet points, even if no pictures. But that isn't happening either. By then, your Editor would have crawled under the table and curled up in a fetal position. Not "our" Felicity! With (at least outwardly) supreme confidence, she waltzed into it and started her presentation. And with the self assurance of a seasoned politician being interviewed by Leigh Sales, after a relatively short time she opened up to questions from the floor. And the questions came fast and thick!

Here are some of her major points: After her opening with a sincere statement of thanks - "it was the experience of a lifetime!" - she outlined how she came to arrive in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. "Helsinki doesn't feel like a city - it appears quite rural." How about coming in from a hot Australian summer into sub-zero temperatures of Scandinavia? "Going into the cold is easier than coming back! You can rug up. There is no reverse possibility coming back into the summer heat!" What about communicating in Finnish? "Yes, the language is very hard. But now I can understand and speak, but I still have some trouble in structuring sentences" she said. Felicity went to a local High School, where classes are (of course) in Finnish. "School is really good, with lots of specialist areas. For example, I took Psychology. And Economics - in Finnish; I even had trouble following it in English back home! But the end of the term, I was quite ok. The major difference to the Australian system is that only the first 8 years are compulsory. Then the choice is to move on to 3-4 years High School, or to go to a Trade College."

She kept very close to Rotary during her stay, visiting her host club just about every week. It was within 15 minutes walking distance from School, so she went there for lunch. Even though, in Finnish schools, the Government provides lunch for the students.

Felicity was hosted primarily by two families - you can see some photos on monthly reports (two of them are still on the Download section on the right). And yes, they do have Saunas - apparently most houses have them. And yes, they hacked a hole into the ice, for her to go for a dip...

Looking forward to your next presentation - we might even allow you to have a projector this time... ☺

For a humorous outline of the Finnish language from an expat's view, go to this link.

Memorial Service for the "Father" of our club

Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 14, 2016

Some of you may know

that the "Father" of our club, Bruce Duncan OAM, recently passed away. A memorial service will be held on Friday the 26^th February at the Palmer Colonial Club, Paradise Springs Ave, Robina commencing at 10.30am sharp, duration approx. 1 hour. Venue is the restaurant in the main building.

Those who knew Bruce well are invited to speak briefly about those shared experiences. Should you wish to participate, please advise Jim Hawkings, Rotary Club of Broadbeach, in advance by return email so that I can pass that onto Bruce's daughter Fiona who is organizing the service.

Jim Hawkins jhawkins@abcom.com.au

Tania's Fundraiser for Breast Cancer victim

Posted by Franz Huber

Tania Laird advised that a fundraising event is organized to assist her Stepdaughter Shirani who is suffering from Breast Cancer(picture on right, with one of her three children Marli). The event will be held on Saturday, 27th February at Currumbin Surf Club. $40.00 per person, finger food provided and the 'Dash' referred to in the poster is all about a beach race. (For you to place a bet on, not to race yourself.. ☺) Download the full poster from the Download section on the right!

Major Fundraising Event: 'Gold Coast Ramble'

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 24, 2016

Assistant Governor David Baguley gave a brief presentation of a major multi club project his club, the Rotary Club of Gold Coast, is planning: The Gold Coast Ramble. "I am a great believer in not re-inventing the wheel", David stated. Perusing the pages of the Australian Rotary Magazine 'Rotary Down Under', he came across a project run by the Rotary Club of Mill Point in Perth WA. He contacted the club, went over to have a personal look at it and was very impressed by what he saw.

The Perth Ramble is a multi club project, designed to be a Treasure Hunt and 4 hours family adventure. Teams are encouraged to wear costumes, corporate teams are invited to compete. The event is brought up to the modern era by running an App so people can get the questionaires via their tablets or smart phones at each station. And just to ensure that there is no cheating: two teams arriving at the same time will not receive the same set of questions... The target audience is 19 to 49 year olds. Sponsorship is available at each station, so local Restaurants and businesses can have a table setup right in front of their venue.

Over the past 5 years the event has been run, it has raised over $300,000. Not to be sneezed at! You can get more information about the Perth Ramble from this address: www.perthramble.com.

This Wednesday: The big Fundraising Brainstorm

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 17, 2016

"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.

See you there!

Last week's Guest Speaker: John Duthie - ETC Employment

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 14, 2015

"The children are our future." Not necessarily the most original statement, in particular if you include politician's speeches over the past 100 years. (Remember a certain leader declaring that "no child will live in poverty by 1990"?) Not original, until you connect to John's context: he refers to the families of the perpetually unemployed. "There are families which have, for the past 4 or 5 generations, experienced total unemployment, meaning that no member of the family ever worked." John declared. Strong stuff, almost unimaginable for Rotarians who, traditionally, would come from an environment of family internal motivation, fostering of values, encouragement to make a difference, and - most importantly - ensuring that their children become professionally successful. "All it needs is for one child to break the cycle. "He/she will get a job, will be able to afford things, will gain recognition, will gain self confidence". Simple recipe, but not necessarily simple to implement!

ETC, a Registered Training Organization (RTO) contracts to the Government to obtain employment for - yes - the unemployed. And unemployables. Yet, "after gaining the contract" to start on 01/07/2015, within 6 weeks they had 7,500 "clients" in employment. Pretty impressive, huh? They research prospective employers, prior to their client obtaining an interview. That way, they generate some 40-50 vacancies per week. Interestingly, there appears to be a shortage of potential workers for the Commonwealth Games in 2018, in particular in the area of Security. So they conduct training in these areas - common sense really, but perhaps not for some departments.

"Schools are grooming students for University rather than for work" John declared. "If their students don't perform in the NAPLAN test, the school loses out." Hmmm... interesting to hear from the "unlistened to" side, from the people who are at the coal face of the real world at the other end of the scale. I never cease to be amazed at the breadth and width of speakers that one can listen to in Rotary!

You can gain much more information about ETC from their website: http://www.etcltd.com.au where you will also find information about their services for disabled people, their Community Support Fund, advice for Small Business and much more.

Read Gabrielle Burey's latest report from Germany

Posted by Franz Huber on Dec 07, 2015

Following hard on the October report, Gabrielle sent us her November epistle: Handball, 1000 Km rowing race, Bratwurst and Reibekuchen, Weihnachts Markt... download it from the Download section on the right now!

Last week's Guest Speaker 211015: Steve Hallam

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 25, 2015

I can't help the feeling that, without some gentle persuasion by our resident Clerk of the Course Ian Mayberry, we may not have got anywhere near to hear this man speak. The archetypal engineer, Steve would have to be the quietest man in the (car racing engineering) background. Linked-in reveals nothing. The company's website www.Tekno.com.au talks about cars, drivers, history... The only entry one can find on the big world wide web is an obscure mention in the Tekno company's Facebook page, going back some 18 months to February 2014.

Considering that Steve (above right, with DGN Darrell Brown) has been immersed in high-octane fumes for the past 34 years, he appears to be in remarkably good health! His career encompasses some 27 years in Formula 1 racing, where he worked with some 10 teams and 4 manufacturers. He was Ayrton Senna's race engineer at John Player Lotus in the early 80's, then moved on to McLaren where, as Head of Race Engineering for some 20 years, he again worked with Ayrton Senna. He was heavily involved with Ayrton's three World Driver Championships and later on Mika Hakkinen's two championship trophies. He worked with David Coulthard and "The Iceman" Kimi Raikkonen.

From an ignorant TV spectactor's (such as your Editor's) point of view, Formula 1 consists of ridiculously powerful cars being driven by men with cooling fluid rather than blood in their veins. So, when Steve stated that they are running on a 1.6 litre engine... What?? 1.6 litres?!? But that is where the similarity to a Hyundai Getz or a Holden Barina ends.

Steve took us on a journey through the early days of F1 racing, from the first race in May 1950, when the Alpha 159 (see picture on right) was the hot car. Italy totally dominated the scene. The evolution process brought us to the 1959 Cooper - Jack Brabham was driving one of them - with the engine at the rear. 1977 saw the first car with wings, the Lotus Type 78. It had an underbody which generated airflow under the car, sort of sucking it to the ground. 1982 saw a major change in materials: Fibre...

Today's cars are taking advantage of just about anything that saves weight, that saves power (electricity generation instead of braking, harnessing energy from heat). They weigh just 700 Kg. [A Holden Commodore weighs more than double that. But then it is designed to carry up to 5 people who, if they conform to average statistics, are somewhat overweight... ;-)]

How many people does it take to put a driver on the track? [No, nothing to do with lightbulbs!] Well, a team has approximately 650 personnel. Plus the engine manufacturer has about 500 people in their team.

Still, at man needs to have a change of scenery sometimes. So Steve switched to Nascars (US based super charged V8's). "There is nothing on the road like them" Steve enthused: They have 40 races every year. The V8 engine develops some 800 Horsepower at 10,000 RPM. The rules constantly change to clip back performance - every season". And it costs about $US 25 Million to run a team.

But ultimately Steve found his new niche with the V8 Supercars in Australia. "Only" 15 events per year, but multiple races in each event. And on the weekend's Gold Coast 600, Steve's team won the first race and came 5th in the second one on Sunday! Congratulations!

Last week's speaker: Ian Mayberry on Early Bathurst races

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 18, 2015

We all (and these days not just the men) sort of visualize ourselves driving a V8 Supercar around the circuit of Bathurst. And then, last weekend, the spectacular footage of Damian Flack spilling everything bar the frame of his car was plastered all over national TV.

Ian, in a parallel life to assessing accident damage for Insurance companies, is high up the food chain in keeping drivers to keep to the rules [I think the official title is Clerk of the Court]. He explained that, after downloading the data from the car [huh?? AFTER the crash? Same technology as they use in Airbus aircrafts?], he found that at the time Damian clocked 242 Km/hr. Have another look at the video link and think again whether you would have wanted to be inside that car, or comfortably ensconced in your favorite chair watching it on TV...

Back to the more distant past... Ian brought to us his recollections when, as a young car racing enthusiast, he desperately tried to raise $1,000 to compete as a co-driver in the 1973 Bathurst 1000 (the first time it was called the 1000 - before it was the Bathurst 500 (miles). Keep in mind that, in 1973, $1,000 would in today 's value be more like $10,000 - one could buy a very snazzy car, such as a Holden Monaro, for about $4,000. It's a long story, but he did. They had a Valiant Charger which they actually drove from Melbourne to Bathurst (yes! it was registered for road use. Amazing what you can get away with if you know the right people!). After the trial and elimination runs, Ian's team ended up... in Reserve! Yup. Not on the starting grid. Not in the race proper. However, Ian's eloquent negotiation with the Clerk of the Court convinced the powers to be to at least let them run in the Warm-up Lap, just in case. And the gods smiled upon the Charger Team: a Torana (sorry, if you don't know what this is, you were born far too late!) had broken down. So, despite being in 58th position after the trials, Ian's team got a start after all. A mad scramble to swap pits with the hapless Torana crew ensued, and, as they say, the rest is history: they completed a creditable 143 laps. The car still exists today, apparently advertised in the Trading Post, now beautifully restored. And probably priced at about 20 times its original price.

So you feel like competing in next year's Bathurst 1000? Your budget will be in the vicinity of $3 - 5 Million. Per car. Hmmm... I might still simply watch it on TV after all...

Last week's Guest Speaker: Alan Burrell, Mercy Ships

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 11, 2015

Mercy Ship's Captain Mike Hughes and Managing Director Alan Burrell

Many of you would have come across the enormous good that is generated by Rotary Australia’s ROMAC (Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children). ROMAC’s major function is to bring severely disfigured children to Australia, where a team of volunteer surgeons perform near miracle surgery to restore their faces and their bodies back to normalcy. After their usually several months’ stay, they go back to their community.

Mercy Ships tackles the same issue on a grand scale: a fleet of 4 hospital ships of sizeable proportions: Six operating theatres, recovery/intensive care, 82 patient beds. Annual capacity of some 7000 surgical procedures per annum (that is an average of almost 20 each and every day!). All manned by volunteers from doctors, nurses right through to crew, caterers and cleaners, since its foundation in 1978, the organization has accomplished 576 port visits in 56 developing nations, treating in excess of 2.5 Million patients. Read that again: 2.5 Million patients!. As Alan explained, the ships are, in essence, “Hotel” ships, catering for patients to stay on board until ready to be released into their community again.

As the saying goes, a picture is a thousand words. A video is ten thousand… Alan, the Managing Director of the organization, started off with a brief video. (You can view them online: https://www.mercyships.org.au/ms-tv-and-videos.html)

But it is not just removal of tumors (such as shown in the picture on right), orthopedic surgery, dental care or eye surgery where Mercy Ships is involved: for example, they were involved in the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa which resulted in 28,448 reported cases and 11,311 people dead.

A new ship is in the process of being built. It comes with a sizeable price tag: $150 Million. So far, $85 Million has been raised. There are people with visions. And then there are people with grand visions. In the words of C J Dennis: “I dips me lid”.

How to get your article into the Gold Coast Bulletin

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 07, 2015

Suppose you are a Year 8 Student. Suppose you feel you have talent to become a future top reporter. So you write a reportage which makes the Gold Coast Bulletin. Download the article written by AB Paterson College Student Olivia Slater on our club's Wheelchair Project. It's all in the download section on the right hand side.

Read Felicity Cooper's latest report from Finland

Posted by Franz Huber on Oct 05, 2015

Felicity sent us her September report - as usual, very comprehensive. It's on the Download section on the right side.

Race Day is this Saturday, 10th October

Posted by Franz Huber on Sep 27, 2015

Ladies, get your fascinators ready! Gentlemen, yes, it is ok to wear a brightly coloured silk shirt with a rosa coloured tie and a heavy gold chain, white slacks and shoes...

Our member and District Treasurer Doug Lipp (he is a race horse owner himself), in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Surfers Paradise, is organizing a Race Day at the Gold Coast Turf Club in October. Further, the day is sponsored by our Sergeant Andy Bell's company Eximm too. Tickets are just $70.00 per head, which includes a sumptuous buffet luncheon as well as afternoon tea and coffee. Tables of 10 are available, so why not invite some friends or clients?

Download the flyer, which includes the booking form, in the Download section on the right.

Alternatively, contact Doug Lipp or Darrell Brown.

Felicity Cooper's July Report

Posted by Felicity Cooper on Sep 19, 2015

Download Felicity's July report - see download section on the right. Salisbury, Stonehenge, Portsmouth... Huh?? I thought she was in Finland... (yes, she returned there after having a holiday in "the old country"!)

Felicity Cooper's August Report

Posted by Felicity Cooper on Sep 19, 2015

"... We also visited Muumimaailma- also known as the Moomin Land. Moomins are a..." A what?? You'll just have to read it yourself! Download it from the Download Section on the right hand side.

This Wednesday is a 'Bring a Friend' meeting

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 23, 2015

Fellows! have you invited a friend to come along this Wednesday?

Terry O'Shea organized a top Guest Speaker, Lee Danaway of "Oz Harvest”. She is GC Operations & Special Projects Coordinator.

Last week's speaker: Julian Price, Man behind the Badge

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 23, 2015

"I am the real Andy Bell - Undercover", Julian, our man with the perpetual friendly smile and sunny disposition, declared in his opening statement. [Personally, even though he is no a Kiwi, I'd classify Julian as the only genuine 'All Black' I know in my circle of friends.. ☺ Ed.] Not long after he was born in St Lucia, West Indies in 1960, Julian's father moved his family (mum, Julian, two brothers and one sister), to London - Hammersmith.

Julian's father was a Policeman, mum did "everything" to help make ends meet. "We were the only black family that didn't have any altercations with Police".

"My focus was on music" Julian declared: at the tender age of 14, he played the lead in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat". Julian performed in front of the Queen Mother, was in Motown at age 17, sporting a big Afro Hairstyle... [See photo on left with President Paul Seymour. Yes, try to imagine it!]. He had his own band "JC Price - The Love Crowd"...

Julian has a daughter from a previous relationship who lives in the UK, and in 2000 he married his wife Donna [we understand Donna comes from Collingwood - therefore without doubt obviously a lady of distinction. Assumption is that, like your Editor, she is also a fellow sufferer, supporting the Magpies... Ed.] They have a daughter (15) with a serious leaning towards drama and a son (11) who is very strong in Hockey.

But, one needs to generate some real income... meanwhile, in Australia, in addition to his family, Julian has a very busy life indeed: he runs an organization named 'The Startup Club, "a place where passion meets perfection". It is a mentoring organization where members can pitch ideas to their fellow members. More details on their website. Julian works with a company called Belocal which specializes in the development of websites that indeed will attract some visitors. "A lot of people get ripped off by website crooks... " Having experienced receiving the promises but no tangible results whatsoever, I definitely concur with Julian: Don't they ever need an honest son of a Policeman to clean up that industry a bit!

Last week's Sergeant - Andy Bell 190815

Posted by Franz on Aug 22, 2015

After Andy himself got framed by Tania Laird for not posting her apology the previous week, Andy rolled out his fines with his usual eloquence and aplomb:

Terry O'Shea, you really are a PITA, but then you also do a lot of nice things... Franz Huber still copped it for the display of the bulletin... Barry Lea, so lovely to see you again! Mario Fairlie, how do you feel? (Knee replacement at the end of September, on an upcoming trip to Amsterdam, Stuttgart). Mario in turn cross-fined the Sergeant for the worst haircut he's ever seen... Pope in Waiting Des La Rance, you'd better be on stand-by for Mario... And Chris Thurtell was observed souveniring spoons...

And, last but not least: Who was truly sad last Saturday? Fellow Kiwi Geoff Croad was the only one excused from paying up. [for the uninitiated: a certain team named the All Blacks, coming from the other side of the ditch, apparently trampled all over a local team named The Wallabies. Your Editor has little knowledge of these events - at the time he was watching a Wagner Opera on DVD. Now, that is where some serious conflicts are apotheosized... ☺]

Snippets of last week's meeting 19th August 2015

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 22, 2015

Des La Rance was at the door (standing in for Conrad Martens), Terry O'Shea was Chairman (standing in for John Franich) and Andy Bell was Sergeant.

We had apologies from Fred Hamblen, Simon Brook, Daryl Sanderson, Angus Miller and Darrell Brown.

President Paul Seymour welcomed all members and our Honorary Member Barry Lea. He congratulated Daryl Sanderson, Bob Harrison, Des La Rance and the crew at The Shed on their recent major TV exposure on ABC's 7:00 pm news (which, according to the only person I know who tunes in to ABC News 24, Mitch Brown, also appeared continuously on that program). Paul urged members to participate in the Wheelchairs project and go out to The Shed.

Des La Rance reported that Wheelchair Chairman Daryl Sanderson has suffered a back injury which stopped him coming in last weekend. Des indicated that, as a result of the TV exposure they had a huge response, with offers of bikes. Des also advised that a further 36 wheelchairs came in from Palen Creek gaol. And on Thursday 27th August, The Shed will have a visit by Rotary's equivalent of Royalty: Rotary International Vice President Guiller Tumangan, accompanied by DG Anne Egan, Past District Governors and his entourage. Considering that he is in the District for just 24 hours, no mean recognition! Guiller is hosted by the Rotary Club of Burleigh Heads, whose member Andy Rajapakse was highly influental in arranging for the container of wheelchairs which recently was shipped to Sri Lanka.

Doug Lipp reminded us of the upcoming Race Day (see download section). We need at least 4 more people to fill up a table, as well as additional raffle prizes. Top prizes for Best Dressed Lady, Best Fascinator etc!

Chris Thurtell reported on his recent interviews of candidates for the next National Science Forum in Canberra (we had a successful candidate with Maria Batcu in 2014). Very tough indeed - 39 candidates, only 16 can go through. Chris interviewed 8, of which 4 got through. However, there is an alternative Science program as well. Do you know a potential candidate for 2017? (Year 12 student next year). Chris also expressed his sincere thanks to Terry O'Shea for his offer of a "weekend away" for Chris, Marie and our Italian Youth Exchange Student Martina at Terry & Gillian's Hibiscus on the Beach Resort.

In view of our club's projector having given up its ghost, Mario Fairlie will donate his "old" projector. Thank you, Mario!

Tania Laird, the driving force of our club's fundraising efforts together with Doug Lipp, announced that we will be able to run a Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings Southport on 17th October. We have also approached to do the same with Dan Murphy stores.

Read Gabrielle's latest report from Germany

Posted by Franz Huber

Gabrielle's report is in the Download section on the right...

Snippets of last week's joint meeting with Hope Island Rotary Club

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 15, 2015

A meeting with a difference last week: we met at the Hope Island Golf Club, a golfer's dream place! The meeting was conducted in most salubrious and highly civilized surroundings: white table cloth and serviettes, table service of a tasty breakfast of oven baked bacon, fried eggs, sausage, hash browns, fancy veggies... All for $25.00! [No, Henrietta, there was no option to choose scrambled eggs instead of fried! Ed.] And in the middle of the room was a huge round fountain about 5 metres in diameter. Any moment one expected somebody to jump into it, reminiscent of Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni in 'La Dolce Vita' (picture left)... (Sorry, before your time, I know.)

Other than the introduction of our members, there were no formalities relating to Surfers Sunrise. (We had apologies from Gerald East, Graeme Isaacson, Simon Brook and Fred Hamblen).

Sam Doumany (former Qld Govt Minister and husband of Past District Governor Sandra) was in the chair. An International Toast was proposed to the Rotary Club of St Denis on Reunion Island. Hope Island President Clint Ford, well acquainted to us due to his strong support of the Suns Horizon programme, briefly addressed the meeting. Hope Island features as absolute number 1 in donations to the Polio Plus campaign (see District Governor's Newsletter). District 9640 'Super Rotarian' Ian Yarker (Rotary e-club of NextGen) gave us a presentation of his club's philosphy of "What can we physically do for you?", outlining NextGen's work with the Flying Doctor Service and a recent organized trip to Cape York. Has there ever been a club who donated a bunch of Unicycles? If ever there was an example of 'Be a Gift to the World'... Well done, fellows!

Last week's joint meeting with Hope Island Rotary Club

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 15, 2015

Surfers Sunrise Wheelchairs makes ABC TV 7 pm News!

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 14, 2015

On Friday, 14th August, ABC 7:00 pm TV News featured a segment on our Wheelchair Boys. Click on this link for the transcript. A very well presented segment indeed, even if I have to say so myself! Daryl Sanderson, the chairman of the Wheelchair Trust, appealed for additional bikes to be donated. Can you help?

The boys will be at 'The Shed' every Saturday morning. If you can't make it at that time, you can contact Daryl via email - see list of Club Executives and Directors on the right (last entry).

Where do you find The Shed? It is off Napper Road near the Arundel Community Centre, between Arundel Primary School and Captain Cook Drive (as you drive east). See map below. For direct contact, phone Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson between 08:00 and 7:00 pm on 0408 729 118.

First 100 Wheelchairs hand-over in Sri Lanka

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 09, 2015

Email from the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan, forwarded by Rtn Andy Rajapakse (RC of Burleigh Heads):

Last week's Guest Speaker: Geoff Carroll - truly from the Outback!

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 07, 2015

"Just 15 Km off the Gunbarrell Highway, near the Giles Weather Station" is how Geoff describes the location of his home town where he runs the only local store within hundreds of Kilometres. If one checks a bit further, you may find that it is not even on the Gunbarrell "Highway", about 750 Km as the crow flies from Kalgoorlie, but by road it is 1136 brain rattling Kilometres...

Rather than giving a speech, Geoff opted to simply have a Question and Answers session. The main difference to the Q&A program on ABC being that questions actually were answered rather than resorting political point scoring. And further, they may not have been absolutely politically correct... ☺ The settlement features some 38 tin-shed type houses allocated to the local indigenous population, maintained by local (non-indigenous) trades people who keep them in good repair.

So, what does the Warakurna store sell? "Well, just about everything from groceries, fresh fruit & vegetables, clothing, bullets..." Fresh fruit and vegies?? Yes, a refrigerated truck comes out from Perth every two weeks, and a mail plane comes in from Alice Springs every week. And yes, they do have Internet connection (probably faster and more reliable than most of the Gold Coast) and mobile phone coverage. And, to add to expected amenities, the town has two nurses full time and Police presence from both WA (where the town is officially located) and the Northern Territory. Before you get excited though: there is absolutely no alcohol... And, if that wouldn't deter you: "normal" people (meaning non-indigenous) are not permitted to come into town. But if you can get a job there, it is not only very well paid, your weekly working hours add up to 38. Except if you run the local store, as Geoff does: make that 50 - 55 hours per week. Somebody needs to re-stock the shelves. Actually, the store is the only enterprise in town that is not fully government funded. But couldn't he employ some of the locals? Yes, if they want to come and work, definitely yes. But ask the question "when are you going to start?" the answer is "Monday". (Hint: originally the term is commonly spoken in the Spanish language, also starting with the letter M).

Of the approximately 60 - 70 children in the town, on average about 45 attend school every day. This massive improvement has been achieved upon the arrival of a new Principal.

Is there any mining in the area? "Not in Warakurna" Geoff remarked, "but just a bit further on." The definition of "just a bit further on" being around 180 Kilometres... And what do the indigenous inhabitants of the town do? OK then, what could be done? There were quite a number of other questions and corresponding refreshingly straight answers, many somewhat disconcerting and depressing. However, in view of which your Editor's policy to follow the Rotary guidelines of remaining non-political etc, I much regret that I have decided to leave this to the individual reader's imagination.

Last week we had a social meeting

Last week we had a social meeting - no formalities, no speaker, just a good chin wag at a different location. We met at the Paradox Coffee Roasters, a cafe inside the Transit Centre in Surfers Paradise. Good to enjoy a change from the traditional Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Hash Browns and Mushrooms to exotic stuff such as a wide variety of Bread & Bagels, 'Proper Cheese and Toast', 'Fluffy Omelette from Free Range Eggs with Toowoomba Tomato', even a "Brekkie Salad, consisting of Poached egg with lemon dressed garden leafs, Byrons Bay crispy bacon, blistered tomatoes" [they walked all the way from Toowoomba wearing unsuitable shoes], "English style black pudding" [the Germans invented black pudding - they call it Blut Wurst (Blood Sausage) - far more descriptive in your Bulletin Editor's humble opinion...]

Host John Franich brought our recently arrived Youth Exchange Student from Italy, Martina Missarelli along. And just to prove that one should never stereotype anyone: Not all Italians are living on Espresso, Capuccino, Latte or Macciato: the lady drinks tea!

There were other highly educational delights (that is, if you were fortunate to sit next to the right people): Ordinary plebeians, such as your Editor, would never notice what causes the heart rate of erudite artistic people such as DGN Darrell Brown to rise to ecstacy levels: the brassy colour of the lampshades matches the two tone cutlery, their shape matches the plates and to top it off, the brass and polished metal tables are not just for easy cleaning, they also match the colour of the cutlery. It was very tempting indeed to souvenir a fork (the lamp shades being too high up on the wall), but on reflection, I opted for a serviette instead.

President Paul Seymour answers 33 Questions

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 26, 2015

Your Editor is looking forward to a holiday... Hopefully, this time, it is definitely there now! President Paul is revealing his innermost secrets.

Read all about it - you can download it now from the Download section on the right! Hopefully, this time it stuck...! Please send me a direct email if you still can't download it.

Last week's speaker: Chris Thurtell, our plans for Youth Service

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 25, 2015

Youth Director Chris Thurtell outlined his vision for the next 12 months. This year, whilst we are hosting an incoming YE student, we are not going to send one out in January since we currently have two (Gabrielle and Felicity) overseas. Our main focus will be on the other Youth Programs, in particular the "5 big ones": RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment), RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award), RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness), NYSF (the National Youth Science Forum) and of course Youth Exchange with our students currently stationed overseas and freshly arrived Martina from Italy. "Our challenge is to find a candidate selected by us", Chris emphasised. This is in reference to the fact that in past years it was quite common that we would "inherit" a (nevertheless very worthy) candiate proposed by another club.

RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment)

This is a weekend experience for 14 - 16 year old students, designed to assist them in their transition to adulthood. The emphasis is on quality, safety, outcomes, communication, decision making. Applicants don't necessarily have to be top academic achievers Click on the link above for more details, in particular read the 'About RYPEN' page.

RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award)

RYLA is, as the name would suggest, a camp to develop leaders. Designed for 19 - 28 year olds, it features numerous segments on personal development, leadership skills, citizenship skills, how to handle change. Originally conceived in Australia in 1959, it was adopted world wide in 1971 and by 1998 is running in some 521 Districts. More details on the above link.

NYSF (National Youth Science Forum)

Now, this is for the seriously brainy! You may recall we were fortunate to have Maria Ciubuc-Batcu (picture on right) accepted in 2013. Annually held in Canberra, this is a serious (but with lots of fun) 2 week excercise for aspiring scientists.

RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness)

Just how many lives has RYDA saved over the years? Nobody would know. But there would be almost nobody who has not, at some stage in their lives, been touched by the tragedy of a young man or woman suffering total disability or even death due to misjudging their driving ability, or worse, due to their mate's driving ability. The loss is not just for the individual, but their families and friends are forever affected. Our club, with the driving force of DGN Darrell Brown behind it, has a long standing involvement in this very important program.

YEP (Youth Exchange Program)

Travel, Adventure, Opportunity... The leading program of its kind in the world. Our club was dormant for many years, until we revived this program again with great success. Over the past few years, we had a strong involvement, culminating with our recent students Isabelle Franich (to France) and currently two students, Felicity Cooper (in Finland) and Gabrielle Burey (in Germany), and of course the very successful inbound students we have recently hosted: Lyssia Delameneure (Belgium) in 2013-14, Laura Burtscher (Austria) in 2014-15 and now, just arrived, Martina Missarelli (Italy).

So, how will we go about it? "Schools are getting so many enquiries for participants in Youth programs" Chris said, "we will take alternative venues such as Sport and Surf Clubs". Our motto:

"Find your place in the world".

Martina has landed

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 20, 2015

Benvenuti in Australia Martina!

Real early this Monday morning, our new inbound Youth Exchange Student Martina Missarelli from Italy arrived at Brisbane International Airport, where she was greeted by District Youth Exchange Treasurer Gerald East (picture left) and Youth Exchange Director Chris Thurtell (on right).

We understand that Martina's father is the local Volvo dealer in her home town of Pian Camuno (Brescia, Lombardy), so Martina would have felt right at home in Gerald's Volvo. (BTW, in Italy, Volvo drivers don't wear hats...! ☺) Not sure if her father is aware that Chris has a stable full of Peugeots, including a RCZ...

Martina will be formally introduced this Wednesday at the Yacht Club - don't miss it!

Last week's Speaker: Tania Laird - Woman behind the Badge

Posted by Franz Huber on Jul 05, 2015

Some speakers are interesting. Some speakers come from harsh backgrounds. Some have may have experienced discrimination, outright bullying, racism. Some have genuine charisma and charm, and on top of that are good looking. Few have real presence. Perhaps, they have presence because all of the above applies.

Born in Auckland "sometimes in the 60's", Tania was born to a single mother. Unable to afford to bring her up, her mother had no choice but to foster her out into a "care environment" when she was 3 months old. Then her foster parents separated. Tania was assigned to a new foster family who had 5 kids of their own plus 5-8 foster children, depending on the season.

Ultimately, Tania was adopted. It caused family-internal issues: "But why would you adopt a coloured child?" was the openly asked question (and perhaps the continued 'elephant in the room'). In primary school, Tania was one of only 3 coloured children. We all know that children are naturally cruel, and thus she quickly learned and experienced what racism was all about. Still, her personality would not let her down: she found two close friends.

On to 'Intermediate School', on to College. And at 15, Tania left school to start a career in Retail. Today, she is in charge of membership, Advertising, Sponsorship Sales at the Australian Security Industry Association. And if you ever have met Tania, you are not even surprised. With a perennially engaging, positive attitude, really, the sky is the limit. Can't wait for Tania giving us the second segment of her presentation!

Barry Lea - Fundraising idea: 'Rotary Goods & Services Auction Lunch'

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 08, 2015

Barry Lea presented a detailed outline of a potential fundraiser for the club. Instead of a big, expensive event, let's have a 'Back to Basics Friday Lunch'.

"Rotary Goods & Services Auction Lunch"

for the benefit of Local Community Needs

Reasonable cost
No entertainment
"Men's Lunch"
Opportunity to purchase goods and services at very reasonable auction prices
Place: Burleigh Bears Sports Bar, Pizzey Park, Miami
Cost: $60.00 per head for Roast Lunch, Cheese Platter and Beer, Wine and Soft Drink package for 3 hours
Master of Ceremonies: a well known personality (not paid)
Auctioneer: A local identity
Auction Items: 200 Goods and Services to be auctioned over a time of about 1 1/2 hours
Raffle: an attractive prize 1st / 2nd / 3rd @$5.00 per ticket
200 Goods & Service items to be sought by every member of the club (this equals to 7 items per member - not a big ask).
Hold in a few months' time so we can properly plan it and obtain the 200 or so goods & services prizes we'll need
Priced at $60.00 per person, the aim is to sell 200 tickets. No income to be made from the food and drinks - income from the auction and raffle prizes
Financial return at average of $50.00 per person would be $10,000, plus raffle $1,000 = total $11,000
Donor Acknowledgment - Certificate of Appreciation

Barry has already identified some 12 tables that would be taken up, so only about 8 tables to be sold. So, what are we waiting for?

Major points from the District Training Assembly

As sometimes happens, other items took up time, so the presentations were limited to severe brevity before the meeting closed at its usual exact time of 08:30 am.

Simon Brook had attended the Membership segment. "Is the club ready to accept young members?" was the big question. Simon outlined details of an alternative arrangement, successfully carried out by another club: The Satellite Club. In essence, a separate group is formed which administratively (and legally) runs under the banner of the main club, but has meetings at different times of the day and/or on different days. There is also a new badge to be had for members who have introduced another member.

Tania Laird provided insight into the Youth program. "Develop strong strategies, involve them in your club" was the message. One needs to maintain positive communications channels. Since it it difficult to get into the schools directly, one can work with their P&C Associations, but personal contact is required. One should also have a dedicated fundraising event, specifically for Youth projects.

Surfers Sunrise to be recognized by incoming RI President Ravi Ravindran

Posted by Franz Huber on Jun 01, 2015

Wheelchair Trust Chairman Daryl Sanderson (picture on right) announced last week that the recently sent container full of wheelchairs, destined for Sri Lanka, will be recognized by the incoming Rotary International President, K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran (see picture on left) who hails from Sri Lanka. An extract from an email by Rotarian Andy (Rotary Club of Burleigh Heads) who is coordinating the project between the Surfers Sunrise and the Rotary Club of Colombo:

"The Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan and the children of Sri Lanka are most grateful to you and your club for this kind gesture. They will communicate with you directly once the container is cleared.

It is simply fitting that when the Container of Wheelchairs for kids reach Sri Lanka on 1^st July , Sri Lankan Rotarian Ravi Ravindran takes over as Rotary International President on the same day. We should call this project, “To RI President Ravi, with Love from Surfers Sunrise, Australia."

Well done, Wheelchair boys!

What a start for Ravi's theme for 2015/16:

"Be a gift to the world"!

Last week's Guest Speaker: Michael Irving - Life on an Antarctica Research Station

Posted by Franz Huber on May 31, 2015

OK, I understand that Michael doesn't want to be referred to as District Governor Elect (that means he will be DG in a month's

time), but in the context of doing a presentation at a Rotary Club, in the opinion of your humble Editor, this needs to be mentioned. In his professional life, Michael had a string of major University Executive appointments, including Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Gold Coast Campus of Griffith University, Vice-Chancellorial appointments in New Zealand and in the Sultanate of Oman. And he "spent some time" at Scott Research Station in the Ross Sea region in Antarctica, which was the subject of his presentation last Wednesday:

Did you know that the Great Dividing Range extends all the way to Antarctica? If you ever explored the Rainforests of Springbrook, on the short, fully paved walk at 'The Best Lookout' and at a lot of other places, you will find the Antarctic Beech tree. 2000 years old. And if you look at the map of Gondwanaland (referring to the ancient land approx 510 to 180 Million years ago (see picture on right) - not the Jazzband...), you will find that at the time, Antarctica was sort of aligned with Australia (and New Zealand didn't even exist yet, and thus there was no argument about All Blacks -v- Wallabies, underarm cricket and the like)... ☺

Michael had lots of very interesting pictures, amongst which were the comparison of American versus New Zealand Bases: the buildings of the Kiwis (see photo on left) are all interconnected, one can move to any of them under cover. And, so they have fresh vegetables all year round, they have a fully functional Hydroponics Farm!

The area of Antarctica is 350,000 Km2, and this roughly doubles in winter. Growth of sea ice can be as much as 64 Km2 per second, so no wonder some people (even of recent origin - refer a "scientific" (read: tourist) ship in 2013) got caught with their vessels totally stuck. So, what about Global Warming? "The ice shelf in Antarctica and Greenland has increased", Michael advised, "Global Warming has nothing to do with the speed of the melting of glaciers". In essence, this is explained that glaciers flow because of the pressure from above, e.g. the amount of snow fall in the region, which determines the amount of ice at the top, which pushes the glaciers down.

If you want to go to Antarctica, you have to undergo some serious survival training. One of the tricks is to learn how to light a Primus stove. Not too hard, you say? Try it at minus 45 degrees... No, it is not recommended to take your gloves off!

So, why would you want to go there at all? Well, drilling down into the ice cap and into the solid rock below provides solid data of life on earth some 10 Million years ago. But how can you drill when the ice shifts continuously? Well, Russia applied the same technique already when they drilled in the Arctic for oil. And this is how one discovers real data on what happened in the past. This is how professional Geologists such as University of South Australia Professor Ian Plimer can prove why, as Michael Irving declared, "you should not believe what they tell you on ABC about Global Warming". You can read all about it in Ian Plimer's work 'Heaven and Earth' (the library has it and also his latest work 'Not for Greens - He who soups with the devil should have a long spoon'). You can also go back to your Junior High School assignment when you studied the Vikings who, roughly 1,000 years ago, were farming on Greenland. The settlements ultimately perished because of ~~Global Warming~~. Sorry, I meant Climate Change...

District Assembly 2015 - Skennars Head

Posted by Franz Huber on May 25, 2015

Over the years, your Editor has attended quite a few District Training Assemblies, many left lots of room for improvement, some were excellent. Sunday's assembly, held at Skennar's Head, I would, without hesitation, put into the latter category. With District Trainer PDG Tony Heading and District Governor Elect Anne Eagan in charge, I have no doubt that enormous effort was put into making it very much worthwhile for the incoming officers of the 54 clubs in the District to sacrifice their Sunday. Our club was well represented, with DGEN Darrell Brown and District Treasurer Doug Lipp both running training sessions, and President Elect Paul Seymour being joined by our inaugural lady member Tania Laird, Secretary Peter Morgan, Vice President Ian Mayberry, Club Service Director Graeme Isaacson, Youth Service Director Chris Thurtell, Fred Hamblen, Simon Brook and your Editor.

I attended one stream each in the morning and afternoon: firstly Darrell Brown's 'Putting Fun into Rotary Meetings', and, together with Paul Seymour, in the afternoon DGE Michael Irving's 'How to develop a Club Strategic Plan'. Both sessions were highly interactive, with lots of good ideas coming up from participants of what has worked in their clubs. This article is not to steal our President Elect's thunder, so I'll refrain from being specific.... However, I warmly commend any member who wants to make a difference in our club to attend future District Training Assemblies. What's the old adage? "The more I put into it, the more I get out of it." Or was that the other way round? I'm never quite sure... The engines have been warmed up. Prepare for take-off! [That doesn't mean sitting back and staring out of the window. That means start flapping your wings!]

Last week's's speaker: Andy Bell - Undercover Cop - Part 2

Posted by Franz Huber on May 23, 2015

... we pick up from Andy's tales he presented on 29th April [see bulletin of 6th May - it is still on the website]. He had just sorted out a anarchist mob who wanted to cause serious havoc at an upcoming Springbok tour. The tour was stopped...

"I was posted back to Auckland to do standard street work, to get me back to some normality of life" Andy started off. (With "street work" he didn't refer to directing traffic - he meant "standard" detective duties, catching "normal" crims, if there is such a thing...). But it didn't last all that long before he was posted to Wellington with the aim of infiltrating a major drug ring who were importing Hash valued in the Millions of dollars. He selected the name 'Adrian McKellar' for himself. "Always use a name which starts with the same letter as your real name. If you need to sign something and forget that you are undercover, by the time your brain has caught up, you can complete the signature with the false name." [I'll try to remember that next time I need to use a false name... Ed.] He landed a job as a barman at the Lion Tavern, where it was suspected that a lot of the action happened. The place was heavily frequented by Japanese sailors, and their excessive "tips" (voluntary and involuntary) were shared with the girls. This immediately put Andy (sorry, I mean Adrian...) on the right foot with the girls who would be a very likely source of information.

"What you have to have is luck!" Andy declared. He did: he got into an altercation with the bar manager (who was also heavily involved in drug imports) and consequently not only got sacked but also banned from the pub. Yet, Andy managed to become deeply involved in the inner circle of a Hashish importing organization. He was offered a deal to buy some $400,000 worth of the stuff. This caused some consternation back at Police Headquarters, since $400,000 (roughly NZ$ 5 Million in today's money) in a brown paper bag was not exactly straight forward to organize, even at the top echelons of Police. [Terry Lewis or Jack Herbert in Queensland at the time may have been able to assist... ☺ Ed.] But the money was raised. Andy was going to meet with the king pin of the syndicate at the local Cenotaph. Upon the goods being handed over, he was to press a beeper which was to alert his colleagues who then would swoop in and arrest "everyone". But the guy didn't want to do the hand-over at the Cenotaph. He wanted to move to a small alley next to the hotel. OK, so they went there - Andy pressed the beeper. And nothing happened. Pressed it again - still nothing. So, what does a good cop do in such a situation? He confesses: "I'm a cop" Andy declared, "and I'm going to arrest you!". Amazingly, the guy didn't resist or flee! But Andy needed to phone in, so they went into the pub where there was a Public Phone. "But you are banned!" the bar manager declared. So Andy - sorry, Adrian - arrested him as well into the bargain...

But the next segment was the most outrageous one of the lot. Move over James Bond! Andy was sent to Christchurch to infiltrate a syndicate there which was suspected of importing large quantities of heroin. And what did Andy chose as his professional cover? To be a Gigolo...! He inveigled himself with the syndicate bosses' wife Theresa, who then invited him to spend a weekend away from the hustle and bustle. "Ok, but you'll have to pay me!" Andy retorted. That obviously was no deterrent. "We had lots and lots to drink" Andy recounted, "and then some more. When it came to 'do the deed', .... [in view of this bulletin possibly being read by some people who may suffer from heart complications, the rest of the story has been redacted by the Editor.] But it seems that this did not cause any long-term damage - via the boss' wife, Andy was able to work himself into the syndicate and ultimately sprung the trap, bringing a wide circle of criminals from various backgrounds including University lecturers before the courts.

There is no doubt about it: there is plenty of material there still for a 3rd segment!

Changeover Luncheon this Sunday 14th June

This year's Changeover Luncheonwill be held on

Sunday, 14th June 2015

12:00 for 12:30 start

Presidential Suite

Sea World Resort

(not the water theme park)

Chris Thurtell organized a very special deal:

$50.00 per person

Please pre-pay by Direct Deposit to

Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise

BSB 484-799

Account No 047306431

Last week's speaker: DGEN Darrell Brown - RYDA

Posted by Franz Huber on May 17, 2015

Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA)

The chart on the left shows it all. Depicting crash statistics which include fatalities, the incidence of a P Plate driver in the first 2 years of his/her license looks like the Pareto Principle (80/20 %) in Marketing. Except that in this case you want to do anything to reduce the steep curve. In 2013, Australia recorded 1193 fatalities. About a quarter of these are young people in the 17-25 age group. One should also keep in mind that for road accidents, conventional statistics as apply to war casualties are vastly exceeded: For every 1 death there are 20 serious injuries. The effect of each and every case on the families, the school and the community is immeasurable.

It is good to know though that statistics record a steady decline year after year, on average the trend is - 3.4% per year (Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. This proves the effectiveness of programs such as the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program. Established in 2004, the program specifically targets 17-18 year olds, the most likely group to be involved. It is treated as a 1 day school excursion, with each presentation made to some 150 students.

On the Gold Coast, PDG Graham Jones kicked the program off on the Gold Coast in 2004. Since then, throughout Australia, some 350,000 students h

ave attended RYDA, from some 500 schools at 90 venues. And not a lot of 'I speak, you sit there and listen': they run 6 interactive sessions during the day, such

as the demonstration of stopping distances at various speeds.

And what do the participating students think? Well, 82% gavie it the top rating in effectiveness, 95% say it should be compulsory, 99% agreed it increases student awareness. Yet, as always, there is the continued battle to get funding. It costs approximately $25 per person attending. Considering just the monetary side alone: "Road trauma costs the public purse about $27 Billion per annum" the report of Road Safety Education (RSE), the body which oversees the various programs, states. Yet, Government contributes just 4%, with the balance funded by the community, including some sponsorship by Toyota in Australia and NZ Steel in New Zealand. The Insurance Companies? Whilst the first start was sponsored by Suncorp, at present they are not exactly standing out - very little if anything. Just how much would an insurance company save if they don't have to pay out a road crash?

Historical event: Tania Laird is our first lady member in 28 years!

Posted by Franz Huber on May 10, 2015

It took a very special person to break the ice... Tania Laird is our very first Surfers Sunrise lady member. Hot on the heels of the induction of Julian Price last week, Vice President Ian Mayberry inducted Tania last Wednesday. Introduced to our club by Sergeant Andy Bell (yes, he fined her already, "just to get used to it"...) Tania is a Sales Executive with the Australian Security Industry Association.

Here she is pictured with Andy Bell, proudly affixing her shiny new Rotary Pin.

Welcome to the club, Tania!

Now, let's hope it doesn't take another 28 years before the next lady is inducted... ☺

Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA)

Posted by Darrell Brown on May 06, 2015

Good things come to those who volunteer.

RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) started up for the year on the Gold Coast with our club hosting the Australian Industrial Trade College from Robina. Isabelle Franich our past YEP student, George Keily our Honorary member & Past President, Geoff Croad & Darrell Brown manned the day. During the event, Isabelle was offered a job as a presenter, a paid position. Well done! Because the school has taken part in the event for the last three years & through circumstances, couldn’t be joined by another school to make up numbers, our Gold Coast RYDA subsidised the school to the tune of $455 - money well spent on the first day of a revised program. The next event with All Saints & another group from the Australian Trade College will be held on the 16th June. Because there will be 270 students, two venues - Runaway Bay Sports Complex & Southport Community Centre will need to be utilised with the Rotary Clubs of Gold Coast & Mermaid Beach manning the days.

Meet our newest member: Julian Price

Posted by Franz Huber on May 03, 2015

Last Wednesday, Vice President Ian Mayberry had the pleasure of inducting our newest member, Julian Price. Nominated by Gerald East, Julian's classification is 'Sales & Marketing'. Julian's specialty is in Website design. Watch this space for more details!

Gabrielle Burey reports from Germany - Feb/March 2015

Firstly I would like to apologize to my sponsor club as I have forgotten to tell them that I would be on Europatour for most of March and so I would be unable to do my monthly report for March. I went on Europatour 2015 for 22 days with 53 other exchanges from my district in Germany. The first night was hard as I didn’t know many people because I was unable to meet them all at the Rotex Wochenende in Paderborn but like always I was accepted into really good friends with some of the Brazilians and Argentinians. I had so much fun and I am sort of sad at the moment because it is over but I know that I will have more experiences like this in the near future :).

I have created a Powerpoint of my experiences on Eurotour. [See Download section on the right hand side]

Herzliche Grüße,
Gabrielle Burey

Last week's speaker 01 April 2015: Des La Rance

Posted by Franz Huber on Apr 04, 2015

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

John 3:17-18

One does not necessarily need to be religious to recognize the above bible quote exactly meets Des La Rance's concept. In the mid Nineties, Des visited Fiji as a tourist. He is not the type who simply wants to sip cocktails and fry himself on the beach, so he went a bit away from the beaten track. And what he came across triggered a sequence of events that, ultimately, led to over 6,750 crippled children in all continents receiving the gift of mobility in the form of a wheelchair. "There must be something I can do about this" was Des' single determination. Out of this, the concept design of building a wheelchair from discarded bicycles emerged.The early days were difficult to say the least. Together with some of his fellow Surfers Sunrise Club members, Des toured the other Rotary Clubs to present his idea of making a low-cost wheelchair. For a paltry $100 (they still cost less than $100 today - all labour is voluntary), he could help a disabled child in a developing country to come away from dragging themselves along the floor and become mobile. Ok, so a couple of hundred dollars were raised here, and another hundred there...

At the District Convention 1997 at the Royal Pines Resort, Ray Martin, the host of Channel 9's 'A Current Affair', was the keynote speaker (about the Fred Hollows Foundation). Later that night, Ian Mayberry raked up the courage to invite Ray to come along to our wheelchair display at the conference. In a short time, one saw Ray wheeling himself in one of our wheelchairs up and down the corridors of Royal Pines... This resulted in A Current Affair featuring the delivery of the first 10 wheelchairs to Fiji (see report in the Download section, bottom right hand side of our website), which in turn raised funds very much in the $6 digits. As the saying goes, the rest is history.

Since then, Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Trust, under the chairmanship of Daryl Sanderson, and key members Des La Rance, Bob Harrison, the late Keith Lutz and dozens of volunteer helpers, has supplied wheelchairs to some 31 countries, even to Russia (Chernobyl) where they experienced the ire of the Russian Mafia who didn't want to let the wheelchairs to come in free of charge. They bought an old Ambulance (it looked just like that one in *M*A*S*H*), and on back ways, the chairs were smuggled from Finland into Russia...

As time went on, the Wheelchair Trust branched out into providing buildings, starting off with East Timor during their struggle for Independence. An orphanage desperately needed help - their building had been destroyed by the Indonesian Army. In concert with the Army (including General Peter Cosgrove) and the Rotary Club of Doncaster (our regular visitor and Honorary Queenslander Graeme Trainor comes from there), materials were organized and, via the Australian Army, shipped from Darwin.

Then, on Boxing Day 2004, the devastating tsunami hit the West of Indonesia and the coast of Thailand. Our club organized for a primary school and play gym to be erected in Phuket. Another massive tsunami hit Samoa in September 2009. Again, the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Trust organized for a primary school and play gym to be built at Mataa'fa village on the south side of Samoa. This led to a major project, the 'House of Hope' in he capital of Samoa, Apia. Some 32 abandoned, abused or orphaned children are now accommodated there. And one of our members, Mario Fairlie who is an electronics communications expert, also financed a video link to Apia's court house, so children did not need to appear in person and thus did not feel intimidated. Each one of these stories deserves a major write up on its own. On our website http://www.rotarysurferssunrise.org, on the right hand side towards the bottom of the Download section, there are some write-ups relating to the projects in Thailand and Samoa.

What's next? A hospital in Papua New Guinea - using the 8 containers in which it is shipped as major structural components of the building. It only gets better...

Gabrielle Burey and Felicity Cooper's February Reports are here!

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 08, 2015

See Download section on the right. Two items from Gabrielle: the report itself and a Power Point presentation, Felicity has embedded her photos in the one document.

Very interesting reading, girls!

Last week's speaker: Alex Batcu - Man behind the Badge

Posted by Franz Huber on Mar 02, 2015

Alex came to be involved with Rotary when his charming daughter, Maria (Photo on right) applied for selection in the National Youth Science Forum (almost impossible to get into the inner circle, not to mention being selected) and indeed was successful. Maria will be our guest speaker next Wednesday 11th March. Last Wednesday, we were given a bit of an inkling from where Maria got half of her top level Scientists brain from: her father!

How many people do you know who have a double degree? (yeah, a fair number). But how many do you know who have a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and then later in life decided to obtain a degree in Medicine? Well, there you have just one aspect of Alex.

Aleandru Ciubuc-Batcu is his full name. Born in Romania, shortly after his country turned to Communism, deposing its King Michael I. His Grandfather was a Commander of the Romanian Army. He thus took the blame, was sent to a labour camp where he was killed as "an enemy of the people". Yes, Alex doesn't leave any doubt that Mr Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania's Dictatorship ruler from 1965 to the end of his reign in 1989, is not his favourite person. When one considers the hardship he, his family and his country have gone through, Alex displays a remarkable control over his emotions. And since Rotary is not about politics, let's concentrate on his achievements: Lenin's motto of "Learn - Learn - Learn" went well with Alex's overall attitude (and aptitude). School was extremely harsh and discipline was enforced in every way (inclusive physical punishment if you didn't present your home work the next day). But the psychological pressure would go beyond that: non-performers had to repeat their class, "and this would bring big shame onto the family".

But 'learn - learn - learn' he did: Alex studied Mechanical Engineering, which consisted not just the expected subjects, but also Chemistry, Biology, Architecture, Art. "Being an Engineer requires you to be able to do everything, to create" he stated. He worked at a manufacturing plant of some 20,000 workers where they manufactured Locomotives. The Party established the targets: 1,000 Locos per year... [no further comment. Just read 1984 by George Orwell. - Ed]. Alex ultimately specialized in designing Simulators for all sorts of applications. For example, he constructed a simulator to test petrol tanks to see how much it took to make them burst. Later on, in a rather unexpected departure from 'the line so far', he followed this up with a degree in Medicine - Yes! Medical Doctor. And, if you consider how totally different the Romanian language is to English, one can't help to be impressed by Alex's adoption of our language.

Ultimately, in 1989, the Communist State failed. "The transition time was very hard - we didn't know what was Democracy". Alex ran an automotive parts plant with some 300 employees. However, gradually he came to the realization that "I love Romania, but this country doesn't want me". He decided to emigrate, first to New Zealand (2002) and in 2011 came to Australia. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Or is it? [I have no doubt that there would be another dozen 'Man behind the Badge' presentation in Alex without once repeating himself. I look forward to it. Ed.]

Simon Brook wins inaugural Q1 Stair Climb!

Not something your average Rotarian can achieve! Most of our members prefer to take the lift...

Congratulations, Simon and Tracey Fenemor, the winnder of the women's race.

On left: Simon Brook and the winner of the women's race,

(Picture 'liberated' from Simon's Facebook page...)

If you ever thought that RYLA isn't effective, think again

Posted by Franz Huber

In this week's bulletin (18 Feb 2015), read about the presentation of our two Awardees, Ryan Kenny and Andrew Ters. Download the bulletin - see left side.

Surfers Sunrise farewells two Youth Exchange Students

Posted by Franz Huber on Jan 17, 2015

Another first for Surfers Sunrise: whilst we have in recent years again been very active on the International Youth Exchange Scene, thanks to the huge efforts of AG Darrell Brown and our current Youth Services Director Chris Thurtell, this year we are sending two! Felicity Cooper (right in above

picture) leaves for Helsinki, Finland and Gabrielle Bury (separate picture) will shortly land in Minden, near Hannover in Germany. Thanks to modern communication technology, Gabrielle had a Skype link from her home in Moree in Northern NSW to Simon Brook's iPad and we had a brief farewell Video Phone chat. Isn't modern technoloy wonderful?

Hyvää matkaa ! Felicity, und Gute Reise! Gabrielle.

And don't forget: we are all looking forward to receiving your monthly reports!

Meanwhile, Isabelle Franich (left on above picture) has last week returned from France, and of course we have our inbound student from Austria, Laura Burtscher (centre).

And, to top it up, last Wednesday Elliott Cox, whom we sponsored to attend a Rotary Youth Transition Seminar (RYTS) gave a presentation of his experiences - see separate report.

Our Youth Programs: National Youth Science Forum

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 27, 2014

The competition for a place at the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) is quite fierce: our last successful candidate was Maria Ciubic-Batcu (picture on right), she was one of some 67 applicants. 48 made it to be eligible for selection, a total of 16 only were selected...

NYSF candidates are selected from Year 12 High School Students and similar schools, such as the Qld Government Health Sciences Academy (Griffith University) where Maria studied at the time.

The next forum will take place for a week in January 2017 (applications closed in June). But give some thoughts to any potential candidate for 2018 - nominations will close in June 2017!

More details at this link: https://www.nysf.edu.au/

Doug and Sue Lipp on YouTube

Posted by Franz Huber on Aug 10, 2014

Can you visualize it? Most people don't make it to YouTube. But - the lord be praised - he didn't perform as a singer...

Doug Lipp recently took a wheelchair all the way to India, to donate it on behalf of Surfers Sunrise Rotary to the principal Sister Laila Francis of St. Francis College for Women. Here is a brief video of Doug's presentation.

At the same event, Doug's better half Sue was presented with a set of Hyderabad pearls for her work and in particular for her inspriational speech to the students. Click here to see a video of the presentation to Sue.

Surfers Sunrise Wheelchairs to Nigeria

You all recall the big effort by Madonna Brosnan and the Jesus Abandoned Charity, when they came down with a truckload of clothing to "fill in the empty gaps" in a container load of wheelchairs bound for Nigeria.

This video shows Fr Anthony Ananwa distributing Surfers Sunrise Rotary wheelchairs from Australia to residents of Nnewi district.

Surfers Sunrise Wheelchairs Video by Lance Hayward

This short video was compiled for Gold Coast philanthropist Lance Hayward to showcase the amazing work done by the Surfers Paradise Sunrise Rotary Wheelchair Project that makes wheelchairs from reclaimed and recycled parts and ships them to impoverished people around the world. The video was posted on YouTube about 2 years ago.

Helensvale State High School to build Flat Pack School on Samoa

Helensvale State High School Principal Mark Blackshaw presented at our club on 19th March 2014, outlining his plans to have his school sponsor a Flat Pack School on Samoa