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Presidents Report

 

Another meeting with plenty of activity.  Our Sergeant proved once again that the tropical sun in Darwin has not diminished his ability to fleece us of our hard earned cash.  Following the fine session he also auctioned a donated bottle of red wine.  The fines and the auction proceeds will all go to our AQUA Box donation at the end of this Rotary year.  After dinner our speaker, Leon Scott from RC Bendigo, spoke to us  about some projects in Timor Leste that his club has been working on for some years.  He also said that City of Greater Bendigo had chipped in $50,000 per year for 6 years.  I found it interesting to hear that RC Bendigo teams still have to grapple with the same logistical issues that we are encountering with our project.

Remember there will be no Club meeting on 30th March due to Club members resourcing the Dog Show event on Sunday 29th.  Remember if you have been allocated a task on that day, arrive early and register your name and starting time for insurance purposes.

There will also be no meeting on Easter Monday 6th April.  The meeting on 13th April will be back at home base.  As you know there have been some changes to the Club Board positions for next year.  Nominees are being sought and all changes will be formalised at a Special General Meeting on Monday 13th April which will precede the Club meeting. 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record the future of Torquay Rotary is in your hands!  Every year each new administration comes in with new ideas and there is limited forward planning or directional continuity.  This limits the Club's ability to become involved in big ticket items or be able to fund large scale projects.  It is for these reasons that the Club Visioning process is under consideration.  You now have the rare opportunity of influencing your Rotary Club's direction into the future.  If you have not already done so, please take the time to reply to the email that I sent each of you on 5th March.  If you can't find your copy please let me know and I will send you another copy.

 

In the meantime I would like to wish all members and their families a safe and happy Easter break.

That's all from me for now until the next edition."

Yours in Rotary Service,

Gerard McNamara
President
Rotary Club of Torquay
D9780

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We welcomed Rotarian, Past President and Paul Harris Fellow Leon Scott from the Rotary Club of Eaglehawk in Bendigo, who shared his experiences and stories from 16 trips to East Timor.  East Timor has been his focus since 2002, where he has led 16 separate teams in rebuilding infrastructure, as well as the lives of the East Timorese people who have suffered enormous hardship through conflict, unemployment, poverty and political unrest.
With excellent before and after photographs, Leon graphically portrayed the extent of the work, difficulties overcome by the Rotary teams, and the sheer joy on the part of the locals as they took possession of a new school, experienced fresh running water for the first time or created the new 'Meals of Heels Service'.  Much of this Rotary work has been assisted by a generous public in the Bendigo region and benefits from substantial support from the City of Greater Bendigo.
Leon's experience and insights provided much food for thought for us, especially in relation to our own project in East Timor, and he offers his assistance and advice.
 

No Monday Meeting For Next 2 Weeks

 
 
Please remember that there is NO Rotary Meeting this week due to the huge effort by all club members yesterday at the Surf Coast Dog Walk event and next Monday 9th April there will be NO MEETING due to the Easter Monday Holiday
 
We will be back to usual at the Lions Village the week after on Monday 13th April

Anzac Day 2014

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sat 25th April ANZAC  DAY – DAWN SERVICE – we will need as many Rotarians as possible to assist with
  • Gunfire Breakfast (BBQ)
  • Traffic control & direction
  • Handing out of Programs & collecting Donations
  • Crowd control at Point Danger
As this year is the Anzac Day Centenary as well as falling on a weekend will ensure a record crowd wil turn out so we wil require as many members as possible to assist.
Please notify John McDonald before April 13 if you will NOT be available for the DAWN SERVICE
Email johnmcdonald78@bigpond.com or 0405 146 443
 
 
 
 
 
Thanks once again to the Club for hosting our sixth annual beach day for the students, teachers and parents of Strathewen Primary School on Tuesday 14 April 2015 at Torquay Point. Despite the 6 years that have passed since the tragic Black Saturday Bushfires the Strathewen Community is still carries deep emotional scars, and this beach day is always one of the most anticipated events on the school calendar, by the students, teachers and parents.
 
As usual the rotunda area in Surf Beach Drive behind the SLSC will be our central base for the day (unless conditions necessitate a move to Cosy Corner - see below).

We have 30 children, five staff and seven parents attending. Please find below a draft run sheet for the day, which indicates group numbers for each activity and also suggests set-up/arrival times. Note that the timing is approximate and is contingent on the bus departing Strathewen just after 8am.
 
We will require approximately 6 Rotarians to assist with the BBQ and serving food to the Children, Teachers & Students upon arrival, at lunchtime and prior to their departure. If you would like to assist on the day please advise either Gail Chrisfield or Greg Plumridge.
 
Please see the planned program below.
 
Approximate time
Activity
 
09.30am
  • Torquay Rotary arrives to set up trailer and prepare food
  • TSA arrives (about 10.20am) to set up
 
10.30am
  • Coach arrives, passengers disembark for comfort break and refreshments
 
10.50am
  • Preps to Grade 3 (17 kids and 7 adults) join TSA to get wetsuits and start preparing for surf lesson
  •  Grade 4 to Grade 6 (13 kids and 5 adults) prepare for informal beach activities
 
11.15am
  • Surf lesson starts
  • Informal beach activities underway
 
12.50pm
  •  Informal beach activities and surf lesson finish
  • Lunch starts for Grade 4 to Grade 6 group
 
01.00pm
  • Surf lesson students change into dry clothes
  • Lunch starts for Prep to Grade 3 group
 
01.30pm
  • Grade 4 to Grade 6 (13 kids and 5 adults)  join TSA to get wetsuits and start preparing for surf lesson
 
01.50pm
  • Surf lesson starts
  • Informal beach activities start for  Preps to Grade 3 (17 kids and 7 adults)
 
03.20pm
  • Surf lesson and informal beach activities finish
  • Kids, teachers and parents prepare to depart
  • Refreshments/refreshment packs to take on the coach
 
04.00pm
  • Coach departs
  • Pack up

Ride the Bellarine

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ride the Bellarine
 
Event Date    SUNDAY 19 APRIL 2015
 
2 weeks after EASTER
 
This event is a District 9780 project being run by the Combined Rotary Clubs of Geelong to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation "End Polio" Project.
 
To view the event website CLICK HERE 
 
This event is drawing closer and there are 3 areas that Event requires your help with the following:-
  1. Volunteers to help with set up on the Saturday and during the Event on Sunday 19th April.
  2. Promotion of the event and encourage cyclists to enter for the ride
  3. Sponsor Riders and "End Polio"
The Organising Committee have now established a means by which Rotarians can sponsor & donate to the event which will see any such payments credited to either our members personal &/or our Clubs Rotary Foundation accounts. We have our own rider, in Brian Mynott,  representing our Club riding in the event and it will be great if as a club the Non Cyclists could get behind Brian by supporting him with sponorship.
If you would like to do this or to register as a volunteer please contact  Greg Plumridge
At our next meeting  on Monday 13th April (which is not until the week before the event) I will be collecting donations/sponsorship for Brians Ride
 
 
 
Greg Plumridge
 

Surf Coast Walk & Rotary Dog's Day Out

The weather could not have been better ordered, and everyone had a great day out including the hundreds of different breeds of doggies.
The event was a great success and a credit to the organising committee and all of the club members friends & family who assisted on the day, a job well done!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Read more...

District Conference 2015

As usual a great time was had by all Rotarians who attended District Coneference. There was much Fun, Frivolity, Food along with some very inspirational speakers and ideas to take back to clubs for the coming year.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
Torquay Rotary Club  Happy Hour
Friday 17th October  2014
David & Simone Mitchell’s house
25 Pride St Torquay
From 6.15pm
As mentioned on Monday night, we are planning to have a bit of social fun, with one of our traditional happy hours.
This will also be the start of our Fundraising for Relay for Life . with entry of $10 gving you 2 tickets in our  fabulous raffle  
 
So bring your partner, a plate of food & your own beverage and lets get together & lighten up Rotary & have some fun !
 
 
 

I am also looking for donations to include in the Hamper, which we will continue to raffle up to the Relay for Life weekend .

so far I have donations of wine, chocolates   pate, cheese, bickies

We will put it together in a basket with red ribbon etc 

If any Rotarians have something that they can add to the prize hamperr can they please contact me.

Thank you Maggie Isom

Read more...

The Boys in the Band Concert

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fundraiser for Interplast 2015
 
“Boys in the Band” Concert Ballarat,
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Thursday April 2nd 8:00pm
 
You are probably aware that the District Interplast committee has made its major fundraiser for the year a presentation at Her Majesty's on April 2, the Thursday evening before Easter. 
 
The show ‘Boys in the Band’ celebrates the world’s greatest hits from the most iconic bands of the 20th century!
Billed as “the feel good show of the year” the high energy concert features of 50years of tunes such as Walk Like a Man, Sherry, Can’t Buy Me Love, Let it Be, Hey Jude, Imagine, Blame it on the Boogie, ABC, Unchained Melody, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Surfin’ USA, Good Vibrations, Staying Alive and medleys of the biggest hits the world has ever known.
 
The "Boys in the Band" have enchanted audiences right across the globe performing a two week season at The Mandela Theatre in South Africa and at the F1 Grand Prix in Singapore, followed by their hugely successful first Australian tour in 2014 which included a string of shows at the iconic Arts Centre Melbourne.
 
Tickets will be at the normal price ($59) but $29 will be rebated back to the Interplast committee for District 9780. Please select Rotary and use the promotional code Interplastwhen booking
at 
  •  http://hermaj.com/buy-tickets-boys-in-the-band
    Chairman Interplast Committee D9780
  • Or the box office on 03 5333 5888
  • Or in person at the Her Majesty’s Box Office, 17 Lydiard Street South, BALLARAT
    The offer also includes drinks with the "Boys" after the show. It will be a great night, a great start to Easter, and promises, if supported by all the Rotary Clubs of Ballarat, to be a great fundraiser for Interplast
     
    John Oswald

 
ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS
Interested in a particular subject? Did you know that internationally there are fellowships of Rotarians for each of the interest Groups listed below?  Many have chapters in Australia or arrange gatherings around the world.
The Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians is but one of these and I have just received their latest e-Newsletter for which I have created a link at the end of this story. It contains some very interesting reading which gives insight to what one Fellowship is all about.
Visit the group's website or email them to learn more.
 
 
Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians Feb 2015 Newsletter

Weekly Assigned Duties:

 If you cannot meet one of your assigned duties, Please contact Jill Evans to advise. 

 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

Greeting

See Events for details

Mon 30th Mar No Meeting Due to Dog Walk
Mon 6th Apr No Meeting Easter Monday
Mon 13th Apr      
Club Assembly
President Elect Amanda
Fri 17th Apr Happy Hour   Venue tbn
Mon 20th Apr       TBN
Sat 25th Apr ANZAC DAY DAWN SERVICE Pt Danger

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

Read more...

 

MEETING APOLOGIES - What do I do?

Notifying someone about changes to your meeting attendance is your responsibility!
 
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 or your partner’s absence.  This also applies if you are attending the meeting but not dining.
 
There are two ways to do this, either record the information in advance in the "Apology Book" that is available at each meeting or telephone 03-5222-2022.  An answering service operates out of hours.
  • All apologies must be made no later than 9.00AM on the Monday of the meeting (unless other arrangements were addressed in the Bulletin). 
  • If no apology is recorded by that time, the absentee member will be issued with an invoice to pay the Club the dinner fee of $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!
Remember if you are bringing guests or your partner (to a non-partner night) you need to notify us of the extra number of persons who will be attending.
 
Absence on travel is not an excuse.  It must be recorded beforehand in the “Apology Book”.    
Meet District Governor Geoff James
 
Our new District Governor Geoff James & his wife Meryl, are members of the Rotary Club of Maryborough.  To read about their background and learn a little more about them, click on GET TO KNOW YOUR DISTRICT GOVERNOR in the section below
 
 
 
 
 Here are some links where you can find all of the Latest news from District 9780
  • District 9780 is now on facebook to view the facebook page "Click" the icon      Image
  • To go to the District 9780 Website Click Here
  • Get to know your District Governor Geoff James Click Here
  • To read District Governor Geoff James  Illumintions March 2015 District Newsletter Click Here
To Read Rotary Down Under FEBRUARY e-Newsletter Click Here
Read more...