6th April 2010
This Day Tonight
- Bill Steains annual Easter hole-in-one effort for the Childrens Hospital raised $3.206.
- Acting President Trevor McArdle thanked the 32 members/partners for their collective contribution to the success of the Seafoodfest, also in aid of the Childrens Hospital. He estimated we served 1000 meals. See below!
- Our Easter Monday market attracted 910 cars, 99 occupied sites, $224 in the raffle, $1,222 in the 'donations bin', and enabled OC Phil Edwards to report a net profit for the 6 market season, [March was cancelled because of the weather] of $17,958. Phil was warmly congratulated for his leadership over the last two seasons, as also were the many members who contributed with their time and expertise. Phil made particular mention of Heather Wallace for her handling of the rosters.
- 16 members are expected to man the gate next Saturday at the Ocean Grove Park. Meet 1.00 PM sharp at the Hodgson St. main entrance, for a 2.00 PM concert by 'The Rusties'. Contact Bill Walton.
- Bill will also OC the working bee at the Surfside Primary School next Friday morning.
- 17 members have put their names down for the CPR refresher course in early May. Contact –Wal Kelly
- The District Assembly for incoming officers is in Stawell on 16th April. Our Board meets next Tues.
- About 74 have booked for our night at Davidsons restaurant in May at $30 pp.
[P[ortable, [L]asting, [I]ntegrated, [E]ducation based on, [S]elf [E]xploration
was the theme of tonight's address to the club by Nigel Vernon, a teacher at Girton Grammar School, but also, the co-founder of a specialist education Pty. Ltd Company with the above name, which pretty well explains what this exciting project is all about!
The PLIESE program is partly about autism in young people, but it goes much deeper than that. and highlights the development of academic and social development in gifted children.
Too often, students are swamped by peer group influence and the tendency to be restrained by the needs to move at the pace of the slowest. Nigel's focus is on developing independence and highlighting personal attributes and interests.
A student struggling to cope with the concept of ratios, was directed to match his interest in cycling and the necessary gearing involved, to shed a new light on a previously clouded subject. A very interesting program!
The Queenscliff Seafoodfest
The Wednesday set-up arrangements went smoothly, and our team of setuppers did their job efficiently.
The Wednesday evening briefing and finger food supper for the volunteers was attended by a host [very nearly a multitude], and my proof reader thought there were 14 of us. I didn't recover from becoming hopelessly lost in my search for the .'Old Queenscliff' wharf' until my third red, but it was a bloody good night!
Our Good Friday contribution was typical of our club. Willing and effective contributions by about 30 members and partners. The best I and several of my fellow members can say about the organisers of the big day, was that they appeared willing. Effective? Well, they should have been, with their previous years of success, but there were unexplained and unacceptable problems, and if we contributed to a fair degree of success, it was a reflection on our club's efficiency and record of overcoming problems.
There were no tomatoes, and the lettuce ran out half way through the afternoon. Our team of ladies at the preparation table, [none of them Rotarians], made up for that appalling oversight on the part of the organisers, by piling the plates high with fish and chips. We didn't hear any complaints.
All of the 24 serving stalls were set up facing the prevailing winds, OG Rotary was allocated two sites, but only one barbeque, but the six tonnes of donated fish was excellent, and the 52 kilometres of chips cooked in 14 large wire baskets all afternoon were equally well devoured. We had plenty of lemons.
We Christians were sandwiched between the Lions and the Freemasons. The Romans would have enjoyed that!
Early mutterings amongst our members suggested that we should not participate next year, but on sober reflection, that would not do our club any service and our local reputation would surely suffer. Perhaps we should offer to have a couple of our experienced members on their committee. We certainly know how to run markets, raffles, Anzac Day breakfasts, and many other efforts. One applicant for tickets asked Geoffrey Cummins if there was a menu! He didn't know at the time, but Geoffrey could have answered, "yes, fish 'n chips and chips 'n fish.
Three fascinating, but otherwise quite useless pieces of information.
- China is the world's leading producer of apples.
- Cheese was invented in around 8000 BC.
- There are more Maltese people living in Melbourne than there are in Malta.
The three G's [Gary Golding's Games]
Collusion between the two Waltons is an unfounded rumour, but they do claim equal 1st in the progressive Footy Tipping Comp. Three members claimed 7/8 last weekend.
Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Surf Club, Tues. 13th April, 6.00pm – inspections in groups
The meeting will start about 6.45 and we will be served finger food from the 'Dunes'
Speakers Peter Rankin and others Chairman & Thanker Noel Emselle
Assistant Cashier Bob Osbourne Greeter & Assistant Sergeant John Paton
Birthdays & Annivs. 15th John Dodgshun. 18th Bob Smith, Geoff & Hazel Ford 19th Paul Harris [1868]
The Ocean Grove SLSC are State Champions, [for the eleventh straight year!!]
Greeter John Paton is asked to bring the member's dinner plaques from the pub, [unless they were destroyed in the fire.]
The future of the Murray-Darling Basin. [Does it have one?]
At about the same time as we were planning our contribution to the Queenscliff Seafoodfest, it was announced in The 'Addy', that we will, in the near future, obtain most of the Geelong district's water supply from Melbourne, part of which will be drawn from the Goulbourn river pipeline. Should we be encroaching on the Murray-Darling Basin for our water?
So, what is the Murray-Darling Basin? It has been described as the food bowl of our nation, at least for the four Eastern mainland States. In area, it is about one fifth of Australia. The main rivers are the Murray, [the biggest, rising in the alps], the Darling [the longest, rising in Queensland, the wettest State], and the Murrumbidgee, [also rising in the alps].
The Darling has 10 tributaries, The Warrego, Paroo, the Condamine-Balone and the Culgoa from the north, and the Barwon, Gwyder, Namoi, Castlereagh, Macquarie and the Bogan from the east, all combining to flow into the Murray at Wentworth, west of Mildura.
The Murrumbidgee, which joins the Murray at Boundary Bend, west of Swan Hill, has only one, the Lachlan, The Murray has six, the Mitta Mitta, Kiewa, Ovens, Goulbourn, Loddon and Avoca.
By the time all of these water courses combine at Wentworth, there is still about 840 kms to the mouth of the Murray at Goolwa, S.A., where it all runs into the Southern Ocean. Except that it doesn't!! There has been no flow from the Murray into the ocean for several years. It can be attributed to 'Climate Change', or perhaps, more specifically, to the two 'ions', irrigation & evaporation. [The town of Cunnamulla in Queensland, located on the Warrego, is half a continent north, but less than 200 metres above sea level]. The flow down the Darling system is ultra-slow, and spreads out for many kms [when it flows at all!].
And flowing is what it is doing at present, following extra heavy rains in the headwaters, which is predicted to fill Lake Victoria, - paradoxically in NSW-, and likely to be Adelaide's saviour.
So what is the future of all those cities and towns along the way? And what about Adelaide, which gets just about all of its potable water from the Murray at Morgan? I wish I knew, but more importantly, I wish they knew. If you want to know more about the Murray-Darling Basin, read Chris Hammer's 'The River'. [Melb Uni. Press]
Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Hotel, Tuesday 20th April, 6.00 for 6.30
Speaker Laurie Curran Subject Clean water for Pakistan Chairman John Fox
Assistant Cashier & Thanker Gary Golding Greeter & Assistant Sergeant Peter Hawthorne
Birthdays & Anniversaries 23rd John & Nan Calnin 25th Anne Tyrrell
John Fox, 2145, 06/04/2010
