Coolamon Rotary News Bulletin #30
FEBRUARY IS WORLD UNDERSTANDING MONTH.
ROTARY AMBASSADORIAL SCHOLAR MEGAN MACDONALD FROM CALIFORNIA AND KENYA.
Current Work:
Megan is responsible for managing Sasa Designs by the Deaf – DOOR’s Kenyan job creation program for women creating unique jewelry for international export. Sasa Designs employs between 8-12 women at a time providing skills and leadership training alongside a fair wage. Megan is working to create market linkages with buyers in the US and Europe to allow Sasa Designs to reach further into Kenya’s slums to employ even more Deaf women in dire need of healthy incomes and opportunities for themselves and their children. In addition, proceeds after expenses go to help reach the Deaf in Africa with the Gospel through DOOR’s Africa Deaf Bible Training and Translation Center operation in Nairobi, Kenya.
History:
Megan traveled to Kenya for the first time as a ten year old, and the people and country left an indelible mark on her heart. Over the years as she explored her faith, she felt called to return to the continent that first inspired her to seek to serve in an international context. In 2007, she left a career in public service to volunteer with a mission serving in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa where she worked at a children’s center and managed an HIV/Aids prevention grant. On the heels of that work she was blessed with a grant to study abroad as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, finally returning to Kenya in 2008.
During her first two years in Kenya, Megan began to understand the factors affecting both country and personal development in a country that continues to be plagued by poverty. Over time, she realized that job creation and education are the most important opportunities that anyone hoping to support the people of Kenya can help provide. Megan’s research during her M.A. program focused on ethical artisans (i.e. following fair trade principles), accessing international markets via the Internet.
When she learned about Sasa Designs, she knew it was for a reason, and quickly joined the team! Having lived in Kenya since 2008, Megan knows how challenging it can be to find opportunities for work and spiritual enrichment if a person suffers from physical impairments. Further, she has learned during her time here how important employing women is – it is through positive employment that women ensure their children go to school, have healthy foods and the best opportunities possible. Working with DOOR to serve the deaf is a way for Megan to ensure her energy and blessings are invested in those most in need.
Megan studied Sociology at Chapman University in Orange, CA and holds a M.A. in Development Studies from the University of Nairobi.
Editor’s Note: I first met Megan MacDonald in Los Angeles at the Rotary International Convention in 2008. Megan was on her way to Kenya to study at the University of Nairobi as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Megan has kept a blog on her activities and some of her posts are truly remarkable.
MEETING MONDAY 17th FEBRUARY 2014
Our guest speaker tonight was Simon Playfair from Planet Power in Wagga Wagga. In all we had 20 members and their guests attend a lively and very informative night. Simon is well known to many in our club.
Simon Playfair addresses our members and PP Mark Reardon thanks Simon for his talk.
Simon was honest in his presentation and outlined some of the major benefits of switching to solar power as well as saying that solar power had it’s limitations. Simon encouraged us to send him our last power bills and he would reply with am honest appraisal. He feels that an average size solar panel system of around 3 Kw would cost around $5,000 and would pay for itself in a few short years. Simon answered many questions from an interested audience.
Rotarian Bernadette Milne reported on the afternoon and evening at the Ganmain Bowling Club for young Jake Underwood (5 y.o.) who is about to go into a 2 year treatment for Leukemia. The Ganmain Community came to the party and the total raised in one day is fast approaching $80,000 and they are still counting. Well done Ganmain. Those who do not know Ganmain and who read this bulletin Ganmain has a population of around 560 a small village with a huge heart. Three members of Coolamon Rotary live in Ganmain. We are sure to hear more on Jake and Jake will need on going support which will be forthcoming.
President Dick Jennings reminded all that next week PDG Fred Loneragan and John Glassford will be launching the Mount Kenya 2015 ANZAC Centenary Climb.
Diary Reminders
Thursday 20th February Wollundry Rotary Club Polio Plus Movie Night in Wagga Wagga and this year the movie is Las Vegas with Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, and Kevin Kline. It has been reviewed as a great comedy and good fun … that everyone in the audience will enjoy.
Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd February PETS in Young
Sunday 23rd February Rotary’s Birthday 109 years old.
*Monday 24th February Guest Speakers PDG Fred Loneragan and John Glassford Mount Kenya 2015. Partners welcome.
*Monday 3rd March Guest speaker Bill Fraser from the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Monday March 10th Regular Meeting followed by a Board Meeting, all members very welcome to attend
Monday 17th March Internet Workshop Night with Paul Weston and John Glassford. Bring your communication device with you, includes tablets, smart phones and lap tops.
Thursday March 13th BINGO Rostered ON: Henk Hulsman, Don Dyce, Neil Munro, Wayne Lewis
Friday 14th March Trike Convention Catering in Wagga Wagga proceeds to Ronald McDonald House in Wagga Wagga.
Monday March 17-Friday March 21st RYDA in Wagga Wagga (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness)
Friday March 21st-Sunday March 23rd D9700 Conference in Orange.
Saturday 22nd March Music for Mates Concert in Coolamon.
*Monday 7th April Des Carmody Guest Speaker “Gallipoli Victory or Defeat?”
Thursday April BINGO Rostered ON: Leslie Weston, Paul Weston, Ian Jennings, Ted Hutcheon
Saturday 19th April EASTER MARKETS in Coolamon.
*Saturday May 10th International Night in Ganmain for AFRICA’S rhinos.
Thursday May 8th BINGO Rostered ON: Bernadette Milne, Miffy Collette, Ian Durham, Mark Reardon
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.
Thursday June 12th BINGO Rostered ON: John Glassford, Neil Munro, Christine Atkinson, Henk Hulsman
Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 June Wagga Wagga Book Fair.
Saturday 28th June D9700 Change Over Dinner in Orange.
*Partners and Guests Night.
Apologies for Monday meetings call Christine Atkinson on 0427 880 158 or 6927 3521 BY FRIDAY 12.00 pm.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT RON BURTON:
On 11 February, in recognition of India marking three years without a new case of #polio, #Rotary President Ron Burton joined Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, to commend the health workers, volunteers, and partners who helped to make it possible.
Read about this milestone at www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/india-celebrates-three-years-without-polio.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
Traffic Camera
A man was driving when he saw the flash of a traffic camera.
He figured that his picture had been taken for exceeding the limit, even though he knew that he was not speeding.
Just to be sure, he went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed.
Now he began to think that this was quite funny, so he drove even slower as he passed the area again, but the traffic camera again flashed.
He tried a FOURTH TIME with the same result.
He did this a FIFTH TIME and now was laughing when the camera flashed as he rolled past, this time at a snail’s pace.
Two weeks later, he got FIVE tickets in the mail……for driving WITHOUT A SEAT BELT.
Speeding Husband
A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says, “I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir.”
The driver says, “Gee, officer I had it on cruise control at 60, perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating.”
Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: “Now don’t be silly dear, you know that this car doesn’t have cruise control.”
As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, “Can’t you please keep your mouth shut for once?”
The wife smiles demurely and says, “You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did.”
As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, “Darn it, woman, can’t you keep your mouth shut?”
The officer frowns and says, “And I notice that you’re not wearing your seat belt, sir. That’s an automatic $75 fine.”
The driver says, “Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket.”
The wife says, “Now, dear, you know very well that you didn’t have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you’re driving.”
And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driver turns to his wife and barks, “WHY DON’T YOU PLEASE SHUT UP??”
The officer looks over at the woman and asks, “Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma’am?”
“Only when he’s been drinking.
ROTARY INFORMATION
EMBRACE SPONTANEITY TO SPARK IDEAS FOR YOUR CLUB
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs told his biographer, Walter Isaacson, that creativity is the result of spontaneous meetings and random discussions. “You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘wow,’ and soon you’re cooking up all sorts of ideas.”
Rotary club meetings tend to be structured for efficiency. A certain amount of casual dialogue happens as members trickle in, but it often ends when the official meeting begins. With a bit of effort, though, we can create opportunities for the sort of interactions that may inspire the next great idea.
IN YOUR MEETINGS
Your club’s physical meeting place can make a big difference, as can the arrangement of furniture. The Rotary Club of Newcastle Enterprise, Australia, had traditionally arranged the dinner tables in a large “U” formation, which helped club members see the guest speaker but limited dinner conversations. “Some members always chose to sit next to a particular friend, meaning they only spoke to one other person,” says club president Julia Brougham. The club boosted discussion by adding smaller round tables where members can chat with six people at once.
FULL STORY HERE
ONLY IN AFRICA
OUT OF AFRICA
Happy Belated Valentines Day to all our readers!!
Thandi had her horn hacked off by poachers and survived thanks to the skills of Dr. William Fowlds.
The Story of Thandi
CAUSES WORTH SUPPORTING
SEND MAGGIE TO UNIVERSITY
Margaret Wanjiku “Maggie”.
FROM MEGAN MACDONALD’S BLOG (see story on Megan top of bulletin)
“Maggie has become a friend and a bit of a teacher to me. She has told me of her experience during the post election violence, about growing up in a combination of Mathare slum and the HCI children’s home. Of being sidelined by pneumonia during her upper class years in high school, and then again this year as she prepared for the coming exams that will determine her academic fate. Her performance will dictate whether she gets a treasured spot in the public University system with fees paid – but less than 10% do.
We already have a couple yearly commitments – woohoo! We are looking to raise the additional $4900 for year one. I BELIEVE IN THIS WOMAN AND WHAT SHE CAN DO IN HER FUTURE.”
Megan MacDonald
Ambassadorial Scholar 2008-09, Kenya
Rotarian, Rotary Club of Hurlingham 2010 to current, Nairobi
Director of Global Enterprise, Sasadesignsbythedeaf.com
HELP MAGGIE FINISH UNIVERSITY.
SYDNEY ROTARY CONVENTION
THURSDAY 29th May at the SCG
SYDNEY SWANS VERSUS GEELONG CATS
AUSSIE ROTARY RULES TICKETS
SOME ATTRACTIONS IN AND AROUND SYDNEY
The Blue Mountains a 2 hour drive from the centre of Sydney.
THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
Photos by Matt Lauder Photography
REGISTER NOW FOR SYDNEY
The programme Click to Enlarge:
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION PORTLAND 1911
Rotary International Conventions are held annually in a different country in the world. Some conventions have had over 40,000 attend, this year it is in Australia and then to Brazil in 2015. Here are some photos from the history of conventions:
Convention History:
This photo was acquired by Jack M. B. Selway and donated to the Rotary International Archives Dept. It is a rare picture of the 1911 Portland convention delegates.
Until the Houston convention in 1914, Rotary had celebrated all its conventions in August. After the convention in Buffalo, 18-21 August 1913, the dates of the Houston convention were changed to 22-26 June 1914. Subsequently, the conventions of San Francisco (1915)and Cincinnati (1916) were celebrated in July. At that point, Rotary established a tradition, programming the convention for a date near the end of the Rotary year, in May or June.
Although the present practice to identify the salient president of Rotary International with the convention that is celebrated at the end of his or her year of office, does not necessarily apply to the conventions celebrated during the term of office of Frank L. Mulholland, 1914-15. He was chosen by the delegates of the Houston convention, and he participated in the convention of San Francisco, 18-23 July 1915. Russell Greiner, 1913-14, and Arch Klumph, 1916-17, celebrated two conventions during their terms in office; they shared these conventions with their predecessors and successors.
Trivia: The smallest convention was the first, 1910, with 60 attendees. The largest registration number, to date, was 43,381 at the 2004 convention in Osaka, Japan
FOOT NOTE
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has established a great partnership with #Rotary and just launched the Imagination Library in Australia this week. This follows very successful trials with our local #Rotary Clubs and a strong partnership with United Way.
Look out for more on this in the April edition of Rotary Down Under! Find out what’s been happening and how your club can get involved.
Yours in Rotary John Glassford Chair 2013 -2014
Bulletin Editor and Web Site: John Glassford
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/#