The year of 2018-2019 went very fast and I had a ball a wonderful and most enjoyable year as your Governor. Thank you Coolamon Rotary for your support over the past three years. This pic was at the time I handed the DG Medallion to DG John McKenzie from Orange North RC. Taken by DGE Michael Moore D9705 it is a moment in time that captures my happiness of a year that went well thanks to a great team.
Great to be back as your web master and Club Secretary!
The first meeting of the Rotary year was a big one, with 20 members and 11 guests on hand to hear guest speaker Barbara Carney give a truly engaging and thought-provoking talk.
Business of the evening was kept to a minimum but included:
Coolamon Rotary members and their guests were very privileged to hear from Barbra Carney on her role in the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety as a senior policy advisor.
Barbara began her talk by outlining that a royal commission is only called for when things are really ‘stuffed up’ and there are ‘system-wide failures’. In the case of the royal commission into aged care, the problems were highlighted by the conditions in an aged care facility called Oakden in South Australia, in which the chief psychiatrist, in support of family members, blew the whistle on the facility’s ongoing abuse and neglect which had been documented and not acted upon, as reported to the ABC’s 7:30 report.
The fallout from this was the public call for government to pass the bill for a royal commission into aged care in October of last year. On passing the bill, the Honourable Richard Tracey AM RFD QC and Ms Lynelle Briggs AO were appointed as Royal Commissioners, both of whom see this as the most important work they have ever done and envisage that the outcomes of their report will have lasting impact over the next 40 to 50 years. The terms of reference for the royal commission include but are not limited to
Barbra has extensive experience in the aged care field, having worked for ministers and government as a policy advisor. Consequently when commissioners put in requests to hire policy advisors, Commissioner Lynelle called upon Barbra to act as one of five senior policy advisors, who combined have over 300 years of experience. Barbra’s primary focus is on the terms of reference related to end of life, palliative care and person-centered care, which sees the those receiving care as a person and not a consumer which unfortunately has become a dominant ethos in society and government of late.
Barbra then went on to outline her general impressions on what the main issues are in the aged care sector, stating that many of the problems stem from layers of policy and bureaucracy that have been built up over time, creating inconsistencies in the nature and quality of care, complexity in funding arrangements and the requirements for assessment of facilities. Consequently this bureaucracy creates much more chances for things to go wrong with both for-profit and not-for-profits care providers succumbing to the bureaucratic inertia. Barbra also stated that despite this top heavy bureaucracy, the inquiry found many instances of high quality care and service that can be used as exemplars of care.
Barbra then went on to explain the inquiry process outlining that every submission to the royal commission is addressed and, as senior policy advisor, Barbra has a role in reviewing submissions and helping the commissioners and other staff to develop lines of inquiry based upon her experience. She then went on to describe both formal hearings and community forums. In formal hearings the process was much like a court case though not quite as adversarial, with witnesses able to be called. In community forums, the setting is typically a community center and much more informal. She indicated that at this point there is likely to be a community forum in Wagga Wagga next year and that the commissioners are dedicated to hearing from people west of the great divide.
The interim report on the Royal Commission is due in October and Barbra urged all present to engage with it as this report is written for the public to use to address the issues in aged care and apply pressure to government, stating that the royal commission is ‘for the people’ and that it will ‘shine light into the darkest corners’.
Barbra then answered questions, some of which were on the assessment process. Barbra outlined that there are approximately 150 aged care assessors and that up until recently assessors gave notice on when they were going to inspect a facility, with foreseeable results that the facility would be ‘prepared’ for their arrival. Guest Simone Fuller, manager of Allawah Lodge, said that the staff at Allawah found the assessment process extensive and very collegiate, with she and her staff taking on board the feedback gained from the assessment process. Barbra indicated that such a response from a care facility was the most exemplary case that the commission has found.
Barbra wrapped up the talk by saying that to be a part of the Royal Commission has been the greatest privilege of her career and encouraged all present to make submission on any and all aspects of aged care they felt relevant, both positive and negative, and attend community forums to make sure that the public voice is heard.
Dates and locations of Community forums can be found and Submission can made via the link below
Which famous person said this?
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
The author of last week’s quote was Clint Eastwood.
Thursday, 11 July – Bingo. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45-10:00. Roster: Wayne (Captain), Sarah, John B, Alex.
Saturday, 13 July – Street raffle. Coolamon Newsagency. Prize is a trailer load of wood. Roster: 6:30-8:30, Don & Howard; 8:30-10:30, Paul & Bernadette; 10:30-12:00, Sarah & Alex.
Wednesday, 17 July – Rotary Board meeting 7:00pm
*Monday, 22 July – Speaker meeting. Guest speakers: Karen Fryer and Michelle Booth about the milk bottle top recycling project. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
September 20-22 Australian New Zealand Rotary Conference, Christchurch.
Friday, 4th October – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.
* denotes partner & guest night
Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.
Subs are now due.
Welcome to the new Rotary year under President Wayne Lewis.
On the July 1st we celebrated a fantastic year under president Daryl Bruest and said thank you to the out going board and welcome to incoming president Wayne Lewis and his new board.
Which famous person said this?
“Winning the election is a good new and bad news king of thing. Okay, know you’re the Mayor, the bad news is, now you’re the Mayor.”
The author of last week’s quote was John Dewy.
*Monday, 8 July – Speaker meeting. Guest speaker: Barbara Carney on the Royal Commission on Aged Care. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Friday, 4th October – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.
* denotes partner & guest night
Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.
President Daryl welcomed 17 members, with 3 guests including guest speaker Josh Celi. Apologies from Myffy, Ian, Garth and Lyn.
Correspondence for the night included:
Points of discussion for the evening were:
We were all set to hear from Lewis Greer, the Community Liaison Officer at Coolamon Central School on Monday night. However, a busy schedule and upcoming exams (Lewis is studying to become a teacher) meant that Lewis was unable to attend. Fortunately Josh Celi was able to step in his place and Rotary members were not disappointed.
Josh has been at teacher at Coolamon Central School (CCS) for the last 5 years and as head teacher of student wellbeing expressed his deep appreciation of the Coolamon Rotary club and the relationship the school has forged with the club which has been growing in strength in the last 18 months to 2 years. The youth of the Coolamon community are the biggest winners from the stronger ties that have been formed.
Josh the went on to describe Lewis’ role in the school and broader community resulting from his appointment as Youth Community Liaison Officer. Josh started by giving some of the broader context of what was happening in the school and some of the challenges facing the Coolamon youth. On a positive note the student population of CCS has increased over the recent years by approximately 40 students, which is very encouraging as parents are choosing to have their children stay within the community rather than busing them into Wagga Wagga for their education. However, the student population in CCS tends to be highly transient, with some students arriving at the school having had a very disrupted school experience. Another issue is that the communities that CCS are not the most affluent and low socioeconomic factors that impact student wellbeing are a significant concern that CCS is working to address.
This is where Lewis’ role in the community plays a significant part. Lewis has been able to maintain and run a breakfast program on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the support of donations from the local community to support students who may be effected by low incomes. The breakfast program is accessed by 50% of students, with donations also going to Marrar, Gamain and Matong public to support their students.
Lewis is also working with the Up to Date committee to develop a movie club with students to help students develop skills in movie making and support the upcoming art exhibition at the Up to Date store.
Lewis also works extensively with students around issues such as bullying and social media, developing programs and being there for students to talk to. This is especially beneficial as Lewis doesn’t have a authority role within the school and students have been able to develop a strong relationship with him without the added complication of curriculum expectations. Lewis’s role in CCS in this capacity has been vital as the school is only staffed with a qualified counselor 3 days in a fortnight.
Lewis also encourages students to put down the phone by running lunch time sports events, giving students an opportunity to participate in something other than looking at screens. It also helps Lewis to establish relationships of trust with students.
Josh then concluded the evening by thanking the Coolamon Roatry club for our financial support of Lewis’ position, saying that the wellbeing of students within the school has been positively influenced by the relationship Lewis was able to form with students and the role model he represented and that CCS and the youth of Coolamon are extremely luck to have him.
Josh then fielded some questions from Rotary members in relation to the K-12 training of teachers and the further aspirations of CCS, including a new classroom and other facilities. All members were so engaged by Josh’s talk that we ran right up to 9:00 pm.
Which famous person said this?
“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”
The author of last week’s quote was Scott Morrison.
I can so relate to this (Sarah)
Monday, 24th June – EORY (End of Rotary Year) Wrapup. Come join us as we take a look back at Daryl’s year as president and prepare for the Year of Wayne II – The Sequel. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Thursday, 27th June – Community Strings in Concert at St John Anglican Church Wagga Wagga at 7:30pm with a solo performance by Phoebe Xeros on the viola and concert performance supported by Rotarian John Bond on the cello.
*Monday, 1 July – Coolamon Rotary changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
*Monday, 8 July – Speaker meeting. Guest speaker: Barbara Carney on the Royal Commission on Aged Care. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Friday, 4th October – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.
* denotes partner & guest night
Changeover evenings:
Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.
President Daryl welcomed a ‘whopping’ 22 members, with no guests. Apologies from John G, Wayne, and Lyn.
Correspondence included an invitation to Kooringal Rotary changeover on Wed. June 26th at WW Country Club.
Points of discussion for the evening were:
Ted gave a spirited fine session, complemented by a number of good cross fines. The raffle was won by Howard.
We failed to publish a bulletin following the meeting of 20th May, which featured a presentation by Coolamon Rotarian Alex and his fiance, Chez (they were engaged during their trip to England, the focus of their presentation). Grahame provided the following report of their presentation:
Guest speakers Alex and Chez gave a presentation on their recent trip to Japan and the UK. In Japan, they experienced the intricacies of Sumo wrestling, were lucky enough to be there when the famous cherry blossoms were out, visited Mt Fuji, travelled on the famous Shinkansen bullet train (see below), visited a number of ancient temples, visited the memorial at Hiroshima and its never-to-be-forgotten hellish disaster and then took the ferry to Miyajima island & its famous Shinto ‘floating’ gate shrine (see below). They concluded their trip to Japan with a visit to giant Buddha statue in a magnificent temple in Kyoto and experienced a traditional tea ceremony.
In the UK Alex and Chez visited England and Scotland, rode on vintage steam trains in Yorkshire, saw some of Hadrian’s Wall, visited Chez’s favourite Hibernian Football Club, visited Edinburugh with all its attractions such as its famous castle, toured Inverness and stayed with Alex’s uncle Dick (Bill Thompson’s brother) in the cute market town of Penistone in South Yorkshire. While at the Hiberian Football Club stadium, Alex popped the question and, of course, Chez said yes!
Thanks to Grahame for the report and pics; we don’t expect to miss publishing one of your reports again (sometimes life gets in the way!).
Which famous person said this?
“Separation of church and state was set up to protect the church from the state, not the other way around. To protect religious freedoms.”
Monday, 10th June – No meeting (public holiday).
Thursday, 13th June – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45-10:00 pm. Daryl B (Captain), Howard, Bern and Myffy.
*Monday, 17th June – Speaker meeting. Guest Speaker: Lewis Greer, Community Liason Officer, Coolamon Central School. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Wednesday, 19th June – Board meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 pm.
Monday, 24th June – EORY (End of Rotary Year) Wrapup. Come join us as we take a look back at Daryl’s year as president and prepare for the Year of Wayne II – The Sequel. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Monday, 1 July – Coolamon Rotary changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Friday, 4th October – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.
* denotes partner & guest night
Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.
Subs are now overdue.
President Daryl welcomed a small group of 14 members on Monday with members enjoying a delicious meal of roast pork or lamb. Numerous apologies were given.
Points of discussion for the evening were:
Which famous person wrote this?
“My friend, you would not tell with such high zest to children ardent for some desperate glory, the old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.”
Saturday-Wednesday, 1st-5th June – RI CONVENTION, Hamburg.
Monday, 3rd June – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Monday, 10th June – No meeting (public holiday).
Thursday, 13th June – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45-10:00 pm. Daryl B (Captain), Howard, Bern and Myffy.
Monday, 17th June – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Wednesday, 19th June – Board meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 pm.
Monday, 1 July – Coolamon Rotary changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Friday, 4th October – Fannie Lumsden concert in Old Junee. Tickets cost $30.
* denotes partner & guest night
Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.
Subs are now overdue.
President Daryl welcomed 22 members who enjoyed a great Chinese smorgasbord provided by the restaurant. Apologies from Leslie, Myffy, Dave and John G.
Points of discussion for the evening were:
There were a few fines but the sergeant-at-arms couldn’t remember some of them, leading to a hefty fine on the sergeant. A number of clever cross fines made up for the lack of fines by the sergeant.
The evening concluded with a meat raffle, which was won by Wayne. Those extra tickets awarded by correctly “guessing” the Quote of the Week have paid off again!
REMINDER: Monday’s meeting will be a partner’s night; come along and hear Alex and Chez speak on their recent holiday to Japan and England.
Which famous person made this quote?
“I love pensioners. My closest relations are pensioners”
Last week’s Quote of the Week is attributed to Paul and Linda McCartney.
* Monday, May 20 – Regular meeting. Guest speakers will be Alex & Chez talking about their recent holiday in Japan and England. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Sunday, 26th May – District Assembly (incoming officers and directors to attend). Grenfell HS, 9:30-3:00.
Saturday-Wednesday, 1st-5th June – RI CONVENTION, Hamburg.
Thursday, 13th June – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45-10:00 pm. Daryl B (Captain), Howard, Bern and Myffy.
Wednesday, 19th June – Board meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 pm.
Monday, 1 July – Coolamon Rotary changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
* denotes partner & guest night
Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.
Subs are now overdue.
President Daryl welcomed 17 members, together with guests Chez & Anne Weeden. Apologies from Myffy, Sarah, Dave, Bern, Neil, Garth and Paul.
President Daryl thanked all those who helped with catering at the Hooves & Hounds function at the showground last weekend.
Invitation from the Woden Rotary Club to their 50th Anniversary on Saturday May 25th.
Invitation to Temora Changeover dinner on June 22nd.
Reminder to incoming directors to attend District Learning Assembly on 26th May at Grenfell.
No objections from Crown Lands re our Food Van shed construction at showground, so construction should be able to get underway soon.
John N has asked to remind members about the following guidelines for attendance at dinner meetings:
The raffle was won by Henk.
Which famous person made this quote?
“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian”
The author of last week’s Quote of the Week was John Howard.
Monday, 13th May – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Sunday, 26th May – District Assembly (incoming officers and directors to attend). Grenfell HS, 9:30-3:00.
Saturday-Wednesday, 1st-5th June – RI CONVENTION, Hamburg.
Thursday, 13th June – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45-10:00 pm. Grahame (captain), Howard, Myffy and Bern.
Monday, 1 July – Coolamon Rotary changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
* denotes partner & guest night
Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.
Subs are now overdue.
President Daryl welcomed 17 members, together with guests Michelle & Georgia Booth (our guest speaker), Helen L. and Maureen H. Apologies from John B, Ian J, Bruce H, Dave McK, Neil M, John N & Garth P.
Guest Speaker Georgia Booth spoke on her work with the ‘Days for Girls’ program, which is a not for profit organisation that make and distribute reusable sanitary kits for girls in developing countries. Georgia is the 20 y.o. daughter of John and Michelle Booth, farmers in Ganmain, and is studying speech pathology at CSU in Albury. While attending a conference in Melbourne, Georgia met Donna and Florence from Port Moresby. This resulted in Georgia joining a group travelling to Port Moresby, taking with them 200 sanitary kits. Her group met up with Donna and Florence again and helped them set up and create a new enterprise so in future they will be able to make their own kits in Port Moresby.
The group spent a lot of time meeting the locals and experiencing the way of life in PNG, which is very different to her life in Australia. Georgia was very impressed with the welcoming and beautiful nature of the residents of PNG; they have nothing, but want to give their visitors everything. They really make the best of their situation. Georgia likened their situation to farm children in a drought. One thing that shocked her was the lack of sanitation; rubbish was strewn everywhere, just tossed on the ground and floating in the sea.
The group attended the local church in Murray and visited schools in the Waigani area to explain menstruation & the purpose of the kits. The eventual aim is to train PNG people to be able to make their own kits.
Georgia and other team members will be returning to PNG in September to see how things are going and offer more help and education. They will be accompanied this time by a group of Australians who belong to ‘Men Who Know’ who will be helping to educate young males in PNG. The Coolamon sewing club has a group of ladies who sew and assemble kits for Days for Girls; they recently sent several hundred kits to Africa.
Bern thanked Georgia for a most interesting and inspiring talk, and presented her with a Coolamon Rotary pen as a token of thanks. The evening concluded with a meat raffle, which was won by Bern.
Which famous person made this quote?
“The goal of Australian foreign policy should be to promote the maximum harmony between the U.S. and China.”
The author of last week’s Quote of the Week was Groucho Marx.
Sunday, 5th May – Catering for Hooves & Hounds Festival. Coolamon Showgrounds. Roster: 12:30-2:00 – Daryl, Henk, Myffy, Bernie; 2:00-3:30 – Lyn, Anne, John G, one more needed!
Monday, 6th May – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Thursday, 9 May – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45-10:00 pm. Daryl (captain), Alex, Ian, and Albert.
Monday, 13th May – Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Sunday, 26th May – District Assembly (incoming officers and directors to attend). Grenfell HS, 9:30-3:00.
Saturday-Wednesday, 1st-5th June – RI CONVENTION, Hamburg.
Thursday, 13th June – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45-10:00 pm. Grahame (captain), Howard, Myffy and Bern.
Monday, 1 July – Coolamon Rotary changeover. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
* denotes partner & guest night
Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.
Subs are now overdue.
President Daryl welcomed 19 members and 1 guest for the evening. There we a number of apologies for the night including one from Alex who is currently in the UK. Congratulations go to Alex on his recent engagement to Chez. We wish them the best of luck for the future.
Business for the evening included:
Which famous person made this quote?
“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”
The author of last week’s Quote of the Week was Henry Ward Beecher.
Easter Saturday, 20th April – Coolamon Rotary Markets, Pieper Park, Coolamon. 9:00-1:30 (setup at 8:00, takedown at 1:30; contact Paul if you can assist).
Monday, 22nd April – No meeting (public holiday).
Thursday, 25th April – catering at ANZAC Day trotting event at Coolamon Showgrounds. Roster: 12:30-2 pm – Henk, Ted, Bernie, Anne; 2:00-4:00 – Wayne, Don, Albert, Dick, John G.
Sunday, 28th April – DisTec 2019, DGE John McKenzie. Young, 10:00-16:00.
*Monday, 29th April – Guest speaker: Georgia Booth. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7:00 pm.
Thursday, 9 May – BINGO. Allawah Community Centre, 6:45-10:00 pm. Daryl (captain), Alex, Ian, John N and/or Albert.
Sunday, 26th May – District Assembly. Young, 9:30-15:00.
Friday-Sunday, 29-31 March – D9700 Conference, Griffith.
Sunday, 26th May – District Assembly (incoming officers and directors to attend).
Saturday-Wednesday, 1st-5th June – RI CONVENTION, Hamburg.
* denotes partner & guest night
Please get your working with children check completed and give the number and expiry date to the secretary ASAP. Failure to do so may mean you are not covered insurance wise when you volunteer at events.
Subs are now overdue.