Meeting of 3 February

VP Daryl welcomed 18 members.  Apologies from Dick, Myffy, Albert, Lyn, Marianne & Garth.

Daryl thanked all those who helped cater for the Australia Day celebrations last Sunday.

Daryl reminded us that next Monday’s meeting (February 10) we will be welcoming Jackson Wykes & family to our meeting. They’ll be telling us of their summer holiday visiting the families in Finland who hosted Jackson at various stages of the year he spent on the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Partners & guests are most welcome on this night.

Bingo is starting up again this Thursday, February 13.  Rostered on are  Henk (captain), Don (for Bruce), Dick & Ian.

If you are one of the 8 members who have not replied to Grahame’s email as to when you’d prefer to be rostered on to Bingo for 2020, please do so ASAP, to avoid being slotted into a month that doesn’t suit you. To be fair to all concerned, every member should help out at least once each year to spread the load more evenly.

Correspondence:

• Thank you letter from Council for our contribution to Australia Day celebrations.

Club Assembly:

• Minutes of the 3 previous board meetings have been sent to all members.
• Treasurer Henk gave a report on NYE catering and reported balances on club accounts.
• It has been decided that we’ll help Temora Rotary at the upcoming district conference by staffing the RDU booth on the Saturday & half of Sunday.
• Our members agreed to host members of the Batlow Rotary Club on Monday February 24, when they will present to us some ideas as to how we can help their town recover from the recent bush fires. We will also discuss the formality of Batlow Club becoming a sister club to Coolamon Rotary. We have offered to billet 6 or 7 of their members who will arrive at the Sport & Rec Club at about 6 pm;  if you have the facilities to billet a member on that Monday night please let us know by Monday (10 Feb).
• We have agreed to participate in the Coolamon Ditch the Dust family bike ride & party event on Easter Saturday, in conjunction with our annual Easter Markets. More details to come.
• It was voted to donate $4K to either Allawah Lodge or our local hospital each year.
• A few other topics were briefly discussed but further research is needed before being ratified.

Time did not permit a fine session or raffle.

Please note: Brian Pattison will be inducted as a new member on Monday (10 Feb), so please show up and show your support for our newest member!

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

*Monday, February 10th – Speaker meeting: Tim, Peta and Jackson Wykes will present a talk on their recent trip to Finland. Also, induction of Brian Pattison.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Thursday, February 13th – First BINGO for the new decade.  Rostered on are Daryl (captain), Bruce, Dick & Ian (for Leslie).

Saturday & Sunday, February 15 -16 – PETS (President Elect Training Session).

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

Wednesday, February 19th – Board meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7 pm.

*Monday, February 24th – Partner’s night with members from Batlow Rotary Club attending to discuss ideas for helping Batlow recover from the recent bushfires.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday, March 2nd – Regular meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Wednesday, March 18th – Board meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7 pm.

March 20-22nd 2020 – D9700 Conference, Temora.

June 6-10th 2020 RI Convention, Honolulu.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

February is Rotary Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Month

Welcome back from the silly season!

Henk welcomed 20 members & guests Maureen H, Jan N, Heather McK, Lorraine H, Marilyn J, Sally F, and Brian & Fiona Pattison to our first meeting back after our Christmas/New Year break.

Apologies from Daryl, Marianne & Garth.

Those in attendance enjoyed a tasty barbecue dinner prepared by Henk and Albert.  Following dinner and dessert, Grahame spoke on the trip to Batlow by Ian, Dave, Ted & Grahame.  Ian drove the group to Batlow on Thursday afternoon and their first port of call was the pub where they had a few refreshments and chatted with some locals, including one member of the Batlow Rotary Club. They then booked themselves in to the motel, which was next door to the RSL Club, where the Coolamon Rotarians joined the members of the Batlow club for drinks and dinner. The Batlow Rotarians expressed their appreciation for the four visiting their town & attending their meeting and our offer of whatever assistance we can come up with after their town and surrounds had been so devastated by the bushfires.

A number of ideas were discussed such as our club ‘sistering’ with the Batlow Club and exchanging weekly bulletins with each other and perhaps hosting their members if we can organise for them to visit us here in Coolamon down the track.

The next morning the boys had breakfast at the bakery and encountered a number of members of the armed forces who have been deployed to Batlow for up to two months to help in the huge, huge task of cleaning up the devastation around the district.  On their drive back to Coolamon, the quartet came across some army vehicles out in the field and took photos and chatted with some of the army guys about the work they had been assigned to.

Much more could be talked about their experiences but time and space won’t allow here. Grahame reports that he, Ian, Dave and Ted found the trip to Batlow most rewarding for all concerned.

Jan N won the raffle, and Ian led a brief fine session to conclude the evening.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

Sunday, January 26th – Australia Day festivities in Coolamon. Coolamon Rotary will be cooking breakfast at Sport & Rec Club early.  Rostered on are John G, Dick, Dave, Ted, Myffy, Bern, Bruce, Henk and Albert.

Monday, January 27th – No meeting (public holiday).

Monday, February 3rd – Club Assembly – no guests please.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday, February 10th – Regular meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Thursday, February 13th – First BINGO for the new decade.  Rostered on are Daryl (captain), Bruce, Dick & Ian (for Leslie).

Saturday & Sunday, February 15 -16 – PETS (President Elect Training Session).

March 20-22nd 2020 – D9700 Conference, Temora.

June 6-10th 2020 RI Convention, Honolulu.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

January is Rotary Vocational Service Month

 Dinner Meeting – December 9th – Last meeting of 2019

President Wayne welcomed 18 members to our last meeting of 2019.

Apologies from Don, Daryl, Sarah, Ian, Bern, Garth, Leslie and Marie-Anne.

Correspondence:

• Letters from schools thanking us for donations towards presentation nights
• Letter from Council rejecting our proposal to post signs advertising service clubs at the entrances to Coolamon. It appears that Council interpreted our request as a promotion for Rotary, as opposed to promoting all service clubs wanting to be included.  The proposal will be reworked and clarified for re-submission in the new year.

Business:

• Monday, Feb 10, 2020 – Wykes family visiting our Club meeting
• Saturday, April 4 – Family biking event in Coolamon. Stay tuned for details!

Roster for Hot Rods visiting Coolamon this Saturday December 14:

• 8 to 9.30 am  – Dick, Brian P, Ian, Wayne & Dave
• 9.30 to 11 am  – Garth, Daryl, Anne, Lyn & Ted

AGM

Presided by incoming President Howard. Minutes from last year’s AGM were approved and reports for 2018-19 were tabled by IPP Daryl and Treasurer Henk. 

Nominations for 2020-2021 officers and directors were read out and approved unanimously:

• President Elect:  Albert
• Secretary : John
• Treasurer:  Henk
• Foundation Director: Neil
• Membership Director:  Dick 
• Club Admin Director:  Paul 
• Service Project Director 1: Albert
• Service Project Director 2: Dave (assisted by John B)
• Youth Services Director: Anne
• Public Relations Director: Grahame M, assisted by Bern M
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Alex (to be assisted by Dick,  
• Bulletin Editors: Paul & John
• Webmasters: John & Paul

Congratulations and thanks to those who put up their hands to serve as officers and directors!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who said this?

“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night?

The author of last week’s quote was TS Eliot.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

Thursday, December 12th – Christmas Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6.45 – 10:00.  Rostered on are Daryl (captain),  Albert, Bern & Myffy.

Saturday, December 14th – Hot Rodders catering, from 8 to 11 am (see roster above).

*Saturday, December 14th – Club Christmas Party at the Old Convent at  $20 a head. Please bring nibbles, salad or dessert, but not trifle.

Tuesday, December 31st – NYE Festival – need ALL members on board to help out on this night please with catering selling raffle tickets, etc.

*Monday, January 20th – First meeting back – social night.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Wednesday, January 22nd – Board Meeting – Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 pm.

Sunday, January 26th – Australia Day festivities in Coolamon. Coolamon Rotary will be cooking breakfast at Sport & Rec Club early.  Stay tuned for details!

Monday, January 27th – No meeting (public holiday).

Monday, February 3rd – Club Assembly – no guests please.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

February 15 -16, 2020 – PETS (President Elect Training Session) is now 15 -16 Feb, 2020.

March 20-22nd 2020 – D9700 Conference, Temora.

June 6-10th 2020 RI Convention, Honolulu.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

December is Rotary Disease Prevention and Treatment month

Joint Meeting with Lions – November 4th

President Wayne welcomed 19 members and some partners, plus guests from the Coolamon Lions Club.

Dave McCann welcomed Phil Malligan, our guest speaker along with some special guests, Mayor John Seymour and his wife, Margaret.

Apologies from Garth, Ian, Howard, Myffy, Don, Lyn, John N, Leslie and Dick.

Correspondence:

• Presentation night welcome from Coolamon Central School

Dave McCann introduced guest speaker Detetive Sargeant Phil Malligan.

Phil started his talk by acknowledging the traditional owners of this land.  He then gave a talk on his 3 months in Canada on a Prince of Wales scholarship. He went in the dead of winter and when he got off the train in Edmonton it was -27 degrees! There are 1200 police in that city.  He found much commonality with problems in Australia and witnessed similar issues the indigenous people deal with. After comparing many issues in Canada and how the government deals with them, Phil realised that we do many things very well in Australia.  Notably, Phil discovered Australia is ahead with domestic violence legislation. All the proceeds from casinos go to the indigenous people.

Phil was invited to a smoking ceremony with the indigenous people and had to change into board shorts to participate, and even then he was sweating profusely in the large teepee it was held in. 

He lives by the philosophy:  If you lose your integrity you lose everything.  Another quote that Phil likes to live by is one by David Morrison (a former officer in the Australian army): The standard you walk past is the standard you accept (originally spoken about sexual harassment, but applicable to most aspects of life, according to Phil).

Bruce Hamilton thanked Phil for a very interesting talk and presented him with a gift.  Bruce also thanked Coolamon mayor John Seymour for recommending Phil as a speaker (and presented him with a small gift as well).

Albert led a brief but entertaining fine session.  The raffle was won by Dave.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who is responsible for this quote?

“To improve is to change: to be perfect is to change often.”

The author of last week’s quote was John Bercow, speaker of the British House of Commons.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

Thursday, November 14th – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6.45 – 10:00.  Rostered on are Grahame (captain),  Ian, Alex and Garth.

*Monday, November 18th  – Speaker meeting. Our own Howard Atkinson will be speaking on Tupple Station. Also meet and greet Amanda & Chantel Costello before they attend RYPEN. Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Wednesday, November 20th – Board meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 pm.

Monday, December 9th – Annual General Meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, December 12th – Christmas Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6.45 – 10:00.  Rostered on are Daryl (captain),  Albert, Myffy, and Bern.

*Saturday, December 14th – Christmas Party.  Old Convent, Coolamon.

March 20-22nd 2020 – D9700 Conference, Temora.

June 6-10th 2020 RI Convention, Honolulu.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

November is Rotary Foundation Month

Dinner Meeting of October 21st

President Wayne welcomed 21 members plus partners Sally F & Helen L.

Apologies from Daryl, John N, Neil and Garth.

Correspondence

• Coolamon Council would like our club to cater for Australia Day celebrations from 8 to 9.30 am in Coolamon.

Business

• The club needs a replacement Youth Director as Sarah is moving on to ‘greener pastures’ in Vic soon.
• Next week’s meeting will be on Tuesday, 29th October.  It will be a joint meeting with Junee, Wagga & Coolamon clubs at the Sport & Rec Club at 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
• Monday, 4th November, is a combined Coolamon Lions and Rotary dinner meeting with a special guest speaker, Detective Sgt Milligan from Wagga Wagga.
• On Monday, 18th November, the two Costello girls (Amanda & Chantel)  will be attending to meet the members before they attend RYPEN.
• Saturday, 14th December is our club Christmas Party at the Old Convent.
• NYE Catering Committee formed  – Wayne, John B, Alex, Howard, Ted and Henk.

Club Assembly

Some important issues were discussed and some recommendations were formulated and will be considered by the board.

Future of Bingo

After some fruitful discussion between members, it was generally decided that we will continue to run bingo, and continue to donate proceeds to the hospital.  It was suggested we put together a team of 12 or so members who are happy and dedicated to do Bingo every 3 or 4 months and that the committee can then decide on how best to do some extra promotion.  Grahame will send out an email to all members to establish who might be interested in volunteering for such a commitment. These decisions need be ratified at the next board meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, 20th November.

Future of Rotary Local Telephone Book

Again some spirited and thoughtful discussion about the pros and cons of producing another telephone directory in 2021. It was suggested we may have difficulty in gaining as many advertisers as we have in the past and it could be used to list the mobile numbers of people in the shire and perhaps be made available online.   There was general consensus that we should publish another directory and reconsider the issue after that.  The point was made that we need a dedicated leader to spearhead the project for the year or so it will take to prepare and produce the new book; John Glassford put his hand up to be that person with one condition. Once again, the issue has to now be ratified at the next board meeting.

Albert led a very entertaining and spirited fine session.  The raffle was won by Dave.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who is responsible for this quote?

“Take up yoga. You’ll find it beneficial, man.”

JUST FOR LAUGHS

Only in America…

DIARY

Thursday, November 12 – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6.45 – 10:00.  Rostered on are Grahame (captain),  Ian, Alex and Garth.

Thursday, November 7 – RSL Coolamon Sub Branch Centenary.

Monday, December 9th – Coolamon Rotary Annual General Meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

March 20-22nd 2020 – D9700 Conference, Temora.

June 6-10th 2020 RI Convention, Honolulu.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

October is Economic and Community Development Month

Dinner Meeting of September 23rd

President Wayne welcomed 21 members and guests Chez Post, Anne Baker, Mary Anne Costello and visiting Rotarians from Wollundry David Pyke, Phil Mcintosh, Geoff Bruest and David Byfield.

Apologies from Bern, Daryl, John G, Bruce, Neil & Dave.

Business items:

• A motion moved and passed to ask Secretary John to send a thank you letter to each of the non-members who helped with the baking of Anzac biscuits for Gears & Beers riders and to the School for allowing us to use the school kitchen and for providing ingredients for baking.   
• There will be a club assembly on Oct 16.
• 22 members are going to ‘Ride Like a Girl’ movie on Tuesday night at 7 pm in Wagga.
• Paul brought up the need for a committee to organise Easter Markets; Grahame, Ian, Dick and Leslie have agreed to be on committee.

Phil McIntosh from Wollundry Club gave a talk on the planning for Gears & Beers and the responsibilities of our club in and around the Coolamon. A number of our members have been rostered onto various intersection checkpoints, which were recorded by Albert;  other members will be helping in serving Anzac biscuits, fruit cake, fruit & water at both Marrar and Coolamon. 

Our club will need to erect gazebos from which food and water can be served. The need for 1 or 2 coffee stalls came up, as the one there last year was apparently overwhelmed. Toilets were discussed and Wollundry Rotary will organise porta-loos to be located at both the Marrar and Coolamon stops. Maybe it could be looked into if the toilets on the railway station could be opened on that morning??                

See more details on the Gears & Beers ride in the story below.

Because of the extensive discussion regarding Gears & Beers, there was no time for a fine session or raffle this week.

1600 Gears & Beers riders expected through Coolamon

On Sunday, October 6th, approximately 1600 bike riders will be passing through Coolamon for the annual Gears & Beers Festival.  There are 6 different options for the riders: 7 km distance, 30 km, 50 km, the ‘Filthy 50’ (mostly on unsealed roads), the 115 km and the ‘Dirty 130’ (on sealed & unsealed roads). It is the last two rides which will be passing through Coolamon.  

If interested, view the courses at  https://gearsandbeers.org.au/pages/courses.

Approximately two-thirds through the journey, most riders will be stopping in Coolamon’s Lions Park, where they can recharge with drinks, fruit cake, ANZAC biscuits & fruit, all provided by the Rotary Club of Coolamon.  It would be fantastic if the riders could be welcomed to Coolamon by crowds of locals from 8 am to 10 am.

The event was started by Wagga Wagga’s Wollundry Rotary Club four years ago and has grown astronomically since. Owing to its popularity, they have recruited other Rotary Clubs in the district to help out. Coolamon Rotary Club will be responsible for manning check points at various intersections within a 15 km radius of Coolamon, plus providing & serving drinks & food when many of the riders have a breather in Coolamon’s Lions Park, opposite the Coolamon Hotel.

Once arriving back in Wagga Wagga, the riders and spectators can enjoy the festivities in the Victory Memorial Gardens, which of course will feature locally produced beer and cider and a range of food options. Details can be found at  https://gearsandbeers.org.au/pages/the-festival.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who is responsible for this quote?

“If you’ve spread yourself too thin, spread it thicker.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Aussie cricketer Mitch Marsh.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

*Monday, September 30th – Fellowship meeting.  BBQ at Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

Sunday, October 6 – Gears & Beers cycling classic and Fire Engine Muster in Coolamon.

Thursday, October 10th – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Paul (captain), John B, Sarah and Don.

*Monday October 14th –  Speaker meeting.  Craig Gruber of NSW Ambulance will present on the Coolamon ambulance station.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, November 12 – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6.45 – 10:00.  Rostered on are Grahame (captain),  Ian, Alex and Garth.

Thursday November 7 – RSL Coolamon Sub Branch Centenary.

Monday, December 9th – Annual General Meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec. Club.

March 20-22nd 2020 – D9700 Conference, Temora.

June 6-10th 2020 RI Convention, Honolulu.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

September is Basic Education and Literacy

Dinner Meeting of September 16th

President Wayne welcomed 21 members and guests Chez Post and Marie-Anne Costello.

Apologies from Bern, Leslie, Dave, Garth and Anne.

Business:

• Secretary John read out a thank you letter from Fusion for our generous donation.
• Working with Children Checks need to be completed by 8 more members.
• John N needs location of defibrillators in the shire so their location can be advertised in the Chronicle.
• Several members from Wollundry Rotary will be attending our meeting next week to discuss final plans for Gears & Beers.
• Numbers are needed for baking Anzac biscuits on Saturday at Coolamon Central School for Gears & Beers. Please let Jann Bruest know ASAP (6927 3396).
• Neil gave a report on Bingo.  Bingo was well attended on Thursday, with helpers Neil, Garth & Anne. There were 23 players on the night, which generated a profit of $347.
• Board meeting this Wednesday at 7 pm at Coolamon Sport & Rec Club.
• New proposed date for AGM – Monday, December 9 – to be approved by the board on Wednesday.  
• New date for ‘Ride Like a Girl’ movie fundraiser for Polio Plus: Tuesday Sept 24 at 7 pm at Forum 6 in Wagga. Paul W is taking numbers (final numbers are due by Friday).

John G gave an update on Tracey Ocheng, the Kenyan girl our club are sponsoring to attend uni. She’s progressing well and is keen to raise funds to send girls from a similar disadvantaged background to uni, sparing them from a life of misery and, commonly, an early death.

The evening finished with an entertaining fine session led by Sergeant-at-Arms Albert and a raffle, which was won by Grahame (who claimed it was the first time he has won the weekly raffle) and Bruce.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who is responsible for this quote?

“It wasn’t terrible, my body just likes to put on weight easily, and my mum likes to feed me.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Gladys Berejiklian.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

Wednesday September 18 – Coolamon Rotary Club Board Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 pm.

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

September 21st  – Baking bee for members and partners, producing Anzac biscuits for Gears & Beers riders. Coolamon Central School kitchen, 10 am to 3 pm. Contact Jan Breust on 6927 3396 if planning to participate.

September 21st – Royce Abbey Peace Oration & Dinner. Wagga Commercial Club, 6.30 pm. This event has been cancelled.

*Monday, September 23rd – Regular meeting.  Phil McIntosh and David Byfield from Wollundry Rotary will be on hand to discuss plans for Gears and Beers.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

*Tuesday, September 24th – ‘Ride Like a Girl’ movie in Wagga (Forum 6), raising funds for End Polio Now. Contact Paul (0429 318 570) before Friday (20 Sept) if planning to attend.

*Monday, September 30th – Fellowship meeting.  BBQ at Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

Sunday, October 6 – Gears & Beers cycling classic & Fire Engine Muster in Coolamon.

Thursday, October 10th – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Paul (captain), John B, Sarah and Don.

*Monday October 14th –  Speaker meeting.  Craig Gruber of NSW Ambulance will present on the Coolamon ambulance station.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

September is Basic Education and Literacy

Dinner Meeting of August 19th

President Wayne welcomed 19 members and guests Chez and prospective member Maryanne Costello. Apologies from Dave, Dick, Lyn, Myffy, Daryl, Sarah, John N, Bern, Neil and Albert.

Subs are now due for the period July to December; pay now to keep your voting rights!

Get together with Narrandera Club has been put on back burner for now because a date good for both clubs can’t be agreed at present.  President Wayne is thinking we might shoot for late January before we get back into the full swing of Rotary after the silly season.

Trivia Night this Friday.  Our club has 2 tables of 8 booked.

Stop Press – ‘The Hall Committee’ play at the Ganmain Hall,  Saturday, September 7, 7:30 pm.

Written, directed & co-starring by Damian Callinan, the writer of the hit movie The Merger, The Hall Committee will include a cast of local Wagga and Sydney actors to bring to life the folk of Rummage South Hall Committee past and present

Our guest speaker tonight was our member John Bond, who gave us an in-depth presentation of the effects on our planet of solar flares/sunspot activity and how they can disrupt communications & power distribution and have an influence on our weather. His talk generated some interesting questions from members about radio wave communications and variables in weather patterns over the years.

Here is a brief overview of the presentation in John’s words:

• Physical properties of the sun – focussing on sunspots, flares and coronal mass ejections (CME’s)
• Sunspot activity has cycles of 11 and 90 years.
• Three principle methods of radio wave propagation with a focus on sky wave propagation utilising the ionosphere.
• Using BOM GRAFEX Charts to predict frequencies for best intercontinental radio links.
• Effects of significant solar events – particularly CME’s, on power distribution systems, radio communications links and equipment, satellites and their crews, and the effects on our health with significant increased ionizing radiation  such as X rays.
• Principle causes of temperature variation in the earth’s troposphere, and explore the hypothesis that anthropogenic (manmade) effects are the cause of the current climate change on Earth.

Howard thanked John for a most illuminating and engaging talk.

The evening concluded with a raffle, which was won by John G.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who is responsible for this quote?

“That’s the beautiful thing about food, it breaks down the barriers.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Donald Trump.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

*Friday, August 23rd – Trivia Night. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club.

*Monday, August 26th  – Visit by DG John McKenzie.  All members encouraged to attend.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Saturday, September 7th – The Hall Committee play, Ganmain Hall, 7:30 pm.

Thursday, September 12th – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Neil (captain), Rod, John N & Howard.

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

August is Membership and New Club Development Month

Dinner Meeting of August 12th

President Wayne welcomed 20 members and guests Marilyn J, Lorraine H, Chez & guest speaker Jennie Nester, cheesemaker at Coolamon Cheese.

Apologies from Dave, Dick, Lyn, Garth and Myffy.

Business of the evening included:

• Secretary John G announced the sad news of the passing of Auntie Flo Grant. She was closely associated with Rotary, was an honorary member of Kooringal Rotary Club and recognised in NSW and ACT as the Rotary Inspirational Woman of the Year in 2015.
• Tracy Ocheng, our student in Nairobi, going well.
• Dick Smith has given another generous donation of one million dollars to RAWCS.
• A special guest speaker next Monday – John Bond giving a presentation on a topic he is passionate about and most knowledgeable on: Our Nuclear Neighbour, The Sun, and Space Weather caused by sunspots/solar storms and its effects on communication, power distribution & weather on our planet.
• Captain Henk gave a brief report on BINGO;  there were 11 players and a small profit was made. Helpers were Bruce, Anne and Bern.
• A reminder of our DG’s visit on August 26. All members are encouraged to attend.
• Treasurer Henk reminded members of the July subs are past due.
• Neil reminded us that Will Studholm and his family will be our guests at our Sept 9 meeting. It is anticipated we will have a BBQ with members cooking & purchasing salads externally.  Will was a recipient of the matching grant via Dick Smith program where the grant helped his family cover some of Will’s ongoing rehabilation costs.
• Daryl announced the food van shed is progressing well;  steel has been cut and construction should be completed within a month.
• It is expected that 1600 riders will come through Coolamon for the Gears & Beers festival on October 6th
• John N brought up need for list of where defibrillators are located and the possibility of publishing the list in the CCC.

Guest Speaker Jenn from Coolamon Cheese

Jenn spoke on her job as head cheesemaker at Coolamon Cheese, a position she recently has assumed. Jenn hails from Gippsland in Victoria and worked as a cheesemaker in Gippsland for a number of years. She has five kids with husband Shaun though only one has come to Coolamon, the other four independent children preferring to stay in Victoria. Jenn saw the advert for Head Cheesemaker at Coolamon Cheese and applied for the position, taking up the position in April of this year.

Jenn is settling in well at the factory and is mastering the cheeses of  Coolamon Cheese as well as making new cheeses, including a soft blue named Bell Isle Blue and a cheddar. Jenn will likely continue making most of the native bush recipes started by Barry Lillywhite.

Jenn loves cooking and had previously worked for a while as a caterer.   She is looking into making her own cheese cultures as the cultures are one of the more expensive ingredients in making cheese.  Jenn commented that the cheese industry may be over-regulated in Australia, especially in Victoria.  

Jenn finished her talk by giving us tips on storing cheese, one of the primary ones being the recommendation to store cheese in containers that can ‘breathe’, and not in plastic wrap as cheese has live cultures that need oxygen. The containers used to cause cheese need to keep cheese from drying out without suffocating it.

After Jenn’s talk, there was a large number of interesting questions from the floor. President Wayne thanked Jenn for an excellent talk and presented her with a small gift.

Sergeant-at-Arms Albert led a vigorous and entertaining fine session, which led to some good cross fines.  The evening concluded with a raffle, which was won by Paul.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who is responsible for this quote?

“I don’t want to kill 10 million people.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Frank Zappa.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

*Monday, August 19th – Speaker meeting.  Guest speaker: John Bond speaking on the sun and solar weather.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

*Monday, August 26th  – Visit by DG John McKenzie.  All members encouraged to attend.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, September 12th – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Neil (captain), Rod, John N & Howard.

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

August is Membership and New Club Development Month

Club Assembly/Dinner Meeting of August 5th

President Wayne welcomed 19 members. Apologies from Dave, Dick, Lyn, John N, Garth, Don, Sarah and Myffy.

Club Assembly topics:

• No concerns raised from minutes of the last board meeting.
• External cladding of van shed will probably be galvanised or zincalume corrugated iron.
• Gears & Beers on Sunday, Oct 6. A committee will help organise our efforts – Daryl will chair the committee, assisted by Anne, Bern, Albert, Neil and John B.
• Hot Rod AGM on March 13-15, 2020. Coolamon Rotary will cater breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.
• All present were supportive of the Lids for Limbs campaign being organised by Karen Fryer and Michelle Booth.  The project will start in Ganmain, and then expand to Coolamon and other towns in the shire. Start by saving bottle tops from milk jugs and other containers (stamped with 4 on the recycling triangle). 
• Major raffle with $5 tickets was proposed – Committee of Sarah, John B and Bruce.
• Another project to sponsor production of fabric shopping bags to replace plastic bags at local stores was discussed – Board to explore idea further.
• To look into proposal by Dave, of idea of a w/e away to wineries around Rutherglen & Corowa
• Jennifer, the new cheesemaker at Coolamon Cheese, will be guest speaker next week.
• Ian agreed to take on collecting numbers for dinner meetings from this week
• The club is considering the idea of a joint meeting with the Rotary Club of Narrandera on the 5th Monday of Sept, maybe meeting at Ganmain Hall or Grong Grong pub. Stay tuned.
• All present were supportive of donating $500 to Fusion.
• Tree planting committee of Graham, Ian and Albert to investigate tree planting now that conditions are finally nearly favourable.

Sergeant-at-Arms Albert conducted a spirited fine session, together with some good cross fines, with our guest member being fined twice for the same reason.

A raffle finished off the evening, with the prizes going to Neil and Bern.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Who made this quote?

“What’s the ugliest part of your body? Some say your nose, some say your toes, but I think it’s your mind.”

Last week’s Quote of the Week was attributed to Nelson Mandela.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

DIARY

Monday, August 5 – Club Assembly. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm. (Members only)

Thursday, August 8 – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Henk (captain), Bruce, Lyn & Anne.

*Monday, August 12th – Speaker meeting.  Guest speaker: New cheesemaker from Coolamon Cheese.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Wednesday, August 14th – Board meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 pm.

*Monday, August 26th  – Visit by DG John McKenzie.  All members encouraged to attend.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, September 12th – Bingo.  Community Centre Hall, 6:45 – 10:00. Neil (captain), Rod, John N & Howard.

September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.

Friday, October  4 – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.

* denotes partner & guest night

REMINDERS

Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.

Subs are now due.

August is Membership and New Club Development Month