23rd March, 2011
Notice for the meeting at Club Grove, Tuesday, 29th March, 6.00 for 6.30
Subject Australian Future Fibre Research institute. Speaker David Pardoe
Chairman Geoff Brentnall
Assistant Cashier & Thanker Geoffrey Cummins Greeter & Assistant Sergeant Phil Edwards
Birthdays & Anniersaries 30th Coral Barker 2nd April Geoffrey & Ingrid Cummins
Notice for the meeting at Club Grove, Tuesday, 5th April, 6.00 for 6.30
Subject MS Australia Megaswim Speaker Mark Sims Chairman John Paton
Assistant Cashier & Thanker John Dodgshun Greeter & Assistant Sergeant Hans Franken
Birthdays & Anniversaries 8th Martin Geerings 9th John Calnin, Vic Harnath, Gordon King
10th Peter & Jo Hawthorne
Club reports from last night
The Ballarat Conference
The 2013 District Conference Chairman Gary Golding reported that the official conference attendance in Ballarat was 416, including, at a guess, 250 for the opening session on Friday evening. Your editor suggests that out of the total of 416, perhaps 250 were Rotarians, and the rest would be spouses. Gary, a Rotary conference first-timer, reported his enthusiasm for the Friday and Saturday sessions, but not Sunday.
Another OG attendee reported privately that the mob from our club, like all Saturday evening dinner-goers, got seated by 7.00 PM, and got well fed with good food but with such slow service, that the sweets didn't arrive until 10.30, by which time, many diners had gone to bed. I like sweets, but if I had been seated for dinner over a span of 3.5 hours, I would have been less than gruntled! The 2012 District conference will be held in Waarnambool.
Our club was presented with the 'Preserve Planet Earth Award', for our association with the Surfside Primary School garden project.
Committee reports
Standard procedure for this time of the year was the shortage of reports, but Ian Downing became the exception to the rule, and advised that a delegation of four will inspect the Queenscliff Town Hall next Mondayfor the Art Show.
If you are not 50 plus, you may not understand this
The local radio station was interviewing an 85-year-old lady because she had just married for the fourth time. The interviewer asked her questions about her life, and what it felt like to be marrying again at 85, and asked about her new husband's occupation.
"He's a funeral director", she answered.
The newsman thought that interesting and asked her about her first three husbands and what they did for a living.
She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she first married a banker when she was in her early 20's, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40's, a preacher when in her 60's and now, in her 80's, the funeral director.
The interviewer looked at her in astonishment and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers.
She smiled and patiently explained, "I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go."
How to become a FROG [Friends of Rotary Ocean Grove]
RI Director Stuart Heal introduced this concept at the conference, calling on us to Connect, Share, Identify [the three pillars] He wants us to shift our focus from attendance to 'engagement'. [Personally, I think that the latter flows from the former- Service activities start with good fellowship].
RI took the initiative in this new programme by introducing the 2011-14 Associate Member Pilot Program,
but President Noel has prepared, introduced and now launched FROGat last night's meeting.
He is to be highly commended for the considerable time and effort he put in to an excellent power point presentation last night, and has 'shown the way' by inviting 17 prospective associate members to a 7am breakfast on Wednesday 6th April. You all know the details from that and earlier announcements, but it attracted numerous comments from our members, and few adverse comments.
It was significant, and timely, that one member suggested it will be a challenge for us to get out of our comfort zone, and another member warned of the danger of perhaps introducing an 'associate' club rather than aiming straight at full Rotary club membership from the start.
You are probably sick of my frequent editorials, but no-one writes 'letters to the editor' so I have to resort to my own views on the direction in which Rotary appears to be heading.
Noel's initiative is very well thought out and constructed. It deserves our support. But Rotary survives very well, utilising the skills and experience of retired business and professional men and women. By the end of your life, you may have been retired from your vocation for twenty years. By the end of this century, that gap may have become 40 years. What are today's new-borns going to do with that 40 years? If they join Rotary too soon, they may be clapped out too soon – like me!!
Our last market for the season is 3rd April
Gate people will be announced next week, but PP Colin Brown, PHFhas announced the following parkers to start at hourly intervals, commencing 0830 – Colin Brown, Geoff Brentnall, Hans Franken.
The farmer allows walkers to cross his field, free, but the bull charges
John Fox
23/03/11
