9 February 2010
This Day Tonight
· We will have the opportunity, next week, to throw our support behind PP Helen Trigg for DG 2012/13.
· The resignation of David Cooke PHF is reported with regret.
· This morning’s board meeting voted $1,000 for Haitian Relief and $500 to the Easter Egg Appeal.
· Next week’s edition will feature Davidsons night-out [11 May], the District Conference [12-14 Mar], car raffle stats. for 2009/10, organ donor week [22-27 Feb], and why kids have blue fingers. WTS!
· If you weren’t there for Felicity Dales talk tonight, you missed a treat. Six days on a bike with 26 others from Canberra to Melbourne over the alps. ‘A metre matters’ was the slogan, and camaraderie was tops!
Last Sunday’s Market
620 cars, 73 stalls, $961 in donations for the Neighborhood Centre, $160 from the Mitre 10 raffle, Progressive season profit $15,780.
Last day of the cars raffle
Wal Kelly ‘made-up’ at a Ballarat Rotary club meeting last week and discovered that they had just sold their 1200th. “Book?” asked Wal. “No, ticket”, was the reply. “How many has your club sold?”, Wal was asked.
“1200”, replied our Wal.. “What, tickets?” he was asked. “No, books”!! Wal recounted that story with some satisfaction to your editor last Sunday morning, on which day the target of 1300 books was reached. The 13,000th ticket was sold at the Barwon Heads Apco Service Station on Sunday at 2.30pm. A truly magnificent effort due largely to the efforts of Geoff Ford and Wal. Kelly. Well done, fellows!
Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Hotel, 16th February, 6.00 for 6.30
Speaker Paul Van Someren Subject Disabled Surfers Association Chairman Noel Emselle
Assistant Cashier & Thanker Peter Cullen Greeter & Assistant Sergeant Ingrid Cummins
Birthday 21st Jan Chandler
Donations-in-kind [DIK], a project of the Rotary club of Geelong, supported by district clubs
Our members are familiar with this fine project and have made substantial contributions to it.
At last Tuesday’s Greek banquet, the Waltons overheard Jan Fox recount how she helped pack 8 cartons of surplus books from the library of the Homestead Nursing Home, and which had been donated to the project.
As carrier, I was asked to call at the Waltons on my way to the North Geelong depot on Wednesday morning, to pick up another five parcels of books, plus a huge open box of pencils, pens and assorted stationery donated by the OG Primary school.
On arrival, my heavily laden car was greeted by an incredulous DIK leader and Geelong President Anton Van Doornik with the news that he had just finished a phone conversation with a contact in Asia, requesting unlimited supplies of pens, pencils, erasers, scissors etc., precisely what was overflowing that box on the back seat of my car.
Returning to my Geelong office, I recovered an e-mail from one of the firm’s lady staff members, advising that she was soon to take three months leave without pay, to work as a volunteer in a Cambodian Orphanage, where they had a desperate need for pens, pencils, writing pads etc. The appropriate contact was made with Anton, bringing to an exciting conclusion, two extraordinary coincidences.
Service, with a smile, or a grin! Adapted from a yarn by Noel Emselle
Bill and Sam, two elderly friends, met in the park every day to feed the pigeons, watch the squirrels and discuss world problems.
One day, Bill didn’t show up, but Sam was not too concerned and thought he might have a cold or something.
But after a week or so, Sam really got worried, and since they only ever met in the park, Sam didn’t know where to contact him.
After a month, Sam figured that he had seen the last of Bill, but one day, lo and behold, there he was! Excited and very happy to see him, Sam exclaimed, “Bill, what in the world happened to you?”
Bill replied, “I’ve been in Jail.” Sam asked, “what in the world for?”
“Well, said Bill,” You know that cute little blonde waitress at the park kiosk?’ “Yeah,” said Sam, ”What about her?”. “Well, one day, she filed rape charges against me, and at 89 years old, I was so proud, I pleaded guilty!?
“So, what happened?” said Sam. “The bloody judge gave me 30 days for perjury”!!
Around the Rotary world - Seeing clearly in the Phillippines
An ongoing Rotary project headed by the Rotary club of Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Phillippines, has provided more than 1,000 cataract surgeries to indigent people since 2003. Most recently, honorary Tuguegarao club member James Co Shu Ming screened 450 patients and performed 125 surgeries over two days. The club partners with the local government and an emergency hospital and has received support from the Rotary clubs of Lucena South, Quezon, Phillippines, and Songtan, Gyeonggi, South Korea, as well as two local Rotaract clubs.
Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Hotel, 23rd February, 6.00 for 6.30
Speaker Phil. Green Subject Bellarine Police Community Support Group Chairman Mick Cummins
Assistant Cashier & Thanker Geoffrey Cummins Greeter & Assistant Sergeant Ian Downing
Birthdays 25th Shirley Dodgshun 28th John Paton
Three fascinating, but otherwise quite useless pieces of information.
· Mice are a delicacy in Zambia and Milawi.
· Boiling a lobster alive is a crime punishable by a fine in northern Italy.
· Sausages were invented thousands of years ago as a way of preserving and eating all the nasty-looking leftovers from slicing up an animal into cuts of meat. So, what’s changed?
Rotary finances, in a nutshell
Rotary International reported total revenue for 2008-09 of US$66.7M. Broadly speaking, it was mainly from membership dues, followed by services and other activities, and finally, net investment returns. Those first two categories returned total amounts within about 1% of budget. The net investment returns produced a loss of US$12.1M, compared with a budgeted surplus of US$7.2M, an adverse turnaround of US$19.3M. The total RI expenses for 2008/09 was US$83.5M, consequently producing an excess of expenses over revenue of US$16.8M. Clearly, the loss was attributable to the adverse investment result.
The 2008/09 result for the Rotary Foundation is not as easy to review in brief, but the revenue comprises contributions and investment earnings the combined grand total of which was US$59.9M in 2008/09. Over the past ten years, 87% of the Foundation’s total spending was for program awards and operations – Humanitarian Grants, Educational Programs, and PolioPlus. The Foundation’s total expenses in 2008/09 was US$187.8M, of which US$167.6M was for programs. For confirmation, go to www.rotary.org
Reluctant Philanthropy on a Sunday morning
Heather Wallace, on duty at the market ‘donations’ gate last Sunday, was asked by a belligerent driver, “Are yer chargin’ for parkin’ now?” “No,”,replied Heather, sweetly, “this is just a voluntary donation to charity”. “What charity?”. “Neighborhood House”, said Heather, still sweetly. “Never heard of it” was the response. After a further exchange in similar vein, the front seat passenger was heard to say, “Aw, give her $2 to shut her up”. Fair dinkum!
RI’s Investment philosophy Reproduced from the website - www.rotary.org.
‘Rotary invests prudently for long-term, steady growth. RI and its Foundation are strong both in financial planning for the needs of today and in anticipating our needs for the future.
In addition, ethical standards, including Rotary’s Four-Way Test, serve as guide for efficient and prudent handling of financial matters. Numerous RI and Rotary Foundation committees monitor fiscal matters closely, with input from third-party experts.’
More follows in the download, but any of my fellow internet- following fellows can read it for themselves.
John Fox, 2055, 09/02/2010
