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President's Message
Jan Emmett
President's Report No 22
Good Evening fellow Rotarians,
I trust you are all well and have had a great week of freedom. I’m loving not having to wear my facemask but it’s so easy to walk into a shop or café without it on then to realise that you’ve left it on the seat in the car...! So, I’ve now attached one to my keys and one that I loop through the arm of my glasses and tuck it behind my ear, guaranteed to always have one on hand.
Well this week has been an extremely busy one for those wonderful Rotarians who have devoted their precious, personal, time to getting the job done. We are a club with many members so it’s just a shame when only the same ones turn up every time to help out, we all thank you so much for all you do for the club.
Where do I start… well the Pets on Parade Fundraiser has closed and now the Judging begins with Kate Gittings (Torquay and Surf Coast Veterinary Clinics), our very own Dr Trevor Brown (Mobile Vet) and myself (Home keeper and Nanny.!) as the Judge. There have been up to 52 entrants to choose from. But next week all will be revealed and the winner in each of the six categories will be announced and the prizes will be presented by our guest speaker, Graeme Fischer, Chair of End Trachoma next Monday 14th Dec. We thank all our sponsors for their generosity as well as yourselves that have very generously donated towards this event, thank you all so very much. You will be pleased to know that, although we didn’t reach the goal of $2,000 in entry fees, we came so awfully close and that’s a good thing. see Mike Reed’s full Bulletin report.
Mike has also sent out an email to you all via Clubrunner asking for volunteers to help out cleaning the kitchen at St. Therese, which will be our donation to the huge ‘Community Christmas Event on 25th December’. Please consider coming along on that day as many hands make light work, as they say, and as probably most of us will now be celebrating Christmas with our loved ones, please consider those who are doing it hard still and rely on our generosity like this, as small as it may be, to help make them feel a little happier.. think about it and I hope to see you there.
Cans…! the gathering of, proved to be an extremely generous event. This was instigated by Rotarian Alan Anderson and his small committee to collect canned food for Food Aid, led by Lois Gill and her team who collect these cans to make up hampers for the less fortunate during this time of year. We managed to gather around $800 worth of food and there is more to come, so a terrific effort of those who again volunteered collecting and donating these goodies from family, friends, and neighbours. Lois Gill emailed us to say she is overwhelmed with the response and has informed us that she has plenty now to make up the hampers for Food Aid’s clients with enough left over to go towards making more hampers for the ‘Community Christmas Event’ for those in need. Again, great work to those wonderful people who helped make this event, yet another winner...!
Now tomorrow night…. Yay it’s our first official vocational ‘Big Night Out’ and hope you can all make it. As you know we are off to have a tour in and around the newly reconstructed premises of the Jan Jac Surf Life Saving Club (JJSLSC) and Vice President Peter Smith has volunteered his time to show us around himself. So, come along for a look see but please take note: THERE WILL BE NO MEAL INCLUDED… this is something you will have to organise either before or after the tour. We’re not sure yet but the bar might be open for us to partake in a pre/post dinner drink.
Keep well, keep safe and I will look forward to seeing all your smiley 😊 faces tomorrow night.
We would like to thank all those Rotarians who participated in the Torquay Rotary “Can drive“ to assist Food Aid Torquay in giving Families on the Surf Coast some Christmas cheer !
Here’s just a sample of the donations received
In addition , as usual the Club has donated 48 Christmas puddings to Food Aid to include in the hampers
Lois Gill has advised us Food Aid will be packing Hampers during the week before Christmas.
They will be going to Food Aid clients plus Hampers for everyone who turns up to the Christmas Day luncheon to be held in the St Therese’s hall.
Our Pets on Parade extravaganza concluded last Monday 30th November, having run for the month of November.
Although a little slow to gain momentum – we ended up raising a total of $1,545, including 52 ‘pet’ entrants, and some generous financial donations, without the entering of a ‘fury friend’.
We have been very fortunate to have donations of items required for the hygiene kits. Thank you to everyone who donated items to this cause. Your generosity has enabled us to increase the number of bags we could make up.
With the funds raised and the donations received – we have been able to make up 60 kits (or bags) to be distributed to the Aboriginal Communities in Northern Territory. This is a great outcome.
Each kit (or bag) contains – 1x Face washer, 1x Hand towel, 1x Family size shampoo, 1x Family size conditioner, 1x Toothbrush, 1x Toothpaste, 1x Toothbrush holder, 1x Soap, 1x Soap container, 1x Roll on deodorant, 1x 1lt Drink Bottle. All these items together cost around $30.
We have been very fortunate for a donation of 100 material draw string bags made by Bev, a resident at Kithbrooke Park, that Kelly mentioned the program to. Bev said she would make up the draw string bags and donate them to the club. We received a couple of other donations of material, which was passed on. There is over $1,000 of material donated for the bags.
Thank you to everyone who offered to assist with packing the bags. With very limited space, in my Rumpus Room, Lesley, Alan Anderson and I packed them, and last Friday (4th December) Alan Anderson and I delivered the boxes of made up kits to Camperdown. These will be transported to Alice Springs, where they will be distributed to the Aboriginal Communities, where the children will be taught about personal hygiene.
With the assistance of Rotary and Clubs involvement in raising funds and putting these kits together, the hope is to be able to help children in these communities look after themselves properly, have a life of healthy sight …..,. and ….. to ……. End Trachoma!
On behalf of the ‘Pets Team’ – Lesley, President Jan, Bruce Turner, Alan Anderson, Kelly, Chris and Chrissy Sims – I would like to thank you all for your support to this program.
Michael
Please support our generous Pets on Parade sponsors
When the COVID Pandemic hit back at the beginning of the year it not only prevented our Club from participating in its usual fundraising activities but it also prevented our President Elect Michael Reed from being able to get to his hairdresser.
Michael is a quite well-known identity and businessman in Torquay but not many would probably recognise him at the moment!
10 months into COVID Michael is now very woolly and in desperate need of a haircut and shave
Equally our Club is in desperate need of funds to continue the many projects it supports, both locally and overseas to help those less fortunate than ourselves. So Micheal has generously offered himself up as the means to raising some funds.
Just how much hair is removed will depend on how generous the community is with donations to Torquay Rotary. The Target is $2,000 to remove it all so please dig deep!
John Zubler from “Hair by John and Carly” has kindly offered his services to perform the “Big Shave”
MICHEALS BIG SHAVE will take place in the gardens at
the Kithbrooke Community Centre
11.30am Sunday 20th December
The Board has decided to incorporate a BYO Family Christmas Picnic lunch with this fundraiser event. The Luncheon will take place immediately after and all family and friends are welcome to join in for the event.
For more information please call Michael on 0418 524315 or President Jan Emmett on 0418 522533
2021 is a special time for Rotary in Australia and New Zealand when we will come together to celebrate the first 100 years of Service in Australia .
In 1921, four Rotary Clubs were created in Melbourne, Auckland, Wellington and Sydney and from there, Rotary and Rotaract clubs were created everywhere across Australia and New Zealand.
We all share a centenary in 2021 as we come together and create a common legacy.
District 9780 has agreed to be a part of this special year, and Groups 9 & 10 which comprise all the Geelong Clubs from Torquay to Lara will be working together as a group in planning the celebration activities, with a baton relay on Sunday 21st March 2021, culminating in an end of the day event at Johnston Park in Central Geelong .
The Board has agreed to participate in this event and is seeking Club members interest in joining a small committee to organise Club involvement in this Centenary celebration.
If you would like to be a member of the Sub - Committee to help formulate plans for our Club's involvement with the Centenary Relay, then please contact either President Jan or Secretary Maggie.
Torquay Rotary are now meeting online every Monday (excluding public holidays and the last Monday of every month when a Board Meeting will be held instead ) at 7:00pm. All Members are invited to participate and we have resumed a program including Guest speakers and some fun activities.
Visitors and Guests are very welcome. If you would like to join us please
Here's a challenge for everyone...….in these "different" times in which we are living there are more and more Clubs now holding on-line meetings so now it's easier than it's ever been to do a make-up.
You can do them from the comfort of your own home and you don't even have to get dressed up.
Let's have a club challenge to see who can do a make up form the most interesting city. Be sure to grab a screen shot of your meeting and send to me for the bulletin.
What a great way to meet other Rotarians from around the world and to find out how they are living through the COVID-19 lockdowns.
To make it easy the Rotary Club of Mount Lawley in WA have begun compiling a list of Clubs who are now holding On-Line Meetings to view the list click the link below.
Whilst we all are dealing with the COVID 19 Virus and the restrictions this has placed on our Club Meetings and all of us personally, our meetings will be held on ZOOM for the time being.
All details for how to log into the Zoom Meetings can be found in the article elsewhere in the Bulletin, on the Club Website & Facebook pages. remember that Guests are also available.
Club Members and friends also come together over the airwaves to meet and chat socially at the Friday night Happy Hour so I hope you can join in & enjoy the connection
Rotary International President for 2018-19 is Holger Knaack
Holger Knaack, a member of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany, has been selected to serve as president of Rotary International in 2020-21.
A Rotary member since 1992, Knaack has served Rotary as treasurer, director, moderator, member and chair of several committees, representative for the Council on Legislation, zone coordinator, training leader, and district governor. He is an endowment/major gifts adviser and co-chair of the Host Organization Committee for the 2019 Rotary International Convention in Hamburg. Knaack is the CEO of Knaack KG, a real estate company. He was previously a partner and general manager of Knaack Enterprises, a 125-year-old family business. He is a founding member of the Civic Foundation of the City of Ratzeburg and served as president of the Golf-Club Gut Grambek. Knaack is also the founder and chair of the Karl Adam Foundation. Knaack and his wife, Susanne, are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and members of the Bequest Society.
Melbourne has been announced as the host city for the 2023 Rotary International Convention, the largest conference secured this century for Victoria.
Melbourne is a Big Events City! Set to deliver over $88 million to the Victorian economy, the Convention is the most valuable conference ever won for the state, with the four-day event anticipated to attract more than 20,000 Rotarians from around the world. The global spotlight will be on Melbourne and how we present ourselves to the world.
The Convention will take place 27-31 May 2023 using Rod Laver Arena and the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre for functions.
Watch this Space for further news as it comes to hand.
