Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove Inc.
Winner of the Holmes Trophy for the best attendance by a Club at the 2006 District Conference
www.rotaryoceangrove.blogspot.com
Volume 25 No 16
Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Hotel, Tuesday 24th October 6.00 for 6.30
Speaker Various young people Subject Junior Community Service Awards Chairman Tony Haines ** This is the Graham Bath memorial community awards.
Assistant Cashier & Thanker Geoff Chandler Greeter & Assistant Sergeant Judy Greer
Birthdays & Anniversaries 25th Jo Hawthorne 27th Norm & Elaine Elliott
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Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Hotel, Tuesday 31st October 6.00 for 6.30
Speaker District Governor Andrew Suggett [official visit] Chairman President Richard
Assistant Cashier & Thanker David Cooke Greeter & Assistant Sergeant Rod Birrell
Partners and other family members are invited to attend this meeting Please register with Hans.
Anniversaries 2nd John & Jan Fox
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The paradox of water in this country of ours.
Jan and I are back from a few days along the Murray. Up to Mildura via Ballarat, Donald, Woomelang and Ouyen, then Robinvale, Swan Hill, Wycheproof and home. We have never seen the country so dry!. Fairly green south of Ballarat, but illusory, as the few remaining crops are less than 50cm high and on their last legs. North of there, the crops are finished.
The Murray at Mildura and Robinvale looks healthy because the water is held back by weirs, but at Boundary Bend, it is very narrow and shallow, and further upstream at Wood Wood, just a trickle. Coming north up the Calder Highway, there used to be a gap of 15 kms north of Yatpool before the grape vines started. Not any more! The vine plantings start 10 kms south of Red Cliffs, and on a day of 38 degrees last Friday, they were being watered by overhead sprays? I spoke to a former CEO of a large winery, who told me that the industry heads saw the current surplus of wine approaching in 1997.
The Darling river has stopped flowing. The local ‘Sunraysia Daily’ recently printed a photo of a girl ‘stepping’ over the Darling, just 50kms north of its junction with the Murray at Wentworth. The Darling has been bled dry by the immense Cubby Station near Bourke. They grow cotton up there, and rice in the Murrumbidgee area, two of the most greedy consumers of irrigation water known to man! MADNESS!
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To all those born between 1930 and 1980. [continued from last week]
Riding in the back of a ‘ute on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose, and soft drink with friends from a shared bottle. No one died.
We ate cakes and lollies and drank coke and other sugary stuff, but we weren’t overweight because we were always outside playing.
We could do this all day as long as we were home by dark, and we were often out of touch because we didn’t have mobile phones. More next week.
The Prince borrowed a florin
At an inter-city meeting in March 1934, Prince George of England lunched with the Rotary Club of Johannesburg, Union of South Africa. The Prince, presented with a Rotary emblem, expressed his pleasure at visiting the mother club of South Africa. When he concluded, the sergeant-at-arms ‘fined’ the distinguished guest for being ‘the distinguished guest’ and then all those Rotarians present bearing the Christian name of ‘George’ were also fined a shilling, after which all those not named George were given a similar penalty. Ed. Comment, [I can’t help thinking that Rod Birrell would have carried that off with great ‘panache’]
That ’fine’ contributed by the prince was a florin borrowed from his aide-de-camp, and it was subsequently mounted and auctioned for the club’s charity fund for ten pounds, [a ‘princely’ sum in those days]
Two years later, the Prince became King George VI, where he reigned until his death in 1952. Among his many distinguished titles was that of Patron of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland.
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This day tonight
• If you thought we couldn’t function without a president, secretary or sergeant, you would be wrong! Pres. Elect Alison, PP Helen and sundry others, did an excellent job.
• Peter Hawthorne, [cup sweep] and Geoff Ford, [two cars], are flogging raffle books. Sell, sell, sell!!
• Steptoe and son, [Tim Kemp’s mob], will be calling next Monday. Books, toys, clothing, elect. appliances, chairs, tools, stationery, sewing machines, team uniforms, musical instruments etc. Con your neighbors, get up in the attic or down in the cellar, but contribute to Donations-in-kind!!
• The DG’s visit will probably be a partner’s night, 6.30 for 7.00, but next week’s bulletin will advise. If so, you will have to unregister with Hans if your partner will not be there!!
• Youth Exchange is a contentious subject, if for no other reason than numbers are declining. We had several speakers tonight, but no resolution as to whether we re-enter participation. Frankly, and in the spirit of being forthright on this subject, your editor thinks the question is very straight-forward. Are you and your partner prepared to be hosts for a max. of two months? If we don’t get at least 6 to 8 hosts, then we can’t participate. It’s a simple question, and when you are asked, give a simple answer!!
• Marion Walton advises that there are potentially 185 starters for the Elderly Citizens Xmas dinner.
• Public relations is not a difficult program. We need to promote Rotary on an individual basis. Do you wear your Rotary shirt and cap on market duty? If you don’t, you should****
• It was proposed that we put a minimum of a gold coin in the fines box, but only once per meeting, regardless of how many times we get fined. Express your views to JC.
• Many members rostered for weekly duty are imposing undue and unnecessary pressure on Geoff Ford and Norm Elliott by not turning up and not apologizing. Your bulletin editor is prepared to be the contact for apologies and to find replacements, but a bit of courtesy and consideration would not hurt?? Everyone gets two weeks notice. I can’t make you read the bulletin, but at least you could scan for the bold type!!
• Bucket [or Bouquet] hats are available for $15. Only those with one head should apply- to Foxy.
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Wicked Wisdom
House of Lords An ermine-lined dustbin, an upmarket geriatric home, with a faint smell of urine.
Housework Something to do that nobody notices until you don’t do it.
Human being An ingenious assembly of portable plumbing.
Humanitarian One who would be sincerely sorry to see his neighbor’s children devoured by wolves.
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Why do Queenslanders call their beer XXXX? Because they can’t spell beer.
