RI Convention Opens

Opening Plenary from Rotary International on Vimeo.

RI President Ray Klinginsmith Opens the Conevntion
Let the Good Times Roll

Rotarians celebrated past accomplishments and future friendships during the opening plenary session of the 2011 RI Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, on 22 May.

“Let’s celebrate Rotary this week while we are here together in this special place,” said RI President Ray Klinginsmith.

During the traditional flag ceremony, South Central Rotary Youth Exchange students presented flags from the more than 200 countries and geographical areas in the Rotary world. The group’s participation highlighted Rotary’s fifth and newest Avenue of Service, New Generations Service.

Attendees were treated to a variety of entertainment features. Internationally renowned opera singer Simon Estes, an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Des Moines, Iowa, performed the national anthem. Rotarians Steve Selvick and Jerry Mills, who wrote the song “Come Join Us,” performed with the Youth Exchange students.

Country music star Lucy Dalton received an enthusiastic response for a song she wrote about Rotary’s “This Close” public awareness campaign for polio eradication. And singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey performed “Cowboy Logic,” a song about the common-sense solutions for everything. Klinginsmith has used it as the theme song for his presidency.

Klinginsmith urged Rotarians to use the convention as an opportunity to visit the House of Friendship, meet new people, and learn about service projects from other Rotarians.

“Greet everyone and talk with as many people as you can,” he said. “You do not need an introduction to talk with other people here. You are free to converse with anyone and everyone. And regardless of where you are from, you will eventually meet someone who can help you with a project or who knows someone you know.”

Klinginsmith also encouraged Rotarians to attend some of the convention’s many  workshops to learn how to make their clubs bigger, better, and bolder.

“The best days of Rotary are still ahead,” he said.

The Photos section 12 exclusive Photographs of House of friendship at NOLA Convention dispatched by Ron Nethurcutt for eFlash created by PDG Sunil K Zachariah Ron is in Rotary for more than 25 yrs and presently settled in Philippines. He is a TRF Major Donor and former ROTI Chair 07-09. He was a GSE Team Leader from 6840 to 1050 in 1995 and TRF Visiting University Professor to University of the Philippines 2000. He has attended Rotary meetings in 15 countries.



RI Convention begins

Let the good times roll!

Michael L. Gill, of the Rotary Club of Franklinton, Louisiana, USA, and his wife, Betty, show their Mardi Gras spirit during the Sounds of the South Concert on 21 May at the 2011 RI Convention in New Orleans. Rotary Images/Alyce Henson

Thousands of Rotarians from around the world are celebrating Rotary at the RI Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Attendees enjoyed the first day of the House of Friendship.

Convention Kick Off – House of Friendship Opens from Rotary International on Vimeo.

Ride to End Polio.

Ride to End Polio from Rotary International on Vimeo.

Before the Convention started Rotaractors helped Habitat for Humanity build and renovate houses damaged by hurricane Katrina;

Rotaract Teams with Habitat for Humanity from Rotary International on Vimeo.

Also before the convention Rotary Youth Exchange students go house to house helping homeowners switch to energy-saving light bulbs. They must have got the idea from Coolamon when Past President Grahame Miles and our club did the same thing for Coolamon!

Youth Exchange Lights Up New Orleans from Rotary International on Vimeo.

A Trek to Africa’s Last Glaciers

Here is a very recent story on the Mountains of the Moon which will give you a good idea of what the conditions are like today.  The article is by Tom Knudson who writes about natural resources and the environment for the Sacramento Bee. Over the years, his reporting has been singled out for numerous journalistic honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes and a Reuters-I.U.C.N. Global Environmental Media Award. In a previous article for Yale Environment 360, he wrote about the impact of the biofuel boom on Indonesia’s rain forests.

In the Mountains of the Moon

The view west across the Stanley Plateau to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The view west across the Stanley Plateau to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The glacier atop Mount Stanley is the largest ice mass remaining in the Rwenzori Mountains, and one of the few glaciers left in Africa.

This is a project of the Rotary Club of Coolamon and for any further information please contact John Glassford:

Contact details [email protected] phone 61 2 6927 6027

Road MAPS to Africa

Happy 40th From our Centennial Twin Club in South Africa

The Centennial Twin Club Banner
President Patrick McLaughlin Hout Bay Rotary Club

President Patrick McLaughlin from our Twin Centennial Rotary Club Hout Bay in South Africa sent this very special greeting to us:

Dear President Ian and Coolamon members,

My wonderful wife has got me up to the office and to write this message to all our Coolamon friends in Australia. There’s something a triple by-pass operation teaches you and that is the value of Rotary friendship which stretches across the world. All day, every day I have had Rotary friendship and over the years Rotarian John has been a very special friend, climbing his mountains and working Rotary with such great enthusiasm.  It means a lot to me to write this message.

Coolamon has special values for us all here in Rotary Club of Hout Bay because you are our twinned club and there are not too many twinned clubs in the world today. It represents a special partnership, plus the fact that South Africans and Australians are also special people, anyway.

When you drive out of our home town here there is the biggest sign on our local clinic on the Main Road which says “Coolamon House”, so your message is here big time, all the time. May that message also always declare our friendship and common values.

We wish you a happy celebration from each one of our members here and we shall toast Rotary Club of Coolamon at our Tuesday meeting.

Good on all of you.  Regards in Rotary.

Patrick McLaughlin  President  Rotary Club of Hout Bay

Happy 40th Birthday Coolamon Rotary Club!

President Ian Durham and Charter Member George Hutcheon cutting the cake

 

40 Years Ago May 8th. 1971 our Charter was presented to the Coolamon Rotary Club by District Governor Keith Grainger of D 270.

The following members were the Charter members on that night:

+William Chittick Innes                      WC and JM Innes                                               Farmer

Michael Joseph Curtis                          Coolamon Shire Council                                Shire Clerk

John William Agnew                            Education Department Secondary        Principal

Murray Ernest Nash                              Coolamon Shire Council                               Shire Engineer

Ronald Laurence Francis                    Postal Services                                                  Postmaster

Brian John Harvey                                Methodist Church                                             Minister

Bruce Mckane                                            Presbyterian Church                                     Minister

Herbert Ronald Hopkins                       HR Hopkins                                                       Principal

Donald Henry Hoore                             Church of England                                        Rector

Robert George Furner                          RG and M Furner                                            Farmer

Charle John McCoy                                Coolamon Caravan park                         Principal

Lionel Keith West                                    LK and VE West                                              Licencee

Eric Hornby                                                Coolamon Dry Cleaners                           Manager

*George Leonard Hutcheon                  Hutcheon and Pearce                           Manager

Kenneth Lancelot Logan                      Coolamon Motors                                       Principal

Edward Ronald Butterfield                   Coolamon Pharmacy                            Principal

John Renwick Eyles                             Coolamon Shire Council                           Health Surveyor

Robert Gerard Allen                             RG Allen Coaches                                           Principal

Desmond Patrick Faggatter                  Department of Education                 Deputy Principal

Benny Raymond Dumbrell                   Northern Riverina County Council        District Manager

*Current Member

+Current Honourary member

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

President Ian Durham welcomed all our members and our guests to our birthday party and said how proud he was to be our President during our 40th year as a Rotary Club.  Ian read out a birthday message from Kay Hull the former Federal Member for the Riverina:

“I was so thrilled to get your invite for the 40th celebration, and then looked at the date and found I am in Sydney that evening at a Board Meeting for Can Assist.

Please convey a sincere apology for Graeme and myself.

I do hope your celebration is fabulous and thanks to the club for all that you do for the people of Coolamon and District. We are so lucky to have such motivation.

Warmest wishes as always.”

Kay Hull

There were several birthday greetings, amongst many sent, read out by our members and past members present that we received from the following clubs and districts around the world:

RC Clark Centennial D 3790 Angeles City, Philippines

RC of Milford, Auckland, New Zealand D 9910

RC of Cumberland Centennial, BC, Canada, D5020

RC Escondido Sunrise  District 5340 San Diego County, California USA

Strathcona Sunrise Rotary Club Courtenay, BC, Canada

Guayaquil Rotary Club in Ecuador D 4400

Rotary Club of Hudson, Florida USA in District 6950

RC Nakuru The Great Rift Valley Kenya D9200

Rotary Club of Rawalpindi, RI District 3272. Pakistan

RC of Las Vegas, New Mexico

RC Bellavista-Atizapán – Distrito 4170 México

Rotary Club of Loyola Heights RID 3780 Quezon City, Philippines

Rotary Club of Seneca, South Carolina USA District 7750, in the land of the crying mountains

District Governor Todd Lindley D 6060 Missouri sent a special message, which is below.

Letter-Coolamon President Ian Durham-May 2 2011-3

District 9700 Assembly 2011-2012

DGE Ian Simpson with Wollundry President Frank Fuller

Last weekend we had our district assembly and training for the new boards of our clubs.

Our incoming District Governor is Ian Simpson and supported by his wife Jean Simpson.  The assembly was held at Grenfell and 300 or so Rotarians from our district were in attendance.

The main message was that we have to change as change is essential not an option for us to go forward.

DGE Ian gave those present 4 goals to aim for in the upcoming Rotary Year:

  1. Retain current membership
  2. Accent on Club, Community, Vocational, Youth and Foundation/International Service.
  3. Leave a legacy for Rotary Coolamon in our area.
  4. Have Fun!

Here are some photographs from the most enjoyable day spent in Grenfell.