ROTARY CLUB OF OCEAN GROVE
Volume No. 21 Number 18
Bulletin for the meeting held Monday May 3rd at Bellarine Estate.
Combined meeting with the Rotary Club of Drysdale Pres. Ken Hosking
President Geoff Brentnall: Thanks to the Drysdale Club for their hospitality. Some announcements:
· The club’s application for a small equipment grant for the market equipment storage container was successful.
· The Rotary Health Research Foundation announces that May is Rotary Health Month.
· Next week will be a partner’s night. Please advise Hans of any apologies.
· The Board Meeting will be held on May 18th
And from last bulletin:
a. A list of prospective members will be circulated in the next fortnight for approval. Please advise Geoff if you have any names to suggest.
b. The Changeover Dinner will be held on June 29th at a venue to be announced.
c. The Assistant Sgt Greeter is required to arrive by 5.50pm to assist Hans with set up. (Hans will be away for the next two weeks)
Members in Attendance: Total 21 Apologies: 23 Non apologies: - Percentage: 45.6%
Make-ups Helen Trigg
Partners Nil
Visiting Rotarians
Guests
Birthdays 5 - 11 May John Webb
Anniversaries Rod and Carole Birrell, Geoff and Lynda Morphett
Duties
Date Chair Assistant Cashier Ass. Sgt/Greeter/Vote of thanks
May 11 Geoff Ford John Fox Martin Geerings
May 18 Alison George Richard Grimmett Steve Gubbins
May 25 Peter Hawthorne Bob Jordan Alan Joyce
Coming up…
May 11th – Youth Night (Partner’s night – 6 for 6.30pm)
May 16th – Meeting of the Board elect at Tim Kemp’s home.
May 18th – Andrew Steains – History and practice of Town Crying.
The story of the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund is an exciting one, from its inception to the present time, but it is a story that can never be up to date, for it is evolving as you read.
It has involved the vision of many dedicated Rotarians who worked to give it life and nurture it, to see it blossom into an amazing national community service project for Rotary.
Many have felt the need for a project that could unite Rotary in Australia and give it a focus worthy of the men and women of our membership.
The ARHRF does just that and obviously has been welcomed, as evidenced by the marvellous support given by them.
www.arhrf.org.au
At the meeting with Drysdale, the National Anthem was sung during the opening procedure.
Peter Dodds McCormick, a Scot, composed Advance Australia Fair under the pen-name Amicus (amicus is the Latin word for friend). It was first performed in Sydney on Saint Andrews Day, 1878. Peter McCormick died in 1916 and Advance Australia Fair became free of copyright in 1966.
W. J. Paling & Company, the publishers of the song, described it as one of the three greatest songs of the British Empire. The other two were God Save the King (or Queen) and God Defend New Zealand.
Some of the original words of the song have been changed for the official version. Australia's sons let us rejoice was the original first line; this has been replaced with Australians all let us rejoice. In the third verse of the original song, two lines were changedTo make our youthful Commonwealth became To make this Commonwealth of ours and For loyal sons beyond the seas became For those whove come across the seas.
Although the official anthem was God Save the Queen (or King) from 1788 to 1974, numerous commercial and official competitions were held over the years to find a substitute. The first was held in 1840.
John Dunmore Lang, who published an Australian Anthem and an Australian Hymn in 1826, was an early advocate of a distinctively Australian anthem; Carl Linger of South Australia wrote The Song of Australia (1860), which was suggested to the then Prime Minister in 1929 as a possible national anthem.
Among the competitions held were one by The Bulletin, which attracted 74 entries, and two by the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1943 and 1945. The Commonwealth Jubilee celebrations competition in 1951 was won by Henry Krips with This Land of Mine.
The issue of a truly national anthem was raised persistently before the 1956 Olympic Games, which were held in Melbourne. Advance Australia Fair and Waltzing Matilda were the two songs most strongly favoured then as the new anthem. Waltzing Matilda was composed in 1895, with lyrics by one of Australia's best known poets, A. B. (Banjo) Paterson.
On Australia Day, 26 January, in 1972, the number of entries (400) received in an Australia-wide national anthem quest gave an indication of the interest in a new anthem. Exactly a year later a government-sponsored competition was announced, which drew 2500 entries for the words and 1300 for the music. The judges selected six entries for the words, but rejected all the musical entries.
The quest for an Australian national anthem continued. In a 1974 public opinion poll, which sampled an estimated 60 000 people, three songs were offered for choice: Advance Australia Fair, Waltzing Matilda and Song of Australia. Advance Australia Fair polled 51.4 per cent. Following this result the then Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, announced that Advance Australia Fair would be the national anthem, except on specifically Royal occasions, when both it and God Save the Queen would be played.
In 1976, after a change of government, God Save the Queen was reinstated for Royal, vice-regal, defence and loyal toast occasions, with Advance Australia Fair to be played on all other official occasions.
In May 1977, however, a national poll was conducted to ascertain the public choice of a national song. This time over seven million people were issued with ballot papers. The results were: Advance Australia Fair 43.2 per cent, Waltzing Matilda 28.3 per cent, God Save the Queen 18.7 per cent and Song of Australia 9.6 per cent.
In April 1984 the Governor-General issued a proclamation declaring that God Save the Queen was designated the Royal Anthem, to be played at public engagements in Australia attended by the Queen or members of the Royal family. Advance Australia Fair was finally declared to be the national anthem, and non-sexist words adopted.
Australian National Anthem
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
