Bulletin No. 1

Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove Inc.

www.rotaryoceangrove.blogspot.com
VOL 27 no. 01
JULY 01, 2009

President Rod Greer at the Changover Dinner

Last night’s celebrations were a great success

This bulletin is deliberately delayed until Wednesday morning so that it will be issued in Rod’s year rather than John’s. As usual at the Barwon Heads Golf Club, the evening was marked by the great camaraderie, the excellent food and service, and the well balanced program.
Geoffrey Cummins was a suave and confident chairman, Noel Emselle did justice to the toast to Rotary International, and Henry Hudson responded on behalf of RI in his inimitable fashion. Henry is surely the sage and senior PDG of this District, and I still reckon his District Conference in 1996 was the best I have attended. Gerry Spencer was our president that year and Coral Barker transformed the basketball courts into an aquarium. Fair dinkum. But I digress!
John Calnin took care to thank just about everyone associated with his year as president, and thanked the members for his year in office

Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Hotel, Tuesday 7th July, 6.00 for 6.30

Speaker Lisa Foley Subject The West Gate Bridge Strengthening Project Chairman Rod Birrell
Assistant Cashier & Thanker Caron Zillwood Greeter & Assistant Sergeant James Ricchini
Birthdays & Anniversaries
7th July Tony Haines, Bruce & Mary-Lou Gilbert 8th Peter Cullen
11th Lois Dawborn 12th Helen Cooke.
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An important note regarding registrations.
President Rod has decreed that weekly registrations will, in future, be managed by any one of a team of three- Gerry Spencer, Norm Elliott and Ian Downing [to be known as the SED team], and assisted by the Assistant Cashier & Thanker. Those three are exempt from other weekly duties, along with the following members with other regular duties. - Rod Greer, Vic Harnath, Fred Andrews, John Fox, Bob Smith and brand new Paul Harris Fellow Geoff Ford – raffle ticket salesman extraordinaire, whose PHF was surely the most belated award ever!
. All the other members will be rostered for the two ‘Assistant’ duties as above, and can expect to be appointed Assistant Cashier & Thanker and Greeter & Assistant Sergeant at least once for each duty. Please at least ‘scan’ this bulletin weekly to see if you are rostered for duty. Give me at least a full week’s notice of your unavailability, and I will replace you. New members will be given early duty
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Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Hotel, Tuesday 14th July, 6.00 for 6.30

Subject The year ahead Chairman President Rod Ass’t Cashier James Ricchini
Greeter & Assistant Sergeant John Calnin
Birthdays & Anniversaries None of us
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A story about slippers Contributed by Coral Barker
Actually, I was a bit dubious about this story, but since Coral is a past president, I felt sure it would be OK, I got the nod from another lady past president, and my proof reader primly pointed out that her concern is spelling and grammar, not content, so here goes!
An old man goes into a chemist’s to buy some Viagra
“Can I have six tablets, cut in quarters?”
“I can cut them for you” said Geoff the pharmacist,
“but a quarter tablet will not give you a full erection”.
“I am 96,” said the old man, “I don’t want an erection;
I just want it sticking out far enough so I don’t piss on my slippers.”

In the current market turmoil, the easiest way to make a small fortune is to start with a large one.

Be a politician, and become a laughing stock!

Were you, like me, absolutely appalled at the crass, idiotic and infantile behaviour of our federal politicians over the so-called Ausgate affair last week? What a relief to see that they all went home for the holidays!

On a brighter, but vaguely related note, Jan, Hamish and I were delighted to see a large and dexterous possum walking calmly along a telephone wire early last Friday morning, for the full distance between two poles, high above the ground, and without a stumble. Our pollies can’t do that.

It took 24 years for Rotary to adopt a lasting emblem, but there was a lot of fun getting there!

I reported last week on the establishment of club no.1 – Chicago.
After this new club had held a few meetings, the members began to talk about an appropriate emblem. One member submitted a design of a locomotive driving wheel, with counterbalance and the words ‘Rotary club’ on the connecting rod. Another member brought in a design of a buggy wheel, and this was adopted. He afterwards added dust in order to give the idea of motion, but he made the error of putting the dust before as well as after the wheel, so that it looked like a wheel in the clouds! Lots of variations followed, but eventually, the Rotary Board of Directors, of 1923-24, adopted the present cogwheel with six spokes, twenty-four cogs and a keyway.

Rotary is a Team Effort

One of the things I enjoy most about Rotary, particularly here in Ocean Grove, is that we are a very compatible mob, who enjoy each other’s company and work well as a team. An excellent example of the team effort is the relationship between the program chairman and the bulletin editor. If you have ever been the programme arranger, you will know how demanding it is to get it up and running on time, week in-week-out, for a whole year, and at least three weeks in advance.
Richard Trigg has that job this year, and he will have already learnt that not everyone he contacts is reliable or returns phone calls. Colin Brown had that job last Rotary year, and it would be remiss of me not to recognise the outstanding job he did with a very wide range of outstanding programs. Congratulations and thank you, Col.

A young man goes to his girlfriend’s father to ask for permission to marry. A somewhat imperious father says. “So you want to be my son-in-law, do you?” “Not particularly”, says the young man tactlessly, “But if I want to be your daughter, I haven’t much choice, have I?”


Last night in review

Your bulletin editor still can’t get over the delay in awarding Geoff Ford a PHF. The most deserving awardee in our club.
CFA local leader Bob Smith graciously accepted the club’s cheque for $2,500 towards the cost of a lighting trailer.
President Rod, in his speech accepting the club’s presidency for 2009/10, referred to the forthcoming introduction of the Heritage Park and many other new and rejuvenated programs, and then introduced to the meeting, his Board of Directors, and also his ‘second rowers’ of committee leaders. This must be about the first time our Rotary club has been financially supported by COGG for a club project. We can expect to be closely scrutinised.

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Owing to lack of interest, tomorrow has been cancelled

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