Another good turn out of 18 members at our meeting with Howard in the Chair.
Reminders:
Half yearly fees are now overdue at $150.00 please pay Henk.
End of the hiring of the Coolamon Community Hall for Bingo now Bingo has ended.
Notice from Steph Cooke MP that Steph will attend our 50th party and will open the Rotary Caravan Shed at 6.00pm on Monday 1st March prior to our birthday party, all members are welcome to attend at the Showground.
Letters sent to Cheryl Crocker and Sandra West inviting them to attend our 50th and to cut the cake both have accepted.
Billets required for the Batlow contingent to our 50th Party as soon as Batlow reply we will have numbers required.
The 50th Birthday cake has been ordered.
Meeting of the 50th Birthday Party Committee set for Wednesday 3rd February.
Request to man the Ganmain Historical Society Open Day on Saturday March 20th. names to John Glassford please.
Howard attended the Coolamon Shire Council Australia Day Dinner.
Albert conducted a spirited fines session as usual.
DIARY
Monday 8th February – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday 15th February – Speaker meeting. Guest speaker: Craig from the Coolamon Ambulance. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Wednesday 17th February Next Board Meeting at the Sports Club 7.00 for 7.30pm start.
Friday 26th February Neil and Clare Munro’s Clearance Sale starting at 9.00am volunteers needed please contact Dick Jennings for details on how you can help.
Monday 1st March – COOLAMON ROTRY’S 50th BIRTHDAY PARTY
Our District 9705 Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM and PP Helen Moore will be our honoured guests. Please have your attendance in by Monday 22nd February.
Cost $25 per head catering by Gilbert and Di. Dress code: women smart casual and men jackets and ties. Please book with Ian Jennings or John Glassford bookings close on Monday 22nd February.
Monday 22nd March Club Assembly
Friday 19th-Sunday 21st March 2021. District 9705 Conference in Bathurst.
JUST FOR LAUGHS
THE PUZZLER
Due to the absence of Paul this week in Bermagui we do not have a puzzler this week.
Can anyone tell us what a mob of baboons is called?
ROTARY NEWS
RI PRESIDENT ELECT SHEKHAR MEHTA’S THEME 2021-2022
Incoming Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta urged members to become more involved in service projects, saying that caring for and serving others is the best way to live because it changes not only other people’s lives, but also our own.
Mehta, a member of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India, revealed the 2021-22 presidential theme, Serve to Change Lives, to incoming district governors on 1 February during the Rotary International Assembly. The assembly, a yearly training event for district governors-elect, was originally set to take place in Orlando, Florida, USA, but was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
February is Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution Month
Graphics by Debbie Vance
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2020-21
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
Our first regular meeting of 2021 took place on Monday, 25 January. IPP Daryl Breust welcomed twenty members and several guests. This was a general catch-up meeting welcoming members back from the Christmas break and an opportunity for long-overdue fellowship. Grahame gave a rundown of the Monster Raffle, which produced a tidy profit to be shared among the Coolamon-Ganmain Hospital, Allawah Lodge, and the club. Thanks are due to the Monster Raffle committee for their superlative effort to make this happen. The meeting concluded with the weekly raffle, which was won by Chez.
Monday 2nd February – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Friday 26th February Neil and Clare Munro’s Clearance Sale starting at 9.00am volunteers needed please contact Dick Jennings for details on how you can help.
Monday 1st March – COOLAMON ROTRY’S 50th BIRTHDAY PARTY
Our District 9705 Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM and PP Helen Moore will be our honoured guests.
Friday 19th-Sunday 21st March 2021. District 9705 Conference in Bathurst.
The main program is on Saturday and Sunday, 20th and 21st March in Bathurst, with a Welcome Reception on Friday evening at 5pm. The details for reception are:
The Welcome Function is an informal event being held at the Bathurst Motor Racing Museum at Mount Panorama, Bathurst which is at the entrance to the Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit. It is an impressive museum.
An informal BBQ Dinner will be served by Bathurst Rotary Clubs. The cost is $27 per person and Rotarians will register and pay for the function on the Booking Website which will go live as soon as the District Board approves the finances. Note that the museum is only able to hold 300 guests at the venue outside, with 200 inside being the maximum allowed under Covid rules.
The Motor Racing Museum is a very interesting venue with a large number of racing cars.
Drinks will be available for purchase from the Museum.
The format is informal; smart casual dress and BBQ meal. DG Michael Moore will make a short welcome speech at an appropriate time.
The conference will take place in the Bathurst Entertainment centre not the Convention centre as advertised above.
In recognition of Australia Day, this essay from Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (a little long, but worth the read!):
AUSTRALIA AND AUSTRALIANS
“Australia is a very confusing place, taking up a large amount of the bottom half of the planet. It is recognisable from orbit because of many unusual features, including what at first looks like an enormous bite taken out of its southern edge; a wall of sheer cliffs which plunge into the girting sea.
Geologists assure us that this is simply an accident of geomorphology, but they still call it the “Great Australian Bight”, proving that not only are they covering up a more frightening theory, but they can’t spell, either.
The first of the confusing things about Australia is the status of the place. Where other landmasses and sovereign lands are classified as continent, island or country, Australia is considered all three.
Typically, it is unique in this.
The second confusing thing about Australia is the animals. They can be divided into three categories: Poisonous, Odd, and Sheep. It is true that of the 10 most poisonous arachnids on the planet, Australia has 9 of them. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that of the 9 most poisonous arachnids, Australia has all of them.
Any visitors should be careful to check inside boots (before putting them on), under toilet seats (before sitting down) and generally everywhere else.
A stick is very useful for this task.
The last confusing thing about Australia is the inhabitants.
A short history: Sometime around 40,000 years ago some people arrived in boats from the north. They ate all the available food, and a lot of them died.
The ones who survived learned respect for the balance of nature, man’s proper place in the scheme of things, and spiders. They settled in and spent a lot of the intervening time making up strange stories. They also discovered a stick that kept coming back.
Then, around 200 years ago, Europeans arrived in boats from the north.
More accurately, European convicts were sent, with a few deranged people in charge. They tried to plant their crops in autumn (failing to take account of the reversal of the seasons), ate all their food, and a lot of them died.
About then the sheep arrived, and have been treasured ever since. It is interesting to note here that the Europeans always consider themselves vastly superior to any other race they encounter, since they can lie, cheat, steal and litigate (marks of a civilised culture they say), whereas all the Aboriginals can do is happily survive being left in the middle of a vast red-hot desert – equipped with a stick.
Eventually, the new lot of people stopped being Europeans on ‘extended holiday’ and became Australians. The changes are subtle, but deep, caused by the mind-stretching expanses of nothingness and eerie quiet, where a person can sit perfectly still and look deep inside themselves to the core of their essence, their reasons for being, and the necessity of checking inside their boots every morning for fatal surprises. They also picked up the most finely tuned sense of irony in the world, and the Aboriginal gift for making up stories. Be warned.
There is also the matter of the beaches. Australian beaches are simply the nicest and best in the world, although anyone actually venturing into the sea will have to contend with sharks, stinging jellyfish, stonefish (a fish which sits on the bottom of the sea, pretends to be a rock and has venomous barbs sticking out of its back that will kill just from the pain) and surfboarders. However, watching a beach sunset is worth the risk.
As a result of all this hardship, dirt, thirst and wombats, you would expect Australians to be a sour lot. Instead, they are genial, jolly, cheerful and always willing to share a kind word with a stranger. Faced with insurmountable odds and impossible problems, they smile disarmingly and look for a stick. Major engineering feats have been performed with sheets of corrugated iron, string and mud.
Alone of all the races on earth, they seem to be free from the ‘Grass is greener on the other side of the fence’ syndrome, and roundly proclaim that Australia is, in fact, the other side of that fence. They call the land “Oz” or “Godzone” (a verbal contraction of “God’s Own Country”). The irritating thing about this is… they may be right.
TIPS TO SURVIVING AUSTRALIA
Don’t ever put your hand down a hole for any reason – WHATSOEVER.
The beer is stronger than you think, regardless of how strong you think it is.
Always carry a stick.
Air-conditioning is imperative.
Do not attempt to use Australian slang unless you are a trained linguist and extremely good in a fist fight.
Wear thick socks.
Take good maps. Stopping to ask directions only works when there are people nearby.
If you leave the urban areas, carry several litres of water with you at all times, or you will die. And don’t forget a stick.
Even in the most embellished stories told by Australians, there is always a core of truth that it is unwise to ignore.
HOW TO IDENTIFY AUSTRALIANS
They pronounce Melbourne as “Mel-bin”.
They think it makes perfect sense to decorate highways with large fibreglass bananas, prawns and sheep.
They think “Woolloomooloo” is a perfectly reasonable name for a place, that “Wagga Wagga” can be abbreviated to “Wagga”, but “Woy Woy” can’t be called “Woy”.
Their hamburgers will contain beetroot. Apparently it’s a must-have.
How else do you get a stain on your shirt?
They don’t think it’s summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle.
They believe that all train timetables are works of fiction.
And they all carry a stick.
THE PUZZLER
Answer to the last puzzler: 1) sand box, 2) long underwear, 3) tricycle, 4) 3 degrees below zero, 5) six feet underground, 6) just between you and me, 7) split level, 8) life after death.
This week’s puzzler:
If an apple costs 40 cents, a banana costs 60 cents and a grapefruit costs 80 cents, how much would a pear cost?
JUST IN ROTARY NEWS
Taipei RICON now a virtual convention which is understandable under the circumstances. The next RICON will be Houston 2022 then Melbourne 2023. {RICON Rotary International Convention}
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2020-21
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
After a brief hiatus for the silly season, the Rotary Club of Coolamon is back in action. The first board meeting of 2021 was held on Wednesday (13 Jan), and our first regular meeting will take place on Monday, 25 January. Below are some pics from our Christmas party, which was held at the Coolamon Sport & Rec Club on 19 December. We look forward to seeing all Rotarians at our meeting on Monday; remember to confirm you attendance plans with Ian.
CRC Christmas Party
DIARY
Monday 25th January 2021. First regular meeting for 2021. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday 1st March 2021 COOLAMON ROTRY’S 50th BIRTHDAY PARTY
Details to be announced in the New Year. Our District 9705 Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM and PP Helen Moore will be our honoured guests.
Friday 19th-Sunday 21st March 2021. District 9705 Conference in Bathurst.
THE PUZZLER
Answer to the last puzzler: 1) sand box, 2) long underwear, 3) tricycle, 4) 3 degrees below zero, 5) six feet underground, 6) just between you and me, 7) split level, 8) life after death.
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2020-21
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
What can I say? God is good to me. He’s shining my star so bright, I’m in awe.
These are blessings that will set us up for success🥺🥺
My first outreach was a feat, and for the moments where I doubted myself, God’s mighty hand strengthened me.
The feedback from the workshop, astounding!
We shared Christmas packages to the 20 young adults we trained and spared 10 packages for our elderly.
Blessed beyond measure. Tracy.
Our weekly meeting was the last of 2020. Much of the evening was spent scrunching up Monster Raffle tickets in preparation for the draw on NYE. Hundreds of tickets were sold in Coolamon, Ganmain and the surrounding areas, which will allow us to make generous donations to the Coolamon-Ganmain Hospital and Allawah Lodge. We’ll be selling raffle tickets for another week or so, and the draw will take place at the Coolamon Sport & Rec Club on NYE. Kudos to the raffle committee, especially Brian, Grahame and Albert for their exceptional work organising the prizes and selling the bulk of the tickets. We had hoped to hold the draw at the NYE festival in Coolamon, but unfortumately, the festival was cancelled because of COVID. A fine session and weekly raffle rounded out the evening.
CRC Christmas Party
We held our Christmas party at the Coolamon Sport & Rec Club on Saturday, December 19th. We were treated to a fabulous meal featuring lamb roasted on the barbie, similar to other roasts that John G had done over the years:
We had a great roll-up of members on the evening. We’re hopeful for a return to more “normal” times in 2021, despite the recent flare-up in COVID numbers in the northern beaches area of Sydney. Best wishes to all for a joyous Christmas season and a healthful and prosperous new year.
DIARY
Wednesday 20th January. First board meeting for 2021, TBC. If required.
Monday 25th January 2021. First regular meeting for 2021. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday 1st. March 2021 COOLAMON ROTRY’S 50th BIRTHDAY PARTY .
Details to be announced in the New Year. Our District 9705 Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM and PP Helen Moore will be our honoured guests.
Friday 19th-Sunday 21st March 2021. District 9705 Conference in Bathurst.
THE PUZZLER
Answer to the last puzzler: The fourth child was Tracey!
This week’s puzzler is a set of rebus puzzles to keep you occupied over the holidays until we resume in late January. Enjoy!(?)
ROTARY NEWS
NEWS FROM TRACY AND HER BIG SISTERS’ INITIATIVE.
Morning John and Fred,
I’m on my way to Kendubay and I wanted to share the progress so far. I came up with the idea to brand our books and the facilitator’s t-shirts so that we can have a lasting impression. We could have gone all out on the Christmas package bags but that would have been expensive. I’m so happy with how the t-shirts and books turned out.
So far, we are all set!
Many thanks, words couldn’t describe the gratitude that’s flowing in my heart.
Merry Christmas
Love always,
Tracy
JUST FOR LAUGHS
If 2020 was a swing!
ONLY IN AFRICA
Happy Christmas to you all from Paul and John
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2020-21
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
Our weekly meeting focused on several items of business (Monster Raffle ticket sales, planning for the Christmas party, etc.) as well as fellowship. Sales of raffle tickets are going well, but we have a few weeks left until the draw (NYE). Because of COVID restrictions, no guests are being invited to presentation nights at the area schools, so members will not be able to present our annual donations to the schools. The meeting closed with a fine session and raffle.
Thursday marked the end of an era for the Rotary Club of Coolamon. After thirty years, the club has decided to put an end to our monthly bingo. The club raised over $30,000 for the local hospital over that time, but the number of players has declined steadily over that time to the point that it’s hard to justify the number of person-hours required to run bingo. It was fitting that Barb and June Inch won the majority of games on the night, given the support they’ve shown for bingo over the years.
OTHER NEWS
Chez and Alex in the mood for Christmas 2020!
DIARY
Monday, December 14th – LAST Regular Meeting for 2020. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm. Don’t forget to bring your Monster Raffle tickets (and money) to the meeting.
Friday December 18th- Monster Raffle ticket sales at Coolamon Foodworks
Saturday December 19th– CRC Annual Christmas Partyat the Coolamon Sports and Recreation Club, 7.00 for 7.30 pm start. Whole roast lamb in a roasting oven plus, bookings essential.
Wednesday 20th January. First board meeting for 2021, TBC. If required.
Monday 25th January 2021. First regular meeting for 2021. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday 1st. March 2021 COOLAMON ROTRY’S 50th BIRTHDAY PARTY .
Details to be announced in the New Year. Our District 9705 Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM and PP Helen Moore will be our honoured guests.
Friday 19th-Sunday 21st March 2021. District 9705 Conference in Bathurst.
REMINDERS
1. CHRISTMAS PARTY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19th
Venue: Coolamon Sports and Recreation Club, 7.00 for 7.30 pm start.
Menu includes whole roasted lamb.
2. MONSTER RAFFLE TICKETS
Please return your raffle ticket butts and funds raised to Grahame Miles and Albert Suidgeest; Grahame would like to have these by Monday (14 December).
Keep selling the remaining tickets that you have and again these need to be in before the draw on New Year’s Eve.
Thanks.
THE PUZZLER
Answer to the last puzzler: From the letters that spell out 5 (F I V E), remove the first and last letters, which leaves IV (four in Roman numerals)
This week’s puzzler:
Tracy’s mother had 4 children. The first child was named April, the second was named May, the third June. What was the 4th child called?
ROTARY NEWS
1. ROTARY CLUB OF ORANGE
This is a great idea and a great way to raise funds for our chosen charities we support.
Last week, while attending the All Africa Rotary International Institute, held in Kampala, Uganda, I had the distinct honour of being confirmed by the President of Rotary International, Holger Knaack, as Director Nominee for Zone 22, on the Board of Directors of Rotary International.
I will be taking over from an extremely illustrious colleague, Yinka Babalola, from Nigeria.
The RI Director for Zone 22 is responsible for superintending Rotary work in all the 54 countries on the African continent – a very demanding assignment!
This is the very first time in nearly 70 years of Rotary’s existence in Zambia, that a Zambian has ascended to this distinguished role.
One of my passions in life is to render service to humankind. I will therefore dedicate my tenure of service as Director, to advancing the work of Rotary in Africa to the next level.
In the photo above, I am seen in red tie standing next to Director Yinka Babalola and other senior African Rotary leaders.
NOTE: Patrick is a great friend and I served with Patrick on the RFFA Board for 3 years.
PDG Patrick Chisanga standing far right with the RFFA Board in Atlanta in 2009.
JUST FOR LAUGHS
Is Santa Claus a Rotarian?
There has long been suspicion that Santa Claus is a Rotarian.
Therefore efforts were put by PDG Chris Offer to discover the truth!
So, Santa needs a Rotary club if he is a Rotarian. Chris checked the International Directory and then the RI web site for Where Clubs Meet. Sure enough, he found a possible club. The Rotary Club of North Pole is in District 5010, Alaska, located near Fairbanks. This is a smidgen baffling since everyone knows the real North Pole is in Canada . Santa may prefer to be in the warmer south of Alaska rather than the north. He could also be a member of an E-club but Chris doubts that as he clearly likes Rotary lunches.
Next Santa would need a classification. There are several possibilities, Toys-Export, Reindeer- Teamster, Counsellor Pre-Adolescent Behaviour, Toys-Manufacturing or Elf Management.
All valid classifications. There is no indication of a Rotary pin on his jacket but it could be concealed under all that fur trim. If Santa is a Rotarian, he plainly is a 100% attender and has never missed a Rotary lunch.
The real evidence is, does he act like a Rotarian? Does he put “Service Above Self?”
The answer is unequivocally yes. Santa is dedicated to improving the lives of children. He is committed to bringing happiness to children around the world no matter what race, religion, creed or ethnic group they are from. He distributes tens of thousands of books to children to increase literacy and he gives gifts of toys that stimulate young minds to achieve their full potential. He volunteers as a mentor, spending countless hours at shopping malls listening to children’s secret wishes. Santa without question works to realize the Object of Rotary.
The only conclusion that has been reached is, “Yes, Santa Claus is a Rotarian!
I just hope he does a make up at my club this year!
Words: PDG Chris Offer
District 5040 – Rotary Club of Ladner (Delta, BC) Canada
ONLY IN AFRICA
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2020-21
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
Club activities are at a crawl as many members are tied up day and night with harvest. It looks to be a record-breaking year for most crops, so good luck getting the last of the crop harvested before Christmas.
Because of the large number of members engaged in the harvest, we have not lined up guest speakers for the past few meetings. We will resume our guest speaker schedule in February. The lull has given us additional time for fellowship, so the meetings have been quite relaxed. Sergeant-At-Arms Albert has kept up the pressure on members to behave, lest they become the target of his fine sessions. The members must be behaving because there have been fairly few fines levied for the past two weeks, but Grahame continues to cop his fair share of abuse.
Don’t forget get your booking in for the Christmas party, which should be a doozy. The date is Saturday, December 19th–be there or be square!
OTHER NEWS
CRC BOARD DECISIONS
At the November board meeting of the CRC, the following decisions were made on behalf of our members:
END OF BINGO: That the Coolamon Rotary Club discontinue the running of Bingo nights after the last Bingo on December 10th 2020.
CHRISTMAS PARTY: To hold the Christmas Party at the Coolamon Sports Club on Saturday December the 19th. That the event is to be self-catering.
MONSTER RAFFLE DRAW: That the monster raffle draw for all 9 prizes to take place at the Coolamon Sports and Recreation Club at 9.00pm on Thursday December 31st 2020. Albert is or has booked the following dates for the monster raffle: Coolamon Newsagents on Saturday December 12th, Ganmain Newsagency on Friday December 11th, and Coolamon Foodworks on Friday December 18th.
COOLAMON COMMUNITY CHRONICLE: That the CRC forms a committee to support Sally Farmer with the publication of the CCC.
MONSTER RAFFLE NEWS:
On Friday November 27th a wonderful effort selling the tickets outside the Foodworks supermarket and a total of $1,300 in tickets were sold. Congratulations to Albert Suidgeest and all who sold the tickets.
DIARY
Monday, December 7th – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday, December 7th – District 9705 Special General Meeting (via Zoom). 6:45 pm. The club needs to have a representative at the meeting.
Tuesday December 8th. Coolamon Late Night Christmas Shopping 4.00-8.00pm. There will be 25 shops taking part and we will be selling monster raffle tickets. Volunteers required.
Thursday December 10th – THE FINALBINGO NIGHT FOR COOLAMON ROTARY CLUB. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm. Roster: Henk (Captain), Albert, Anne, Howard.
Friday December 11th– Monster raffle ticket sales at the Ganmain Newsagency.
Saturday December 12th– Monster raffle ticket sales at Coolamon Newsagency.
Monday, December 14th – LAST Regular Meeting for 2020. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Friday December 18th- Monster raffle ticket sales at Coolamon Foodworks
Saturday December 19th– CRC Annual Christmas Partyat the Coolamon Sports and Recreation Club, 7.00 for 7.30 pm start. Whole roast lamb in a roasting oven plus, bookings essential.
Wednesday 20th January. First board meeting for 2021, TBC. If required.
Monday 25th January 2021. First regular meeting for 2021. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday 1st. March 2021 COOLAMON ROTRY’S 50th BIRTHDAY PARTY .
Details to be announced in the New Year. Our District 9705 Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM and PP Helen Moore will be our honoured guests.
Friday 19th-Sunday 21st March 2021. District 9705 Conference in Bathurst.
REMINDERS
CHRISTMAS PARTY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19th
Venue: Coolamon Sports and Recreation Club, 7.00 for 7.30 pm start.
Menu includes whole roasted lamb.
Christmas 2008 in Ganmain
THE PUZZLER
Answer to the last puzzler: Give one of the girls her apple in the basket.
This week’s puzzler:
How can you take 2 from 5 and leave 4?
ROTARY NEWS
1. TOILETRY KITS TO HELP END TRACHOMA
This exciting project is not only continuing the great work of Rotarians in supporting financially the End Trachoma Project, it is also meeting the request of many Rotary Clubs and Rotarians about how we can make a hands-on difference.
The result:The Toiletry Kit
The Aim: to prepare 2,000 Toiletry kits for distribution to 2,000 school children in 30 schools in the Northern Territory.
How: ask your Rotary Club to commit to making up a certain number of kits (see contents below) – this number will be matched to a school, or for smaller Clubs your effort will be shared with other Clubs to meet the goal for a larger school.
Contact: PDG Michael Milston to record your interest: 0419 414 959 | e: [email protected]
2. COOLAMON ROTARY 50th ANNIVERSARY
As you are all aware by now we are having our 50th anniversary of our charter as a member of Rotary International. The anniversary is March 3rd 2021 our mother club is Narrandera Rotary Club.
The committee for the celebrations is looking for stories of Rotary in Coolamon some detective work is needed on this story sent to us by PP Neil Munro. If one of you can write up how our club was involved please send it to us, thanks, and thanks Neil:
3.Wagga Rotary women recognised for service.
FAMILY: Wagga rotary women Elaine Almond, Ellen Brasier, Mary Ann Kelly and Vida Smart say the club is like a family. Picture: Wagga Rotary
In 2002, the Wagga Rotary branch welcomed its first female member, with women not allowed to join until the 1990s.
Since then, 30 women have joined the club, with three former presidents among its current nine female members.
This year, the men of the club got together to surprise those nine members with Rotary International pins recognising women’s participation, donating funds for the gesture out of their own pockets.
As a joke, my brother used to hang a pair of panty hose over his fireplace before Christmas. He said all he wanted was for Santa to fill them. What they say about Santa checking the list twice must be true because every Christmas morning, although Jay’s kids’ stockings were overflowed, his poor pantyhose hung sadly empty.
One year I decided to make his dream come true. I put on sunglasses and went in search of an inflatable love doll. They don’t sell those things at Wal-Mart. I had to go to an adult bookstore downtown.
If you’ve never been in an X-rated store, don’t go. You’ll only confuse yourself. I was there an hour saying things like, “What does this do?” “You’re kidding me!” “Who would buy that?”
Finally, I made it to the inflatable doll section. I wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll that could also substitute as a passenger in my car so I could use the carpool lane during rush hour.
Finding what I wanted was difficult. Love dolls come in many different models. The top of the line, according to the side of the box, could do things I’d only seen in a book on animal husbandry. I settled for ‘Lovable Louise.” She was at the bottom of the price scale.
To call Louise a “doll” took a huge leap of imagination. On Christmas Eve, with the help of an old bicycle pump, Louise came to life. My sister-in-law was in on the plan and let me in during the wee morning hours, long after Santa had come and gone, I filled the dangling pantyhose with Louise’s pliant legs and bottom. I also ate some cookies and drank what remained of a glass of milk on a nearby tray.
I went home and giggled for a couple of hours. The next morning my brother called to say that Santa had been to his house and left a present that had made him VERY happy but had left the dog confused. She would bark, start to walk away, then come back and bark some more. We all agreed that Louise should remain in her panty hose so the rest of the family could admire her when they came over for the traditional Christmas dinner.
My grandmother noticed Louise the moment she walked in the door. “What the hell is that?” she asked. My brother quickly explained, “It’s a doll.” “Who would play with something like that?” Granny snapped. I had several candidates in mind, but kept my mouth shut. “Where are her clothes?” Granny continued. “Boy, that turkey sure smells nice, Gran,” Jay said, trying to steer her into the dining room. But Granny was relentless. “Why doesn’t she have any teeth?” Again, I could have answered, but why would I? It was Christmas and no one wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance saying,”Hang on Granny! Hang on!”
My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me and said, “Hey, who’s the naked gal by the fireplace?” I told him she was Jay’s friend. A few minutes later I noticed Grandpa by the mantel, talking to Louise. Not just talking, but actually flirting. It was then that we realized this might be Grandpa’s last Christmas at home.
The dinner went well. We made the usual small talk about who had died, who was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly Louise made a noise that sounded a lot like my father in the bathroom in the morning. Then she lurched from the panty hose, flew around the room twice, and fell in a heap in front of the sofa. The cat screamed. I passed cranberry sauce through my nose, and Grandpa ran across the room, fell to his knees, and began administering mouth to mouth resuscitation. My brother fell back over his chair and wet his pants. Granny threw down her napkin, stomped out of the room, and sat in the car.
It was indeed a Christmas to treasure and remember. Later in my brother’s garage, we conducted a thorough examination and found the cause of Louise’s collapse. We discovered that Louise had suffered from a hot ember to the back of her right thigh.
Fortunately, thanks to a wonder drug called duct tape, we restored her to perfect health. Louise went on to star in several bachelor party movies. I think Grandpa still calls her whenever he can get out of the house.
POSTSCRIPT
ONLY IN AFRICA
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2020-21
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
With many members engaged in the harvest, attendance was light and we used the meeting time mainly for fellowship, which we don’t get to do often enough! A few items of business were conducted, mainly involving the Monster Raffle (and the fact that we won’t be able to have the draw at the NYE festival as planned since the festival has been cancelled this year because of the pandemic!). The meeting concluded with brief fine session and raffle, as usual. We’re still looking for a member to attend the special general meeting of District 9705 (via Zoom) on December 7th (which unfortunately takes place at the time of our weekly meeting). Perhaps one of our members who might be sitting on a header at the time instead of attending the meeting will be able to attend!
NB We had planned to have a visit by the new District Governor (via Zoom) for next week’s meeting, but the meeting has been postponed until March. This is actually a welcome development because the DG is planning to attend in person in March (likely on the occasion of our 50th anniversary celebration). Stay tuned for details….
OTHER NEWS
CRC 50th. ANNIVERSARY
We are looking at ways to celebrate our 50th anniversary as a Rotary club. We need memorabilia the older the better. Also any photographs either digital or printed would be appreciated. I have hundreds of photos in digital form and here are three that may bring back some memories for some of us:
DIARY
Monday, November 23rd – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Wednesday, November 25th – Board Meeting, Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7.00 pm.
Monday, November 30th – Fellowship Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday, December 7th – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday, December 7th – District 9705 Special General Meeting (via Zoom). 6:45 pm. The club needs to have a representative at the meeting.
Thursday December 10th – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm.
Monday, December 14th – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm. Last meeting of 2020.
REMINDERS
Christmas is not far away–we need your ideas for a Christmas Party this year.
THE PUZZLER
Answer to the last puzzler: The letter “E”.
This week’s puzzler: Five apples are in a basket. How do you divide them among five girls so that each girl gets an apple, but one apple remains in the basket?
ROTARY NEWS
1. Presidential message
Holger Knaack
President 2020-21
December 2020
As I look back on 2020, I reflect on how our lives have changed. The global COVID-19 pandemic brought pain and loss to many of us. And for almost all of us, our daily lives, family time, and work also changed this year. But we’ve made it to the end of this difficult year, not on our own but by reaching out to one another, as we always do in Rotary. With each passing year, I become prouder of our organization.
I will choose to remember 2020 as a year of great change and strength for us; Rotary didn’t stop, despite the pandemic. We removed obstacles, found new ways to connect, and embraced new approaches to service, such as online projects and virtual fundraising. I have invited two Rotarians to share their stories about how Rotary grew stronger this year.
Click on the logo above for details on this Rotary Action Group.
Late 2019, just before the coronavirus began its relentless march around the world, I joined a group of fourth graders in their crowded classroom in an Ethiopian village. Their teacher posed an adventurous question to the students: What would you like to be one day?
“I would like to be a nurse and help people.”
“A doctor!”
“A teacher or a businessman.”
They were answers you might hear in any fourth grade classroom, anywhere in the world. But this was no ordinary group of elementary school pupils, so I asked a follow-up question: How old are you?
It’s a special time. Rotary in Australia and NZ celebrates the First 100 years of Service in 2021.
In 1921, four Rotary Clubs were created in Melbourne, Auckland, Wellington and Sydney. From there, Rotary and Rotaract clubs were created everywhere across Australia and NZ. We all share a centenary in 2021. We can come together and create a common legacy. Think about the impact we can make!
It’s the time to discover what is the best way to mark the occasion! And create a legacy that propels Rotary into the next century of service. This is so important – we will not have another chance in our lifetime!
We have a plan to make people aware, capture ideas of what we can do and enlist willing players in a part of history. We have constructed a toolkit to help Rotary leaders to help build that story. That’s what this website is about. You can also join us on Facebook.
So get started with our introductory video click on the earth below:
IT WILL ALSO BE COOLAMON ROTARY’S 50th. ANNIVERSARY IN 2021
Coolamon has been invited to take part in the Area 3 celebrations in Wagga Wagga.
Sunrise Rotary has undertaken to implement the proposal to recognise the centenary of Rotary and has commenced organisation of this event by forming a steering committee.
The celebration is planned to take place on Sunday 18th April (3 days before the centenary of RC of Melbourne, Australia’s first Rotary Club) and will be held in the Victory Memorial Gardens, Wagga from about 11am to 4pm
Organisers are keen to have other Rotary Clubs become involved especially those clubs in Area 3 beyond Wagga’s environs. . A nominated representative of your club is invited to attend the first meeting of the committee. This is scheduled for Thursday 3 December at 5.30pm and will be held upstairs at Romano’s, cnr Fitzmaurice & Sturt Streets Wagga.
JUST FOR LAUGHS
POSTSCRIPT
Seeing as we love our sports and Monday night’s we usually toast any Australian success in the past week this table is for all Rugby Union or Rugger fans, especially Garth:
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2020-21
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
This week was the Annual General Meeting of the Rotary Club of Coolamon, and the major item of business was the election of directors for 2021-22. The board for our next Rotary year is as follows:
RC of Coolamon Board 2021-2022
President: Albert Suidgeest (Elected 2019 AGM)
Vice-President (Immediate Past President): Daryl Breust
President Elect 2022-2023: Paul Weston
Secretary: John Glassford
Treasurer: Henk Hulsman
Foundation: Neil Munro
Membership: Dick Jennings
Club Administration: Ian Jennings
Service Projects: Daryl Breust
Youth Services: Anne Rzeszkowski
Public Image: Grahame Miles
The meeting closed with a fine session and raffle, which was won by Paul.
OTHER NEWS
1. COOLAMON LIONS COMMUNITY PROJECT
Our Rotary Club would like to congratulate the Lions Club of Coolamon for the wonderful community project supplying AED Defibrillators in our Shire.
The Coolamon Lions Club has commenced the roll out of AED Defibrillators across the Coolamon Shire. We are pleased to announce that Defibrillators are now installed in the following locations:
COOLAMON: Up-To-Date Store, Coolamon Caravan Park, Coolamon Foodworks & Royal Tavern
GANMAIN: Ganmain Bakery & Ganmain Hall
ARDLETHAN: Ardlethan Foodworks & (soon to open) Ardlethan Museum
MARRAR: Marrar Hotel & Marrar Café
BECKOM: Beckom Hall
External signs highlighting the location of each device and which were generously donated by Ricky Hard of Regal Signs, Coolamon have been put in place, near the entry to each location and the Lions Club ask everyone to look out for the signs. An example of the sign is with the photographs.
The Defibrillators are extremely easy to use and any novice operator will be taken through the operation process by the device. However, if you wish, you can view the attached video which demonstrates the use of the AED.
The Coolamon Lions Club is proud to be leading this important community project. We hope that none of the AED’s ever need to be used, but if they save just one life the project will have been worthwhile.
Please click on the thumb nail pic for a larger image.
2. CSU Meat Tasting Fund Raising
Your community group/club/organisation is invited to participate in a research study on meat products.
Thank you for your time on the phone, it would be our pleasure to run a meat tasting fundraiser(s) for the rotary clubs in Wagga and surrounds. We are quite flexible in our approach; the group can come to us or we can come to you. We have successfully run these fundraisers for many years in the city, with groups more often than not rebooking every 6 months or so. Our team are currently on the ground in Wagga for the next month or so.
As a bit of background to the “CSU Taste-testing Fundraisers”, the Charles Sturt University’s Meat Science Department conducts taste testing sessions as part of their industry-funded (via Meat and Livestock Australia) research into the eating quality of beef and lamb. We are very happy to be able to donate $1000 to groups who participate in a taste-testing event with us.
We know how tough it’s been for community groups to raise funds lately with the usual activities not possible at present due to COVID restrictions.
It’s so exciting to be able to put money out into the community in this way and participants can feel great about not only helping their community, but also supporting valuable industry research. Win win win.
$1000 donation to a group of 60 people (plus spares in case of no-shows on the day) for just one hour of their time, or $300 for a group of 20 people.
Simple, no clean up, no cost to you (excepting venue if applicable)
All 60 participants attend a one hour taste-testing session
Each person taste-tests 7 pieces of cooked lamb or beef and fills out a simple survey
The group of 60 is split up into small ‘sittings’ (3 x 20 people) to keep us social distancing compliant
We ensure that the venue and seating/serving arrangements comply with NSW COVID restrictions
Groups need not be incorporated, nor a formal body; it could simply be a group of friends raising money for something
Group members must be over 18 and eat red meat regularly
Each event raises $1000 for the group, with just 1 hour of their participants’ time!
We feel very privileged to be able to bring these events to regional areas, supporting local communities while also conducting valuable industry research.
Please get in touch with any questions at all, anytime and I look forward to working with you to get much needed funds out there!
Monday, November 16th – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Wednesday, November 18th – Monster Raffle ticket sales, South City Mall, Wagga. Roster 8:00-10:00 am: Albert & Bear; 10:00-12:00: Anne & Garth; 12:00-2:00 pm: Ian & Bondy.
Monday, November 23rd – Speaker meeting. Speaker: District Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM (via Zoom). Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.
Wednesday, November 25th – Board Meeting, 7.30 pm at the Old Convent.
Monday, November 30th – Fellowship Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday, December 7th – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Monday, December 7th – District 9705 Special General Meeting (via Zoom). 6:45 pm. The club needs to have a representative at the meeting.
Thursday December 10th – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm.
REMINDERS
Christmas is not far away–we need your ideas for a Christmas Party this year.
THE PUZZLER
Answer to the last puzzler: Two added to eleven yields one when you at two hours to 11 o’clock.
This week’s puzzler:
I’m first in Earth,
Second in heaven,
I appear two times in a week,
You can see me only once in a year,
Although I’m in the middle of the sea.
What am I?
ROTARY NEWS
1. CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA
Become a Centurion a s a gift to our Foundation this Christmas, it is only $100 per year and the points go towards your PHF recognition. Contact Neil Munro or John Glassford on how to become a Centurion.
(Graphics by Debbie Vance).
2. MONARCH BUTTERFLY HABITAT
Rotarians pledge to restore the monarch butterfly’s disappearing habitat
Seventy-five percent of the world’s plant species are dependent on pollinators, such as the monarch, to survive
by Frank Bures
Late last winter, just before the world shut down, my family flew from Minneapolis to Mexico City, then drove two hours west toward the city of Valle de Bravo. From there, we continued on to Santuario Piedra Herrada, a nature preserve situated in the forested mountains of central Mexico.
The next morning, as the sun rose behind the mountaintops, we began our hike up a mile-long trail. The air was cool, and the sky was obscured by patchy clouds. Higher up the path, we noticed the oyamel fir trees start to take on a different appearance. They looked solid. They looked so heavy that they might fall over. They looked like they had been colonized by some strange creature.
The President’s Travels – You never know where Howard will turn up. Here he is at the Merriwagga Pub and those who were at last week’s meeting will know why Howard appears to have shrunk!
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2020-21
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
This week’s meeting featured two items of note: 1) induction of our newest member and 2) a presentation by guest speaker Prof Rod Hill. The new member to be inducted was Craig Lambert, who lists catering as his classification but is only part of what Craig does for a living. Craig has been active over the past month, attending four of our club meetings and helping with the catering of the NSW Youth Cycling Championships in Wantabadgery. Please welcome Craig to the club when you see him if you were unable to welcome him at Monday’s meeting.
President Howard welcomes newest Rotarian Craig Lambert while sponsor Dick looks on from behind.
Our guest speaker was Prof Rod Hill, Head of School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU. Aside from being a colleague of Leslie and Paul at CSU, Rod has other ties to Coolamon; he is an acquaintance of President Howard from their time living in Queensland. Rod gave a very interesting talk on his research into using gold nanoparticles as a vehicle for drug delivery. It’s a bit difficult to explain here, but Rod gave a very understandable talk describing how this approach works and how it has been used to pinpoint delivery of drugs to certain types of cells in the human body, especially cancer cells. Howard thanked Rod for a very informative talk and presented him with a memento of Coolamon Rotary as a token of our appreciation.
President Howard thanks Prof Rod Hill for his presentation.
There was no raffle on the night because of the Melbourne Cup sweep that was conducted (see results below), but Albert managed to squeak in a few fines (and some members raised some cross fines as well). All in all, it was a most enjoyable evening.
OTHER NEWS
1. RESULTS OF THE MELBOURNE CUP SWEEP:
1st Garth Perkin $72.00 Twilight Payment
2nd Ann Baker $30.00 Tiger Moth
3rd Don Dyce $12.00 Prince of Arran
Last John Bond $6.00 Avilius
2. OUR FOUNDATION NEWS
November is our Rotary Foundation Month.
The best way to support our Foundation is to become a Centurion.
$2.00 per week is all that it takes and you can then donate $100 per annum that way. We have 5 or 6 Centurions in our club although not sure which ones are current. We have one member of the Foundation Bequest Society and one multiple PHF.
Most clubs make contributions to The Foundation from funds the clubs raise but the Centurion program is personal and voluntary. It is renewed annually by members but you can request regular deductions if you prefer.
The funds are paid to the Australian Rotary Foundation Trust, going to either Polio Plus or the Annual Fund at your discretion. You contribution is recognised by the presentation of a personalised certificate by your club each year.
To many, $A100 is not a major commitment but collectively it represents a major contribution to the Foundation. Your individual contribution counts towards a Paul Harris Fellowship and adds to your club’s Annual Giving total when you direct the funds to Annual Fund – in which case, 50% will come back to our District as District Designated Funds.
Monday, November 9th – AGM. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Thursday, November 12th – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm. Roster: Grahame (captain), Garth, Bern and Alex.
Monday, November 16th – Regular Meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Wednesday, November 18th Monthly Board Meeting, 7.30 pm at the Old Convent.
Monday, November 23rd – District Governor Dr. Michael Moore AM Visit via Zoom 6.30 for 7 pm
Thursday December 10th – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45 – 10:00 pm.
REMINDERS
Christmas is not far away–we need your ideas for a Christmas Party this year.
THE PUZZLER
Answer to the last puzzler: The word is carpet.
This week’s puzzler: When can you add two to eleven and get one as the correct answer?
ROTARY NEWS
1. ROTARY DISTRICT 9705 NEWS
Presenation of motorised wheel chairs in Canberra was valued at $120,000.
Our District is proud of an initiative headed by the Rotary Club of Aurora Gungahlin Canberra, led by Club President, John Platten, in supporting a team of disabled powerchair football players by raising $120,000 in funds and sponsorships to purchase powerchairs for the Canberra United Football Club.
The initiative was also supported by several other Canberra region Rotary Clubs including:
Rotary Club of Hall,
Rotary Club of Yass,
Rotary Ginninderra,
Rotary Club of Jerrabomberra,
Rotary Club of Belconnen, as well as private member donations.
Further support was provided by various companies including Thinklogic, NetApp Australia and New Zealand, Aspen Medical Australia, Armadillo Cafe, and The Snow Foundation. The cost of transporting the powerchairs from the United States to Australia was supported by Capital Region Muscular Dystrophy, Queanbeyan Rodeo, EDI International Freight Management, and Classic Couriers.
Thanks to our Canberra region Rotary Clubs, private benefactors, and the various companies for supporting this very worthwhile Rotary project.
Further details about this project can also be found in the following news items below:
The Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors have both unanimously approved adding a new area of focus: supporting the environment.
More than $18 million in Foundation global grant funding has been allocated to environment-related projects over the past five years. Creating a distinct area of focus to support the environment will give Rotary members even more ways to bring about positive change in the world and increase our impact.
Vaccine carriers, protective equipment, megaphones to create awareness, and the polio vaccine are the tools health workers use to reach children and immunize them against polio. Your donations support these items and more. Make a gift for #WorldPolioDay and help create a polio-free world.
Your gift will be tripled by the Gates Foundation.
JUST FOR LAUGHS
POSTSCRIPT
Just in case you are confused on how the electoral college works in the USA presidential election, here is a simple explanation:
ROTARY CLUB OF COOLAMON Inc. 2020-21
Chartered March 3rd, 1971; Sponsoring Club Narrandera Rotary Club
