Dinner Meeting of August 12th

President Wayne welcomed 20 members and guests Marilyn J, Lorraine H, Chez & guest speaker Jennie Nester, cheesemaker at Coolamon Cheese.

Apologies from Dave, Dick, Lyn, Garth and Myffy.

Business of the evening included:

• Secretary John G announced the sad news of the passing of Auntie Flo Grant. She was closely associated with Rotary, was an honorary member of Kooringal Rotary Club and recognised in NSW and ACT as the Rotary Inspirational Woman of the Year in 2015.
• Tracy Ocheng, our student in Nairobi, going well.
• Dick Smith has given another generous donation of one million dollars to RAWCS.
• A special guest speaker next Monday – John Bond giving a presentation on a topic he is passionate about and most knowledgeable on: Our Nuclear Neighbour, The Sun, and Space Weather caused by sunspots/solar storms and its effects on communication, power distribution & weather on our planet.
• Captain Henk gave a brief report on BINGO;  there were 11 players and a small profit was made. Helpers were Bruce, Anne and Bern.
• A reminder of our DG’s visit on August 26. All members are encouraged to attend.
• Treasurer Henk reminded members of the July subs are past due.
• Neil reminded us that Will Studholm and his family will be our guests at our Sept 9 meeting. It is anticipated we will have a BBQ with members cooking & purchasing salads externally.  Will was a recipient of the matching grant via Dick Smith program where the grant helped his family cover some of Will’s ongoing rehabilation costs.
• Daryl announced the food van shed is progressing well;  steel has been cut and construction should be completed within a month.
• It is expected that 1600 riders will come through Coolamon for the Gears & Beers festival on October 6th
• John N brought up need for list of where defibrillators are located and the possibility of publishing the list in the CCC.

Guest Speaker Jenn from Coolamon Cheese

Jenn spoke on her job as head cheesemaker at Coolamon Cheese, a position she recently has assumed. Jenn hails from Gippsland in Victoria and worked as a cheesemaker in Gippsland for a number of years. She has five kids with husband Shaun though only one has come to Coolamon, the other four independent children preferring to stay in Victoria. Jenn saw the advert for Head Cheesemaker at Coolamon Cheese and applied for the position, taking up the position in April of this year.

Jenn is settling in well at the factory and is mastering the cheeses of  Coolamon Cheese as well as making new cheeses, including a soft blue named Bell Isle Blue and a cheddar. Jenn will likely continue making most of the native bush recipes started by Barry Lillywhite.

Jenn loves cooking and had previously worked for a while as a caterer.   She is looking into making her own cheese cultures as the cultures are one of the more expensive ingredients in making cheese.  Jenn commented that the cheese industry may be over-regulated in Australia, especially in Victoria.  

Jenn finished her talk by giving us tips on storing cheese, one of the primary ones being the recommendation to store cheese in containers that can ‘breathe’, and not in plastic wrap as cheese has live cultures that need oxygen. The containers used to cause cheese need to keep cheese from drying out without suffocating it.

After Jenn’s talk, there was a large number of interesting questions from the floor. President Wayne thanked Jenn for an excellent talk and presented her with a small gift.

Sergeant-at-Arms Albert led a vigorous and entertaining fine session, which led to some good cross fines.  The evening concluded with a raffle, which was won by Paul.

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who is responsible for this quote?

“I don’t want to kill 10 million people.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Frank Zappa.

 

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

*Monday, August 19th – Speaker meeting.  Guest speaker: John Bond speaking on the sun and solar weather.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

*Monday, August 26th  – Visit by DG John McKenzie.  All members encouraged to attend.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, September 12th – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Neil (captain), Rod, John N & Howard.

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

 

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

 

August is Membership and New Club Development Month

Club Assembly/Dinner Meeting of August 5th

President Wayne welcomed 19 members. Apologies from Dave, Dick, Lyn, John N, Garth, Don, Sarah and Myffy.

Club Assembly topics:

• No concerns raised from minutes of the last board meeting.
• External cladding of van shed will probably be galvanised or zincalume corrugated iron.
• Gears & Beers on Sunday, Oct 6. A committee will help organise our efforts – Daryl will chair the committee, assisted by Anne, Bern, Albert, Neil and John B.
• Hot Rod AGM on March 13-15, 2020. Coolamon Rotary will cater breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.
• All present were supportive of the Lids for Limbs campaign being organised by Karen Fryer and Michelle Booth.  The project will start in Ganmain, and then expand to Coolamon and other towns in the shire. Start by saving bottle tops from milk jugs and other containers (stamped with 4 on the recycling triangle). 
• Major raffle with $5 tickets was proposed – Committee of Sarah, John B and Bruce.
• Another project to sponsor production of fabric shopping bags to replace plastic bags at local stores was discussed – Board to explore idea further.
• To look into proposal by Dave, of idea of a w/e away to wineries around Rutherglen & Corowa
• Jennifer, the new cheesemaker at Coolamon Cheese, will be guest speaker next week.
• Ian agreed to take on collecting numbers for dinner meetings from this week
• The club is considering the idea of a joint meeting with the Rotary Club of Narrandera on the 5th Monday of Sept, maybe meeting at Ganmain Hall or Grong Grong pub. Stay tuned.
• All present were supportive of donating $500 to Fusion.
• Tree planting committee of Graham, Ian and Albert to investigate tree planting now that conditions are finally nearly favourable.

Sergeant-at-Arms Albert conducted a spirited fine session, together with some good cross fines, with our guest member being fined twice for the same reason.

A raffle finished off the evening, with the prizes going to Neil and Bern.

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who made this quote?

“What’s the ugliest part of your body? Some say your nose, some say your toes, but I think it’s your mind.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Nelson Mandela.

 

JUST FOR LAUGHS

 

 

DIARY

Monday, August 5 – Club Assembly. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm. (Members only)

Thursday, August 8 – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Henk (captain), Bruce, Lyn & Anne.

*Monday, August 12th – Speaker meeting.  Guest speaker: New cheesemaker from Coolamon Cheese.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Wednesday, August 14th – Board meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 pm.

*Monday, August 26th  – Visit by DG John McKenzie.  All members encouraged to attend.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, September 12th – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Neil (captain), Rod, John N & Howard.

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

 

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

 

August is Membership and New Club Development Month

Meeting of 29th July 2019

President Wayne welcomed members and our guest speakers. Business arising for the evening included:

• Don’t forget your Working With Children Check
• Temora Rotary is holding a quiz night in association with the Girl Guides on the 31st of August. It would be great if Coolamon Rotary could support them by putting a table together.
• The Up To Date art exhibition was opened last Friday evening and well represented by Coolamon Rotary.  It is still open for the next two weeks so make sure you make some time to go check out the very high quality art works on display.
•  The Christmas in July was well represented by Coolamon Rotary. It is great to see our members supporting Coolamon Sport & Rec Club.
• President Wayne received an email from Coolamon Preschool to see if Wayne was interested in an advertising space in the cookbook they are developing. Wayne suggested that Coolamon Rotary would also be willing to purchase some space. The particulars will go to the board.
• Albert raised awareness of the ‘My Community Project’, where community members can vote on the allocation of funds to nominated community projects. To register your vote you need to log in to your Service NSW account and search for the Cootamundra  electorate. To vote, click on the link for My Community Project. Current local nominations are for Expansion of the Coolamon Fire Museum, a new roof for the Coolamon RSL Museum and enhancing the Coolamon Sports and Rec Club facilities.
• There is a club assembly and planning meeting next week. If you are going to be away and wish to raise an issue, please contact Wayne and let him know.

Guest Speaker: David Polhill & Marianne Costello from Fusion

David gave a short presentation on Fusion, a community organisation that began 50-60 years ago to help kids from dysfunctional homes.  David pointed out that the biggest needs of these kids are connection, time and love, and that the lack of these things in the home is expressed as negative behaviour.

Fusion seeks to address this need via camps and group activities which enable kids to talk to the Fusion volunteers, which teaches them new skills to connect and help each other and their community and gives the kids a sense of purpose and belonging. Fusion is solely self- and community-funded and is seeking a partnership with Coolamon Rotary to support the kids in the Coolamon area. Currently they are supporting kids on Friday evenings in the Anglican Hall.

Marianne then shared her personal experiences with many of the children she has worked with as a volunteer, and from her stories it was clear that these kids are lucky to have such a dedicated and passionate person to look out for them. Club members enthusiastically offered their support to help the kids and the good work that Fusion is doing.

Click for further information on Fusion.

The evening concluded with a lively fine session led by Sargeant-at-Arms Albert and a raffle, which was won by Paul, with the second prize going to Helen (who graciously passed her prize of a box of oranges to Fusion)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who made this quote?

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Boris Johnson.

 

JUST FOR LAUGHS

The teacher said to his class one day, “Please stand up, anyone who thinks they’re stupid.”

Nobody stood up so the teacher said, “I’m sure there are some stupid students in this class!”

At this point Little Johnny stood up.

The teacher said, “Oh Johnny! So you think you’re stupid then?”

Little Johnny replied, “No, I just felt bad that you were standing up on your own.”

Helping Hands

You may want to watch the video from helping hands on how they transform milk bottle lids into prosthetic limbs. Click below.

HELPING HANDS Prosthetic hands for children

 

DIARY

Monday, August 5 – Club Assembly. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm. (Members only)

Thursday, August 8 – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Henk (aptain), Bruce, Lyn & Anne.

Monday, August 26th  – Visit by DG John McKenzie.  All members encouraged to attend.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

 

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

 

August is Membership and New Club Development Month

Meeting of 22nd July 2019

President Wayne welcomed  19 members, with guests Chez & guest speakers Michelle Booth & Karen Fryer from Ganmain.   

Apologies from Dave, Henk, Dick, Lyn, Ian and Howard.

 

Matters of Business

• Reminder to ALL members to check you have the Working with Children Check.  This has become more important than ever.
• Our new Secretary John G sent minutes of the July board meeting to all members.  Decisions by the board can be discussed at the upcoming club assembly (5th August).
• Potential fund raiser for Polio Plus: Rotary (and other service clubs) can organise a pre-release viewing of the movie ‘Ride Like a Girl’.  Any members interested in organising such an event should talk to President Wayne.
• Up-2 Date Art Exhibition – opening on Friday night & then on for the following 2 weeks until August 11th.
• Over those 2 weeks, running at the same time as the Art Exhibition, there is a Vintage & Pre-Loved Clothing Pop-up shop in Nadeem’s building opposite UTDS, which is raising funds for Wagga Womens’ Refuge; please feel free to call in to see the significant range of garments.
• Christmas in July this Saturday at the Sports Club. Bookings by 25 July.
• Trivia Night, Friday August 23rd – Daryl is planning on organising two Rotary tables.
• Kevin Farrell from the Hot Rodders Association will talk this coming week on the hot rod association AGM in Coolamon next March 14-15th 2019.  We’re being asked to do some catering.
• Marianne Costello from Fusion (from Matong) will speak at the same meeting on Youth Learning Difficulties.

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who made this quote?

“My chances of being PM are about as good as the chances of finding Elvis on Mars, or my being reincarnated as an olive.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Aristotle.

 

JUST FOR LAUGHS

To commemorate the moon landing:

 

DIARY

* Monday, July 29 – Speaker meeting. Guest speakers: Kevin Farrell (speaking on hot rods coming to Coolamon in March) and Marianne Costello/Fusion (speaking on youth learning difficulties). Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Monday, August 5 – Club Assembly.Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, August 8 – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6.45 – 10:00. Capt. Henk H,  Bruce H, Lyn S & Anne R

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

 

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

 

July is New Leadership Month

Read all the articles before you make a judgement on this post!

Rotarians understand that the whole world is their backyard. They can see the effects of climate change in communities they care about, and they haven’t waited to take action. They’re tackling the problem the way they always do: coming up with projects, using their connections to change policy — and planning for the future.

Read our series to see:

• Why RI president says the environment is our ultimate mission
• What Rotarians are doing right now
• Rotary member gains ground with Citizens’ Climate Lobby
• Rotary scholars and peace fellows put expertise to work
• Is there hope for indigenous Alaskans?

Meeting of 15th July 2019

President Wayne welcomed 14 members, with no guests.

Apologies from Daryl, Dave, Henk, Myffy, Dick, Bern, John N, Garth, Anne & Lyn.

Matters of Business

President Wayne thanked those who volunteered on street raffle last Saturday; $550 collected + $50 donation when the prize (load of firewood) was delivered.

• Next week, Monday July 22, guest speakers are Karyn Fryer & Michelle Booth speaking on recycling bottle tops.
• Guest speaker on 29th July is Craig Gruber, who will talk on the ambulance station in Coolamon.
• Wayne presented badges to incoming directors, which was followed by a photo shoot.
• Wayne & others discussed the roles of most of the directors, which proved to be quite informative for most of us, especially our newer members.
• Reminder of board meeting this Wed. at 7 pm & club assembly on August 5th.
• Paul Harris Fellowship awards were also discussed & the benefits of such to Rotary’s charity, the Rotary Foundation.
• After a report on the poor Bingo results from last Thursday, a brief discussion was generated on its future and some possible alternatives.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who made this quote?

“If one way be better than another, that you may be sure is nature’s way.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Mark Twain – but was he the real source??

 

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

*Monday, 22 July  –  Speaker meeting. Guest speakers: Karen Fryer and Michelle Booth about the milk bottle top recycling project. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

* Monday, July 29  – Speaker meeting. Guest speaker: Craig Gruber, to talk on the ambulance station. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Monday, August 5 – Club Assembly. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, August 8 – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6.45 – 10:00. Henk (captain), Bruce, Lyn & Anne.

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

 

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

 

July is New Leadership Month

The year of 2018-2019 went very fast and I had a ball a wonderful and most enjoyable year as your Governor. Thank you Coolamon Rotary for your support over the past three years.  This pic was at the time I handed the DG Medallion to DG John McKenzie from Orange North RC.  Taken by DGE Michael Moore D9705 it is a moment in time that captures my happiness of a year that went well thanks to a great team.

Great to be back as your web master and Club Secretary!

Meeting of 8th July

The first meeting of the Rotary year was a big one, with 20 members and 11 guests on hand to hear guest speaker Barbara Carney give a truly engaging and thought-provoking talk.

Business of the evening was kept to a minimum but included:

• Director badges for new board members will be given out next week as they were unfortunately neglected on changeover night.
• Ivan Munro’s family home recently burnt down, with all possessions lost, thankfully the home was empty at the time and no one was hurt. If you have any furniture or other goods that can help the family please contact President Wayne and coordinate donations.
• The street raffle outside the newsagents is this weekend. Big thank you to those that helped cut the wood for the raffle: Dick, John B, Don, Ted, and Wayne. Roster for the raffle is below
• Myffy made a suggestion of holding a movie night at the Gamain football club  in conjunction with the Narrandera Rotary club as a fund-raising event in September or October. If you would like to be a part of this please contact Myffy.
• Did you know that plastic milk bottle lids can actually be recycled to make prosthetics for children in developing nations who have unfortunately lost limbs? A recycling drive has been started in Ganmain so start saving those bottle caps. Our guest speakers on the 22 July will have more information.
• The shed at the show ground is coming along. The slab was set to go down on Tuesday.

Guest Speaker Barbara Carney

Coolamon Rotary members and their guests were very privileged to hear from Barbra Carney on her role in the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety as a senior policy advisor.
Barbara began her talk by outlining that a royal commission is only called for when things are really ‘stuffed up’ and there are ‘system-wide failures’. In the case of the royal commission into aged care, the problems were highlighted by the conditions in an aged care facility called Oakden in South Australia, in which the chief psychiatrist, in support of family members, blew the whistle on the facility’s ongoing abuse and neglect which had been documented and not acted upon, as reported to the ABC’s 7:30 report.

The fallout from this was the public call for government to pass the bill for a royal commission into aged care in October of last year.  On passing the bill, the Honourable Richard Tracey AM RFD QC and Ms Lynelle Briggs AO were  appointed as Royal Commissioners, both of whom see this as the most important work they have ever done and envisage that the outcomes of their report will have lasting impact over the next 40 to 50 years. The terms of reference for the royal commission include but are not limited to

• Quality of care
• Meeting the needs of the elderly in care
• Prevalence of sub-standard care
• Causes of systemic failure
• How to deliver care to those with dementia and the disabled receiving care (both old and young)
• Challenges of economic access and quality in all areas including regional, rural and remote
• Person-focused care that allows for choice, control and independence
• Communication with families
• Sustainable services
• Anything the commissioners deem relevant – giving them the freedom to expand the terms of reference as issues arise.

Barbra has extensive experience in the aged care field, having worked for ministers and government as a policy advisor. Consequently when commissioners put in requests to hire policy advisors, Commissioner Lynelle called upon Barbra to act as one of five senior policy advisors, who combined have over 300 years of experience. Barbra’s primary focus is on the terms of reference related to end of life, palliative care and person-centered care, which sees the those receiving care as a person and not a consumer which unfortunately has become a dominant ethos in society and government of late.

Barbra then went on to outline her general impressions on what the main issues are in the aged care sector, stating that many of the problems stem from layers of policy and bureaucracy that have been built up over time, creating inconsistencies in the nature and quality of care, complexity in funding arrangements and the requirements for assessment of facilities. Consequently this bureaucracy creates much more chances for things to go wrong with both for-profit and not-for-profits care providers succumbing to the bureaucratic inertia. Barbra also stated that despite this top heavy bureaucracy, the inquiry found many instances of high quality care and service that can be used as exemplars of care.

Barbra then went on to explain the inquiry process outlining that every submission to the royal commission is addressed and, as senior policy advisor, Barbra has a role in reviewing submissions and helping the commissioners and other staff to  develop lines of inquiry based upon her experience. She then went on to describe both formal hearings and community forums. In formal hearings the process was much like a court case though not quite as adversarial, with witnesses able to be called. In community forums, the setting is typically a community center and much more informal. She indicated that at this point there is likely to be a community forum in Wagga Wagga next year and that the commissioners are dedicated to hearing from people west of the great divide.

The interim report on the Royal Commission is due in October and Barbra urged all present to engage with it as this report is written for the public to use to address the issues in aged care and apply pressure to government, stating that the royal commission is ‘for the people’ and that it will ‘shine light into the darkest corners’.

Barbra then answered questions, some of which were on the assessment process. Barbra outlined that there are approximately 150 aged care assessors and that up until recently assessors gave notice  on when they were going to inspect a facility, with foreseeable results that the facility would be ‘prepared’ for their arrival. Guest Simone Fuller, manager of Allawah Lodge, said that the staff at Allawah found the assessment process extensive and very collegiate, with she and her staff taking on board the feedback gained from the assessment process. Barbra indicated that such a response from a care facility was the most exemplary case that the commission has found.

Barbra wrapped up the talk by saying that to be a part of the Royal Commission has been the greatest privilege of her career and encouraged all present to make submission  on any and all aspects of aged care they felt relevant, both positive and negative, and attend community forums to make sure that the public voice is heard.

Dates and locations of Community forums can be found and Submission can made via the link below

Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety

 

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Which famous person said this?

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

The author of last week’s quote was Clint Eastwood.

 

 

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

Thursday, 11 July – Bingo. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45-10:00.  Roster: Wayne (Captain), Sarah, John B, Alex.

Saturday, 13 July – Street raffle. Coolamon Newsagency. Prize is a trailer load of wood. Roster: 6:30-8:30, Don & Howard; 8:30-10:30, Paul & Bernadette; 10:30-12:00, Sarah & Alex.

Wednesday, 17 July – Rotary Board meeting 7:00pm

*Monday, 22 July – Speaker meeting. Guest speakers: Karen Fryer and Michelle Booth about the milk bottle top recycling project. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

Friday, 4th October  – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

 

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

 

July is New Leadership Month

Welcome to the new Rotary year under President Wayne Lewis.

The Rotary New Year

On the July 1st we celebrated a fantastic year under president Daryl Bruest and said thank you to the out going board and welcome to incoming president Wayne Lewis and his new board.

 

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Which famous person said this?

“Winning the election is a good new and bad news king of thing. Okay, know you’re the Mayor, the bad news is, now you’re the Mayor.”

The author of last week’s quote was John Dewy.

 

JUST FOR LAUGHS

 

 

DIARY

*Monday, 8 July – Speaker meeting. Guest speaker: Barbara Carney on the Royal Commission on Aged Care.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Friday, 4th October  – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

 

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

 

July is New Leadership Month

MEETING OF 17th June

President Daryl welcomed 17 members, with 3 guests including guest speaker Josh Celi.  Apologies from Myffy, Ian, Garth and Lyn.

Correspondence for the night included:

• an inquiry from the organizer of Beers and Gears about a possible new route for the Dirty 130 ride through a property of unknown ownership. It was determined that he property was the field and game reserve and that riding through this property would be rather unwise.
• Steph Cooke has accepted the invitation for the Coolamon Rotary changeover dinner. Unfortunately, Michael McCormack will not be able to attend this year.

Points of discussion for the evening were:

• Bingo had a very small turnout this month with only 4 non Rotary players in attendance. Hopefully it is just the cold winter weather putting people off. 
• Please get guest and apologies for the changeover dinner to John N ASAP as well as any dietary requirements.
• The shed foundations should be well underway this weekend
• Dick put forward a proposal that the Gamain/Coolamon bike track have a number of sets of tables and chairs placed along the route in places such as Brushwood to allow for rest spots. All members were generally in agreement with the idea and Dick was asked to come back with a quote on the costs for table and chairs as well as overhead cover. Estimated cost was $2000.
• Barbra Carney has agreed to give a presentation on the 8th July on the royal commission inquiry into aged care. All are encouraged to attend as Barbra has elected to move back to Sydney to be closer to her family.
• Wayne had a very productive conversation with the incoming president of the Narrandera and Temora Rotary clubs and both presidents are eager to engage in a much closer intra-club relationship. So looking forward to big things with both the Narranderra and Temora clubs in the coming year.

 

Guest speaker: Joshua Celi

We were all set to hear from Lewis Greer, the Community Liaison Officer at Coolamon Central School on Monday night. However, a busy schedule and upcoming exams (Lewis is studying to become a teacher) meant that Lewis was unable to attend. Fortunately Josh Celi was able to step in his place and Rotary members were not disappointed.

Josh has been at teacher at Coolamon Central School (CCS) for the last 5 years and as head teacher of student wellbeing expressed his deep appreciation of the Coolamon Rotary club and the relationship the school has forged with the club which has been growing in strength in the last 18 months to 2 years. The youth of the Coolamon community are the biggest winners from the stronger ties that have been formed.

Josh the went on to describe Lewis’ role in the school and broader community resulting from his appointment as Youth Community Liaison Officer. Josh started by giving some of the broader context of what was happening in the school and some of the challenges facing the Coolamon youth. On a positive note the student population of CCS has increased over the recent years by approximately 40 students, which is very encouraging as parents are choosing to have their children stay within the community rather than busing them into Wagga Wagga for their education. However, the student population in CCS tends to be highly transient, with some students arriving at the school having had a very disrupted school experience. Another issue is that the communities that CCS are not the most affluent and low socioeconomic factors that impact student wellbeing are a significant concern that CCS is working to address.

This is where Lewis’ role in the community plays a significant part. Lewis has been able to maintain and run a breakfast program on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the support of donations from the local community to support students who may be effected by low incomes. The breakfast program is accessed by 50% of students, with donations also going to Marrar, Gamain and Matong public to support their students.

Lewis is also working with the Up to Date committee to develop a movie club with students to help students develop skills in movie making and support the upcoming art exhibition at the Up to Date store.

Lewis also works extensively with students around issues such as bullying and social media, developing programs and being there for students to talk to. This is especially beneficial as Lewis doesn’t have a authority role within the school and students have been able to develop a strong relationship with him  without the added complication of curriculum expectations. Lewis’s role in CCS in this capacity has been vital as the school is only staffed with a qualified counselor 3 days in a fortnight.

Lewis also encourages students to put down the phone by running lunch time sports events, giving students an opportunity to participate in something other than looking at screens. It also helps Lewis to establish relationships of trust with students.

Josh then concluded the evening by thanking the Coolamon Roatry club for our financial support of Lewis’ position,  saying that the wellbeing of students within the school has been positively influenced by the relationship Lewis was able to form with students and the role model he represented and that CCS and the youth of Coolamon are extremely luck to have him.

Josh then fielded some questions from Rotary members in relation to the K-12 training of teachers and the further aspirations of CCS, including a new classroom and other facilities. All members were so engaged by Josh’s talk that we ran right up to 9:00 pm.

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Which famous person said this?

“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”

The author of last week’s quote was Scott Morrison.

 

JUST FOR LAUGHS

I can so relate to this (Sarah)

 

DIARY

Monday, 24th June – EORY (End of Rotary Year) Wrapup.  Come join us as we take a look back at Daryl’s year as president and prepare for the Year of Wayne II – The Sequel. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, 27th June  – Community Strings in Concert at St John Anglican Church Wagga Wagga at  7:30pm with a solo performance by Phoebe Xeros on the viola and concert performance supported by Rotarian John Bond on the cello.

*Monday, 1 July – Coolamon Rotary changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

*Monday, 8 July – Speaker meeting. Guest speaker: Barbara Carney on the Royal Commission on Aged Care.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Friday, 4th October  – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

 

REMINDERS

Changeover evenings:

• Temora – Sat., June 22nd, Temora Bowling Club;
• WW Sunrise – Tuesday, June 25th, Vine Winery, Oura Road;
• WW Wollundry – Tuesday, June 25th, Wagga Commercial Club;
• Narrandera – Wed., June 26th, Wagga Golf Club;                                               
• Wagga Wagga Club – Thursday, June 27th, Wagga Country Club;
• Coolamon Lions – Friday, June 28th, Coolamon Sport & Rec Club;
• Junee Club – Sun., June 30th, Ex-Services Club;      
• Coolamon Rotary – Monday, July 1st, Coolamon Sport & Rec Club;
• WW Murrumbidgee – Saturday, July 6th, Vine Winery, Oura Road.

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

 

June is Fellowship Month