Coolamon RC Bulletin Monday September 7th 2026

Monday September 7th. 2026 

President Leslie Weston welcomed 19 of our members to the meeting and 7 guests including:  Marilyn Jennings and Susan Glassford.  Visiting Rotarians from Junee RC John Bell, Alan Gremlin and Bernard Hart.  Our regular visiting Rotarian from the e-club of Brindabella Garth Perkin.

Our guest speaker Mayor Dave McCann was introduced by Dick Jennings.

After dinner we had some general business to discuss including:

• Leslie reminded members that we have another day at the Wagga Wagga netball carnival this Wednesday.  There will be 120 students attending and Mary said that we have enough sausages and sausage rolls.
• Mary reported on the results of the netball carnival catering held on the 7th.  Mary said that we raised around $1,000 with a net profit of $500.
• Bottom Pub raffle this Thursday from 5.30pm.  Our Mayor Dave suggested that there would be a large crowd as the finals of the Riverina Football involving Coolamon, is on this week and that the pub would be very busy.  Mary suggested that we get as many of our members there.
• Reminder that next Monday night we are hosting the owners of the 6 gardens that will be open for the public on Sunday 18th October.  There was talk about lemonade and lemonade scones?
• Daryl advised that Gears and Beers is going very well and a form for volunteers was sent round the meeting.  We need volunteers for the baking of the Anzac cookies on Saturday the 26th September and Sunday the 4th October.

• John G. spoke about using our ShelterBox to raise awareness and possibly funds for the Nepal flood appeals.  Two sites came to mind being in Cowabbie Street next door to Barty’s on the area between Barty’s and the gym  The other site being at Foodworks.

We had the raffle draw which was won by Ian Jennings.

S@A Daryl carried out a spirited fines session.

Thanks to Grahame for the following photos of the meeting:

Our Guest Speaker Mayor Dave McCann OAM and Bar (Dave has two OAM Medals), then followed:

Dick Jennings introduced Dave and said that Dave has worn many hats in his life to date.

{Editor’s Notes}  I took copious notes on the talk by Dave and I have summarised his talk in bullet form:

• Dave grew up in Armidale and joined the NSW Railways after high school.
• Enlisted  in the RAAF as a clerk and was posted to Wagga Wagga initially.
• Met Angela and married a lass from Coolamon.
• Trained with the RAAF #5 helicopter squadron.  Here Dave was posted to many and varied operations including:
  • Black Sunday Bush Fires at Bright.
  • Middle East Post in the early 80s.
  • Solomon Islands cyclone relief.
  • Was heavily involved in counter terrorist training with the RAAF.
  • Awarded the OAM Order of Australia Medal one of two that Dave has been awarded.
  • Dave left the RAAF when his squadron was amalgamated into the Australian Army and Dave did not want to be a soldier.
  • It was then that Dave joined the NSW Police Force did his training and was posted to Sydney then Wagga Wagga and then to Coolamon.
  • In 2003 Dave went to East Timor with the Australian Federal Police as a member of the peacekeeping force under the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET).  Dave said that the East Timorese people are a warm and very friendly people.
  • In 2006 Dave was promoted to Seargent and put in charge of the Junee Police Station.
  • Then became a major shift in Dave’s life in that he was elected as a Councillor of the Coolamon Shire Council and now Dave is the Mayor.

Dave loves his role as the Mayor of our Shire and said that he was very proud of of our wonderful community.  Dave then spoke about his goals and some concerns for our Shire:

1.  Planning on a new and larger Hospital for our Shire and the old hospital to be taken over for aged care.
2.  Aged care is a huge challenge and recently the arrival of 8 health care workers from the Philippines has been a major boost to what we are able to provide.
3.  Dave’s concerns are that volunteers are hard to come by these days especially for the Rural Fire Service and several others including Lions and Rotary to recruit members.
4.  Dave is looking at ways to encourage residents to volunteer, ideas include a discount on Council rates.
5.  The Shire recently lost two valuable service staff.  There is now a new engineer.  Dave spoke highly of his staff and the General Manager Tony Donohue.

Following Dave’s comprehensive talk there were many questions from those who attended.

Ian Jennings then proposed a vote of thanks to Dave and for his outstanding work for our Shire.

An excellent meeting all round which closed at 8.45pm.

OUT AND ABOUT WAGGA WAGGA NETBALL.

Our intrepid volunteers had a very busy and successful day at the Wagga Wagga High School Netball carnival and we thank the following volunteers:  Brian the Bear, Mary, Gary, Barry, Alex, Vicki and Adrian.  Thankyou Mary and  Bear for the photos below:

CONGRATULATIONS MARY

OUT AND ABOUT JAPAN

Happy father’s day too all our fathers in the CRC.  This is a photo from PE Michael Trinidad who visited his father in

Kawaguchiko, Fuji, Japan.

We are all looking forward to hearing from Michael on his return about his visit to The Philippines and Japan.

DIARY

N.B. You are always welcome to bring guests to most of our meetings, just advise Ian Jennings, 0428 492 157, if you want to bring a guest along when you respond to the weekly dinner roll call!

You can download the full programme here and note that it will change and that will be reflected in the weekly bulletin:  CRC Diary On-Line

Wednesday 9th September Catering for the Wagga Netball day we have enough volunteers.

Thursday September 10th – we will be running the raffle in the Coolamon Hotel from about 5.45 pm until 7.30 pm and if other Rotary members could come along to the pub for support.  We need two more volunteers so far we have Mark and Albert.

Monday 14th September Board Meeting at the Coolamon Sports and Recreation Club, 5.30 pm.

*Monday 14th September Dinner Meeting with the Open Garden owners at the Coolamon Sports and Recreation Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

Saturday  26th September Anzac cookie baking for Gears & Beers.  Details to follow.

Sunday 4th October Gears & Beers Volunteers will be needed.  Details to follow.

Sunday 18th October Open Garden Day.  Details to follow.

*Guests welcome to bring their partners and friends.

 

JUST FOR LAUGHS

All of the above photos were obtained from Facebook.  Credit to the owners.

 

ROTARY NEWS and ITEMS OF INTEREST

1.  WHAT IS SHELTERBOX?

Every family deserves a place to call home after disaster. 

We work with disaster-affected communities to provide the emergency shelter, essential items and training needed to support people in the long process of rebuilding their lives.

Every disaster is different so we have a flexible approach. We listen and learn from the communities we work with to make sure we provide the right support.

We often go further, working with hard to reach communities who are overlooked by others.

What items are in a ShelterBox? 

Below are some items that are “found in a ShelterBox”.

The ShelterBox team is on the ground in Nepal assessing what is needed for immediate relief for the victims of this disaster.  The ShelterBox team in Kathmandu is meeting with Rotary Nepal and Bhutan District 3292 Governor Bishnu Karkee, Dinesh Raj Manandhar and other members of the Rotary Nepal District Disaster Relief Committees to better understand the challenges facing communities affected by Nepal’s devastating flash floods.

Rotary International members are helping us understand the situation on the ground, including which communities have been hardest hit and what support is needed most. Together, we’re assessing how ShelterBox can help families who have lost their homes and belongings.

 

We have done this before and the Nepal floods are on disaster that needs as much help as possible right now.

 

 

2. SEPTEMBER MESSAGE FROM OUR RI PRESIDENT.

Every member brings something unique: an idea, a skill, a perspective, a willingness to serve.

Around the world, I have seen how those individual contributions become something larger. They become projects that strengthen communities, opportunities that change lives, and connections that bring people together across generations and cultures.

Rotary continues to grow because people see a chance to be part of something meaningful. They see a place where their talents can be put to work, their voices can be heard, and their efforts can make a difference.

If you’re a Rotary or Rotaract member, thank you for being part of that story and for inviting others to experience it. And if you’ve ever wondered whether Rotary is a place for you, I encourage you to connect with a local club and see what is possible when people come together to take action.

By welcoming new voices, new ideas, and new generations of leaders, we can continue to Create Lasting Impact for years to come.

 

SEPTEMBER IS ROTARY’S  BASIC EDUCATION & LITERACY

MONTH

 

Graphics by Debbie Vance from Canada.

ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2026-2027