Past President Marg Perkin Coolamon Rotary Club 2011-2012.
Yesterday Coolamon Rotary lost one of our own. Marg Perkin was loved and respected by all who knew Marg since she joined our club on the 3rd of August 2004.
Marg involved herself in all of our projects and never shied from volunteering to help our community.
Marg also got involved in helping those who needed her expertise in South Africa and, in particular, Hout Bay near Cape Town. Marg also used her talents to help enrich the lives of disadvantaged children in Cambodia.
Marg was also a volunteer in India with Dr. Alok Sharma and his Darkness to Light projects.
To Garth and Huw and all of your family and friends of Marg we extend our sincerest condolences.
We will miss your happy smiling face, Marg. Below are some photos to commemorate Marg’s life in Rotary.
Here is a small sample of PP Marg Perkin’s life in our club:
President Albert welcomed 23 members to our weekly meeting; apologies from Bernadette, Alex and Chez. A great roll up of members! Highlights from the meeting include:
Induction of Mary Potts to our club will take place next Monday (27th September).
Hospital survey: only 72 in the Shire have filled in the form, which must be completed by 6th October. Look for the email from John G from 16th September for details or just click on this link: https://tinyurl.com/Coolamon.
Albert has delivered 15 beds to needy people in the Shire.
Ian Jennings has 600 trees arriving to be planted in the wetlands. Contact Ian to find out when helpm is needed.
Albert has 200 tomato plants of several varieties at $2 each, with funds going to the CRC Social Committee. They’ll be available from the 4th October; contact Albert to reserve yours.
Ted Hutcheon has offered to store the timber from Susan Glassford once it is cut into manageable 2 metre lengths.
Garth Perkin issued a challenge for all members to donate $10 each to the Rotary Foundation. All members present made their donation on the night; we invite all absent members to contribute to reach the 100% participation level!
The meeting concluded with an amusing fine session led by Sergeant-at-Arms John B and the raffle, which was won by John N, with minor prizes going to Craig L, Paul and Neil.
DIARY
Monday 27th September – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm. Induction of Mary Potts to our club.
Monday 4th October – No meeting (public holiday).
Monday 18th October – District Governor Leo Farrelly OAM Visit. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm. Probably via Zoom – to be advised.
JUST FOR LAUGHS
THE PUZZLER
Answer to last week’s puzzler: Y. The letters were the initial letters of ascending units of time (e.g. seconds, minutes, etc.)
This week’s puzzler: Here’s one for the more mathematically inclined. Your task is to divine the sequence of numbers (from 1 to 6) that would come after the last one in this series:
1 2 3 4 5 6
6 1 5 2 4 3
3 6 4 1 2 5
5 3 2 6 1 4
4 5 1 3 6 2
2 4 6 5 3 1
ROTARY NEWS
1. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE TUESDAY 21st SEPTEMBER
International Day of Peace is closer than you think. In observance of Peace Day, we’d like to share Sofía Brega’s story as a Rotary Positive Peace Activator.
Growing up in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Sofía Brega knew she wanted to be an activist for girl empowerment and women’s rights. To pursue her dreams, she joined Girl Up, an organization that helps build young girls into leaders.
Inspired by their work, Sofía founded a club in Ciudad Juárez called Girl Up Fronterizas. The club focuses on women’s rights and builds awareness of current challenges for women in Mexico and beyond. They also help girls develop leadership, communication, and negotiation skills.
In 2019, Sofía became a Rotary Positive Peace Activator through the Rotary-Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) Positive Peace Workshop. She also founded Activators de Paz Ciudad Juárez, a group that trains other agents of change and develops Positive Peace content for schools.
Empowering Girls
Equality is a fundamental human right that’s critical in order to have a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. Still, girls and women worldwide face inequities in areas including health and education, and they experience significant violence and disproportionate poverty. Rotary encourages clubs and districts to prioritize projects that improve the health, well-being, education, and economic security of girls in their communities and around the world. Develop a club-based initiative, a district grant, or a global grant that engages members of your community in a project that will protect and empower girls. Work to increase equity by ensuring their access to resources that will improve their lives.
By Barton Goldenberg, immediate past governor of District 7620 (Maryland and Washington D.C., USA)
Running a successful Rotary club is a bit like baking a cake. You need the right ingredients
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If you’re a baker, you know that a great cake is made up of individual ingredients that come together to produce something special. A great Rotary club is like that, in that it is made up of a unique mix of ingredients. Here are the five that I have found in most, if not all, successful Rotary clubs.
1. A unique club identity
There are four clubs in my city of Bethesda, Maryland. While they are only a short geographic distance from each other, each has its own identity. The first is a dinner club of 30 members who have been together for years. They are generous in their donations to the Rotary Foundation and our district. The second is a breakfast club with an even balance of older and younger members. They are very supportive and heavily involved with Rotaract and Interact clubs. The third is a lunch club that is proud of its traditions and is committed to domestic and international projects. And the fourth is a breakfast club celebrating its 15th year, with members who speak nine languages and originally come from 11 different countries.
President Albert welcomed 21 members to our first meeting back from a brief (three-week) lockdown. All were happy to be able to meet in person again–hopefully we’ll be able to continue meeting like this! Apologies from Ian Jennings, Dick Jennings and Bernadette Milne. Dick recently suffered a bit of a fall and is recuperating; we wish Dick a speedy recovery.
Albert designated the meeting primarily a social occasion, but we couldn’t resist carrying out a little bit of business. Albert announced that he had sold several trailer loads of firewood that was cut up at the working bee at the Lindner farm a couple of months ago, the proceeds of which have given a good start to the budget for the social committee. Albert recognised members who had birthdays recently, including John Nulty, Don, Neil, Ted, and Henk. John G advised that he has a couple of recently felled trees on his property that the club is welcome to, but the trees need to be cut to lengths short enough to transport. Some brainstorming will be required as there is an estimated 8 tonnes of timber on offer!
After a generous amount of time for socialising the meeting finished up with a fine session and the weekly raffle, which was won by Howard and Alex.
DIARY
Wednesday 15th September – Board meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club. 7.00 pm start.
Monday 20th September – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday 4th October – No meeting (public holiday).
Monday 18th October – District Governor Leo Farrelly OAM Visit. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
AN IDEA!
Mount Airy Rotary Club, fire company raises $51,000 at second annual duck race
Two rows of delightfully fashionable cardboard cut-out yellow ducks — some decked out in feather boas, others wearing sequined masks and bucket hats — lined the narrow roadway leading up to the Mount Airy (Maryland, USA) Volunteer Fire Company activities building. Another mallard, this one giant and inflatable, greeted families at the top of the hill. Mary Jo Burkett smiled merrily as she watched people mill about, snacking on popcorn being sold by Scout Troop 829 and pushing baby strollers.
The event — organized by the fire company and Mount Airy’s Rotary Club — had been a lot of work to put together, said Burkett, area governor for Carroll County Rotary clubs, but it had all been worth it.
In the months leading up to the town’s second annual duck race, the fire company and the Rotary club put a siege of yellow rubber duckies up for adoption. People could claim one duck for $10, three for $20 or eight for $50. Over 20 prizes were up for grabs on Sunday, for both random winners and the speediest ducks.
Dennis Regulinski, the company’s assistant treasurer, had another important job on the day. Big block letters on the back of his neon T-shirt announced his temporary title: “DUCK DUMPER.” Just after 2 p.m., he stood at the top of a make-shift canal across from a wooden board carrying three plastic crates piled high with rubber duckies. A Rotarian sat behind him, clutching a thick fire hose that was gushing water. “5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” a volunteer counted down as rosy-cheeked children squirmed with anticipation. Then, Regulinski and another volunteer set the tiny birds free down the plastic-lined river.
“And they’re off!” the voice over the loudspeaker called.
1. Gulliver/clearness (live and learn)
2. tragicomedy/pentagon (come and go)
3. chinchilla/Magdalene (hill and dale)
4. terrestrial/ecoterrorist (trial and error)
5. thundershower/intellectual (show and tell)
This week’s puzzler: Which letter comes next in the series S, M, H, D, W, M, __? Hint: The answer will be one of the following letters: L, V, Y, T, D
WIRADJURI SHOPPING LIST
ROTARY NEWS
1. ROTARY RESPONDS TO COVID 19
Rotary is taking action in response to the pandemic as our clubs support COVID-19 vaccination and continued prevention efforts around the world.
Tapping into decades of experience in bringing polio to the brink of eradication, Rotary members worldwide are helping health authorities communicate lifesaving information about COVID-19 and vaccination, combatting misinformation, supporting fair and equal access to vaccines, and curbing the spread of the virus by donating protective gear and other supplies to clinics and hospitals that are under strain.
This was a well organised conference for ALL Rotarians in RI Zone 8 Australia and new Zealand.
It was held online in a virtual mode with two days Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday we had some excellent speakers and a break out session in teh afternoon. This was followed by the PDGs from Zone 8 holding class reunions.
Sunday we had the best of the best in Rotary as speakers including RIPE Jennifer Jones simply outstanding.
It is still not like being there in person never will be. However next year it is hoped that we will meet in person. Not sure where but it will be in either new Zealand or Australia. I have attended 5 Zone 8 Conferences now Sydney, Darwin, Hobart, Christchurch and now Melbourne (on-line). here are some photos from the weekend:
PRIP Barry Rassin spoke about membership retention and that a sobering statistics is that over the past 10 years Rotary had attracted 1.4 million new members but during that time lost 1.4 million former Rotarians. If we are to go beyond the current membership of under 1.2 million members we have to look at retention and making Rotary attractive to those who want to serve.
In particular to attract and retain female members which still languishes at around 24% world wide. PRIP Barry also spoke on a new way to govern and streamline the way we administer and run Rotary clubs in the future. RI Zone 8 is being promoted as a trial Zone for the new regionalisation proposal. More details will be forthcoming in the near future.
September is Basic Education and Literacy Month
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2021-22
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
We had a great rollup on Zoom on Monday night, with 15 members in attendance and getting involved.
Well done Bernadette on getting your system working well.
Some points from last night:
Albert will have 200 tomato plants ready in 2 weeks time at $2/plant. Proceeds will go to the social committee.
There is also plenty of composted horse manure available from the Westons. Contact Paul if interested.
Discussion on an online raffle — the decision was not to proceed at present.
Insurance and registration for the caravan passed for payment.
Chez had some good ideas for fund-raising.
CRC AGM is on Monday 15th November. All members are encouraged to put their hands up for the 2022-2023 Board including President Elect Nominee for 2023-2024.
We had two presentations via YouTube, the first being of a virtual tour of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass is the first VR (virtual reality) experience presented to the public by the Louvre Museum and is conceived as part of the Museum’s seminal Leonardo da Vinci exhibition which commemorates the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death in France.
Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass reveals the latest scientific research on da Vinci’s artistic innovation and his painting techniques and processes through exceptional visualization in virtual reality, bringing them to life.
Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass at The Louvre I HTC VIVE ARTS. You can view it here:
Still plenty of COVID memes making the rounds. Some of the better ones:
THE PUZZLER
Answer to last week’s puzzler: Here are the clues and the answers:
1. hair-control foam – moose (mousse)
2. very exposed – bear (bare)
3. tellin’ falsities – lion (lyin’)
4. a lamenting cry – whale (wail)
5. a dull person – boar (bore)
6. a precious or loved one – deer (dear)
7. these make up a chain – lynx (links)
This week’s puzzler: Each pair of words below contains a pair of smaller words. By putting “&” between the words, you can make a familiar phrase. For example, “thighbone/swallowtail” conceals “high & low.” Give it a go!
1. African region marks one year since being certified wild polio-free
WHO’s African region one year wild polio-free On 25 August, Rotary joined our partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in marking the first anniversary of the World Health Organization’s African region being certified free of wild polio.
The infrastructure and innovations developed continue to benefit children’s and public health across the continent and play an important role in fighting COVID-19. Read how the GPEI’s new strategy aims to overcome the remaining hurdles to finish the job.
2. Trek New Zealand’s Southern Alps for disaster relief
Join ShelterBox Australia as we trek New Zealand’s incredible South Island to help give families who have experienced disaster the most basic human need: shelter.
Photo by JG.
On this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, you’ll spend six days trekking the spectacular wilderness of the great Southern Alps. Immersed in picturesque alpine scenery, you’ll be in awe of the glaciers and snow-capped peaks, rocky canyons and native forest.
3. NB: ROTARY ZONE 8 CONFERENCE 11-12th. SEPTEMBER
Enjoy the online Zone Conference from anywhere you choose – alone or together with others.
Learning, Leading, Action is this year’s Zone 8 conference theme, putting a spotlight on the essence of Rotarians and the way we get things done.
The theme also gives a clue to the conference content. Hear from speakers who are leading our organisation and our impact, learn from thought leaders and be impressed by a host of Rotarians taking action to change lives in our communities.
Be inspired to Lead Learn Act in new ways that deepen our engagement and increase Rotary’s impact.
Back to Zoom–not popular with most members, but better than not meeting at all. President Albert welcomed nine members to our weekly meeting, which was a good opportunity to catch up and find out how everyone is dealing with lockdown. Most of our planned Rotary activities are now on hold–the garden viewing, Gears and Beers, etc. Gears and Beers has been postponed until March, and the garden viewing may be shifted to autumn as well, but only if the gardens to be included in the tour will be in good nick after the summer. We will no doubt be discussing plans for fundraisers that can be conducted without contact with the community at upcoming Zoom meetings, so be thinking about what might be done. We hope that additional members will be joining us at future meetings via Zoom–we were getting a healthy rollup last year, so expect that members will get back into the swing of it soon. We will be lining up guest speakers and recorded video presentations, which members will no doubt find interesting and worthwhile.
STOP THE PRESSES!
Our Youth Services Director Anne Rzeszkowski has received the great news that our Coolamon Central School applicant Bethany Crocker has been accepted by the committee form the National Youth Science Forum NYSF. This is a wonderful programme and will take place in Canberra next year.
Well done Anne and our congratulations to Bethany Crocker for being accepted into the ten-day National Youth Science Forum for 2022. Positions in the Forum are highly sought after and involve a comprehensive application process. Great work Bethany, your hard work and dedication to learning have paid off.
DIARY
Monday 6th September – Zoom Meetings until further notice of easing of Covid restrictions.
Monday 4th October – No meeting (public holiday).
Monday 18th October – District Governor Leo Farrelly OAM Visit.
Sunday 17th October & Saturday 23rd October – Coolamon Garden Viewing. TBC.
Thanks to Henk for this one which resonates with my family in Wentworth Falls who have been in lockdown since June 28th and three grandchildren being home-schooled 12, 14 and 17:
THE PUZZLER
Answer to last week’s puzzler: lion (the clues refer to the position of letters in the given words, not the actual parts of the animals listed)
This week’s puzzler: Can you guess the animals suggested by the following clues?
1. hair-control foam
2. very exposed
3. tellin’ falsities
4. a lamenting cry
5. a dull person
6. a precious or loved one
7. these make up a chain
ROTARY NEWS
1. ROTARY ZONE 8 CONFERENCE 11-12th. SEPTEMBER
Enjoy the online Zone Conference from anywhere you choose – alone or together with others.
Learning, Leading, Action is this year’s Zone 8 conference theme, putting a spotlight on the essence of Rotarians and the way we get things done.
The theme also gives a clue to the conference content. Hear from speakers who are leading our organisation and our impact, learn from thought leaders and be impressed by a host of Rotarians taking action to change lives in our communities.
Be inspired to Lead Learn Act in new ways that deepen our engagement and increase Rotary’s impact.
Well Tracy continues her progress at the United States International University in Nairobi.
Tracy has three more semesters to go before Tracy graduates with her Bachelor of Arts majoring in Journalism. We have supported Tracy through our Coolamon RC Road MAPS to Africa projects, in this case our Orphan Rescue Kits. PDG Fred Loneragan and I would like to thank the club for supporting Tracy for her last 3 semesters before graduation.
This journey began in November 2011 after the Mountains of the Moon climb. It will culminate at her graduation in September 2022 and with some good fortune, Fred and I hope to be there.
The last time we saw Tracy was at the Wagga Wagga City Council with the Mayor Greg Conkey.
The last report for Tracy that we received from the USIU.
Always remember where Tracy came from and it does not end here. Tracy has started her project Big Sisters and her goal is to help 200 at risk and vulnerable girls from teh slums of Nairobi who find themselves in the same predicament as she was back in 2011, no hope, no future and the only way out was through prostitution, HIV and eventually dead before 20.
So our one starfish will put 200 stranded starfish back into the ocean to prosper.
This is Rotary at it’s best. If you want a full report on how and where we are now let me know.
September is Basic Education and Literacy Month
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2021-22
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
