A busy week

We meet again - Tuesday Feb 2, 2021

The club year moved into full swing with a busy General Meeting followed by a Board Meeting on Tuesday Feb 2. Many members attended in person and the remainder were present via ZOOM.

President Lindy and the ZOOM screen

Members and guests at the RSL Club

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLUB VIDEO 

Members were shown a preview of David Macaulay ‘s excellent five-and-a-half-minute video that chronicles what the club has achieved and how it has operated over the last 12 months - using many of the photos supplied by John O’Brien. Originally it will be our entry to District conference club videos on ZOOM; however all who viewed it regarded it as such a totally professionally-made video that we all should be proud of and be available on our Club Website. A further suggestion was that since it so neatly encapsulates and shows almost everything that our club does; the video should be shown to new members for introduction to our club activities and also shown at club events with a wider audience wherever appropriate. All members present thanked David for the enormous amount of work and dedication to make this happen, also to John and Lindy for their contribution and effort.

Harvey Broadbent, founder and leader of 3rd Age Rock Orchestra (3ARO- remember his community award last November!) is also permitting our club to use some of the group’s original music for the audio. Thanks Harvey!         

Australia Day Activities:

President Lindy presented articles about the $50 vouchers distributed across 32 restaurants in Northern District Health, N.B. Advocate and Pittwater online news. John O’Brien reported that the Beaches Rotary Clubs featured in the latest Peninsular Living magazine.(see picture below). Great job John. Positive feedback has been received from many front-line workers and the various business. 

Article on p42 of Peninsular Living Feb 2021

IT 

A significantly better meeting environment both at the RSL club and for ZOOM viewers  is occurring due to the two new speaker microphones (frisbees) for the audience at the RSL club room and the Telstra Wi-Fi modem. A wireless headset/microphone is also being purchased.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

·      Fundraising/Golf Day: Hunters and gathers activity will involve all club members. Details will be emailed to members so that sponsors and shopping areas are covered. Robert will keep a list of donations. Carts are first come first served!

·      Membership: 8 potential members will be given a buddy (6 already assigned) together with a number of initiatives that will improve our interaction with new members. It was reiterated that potential new members are invited to join rather than as an automatic process.

·      Services: N.B. Community program, “Building Blocks” being progressed as jointly funded from RSL with Rotary Balgowlah. It is a proven project where 6-8 women from the homeless shelter or victims of abuse meet once a week for six weeks with professionals and other people who have been through the program to work through ways to recovery and rebuilding their lives. Frequently they then keep up meeting for coffee and socially following this program.

Investigation of the funding of other possible projects from other charities is progress.

·      Communications: A survey conducted using our list of contacts has had 9 responses. Fund-raising support and Friends of Rotary are key areas in responses. A table indicating who gets what type of correspondence from the club is being set up.

 And on Friday Feb 5, 2021.

The view looking towards Curl Curl beach

Sue held another great walk today along the picturesque boardwalk between Freshwater and South Curl Curl then along to North Curly, then back for coffee at Harbord Diggers. (with a few walking back via the Curl Curl beach shoreline to South Curly). Despite being a warm and  sunny day, an earlier start plus a gentle sea breeze made it enjoyable. Some Seaforth residents said it was a new experience seeing this Pacific Coastal area.

Rick Van Brugge, Diane & Michael Mead, Lindy Myers & Sue Terry

 

Judith and David Macaulay, Helen Gray and Sue O'Brien

Finally; very early on Saturday Feb 6, 2021.

We left home just before 4:30 am then found our respective Traffic Control Points at Curl Curl along Abbott Road by 5am. 8 Rotarians, 7 from Balgowlah, volunteered as Course Marshalls at our allocated blocked intersections along the 10Km course of the SUN RUN from Dee Why to Manly. 

Sunrise 5:46am

The race started at Dee Why with the first group at 6:15 am nine groups every 5 minutes until 7am. Then waves of runners passed our checkpoints. 

Some interesting ones:

Lifeline Group - no Roger?

All the family

The Sun

Some really  like Nike

We must take the dog

 So by 8:15am we packed up but here are the volunteers

John, Paul, Diana, Lindy, Alois, Judith and Michael (not shown. Liz McDougall: Dee Why-Warringah)

Thanks everyone!

NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting on Tuesday Feb 16 has a truly inspirational guest., Gemma Sisia

When Gemma first had the idea of starting a free private school for the poorest children in Africa with just a $10 donation from her friend, she knew she would need a major support system.

 

It was at this time Gemma’s father, Basil, introduced her to Rotary. She was given the opportunity to speak to her local Rotary club in her hometown of Armidale, New South Wales. With the help of the extremely generous Armidale, Tamworth and Inverell Rotary and Inner Wheel clubs, by the end of the weekend, an estimated $20,000 had been raised towards helping make Gemma’s dream a reality.

The school opened in 2002 with 3 students and one teacher; last year, Form 6 graduates numbered 565 and ranked first in Tanzania for Advanced Mathematics and in the top 10% for all Science and Humanities subjects. Over 24 former students are university graduates.

 

The story of this amazing journey is something you need to see and hear

 

Reaching a Milestone: Gemma (L), Founding Director, joining the guest of honour and Mr Elimringi (R), Headmaster girls’ secondary school, in cutting a cake during the opening ceremony of the girls’ secondary school

We can have up 30 people at the meeting (bookings essential*) and it will be avail via ZOOM

 

Venue: Balgowlah RSL, 30/38 Ethel St, Seaforth NSW 2092 in the Wine Room starting at 7pm.

*Contact Club Secretary, Rick Van Brugge  

E: r.c.vanbrugge@bigpond.com  OR M: 0458 098 023

 ZOOM: ID: 556 063 2371 ring  0458 098 023 for password if not known