Coolamon Rotary Bulletin for March 17th. 2025

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day 2025

Father Murphy walks into a pub in Donegal, and says to the first man he meets, “Do you want to go to heaven?”

The man said, “I do Father.”

The priest said, “Then stand over there against the wall.” Then the priest asked the second man, “Do you want to go to heaven?”

“Certainly, Father,” was the man’s reply.

“Then stand over there against the wall,” said the priest. Then Father Murphy walked up to O’Toole and said, “Do you want to go to heaven?”

O’Toole said, “No, I don’t Father.

The priest said, “I don’t believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don’t want to go to heaven?”

O’Toole said, “Oh, when I die, yes. I thought you were getting a group together to go on a trip right now.”

COOLAMON ROTARY CLUB MEETING MARCH 17th.

President Adrian welcomed 24 members to our meeting last night and our guests included: Lorraine Hamilton, Fiona Pattison, Leo and Maryanne DeKroo, Jim Neville, Wayne and Helen Lewis, Helen Moriarty, Marilyn Jennings and Wendy Lindner.

Guest Speaker: Sally Bryant, ABC Radio Announcer on Country Larrikins and Characters. Sally was introduced by Ian Jennings.

Sally Bryant presents breakfast across the broad reaches of the Riverina, and she is enjoying exploring all the region has to offer, the culture, the stories and the rich diversity of communities.

Sally brings over a decade of experience in the media industry to ABC Regional Radio, having worked in city and rural newspapers and community radio through a varied career. She is a long-term member of the NSW Country Hour reporting team.

Sally has always believed in doing things the right way and was brought up on a solid foundation. Sally lived on a 20,000 acre property near Bourke, with her parents and siblings and went to boarding school in the early 70s. Education was her family’s priority over holidays. In fact most school holidays seemed to fall on shearing time.

Sally’s friends from the city were always welcome to visit the “outback” for their school holidays. Living out in the Bourke area, Brewarrina and places like Walgett, Sally met many characters in her life. However her grandmother was one of her favourite characters.

Before joining the ABC, Sally was a member of the Australian Classification Board – deciding along with 14 others what films, publications, DVDs and photographs should be rated PG and what should be X.

She has also worked variously in community development, fine art auctions, as a polo groom, in the bloodstock industry in Ireland and as a very bad cook in Corfu.

Sally grew up on a sheep station between Louth and Wanaaring (near Bourke) where she did her primary school education by correspondence and she maintains a strong connection to the far west.

Sally studied communications at the Mitchell College of Advanced Education – now known as Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.

She’s still studying life.

Ian Jennings thanked Sally on behalf of all present and gave Sally a memento of her evening with Coolamon RC.

The evening concluded with stand in S@A Dick and his Cpl Garth conducting an extensive fines session and the best was when they fined Alex for taking down a very large Sumo wrestler.

The raffle was won by Paul Weston and second prize was won by Ted Hutcheon.

Another top night at Coolamon Rotary finished on time at 9.00pm.

OUT & ABOUT ONE

Our president Adrian was out & about in Melbourne over the weekend at the Australian Formula one Grand Prix:

OUT & ABOUT TWO

The Wagga Wagga City Rugby Club with Garth Perkin, visited Ariah Park on Sunday 16th March. I know that we who did not attend were fined or were we? Here is a report on the concert:

Ariah Park News

“One of the Best Concerts in recent times”

Described as one of the best Concerts in the Ariah Park Hall for some time, the Ariah Park and district community came together on Sunday Afternoon to hear two of the best male Choirs in the Riverina – The Wagga City Rugby Male Choir and the Ariah Park- Mirrool Bombers Old Boys Choir. Full story below:

Ariah Park WWC Choir

WWC Rugby Choir Website

Now we are not 100% sure that Garth was in Ariah Park on Sunday as we could not find him in this photo:

50 YEARS OF ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE

Above Millie Butt exchanges our club banner with her host club. This was in 2010.

The year 2025 marks the 50^th anniversary of the Rotary Youth Exchange programme as one of Rotary International’s official youth programs. Although the program started well before 1975, Rotary members, program volunteers, and alumni everywhere should be proud to celebrate the last fifty years as the programme has grown and become a prime example of Rotary service worldwide for so many. Rotary Youth Exchange would not be possible without the essential work that volunteers—Rotary members or non-members alike—contribute year after year.

But how many volunteers does it take to run Rotary Youth Exchange?

FULL STORY HERE.

Our Rotary Club has participated in the Rotary Youth Exchange programme in the past. I realise that we are all getting older and I think that the last youth exchange we were involved in was in 2010 when we sponsored Millie Butt on an exchange where Mille spent 12 months in Belgium.

Millie-Butt-October-2010

DIARY

N.B. You are always welcome to bring guests to most of our meetings, just advise Ian Jennings if you want to bring a guest along when you respond to the weekly dinner roll call!

You can download the full programme here and note that it will change and that will be reflected in the weekly bulletin and in The Diary on our website or the link below in pdf:

CRC Program 24-25 UPDATE

Monday 24th March Social Meeting and get to know your member. Alex Thompson in the HOT chair. Coolamon Sport & Recreation Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

Saturday, 29 March PETS and Club Development Seminars – Young Services Club, Young, NSW

*Monday 31st March Fifth Monday Social Meeting at the Marrar Hotel TBC.

*Monday 7th April Guest Speaker: ~~Steph Cooke MP, Member for Cootamundra on State Issues for the Coolamon Shire.~~ Coolamon Sport & Recreation Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm. Postponed to June 16th a new guest speaker will be announced in due course. TBA.

Monday 14th April Board meeting, Coolamon Sport & Recreation Club, 5.00 pm. meeting

Monday 14th April: Social Meeting, Coolamon Sport & Recreation Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm. meeting

Monday 21st April: Easter Monday NO MEETING.

Monday 28th April: Bondy in the Hot Chair. Social Meeting, Coolamon Sport & Recreation Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm. meeting

Friday May 9th RYDA in Wagga Wagga at the Showgrounds, full story at the end of this bulletin. Volunteers are needed.

*Monday 16th June Guest Speaker: Steph Cooke MP, Member for Cootamundra on State Issues for the Coolamon Shire. Coolamon Sport & Recreation Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

Saturday 21st-25th June 2025 RICON IN Calgary, Canada

Calgary RICON 2025

Calgary Facebook Page

*Monday 30th June CRC 54th Annual Change Over Dinner. Coolamon Sport & Recreation Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

*Guests welcome to bring their partners and friends.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

All of the above images were obtained from Facebook.

ROTARY NEWS

RYDA ROTARY YOUTH DRIVER AWARNESS

The 2025 RYDA Wagga Wagga Program is locked in for the week of 5^th to 9^th of May 2025 at Wagga Showgrounds.

The actual program with schools attending runs from Tuesday 6^th May thru to Friday 9^th May. The preceding Monday, 5^th May is for ‘set-up’ to ensure we are ready to hit the ground running Tuesday.

This email is a ‘heads-up’ to clubs as we again seek volunteers to assist with the smooth running of this years event. Wagga Wagga Rotary Club have requested a change to their day to help them better manage their Annual Book Fair which takes place around the same time.

With that in mind, I am proposing (requesting?) your club to provide six (6) volunteers as per the following.

Monday 5^th May, Sunrise RC Set-up

Tuesday 6^th May South Wagga RC

Wednesday 7^th May Wagga Wagga RC

Thursday 8^th May Wollundry RC

Friday 9^th May ‘Out-of-town’ RC’s (Sunrise RC to pack-up at days end)

Each day usually starts at 9.30am and concludes around 2pm. Lunch is provided each day by Kooringal RC under the astute and very experienced leadership of Doug Masterson. More details will follow in due course although I image many of your members will be familiar with this community service event from previous years.

I will be requesting the names of your club volunteers within the next 2-3 weeks. Hopefully this will give your members enough time to consider their availability.