Judy cheerily opened our meeting, welcoming Kath (Inner Wheel), Ken (Morwell Rotary, Victoria), and about to be new member, Ana. Arnaldo & Gerry were welcomed back from their travels (during which Gerry succumbed to a disease that he is still recovering from!).
Deb told us some tales from her vocation as a Celebrant, and she was followed by President Bernie with a short presentation and a few announcements. She reminded us of:
- RYDA on Tuesday/Wednesday
- The BBQ scheduled for Wednesday week - one more volunteer is needed from 12 noon, so register here please
- Our Movie Night - book here
- Gordon & Lyn's ill health
Bernie also announced that $2,000 was being sent to the Rotary Club of Longreach for drought relief.
Our Guest Speaker was Ann Ross from Hive Haven and the journey to develop the Hive Haven V9 which is specifically designed to maintain a stable temperature and enable the harvesting of stingless native bee honey and cerumen. This ability to insulate the hive for both hot and cold climatic conditions means native bees can now survive in areas where previously they would have died. Hive Haven values the stingless native bee and wants to raise the awareness of a threatened species through the sustainable commercialisation of native bee products.
In other announcements, Deb gave us a run down on our healthy finances and Genta announced that 2500 visitors to the Japan Festival had generated a net result of $7,000. President Bernie then announced that we are seeking a replacement for Gerry's BBQ responsibilities - there is nine months for the right person to volunteer and to be trained. We are also looking for a volunteer to organise the selling of our Melbourne Cup Trifecta tickets.
Sergeant Merv then enlightened us of matters of various interest levels and brought the meeting to a close.