Clean Toilets
Good evening fellow Rotarians, Guests and Friends of Rotary,
Our Breakfast this week provided us with a change to the normal format in more ways than one.
The usual venue, Oaks Resort, had the "no room in the Inn" sign up, so we had to find alternative board and lodging. Once again our intrepid Leprechaun, Gorgeous Gordon, was able to secure the Pelican Waters Golf Club for our Breakfast Meeting.
Thank you for arranging the alternative venue, Gordon, and special thanks to Michelle Hurd, Function Manager of PWGC, for getting up early and ensuring we were well looked after. And we certainly were ! It's always such a nice place to dine, with the food, service and view, all contributing to the atmosphere and ambience.
Helen was at the front desk, greeting us all and collecting our bitcoin. Chairperson for the morning, Stephen had to do a bit of ad-libbing when his request for us to stand for customary Rotary Grace was interrupted by an Audio Visual presentation depicting the beginning of Rotary, coinciding with the 113th Birthday of Rotary. For those who may have missed the vision or would like to see it again, here is the link.
Luckily, Stephen recovered quickly and following Grace, since we were in such picturesque surrounds at a beautiful golf course, Alan S proposed the International Toast to the Rotary Club of Troon, famous for its beautiful golf course, in Scotland (Rotary District1230. If you'd like to know more about this Club and District, here is the link.
We met at Pelican Waters Golf Club
Apart from the very encouraging attendance from our membership, we were also fortunate to have a number of friends/guests present.
A hearty welcome goes to Alf Muller (again, keep it up, Alf !), our Guest Presenter Haran, Rachael's partner David, Chris' guest Peter, Ron Strong ( I know you're not a guest Ron, but it was great to see you), Judith and Derek, and Jim's wife Yvonne. It's so nice to see new faces each week. I hope that you enjoy what our Club has to offer in the way of Friendship and Service to our Community.
Jim has been campaigning strongly in his capacity as President of the Caloundra Men's Shed. The Men's Shed's lease is due to expire at the end of this month, which would be unthinkable if this was allowed to happen. Thankfully common sense has prevailed and Jim was able to announce that a further 12 months extension has been granted on the current lease. Great news for the 'Shed', and well done, Jim !
Special mention goes to our four most recently inducted Members, Jim, Chris, Megyn and Rachael. I'd like to personally thank you for your involvement in the Club. Your attendance at Breakfasts, Committee Meetings and at Service Commitments, displays the calibre of Member we take pride in at our Club.
As part of Rotary reform, there are plans underway for 'redistricting' our Rotary District. This will mean that our Rotary District 9600 will have its boundaries extended to all of north Qld and across to central and part of NT, then down into northern NSW. All Members present were asked to vote in favour of this happening, which we did, but I guess it's a fait accompli. What will be, will be....
Being at the PWGC reminded us of our Charity Golf Day, which is getting closer. It is our Club's major fundraiser for the year and I ask all Members to get involved. Whether this be entering a team and playing, sponsoring a hole, helping on the day or just spreading the word in the community. If you can help in any way to assist us in raising funds for SunnyKids, we would love your involvement. Gordon is the Chair of the Golf Committee. He and his team have been working on this project all year and we want it to be a huge success.........because no-one wants a Grumpy Gordon.
Deb has organised tickets and three tables for the annual CalPac ROMAC Trivia night, Thurs 1 March. Details here
Sue has invited us all to the Club's February Social Evening on 3 March. Come along to Corbould Park for an evening at the Races. Guaranteed to be a fun night out. More information
Judy has booked a large group of us into the Esk Caravan Park and the Johnny Cash and Eagles Tribute Show at the Esk Civic Centre, for the weekend of 23-25 March. A Caravan and Camping Spectacular not to be missed. More details
Also this Friday night, there will be an informal dinner to celebrate Rotary International's 113th Birthday at the Corner Pocket Bar & Grill in Caloundra. Contact Judy for details.
Our District's Annual Conference will be held on the weekend of 21-22 April. The venue is Maroochy RSL and a reminder that the cost of your attendance is included in your yearly fees. The only charge is for meals, at a subsidised rate. I'm sure a lot of our members intend going to the Conference. It's a great opportunity to learn more about Rotary from the exciting Speaker line up, a chance to network, meet other Rotarians, especially those from the Solomons and PNG and get to know your own Club Members on a more personal level. More information and registration here
Our Guest Speaker, Haran Ramachandran is from the Rotary Club of the Hills-Kellyville in north-western Sydney. He flew up to present details of the project to install 40 Bio Toilets in Indian slums. A very informative presentation for which we thank Haran who has facilitated the project and our involvement which commenced with our Anna's desire to help women without property toilet facilities. It is a major project involving US $38,000. There is considerable material available so please read all the details on this page.
Golf Day Update
Gordon announced that 12 of the 18 holes have been sponsored and that 6 teams had registered. Obviously many more teams are needed so please use all your networks to help make this day great!
Time is running out!
Bio Toilets
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Odisha. It is the largest city in Odisha and is a centre of economic and religious importance in Eastern India. Bhubaneswar is often referred to as a "Temple City of India".
But ..... there are 338 unauthorised slums in Bhubaneswar - many households do not have toilets and a few who have sanitary toilets have no drainage, water and maintenance facilities!!
113 Years of Rotary
In 1896, Paul Harris went to Chicago to practice law. One evening, in the early 1900's, Paul went with a professional friend to his suburban home. After dinner, as they strolled through the neighbourhood, Paul's friend introduced him to tradesmen in their stores. This reminded Paul of his grandparent's home in New England. "Why not have a fellowship composed of businessmen from different occupations, without restrictions of politics or religion?" he thought.
This re-enactment by members of the Willoughby Theatre Company was staged at the Rotary District 9685 Conference on 23 February 2014 - 109 years after Rotary became a reality.