Just a short waffle this week as there was no meeting last Monday. I can assure you though the club has not stood still in that time.
It appears the golf day is coming along nicely with approximately 30 people confirmed so far.
Also the Fit for Parks project is still rumbling along nicely in the background with plans for a club information night on the 7th of April which will bring everyone up to date and give all an opportunity to feel involved in what could be Torquay Rotary’s biggest local project so far.
Monday night we now have two Guests, One being Claire Demeo speaking on her experiences with the Science Forum program that she attended and Katie from “Dogs for Kids with Liabilities” who will be the beneficiary's of the up and coming Surf Coast Dog Walk event.
Hopefully you have noticed that we have transitioned our Club to Version 3 of Clubrunner. Whilst in your day to day use of Clubrunner I doubt you will find much difference to v2 the most obvious improvements will be to our Club Website and Bulletin. (starting with this bulletin edition)
I believe that they are visually a great improvement and will ultimately be much easier to work with.
One of the new features will be that bulletins from now on will be archived so that you will be able to revist them as you wish via the link on the website.
Have a look around, and I hope that you like the new look. Please contact me if you have any ideas, suggestions or concerns.
Also I am pleased to announce that Rotary Radio Podcasts are finally available to download again. Please read the article at the bottom of the bulletin to access the link
By now you will all be aware that this event is fast approaching on the 30th March. You will have received an email from Secretary Gayle (5th March) with a request to fill one or more of the many tasks that our Club is committed for, both on the Saturday (setting up) and across most of Sunday during the event.
If you have not yet looked at the email then please do so, and remember that partners and friends of the Club are most welcome to assist as well. If you would like any further details please contact Trevor Brown, Jeanette Crowther or Gayle Evans.
To read the Surf Coast Shire Press ReleaseCLICK HERE
At todays Cowrie Market I once again ran a fundraising Raffle for Transplant Australia. Pictured at left is the Prize Hamper of items which were generously donated to the cause by local businesses.
Luckily the prize hamper was won by local resident Ian Sandner and son Sergej of Jan Juc so I was able to present their prize to them before the day was over. Their ticket purchase contributed to total ticket sales of $101 which wil be donated to Transplant Australia Our most sincere thanks to all who contributed.
I am scheduled to make a presentation about my recent trip at a Club meeting on 7th April but here is early taste for those of you who just can’t wait.
As most of you are aware I ventured forth into the land of the sleeping crocodile in the last week of February. Why on earth would you do that you might well ask? Those of you with better long term memory skills than I have, may recall that late last year there was some mention at Club meetings of our Rotary Club becoming involved as a partner with East Warrnambool Rotary Club in an off-shore project. When the chance came up to join the recce team I just couldn’t pass it up. In my experience, first hand exposure to the actual project is far more informative that relying on the interpretations of others.
Here are some photos that will help you understand the current state of disrepair of the buildings in question No – the building on the left is not a farm shed; it is the main school building!
Would you let your children use a toilet block that looks like this?
Yes there is much work to be done to resolve lots of building issues at the school. Now before you throw your hands in the air and start to panic, take a deep breath and try to relax! We are not in this alone!
There are a number of partners who want to be involved in this project. They include the Rotary Clubs of Torquay, East Warrnambool, Ascot (Perth WA), Water East Timor (an organisation that provides sanitation and clean drinking water to villages) and a philanthropic organisation in Sydney. The school community also have buy-in to the project and will provide much of the unskilled labour force. The combined resources of these five organisations have the capability of greatly enhancing the educational experience of hundreds if not thousands of small children in this part of the world.
Now before I finish up there is one more thing that I would like to share with you.
In our society we grumble if even one pothole appears in a road let alone a major highway and is not repaired within a few days. Well check this out! This is a section of their Highway number 1.That’s all for now – more on 7th April. Happy to talk to anyone about this before the.
Sydney is delighted to be hosting the 2014 Rotary International Convention in June 2014
The International Convention provides a great opportunity for likeminded Rotarians to connect, gives you a chance to hear quality speakers , update yourself on Rotary world events
As Sydney is only "up the road" it is an ideal opportunity for Club members to experience an international Rotary Convention
The Convention will be held at Sydney Olympic Park, June 1-4, 2014.
Make sure you book your accommodation soon , as this will be tight
For further information CLICK HERE to view the Convention Website
If you cannot meet one of your assigned duties, it is your responsibility to arrange for another member to take your place.
The duty team should arrive no later than 6:00 p.m. Besides the below duties, the assigned team is responsible for Room Setup, Greeting Members and Guests, and Room Tidy at the end of our meeting - see checklist in storeroom or click here .
Date
Duty Team
Program
Chair
Invocation
Fellowship
See Events for details
Mon 17th Mar
Claire Demeo - National Science Participant
Mon 24 Mar
Club Golf Day
Meeting as usual - Dog Walk Briefing
Sun 30 Mar
Surf Coast
Dog Walk
Spring Creek Common
Mon 31 Mar
No
Meeting
Due to Club
Participation at Dog Walk
Please note: The assigned Chairperson for the evening is responsible for writing a short review on the topic presented by the guest speaker of the night and for emailing the review to the Bulletin editor by noon of the following Wednesday
Our meetings have catered dinners, so if you are unable to attend a meeting, or if your partner is unable to attend a designated Partner's Night, YOU MUST ADVISE us of your absence.
There are two ways to do this:
1. filling out in advance the "Apology Book" that is available at each meeting,
2. telephone 03-5222-2022. an answering service operates our of hours
Apologies must be made no later than 9.00AM , on the Monday of the meeting (unless other arrangements were addressed in the Bulletin).
NOTE an answering machine operates at all times
If no apology is recorded by that time, the absentee member willl be sent an invoice to pay the Club the dinner fee ($25) for your non-attendance, and/or that of your partner if it is an official Partner's Night.
REMEMBER on "Partners Nights" it is assumed that you partner IS attending unless you apologise for them!
Also note, if you are bringing a guest or partner (to a non-partner night), you need to notify us of the extra number of persons who are attending.
Rotary Radio is on 94.7 the Pulse the first Tuesday of every month at 12-1.00 pm.
If you are having trouble getting to a radio to listen to Rotary Radio on a Tuesday, then you can subscribe to this program as a Podcast for free. You can then listen to the programs any time you wish. You can also listen to individual episodes? If so then simply Click Here and play the session you choose.
This program is supported by the District Public Relations grant for all clubs in District 9780 to promote their projects. Live streaming means that this can be listened to globally via your computer. Click below to listen live....
The program is intended to provide a platform for the Rotary clubs to present to the community the activities of Rotary. All clubs will be invited to to provide speakers and media releases for upcoming events. Interviews can be conducted by telephone right across the district at NO charge to your club.