Week of 24th May

President-Elect Albert welcomed 18 members on a chilly autumn evening to our weekly meeting. A good night of fellowship and project planning was enjoyed by those in attendance. A roster was passed around for the Red Shield Appeal, which will be conducted at the entrance to the Coolamon Foodworks this coming Saturday and Sunday morning (see roster in the diary below).  Dick and Garth conducted a very entertaining fine session, eliciting fines from nearly all those in attendance.  The raffle was won by Craig L.

Members are reminded that we will have a fellowship-only meeting next Monday, 31 May since it is the 5th Monday of the month (which doesn’t happen too often!).  We had considered meeting at another venue, but concluded that there are no options for a meal on a Monday evening, so we will self-cater the meeting.  As usual, reply to Ian’s message if you will not be in attendance.

Super Blood Moon

Australians had an opportunity to witness a rare celestial event on Wednesday, 26th May: a super blood moon. A supermoon occurs when the full moon appears larger than usual because of its proximity to the Earth (it’s orbit is elliptical, so the distance between the Earth and moon fluctuates periodically).  When the Earth lines up directly between the sun and full moon, it casts a shadow over the moon, temporarily darkening it (referred to as a lunar eclipse).  When a lunar eclipse coincides with a supermoon, we get a super blood moon because the moon takes on a reddish tint in the shadowed area because the refracted sunlight that reaches the moon passes through the Earth’s atmosphere.  Super blood moons do not occur frequently; one occurs every several years, but is visible only from limited areas of the Earth.  The next super blood moon will occur in 2033.  Below are some pics that I took of the super blood moon, one at the start of the eclipse and another at totality.  The pics were taken with a Canon D5200 digital SLR with a 55-300 mm lens. – Paul Weston

DIARY

Saturday 29th – Sunday 30th May – Red Shield Appeal. Coolamon Foodworks, 8 am – noon. Rostered on for Saturday are 8:00-9:00 Mark; 9:00-10:00 Ted & Bern; 10:00-11:00 Alex & Henk; Sharon R. Rostered on for Sunday are 8:00-9:00 Mark; 9:00-10:00 Ted; 10:00-11:00 Paul; 11:00-12:00 Sharon.

Sunday May 30th – DisTec21. Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa St., Young, 10 am – 4 pm.

Monday May 31st – Self-catered Fellowship Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday June 7th – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Saturday June 12th – Wednesday June 16th 2021 – Rotary International Convention (Virtual). Story in this bulletin for more information.  Registration is only $65, so give it some thought!

Monday June 14th – Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday (NO meeting).

Wednesday June 16th – FINAL Board Meeting for 20-21 Sports Club at 7.00pm

Saturday June 19th – Ganmain Winter Markets. Ganmain Showgrounds from 12 pm.

Monday June 21st – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday June 21st – Wollundry Wagga RC Changeover Dinner. Wagga Wagga RSL Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $30 per head.  Dress: jacket and tie.

Wednesday June 23rd – PE Albert Suidgeest’s Board Planning Meeting. 6.30 pm at Albert’s house (Coolamon Boarding Kennels, Doubleday Lane).

Saturday June 26th – RI District 9705 Changeover Dinner.  Young Ex-Services Club 6.00 – 8.30 pm.

Monday June 28th – Final CRC Meeting for the 20-21 Rotary Year. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Saturday July 3rd – Temora RC Changeover Dinner. Temora Golf Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $40 per head. Dress: jacket and tie.

* Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: envelope

This week’s puzzler: What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?

ROTARY NEWS

1.   ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

Registration is open for the 2021 Virtual Convention.

12-16th JUNE 2021 Programme HERE

The 2021 Virtual Convention will be better than ever, opening more innovative opportunities to learn and to engage with the family of Rotary, near and far. You’ll be able to network in virtual lounges, meet new partners in service, and join fun activities with Rotary members from around the world.

COMING SOON: More information about this year’s upgraded virtual experiences including our new fast-paced programs that will have inspiring stories, powerful interviews, and multi-cultural entertainment.

Please continue to check back for more details and updates.

FAQs

2.  PAST ROTARY CONVENTIONS

Here are some pictorial highlights from 7 past Rotary International Conventions.

2005 Chicago USA, 2008 Los Angeles USA, 2010 Montreal Canada, 2012 Bangkok Thailand, 2014 Sydney Australia, 2016 Seoul South Korea, 2017 Atlanta USA.

{PS  Can you guess who was playing at the Hollywood Bowl?}

May is Youth Service Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 17th May

President Howard welcomed 13 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 1 guest to our weekly meeting.  The meeting was a chance to catch up on recent club activities, a rundown of the District 9705 club development seminar in Young, and fellowship.  Paul reported that the district conference will be held on 18-20 March, 2022 at Temora and encouraged members to attend given that we’ll have few opportunities to attend a district conference so close to home, especially considering the large size of the new district.  Catering at John Bond’s clearing sale was a success despite the lower than expected turnout owing to the ordinary weather.  The evening concluded with an entertaining fine session led by Albert with a number of amusing cross-fines by members and the weekly raffle, which was won by Ted.

DIARY

Wednesday May 19th – CRC Board Meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7.00 pm.

Monday May 24th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Sunday May 30th – DisTec21. Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa St., Young, 10 am – 4 pm.

Saturday June 12 – Wednesday June 16th 2021 – Rotary International Convention (Virtual). Click here for more information.  Registration is only $65, so give it some thought!

Saturday June 19th – Ganmain Winter Markets. Ganmain Showgrounds from 12 pm.

Monday June 21st – Wollundry Wagga RC Change Over Dinner. Wagga Wagga RSL Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $30 per head.  Dress: jacket and tie.

Saturday July 3rd – Temora RC Change Over Dinner. Temora Golf Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $40 per head. Dress: jacket and tie.

* Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

What, no ear muffs??!!!!

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: Turn the page (screen) upside down! That will show the equation as 16 = 8 + 8.

This week’s puzzler: What word starts with `e`, ends with `e` and has only one letter in it?

ROTARY NEWS

1. REPORT ON D9705 CLUB DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR

District 9705 conducted the first of two club development seminars this one in Young last Saturday.  The event was well represented by 170 members of various clubs in our district including several from Canberra.  Coolamon was represented by PE Albert Suidgeest, PEN Paul Weston, Foundation Director Neil Munro and Secretary John Glassford.  John was one of the “teachers” and his session was on service projects.  John will also be teaching at the second seminar this time in Broulee on Saturday 22nd May.

The Rotary Club of Young did a great job with the catering and ran out of soup on a very cold day.  However there was plenty of food and hot tea and coffee.  The facilities at the Hennessey catholic College were very good and comfortable.  PDG Steve Hill was the coordinator and the day began with a message from Shekhar Mehta RI President-elect 2020-21 from the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar.

Click on the photo below for a video from RIPE Shekhar.

2.  District Grant Applications

May is Youth Service Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

MOTHERS DAY 2021

Hope that you all remembered Mothers day in your way!’

Week of 10th May

President Howard was back at the helm and welcomed 19 members and 2 guests to our weekly meeting. The meeting was an opportunity for planning and fellowship, but there were a few notable highlights.  The first was a hearty chorus of “Happy Birthday” for PDG John Glassford, who celebrated a milestone birthday (at his age, every birthday is a milestone!). Susan had arranged for an awesome cake from Nayz Cakes, which tasted as good as it looked and was enjoyed by all.

The second highlight was the announcement that Adrian Lindner has been approved for membership by the board, and will be inducted at a meeting in late May.  Congratulations, Adrian! We’ll provide more info on Adrian following his induction.  Following the business proceedings, fill-in Sergeant-at-Arms Dick Jennings fined nearly all those in attendance, including our incoming newest member!  The meeting concluded with the weekly raffle, which was won by Garth.

DIARY

Friday 14th May – John Bond’s Clearing Sale. Kincora (Millwood Road), 8:30 am – 1:00 pm.

Saturday 15th May – D9705 Assembly. Hennessey Catholic College, Young, 9.00 am  – 5.00 pm.  Click on the map below for a larger version.

Monday May 17th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Wednesday May 19th – CRC Board Meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7.00 pm.

Sunday May 30th – DisTec21. Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa St., Young, 10 am – 4 pm.

Saturday June 12 – Wednesday June 16th 2021 – Rotary International Convention.

Saturday June 19th – Ganmain Winter Markets. Ganmain Showgrounds from 12 pm.

* Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: The back of the dartboard!

This week’s puzzler:

How can you make the following equation mathematically correct without making any changes to it?

8 + 8 = 91

ROTARY NEWS

1. ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

Registration is open for the 2021 Virtual Convention.

The 2021 Virtual Convention will be better than ever, opening more innovative opportunities to learn and to engage with the family of Rotary, near and far. You’ll be able to network in virtual lounges, meet new partners in service, and join fun activities with Rotary members from around the world.

COMING SOON: More information about this year’s upgraded virtual experiences including our new fast-paced programs that will have inspiring stories, powerful interviews, and multi-cultural entertainment.

Please continue to check back for more details and updates.

2.  Kenyan Rotary clubs sow seeds:

In 2007, Agnes Kiraithe was invited to speak at the Rotary Club of Muthaiga, in Nairobi. At the time, Kiraithe was the chief administrator of what is now the Kenya Children’s Home, and she had come to talk about the organization, which takes in orphaned children from around the city. After her presentation, she looked around the club.

“Initially, I thought Rotary is a place you go and pitch for support,” she says. “But after the first meeting, I started to talk to people, and I said, ‘Hmm, this looks interesting.’ So I started coming to the meetings and made friends, and I stayed on for the fellowship.” She joined in 2008.

It wasn’t long before Kiraithe saw the power of Rotary at work. Around that time, a series of violent clashes had broken out in Kenya’s Rift Valley after a deeply divisive national election. A member of the Muthaiga club had connections to communities in that region, where houses had been burned to the ground and people were living in tents. The club raised funds to buy hoes, seedlings, and containers of beans and potatoes for residents to plant.

FULL STORY HERE

May is Youth Service Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 3rd May

President-Elect Albert, filling in for President Howard, welcomed 17 members and 1 guest to our weekly meeting.  After a delicious roast dinner, Grahame and Paul gave a talk on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.  Because a number of members were absent on the night, the talk was more of a teaser, with a more fully developed talk to be given at a later date.  Nonetheless, the talk was a good introduction to a fairly complicated topic.  Grahame discussed the investment aspects of cryptocurrencies, noting that cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have increased in value substantially over the past year, despite numerous ups and downs.  From an opening price of ca. $175 AUD in 2013, the current price of Bitcoin is > $71,000 AUD!  Although lower in price than Bitcoin, Ethereum has shown some impressive increases in value over the past year: from $319 AUD in May 2020, it has risen to > $4,350 AUD today.  As with all investments, there are no guarantees of unlimited growth, but wise investment decisions can yield handsome gains.

Although cryptocurrencies are starting to be accepted for payment for some goods, they should be viewed as investments at this point.  Paul described some of the arcane aspects of the technology behind Bitcoin, describing blockchain technology and the “mining” process that produces more Bitcoin. Blockchain technology in a transparent ledger system used to validate Bitcoin transactions (to help prevent counterfeiting), and has found uses in many other accounting and engineering systems beyond cryptocurrency exchange.  New Bitcoins are produced by a process called mining, which involves the use of computers to guess a random number that serves to validate each Bitcoin transaction; the first person or group to complete a block of Bitcoin transactions is awarded a number of Bitcoins (or fraction thereof). Because a lot of computing power is needed to correctly complete a substantial number of Bitcoin transactions, a lot of electricity is consumed, which is one of the main criticisms of Bitcoin.  There was a surprising amount of interest in the talks, but those who missed out on Monday will be able to catch up on the more detailed talk promised in a few weeks’ time.

The evening concluded with a fine session let by fill-in Sergeant-at-Arms Dick, who spared no one with his entertaining fines.  The raffle was won by Paul.

DIARY

Friday 14th May – John Bond’s Clearing Sale. Kincora (Millwood Road), 8:30 am – 1:00 pm.

Saturday 15th May – D9705 Assembly. Young Services Club, Young.  9.00 am  – 5.00 pm.  Hennessey College Young.

Sunday May 30th – DisTec21. Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa St., Young, 10 am – 4 pm.

* Monday July 5th:  CRC Change Over Dinner at the Coolamon Sports Club, 6.30 for 7 pm

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: He was making a shopping list!

This week’s puzzler: 

Henk, unbeknownst to most Rotarians, is a master dartsman, and was bragging to his bar mates that he was such a consummate player, he could hit the dartboard in any location at will.

“I’ll wager a hundred dollars that, no matter what position you name on the board, I’ll be able to hit it.”

Albert, tired of Henk’s windbaggery, shouted out an answer.

Henk stammered for a few moments and at first refused to pay. The other bar patrons, however, made sure he held up his end of the wager. Henk slammed a hundred dollar bill on the counter and stormed out.

Where on the dartboard did Albert suggest?

ROTARY NEWS

1. Rotary Coolamon and Wagga Wagga Sunrise Joint Project.

Mount Kenya 2015 April 23-May 3rd

6 Years ago we climbed Mount Kenya to Point Lenana the third highest peak on Mount Kenya.  Some of us who were there are thinking of doing it again to raise funds for Tracy Ochieng’s Big Sisters project.  Just thinking that is!!

2. Rotary involvement in COVID-19 vaccinations

Rotary is taking action in response to the pandemic as our clubs support COVID-19 vaccination and continued prevention efforts around the world.

May is Youth Service Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 26th April

President Howard welcomed 18 members and one guest to our weekly meeting, which featured talks by PDG John G and guest Mick O’Brien.  John provided a brief history of the involvement of Australia and New Zealand in the early stages of WWI at Gallipoli, and his father’s involvement in same.  John has been doing a bit of family genealogy lately, and was keen to share his findings with the club.  Feel free to ask John for the details, but it was a most engaging and enlightening talk.  Mick O’Brien followed with a tutorial on Two-Up, the gambling game popular among Aussie servicemen and allowed to played legally around Australia on ANZAC Day.  Mick had previously conducted Two-Up “schools” (the term used for gambling sessions featuring Two-Up) for many years, but has recently retired.  Mick did a great job explaining how the game is played; although the game is simple in concept, the wagering can get a bit complicated and tricky to follow after consumption of alcohol, which is a universal complement to Two-Up.  Those in attendance were very appreciative of the interesting talks by John and Mick. As usual, the evening concluded with an amusing fine session led by Sergeant-At-Arms Albert and raffle, which was won by Garth.

ANZAC  DAY 2021

DIARY

* Monday 3rd May – Speaker meeting. Grahame Miles and Paul Weston will talk on cryptocurrency (e.g. BITCOIN); learn how it works and how it will become part of our lives.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Saturday 15th May – D9705 Assembly. Young Services Club, Young.  9.00 am  – 5.00 pm.  Hennessey College Young.

* Monday July 5th:  CRC Change Over Dinner at the Coolamon Sports Club, 6.30 for 7 pm

* denotes partner and guest night

GANMAIN HALL

23 April – This was such an amazing night of music.  Sometimes we don’t realise what’s available to us in our own backyard. Thanks to everyone who supports our beautiful hall because it really is a town treasure.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: Eyelashes.

This week’s puzzler:

Bruce needed to go to the store to buy some ingredients to cook with. He started writing them down:
Butter
Milk
Eggs
Baking Soda
Cashews
Oranges
Vinegar
Lemon Juice

What was Bruce making?

ROTARY NEWS

1)  DISTRICT 9705 ASSEMBLY

2) DISTEC 21

Click on the image below for a close encounter with DISTEC 21 thanks to Paul Murray for this bit of clever editing.

Welcome to the DisTec21 website.  This page is the main resource for all information relating to the District 9705 Technology Training Seminar in Young on May 30th 2021.  The day starts at 10 am and goes till  4 pm.  The address is Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa Street, Young.   Morning tea and lunch are included.

The training is targeted at club Presidents and Secretaries, however all Rotarians are welcomed. There is a very limited number of places available.   50 Rotarians is the maximum we can train.   So if you wish to participate in the training you must register first.  We are attempting to encourage clubs in the former district 9710 to attend the training since they have had less experience in the normal use of ClubRunner.  We are planning on providing a LIVE streaming of the day on the district’s Youtube Channel and providing video recordings of speakers.

You are advised to register as soon as possible.  This training is a valuable opportunity that would commercially be very expensive to attend.  The day is funded by district 9705, and included with the training is morning tea and lunch and considerable resource materials.

We will provide training in beginning, intermediate and advanced ClubRunner.  In addition to this and perhaps more important, we will be training in the creation and development of news and stories…the basic building blocks of a newsletter, booklet, bulletin, web page, web story and directories.  The Rotarians from DisTec19’s produced the stories for the DisTec Dispatch which is avaliable for your review.  We will be refining and building upon this publication.   The use of ClubRunner to communicate our message to ourselves, our families, friends, communities and the general public is the core of the training day.

In addition to ClubRunner training, we will be using valuable software tools that will advance your I.T. skills.  A sample of the sessions include:

• Photo, graphics, video and audio editing
• Video Conferencing and video streaming using Zoom
• Taking photos with your smartphone and uploading to ClubRunner and Facebook in minutes

April is  Maternal & Child Care Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

ANZAC DAY SUNDAY 25th APRIL

One of the most poignant photos of WWI:

George William Ladd Thomson, a sergeant in the Main Body of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, is farewelled by his mother. He served in the New Zealand Medical Corps and left Wellington along with the 1st Reinforcements aboard 10 troopships on 16 October 1914. My father George Glassford was in the same convoy that day that left Wellington for Albany and then Egypt.

Week of 19th April

President Howard welcomed 19 members and one guest to our weekly meeting, which was largely a bit of a catch-up and fellowship.  A range of topics were discussed, including the upcoming District 9705 Rotary Club Development Seminars (previously called District Assembly), to be held in Young on 15th May.  President-Elect Albert encouraged all incoming board members (as well as any members in general) to attend.  Attendance is free of charge, but attendees need to register for catering purposes (and also to ensure that we do not exceed the limit of 200 imposed because of COVID restrictions).  So, if interested, please register at your earliest convenience (click here to be taken to the registration page).  Carpooling with other members will be an option.

As usual, the evening closed with an entertaining fine session led by Sergeant-at-Arms Albert and our weekly raffle.  Chez once again won the raffle, aided no doubt by the extra raffle ticket awarded for being the first to correctly answer the Puzzler from last week.

DIARY

Sunday 25th April ANZAC Day

Monday 26th April – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Saturday 15th May – D9705 Assembly. Young Services Club, Young.  9.00 am  – 5.00 pm.  Hennessey College Young.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

Two Queensland Police Officers were conducting speeding enforcement on the Cunningham Highway, just west of the Amberley Air force Base at Ipswich.

The officers were using hand held radar devices to check speeding vehicles approaching the crest of a hill. The officers were suddenly surprised when their radar guns began reading 500 kms per hour.

The officer attempted to reset the radar guns, but they would not reset and then turned off. Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had in fact locked on to an RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet which was engaged in a low flying exercise near the location.

Back at the QLD Police Headquarters the Patrol Sergeant fired off a complaint to the RAAF Base Commander.

The reply came back in true RAAF style:

Thank you for your letter. We can now complete the file on this incident.

You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Hornet had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked on to your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it, which is why it shut down. Furthermore, an Air-to-Ground missile aboard the fully armed aircraft had also automatically locked on to your equipment location. Fortunately, the Senior Pilot flying the Hornet recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile system alert status and was able to override the automated defence system before the missile was launched to destroy the hostile radar position.

The pilot also suggests you cover your mouths when cursing at them, since the video systems on these jets are very high tech.

Sergeant Johnson, the officer holding the left radar gun, should get his dentist to check his left rear molar. It appears the filling is loose. Also, the snap is broken on his holster.

Thank you for your concern.
Wing Commander Brown, SFO
RAAF. Amberley. Ipswich, Qld.

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: The song was ‘Happy Birthday’.

This week’s puzzler: I am used to bat with, yet I never get a hit. I am near a ball, yet I am never thrown. What am I?

ROTARY NEWS

1. THE ENVIRONMENT

2/.  DISTRICT 9705 ASSEMBLY

April is  Maternal & Child Care Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 12th April

President Howard Atkinson welcomed 13 members and 5 guests to our weekly meeting.  The members in attendance were treated to a most interesting talk by Wayne McPherson on the topic of freshwater fish of Australia, with an emphasis on species at risk of extinction. Wayne’s passion for the topic and his impressive knowledge were evident throughout the talk, and were overshadowed only by some of the depressing statistics regarding the number of species of freshwater fish that have gone extinct over the past 50 years (the number is substantial) and the number that are presently endangered or threatened with extinction.  Sadly, most of those extinctions have been the result of mismanagement of rivers by governmental agencies and water management groups. Removal of favourable habitats in rivers (e.g. “desnagging”) and the introduction of problematic species such as European carp have made the situation worse.  Despite all the bad news, there’s hope for the freshwater fish of Australia, especially with the passion of people like Wayne and their inclusion on various boards responsible for making decisions that impact water management in the rivers of Australia.  Ian thanked Wayne for a most interesting talk and presented him with a memento of the Rotary Club of Coolamon.

The evening concluded, as usual, with an entertaining fine session led by Sergeant-at-Arms Albert and our weekly raffle, which was won by someone.

DIARY

Monday 19th April – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Wednesday April 21st CRC Board Meeting  Starting @ 7.00pm at the Sports Club NB Time.  Confirmed.

Saturday 15th May – D9705 Assembly. Young Services Club, Young.  9.00 am  – 5.00 pm.  Hennessey College Young.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: Albert: red – 1st; John G: yellow – 2nd; Howard: blue – 3rd; Henk: green – 4th

This week’s puzzler:

A man is sitting in a pub feeling rather poor. He sees the man next to him pull a wad of $50 notes out of his wallet. He turns to the rich man and says to him, “I have an amazing talent; I know almost every song that has ever existed.”

The rich man laughs, but the poor man says, “I’m willing to bet you all the money you have in your wallet that I can sing a real song with a lady’s name of your choice in it.”

The rich man laughs again and says, “OK, how about my daughter’s name, Joanna Armstrong-Miller?”

The poor man goes home with all the rich man’s money. What song did he sing?

Hint: It’s a genuine song that nearly everyone knows.

ROTARY NEWS

Holger Knaack

President 2020-21

April 2021

This year, we celebrate Earth Day on 22 April with a new sense of purpose. The environment is now an area of focus for Rotary. Solutions for all great tasks always start with you and me, and there is much we as individuals can do simply by changing our behavior: Cutting down on our use of plastic and using energy wisely are just two examples. But now we have the opportunity to do more together.

Supporting the environment is not new to Rotary; clubs have long worked on environmental issues based on local needs. Now climate change — a problem that affects us all, rich and poor — requires us to work together more closely than ever. Alberto Palombo, a Venezuelan engineer living in Brazil and a member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers, shares his view.

For 30 years, my work has been to connect with communities and policy officials to take care of the environment. Today, I am excited about Rotary’s opportunities to help reduce environmental degradation and make communities more environmentally sustainable.

In every community where we have a Rotary, Rotaract, or Interact club or a Rotary Community Corps, there are environmental challenges. As Rotary members, we can become stewards of environmental sustainability and adopt the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in our daily lives at home and in our clubs. Then we can incorporate them into our Rotary projects.

My club has been involved with water and environment projects since day one. We seek opportunities to empower Rotarians and foster partnerships in our region and beyond, working with groups such as the Inter-American Water Resources Network and the World Water Council. Local clubs worked with the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Rotary Action Group (wasrag.org) to help Rotary get a seat at the table during the 2018 World Water Forum in Brasilia, where we discussed how communities can recover from environmental disasters like the one caused by the failure of a mining dam on Brazil’s Rio Doce in 2015.

Taking care of the earth is an effort that never stops. To make an impact, we must align our knowledge, abilities, and enthusiasm — and Rotary is already great at doing this. As a volunteer with the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (esrag.org), I have seen how our work for the environment dovetails with much of what we are already doing in water and in our other areas of focus. Rotary members are not passive spectators; we take action. Let’s work together and make a positive impact.

Support from The Rotary Foundation will define this new chapter in our service. Through district and global grant projects, we will build upon our previous projects that help the environment. We will look for ways to collaborate more closely and make a greater impact on global environmental issues. And we will incorporate environmental concerns into all of our programs, projects, and events.

Rotaractors and participants in our youth programs expect Rotary to take a clear position and provide leadership with vision. We will work with them, seeking intelligent solutions to the problems they will inherit. Our incredible members, networks, and Foundation give us the capacity to make an important and lasting contribution. Now, we will discover together how Rotary Opens Opportunities to help us expand our service to preserve the home we all share.

April is  Maternal & Child Care Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 29th March 2021

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL OF OUR READERS!

Meeting of Monday, March 29th

President Howard welcomed 19 members and guests Maureen Hulsman and Tony Williams (Chez Thompson’s grandfather) to our weekly meeting.  After a few routine business items, the members and guests were entertained by two of our own, Paul and John G, who described their recent adventures in exploration of their family genealogies.  The approaches taken by the two speakers was markedly different, but both were able to uncover rich veins of family history and even solve some family mysteries!

Part One – Paul Weston

Paul described how he used online tools to help unravel his family’s genealogy.  Paul’s challenge to unearth his ancestry was complicated by the fact that prior to his grandparents’ generation, all of his ancestors lived in Poland.  Paul described how he was able to learn a lot about his ancestors with the aid of Ancestry.com and other online tools.  The results of a DNA test provided by Ancestry.com confirmed what Paul understood about the origin of his ancestors (Eastern Europe, mostly Poland), and provided some names of distant cousins who might be able to fill in genealogical gaps.  Paul stumbled upon a Polish website which provided access to a rich database of genealogical records maintained in churches in Poland, which allowed him to trace his ancestry back to the early 1800s.  However, going back much further than that will be difficult because many older records were lost or destroyed as the result of repeated invasions of Poland by neighbouring countries and bombing of churches during WWII.  Paul discovered that not one, but two, of his grandmothers were victims of the Spanish Flu when it swept through New York City, where his ancestors settled when they emigrated to the US in the late 1800s.  In case you’re wondering, Paul’s father changed the family name at the time he married, which was quite common in the US at that time; if he hadn’t, Paul would be Paul Wisniewski, not Weston!  Paul’s family tree is chockers with dozens and dozens of “skis” and other Polish surnames.

Part Two – John Glassford

John spoke on his research into his family mainly on the Glassford side going back to 1632 mostly Scottish with many Glassfords migrating to New Zealand in the early 1800s from England and Scotland.

One of John’s early ancestors, William Glassford, in 1838 created a family tree for the clan going back to 1632.  John’s mother engaged Somerset House in Edinburgh in the 1950s to trace this side of his family.  Since then a cousin of the family travelled the world especially New Zealand from Devon to bring the family tree up to date.  With the help of a box of photos from his late mother, John is continuing to get the stories behind his immediate ancestors.

One photo opens up answers and at the same time more questions to be answered.  In point is this photo of John’s Grand Aunt, Cis Heron, with her nephew and John’s Father George James Glassford taken in 1892 in Napier.  It is an original photo and unique.  This photo has enabled John to find his Grandfather on his Grandmother’s side.

Another is of George Glassford born in 1821 in Scotland and died in 1903 in Cheshire, a farmer and JG’s Great Grandfather.  JG’s  Great Great Grandfather’s obituary is on the right, just click on the thumb nails for a larger version.  This was a tribute to James Glassford at a clan gathering in Glasgow in 1860.

DIARY

Monday 5th April – NO Meeting (Easter Monday).

*Monday 12th April – Speaker meeting. Wayne McPherson on “Impact of the 2019-20 Bushfires on Freshwater Fish”.  This promises to be a very interesting talk and you are all invited to bring your partners along. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Monday 19th April – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Wednesday April 21st CRC Board Meeting  Starting @ 7.00pm at the Sports Club NB Time.  Confirmed.

Saturday 15th May – D9705 Assembly. Young Services Club, Young.  9.00 am  – 5.00 pm.  Hennessey College Young.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE SUEZ CANAL

Yorkshire holds its breath as main shipping route of flat caps, whippets and ale is blocked. Ernie Slatherswaite, Master of the vessel told us ‘One minute we were fine then a small gust of wind took us.  Yorkshire is set to lose upwards of £3.67 a day until the carnage is cleared, which according to Our Uncle Eric in the pub, could take weeks.

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: Friday

This week’s puzzler: It was Easter in Coolamon and all the Rotarians were happy. The annual Easter egg hunt was just finished. The Easter egg hunt requires four Rotarians to search for one of four coloured eggs and then race to the finish line. Can you figure out which Rotarian found which egg and in which place they finished?

Rotarians – Henk, John G, Albert, and Howard

Easter eggs – blue, red, green, and yellow

Clues:

• Albert did not finish in 2^nd place.
• John G did not finish in 1^st.
• Albert found the red Easter egg.
• The Rotarian that finished in 2^nd did not find the green egg.
• Henk did not find the blue egg.
• Howard did not finish in 2^nd.
• The Rotarian that found the blue egg did not finish in 1^st or 2^nd.
• Henk finished in 4^th.

ROTARY NEWS

The Rotary International Convention, scheduled for 12-16 June 2021, in Taipei, Taiwan, will now be a virtual event in response to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

This decision, made by the Rotary Board of Directors, is necessary to protect the health of everyone involved. Rotary will share more details about the 2021 Rotary International Virtual Convention soon.

Virtual Convention Registration

The Virtual Convention will be open to all Rotary members and participants. Event registration will open in mid-April and will include a promotional fee of $49 for 21 days, with an increase afterward to $65. The cost of each preconvention event is $20. Both the convention and preconvention events include access to the House of Friendship.

March is Rotary Water and Sanitation Month

Week of 22nd March 2021

President Howard welcomed 14 members to our first club assembly of 2021.  Items discussed on the night were:

• Meals served at our weekly meetings. Item to be discussed  by the catering committee.
• The new requirement for each club to have a Child Protection Officer.  Anne was appointed to this position because she is currently the Youth Director.
• RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness), which will be held this year after a year hiatus owing to COVID-19. We will need two members to attend on the day designated for Coolamon (likely 14 May).  The assembly recommended to the board that we pay the fee of $15 for all students who attend the event from Coolamon Central School.
• Donation to the Leisure Company, the charity nominated by Albert’s son, who is competing in this year’s Wagga Takes 2.  The Leisure Company is a not-for-profit company that provides recreation, work, and life skill opportunities for people with disabilities.  The club recommended to the board that the club donate $500 to this cause.
• Members who do not participate in club activities or attend weekly meetings (there are a few).  According to our bylaws, most of the members identified as falling in this category are exempt from club activities and attendance at weekly meetings because they have been members for at least 20 years and their combined age plus years of membership is 85 or more (the “Rule of 85”).

The meeting concluded with an entertaining fine session and a raffle.  Albert dug deep again, and levied a fine against Ted for something that occurred around the time that Ted got married (details to remain unrevealed here).  The raffle was won by John G.

DIARY

*Monday 29th March – Speaker meeting.  PEN Paul Weston on “Adventures in Genealogy” with some contributions from John Glassford. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

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Monday 5th April – NO Meeting (Easter Monday).

*Monday 12th April – Speaker meeting. Wayne McPherson on “Impact of the 2019-20 Bushfires on Fish”.  This promises to be a very interesting talk and you are all invited to bring your partners along. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Saturday 15th-16th May – D9705 Assembly. Young Services Club, Young.  10.00 am Sat – 1.00 pm Sun.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

Guinness is Good for you.

Dublin’s Patrick O’Shea called his lawyer and asked, “Is it true they are suin’ dem der cigarette companies for causin’ people to git cancer?”

“Yes, Patrick, sure is true,” responded the lawyer.

“And now someone is suin’ dem fast food restaurants for makin’ dem fat an’ cloggin’ their arteries with all dem der burgers an’ fries, is that true,?”

“Sure is, Patrick.”

“And that a lady sued McDonald’s for millions when she burned her tongue with that hot coffee that she ordered?”

“Yep.”

“And that a football player sued that university when he graduated and still couldn’t read?”

“That’s right,” said the lawyer.“But why are you asking?”

“Well, I was thinkin’ . . .

What I want to know is, can I sue Guinness for all dem ugly women It made me sleep with.

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: The person in the photo is the man’s son.

This week’s puzzler: Here’s another mind-bender for you: “The day before two days after the day before tomorrow is Saturday. What day is it today?”

ROTARY NEWS

BATHURST DISTRICT 9705 CONFERENCE

Here is a report from PDG John Glassford who attended the 2021 DISCON in Bathurst.

Abercrombie House is where the conference started for the College of Governors high tea and annual meeting.  This year we have Past Governors from D9700 and D9710.  It was a very pleasant meeting and we started to get to know our fellow Governors that attended from both of the old districts.

The welcome BBQ dinner was at the Mount Panorama Car Museum, good fellowship but crook steaks sort of shoe leather material.  The museum was most interesting and at the same time haphazard in it’s presentations.

The conference opened with Rotary International Director Elect Jessie Harman who spoke well on all matters topical at the moment.  RIDE Jessie encouraged us all to get our Rotary clubs involved in our 7th Area of Focus, the environment and climate change.

Saturday was a full day of speakers and two areas that were covered included health, the environment and climate change; the 7th Area of Focus for Rotary International.

Will post the rest of the photos in thumb nails.

There were a lot of professor type people who made the presentations, all interesting all had little to do with Rotary.

The Royce Abbey Peace Oration was given by Adjunct Professor John Skerritt the Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Health.  John is also directly responsible for both the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Office of Drug Control.  This was a very good presentation and covered Covid 19 in great detail.

Dinner was at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre.  Excellent food and a very good after dinner speaker in Professor Robert Booy.  Robert spoke on epidemiology and it was most entertaining. Robert is the professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Sydney.  He covered Measles, Polio, Flu and of course Covid 19.

The Past Governors were called onto sing We are Australian, and we did a good job, even though I could not read the verses I did my best.  All in all a very good conference that was topical with senior academics mostly on health.

Next year the 2022 DISCON will be in Temora and I am sure that we will get a good role up from our club!!!!

So put the 18, 19 and 20th March 2022 in your diary now!

Here are some thumb nail photos so please click on the image for a larger version.

March is Rotary Water and Sanitation Month

Week of 15th March 2021

Howard welcomed 18 members and 4 guests to our weekly meeting. This week’s meeting featured a presentation by Annette St Clair, who established the Amie St Clair Melanoma Trust.  Annette’s story was quite moving; she described how her daughter, aged 20, developed a lump in her groin that turned out to be a melanoma,  Over the next couple of years, Amie underwent several surgeries, chemotherapy, and experimental radiowave treatment in an attempt to remove the cancer, all to no avail.  After Amie passed away (at the age of 23), Annette was inspired to establish a trust in Amie’s name to help victims of melanoma and their families to endure the medical treatments and life adjustments resulting from this cancer.  Normally, melanoma is preceded by an obvious lesion on the skin (following exposure to UV light, either from the sun or tanning beds), but Amie never had any such lesions (although she might have had one that fell away, which sometimes happens).  Annette concluded her talk by encouraging everyone present (especially those that spend a lot of time in the sun) to have regular skin scans in order to detect melanomas in their early stages, when they’re easily managed.  Paul thanked Annette for her moving story and increasing awareness of melanoma, one of the more common forms of cancer afflicting Australians.  (for more information, visit the Amie St Clair Melanoma Trust foundation at https://www.amiestclairmelanoma.org.au/about-amie.aspx.

The meeting concluded with a fine session and raffle; fittingly, Annette won one of the raffle prizes.  With regard to the fine session, it must be mentioned that Dick was fined for an event that happened over 20 years ago, which just goes to show how far Albert is willing to go to extract a fine from members!

Rewild is hosting a market in Coolamon in collaboration with The Station Collective and The Sill ;

The details:
 Date: Sunday 28th March 2021
 Where: Station Place, Coolamon
 Time: 10am – 2pm

VENDORS WANTED  Tap below to join the Rewild Community ~
https://www.rewildandco.com.au/markets/apply/

Sites are limited and we are almost at capacity!

DIARY

Wednesday 17th March – Board Meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7.30 pm.

Friday 19th-Sunday 21st March – District 9705 Conference.  Bathurst Convention Centre, Bathurst.

Monday 22nd March – Club Assembly. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

Monday 5th April – NO Meeting (Easter Monday).

Saturday 15th-16th May – D9705 Assembly. Young Services Club, Young.  10.00 am Sat – 1.00 pm Sun.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

The Bank President

An elderly woman walked into the Bank of Ireland one morning with a purse full of money. She wanted to open a savings account and insisted on talking to the president of the Bank because, she said, she had a lot of money.

After many lengthy discussions (after all, the client is always right) an employee took the elderly woman to the president’s office.

The president of the bank asked her how much she wanted to deposit. She placed her purse on his desk and replied, ‘$165,000’.

The president was curious and asked her how she had been able to save so much money. The elderly woman replied that she made bets.

The president was surprised and asked, ‘What kind of bets?’

The elderly woman replied, ‘Well, I bet you $10,000 that your testicles are square.’

The president started to laugh and told the woman that it was impossible to win a bet like that.

The woman never batted an eye. She just looked at the president and said, ‘Would you like to take my bet?’

‘Certainly’, replied the president. ‘I bet you $10,000 that my testicles are not square.’

‘Done’, the elderly woman answered. ‘But given the amount of money involved, if you don’t mind I would like to come back at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning with my lawyer as a witness.’

‘No problem’, said the president of the bank confidently.

That night, the president became very nervous about the bet and spent a long time in front of the mirror examining his testicles, turning them this way and that, checking them over again and again until he was positive that no one could consider his testicles as square and reassuring himself that there was no way he could lose the bet.

The next morning at exactly 10 o’clock the elderly woman arrived at the president’s office with her lawyer and acknowledged the $10,000 bet made the day before that the president’s testicles were square.

The president confirmed that the bet was the same as the one made the day before. Then the elderly woman asked him to drop his pants etc. so that she and her lawyer could see clearly.

The president was happy to oblige.

The elderly woman came closer so she could see better and asked the president if she could touch them. ‘Of course’, said the president. ‘Given the amount of money involved, you should be 100% sure.’

The elderly woman did so with a little smile. Suddenly the president noticed that the lawyer was banging his head against the wall. He asked the elderly woman why he was doing that and she replied, ‘Oh, it’s probably because I bet him $100,000 that around 10 o’clock this morning I would be holding the balls of the President of the Bank of Ireland.

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: There are a number of  possible solutions to last week’s puzzler, one of which is shown below.  This one involves moving the indicated match from the number eight on the left, making it a nine, and placing it  in the middle of the zero on the right, making it an eight.  Now the equation is mathematically correct (9+3=12, and12-4=8).

This week’s puzzler: A man looking at a photograph says, “Brothers and sisters I have none, but that man’s father is my father’s son.” Who is in the photo?

ROTARY NEWS

2. New Rotary Foundation grant supports scaling proven malaria program in Zambia

The $2 million grant goes toward Rotary club-led Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia program; an additional $4 million contributed by partners the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and World Vision USA.

FULL STORY HERE

MARCH 14th

Every year on March 14, the world celebrates Pi Day to recognise the mathematical constant, pi (π). It defines the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter (circumference = π*diameter) and the value for π is 3.14. The day was recognised in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw as he organised a large-scale celebration at the San Francisco Exploratorium in the United States. In 2019, UNESCO’s 40th General Conference decided to observe Pi Day as the International Day of Mathematics.

March is Rotary Water and Sanitation Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada