Coolamon Rotary News Bulletin #07
AUGUST IS MEMBERSHIP AND EXTENSIONS MONTH.
Beatrice Cervi of the Rotary Club of Perth, WA, recently posed this question on the Official Rotary International Group site on LinkedIn: “My club is currently working on a strategy to renew and revitalise the club due to declining membership in recent years. Have you been through this process and what KPI’s have you implemented?” Click here to go to the website.Within a few hours and over the following days she received lots of good advice from Rotarians all around the world. Some of the edited responses are shown below:
Georgene Hildebrand, Michigan USA: What wonderful ideas and comments on this very important question. The question to explore might be “why” do people stay in Rotary? What is the compelling reason why we think Rotary is so important in our lives? Most Rotarians on this conversation “have Rotary in them”. So we might think about how we can share why it’s so important to us.
Ron O’Connor, Florida USA: My club was facing this issue about 3 years ago and we discovered a treasure trove of young professionals looking to become involved in their community. The group is an offshoot of our chamber of commerce. In the past three years this group alone has yielded some young attorneys, CPA’s, an architect, environmental professionals, and others who have become productive involved Rotarians in short order.One of these young guns is our incoming President, and another is President-Elect. If you bring in younger members be aware they want to rise up the ladder quickly and as previously mentioned, may not subscribe to the rituals older Rotarians have become accustomed to.
The Splendid Men of the Wagga Wagga Rugby Choir (and 2 women).
TUESDAY AUGUST 13th MEETING
This week we had a joint club meeting with the Junee Rotary Club in Junee. No ordinary meeting as we had the Wagga Wagga Rugby Men’s Choir entertain us. Around 100 guests were present and a great night was had by one and all who attended. Among the men singing was our own Garth Perkin. Thank you Junee!
Click on the images below for a larger version
Diary Reminders
*Saturday 17th August Darkness to Light Dinner RC of Wagga Wagga. Indian night great food.
*Monday 19th August Honeywell Science Presentation and Guest Speaker Darrell Breust from Coolamon.
*Monday 26th August John Franklin Guest Speaker . Times and life living in the Northern Territory.
Friday August 30th Steam Train in Coolamon Morning Tea. Volunteers required.
*Monday 2nd September Guest Speaker Colleen Wilson Lord OAM.
Tuesday 3rd September Memory, Movement and Motivation Information Day Coolamon by Colleen Lord OAM Health and Wellness Day at the Allawah Community Centre. Contact Clare Munro: 6927 3548.
Thursday 12th September BINGO: Christine Atkinson, Mark Reardon, Dick Jennings, Neil Munro
*Monday 30th September DG Geoff Tancred’s Visit.
Sunday 6th October Coolamon Scarecrow Festival.
Monday 7th October NO Meeting Labour Day Weekend.
Thursday 10th October BINGO: Ian Jennings, John Glassford, Grahame Miles, Ted Hutcheon
Saturday 12th October Coolamon and Ganmain Hospital Fete IN Ganmain.
Saturday 26th October Street Raffle in Coolamon.
Late November early December date TBA: Early Pre-Christmas Rotary Community Market Day in Coolamon.
Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd February PETS in Young
Friday 14th March Trike Convention Catering in Wagga Wagga proceeds to Ronald McDonald House in Wagga Wagga.
Friday March 21st-Sunday March 23rd D9700 Conference in Orange.
Sunday 18th May D9700 Assembly in Grenfell
Saturday 24th May Red Shield Appeal Street Stall.
Sunday June 1st-Wednesday June 4th. SYDNEY 2014 RI Convention See promotion at the end of this bulletin.
*Partners and Guests Night.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT RON BURTON:
Rotarians can take action and help more communities worldwide when their #Rotary clubs are thriving.
Rotarians, share our infographic about how regional membership plans can take advantage unique membership needs. Read more at http://ow.ly/nIscR
Click on the image below for a larger version:
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
Best Divorce letter
Dear Wife,
I’m writing you this letter to tell you that I’m leaving you forever. I’ve been a good man to you for 7 years & I have nothing to show for it. These last 2 weeks have been hell. … Your boss called to tell me that you quit your job today & that was the last straw. Last week, you came home & didn’t even notice I had a new haircut, had cooked your favorite meal & even wore a brand new pair of silk boxers. You ate in 2 minutes, & went straight to sleep after watching all of your soaps. You don’t tell me you love me anymore; you don’t want sex or anything that connects us as husband & wife. Either you’re cheating on me or you don’t love me anymore; whatever the case, I’m gone.
Your EX-Husband
P.S. don’t try to find me. Your SISTER & I are moving away to West Virginia together! Have a great life!
Dear Ex-Husband,
Nothing has made my day more than receiving your letter. It’s true you & I have been married for 7 years, although a good man is a far cry from what you’ve been. I watch my soaps so much because they drown out your constant whining & griping Too bad that doesn’t work. I DID notice when you got a hair cut last week, but the 1st thing that came to mind was ‘You look just like a girl!’ Since my mother raised me not to say anything if you can’t say something nice, I didn’t comment. And when you cooked my favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with MY SISTER, because I stopped eating pork 7 years ago. About those new silk boxers: I turned away from you because the $49.99 price tag was still on them, & I prayed it was a coincidence that my sister had just borrowed $50 from me that morning. After all of this, I still loved you & felt we could work it out. So when I hit the lotto for 10 million dollars, I quit my job & bought us 2 tickets to Jamaica But when I got home you were gone.. Everything happens for a reason, I guess. I hope you have the fulfilling life you always wanted. My lawyer said that the letter you wrote ensures you won’t get a dime from me. So take care.
Signed, Your Ex-Wife, Rich As Hell & Free!
P.S. I don’t know if I ever told you this, but my sister Carla was born Carl. I hope that’s not a problem.
ROTARY INFORMATION
POLIO OUTBREAK IN SOMALIA
In May, a two-year-old girl from Mogadishu became the first confirmed case of polio in Somalia in more than six years. The country had been polio-free since March 2007.
As of July, the virus has paralyzed 95 Somali children: 94 confirmed cases in South Central Zone, which includes Mogadishu, and a case in Somaliland. Another nine cases have also been reported in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.
“Lack of access to routine immunization in Somalia has created the largest known reservoir of unvaccinated children in a single geographic area in the world. The total number of Somali children who had never been vaccinated between 2008 and 2012 was estimated to reach a million,” says Sikander Khan, UNICEF Somalia Representative.
“The poliovirus in such a large reservoir has the potential to result in a catastrophic outbreak, the likes of which are beginning to be seen and as such constitutes an international emergency.”
Britain will help to vaccinate more than 6 million people against an outbreak of polio in Somalia and Kenya, International Development Secretary Justine Greening has announced. The UK will provide £10 million to allow the UN’sWorld Health Organisation to continue a vital vaccination campaign to tackle the first outbreak in Somalia since 2007. The UN has warned that without further support the disease could quickly develop into an epidemic across East Africa and put countless lives and livelihoods at risk.
Thanks to the British government, more than 6 million people will be vaccinated against an outbreak of #polio in Somalia and Kenya, announced International Development Secretary Justine Greening.
Polio Vaccination Campaign in Somalia and Kenya
ONLY IN AFRICA
Elephant Jack or Elejacking.
OUT OF AFRICA
This week saw a visit of 21 Kenyans to Ganmain friends of Rotarian Ndungi Mungai of the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga Sunrise. Ndungi lectures at Charles Sturt University Wagga and the Kenyans brought along goat, ugali, maragwe and Tusker beer to enjoy the afternoon. Rotary membership leads to life long friendships and wonderful fellowship with friends and family.
CAUSES WORTH SUPPORTING
ROTARY FOUNDATION POLIO PLUS
After 25 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now to root it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.
Reaching the ultimate goal of a polio-free world presents ongoing challenges, not the least of which is a hundreds of million dollar funding gap. Of course, Rotary alone can’t fill this gap, but continued Rotarian advocacy for government support can help enormously.
As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high. As can be seen by the outbreak in Somalia this month.
Seen in Uganda in 2011:
Rotary International President Ron Burton
Governor of District 9700 Geoff Tancred
Coolamon Club President Dick Jennings
Coolamon Club Secretary Paul Weston
Club Treasurer Henk Hulsman
Coolamon Rotary Club Inc. P.O. Box 23 COOLAMON N.S.W. 2701
Websites of Interest
Coolamon Rotary Club: http://coolamonrotary.com
Road MAPS to Africa a Coolamon Rotary Project: http://www.mountainsofthemoon.org/
Rotary Down Under on line: http://flipflashpages.uniflip.com/2/26587/49598/pub
Mount Kenya 2015 Web Site incorporating the ORK: http://theork.com/
Our Rotary Centennial Twin Club Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa: http://www.rotaryhoutbay.org
Proposed Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species RAGES: http://www.endangeredrag.org/#
REGISTER NOW FOR SYDNEY
Register early for Sydney convention and save
Register early for the 2014 Rotary International Convention in Sydney, Australia, 1-4 June, and pay US$100 less than the on-site registration fee. Rotary’s annual convention is a wonderful way to experience the true internationality of Rotary, as you connect with leaders, exchange ideas, and get inspired to take action to benefit communities worldwide.
The traditional House of Friendship has been renamed as The Billabong for Sydney 2014. A Billabong is an aboriginal name for a waterhole around which meetings would often be held. The 2014 Billabong will be located in the grounds of the Sydney Showground, part of Sydney Olympic Park. Located in The Dome (a spectacular timber structure and the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere) and Exhibition Halls 2,3 and 4. The Billabong will have over 14,000 square meters of display space, and will be the place to meet old and new acquaintances. See exhibits or displays of Rotary work from all over the world, discuss projects and learn of the many opportunities provided to Rotarians.
Approximately one half of the Billabong will be dedicated to the work of Rotary International and Rotary clubs where you can pick up great ideas for new projects for your club and learn of the assistance, which Rotary International can provide to assist in this work. The other half of the Billabong will illustrate more great Rotary work and show many aspects of Australia and its Rotary clubs.
Bulletin Editor and Web Site: John Glassford