I meant to grab a screen shot on Monday – and capture all the weird and wonderful head pieces we managed to display at our online meeting. …. But remembered too late.
It was really good to see so many varied Hats, Caps, and Lids worn by you all. Well Done!
Joining us on Monday was our Guest Speaker, Catherine Eagleston - District Chair Australian Rotary Health, Daryl Lee from Rotary Club Essendon North and Lea Clements from the Rotary Club of Rizal West in the Philippines.
We had 29 people online, plus a few partners joining in the fun – so would have been around 33 faces…… all with ‘Lids On’!
Catherine led us in a fun filled session, solving puzzles by numbers. Another of Catherine’s brilliant Mind Stimulation ideas in her ‘Clue Detective’ program, which is now much sourced from countries around the world! Well Done, and Congratulations on this achievement Catherine.
If you are interested in joining in on the Clue Detective program or renewing your subscription – please contact Catherine.
Our lift the Lid is progressing well. Thank you to all who have donated.
Our donation site is still active, so please consider making a donation to Mental Health research.
Here is the TryBookings donation site for our club.
Further to Lesley’s email to us all ….. we have been challenged to register ourselves and walk ‘a few K’s’ over the month of October.
We have members who have registered, and are fulfilling their commitments, walking their nominated distances. I, for one, am managing to keep on track!
If you are unable to commit to walking this month – you may consider sponsoring one of our members – and support them, and this great cause – to end Polio.
There will be more on End Polio and presentations along with updates, a little later in October.
Here is the site to go to for you to register, and for donations to End Polio.
Pass these donation sites around to you family and friends – all funds raised go to the cause!
Our thoughts and very best wishes are with Vernon and Charmaine D’Souza.
Vernon was admitted to hospital early this week for tests.
We hope things have worked out well and look forward to seeing him back with us soon.
Bruce Turner mentioned our Battery Recycling program – and the quantity of used batteries we collect and take to the recycling place in North Geelong.
Here is some interesting facts and figures ……
We started the Battery Recycle program on 24th November 2015, basically 6 years ago.
Going on Bruce’s figures, between 25 and 30kg of used batteries is collected each week from our 6 recycling cylinders in the supermarkets - an average of 27.5kg per week, means there is 1,430kg of used batteries collected per year (in 52 weeks).
For the 6 years this equates to 8,580kg of used batteries collected, recycled and kept out of landfill ..... just from around Torquay in our 6 recycle cylinders!
The time spent on collection and delivery to recycle depot is 1.75 hours per week, or 91 hours per year.
For the 6 years, is 546 volunteered hours.
Rhonda announced that around 50kg warm clothing was collected and donated for Orange Sky. Thanks to Gail and Greg Birchall for having their place as a drop off point for the warm clothing.
Our other items being donated and recycled, as mentioned in this and past bulletins, are going well. Thank you to all involved. Again, it is great to keep these out of landfill.
Please mention to you friends and neighbours too – as it may be easier for them to ‘give’ you the items to be recycled.
I intend on making a delivery to Camperdown to Graeme Fisher in the next couple of weeks, so please contact me with any used stamps and unwanted hearing aids.
Lea sent us a video she has done to promote end Polio. The members of the Rotary Club of Rizal West are each doing a one-minute video clip which can promote the members vocation and end polio.
Our Community BBQs are back! October 17th is our first Bunnings BBQ.
Mal has called for volunteers for this.
If you miss out on this one, rest assured there will be more to come ---- along with other community events (all being well!)
President Michael
With our BBQs commencing again – thought we better get our etiquette sorted out …..
The Tong Master
Griff was at the barbecue and Joel was at the barbecue and I was at the barbecue; three men standing around a barbecue, sipping beer, staring at sausages, rolling them backwards and forwards, never leaving them alone.
We didn’t know why we were at the barbecue; we were just drawn there like moths to a flame.
The barbeque was a powerful gravitational force, a man-magnet.
Joel said the thin ones could use a turn, I said yeah I reckon the thin ones could use a turn, Griff said yeah they really need a turn it was a unanimous turning decision.
Griff was the Tong-Master, a true artist, he gave a couple of practice snaps of his long silver tongs, snap snap, before moving in, prodding, teasing, and with an elegant flick of his wrist, rolling them onto their little backs. A lesser tong-man would’ve flicked too hard; the sausages would’ve gone full circle, back to where they started. Nice, I said. The others went yeah.
Kevin was passing us, he heard the “sirensong” - sizzle of the snags, the barbecue was calling, beckoning, Kevinnnnn ...come. He stuck his head in and said any room? We said yeah and began the barbecue shuffle; Griff shuffled to the left, Joel shuffled to the left, I shuffled to the left, Kevin slipped in beside me, we sipped our beer.
Now there were four of us staring at sausages, and Griff gave me the nod, my cue. I was second-in command, and I had to take the raw sausages out of the plastic bag and lay them on the barbecue; not too close together, not too far apart, curl them into each other’s bodies like lovers –fat ones, thin ones, herbed and continental. The chipolatas were tiny, they could easily slip down between the grill, falling into the molten hot-bead-netherworld below. Carefully I laid them sideways across the grill, clever thinking. Griff snapped his tongs with approval; there was no greater barbecue honour.
P.J. came along, he said looking good, looking good - the irresistible lure of the barbecue had pulled him in too. We said yeah and did the shuffle, left, left, left, left, he slipped in beside Kevin, we sipped our beer.
Five men, lots of sausages.
Joel was the Fork-Pronger; he had the fork that pronged the tough hides of the Bavarian bratwursts and he showed a lot of promise. Stabbing away eagerly, leaving perfect little vampire holes up and down the casing. P.J. was shaking his head, he said I reckon they cook better if you don’t poke them.
There was a long silence, you could have heard a chipolata drop, and this newcomer was a rabble-rouser, bringing in his crazy ideas from outside. He didn’t understand the hierarchy; first the Tong- Master, then the Sausage-Layer, then the Fork-Pronger -and everyone below was just a watcher.
Maybe eventually they’ll move up the ladder, but for now - don’t rock the Weber.
Dianne popped her head in; hmmm, smells good, she said. She was trying to jostle into the circle; we closed ranks, pulling our heads down and our shoulders in, mumbling yeah yeah yeah, but making no room for her. She was keen, going round to the far side of the barbecue, heading for the only available space . . . the gap in the circle where all the smoke and ashes blew. Nobody could survive the gap; Dianne was going to try. She stood there stubbornly, smoke blinding her eyes, ashes filling her nostrils, sausage fat spattering all over her arms and face. Until she couldn’t take it anymore, she gave up, backed off.
Kevin waited till she was gone and sipped his beer. We sipped our beer, yeah.
Griff handed me his tongs. I looked at him and he nodded. I knew what was happening, I’d waited a long time for this moment - the abdication.
The tongs weighed heavy in my hands, firm in my grip - was I ready for the responsibility? Yes, I was. I held them up high and they glinted in the sun. Don’t forget to turn the thin ones Griff said as he walked away from the barbecue, disappearing toward the house. Yeah I called back, I will, I will.
I snapped them twice, snap snap, before moving in, prodding, teasing, and with an elegant flick of my wrist, rolling them back onto their little bellies.
I was a natural, I was the Tong-Master But only until Griff got back from the loo!
