VOL 27 no. 29

This Day Tonight - 19  January, 2010

• Our January garden party at Alison‘s has always been a success in fine weather and tonight was no exception. A total of 60 members, visiting Rotarians, partners, guests and Thai students enjoyed an excellent meal and fellowship. Visiting Rotarians were from Eaglehawk, Highton and Werribee.
• 700 shelterboxes have already been dispatched to the Haiti earthquake disaster region from UK and USA. Our contribution is about to be announced.
• The visit of the three Thai students was a feature of tonight’s informal meeting, and host club president John Jones explained the purpose and history of the program, now in its fifth year. Rotary Orphan Student Exchange has been a huge success for Eaglehawk RC, which annually hosts a group of Thai students for eight months. Several scholarships have been a bi-product of the project.
• A valuable internet address is www.rotary9780.org which accesses the District Governor’s newsletter. It is excellently presented on just 4 pages and carries a wide range of important Rotary information. Those not on computers can request a hard copy from Secretary Vic.

Forthcoming events 

26^th  Jan. – No meeting of our club, as it’s a public holiday – Australia Day.!

2^nd  Feb.– The International dinner at ‘Bistro @ 310’, a fundraising effort for the Rotary Foundation. This is a partners’ night, and a scheduled meeting of the club. So if you can come, you must register.  In addition to  partners, guests are most welcome. The address is 310 Moorabool St Geelong, 6.30 for 7.00, a Greek banquet with live music. $50 per head. Register with Geoff Brentnall no later than 22^nd January – 5256 1527 or geoff.brentnell@eftel.net.au.  Geoff and the Rotary Foundation deserve our support.

The truth about the car raffle ticket sales at local caravan parks on 5^th January

Geoff Ford reported a decline in book sales from 150 in 2009 to 141 in 2010. Riverside CP was the most productive – 39 books. There is every chance we may achieve 1300 books sold by close of trading at our February market. Our share is $1.60 per ticket, I figure that we should gross [and net], $20,800.  An extraordinary result! And it’s due mainly to the management of Geoff Ford PHF, enthusiastically supported by PP Wal Kelly PHF, and with the salesmanship of many – but not all, their fellow members, the best of which has proved to be  Bill Walton.

 

Car Raffle Sales Duties – the final roster for 2009/10

Sun 24^th Jan – Apco Barwon Heads AM  Ingrid & Geoffrey Cummins.  PM Dick Clay & Peter Cullen.

Sun 31^st Jan – Portarlington Market    Heather Wallace & Wal Kelly.      

Sun 7^th Feb – Our market    Charles Dawborn, Gerry Spencer & Wal Kelly

Sun 7^th Feb  - Apco Barwon Heads   Bill Walton & Geoff Ford.  And that, dear friends, should be the end of it!

Rotary at work -  New club sponsorship enriches two communities  

Kumbo, Cameroun [Equatorial Africa] and Homesdale, Pennsylvania, USA, may be worlds apart, but through Rotary, the two communities are forming a long-term mutually enriching partnership. 

It began in 2008 when Brian Fulp, then president-elect of the Rotary club of Homesdale, travelled to Kumbo on assignment with his employer, the nonprofit Himalayan Institute. Fulp quickly saw an interest in Rotary and Service Above Self in the community.

He soon met Roland Mbenkum, a local high court district judge who would become the first president of the Rotary club of Kumbo, chartered in January and sponsored by the Holmesdale club.

An early collaboration between the Homesdale club and future Rotarians in Kumbo involved a hospital that desperately needed equipment. “One of the doctors told me he was fed up with holding a flashlight in his mouth to perform surgeries”, Fulp recalls. “With only US$250 from our club, we were able to purchase a generator for the hospital. Suddenly, they had electricity when they needed it”.

The Homesdale club also inspired its own community to get involved in Cameroun. Club members organised a local fundraiser to help construct a public library for Kumbo and asked a hospital for assistance in containing a tuberculosis outbreak there. The hospital, Wayne Memorial, donated 300 tuberculosis test kits.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Landmarks and turning points in Rotary’s history

1990   Rotary enters Russia and other countries in the former Soviet Union.

1993   International PolioPlus Committee created to manage Rotary’s continuing polio eradication efforts.

2005   Rotary celebrates 100^th anniversary.

The District Conference, 12^th ,13^th, 14^th March – Deakin Waterfront Campus

Full details and on-line registration are available at www.rotary9780.org, and those members not having internet access, can obtain hard copy details from Secy. Vic.  If you seek dinner organized by John Calnin on Friday evening at 6.00 PM [Sailors Rest Restaurant], prior to the Conference start, contact John. A room at the Sheraton has been booked from 2.00PM on Saturday for our members to meet and change for dinner.

The conference commences at 7.00 PM on Friday, 12^th March, but there will also be a special TAC Road Safety Grant Forum at the new TAC office in Brougham St., commencing at 3.00 and followed by afternoon tea. Christine Nixon is expected to be the key-note speaker after the opening of the conference on Friday evening, with supper and fellowship following at 9.30.

The conference resumes at 9.00 on Saturday morning, and speakers will include Peter Brown, Executive Director Save The Children Fund; Tom Henderson, Founder & CEO, ShelterBox; John McGrath AM, Deputy Chairman of Beyond Blue; Professor David de Kretser AC, The Governor of Victoria; and Bruce Allen, Polio Plus. There will also be a presentation from the Brazilian GSE team, and the evening’s highlight will be the ‘Rotary Rocks Dinner’ in the Community Bank Marquee at 7.30.

The conference resumes on Sunday morning and will conclude at 1.00 with a boxed lunch.

The costs are, per person, All conference sessions including Saturday Dinner & Entertainment.    $185

                                         All conference sessions excluding Saturday Dinner & Entertainment.    $140

                                         Friday only                                                                                                      $40

                                         All Saturday sessions including Dinner & Entertainment                         $160

                                         Saturday Dinner and Entertainment only                                                   $60

                                         Sunday sessions, including lunch                                                                  $35

Questions and Answers between world travellers and Australian travel agents          Fair dinkum!

Q. Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow?  [UK]

A.  We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them grow.

17. I want to walk from Perth to Sydney – can I follow the railroad tracks?  [Sweden]

A.    Sure, it’s only three thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q.   Which direction is North in Australia?  [USA]

A.     Face south and turn 180o. Contact us when you get here and we’ll send you the rest of the directions.
John Fox,   2145,   19/01/2010