SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Week of September 7th

This week’s meeting was just a bit of planning and fellowship.  Plans for the upcoming Monster Raffle were discussed, along with a range of projects including tree planting (to be done over the next couple of weekends), articles for the Chronicle, the return of Bingo, etc.  The meeting concluded with a raffle and fines by Sargent at Arms Albert, who this week fined himself.  In a touch of karma justice, Albert won the raffle.

OTHER NEWS

Beirut Calling – Rotary helps Lebanon

11 September 2020

Beirut Calling – Rotary helps Lebanon ACT Government donation welcomed

Rotary Clubs across the ACT and southern NSW, in Rotary District9705, have welcomed the prompt and generous donation of $5,000 from the ACT Government towards funds being raised by regional Rotary Clubs to support the Rotary Club of Beyrouth in Lebanon.

In response to the colossal 4 August explosion in Beirut’s port, theRotary Club of Beyrouth is focusing on supporting the paediatric section of the Karantina Government Hospital, which was severely afected by the explosion and will require funds for equipment and medical supplies.

Personal donations through the Rotary Club of Canberra.

Rotary District 9705 Governor Michael Moore AM

TRACY OCHIENG UPDATE

I just wanted to bring you up to date with Tracy’s progress and I will be brief:

• Tracy has been studying from home in Kisumu but has now returned to Nairobi.
• Tracy is still at the United States International University in Nairobi.
• Tracy is studying for her degree in journalism and graduates in September 2022.
• Coolamon Rotary is sponsoring Tracy and are paying her fees on time.
• PDG Fred Loneragan and I are supporting her with help when required.
• Fred and I are confident that Tracy will see it to the end and graduate and if we can travel by then I will be there in 2022.
• Sally Farmer has asked Tracy to write a monthly newsletter of life in Nairobi for our Coolamon Community Chronicle.  This will help her in her journalism degree in addition to providing readers with a view of life from a very different vantagepoint.
• Tracy’s goal is still to start her Big Sisters Project for Mathare to give vulnerable and at risk girls, like she was once, an opportunity that Tracy got when Fred and I met her in November 2011 in Mathare.

– John Glassford

DIARY

Monday, September  14th – Speaker meeting. Paul will give an update on COVID-19, following publication of interesting new findings by researchers at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Wednesday, September 16th – Board meeting. The Old Coolamon Convent, 7:30 pm.

Saturday-Sunday 19th and 20th of September:  Zone 8 ZOOM Virtually Alice conference

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

Monday, September  28th – Speaker meeting. Guest speaker: TBA.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday, October 5th  – No Meeting (Labor Day Holiday)

Thursday, October 8th – BINGO.  Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm.  Roster: Paul (captain), John B, Dave and Brian.

Wednesday, October 14th – Board meeting. Coolamon The Old Convent, 7:30 pm.

Monday, October  19th – Club Assembly.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

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

Thursday, November 12th – BINGO.  Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm.  Roster: Grahame (captain), Garth, Bern and Alex.

Monday November 23rd – District Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM Visit via Zoom 6.30 for 7 pm

REMINDERS

Coolamon Rotary Club AGM Monday November 9^th 2020.  President-Elect Albert will be looking for volunteers to serve on his board for 2021-2022.  All positions are as a rule declared vacant at the AGM and will be filled on that night.  Please contact Albert if you are interested in serving on his board.

THE PUZZLER

Answer to the last puzzler: 1) add insult to injury, 2) a bit under the weather, 3) the ball is in your court, 4) let the cat out of the bag, 5) beat around the bush, 6) no one to blame, 7) yellow belly, 8) take from the rich and give to the poor, 9) three blind mice, and 10) green-eyed monster.

This week’s puzzler: You are in a room that has three switches and a closed door. The switches control three light bulbs on the other side of the door. Once you open the door, you may never touch the switches again. How can you definitively tell which switch is connected to each of the light bulbs?

ROTARY NEWS

1. ROTARY ACADEMY THE PHILIPPINES

Wednesday night is Rotary Academy night from District 3780 in The Philippines.  On the 9th last Wednesday PDG JG was invited to make a presentation on Rotary Action Groups and Rotary Fellowships.  It was a very well organised event with a large Zoom audience of 123 and an even larger live Facebook gathering.

JG was introduced by a Brigadier General Daway of the Philippines National Police,PNP, where they have a Rotary Club, Camp Crame in the headquarters of the PNP in Quezon City.  The Brigadier General is their President Elect.  The meeting started with an invocation and the national anthem of The Philippines.

Some photos from the evening in thumb nails just click on the thumbnail.

2. ROTARY CLUB OF EAST NASSAU

Hard to believe that it was 12 months ago that hurricane Dorian leveled the Island of Abaco.  We have now been able to send $2,500 to the RC of East Nassau and it has been received.  Thanks Henk Hulsman for your patience with this transfer.

3. ROTARY ZONE 8 CONFERENCE 2020

Don’t forget to register for the Virtually Alice conference on the 19th and 20th of September. In the meantime read the latest conference newsletter. Click the link below.

NEWSLETTER

September is Rotary Basic Education and Literacy Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance from Rotary Club of Ucluelet BC Canada

Week of August 31st

This week’s meeting featured another guest speaker, Kieran Knox, a Coolamon native who has spent the last several years in the mining industry in Africa.  Kieran described the nature of mining and daily life in Africa. The mining is done using a combination of open pits (extending to a depth of 800 m or more) and tunnels, which typically go 1 km deeper! Daily life included encounters with elephants on the roads (who have the right of way because who dares to tell them otherwise!) and gun-toting paramilitary, who frequently require payment to keep their ammunition to themselves. Keiran moved frequently from country to country as the job required (five countries over nine years) and certainly accumulated a lifetime of experiences that will be shared with family and friends for years to come.  Kieran was able to achieve a long-time ambition while in Africa: he got to have a monkey (a vervet from the looks of it) as a pet! Howard thanked Kieran for a most interesting and engaging talk, and presented him with a token gift as a memento.

As usual, the meeting concluded with a raffle and another entertaining fine session led by Sargent at Arms Albert, who surprisingly found nothing to fine Grahame for this week.

OTHER NEWS

Click on the link below for the DG’s Newsletter:

DG Dr. Michael Moore’s September Newsletter.

DIARY

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

Monday, September  14th – Speaker meeting. Guest speaker: TBA.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Wednesday, September 16th – Board meeting. Coolamon The Old Convent, 7:30 pm.

Saturday-Sunday 19th and 20th of September:  Zone 8 ZOOM Virtually Alice conference

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

Monday, September  28th – Speaker meeting. Guest speaker: TBA.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday, October 5th  – No Meeting (Labor Day Holiday)

Thursday, October 8th – BINGO.  Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm.  Roster: Paul (captain), John B, Dave and Brian.

Wednesday, October 18th – Board meeting. Coolamon The Old Convent, 7:30 pm.

Monday, October  19th – Club Assembly.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

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

Thursday, November 12th – BINGO.  Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm.  Roster: Grahame (captain), Garth, Bern and Alex.

Monday November 23rd – District Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM Visit via Zoom 6.30 for 7 pm

REMINDERS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to the last puzzler: 1) a bundle of nerves, 2) small potatoes, 3) pinching pennies, 4) back on one’s feet, 5) the birds and the bees, 6) a finger in the pie, 7) one in a million, 8) grey matter, 9) too funny for words, 10) not worth a red cent.

Here’s another rebus puzzle for you. Can you guess the common sayings represented by these images?

ROTARY NEWS

1. THE ROTARY FOUNDATION

Our Foundation has been given 4 stars the highest level of recognition for a charity by Charity Navigator 12 years in a row now for transparency, accountability and above all for the results of our giving around the world.

Click on the image below for the video message from our Foundation this week.

Thanks to you, Rotary members have been making a difference at a time when communities need our help more than ever. We know that donors like you are people of action, and your support is changing lives where it’s needed most.

Together, we’ve funded thousands of projects around the world. We’ve provided resources for local COVID-19 health and recovery efforts in addition to other initiatives to prevent disease, and of course, our continued fight to end polio. Together, we’ve empowered others by funding sustainable solutions in communities that need clean water, hope for peace, basic education, quality care for mothers and children, or economic opportunity. No matter how large a problem may seem, thanks to you, we can work toward solutions and opportunities for people around the world.

Last Rotary year, we raised more than $408 million for The Rotary Foundation! What we accomplish next will be possible because of your generous support.

Thank you for your dedication to Doing Good in the World.

Sincerely,
The Rotary Foundation

2. ROTARY DOWN UNDER

The times they are a-changing friends! And in all kinds of feel good ways. We have our first female RI President-Nominee (well, not officially until 1 October, but who’s counting?), we have the world’s very first Rotaract Pride Club in support of the LGBTIQ+ community, and, after decades of work across 47 countries on the continent, the World Health Organisation has declared the African region wild poliovirus-free! In a time when ‘the new normal’ is the catchphrase on everyone’s lips, we are loving the look of this ‘new normal’!

Check it all out in the September edition of Rotary Down Under:

http://epubs.media/rotarydownunder/ezine/2020/631/

3. ROTARY ZONE 8 CONFERENCE 2020

Don’t forget to register for the Virtually Alice conference on the 19th and 20th of September. In the meantime read the latest conference newsletter. Click the link below.

NEWSLETTER

September is Rotary Basic Education and Literacy Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance from Rotary Club of Ucluelet BC Canada.

Week of August 24th

We had a guest speaker at our weekly meeting, former club member and PP Marg Perkin.  Marg gave a talk on her trip to Cambodia in November of last year, and delivered supplies and amenities to a school in Pnom Penh and visited an eye clinic in Battambang (as well as taking in some tourist sites).  It was startling to see the conditions facing people in parts of SE Asia, but also heartwarming to see the bright faces of enthusiastic schoolchildren and their appreciation of the gifts and educational programs brought by Marg and the other members of the team of Help Cambodia.  The children entertained the visitors with performances of traditional dance and song, attired in handmade costumes typical of the region.  President Howard presented Marg with a token of appreciation of Marg’s talk, which made quite an impression on those in attendance.

As usual, the meeting concluded with an entertaining fines session led by Sargent-at-Arms Albert, and as usual, Grahame seemed to dominate the recipient list.  It must have been a slow week, because Albert actually fined himself for a bone-headed move, although it was probably a pre-emptive maneuver because he would have likely been fined by a member who was witness to the event (you’ll have to ask Albert for details, or better yet, come to our weekly meetings to hear these things firsthand!). Fittingly, Albert ended up winning the raffle.  Speaking of raffles, the street raffle held on Saturday was quite productive; thanks to the members who endured the chilly conditions to make it all possible (sorry, I can’t find the roster to mention the members by name).

OTHER NEWS

Henley Carey from Coolamon

There will be a story in the Coolamon Community Chronicle on the journey of Henley Carey.  The photo above was sent to us by Henley’s mother Alicia Carey.

REMINDERS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to the last puzzler: 1) red in the face, 2) green eggs and ham, 3) backrub, 4) all thumbs, 5) two left feet, 6) black sheep of the family, 7) big fish in a small pond, 8) tennis shoes (“ten issues” said quickly, but I prefer “lots of issues”), 9) long time, no see, and 10) all in a day’s work.

Can you solve these rebus puzzles that represent common sayings?

ROTARY NEWS

1. PAUL HARRIS FELLOW (PHF)

The Paul Harris Fellow award is the highest award and recognition where a Rotarian can nominate a well deserving person to receive this award.  That person can be a fellow club member, another Rotarian from another club or a member of the public.

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of US$1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.

Rotary established the recognition in 1957 to encourage and show appreciation for substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships.

Paul Harris Fellow Recognition is both an award for exemplary work in community service or helping those in need, or a method of recognising a substantial donation to The Rotary Foundation.

These awards have been presented to many outstanding leaders in the community, as well as to “ordinary people doing extraordinary things“.  Paul Harris Fellow recognitions have been awarded to over 40,000 people in Australia, and more than 1.3m worldwide.

You can learn more here about the PHF and Donor Recognition: 

Levels:

Recipient’s recognition amount level

US$1000 to 1,999 – first PHF
Level One US$2,000 to 2,999.99 – one sapphire
Level Two US$ 3,000 to 3,999.99 – two sapphires
Level Three US$4,000 to 4,999.99 – three sapphires
Level Four US$5,000 to 5,999.99 – four sapphires
Level 5 US$6,000 to 6,999.99 – five sapphires
Level Six US$7,000 to 7,999.99 – one ruby
Level Seven US$8,000 to 8,999.99 – two rubies
Level Eight US$9,000 to 9,999.99 – three rubies

If any member is interested on how we nominate those who have received the PHF recognition over the years, please email John Glassford for a full list of recipients.  This list is available on My Rotary web site under Coolamon Rotary. You will see from this list compiled by JG on how the points for a PHF recognition are allocated by donations from the club and from our own members.

2. MEMBERSHIP FORUMS

Membership is a critical element of Rotary.

Without members, our organisation would be unable to continue the vital work of Rotary in our local communities and around the world.

Our District Membership Team have secured five speakers for their upcoming Membership Forums, which will provide inspiration and ideas to recruit and retain members; different types of clubs; and how clubs can grow.

Our first speaker in this series will be our very own District Governor Nominee, Geraldine Rurenga from the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga Murrumbidgee.

For further details about the upcoming forums, please refer to the flyer below.

3.  AFRICA DECLARED WILD POLIO VIRUS FREE

In 1996, the great African leader Nelson Mandela launched the Kick Polio Out of Africa campaign with Rotary International’s support, setting out a vision for a polio-free Africa. At the time, wild polio paralysed 75,000 children each year. To protect communities from this crippling disease, African leaders, health workers, volunteers, parents, global donors and organizations united to reach every child with polio vaccines.

On 25 August 2020, after four years without a single case of wild polio, the African region has been certified free of wild poliovirus. Decades of extraordinary investment has paid off.

Yet, the job is not finished. These efforts must continue to prevent wild polio from returning and to end all forms of polio for good – both in Africa and globally. #rotaryinternational #endpolionow

Victorian farmer moving his sheep to the other side of the border via a stop over at a Sydney hotel for a 2 week quarantine period.

Meanwhile in New Zealand

August is Rotary Membership and New Club Development Month

Week of August 17th

We’re fortunate to be able to continue to meet in person (with appropriate social distancing) considering the restrictions on gatherings in New South Wales.  We had a good roll-up at our weekly meeting, and those in attendance were rewarded with free drinks courtesy of Bern, whose horse Man of Peace won again at Randwick.  The evening feature our first guest speaker of the Rotary year (more on that later) as well as a special ceremony acknowledging the contributions of one of our members.  Howard kept the members in suspense as he described the contributions of this member, most notably extensive involvement with Gears and Beers and the construction of the food van shed.  Those who hadn’t already guessed the person were clued in when Howard noted that this person had served as president for 1-1/2 years, which could only have been Daryl Breust, who served as president in 2018-2019 and for the second half of 2019-2020.  For his dedicated service, Daryl was named a Paul Harris Fellow, an award that was richly deserved.  Daryl was soundly applauded for this accomplishment.

Our guest speaker was our entomologist member Paul, who spoke about dung beetles and the project that currently employs him, the Dung Beetle Ecosystems Engineers project.  Paul shared some interesting life history facts about dung beetles, especially the tunnelling species that were introduced by CSIRO to take care of livestock dung which began accumulating in the landscape after the British colonists introduced cattle and other livestock to Australia.  Paul described the many benefits that dung beetles provide to Australian agriculture and introduced the Dung Beetle Ecosystems Engineers project, which is a multi-million dollar project funded by the federal government and Meat and Livestock Australia with many objectives and cooperating institutions.  CSU is heading up the project, and Paul and Leslie are heavily involved in the project.  For more details, visit the Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers (DBEE) website (https://www.dungbeetles.com.au/).  The presentation inspired many questions from those in attendance.

Albert led another entertaining fine session, which left those in attendance with a smile on their faces and a few less coins in their pockets, especially Grahame.

OTHER NEWS

The Coolamon Rotary board of directors held their monthly meeting at the Coolamon Convent on Wednesday.  Although there were not a large number of resolutions passed, there was much productive discussion on a range of topics.  The minutes will be distributed to members shortly.

REMINDERS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to the last puzzler: The speaker of the riddle is a pear, and the other item is a pair.

How many of these rebus puzzles can you solve?

ROTARY NEWS

1.  D9705 Bush fire recovery update

2.  Spring into Alice, September 19-20

3.  District Governor Dr. Michael Moore, AM, PhD

DG’s Message – August 2020

JUST FOR LAUGHS

August is Rotary Membership and New Club Development Month

Week of August 5th

This Monday we held our first club assembly for 2020-2021.  There was an excellent attendance by 18 of our members at the Sport & Rec Club.  Among the items discussed were:

Committee Reports:

Batlow Men’s Shed Committee Chair John Glassford gave a verbal report on the lack of progress due to many factors least of all being that the RC of Batlow has been inundated with offers of help to Regrow Batlow.  John spoke with the Chair of the Bush Fire Relief Committee for D9705 President John Mercer from the Belconnen RC.

Batlow Council will make a decision soon on the land for the Men’s Shed and the Remembrance Gardens.  They will then go to tender for any buildings and landscaping.

CRC will still honour our offer of $10,000 to help Regrow Batlow.

Other committees will be meeting with the Ideas Committee/On Line Raffle Committee meeting this Wednesday at 4.30pm at Grahame Miles’s Home.  Attending will be Grahame, Brian, Ian, Chez, Bernadette and Albert

The Telephone Book Committee is on hold for the time being.

General Business:

• Bingo – Grahame Miles and Neil Munro have decided to postpone Bingo for the next two months until the weather gets warmer and for confidence to return to the players venturing out in the cold of the night.
• Tour of Local Gardens – Albert spoke about having an Open Garden Day in September/October 2021 and asked for ideas and for the CRC to claim the date through the Shire.  Albert is looking for impressive gardens to be part of this day.  Albert suggested two Sundays in a row starting at 11 am and finishing at 4 pm.
• Club Trip to the North Tuppal Woolshed – North Tuppal is owned by Bruce Atkinson and the Atkinson Family.  Howard suggested a trip to visit this famous woolshed and to stay overnight in Finley with the RC of Finley as hosts.  North Tuppal is a 72-stand shearing shed.
• Coolamon Community Chronicle – Sally Farmer and the team have done a great job with the latest CCC newspaper and Anne and others will distribute this issue.  Howard expressed our thanks to Sally well done.
• Club Goals for 2020-2021 – Every member has received a copy of the club goals for 2020-2021 and these will be presented to DG Dr. Michael Moore prior to his Zoom visit in November to our club.

Other items of interest included:

• Neil reported on the passing of a regular bingo player in Mary Robertson.
• Grahame, Dick and Neil spoke on one of our exchange students from Denmark who was with our club 30 years ago now. They received an email with Stine’s news.
• Discussion on possible guest speakers without guests.
• Raffle on August 15^th – roster will be sent to members.
• Fines session and some dubious jokes had everyone leaving with a smile on their faces; thanks Albert.

OTHER NEWS

Banner from D9705

DG Michael Moore, our Rotary district governor, and his wife, Helen, called into Past District 9700 Governor, John Glassford’s home today to present John, on behalf of our club, with our new D9705  banner.

Indigenous Health Scholarship

Rhiannon Coppin is an Indigenous Health Scholarship recipient who is sponsored by the Coolamon Rotary Club.

Rhiannon is currently located in Darwin in the Northern Territory and is studying a Bachelor of Midwifery at Charles Darwin University.  She wrote a letter to the club updating us on her progress (click here to have a read of her letter).

Australian Rotary Health facilitates Indigenous Health Scholarships through Rotary Clubs, who sponsor the students.

Week of August 10th

This Monday night we had another excellent turn up of members and of course no guests.

Tonight concentrated on the report by the Fundraising Committee with Chair Grahame Miles presenting the ideas form their recent meeting.

After much discussion the Board voted to accept the report as read.  Below are some of the fundraising ideas put to the meeting last night:

• Guessing competition at $2 a ticket – on display in PO or ??
• Drive-in movie night, with Bluetooth to cars for audio, plus a silent auction
• Shire-wide variety concert – after COVID
• Monster raffle to be drawn close to Christmas.

The idea for the raffle is to sell tickets in various locations in Coolamon and neighbouring communities from October to mid-December. Alex & Chez are researching the possibility of selling tickets online.

Ian J offered a trailer to store prizes in and be towed to the various venues.  Tickets will be $2 each or 3 for $5 and printed by a printery in Wagga, with 50 books of 30 and 15 books of 100 to be printed initially.

We hope to have a Rotary banner made, listing all the prizes, with a photo of each prize and the name of donating business, which can be displayed at each sales point; Ian offered to approach Ricky Hard to get a quote for a banner.

The plan is to have a major prize, value of at least $1000, consisting of gardening products in a wheelbarrow, together with a mini hot-house constructed by Albert S.  A range of additional prizes will be awarded to 2nd through to 10th place.  Brian has done an excellent job securing donations of goods from a range of local businesses.

 It would be most encouraging if every member could support our fund-raising committee, to make this a most worthwhile fund-raiser.

REMINDERS

Saturday August 15th Street Raffle:

THE PUZZLER

You hear my sound; But that’s not me
In fact, we look quite differently
I can have one; it always has two; I can have three
It can be anywhere, but I like sitting in a tree
It comes in many different forms
But I usually come in one
I have an assortment of colours
But eat me & I’m done
It can represent a bond
I can be used to jam
Can you figure out
What it is & what I am?

Answer to the last puzzler: A haiku (a form of Japanese poetry)

DIARY

Monday, August 17th – Regular meeting. PP Marg Perkin will be talking on Cambodia at the Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm. NO GUESTS please!

Wednesday, August 19th – Board meeting. Coolamon Convent, 7:30 pm.

* denotes partner & guest night

ROTARY NEWS

TRF TRUSTEE JENNIFER JONES MAKES HISTORY OUR FIRST WOMAN TO BE NAMED AS PRESIDENT OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL 2022-2023.

Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, has been nominated to become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a groundbreaking selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.

Jones will officially become president-nominee on 1 October if no other candidates challenge her.

Jones says she sees Rotary’s Action Plan as a catalyst for increasing Rotary’s impact.

READ MORE HERE.

Coolamon Rotarians Daryl Breust and John Glassford “met” Jennifer on a recent Zoom meeting with the RC of East Nassau.  Daryl is seen here presenting a “cheque” for $2,500 for the hurricane Dorian disaster appeal for Abaco Island.  Jennifer and PRIP Barry Rassin can be seen applauding Daryl, it was 3.00 am in the morning but worth the effort.

ROTARY COVID 19 MASKS

Put your order in to John Glassford.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

August is Rotary Membership and New Club Development Month

Week of July 13th

Things are returning to normal in our neck of the woods, with the Rotary Club of Coolamon meeting in person again this week.  We had a healthy roll-up, with 22 members in attendance.  Watch this space, however, because the recent COVID spike in Sydney has resulted in resumption of tighter restrictions on the size of groups meeting at restaurants in NSW.  We’ll know soon what impact this will have on our weekly meetings.  Let’s hope this “second wave” is short-lived and is not followed by subsequent waves, and that we’ll find a way to continue meeting in person.  We’ll miss Albert’s lively fine sessions (accompanied by jokes that claim to pertain to unlucky members of the club).  Bruce was this week’s victim–you’ll have to come to meetings if you want to hear these gems!

Our monthly Bingo resumed last week, but attendance was very light (not surprising because of the winter weather and the lingering concerns about COVID among our regular players, most of whom are in a high-risk age group). The Bingo committee will be meeting to discuss ways to increase participation in Bingo.  Club members are encouraged to attend and have a go.

President Howard’s board met for the first time this week, and covered quite a bit of territory.  We ran out of time to discuss Howard’s goals for the year, so this will be a topic of discussion at our upcoming Club Assembly on 3 August.  Members are encouraged to attend that meeting in particular to hear what Howard hopes to accomplish this coming year and to provide input into the planning process.  This will be an excellent opportunity for your voice to be heard!

JUST FOR LAUGHS

I changed my iPad’s name to Titanic. It’s syncing now.

When chemists die, they barium.

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

I know a guy who’s addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time.

How does Moses make his tea ? Hebrews it.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.

This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I’d never met herbivore.

I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can’t put it down.

I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.

They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a Type-O.

PMS jokes aren’t funny – period.

Why were the Indians in America first ? They had reservations.

We’re going on a class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there’s no pop quiz.

I didn’t like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: There are 6 feet on the floor: four from the bed and your two feet.

This week’s puzzler: Can you solve this riddle?

Three lines in total,
Seventeen syllables long.
Can you guess my name?

DIARY

Monday, July 20th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Monday, July 27th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Monday, August 3rd – Club Assembly. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Monday, August 10th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, August 13th – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm.  Rostered: Daryl (captain),  Alex, Chez, John N.

Monday, August 17th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Wednesday, August 19th – Board meeting. Coolamon Convent, 7:30 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.

First bulletin of the Rotary Year

At long last, we were able to meet in person for a Rotary meeting, just in time (or almost) for our changeover.  Because of COVID restrictions, we could not have any guests at the changeover, so it was a more subdued event than our typical changeover, but it was a cheerful event nonetheless because we could finally meet in person.  We welcomed Howard Atkinson as our new president, along with his board for 2020-2021: Henk Hulsman (Treasurer), John Glassford (Secretary), Albert Suidgeest (President-elect and Service Projects Director 1), Dave McKinley (Service Projects Director 2), Grahame Miles (Public Image Director), Neil Munro (Foundation), Anne Rzeszkowski (Youth Director), Dick Jennings (Membership Director) and Paul Weston (Club Administration Director).  We wish Howard and his board a productive year ahead, which will hopefully not be as eventful as the past one!

In addition to our changeover, the evening featured the induction of our newest member, Chez Post.  Chez will occupy the classification of Horse Handler and be mentored by her beau, Alex. We look forward to having Chez as as part of our active little club!

We’ll be meeting in person again on Monday nights, so we look forward to members crawling out of the woodwork, or wherever they’ve been hiding during the COVID lockdown, and joining us for fellowship and Rotary business on Monday evenings.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last puzzler: 414. The trick to this one was the values of the clocks  and the calculators.  The clocks were not worth 7 each, but the time shown on the dials, and the calculators were not worth 10 each but rather the value of the numerals shown on the displays, which happened to be 10 (1+2+3+4) in the example equation but only 9 (1+2+2+4) in the solving equation.  Finally, the order of operations was critical; according to the laws of algebra, multiplication and division are performed before addition and subtraction.  Thus, three lightbulbs (worth 3 x 15 = 45) times 9 (the sum of the numerals on the calculator) is equal to 405, plus 9 (the time shown on the clock) is equal to 414.  For fear of being lynched, I promise not to post such challenging puzzlers in the future!

This week’s puzzler: Can you solve this riddle?

You walk into a room and there is a bed.  On the bed are two calves, four dogs, one cat, three chickens and a goose.  How many feet are on the floor?

DIARY

Monday, July 13th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Wednesday, July 15th – Board meeting. Coolamon Convent, 7:00 pm.

Monday, July 20th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Monday, July 27th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Monday, August 3rd – Club Assembly. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Monday, August 10th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Thursday, August 13th – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm.  Rostered: Daryl (captain),  Alex, Chez, John N.

* 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.

Final bulletin of the Rotary Year

The last several months have been a challenging time for all Australians and for people around the planet, but Rotarians have risen to the challenge, with many clubs keeping up with weekly meetings (albeit not in person) and continuing with their fundraising programs to benefit those in need.  Coolamon Rotary was forced to suspend publication of our community newspaper (The Coolamon Community Chronicle) and operation of our monthly bingo, but we’re excited to announce that Coolamon Rotary Bingo will resume from the 9th of July.  Even more exciting is that we will resume meeting in person as of tomorrow (July 5th), and will be able to have our changeover in person!  Of course, COVID restrictions mean we will have to modify how the activities are run (mainly in terms of limiting the number of people allowed at indoor venues, including our changeover), but at least we’ll be able to see each other in the flesh instead of as video images on our computers or other devices!

Apologies for not getting any issues of the bulletin out during the month of June, but frankly I was challenged to keep up with routine activities as a result of COVID-induced cabin fever (not being able to work in a familiar work environment and having severely limited interactions with colleagues), which resulted in depression and anxiety.  With the easing of COVID restrictions and with the help of a psychologist, my mental state is returning to normal, and hopefully our “new normal” will more and more resemble the lifestyle we knew before the COVID-19 lockdown began.  We hope to see all Coolamon Rotarians at our changeover tomorrow to welcome Howard Atkinson as our new president (along with his board) and Chez Post as our newest Rotarian, and to farewell and congratulate outgoing president Daryl Breust, who led the Coolamon Rotary ship with a steady hand in unpredented times.

Be well and best wishes for the future.

Paul Weston, Bulletin editor

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last puzzler: 1) Misunderstood, 2) A walk in the park, 3) One in a million, 4) Looking back, 5) You’re under arrest, 6) Stand by me, 7) Walking on ice, 8) I see you understand, 9) Belong.

This week’s puzzler: Can you solve this mathematical puzzler?

DIARY

Monday, July 6th – Coolamon Rotary Changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club 6:30 for 7:00 pm. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no guests allowed.

* 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.

June is Rotary Fellowships Month

Meetings of May 18th and May 25th

President Daryl welcomed the usual 13 or so members and guest Chez Post to both the online club meetings, held via  ZOOM technology.  It would be great if we could see a few more of you on the screen so we don’t forget what you look like!                                                     

Present on screen:    President Dary, Paul, John G, Henk, Grahame, Ian, Neil, Anne, John N, Howard, Alex, Chez Post, Albert and John B.

Apologies: Myffy, Garth, Dave and Dick

President Daryl welcomed all those on screen to the digital meeting.

Before we viewed a video on ‘Sex Under the Oceans’, some topics discussed included:

Coolamon Rotary Local Telephone Book 

It was suggested that a timeline be established, with distribution of the directory to occur around the middle of 2021, A mass mailing of a flyer requesting updated details from all households in the shire.  Concern was expressed about chasing up advertisers in the current economic climate, so it was suggested to wait until at least later this year or early next year when society is starting to get back to some sort of normality.

Coolamon Community Chronicle 

Sally Farmer has agreed to take on some of the work of putting together the Chronicle, especially as managing editor, with some help from Anne when Sally and Don are away. Sally will need help with chasing up advertising, collection of the newspaper from the printery & distribution of the hard copy to the numerous outlets in Marrar, Coolamon and Ganmain. Daryl has offered to collect the printed copies each month, leaving some at the Marrar outlets on his way home & Anne has offered to help distribute them in Coolamon & Ganmain.

John Bond talked on the progress of the in-depth application he has submitted for funding for the CCC, to the amount of $45,ooo.  If successful we will be able to employ a managing Editor (Sally F), an IT specialist to work on an online version, a marketing guru and a fair bit of hardware, such as a fast printing machine, etc.  Daryl thanked John for his extensive efforts in his work with the application.

Donations to our local Hospital & Allawah Lodge

A cheque will be presented to Pam at the hospital on Wednesday for $3000, from Bingo money, to purchase a Spirometer,  plus another cheque for $2000 for another essential item. 

Then a cheque for $2000 will also be presented to Simone at Allawah Lodge, which they have indicated will be used to purchase a lifter to help seat elderly patients in their chair.

These presentations will be advertised in various local media outlets over the next month or 2.

Coolamon Club Changeover on Monday, June 29 

The Board voted to have the Changeover on Zoom as there are too many ‘hurdles’ having it at the Sports Club, even if it is members only with no guests.

General business

• Chez Post is interested in becoming a member of our Club
• Lyn Schadel has unfortunately indicated her intention to resign due to health issues. We wish her well with an improvement in her health.
• Tree planting of natives along the new bike track was discussed & the difficulty in obtaining suitable species at this time. John B, Albert, Ian & Paul will follow up in chasing up some plants.

Our guest speaker for the night was Dr Marah Hardt of Harvard University, who gave a most interesting and surprising talk on the sex life of sea creatures.  The talk was actually a TEDx talk, which you can view by clicking here.  It’s only 12 minutes long, but you’ll find it time well spent.

The meeting closed at 8.30 on the dot, with Daryl thanking those who attended.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last puzzler: 1) A cut above the rest, 2) Forgive and forget, 3) Tongue in cheek, 4) Crossroads, 5) Painless operation, and 6) Backwards glance.

This week’s puzzler: Can you decipher the following rebus puzzles?

DIARY

NB: All face-to-face Rotary events have been cancelled until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic.  Board meetings will be held as previously scheduled but will be virtual meetings (conducted via Zoom).  Regular meetings will be held via Zoom on a trial basis starting on 30 March.

Monday, June 1st – Regular meeting. Zoom, 7:30-8:30 pm.

June 6-10th – RI Convention, Honolulu.

*Monday, June 29th – Coolamon Rotary Changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club.  ZOOM?

* 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.

May is Rotary Youth Service Month

Meetings of May 4th and May 11th

President Daryl welcomed about 13 members & guests to our online club meetings using the digital  ZOOM technology.                           

Present:    President Daryl Breust, Paul Weston, Leslie Weston, John Glassford, Henk Hulsman, Grahame Miles, Ian Jennings, Anne Rzeszkowski, John Nulty, Howard Atkinson, Neil Munro, Alex Thompson and Chez Post, Albert Suidgeest, John Bond & Garth Perkin (on phone) & special guest Tracy Ochieng in Kenya.

Apologies:  Myffy Collette, Dick Jennings, Ian Jennings, John Bond and Neil Munro.

May 4 meeting

President Daryl asked members present for any news.

• Albert informed us of some tragic news about his niece having an accident and passing away from a brain hemorrhage. Daryl expressed sincere sympathy to his family on behalf of our club.
• Daryl gave a report from the Wollundry Club bulletin which indicated it was highly unlikely the Gears & Beers event will go ahead this year owing to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. [Editor’s note: This decision has been reversed and Gears and Beers is planned to proceed but with social-distancing modifications.]
• Daryl also discussed the telephone book planning, including the flyer form put together by Grahame and some suggested fine-tuning that is felt should be done to it. At this stage it is planned it be posted out in September taking into consideration the state of affairs at present.
• Anne advised members that Coolamon Central School has a very good candidate in Year 11 for the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF). Anne will follow up with the school.
• John Bond advised members he is quite advanced in researching the possibility of a grant to help in the publication of the Coolamon Community Chronicle. Well done, John.

Our next meeting will be on Monday May 11 at 7.30 pm, and we have been asked to bring our pets along for a little levity.  Leslie & Paul will be guest speakers, talking on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our next club assembly will b e conducted via ZOOM on Monday, May 18.  The next board meeting is on Wednesday, May 20.

May 11 meeting

Please send your apologies for a ZOOM meeting to the secretary or call John G on 0498 190 880;  please do not send them via Messenger as these are often forgotten and not recorded.

Next meeting on Monday May 18th is our fourth CLUB ASSEMBLY for this Rotary year. We would appreciate a good turnout of members as there are several major decisions that have been made by the board since we last held a club assembly.

Grahame informed the meeting that the bulletin will be compiled every two weeks from now on until we meet in person again which looks like a long way off right now.

Tracy had to leave after an hour to attend her afternoon lecture and we look forward to having her join us again in the near future.

Myffy has contacted most advertisers in the Coolamon Community Chronicle advising them that there will be no issues for May and June and that their adverts would carry over into later issues.

We decided not to meet in person for the next board meeting on May 20 but to stay with Zoom.

The pet of the night went to Howard for his hand-raised chook! Other pets were present including 4-5 dogs, all of which were well behaved.

Some of us were somewhat disappointed not more of our members tuned in on Monday night as it was one of the best presentations we have had in recent months.  Thank you, Paul and Leslie Weston, for the effort and the excellent information on the COVID-19 virus.

Some of the interesting facts included:

• Paul spoke on physiology of the pandemic in that it was highly likely to have originated from an animal. This is most likely a bat to another animal which then mutated to humans. Much like SIDS turned into HIV/AIDS.  
• COVID-19 attacks the lungs in the main and it is the overreaction of our immune system that creates the storm that leads to respiratory failure particular in ageing people whose immune system creates fewer and fewer anti-bodies. This is when ventilators are required to force oxygen into the lungs.
• There are now two strains of COVID-19; the L and S strains of which the L strain is more virulent.

Leslie then spoke on the treatment therapy for COVID-19:

• There are several stages or symptoms of COVID-19 from the carriers who have the virus from being asymptomatic if a patient is a carrier for a disease or infection but experiences no symptoms to fully blown pneumonia with organ failure.
• The mortality rate of COVID-19 is around 4% of positive cases, but higher in some countries right now. For those that are critically ill beforehand, the mortality rate is closer to 60%.
• Their daughter Nicole, who lives in New York, has recovered from COVID-19. She experienced sore throat, coughing and intense pain in the lungs like someone was sitting on her chest. The symptoms after ca. 3 weeks.
• Leslie went on to outline some treatments using chemicals until a vaccine is developed.  She outlined how difficult it is to develop a vaccine and it may even be the case that we never get such a vaccine e.g. AIDS. It will then be a case of living with the virus and treatment with anti-viral drugs.
• Leslie left us with some positive news in that there are some promising antiviral and anti-bacterial drugs that are proving to have positive results.

To summarise both the talks given by Paul and Leslie the bottom line is to:

• Respect and practice social distancing.
• Wash hands with suitable alcohol-based sanitisers. 
• Wear a N95 mask in public if you have any symptoms of COVID-19.
• Get tested for COVID-19 if you get any symptoms, however mild (sore throat or cough combined with fever).

Daryl thanked Leslie and Paul for an excellent talk & presentation.

Meeting closed at 8.40.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last puzzler: 1) To be or not to be. 2) Cool as a cucumber.

This week’s puzzler: Can you decipher the following rebus puzzles?

DIARY

NB: All face-to-face Rotary events have been cancelled until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic.  Board meetings will be held as previously scheduled but will be virtual meetings (conducted via Zoom).  Regular meetings will be held via Zoom on a trial basis starting on 30 March.

Monday, May 25th – Regular meeting. Zoom, 7:30-8:30 pm.

June 6-10th – RI Convention, Honolulu.

*Monday, June 29th – Coolamon Rotary Changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club.  ZOOM?

* 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.

May is Rotary Youth Service Month