Coolamon Rotary News Bulletin # 2

BUSINESS MEETING DINNER JULY 9th. 2012

Monday the 9th July was our first meeting for the new Rotary year 2012-2013.  It was also the first board meeting for the new year.

President Paul Weston got to work straight away and changed a few things.  We have a new Grace and only one toast.  Paul started the meeting by asking each one present to describe their week and to give any personal news.  This is a refreshing start to our new Rotary year and all augers well for our future.   We had a lovely meal with some excellent fines being imposed by our Sergeant at Arms for the night Dick Jennings.

 

VISIT TO JUNEE ROTARY CHANGE OVER DINNER

Last Sunday four members from our club visited Junee and attended the Rotary Club of Junee’s annual change over dinner/lunch.  Grahame Miles, Dick Jennings, John Glassford and Paul Weston represented the club.  It was the first official meeting of our new District Governor Greg Brown.  Well done Junee and it was a great idea to hold the change over on a Sunday afternoon, plenty of time for good fellowship.  Most of the clubs from Group 5 supported the luncheon.

AMAZING CANADIAN MAN CLIMBS KILIMANJARO

Man who lost his legs as a child scales 19,000ft-high Kilimanjaro by crawling on his HANDS for seven daysIt’s a feat most able-bodied people would struggle to achieve -scaling one of the highest peaks on the planet. Spencer West managed it using just his hands. The 31-year-old, from Toronto, Canada – who lost his legs when he was just five years old – reached the summit of the 19,341ft high Mt. Kilimanjaro on Monday after a slow, gruelling and awe-inspiring trek.

Because of the rough terrain, Mr West had to complete most of the seven-day trek on his hands, only using a wheelchair when the ground allowed Mr West was born with sacral agenesis, a genetic disorder that left his lower spine poorly developed and his legs permanently crossed. He had his legs removed below the knees at the age of three and, two-years-later, had them amputated to below his pelvis. Medical experts told the courageous Canadian he would never be a functioning member of society but he has continued to defy doctors his entire life.

He trained for a year to scale the tallest peak in Africa without legs and set off on June 12 with best friends David Johnson and Alex Meers. The trek to the top took seven days, hiking through Tanzania’s jungles, snowfields and deserts – and Mr West was forced to make 80 per cent of the journey on his hands, only hopping in a custom-made wheelchair when the terrain allowed. The trio made it to the final approach on Sunday and rose the following morning for the ascent to Uhuru Peak. They reached the top at 11.15am after a exhausting seven hour hike.

His incredible feat has raised more than £300,000 for Free The Children.

 

PRESIDENT PAUL WESTON’S REPORT

One week down in the new Rotary year and all is well.  Our first business meeting went smoothly, although a little longer than planned because of the catching up that needed to be done.  For the coming year, we plan to continue the tradition of having guest speakers and guests for the first and third Mondays of each month.  The second Monday will be a business/board meeting (all members invited), and the fourth Monday will be a member’s night (the exact format to be determined, but one aspect will be members having the chance to describe their life story or formative events in their lives).  These meetings will take place at the Sport and Rec Club with catering by Gilbert or an alternative caterer.  The fifth Monday (when it occurs) will be a dinner meeting at the home of a member (with the exception of July 30, which was allocated to a guest speaker before the current format was decided).

Several of us attended the Junee change-over on Sunday, a lunch-time affair that was enjoyed by all.  It was great to see the success that Junee is enjoying as a club after nearly going extinct several years ago; we plan to have a joint meeting with Junee in the coming months to discuss their formula for success in attracting new members.  Several other initiatives to increase potential membership are being explored and will be brought to light as they get fleshed out.  A start will be our next meeting, when Gary Roberts (Past Assistant Governor) shares his ideas for increasing membership.

Thanks to the members who manned (personned?) the street raffle on Saturday.  Despite the frigid conditions at the start, we persevered and raised a nice sum for our charity fund.  The next street raffle is scheduled for February of next year.

Hope to see you at our next meeting!

Yours in Rotary,

Paul

 

ROTARY INFORMATION

Hello Folks,

D5010 … known as the largest District in the Rotary world covering 11 times zones, bifurcated effective July 1. D2225 and D5010 are the result, one on each side of the Bering Sea: Russian Siberia from the Ural Mountains to the Bering Sea (roughly 6 time zones,) and USA’s Alaska/Canada’s Yukon (roughly 5 time zones). Siberia remains the largest District in the Rotary world and I believe D5010 is now the second largest. Each District has about 36 clubs, I’m not sure how many Rotarians, clearly there is much room for growth in both. Our two Districts have an excellent working relationship and continue to be very close in our Fellowship and friendships.

Onward and upward,

Jon Deisher, PP
Anchorage Rotary/D5010
Anchorage, Alaska

ROTI Rotarians On The Internet

President of Rotary International  Sakuji Tanaka

Governor of District 9700  Greg Brown

Coolamon Club President  Paul Weston

Coolamon Club Secretary  John Glassford

Coolamon Club Treasurer  Henk Hulsman

Coolamon Rotary Club Inc. P.O. Box 23 COOLAMON N.S.W. 2701

Websites of Interest

Coolamon Rotary Club: http://coolamonrotary.com

Rotary Down Under on line: http://flipflashpages.uniflip.com/2/26587/49598/pub

Rotarians For Fighting AIDS: http://www.rffa.org

Our Rotary Centennial Twin Club Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa: http://www.rotaryhoutbay.org

 

Don’t forget to regularly check our club web site for current information such as bingo rosters and various newsletters from the District Governor, the School of St. Jude’s, the monthly membership on the move newsletter as well as several other club bulletins.