Making Up a Meeting

One of the benefits of being in Rotary is the ability to make up a meeting in any country, city, town or village that has a Rotary club.  Recently I made up at the Rotary Club of Ballarat West in Victoria.  It was a social meeting and we were given a tour of some of Ballarat’s best known statues of which Ballarat is famous  for.  We finished the evening with pizzas and great fellowship.  Thank you Ballarat West for your kind hospitality.

A story appears in our weekly bulletin here:

Bulletin # 27

Millie Butt is Home from Belgium

Millie Butt exchanges our Club Banner

WELCOME HOME MILLIE!

Our Marrar Rotary Exchange Student Millie Butt has returned home from 12 months in Belgium.  By all accounts Millie had a great time and will be giving a talk to our club in the near future.  We at Coolamon Rotary are extremely proud of Millie’s achievements in Belgium and Europe and we know that Millie did herself, our club and Australia proud in representing Coolamon in Belgium.  We look forward to Millie’s talk.

Millie’s last report from Belgium 2010

‘Reach Within to Embrace Humanity’ is 2011-12 RI theme

Rotary Theme 2011 from Rotary International on Vimeo.

RI President-elect Kalyan Banerjee

Each year the incoming Rotary International President choses a theme for his year as president and this year RI President-elect Kalyan Banerjee will ask Rotarians to Reach Within to Embrace Humanity during the 2011-12 Rotary year.

Banerjee unveiled the RI theme during the opening plenary session of the 2011 International Assembly, a training event for incoming district governors.

He urged participants to harness their inner resolve and strength to achieve success in Rotary.

“In order to achieve anything in this world, a person has to use all the resources he can draw on. And the only place to start is with ourselves and within ourselves,” Banerjee said.

Once Rotarians find their inner strength, he continued, they can accomplish great things in their communities and around the world.

Hans Rosling’s 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes

“The implications of this short statistical presentation for fund raising and service delivery within and by Rotary are interesting – ”

Keep an eye on the blue bubbles they represent African countries. A most interesting look at the world and with some optimism. There is also mention of the impact of AIDS on South Africa.

Thanks to Jon Deisher from the Rotary Club of Anchorage, Alaska.

Samoa 2010

We visited Samoa over Christmas and enjoyed the experience.

It was a fellow Rotarian on ROTI Rotarians on the internet who suggested that we go to Samoa, thanks Marco:

ROTI

Being a Rotarian gives you contacts all around the world and Marco Kappenberger enabled us to see Samoa with lunches and a breakfast with fellow Rotarians.   We also visited the areas most damaged by the tsunami in 2009.  It was also our pleasure to be invited to a fund raising night for the new pre-school there.  I hope that we will be able to help them with this project in 2011.  More on this later:

The photos below also show where we stayed and what the tsunami did to Samoa.  The last two pics on teh tsunami road developments show what they have achieved in rebuilding on higher ground.  In only 15 months they have achieved an enormous amount.

COOLAMON ROTARY CHRISTMAS PARTY

This year our Christmas party was at President Ian’s home with catering done by Marg and Christine and others.

We also had the happy occassion of inducting our two new members Leslie Weston and  Paul Weston.  So we finished the year on a high note and we wish Leslie and Paul all the best in their association with Rotary and the Coolamon Rotary Club.

President Ian Inducts Leslie and Paul Weston

BELOW SOME PHOTOGRAPHS FROM OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY AND LAST MEETING FOR 2010

Rotary Club of Battersea Park London

Rotary Club of Battersea Park

What some Rotary Clubs are doing this Christmas:

ROTARY CLUB OF BATTERSEA PARK LONDON

CHRISTMAS DAY LUNCH AND TEA PARTY FOR THE ELDERLY PEOPLE OF WANDSWORTH

Do you want to have a fun Christmas but would like to do something worthwhile at the same time? Are you fed up with the meaningless commercial greed of Christmas and wish you could give some of your time as a gift to others?

If the answer to these questions is “yes”, then come to the Christmas Events Marquee in Battersea Park and help the Rotary Club of Battersea Park give a joyful Christmas Day party to elderly people who would otherwise be alone, without the company of family and friends, on Christmas Day.

We have been providing a special Christmas Day Party for elderly people for over forty years. From small beginnings, catering for only about fifty guests, the numbers have grown so much that over the years we have moved venues several times to cope with the demand. Now we are in a huge marquee in the ‘Battersea Evolution’ events arena in Battersea Park, kindly donated to us by Greg Lawson of Quantum Leap Events.

Rotary Club of Battersea Park London

President Elect Marg Perkin

Last night at our AGM Marg Perkin was voted in as President Elect for 2011-2012.

Congratulations Marg and we wish you well for your year as President.

Marg Perkin in Hout Bay Cape Town

Marg’s classification within Rotary is Teacher-Hearing Impaired.   Here Marg is teaching children in Hout Bay Cape Town on a recent visit to South Africa.

Marg Perkin in Cape Town

The board for Coolamon Rotary Club for 2011-2012 is as follows:

President Marg Perkin

Secretary and Bulletin Editor John Glassford

Treasurer Henk Hulsman

Club Administration Director Garth Perkin

Service Projects Director Grahame Miles

Membership Director Ian Durham

Foundation Director Ian Jennings

New Generations Director (vacant)

Public Relations Director Craig Corrigan

Bulletin and Assistant Secretary Paul Weston

Web Site John Glassford and Paul Weston