ROTARY CLUB OF OCEAN GROVE
Volume No. 21 Number 24
Bulletin for the meeting held Tuesday June 15th at The Ocean Grove Hotel
Welcome from the President Geoff Brentnall.
Reminder for next week – please ensure that you notify Hans if your partner is coming, or of your apology if you are unable to attend. Bring a guest as well if you can. Normal start time applies, directors reports to be brief, no fines session.
Changeover Dinner will be held the following week. Please remember a dress code applies at Barwon Heads Golf Club – jacket and tie.
Introducing Club speaker – Henry Hudson to speak about the wreck, Columbine.
Treasurer, Bob Osbourne: The club has donated $18,600 to worthy causes this Rotary year.
Club Service, Tim Kemp: Rotary Planners are available for members to use this Rotary year.
Meals: In order to improve the main meal and stay within the current budget, we will not have desert for a four week trial period. It is good to receive comments regarding these and other matters, as this results in positive changes.
Some shirts are still to be collected and paid for.
Partners of Rotarians are invited to an informal night of coffee, cake, chat (and maybe a glass of wine) at The Heads, on Thursday 24th June at 7.30 pm. Partners - we would love to see you there.
The DG’s visit will now be on the 31st August.
Community Service, Steve Gubbins: The Girl Guides seats and tables are ready to be erected.
New Generations, David Tyrrell: To Attend a Youth Training Seminar in Camperdown soon.
The Siemens Science Experience - opportunities for Year 9/10 students to attend 3 day sessions at Universities across the country - to be considered by the Board.
David reported on his recent, somewhat unique opportunity to extend the ‘hand of fellowship’ (ie: long handled of shovel of the farm lore), to errant youths who used his paddock for a skidpan in the early hours. Local police took the youths away; while overnight, the bull (apparently) developed a ‘crush’ on the abandoned vehicles. Touché.
Ocean Grove Cup Carnival, John Calnin: Members are encouraged to attend the meeting on June 22 when the Ocean Grove Racing Club Committee will make a presentation to the club to inform you of plans for the Ocean Grove Cup Carnival in March 2005.
Partners are especially welcome, as well as those who may be interested in sponsoring the event. (This may also be a good night to bring a prospective member. Ed.)
The Lions Club of Ocean Grove will join us for this meeting, as well as some dignitaries to be confirmed. An excellent presentation is assured.
Club Speaker, Henry Hudson: Topic, Shipwrecks. Henry spoke of the recent report of the wreck, Columbine off our coastline. There are 700 wrecks on the Victorian coastline, a very small number considering the many ships that have passed this way – especially during the Gold Rush era when 50 vessels per day were logged through the Heads.
$60,000 has been granted to examine and salvage the wreck, plus $3000 from the Queenscliff Maritime Museum.
Built in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1839, the Columbine was 144 days out of Liverpool when it arrived off Port Phillip Heads about 6pm on April Fools Day, 1854, headed for Geelong. Pilot Matthew Davidson boarded the ship about 8.30pm and is believed to have had an angry exchange with the captain, Alexander McLennan, about the ship's course.
While it is unclear what the outcome of the exchange was and who, therefore, was responsible for what happened next, at 10.30pm the ship struck the bottom, breaking the tiller and rudder trunk before washing over an outer reef and coming to rest on the sand near Ocean Grove. By 3am, a decision had been made to abandon the vessel. The six crew and four passengers left the brig in a longboat, but the craft turned broadside to the surf and was filled with seawater, washing one of the passengers overboard.
While he swam to the safety of shore, the next wave capsized the longboat, drowning four of the occupants including Davidson and the captain's sister, Catherine.
source: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/19/1058545627313.html
Members in Attendance: Total 34 Apologies: 11 Non apologies: 2 Percentage: 72%
Birthdays 16 - 22 Jan Brentnall, Regina Saliba,
Duties
June 22 Martin Geerings Dennis Saliba James Turnbull
June 29 Rod Stewart Helen Trigg Bill Steains
July 6 Tim Kemp David Tyrrell John Webb
July 13 John Wynn Coral Barker Graham Bath
Coming up…
June 24 Partners of Rotarians night at The Heads, Barwon Heads – 7.30pm
June 29 Changeover Dinner at Barwon Heads Golf Club. 6.30 for 7.00pm
Dress: Jacket and tie
STOP PRESS – cost now reduced to $25.00 per head
