Week of 5th July

This week’s meeting was the 50th changeover of the Rotary Club of Coolamon.  Similar to last year’s changeover, we had to limit attendance to members only despite the fact that we had been preparing for 70+ members and guests for the occasion until last week, when new COVID restrictions in New South Wales dictated that we should not be holding a large indoor gathering when Sydney was in lockdown and events such as weddings and funerals were limited to a handful of guests throughout the state.  We did one allow one guest on the evening, which will be explained below.

Past President Daryl Breust chaired the changeover, and welcomed 22 members and one guest to the event.  The changeover followed the format typical of our changeovers except for the deletion of numerous toasts and singing of the national anthem (no singing at gatherings in NSW at present!).  Following a delicious three-course Chinese dinner, outgoing President Howard summarised the highlights of the past year, including the monetary donations to a range of needy recipients and charitable organisations in Australia and around the world, which amounted to over $29,000. Following that, Howard inducted Albert Suidgeest as the president for 2021-2022, who in turn thanked Howard for his service over the past year and introduced his board for 2021-2022, which included Paul Weston (President-Elect), John Glassford (Secretary), Henk Hulsman (Treasurer), Neil Munro (Foundation), Dick Jennings (Membership), Anne Rzeszkowski (Youth), Ian Jennings (Club Administration), Daryl Breust (Service Projects), Grahame Miles (Pubic Image), John Bond (Sergeant-at-Arms) and Howard Atkinson (Immediate Past President).

After the changeover, we had a special addition to the night’s proceedings, which was the induction of our newest member, Adrian Lindner.  Adrian was introduced by his sponsor, Ian Jennings, and was inducted by President Albert under the classification of Accountant/Grazier.  Adrian was applauded by those in attendance, and then introduced his wife, Wendy, our lone guest on the evening.  Welcome, Adrian!

As usual, the meeting concluded with a fine session and raffle.  New Sergeant-at-Arms John Bond got stuck right into it, levying many humourous fines on the members.  The raffle was won by Howard, with the minor prize going to Grahame.

We wish all members a great new Rotary year and hope to see you at our dinner meetings and special events in the coming year!

DIARY

Saturday July 10th – Wagga Wagga Murrumbidgee RC Changeover Dinner.

Sunday July 11th – Firewood Gathering at Adrian Lindner’s Property, 2.00 pm.  Wendy will provide afternoon tea.  755 Lindner Lane off Tooyal Road.

Sunday July 11th – Junee RC Changeover Luncheon. NB The Junee changeover is now members-only.

Monday July 12th – Speaker meeting.  Rachel McFail speaking on “Indigenous place names campaign”. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.

Wednesday July 14th– First Board Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 pm. Date TBC.

Saturday July 24th – Coolamon RC Street Raffle. Coolamon Newsagency, 7:30 am – noon. Roster TBA.

Wednesday 28th July – Narrandera RC Change Over Dinner. Narrandera Golf Club, 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: First, the man takes the goat across the river, leaving the vegetables safely with the lion.  The man leaves the goat on the opposite bank and comes back and ferries the lion across the river.  The man then takes the goat back to the starting side of the river, drops it off there and takes the vegetables across to the far side, leaving them there with the lion.  The man comes back one last time and picks up the goat, taking him across the river to the opposite side, and the group resume their journey.

This week’s puzzler: 

I am feared by many people,
but scramble my letters
and I become hated.

What am I?

ROTARY NEWS

1.  R.I. Presidential Message

R.I.P. Shekhar and Rashi Mehta R.I. President 2021-22

I wish each of you and your families a great Rotary New Year! Together, let us make it the best year of our lives, by making it a year to grow more and do more. Let this be a year of changemakers, and let us begin with our membership.

Click here for full message

2. District Governor Leo Farrelly OAM

3.  President Albert Suidgeest

July is Rotary New Leadership Month

Week of 28th June

President Howard welcomed 15 members and one guest (prospective member Mary Potts) to his last weekly meeting as president.  The meeting was primarily social in nature, as dictated by el presidente, so there’s little to report in the way of business. The members in attendance voted to make our changeover a members-only affair, compelled by the desire to reduce the risk of becoming a “super-spreader” event and keep in line with NSW regulations regarding indoor gatherings.  While it’s true that we could have proceeded with the event and still adhere to state guidelines, it would have required awkward spacing and reconfiguration of the meeting venue on top of the need to have attendees wear face masks except while eating and drinking.  Although we would have preferred to proceed with the event, the consensus was that in light of the above reasons, the prudent course of action was to conduct the changeover without guests, and have a more celebratory gathering at a later date.

The only other item of note was PE Albert’s announcement that he had booked a street raffle date of 24 July for the club.  A roster will be distributed at a later date.  The meeting concluded with an entertaining fine session comprised mainly of cross-fines as Albert’s spy network was apparently on leave for the past week.  The raffle was won by Paul, with secondary prizes going to Chez and Henk.  The members applauded Howard for his year of service at the helm and a job well done.

DIARY

Saturday July 3rd – Temora RC Changeover Dinner. Temora Golf Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $40 per head. Dress: jacket and tie.

Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm. Members only.

Saturday July 10th – Wagga Wagga Murrumbidgee RC Changeover Dinner.

Sunday July 11th – Junee RC Changeover Luncheon.

Monday July 12th – First Meeting for the 2021-2022 Rotary Year.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: DOZENS

This week’s puzzler: Here’s an oldie but a goodie.  A man is on a journey with a lion, a goat, and a basket of vegetables. On the way, he comes to a river, which he must cross with a boat moored to the riverbank.  The boat can carry only two things at a time. If he takes the vegetables, the lion will eat the goat. If he takes the lion, the goat will eat the vegetables. How does he cross the river with everything intact?

ROTARY NEWS

1.  ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS

There are around 90 different Rotary Fellowships that you can join with like minded people from around the world.

One that some members may like is the International Fellowship of Cricket Loving Rotarians.

IFRP- The INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF ROTARIAN PHOTOGRAPHERS is for Rotarians & Rotaractors only, who practice Photography in Professional, advanced, amateur, hobby or in beginner levels.

Welcome to the Facebook page of the IFRP:

Photo by Alessandro Lari

Cremations of the dead take place in the surroundings of the Pashupatinath temple, the most important Hindu temple in Nepal in Kathmandu, along the Bagmati River.

Many Sadhus live along the river (consider that between Nepal and India it is thought that they exceed 6/7 million individuals) practicing tapas (mantra recitation, magical rituals, breath control, yoga, unifying the body and soul ) which tends to increase their spiritual energy allowing them to reach a state of semi-divinity.

The sādhu shivaïti sprinkle their bodies with ashes, a symbol of death and rebirth. In the image and likeness of Shiva, they wear extremely long hair and, as Shiva used to do, large numbers ritually consume hashish (tolerated by the government despite being forbidden) to “lift the veil of maya” which means to finally perceive the all-creating and all-connecting matrix ceaselessly, and this vision generates liberation. Being aware of it is the only way to conquer the meaning of life, to be “awakened to life”!

2. Coolamon Rotarians Out & About

Leslie and Paul Weston on the weekend showing their prize dogs and winning.

End of the Rotary year approaches and some of our members are out and about at change over dinners:

PDG John Glassford and Susan Glassford at the Wollundry Wagga RC change over dinner held at the Wagga RSL.  John was representing the District Governor.

PP David Benn reciting bush poems at the Wollundry change over as always most entertaining.

Photos above by PDG John Egan

June is Rotary Fellowship Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 21st June

President Howard welcomed 17 members and 1 guest to our weekly meeting, which featured a presentation by Ann Baker (Howard’s partner) on Vitality Passport, a program coordinated by Ann and funded by the Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network.  The program, which is run by Back on Track Physiotherapy (based in Corowa), aims to enhance the quality of life for ‘older’ community members through exercise, nutrition and cognitive training.  There’s no minimum age to participate, but the program is aimed at people who might be starting to lose muscle mass and balance, and would benefit from exercise regimes to maintain physical and cognitive function.  Proper nutrition is a key part to maintaining these functions, and is an integral part of the program, which is tailored to the individual needs of all participants.  A version of the program for women has been running for some time, but the organisers are currently expanding the program to benefit men in Coolamon.  Interested parties should contact Ann on 0417 469 821.  Howard thanked Ann for an interesting presentation and presented her with a token of appreciation.

The meeting concluded with an amusing fine session led by Sergeant at Arms Albert and raffle; few were spared recognition by Albert, with Grahame and Dick copping a hefty share of the fines, and Albert even fined himself in the melee!  The raffle was won by Garth.

Rotary Driving Simulator Visits Coolamon Central School

The Rotary driver training simulator, operated by the Rotary Club of Young, made a visit to Coolamon Central School last week.  The simulator, which is ferried to schools throughout the former Rotary District 9700 by Rotarian Frank Lincoln, provides an opportunity for high school students to experience driving under a range of conditions, including simulated effects of alcohol and using mobile devices on driving.  The Rotary Club of Young has been running this program for several years now , but was suspended last year because of COVID restrictions.  Coolamon Rotarians Adrian Lindner and Anne Rzeszkowski were on hand to ensure that the program ran smoothly last Thursday and Friday. The Rotary Club of Coolamon also assisted by paying the cost of getting the simulator to Coolamon.

DIARY

Wednesday June 23rd – PE Albert Suidgeest’s Board Planning Meeting. 6.30 pm at Albert’s house (Coolamon Boarding Kennels, Doubleday Lane).

Wednesday June 23rd – Wagga Wagga Kooringal Changeover Dinner @ Romano’s.

Saturday June 26th – RI District 9705 Changeover Dinner.  Young Ex-Services Club 6.00 – 8.30 pm.

Monday June 28th – Final CRC Meeting for the 20-21 Rotary Year. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday June 28th – RC of South Wagga Wagga Changeover Dinner.  Rules Club Wagga Wagga  6.00 for 6.30pm Cost $45 per head.  RSVP Karen McNally:  [email protected]

Wednesday June 30th – RC of Narrandera Changeover Dinner

Saturday July 3rd – Temora RC Changeover Dinner. Temora Golf Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $40 per head. Dress: jacket and tie.

* Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.

Saturday July 10th – Wagga Wagga Murrumbidgee RC Changeover Dinner.

Sunday July 11th – Junee RC Changeover Luncheon.

Monday July 12th – First Meeting for the 2021-2022 Rotary Year.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: Needle in a haystack

This week’s puzzler: 

A word I know,
six letters it contains
subtract just one,
and twelve is what remains.

ROTARY NEWS

1.  ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS

There are around 90 different Rotary Fellowships that you can join with like minded people from around the world.

One that some members may like is the International Fellowship of Cricket Loving Rotarians.

Welcome to the website of IFRC, the International Fellowship of Cricket Loving Rotarians:

Cricket Loving Rotarians Fellowship

2.  COVID 19 IN KENYA

About District 9212 Emergency Response Initiative

The novel corona virus (Covid 19) caught both government and privately-owned health systems by surprise. Management of the viral infection required a lot of investments and significant changes to our practices and behaviours, to minimize further spread of the virus in Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and South Sudan.

Rotarians, being problem-solvers, were concerned. In District 9212, there were some consultations that les to the development of a committee that started by analysing the situation with a view to finding immediate and long-term solutions to flattening the curve.

Following a thorough needs assessment and consultations, we agreed on the following as our scope of work: Treatment: Supporting frontline medical staff through the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s) and other resources that will lead to positive outcomes. Prevention: Buying and distributing hand washing stations for use in informal settlements across Kenya, with a view to creating a hand washing behavioural change among low income earners. Sustenance: Provision of food and other essential supplies to low income earners whose livelihoods have been affected by government measures aimed at curbing the spread of the disease.

Members of Rotary has been able to register the following achievements: Washing the hands of more than 1 million people within the first three weeks of the deployment. Providing 25 counties within the first month of distribution of hand washing stations. Entered into strategic partnerships with like-minded institutions to spread our reach in a structured and organized manner. Creating a behavioural change campaign that promotes regular handwashing using soap and water. Provided an opportunity to have members of Rotary to be “People of Action” around one theme across the four countries in District 9212.

MEET OUR TEAM

5,000,000+ Hand Washes Country wide 45,952+ Food hampers beneficiaries so far distributed in Kenya by Rotary Clubs in D9212.

June is Rotary Fellowship Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 7th June

We welcomed back president Howard following the passing of his mother recently.  Also back was Albert who missed his flight to Broome and to apply salt in the wounds Garth was also back from Broome.  Several regular attendees were away this week and our number was down to 14 in attendance.

Several reminders to all our members included our Changeover Dinner for the 5th July and advice on our neighbouring clubs and their plans for their change over dinners.

JG presented Tracy Ocheng’s semester results. Tracy is doing very well and will be certain to graduate in June 2022.

No meeting next Monday due to the Queen’s Birthday public holiday.

All in all, it was a good meeting catching up with two fishermen who had to be fined and you can see why:

We think Garth has the bragging rights to this fishy story.

Chez won the  raffle again and Albert did a good job with the fines tonight and Howard was fined for losing his pet rooster who starred at our Zoom meetings:

Look over the reminders in the diary below. There are two important meetings upcoming, one for the last board meeting of 2020-2021 and the other for PE Albert’s planning meeting on June 23rd at Albert’s home starting at 6.30 pm.

DIARY

Saturday June 12th – Wednesday June 16th 2021 – Rotary International Convention (Virtual). Story in this bulletin for more information.  Registration is only $65, so give it some thought!

You can update your Facebook profile with this frame!

Monday June 14th – Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday – NO meeting.

Wednesday June 16th – FINAL Board Meeting for 20-21.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7.00 pm.

Thursday June 17th – Wagga Wagga RC Changeover Dinner

Saturday June 19th – Ganmain Winter Markets. Ganmain Showgrounds from 12 pm.

Monday June 21st – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday June 21st – Wollundry Wagga RC Changeover Dinner. Wagga Wagga RSL Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $30 per head.  Dress: jacket and tie.

Wednesday June 23rd – PE Albert Suidgeest’s Board Planning Meeting. 6.30 pm at Albert’s house (Coolamon Boarding Kennels, Doubleday Lane).

Wednesday June 23rd – Wagga Wagga Kooringal Changeover Dinner @ Romano’s.

Saturday June 26th – RI District 9705 Changeover Dinner.  Young Ex-Services Club 6.00 – 8.30 pm.

Monday June 28th – Final CRC Meeting for the 20-21 Rotary Year. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday June 28th – RC of South Wagga Wagga Changeover Dinner.  Rules Club Wagga Wagga  6.00 for 6.30pm Cost $45 per head.  RSVP Karen McNally:  [email protected]

Wednesday June 30th – RC of Narrandera Changeover Dinner

Saturday July 3rd – Temora RC Changeover Dinner. Temora Golf Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $40 per head. Dress: jacket and tie.

* Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.

Saturday July 10th – Wagga Wagga Murrumbidgee RC Changeover Dinner.

Sunday July 11th – Junee RC Changeover Luncheon.

Monday July 12th – First Meeting for the 2021-2022 Rotary Year.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: Stop imagining that you’re in the room!

This week’s puzzler: What is represented by the following?

HANY
HAEY
HAEY
HADY
HALY
HAEY

ROTARY NEWS

1.  ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS

There are around 90 different Rotary Fellowships that you can join with like minded people from around the world.

One that some members may like is the International Fellowship of Rotarian Musicians

Follow them on their web site below.  Welcome to the website of IFRM, the International Fellowship of Rotarian Musicians:

IRFM Musicians

At the LA 2008 RI Convention.

Please, DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED by thinking: “Well, I am not a musician, this must not be for me.”  Au contraire my friend.  If you enjoy music, this Rotary Fellowship is for you. Our members come from countries all around the world.  The musical skills that range from professional musicians to those who can play a recording on their phone or computer.  The common denominator is “we all love and enjoy music.”  We are a Rotary Fellowship.  Fellowships and Rotary Action Groups were designed to help Rotarians connect with other Rotarians outside of their local club around areas of common interest.  IFRM was among one of the earliest Fellowships to form.

2.  Rotary Magazine 2021 Photo Awards

It was a challenging year for photographers. Once the pandemic hit, travel plans had to be changed or cancelled. That was reflected in many of the submissions for Rotary magazine’s 2021 photo awards: Many more photos than usual were taken close to home, sometimes as close as the backyard.

We did see breath-taking images of some photographers’ journeys, many from the days before the pandemic limited travel. Others took this year to experiment with extreme close-ups of a flower petal or a bird in flight. Many photos captured the way COVID-19 has transformed our world and our daily lives. And, perhaps reflecting the fundamental optimism of Rotarians, there were many images of hope, joy, and simple beauty.

First place

Photographer: Hansruedi Frutiger
Rotary Club of Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Location: Yuanyang County, Yunnan, China

FULL STORY HERE IN MY ROTARY

June is Rotary Fellowship Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 31st May

This week’s meeting was primarily a social meeting, with Monday being the 5th Monday of the month (when we try to mix it up a bit).  The club self-catered the dinner; thanks to the members who stepped up and prepared the food and cleaned up afterward.  Fifteen members showed up and enjoyed a good meal and fellowship, plus a bit of light Rotary business (some people just can’t let go!).  The evening concluded with an entertaining fines session led by fill-in Sergeant-at-Arms Dick, who found a way to fine nearly all in attendance, as thin as the reason might have been (some were fined because of notable good things they had done during the week!) and our weekly raffle, which was won by Neil.

Super Blood Moon

Some wonderful photos from around the world of the recent Super Blood Moon Eclipse:

DIARY

Monday June 7th – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Saturday June 12th – Wednesday June 16th 2021 – Rotary International Convention (Virtual). Story in this bulletin for more information.  Registration is only $65, so give it some thought!

Monday June 14th – Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday (NO meeting).

Wednesday June 16th – FINAL Board Meeting for 20-21 Sports Club at 7.00pm

Saturday June 19th – Ganmain Winter Markets. Ganmain Showgrounds from 12 pm.

Monday June 21st – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday June 21st – Wollundry Wagga RC Changeover Dinner. Wagga Wagga RSL Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $30 per head.  Dress: jacket and tie.

Wednesday June 23rd – PE Albert Suidgeest’s Board Planning Meeting. 6.30 pm at Albert’s house (Coolamon Boarding Kennels, Doubleday Lane).

Saturday June 26th – RI District 9705 Changeover Dinner.  Young Ex-Services Club 6.00 – 8.30 pm.

Monday June 28th – Final CRC Meeting for the 20-21 Rotary Year. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday June 28th – RC of South Wagga Wagga Change Over Dinner.  Rules Club Wagga Wagga  6.00 for 6.30pm Cost $45 per head.  RSVP Karen McNally:  [email protected]

Saturday July 3rd – Temora RC Changeover Dinner. Temora Golf Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $40 per head. Dress: jacket and tie.

* Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: Queue

This week’s puzzler: Imagine you are in a dark room. How do you get out?

ROTARY NEWS

1.  ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS

There are around 90 different Rotary Fellowships that you can join with like minded people from around the world.

One that some members may like is the Beers Rotarians Enjoy Worldwide Fellowship.

Beers Rotarians Enjoy Worldwide (BREW) Fellowship is one of the newest officially recognized Rotary fellowships. The fellowship was created for Rotarians around the worlds who love to drink and make beer.

BREW was started and organized in 2013 by Past District 5160 Governor Steve Lack, a member of the Rotary Club of Pleasant Hill, California, USA; Moses Aryee, Past President of the Rotary Club of Accra-West, Ghana; and Past District 5440 Governor Martin Limbird of the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

The primary goal of BREW is to create the largest fellowship in Rotary: an international community of Rotarians who share a love of beer. Another goal is to support efforts and projects to bring clean water to those in thirst since water is the primary ingredient in beer.

Follow them on their web site below:

BREW Website

You can get a list of the Rotary Fellowships from the document below.

02 Fellowships

2.  Rotary Approved Logos

We have been advised that we in Rotary need to look at our logos and make sure we are complying with the protocols.  So here are some correct versions of the logo we should be using.  One of the logos below is no longer allowed.

You can learn more by going to this document below:

Protocol 2

June is Rotary Fellowship Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 24th May

President-Elect Albert welcomed 18 members on a chilly autumn evening to our weekly meeting. A good night of fellowship and project planning was enjoyed by those in attendance. A roster was passed around for the Red Shield Appeal, which will be conducted at the entrance to the Coolamon Foodworks this coming Saturday and Sunday morning (see roster in the diary below).  Dick and Garth conducted a very entertaining fine session, eliciting fines from nearly all those in attendance.  The raffle was won by Craig L.

Members are reminded that we will have a fellowship-only meeting next Monday, 31 May since it is the 5th Monday of the month (which doesn’t happen too often!).  We had considered meeting at another venue, but concluded that there are no options for a meal on a Monday evening, so we will self-cater the meeting.  As usual, reply to Ian’s message if you will not be in attendance.

Super Blood Moon

Australians had an opportunity to witness a rare celestial event on Wednesday, 26th May: a super blood moon. A supermoon occurs when the full moon appears larger than usual because of its proximity to the Earth (it’s orbit is elliptical, so the distance between the Earth and moon fluctuates periodically).  When the Earth lines up directly between the sun and full moon, it casts a shadow over the moon, temporarily darkening it (referred to as a lunar eclipse).  When a lunar eclipse coincides with a supermoon, we get a super blood moon because the moon takes on a reddish tint in the shadowed area because the refracted sunlight that reaches the moon passes through the Earth’s atmosphere.  Super blood moons do not occur frequently; one occurs every several years, but is visible only from limited areas of the Earth.  The next super blood moon will occur in 2033.  Below are some pics that I took of the super blood moon, one at the start of the eclipse and another at totality.  The pics were taken with a Canon D5200 digital SLR with a 55-300 mm lens. – Paul Weston

DIARY

Saturday 29th – Sunday 30th May – Red Shield Appeal. Coolamon Foodworks, 8 am – noon. Rostered on for Saturday are 8:00-9:00 Mark; 9:00-10:00 Ted & Bern; 10:00-11:00 Alex & Henk; Sharon R. Rostered on for Sunday are 8:00-9:00 Mark; 9:00-10:00 Ted; 10:00-11:00 Paul; 11:00-12:00 Sharon.

Sunday May 30th – DisTec21. Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa St., Young, 10 am – 4 pm.

Monday May 31st – Self-catered Fellowship Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday June 7th – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Saturday June 12th – Wednesday June 16th 2021 – Rotary International Convention (Virtual). Story in this bulletin for more information.  Registration is only $65, so give it some thought!

Monday June 14th – Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday (NO meeting).

Wednesday June 16th – FINAL Board Meeting for 20-21 Sports Club at 7.00pm

Saturday June 19th – Ganmain Winter Markets. Ganmain Showgrounds from 12 pm.

Monday June 21st – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Monday June 21st – Wollundry Wagga RC Changeover Dinner. Wagga Wagga RSL Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $30 per head.  Dress: jacket and tie.

Wednesday June 23rd – PE Albert Suidgeest’s Board Planning Meeting. 6.30 pm at Albert’s house (Coolamon Boarding Kennels, Doubleday Lane).

Saturday June 26th – RI District 9705 Changeover Dinner.  Young Ex-Services Club 6.00 – 8.30 pm.

Monday June 28th – Final CRC Meeting for the 20-21 Rotary Year. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Saturday July 3rd – Temora RC Changeover Dinner. Temora Golf Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $40 per head. Dress: jacket and tie.

* Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: envelope

This week’s puzzler: What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?

ROTARY NEWS

1.   ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

Registration is open for the 2021 Virtual Convention.

12-16th JUNE 2021 Programme HERE

The 2021 Virtual Convention will be better than ever, opening more innovative opportunities to learn and to engage with the family of Rotary, near and far. You’ll be able to network in virtual lounges, meet new partners in service, and join fun activities with Rotary members from around the world.

COMING SOON: More information about this year’s upgraded virtual experiences including our new fast-paced programs that will have inspiring stories, powerful interviews, and multi-cultural entertainment.

Please continue to check back for more details and updates.

FAQs

2.  PAST ROTARY CONVENTIONS

Here are some pictorial highlights from 7 past Rotary International Conventions.

2005 Chicago USA, 2008 Los Angeles USA, 2010 Montreal Canada, 2012 Bangkok Thailand, 2014 Sydney Australia, 2016 Seoul South Korea, 2017 Atlanta USA.

{PS  Can you guess who was playing at the Hollywood Bowl?}

May is Youth Service Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 17th May

President Howard welcomed 13 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 1 guest to our weekly meeting.  The meeting was a chance to catch up on recent club activities, a rundown of the District 9705 club development seminar in Young, and fellowship.  Paul reported that the district conference will be held on 18-20 March, 2022 at Temora and encouraged members to attend given that we’ll have few opportunities to attend a district conference so close to home, especially considering the large size of the new district.  Catering at John Bond’s clearing sale was a success despite the lower than expected turnout owing to the ordinary weather.  The evening concluded with an entertaining fine session led by Albert with a number of amusing cross-fines by members and the weekly raffle, which was won by Ted.

DIARY

Wednesday May 19th – CRC Board Meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7.00 pm.

Monday May 24th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Sunday May 30th – DisTec21. Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa St., Young, 10 am – 4 pm.

Saturday June 12 – Wednesday June 16th 2021 – Rotary International Convention (Virtual). Click here for more information.  Registration is only $65, so give it some thought!

Saturday June 19th – Ganmain Winter Markets. Ganmain Showgrounds from 12 pm.

Monday June 21st – Wollundry Wagga RC Change Over Dinner. Wagga Wagga RSL Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $30 per head.  Dress: jacket and tie.

Saturday July 3rd – Temora RC Change Over Dinner. Temora Golf Club, 6.30 for 7 pm, $40 per head. Dress: jacket and tie.

* Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

What, no ear muffs??!!!!

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: Turn the page (screen) upside down! That will show the equation as 16 = 8 + 8.

This week’s puzzler: What word starts with `e`, ends with `e` and has only one letter in it?

ROTARY NEWS

1. REPORT ON D9705 CLUB DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR

District 9705 conducted the first of two club development seminars this one in Young last Saturday.  The event was well represented by 170 members of various clubs in our district including several from Canberra.  Coolamon was represented by PE Albert Suidgeest, PEN Paul Weston, Foundation Director Neil Munro and Secretary John Glassford.  John was one of the “teachers” and his session was on service projects.  John will also be teaching at the second seminar this time in Broulee on Saturday 22nd May.

The Rotary Club of Young did a great job with the catering and ran out of soup on a very cold day.  However there was plenty of food and hot tea and coffee.  The facilities at the Hennessey catholic College were very good and comfortable.  PDG Steve Hill was the coordinator and the day began with a message from Shekhar Mehta RI President-elect 2020-21 from the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar.

Click on the photo below for a video from RIPE Shekhar.

2.  District Grant Applications

May is Youth Service Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

MOTHERS DAY 2021

Hope that you all remembered Mothers day in your way!’

Week of 10th May

President Howard was back at the helm and welcomed 19 members and 2 guests to our weekly meeting. The meeting was an opportunity for planning and fellowship, but there were a few notable highlights.  The first was a hearty chorus of “Happy Birthday” for PDG John Glassford, who celebrated a milestone birthday (at his age, every birthday is a milestone!). Susan had arranged for an awesome cake from Nayz Cakes, which tasted as good as it looked and was enjoyed by all.

The second highlight was the announcement that Adrian Lindner has been approved for membership by the board, and will be inducted at a meeting in late May.  Congratulations, Adrian! We’ll provide more info on Adrian following his induction.  Following the business proceedings, fill-in Sergeant-at-Arms Dick Jennings fined nearly all those in attendance, including our incoming newest member!  The meeting concluded with the weekly raffle, which was won by Garth.

DIARY

Friday 14th May – John Bond’s Clearing Sale. Kincora (Millwood Road), 8:30 am – 1:00 pm.

Saturday 15th May – D9705 Assembly. Hennessey Catholic College, Young, 9.00 am  – 5.00 pm.  Click on the map below for a larger version.

Monday May 17th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Wednesday May 19th – CRC Board Meeting.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7.00 pm.

Sunday May 30th – DisTec21. Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa St., Young, 10 am – 4 pm.

Saturday June 12 – Wednesday June 16th 2021 – Rotary International Convention.

Saturday June 19th – Ganmain Winter Markets. Ganmain Showgrounds from 12 pm.

* Monday July 5th – Coolamon Rotary Club Changeover.  Coolamon Sport and Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: The back of the dartboard!

This week’s puzzler:

How can you make the following equation mathematically correct without making any changes to it?

8 + 8 = 91

ROTARY NEWS

1. ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

Registration is open for the 2021 Virtual Convention.

The 2021 Virtual Convention will be better than ever, opening more innovative opportunities to learn and to engage with the family of Rotary, near and far. You’ll be able to network in virtual lounges, meet new partners in service, and join fun activities with Rotary members from around the world.

COMING SOON: More information about this year’s upgraded virtual experiences including our new fast-paced programs that will have inspiring stories, powerful interviews, and multi-cultural entertainment.

Please continue to check back for more details and updates.

2.  Kenyan Rotary clubs sow seeds:

In 2007, Agnes Kiraithe was invited to speak at the Rotary Club of Muthaiga, in Nairobi. At the time, Kiraithe was the chief administrator of what is now the Kenya Children’s Home, and she had come to talk about the organization, which takes in orphaned children from around the city. After her presentation, she looked around the club.

“Initially, I thought Rotary is a place you go and pitch for support,” she says. “But after the first meeting, I started to talk to people, and I said, ‘Hmm, this looks interesting.’ So I started coming to the meetings and made friends, and I stayed on for the fellowship.” She joined in 2008.

It wasn’t long before Kiraithe saw the power of Rotary at work. Around that time, a series of violent clashes had broken out in Kenya’s Rift Valley after a deeply divisive national election. A member of the Muthaiga club had connections to communities in that region, where houses had been burned to the ground and people were living in tents. The club raised funds to buy hoes, seedlings, and containers of beans and potatoes for residents to plant.

FULL STORY HERE

May is Youth Service Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 3rd May

President-Elect Albert, filling in for President Howard, welcomed 17 members and 1 guest to our weekly meeting.  After a delicious roast dinner, Grahame and Paul gave a talk on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.  Because a number of members were absent on the night, the talk was more of a teaser, with a more fully developed talk to be given at a later date.  Nonetheless, the talk was a good introduction to a fairly complicated topic.  Grahame discussed the investment aspects of cryptocurrencies, noting that cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have increased in value substantially over the past year, despite numerous ups and downs.  From an opening price of ca. $175 AUD in 2013, the current price of Bitcoin is > $71,000 AUD!  Although lower in price than Bitcoin, Ethereum has shown some impressive increases in value over the past year: from $319 AUD in May 2020, it has risen to > $4,350 AUD today.  As with all investments, there are no guarantees of unlimited growth, but wise investment decisions can yield handsome gains.

Although cryptocurrencies are starting to be accepted for payment for some goods, they should be viewed as investments at this point.  Paul described some of the arcane aspects of the technology behind Bitcoin, describing blockchain technology and the “mining” process that produces more Bitcoin. Blockchain technology in a transparent ledger system used to validate Bitcoin transactions (to help prevent counterfeiting), and has found uses in many other accounting and engineering systems beyond cryptocurrency exchange.  New Bitcoins are produced by a process called mining, which involves the use of computers to guess a random number that serves to validate each Bitcoin transaction; the first person or group to complete a block of Bitcoin transactions is awarded a number of Bitcoins (or fraction thereof). Because a lot of computing power is needed to correctly complete a substantial number of Bitcoin transactions, a lot of electricity is consumed, which is one of the main criticisms of Bitcoin.  There was a surprising amount of interest in the talks, but those who missed out on Monday will be able to catch up on the more detailed talk promised in a few weeks’ time.

The evening concluded with a fine session let by fill-in Sergeant-at-Arms Dick, who spared no one with his entertaining fines.  The raffle was won by Paul.

DIARY

Friday 14th May – John Bond’s Clearing Sale. Kincora (Millwood Road), 8:30 am – 1:00 pm.

Saturday 15th May – D9705 Assembly. Young Services Club, Young.  9.00 am  – 5.00 pm.  Hennessey College Young.

Sunday May 30th – DisTec21. Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa St., Young, 10 am – 4 pm.

* Monday July 5th:  CRC Change Over Dinner at the Coolamon Sports Club, 6.30 for 7 pm

* denotes partner and guest night

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: He was making a shopping list!

This week’s puzzler: 

Henk, unbeknownst to most Rotarians, is a master dartsman, and was bragging to his bar mates that he was such a consummate player, he could hit the dartboard in any location at will.

“I’ll wager a hundred dollars that, no matter what position you name on the board, I’ll be able to hit it.”

Albert, tired of Henk’s windbaggery, shouted out an answer.

Henk stammered for a few moments and at first refused to pay. The other bar patrons, however, made sure he held up his end of the wager. Henk slammed a hundred dollar bill on the counter and stormed out.

Where on the dartboard did Albert suggest?

ROTARY NEWS

1. Rotary Coolamon and Wagga Wagga Sunrise Joint Project.

Mount Kenya 2015 April 23-May 3rd

6 Years ago we climbed Mount Kenya to Point Lenana the third highest peak on Mount Kenya.  Some of us who were there are thinking of doing it again to raise funds for Tracy Ochieng’s Big Sisters project.  Just thinking that is!!

2. Rotary involvement in COVID-19 vaccinations

Rotary is taking action in response to the pandemic as our clubs support COVID-19 vaccination and continued prevention efforts around the world.

May is Youth Service Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.

Week of 26th April

President Howard welcomed 18 members and one guest to our weekly meeting, which featured talks by PDG John G and guest Mick O’Brien.  John provided a brief history of the involvement of Australia and New Zealand in the early stages of WWI at Gallipoli, and his father’s involvement in same.  John has been doing a bit of family genealogy lately, and was keen to share his findings with the club.  Feel free to ask John for the details, but it was a most engaging and enlightening talk.  Mick O’Brien followed with a tutorial on Two-Up, the gambling game popular among Aussie servicemen and allowed to played legally around Australia on ANZAC Day.  Mick had previously conducted Two-Up “schools” (the term used for gambling sessions featuring Two-Up) for many years, but has recently retired.  Mick did a great job explaining how the game is played; although the game is simple in concept, the wagering can get a bit complicated and tricky to follow after consumption of alcohol, which is a universal complement to Two-Up.  Those in attendance were very appreciative of the interesting talks by John and Mick. As usual, the evening concluded with an amusing fine session led by Sergeant-At-Arms Albert and raffle, which was won by Garth.

ANZAC  DAY 2021

DIARY

* Monday 3rd May – Speaker meeting. Grahame Miles and Paul Weston will talk on cryptocurrency (e.g. BITCOIN); learn how it works and how it will become part of our lives.  Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.

Saturday 15th May – D9705 Assembly. Young Services Club, Young.  9.00 am  – 5.00 pm.  Hennessey College Young.

* Monday July 5th:  CRC Change Over Dinner at the Coolamon Sports Club, 6.30 for 7 pm

* denotes partner and guest night

GANMAIN HALL

23 April – This was such an amazing night of music.  Sometimes we don’t realise what’s available to us in our own backyard. Thanks to everyone who supports our beautiful hall because it really is a town treasure.

JUST FOR LAUGHS

THE PUZZLER

Answer to last week’s puzzler: Eyelashes.

This week’s puzzler:

Bruce needed to go to the store to buy some ingredients to cook with. He started writing them down:
Butter
Milk
Eggs
Baking Soda
Cashews
Oranges
Vinegar
Lemon Juice

What was Bruce making?

ROTARY NEWS

1)  DISTRICT 9705 ASSEMBLY

2) DISTEC 21

Click on the image below for a close encounter with DISTEC 21 thanks to Paul Murray for this bit of clever editing.

Welcome to the DisTec21 website.  This page is the main resource for all information relating to the District 9705 Technology Training Seminar in Young on May 30th 2021.  The day starts at 10 am and goes till  4 pm.  The address is Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa Street, Young.   Morning tea and lunch are included.

The training is targeted at club Presidents and Secretaries, however all Rotarians are welcomed. There is a very limited number of places available.   50 Rotarians is the maximum we can train.   So if you wish to participate in the training you must register first.  We are attempting to encourage clubs in the former district 9710 to attend the training since they have had less experience in the normal use of ClubRunner.  We are planning on providing a LIVE streaming of the day on the district’s Youtube Channel and providing video recordings of speakers.

You are advised to register as soon as possible.  This training is a valuable opportunity that would commercially be very expensive to attend.  The day is funded by district 9705, and included with the training is morning tea and lunch and considerable resource materials.

We will provide training in beginning, intermediate and advanced ClubRunner.  In addition to this and perhaps more important, we will be training in the creation and development of news and stories…the basic building blocks of a newsletter, booklet, bulletin, web page, web story and directories.  The Rotarians from DisTec19’s produced the stories for the DisTec Dispatch which is avaliable for your review.  We will be refining and building upon this publication.   The use of ClubRunner to communicate our message to ourselves, our families, friends, communities and the general public is the core of the training day.

In addition to ClubRunner training, we will be using valuable software tools that will advance your I.T. skills.  A sample of the sessions include:

• Photo, graphics, video and audio editing
• Video Conferencing and video streaming using Zoom
• Taking photos with your smartphone and uploading to ClubRunner and Facebook in minutes

April is  Maternal & Child Care Month

Graphics by Debbie Vance McKay from Canada.