Today's meeting was expertly chaired by Ian who first off welcomed guests:
AG Wendy
Irish
Chairmaine from the Rotary E-Club of South Africa One & the Sunshine Coast Rotary Community Corps
Ken from RC Morwell
and of course our guest speaker Ray Krebs from the NBN
The International Toast was given by Alan to RC Halifax in Nova Scotia, District 7820
Unfortunately, in this instance he was only given 9/10 because he forgot to mention Peggy's Point Lighthouse, which sits dominantely on their logo, albeit repainted in Rotary colours, and with real life not able to replicate the weather conditions shown. And he missed the "not to be missed" gingerbread at the nearby Sou'Wester Restaurant
With President Chris in the UK, PP Bernie gave the President's Report
Main Points:
- Welcome to guests
- Congratulations to Genta for successfully staging this year's Japan Festival. Genta seems to have missed today's meeting and is hopefully having a well deserved rest. Caloundra Rotary showed the flag and was rewarded with some news coverage showing members relaxing in the background.
- Board meeting last night
- The Film Night is going ahead with proceeds to Tracoma Project following last week's meeting
- Walk for Polio in November
- Something about headphones (Opps! - must have been tucking into my dessert at this stage)
- Car Boot Sale - next year
- Bamboo Projects need help with their Bunnings BBQ on Saturday
- Bernie will be an apology next week but Mark has agreed to stand in for the President's Report
- Unfortunately Anne Bowland has resigned
- Chris sent through an email re advice from District about risk management for events - District to be informed; and additional privacy around exchange students - no last names or schools attended to be publicised
Ian introduced Ray whose talk, incidentally, coincided with Scam Awareness Week so "press button one" may not have been the best advice from Ian
Originally from New Zealand, Ray has travelled through the US & Europe and while in London he met his lovely wife Donna, who hails from Warrnambool Victoria Australia.
They returned to Australia & lived for a time in Melbourne before moving to Warrnambool to start their family – having 2 daughters who are now 19 & 21.
Having adult daughters, they took the opportunity this year to move to QLD to be closer to friends & family where Ray has taken the opportunity to work for the NBN. His role is to speak to Community Groups to help educate residents about Connecting to the NBN plus importantly highlighting Scam Awareness.
Outside of work, Ray is a referee for Touch Rugby League and enjoys walking & exploring Brisbane’s many walking tracks.
Ray is part of the nbn™ local Qld team. His role is to meet with local Community Groups to help educate them about the status of the nbn™ access network in there area.
After taking a "selfie" with us in the background, Ray started by letting us know that the NBN is the largest infrastructure project in Australia's history. The service has revolutionized internet access. many rural areas in particular, have not, in the past had access to reliable and cheap internet. That, since the rollout began, we now have an additional 47,000 home based businesses established, says volumes.
For images of some of the slides, go to the photo album
You can also get to see some of the other images from the meeting which were too horrible to put in "Our Last Meeting"
Apparently, we all have around 17 internet connected devices in our homes, and will have up to 30 in the coming years. These can include door bells, microwaves, coffee machines, fridges and of course smart TVs. - Keep your eyes peeled - you never know!
Ray gave us some practical advice around connecting, including that the NBN is a wholesaler only, and that we have around 150 providers to choose from. You don't need a landline anymore, but do be aware that when the power goes down, you better hope that your mobile is charged. Battery back up units are available from retailers, especially handy if you have special needs such as medical alarms. If you change providers, make sure you keep your phone number.
Scams are now a part of life, especially if, unlike Alan, you are "one of those bloody old people" . Most scam victims are over 45 with the peak age at 55. Australians lost $107m to scams last year, with nearly half a billion going to cyber crime in general. Share investments, romance, and false billing are big ones. Don't give information to random people who call or email you. Search the contact details yourself and confirm if necessary. Check if bank details really have changed. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don't give remote access to your computer.
Ray kindly left his contact details in case help was needed
(you know ... if the rubbish truck doesn't arrive on time; your car needs washing ... that sort of thing)
Ian thanked Ray for the talk
AG Wendy confirmed she was not stalking Ray. (Well ... she does turn up in funny places)
Discussed youth policy, and noted risk management plans needed to be submitted to Dean at District.
Congratulations on the 10,000th RYDA student.
Two dates:
- Sunday 13th Oct, annual walk for mental health - lots of "purple"
- Sat 5th October, our Cluster is rostered for DIK - 2 or 3 needed from our Club
Directors
Darryl - Anna has suggested we visit her in Toogoolawah for our Christmas party.
The latest from Darryl
Merv - thanked for RYDA/BBQ support, then got stuck into the Sergeant's session
This is the smug look he gave at the end
Congrats Ray for winning the wine.