20th April 2010
This Day Tonight
· Secy Vic. announced that bowel scans for the ‘over 40’s’ commence in May. $10 per kit.
· Bill Walton told us that the Surfside PS chookhouse is just about ready for roosters and their girls, the Cooking Centre will open at 6 pm on 29th April, and spraying is soon to be undertaken at the L/O Res.
· John Eyles gave just about the last call for Davidsons bookings for our gala night on 11th May.
· Alison George reminded us of DIK collections, and John Calnin expects us all at the Dawn Service next Sunday at 6.15. am., except for the ten workers, who are expected at 5.30.
· Judy Greer referred to our three VCE awardees, and forecast the Semens Science School for later this year for students in year 10.
· Geoff Brentnall has lovely fruit cakes for sale, [no longer made by Mrs Ghandi, I’m afraid] for $20, of which $5 goes to the Rotary Foundation.
· A reasonably encouraging show of hands convinced Martin Geerings that a theatre night at the Leopold Theatrette on Friday 21st May could be a goer. Watch this space!
· President-Elect Noel Emselle expects strong support from Board Members and others for the District Assembly next month..
· Registrations for the CPR Refresher Course are still available by contacting Wal. Kelly.
· You can book your accommodation for next years District Conference in Ballarat – 18-20 March, by lodging $50 deposit with Rod Greer.
· There are vacancies on Distict committees. Contact Pres. Rod for details. They include the GSE committee and ‘Preserve Planet Earth’.
Guest Speaker Laurie Curran has lived in our midst for about 25 years!
Pakistan has a population of about 200,000,000, but is not much larger than Victoria. Laurie’s power point presentation was utterly fascinating and informative, but most of us were surely left with the gratifying thought that we are very fortunate to live right here!
Pakistan and Water was the subject of his talk and presentation tonight, and we all learnt a great deal about this extraordinarily overcrowded, often corrupt, and mainly desperately poor country.
There is only a 20% chance of a human being living beyond age 40 in Pakistan, and most of the other numerous statistics recounted by Laurie served to show us what constitutes a third-world country.
He made particular mention of a town of about 200,000 population, called Tank, which had an awful problem with water quality, until Laurie’s Company constructed, transported and installed a water treatment plant in the heart of the Taliban dominated region, entirely without cost to the local Pakistanis, despite the need to bribe and offer kickbacks to corrupt officials. A lesson to us all on Service Above Self
I apologise for poor reporting – One musical treat missed, but one to go!
Richard Grimmett announced two musical treats for Ocean Grove at the Chicken Shop during our meeting at the SLSC last Tuesday, but I foolishly played down both events in my bulletin e-mailed back to Richard for publishing. He named the artists at both events by inserting names in my draft, but has since elaborated!
It’s too late for any publicity by me for last Saturday night’s performance by Dutch Tilders, but I now repeat Richard’s commentary on next Friday’s performance at the Chicken Shop by internationally renowned ‘Luke Howard Trio’.
‘Pianist composer Luke Howard is returning to Melbourne from Berlin to perform at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival on May 5 in the Melbourne Recital Centre. He will be joined by bass player Jonathon Zion and drummer Daniel Farrugia. Zion and Farrugia recently captivated an audience at the Chicken Shop as part of the Anton Delecca Quartet. The Luke Howard Trio will perform at the Chicken Shop on Friday 23 April in preparation for the jazz festival’. 8pm, tickets at the door.
ANZAC day, commemorating the allied landings at Gallipoli, 95 years ago
Anzac observances now cover our involvement in two world wars and other ‘lesser’ conflicts such as Vietnam and the Gulf war, but traditionally, and inevitably, the focus is on one of the great disasters of the last 100 years of military conflicts. Lasting from 25th April until 20th December 1915, the Gallipoli campaign was badly planned and based on a gross underestimation of the Turks as a fighting force.
This sorry story began when the Russians appealed to Britain and France for munitions. Ministers and the military in London agreed to let the Royal Navy try to get to Russia’s Black Sea ports through the Dardanelles and to use land troops if needed. Ineptly led on our side by British General Ian Hamilton and expertly on the Turkish side by Mustafa Kemal, later to become President of the Turkish Republic, it should never have been attempted, and hindsight tells us that it had no hope of success from the very first day. The Allied casualties were 25,000 dead, 76,000 wounded, 13,000 missing and 96,000 sick and admitted to hospital. About 8,500 Australians died and 19,000 were wounded. About 500,000 troops on either sides were involved, and the Turkish casualties were far greater than ours. The War Office in London reported outstanding heroism by British, Australian and New Zealand troops.
At least the evacuation was an extraordinary success. 90,000 men, 4,500 animals, 1,700 vehicles and 200 guns were evacuated with great skill and ingenuity under the very noses of the powerful Turkish forces. Not a single life was lost. Extracts mainly from Alan Moorehead’s book ‘Gallipoli’i
I make no apologies for having told this story before, but it is one which has stayed in my memory for 20 years. Jan and I were passengers on a Greek ship which passed through the Dardenelles on the way back from Istanbul on 24th April, 1990. The Captain announced that we would pass by Anzac Cove as the sun was setting.
Watching this view from the top deck was a smattering of passengers, mainly British, Australian and New Zealanders. We noticed a very elderly man in a wheelchair quietly weeping, and we later asked his grand-daughter, who was accompanying him, for his story. ‘He had been a gunlayer on a British cruiser on the morning of the landings, and had observed, through his binoculars, how many of the naval shells were falling short amongst the allied troops massing on the very narrow beach, as well as on the Turkish forces manning the cliffs. At the sight of this dreadfull carnage, her grandfather had wept.’ 75 years later, he wept again.
Members are urged to attend next Sunday morning’s Dawn Service, at which Rotary will play an important part, particularly with the traditional breakfast, prepared by John Calnin’s team..
With Anzac Day looming, you probably all know from whom Monash University was named
Australian Brigadier John Monash was 50 when he went to Gallipoli, and later became a corps commander in France. He was widely tipped to succeed Sir Douglas Haig as Supreme Commander, but the poms would surely have drawn the line at a mere Aussies holding such a high military post.
Monash held a Doctorate of Engineering, was also a graduate in Arts and Law, and was deeply read in music, medicine and German Literature.
Our Footy Tipping Competition [weekly report by Gary Golding]
Some recalcitrants haven’t yet paid their $44 to Gary, and risk suspension and reprimand! Phil Edwards picked 8/8 last weekend. Very commendable.
Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Hotel, Tuesday 27th April, 6.00 for 6.30
Speaker Niki Dunne Subject OG Neighborhood Centre Chairman Tony Haines
Assistant Cashier & Thanker David Tyrrell Greeter & Assistant Sergeant Heather Wallace
Birthdays & Anniversaries 28th Ian & Jennifer Bent. 30th Richard & Heather Grimmett
2nd May Geoff & Fay Eglin, Jan Flett. 3rd Trevor & Moyra McArdle
John Fox, 2145, 20/04/2010
