CRC Bulletin September 8th. 2025

COOLAMON ROTARY CLUB MEETING September 8th. 2025

President Mary welcomed 16 members and 2 guests, Sally Farmer and Don Dyce’s sister Del O’Connell.  A good role up considering so many of our members are away.  Daryl and Jann Breust are in China, Garth Perkin is in one of the 5 Stans, Dick and Maree Jennings are in Sri Lanka.

So we had a “quiet” meeting which included:

• • Happy Birthdays to Ted and Henk.
  • President Mary opened the meeting and handed it over to Paul and others.
  • Paul reported on the board meeting held before our meeting and some items that were discussed:
  • The Open Garden Day committee is being formed and includes Garth, Anne and Lexi on the committee.  Volunteers are needed to form the committee and we need a chair for that committee.  Albert said he would help but does not want to be chair again.
  • The Canola Fun Run is also being set up and committee members are needed, contact President Mary to volunteer please.
  • The CRC donated $500 for one of the prizes in the current Up-to-Date -Store Art Exhibition.
  • Mary gave the treasurer’s report to members present verbally and our accounts are healthy.
  • The cycling event upcoming on the 19th-21st September at Wantabadgery and Wagga require a few more volunteers please.  Contact Anne who has done a remarkable job in getting volunteers for this event.
  • Sharon Miles will be ending her time as Editor of the Coolamon Community Chronicle in December and we are in need of a new Editor.  Please think long an hard as to who we could ask to take on this important job for our community.
  • Adrian and Lexi interviewed Allie Delaney from CCS with Allie’s careers adviser Kaarin Besgrove.  Lexi and Adrian said that :
  • “We were very impressed with Allie’s application and then her interview. She is very articulate and a focused young woman. She would make a great contribution to society with her career.” Read Lexi and Adrian’s report below;

 Rotary Scholarship – interview 2025 of Year 12 Student 

• • We received news that we as CRC can go ahead with the Christmas Raffle to be sold up to and including NYE in Coolamon.  The proceeds will go the Salvation Army Christmas Toy Appeal.  We will be cooking sausages for the children as last year with the Coolamon Lions.
  • CRC donated $500 to the Coolamon Can Assist start up, Shelterbags $300 and new-born intensive care foundation-Baby monitors for premature babies in Canberra $400.
  • Anne reported on the Australian Junior Cycle event at Wantabadgery and in Wagga.  Anne will distribute the roster next week and Anne is still looking for volunteers.
  • Would all members whose Working With Children Check has expired an opportunity exists as the NSW Government mobile office will be in Coolamon and Ganmain.
  • Next Monday night Bear asked us to invite as many guests that would be interested in the two guest speakers Jeremy and Peter from the JJW Massey Dealership in Wagga. 

Stand in S@A Mark conducted the raffle draw and the winner was Mark!  This was followed by a fines session and Mark is a quick learner and followed S@A Dick by not sparing anyone, including our guests.

The meeting ended at 8.15 pm which gave us all plenty of time for good fellowship.

OUT AND ABOUT UZBEKISTAN

Our intrepid traveller Garth Perkin has sent these photos from Uzbekistan.  On the Silk Road, photos via Grahame and Ian, thanks.

In Uzbekistan

Typical landscape and coal fired power station maintained by China.

Very cool local transportation.  The roads are too rough for bikes.

DIARY

*Monday 15th September – Guest Speakers, Jeremy and Peter from the JJW Massey Dealership in Wagga.  Coolamon Sport Rec Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

Monday 22nd September – Board Meeting with DG Robert Shore, Coolamon Sport Rec Club, 6.15pm.

*Monday 22nd September – DG Robert Shore’s club visit, Coolamon Sport Rec Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

Thursday 18th – Sunday 21st September – National Junior Bike event at Wantabadgery and Wagga.  Contact Anne for further details.

Saturday 27th September ANZAC Biscuits Baking (details to follow).

*Monday 29th September – Social Night at the bottom pub with the Junee Rotary club.  Coolamon Hotel 6.30 for 7.00pm.

Sunday 5th October Gears & Beers ALL Hands on DECK!!!

Monday 6th October NO MEETING Labour Day Weekend.

*Monday 13th October – SILLY HAT DAY  Coolamon Sport Rec Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

*Monday 20th October – Guest Speaker, Cassie from CG Creations who makes handmade leather goods in Coolamon.  Coolamon Sport Rec Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

Friday 24th October – World Polio Day.  https://www.endpolio.org/world-polio-day

Friday 31st October – Sunday 2nd November. 2025 Rotary South Pacific Zone Conference

Monday 10th November AGM.  Coolamon Sport Rec Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

*Guests welcome to bring their partners and friends.

TBD.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

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

ROTARY NEWS and ITEMS OF INTEREST

1. SILLY HAT DAY OCTOBER 13th.

Mark your calendars for Hat Day on Friday 10 October – World Mental Health Day! This long-running Rotary tradition raises vital funds for mental health research through Australian Rotary Health. From raffles to fashion shows, clubs across the country don their finest hats to Lift the Lid on Mental Illness and support the one in five Australians affected by mental illness each year. Every dollar raised goes directly to research, now focused on the mental health of kids aged 0-12.

Can we outdo the last Hat Day?  Silly Hat Day is on Monday 13th October.

2.  R.I. SUPPORTING EDUCATION

More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17 percent of the world’s adult population. 

3.  CRC THE ORPHAN RESCUE KIT

Back in the 2008-2009 Rotary year when Fred Loneragan was our D9700 Governor our club created The Orphan Rescue Kit.  This was a very successful project in 2008-2009 and the ORK box was taken around D9700 by PDG Fred, and it was Fred’s project as DG that year, and he raised $64,000.  In the ORK there were examples of what is required for basic education for children from primary school, most important was a uniform for without a uniform they cannot attend school.

In 2011 Fred and the CRC Mountains of the Moon team visited Mathare and informal settlement on the edge of the CBD of Nairobi.  This place was once the vegetable garden for Nairobi.  When we visited Mathare we were met by the primary school children from just one school in Mathare.  It was here that we met Tracy Ochieng.

This is what education can do for an at risk and vulnerable girl who was unable to pay her way into high school in Kenya.  It is here that our club was able to sponsor Tracy through high school and through university. Only one among millions of girls in sub Saharan Africa that need support. Tracy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) – Communications (Public Relations) at USIU-UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY.

Tracy is now gainfully employed in her chosen vocation of journalism.  Tracy is hard to keep up with and I see her often on Kenyan TV as a political reporter, and now Tracy is a well known writer, podcaster and social media strategist!  Amazing what education can do, we are all very proud of this young lady.

Those interested can follow Tracy on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/monique.tracy.37

HAPPY FATHERS’ DAY 2025.

We trust that those Fathers in our club enjoyed Fathers’ day last Sunday.  Here is to all Fathers past and present!

Even though my Father George passed away in 1954 I think of him every day:

Late 1891 in Napier.

SEPTEMBER IS ROTARY’S BASIC EDUCATION AND LITERACY  MONTH

Artwork by Rtn. Debbie Vance from Canada

ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2025-2026