Bulletins

Helen Austin, a singer and songwriter in the Comox Valley on
Vancouver Island wrote a song to help us celebrate 25 years of women
in Rotary. You can see the video and listen to the song here:

Last night our outgoing president Ian Durham gave an excellent presntation on his time serving in Vietnam.  Ian was an engineer who drove big machines clearing pathways in teh jungle amongst other jobs.  One of his mates driving a D8 was hit by a Rocket Propelled Grenade RPG which set the dozer on fire.  Ian tells us that there was plenty of shrapnel that inflicted the most damage to his mate who eventually recovered.   These amongst many stories told by Ian last night.

Below are some photos form Ian’s trip to Vietnam long after the war.

International Golfing Fellowship of Rotarians

We sat down with Bill Gates for an exclusive interview during the 2011 RI Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. See the video below:

Bill Gates Talks About Eradicating Polio from Rotary International on Vimeo.

Start planning now for the Rotary International Convention in Thailand from May 6th-9th 2012

Do not miss this one so close to Australia and will be a lot of fun and great fellowship and new friendships.

Hello Committee Members & Guests just letting you know a bit about the performance that is happening on the night of the Saturday the 11th of June at the Ariah Park Hotel, tickets are $50 each with up to $5 from tickets sales going to the Ariah Park Youth Shed.  The Hotel is providing a two course meal and the show.  Bookings are essential and can be made on:

(02)69741068

The play that we are performing is called The Dog Logs and is 11 monologues performed by three seasoned actors/comedians who portray the stories from the dog’s perspective.  Some of the stories will make you laugh and some cry but ultimately leave the audience begging for more.

Pub Plays is a branch of The Australian Touring Theatre Company and aims to bring quality theatre to remote, regional parts of NSW, QLD and Victoria performing at pubs, clubs, and outback theatres.  Three Plays are currently touring ‘Come to Bits’ ‘The Dog Logs’ and ‘The Exchange’.

Tony Masters

Pub Plays

Allanah Millis is behind this (Les Millis’s daughter).  Looks like a good laugh!

Here is a very interesting post on social media from a mate of ours from Alaska and as we are talking as a club about how we communicate via the Internet I thought that Jon’s words are timely indeed.  By the way it is easy to join ROTI or Rotarians On The Internet and a lot of fun as well as a great learning tool for those interested in all things Rotary and sometimes a whole lot more.  Here is Jon’s post this morning:

“Hello Folks,

The conversation regarding participating in social medial (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and many others) has crossed our eyes here many times in the past. One can choose to participate or not. As has been mentioned by several of us, social media is where our children and grandchildren are. Email and list serve out-growths are anachronistic, like it or not. We participate here because it’s familiar and many of us are confounded by the technology. But the world has long since moved from that technology to texting, social interfaces, and interactive media. Like it or not. Want to be in touch with your grandkids, that’s where  they are. Once connected one can unfriend, delete, cut and run or select the level of involvement with which one is comfortable. The fact remains: You can run, but you cannot hide.

Google Earth can show us your neighborhood complete with your car parked in your driveway: realtime for this is in our future with you waving at us from your patio or lawn and, probably, from the front seat of your car on the freeway. GPS knows exactly where you are whenever you use your phone or car location devises. Facebook can send you, unsolicited or not, the names of your classmates from kindergarten and their contact information. LinkedIn can connect you with colleagues and business connections about which you were not aware, and maybe did not want to be aware. Fine. Welcome to the world today. It matters not what music one preferred during High School or College or what one’s age is today. “Getting it” is a matter of a learning curve or, fowl as it may be, with which one identifies: ostrich or eagle. One can be in the parade or standing on the curb and watch it go by. Your choice.

One needs not participate in social media, but that’s where the world is now. It will move again and we can move with it or not. That’s how it works. Stand on the curb long enough and the parade will be gone and the curb standers will have each other with day old popcorn at their feet.

Onward and upward,

Jon Deisher, PP, MPHF
Anchorage Rotary/D5010
Anchorage, Alaska”

Posted on ROTI Rotarians On The Internet

Rotary International President Elect Kalyan Banerjee & Binota join an Interplast team in Fiji.

When the recent celebration of 75 years of Rotary in Fiji coincided with a visit to the Lautoka General Hospital by an Interplast volunteer reconstructive surgical team, it provided the perfect opportunity for RIPE Kalyan Banerjee to see firsthand exactly what Interplast does. “I have heard of your work but to actually witness it is beautiful. I am amazed at the commitment, dedication and sincerity of this team; it is outstanding,” he told the Interplast team.

Full story here:

Rotarian Review May 2011