HELP Cambodia is a local charity run by Wagga people, Wollundry Rotary Club are supporting this dinner and are doing great work in Cambodia helping families and especially kids with health and education.
We have recently built a new school in a desperately poor area of Phnom Penh and we also received RAWCS status for this project, so we decided to have a dinner to celebrate and say thanks to our supporters.
The dinner is not a “fund raiser”. There are no auctions or raffles, in fact we are giving away some great prizes (Weber BBQ, Family Photo Shoot, 2 tickets to Wicked and a 10 visit yoga pass) and of course we will be enjoying the great food and atmosphere at the Magpies Nest.
Barry Rassin, of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, has been selected to be 2018-19 Rotary president. Rassin’s nomination follows Sam F. Owori’s death in July, just two weeks into his term as Rotary International president-elect.
RIPE Barry Rassin is our leader for 2018-2019 from the Bahamas where the sun shines on a beautiful part of our world. I look forward to working with RIPE Barry in 2018-2019 as our District Governor.
To Rotarian Bernadette Milne from your fellow Rotarians.
“Bernadette; President Paul Weston, the members and partners of the Rotary Club of Coolamon extend our sincere condolences to you and your family on the passing of your husband Russell. We are indebted to you for all the hard work that you have put in for our community. Please be assured that we are all thinking of you and your family at this time. Russell was a good man and those that came to know him will miss his humour and love of all things footy.”
Last Week
President Paul Weston inducted Howard Atkinson as a member of our club.
Rotarian Howard Atkinson and Ann Atkinson with President Paul Weston.
Ann and Howard are renovating the Old Convent in Coolamon and it will become a function centre. Welcome to Coolamon and Coolamon Rotary Club Howard and Ann.
Thursday August 3rd saw the visit of the Wagga Men’s Rugby Choir and Murrumbidgee Magic, it was a wonderful night of good music thank you to the organisers especially Don Dyce. Net proceeds for Mental Health as around $630.
Week of 7 August
Tonight we had the pleasure of the company of 3 students from The Riverina Anglican College, namely Mikaela Foster, Mitchell Foster and Henry Yates with Teacher and Mother to two of the students present, Fiona Foster. They came to talk on their trip along the Kokoda Track recently.
Attendance present 12 Rotarians and 8 guests including Helen Lewis, Sally Farmer and Barry Lillywhite. Several apologies due to the flu including our President Paul Weston. President Elect Daryl Breust took the Chair and we had an excellent meeting.
The Kokoda Trail was a path that linked Ower’s Corner and the small village of Wairopi on the northern side of the Owen Stanley mountain range.
Its name was derived from the village of Kokoda on the southern side of the main range, the site of the only airfield between Port Moresby and the north coast.
The Japanese saw the Kokoda Trail as a means by which to capture Port Moresby overland.
Mikaela and Henry gave the presentation of this journey of 9 days following the Kokoda Track. It was a tough one for them and they experienced some harsh conditions. Mikaela and Henry took turns explaining the various highlights of the trek.
Both students were very respectful of the part the Diggers who defended Port Moresby and hence the gateway to Australia for the Japanese Army. They also showed great respect for their porters and the villagers they met along the way. There were some very emotional times and the students had their own Dawn Service at Isurava.
They ended their visit to Papua New Guinea at the war cemetery at Bomana
Here are some of their photos please click on the thumbnails:
President Elect Daryl thanked the team from TRAC and as Daryl has trekked Kokoda the talk brought back many memories for Daryl. L-R Henry Yates, PE Daryl Breust, Mikaela Foster, Mitchell Foster and Fiona Foster.
A Friendly Reminder
John Nulty is looking after the apologies for our Monday meetings; could you please make sure you let John know if you are unable to attend a meeting so catering can be finalised before the meeting. John can be contacted on or 0439 459 296.
Diary
Thursday, 10 August:Bingo. Allawah Lodge, 6.45 for 7.30 pm. Roster: with Grahame Miles
Monday, 14 August: Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.
Saturday, 19 August: Street raffle. Coolamon Newsagency, 6.30 am – noon.
*Monday, 4th September Gemma Meier
Our guest speaker will be Gemma Meier, from Grong Grong, who works for the Office of Environment and Heritage, who will talk to us on renewable energies.
Monday September 25th. DG George and Carol Weston’s visit. Executive and Directors to meet with DG George before the meeting. Please bring your partners and support our District Governor. Gentlemen ties and jackets please. Ladies smart as always.
Sunday, 12th November: DisTec17 in Young 10.00am-4.00pm. Internet and computer skills for bulletin editors and club web masters training.
This week’s meeting started of with President Paul informing us of the meetings he has recently attended. Paul attended the Community Drug Action Team meeting last week, where it was decided to put an application together to form a local Local Drug Action Team taking in Coolamon, West Wyalong and Temora. At the Group 5 Presidents meeting, which took place on Sunday, a number of issues of relevance to Rotary clubs in our area, including planning for peace celebrations in September and also in April, 2018 in Wagga Wagga and Coolamon, were discussed. Plans are under way for some joint activities between the clubs in Junee and Coolamon.
Rotary is aiming for each club to plant 10 trees per member this year; Grahame volunteered to be the club’s Tree Co-ordinator. Ian Jennings has a plan to develop a bike trail between Coolamon and Ganmain, which will be an ideal community project and an excellent opportunity for trees to be planted.
The Choirs at the Club performance for Thursday night looks like it will be well supported; thank you to everyone who put their names down to help with setting up and serving the finger food.
Paul presented Neil and Myffy with their director’s pins since they were unable to attend the changeover, where the new board was introduced.
Myffy proudly informed us that The Coolamon Community Chronicle celebrated its 1st birthday with a coloured front and back page and 24 pages of reading in the Chronicle. The newspaper is going well financially, which is very good to hear.
Henk informed the meeting that a copy of the phone book will be ready for proof reading this week and the books should be printed in about a month.
Christmas in July
Christmas in July was very well attended and featured a delicious Christmas dinner prepared by Gilbert. There was a lot of laughing and banter as the Yankee Christmas present exchange got underway. The gifts certainly made for some interesting interaction amongst those present. Some gifts were highly sought after, especially the honey and pink scarf; the hungry shark was another story. I’m sure Christmas in July will be on the social calendar every year.
Introducing our Exchange Student!
Christmas in July was also the 1st event that Lucia Bohnsack, Coolamon’s Rotary exchange student, attended since arriving here on the weekend. Lucia introduced herself, telling us it feels like she has come to a large town; her home town has a population of 300 people! Lucia has been shopping for school uniforms, something that is a bit different as she doesn’t have to wear a uniform at home. Lucia presented the club with a banner from her host club in Germany, the Rotary Club of Einbeck Northheim, which Paul was happy to accept.
A Friendly Reminder
John Nulty is looking after the apologies for our Monday meetings; could you please make sure you let John know if you are unable to attend a meeting so catering can be finalised before the meeting. John can be contacted on or 0439 459 296.
Diary
Thursday, 3 August*: Choirs at the Club. Wagga Men’s Rugby Choir and Murrumbidgee Magic will perform. Admission $15 (includes finger foods). RSVP by 31 July to Don Dyce (0427 981 456) or Dick Jennings (0427 273 079). All proceeds to benefit mental health education. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 for 7:30 pm.
Monday, 7 August*: Regular meeting. Guest speakers: Several TRAC students will talk about their recent trek on the Kakoda Track. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.
Thursday, 10 August:Bingo. Allawah Lodge, 6.45 for 7.30 pm. Roster: Paul (Captain), Rod, Myffy, Bernie.
Monday, 14 August: Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.
Saturday, 19 August: Street raffle. Coolamon Newsagency, 6.30 am – noon.
Sunday, 12th November: DisTec17 in Young 10.00am-4.00pm. Internet and computer skills for bulletin editors and club web masters training.
*Partners and Guests Night
Apologies for Monday meetings: call John Nulty on0439 459 296 BY FRIDAY
When the announcement was made that Sam Frobisher Owori of the Rotary Club of Kampala, Uganda, was the choice of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International 2018-19, it was sensational news! It was greeted with rapturous applause, not only because he was a popular choice, but also because it had taken a long time to produce another President from the African continent.
‘Small Sam’ as he was affectionately called, was the 2nd African to be Rotary International President in the 113 year history of the Organisation. This is why his untimely death has been so painful, and shocking beyond belief, leaving all his many friends and well wishers around the world utterly devastated.
Sam Owori was a man of many parts: a seasoned banker who served in his country, as well as at the African Development Bank in Abidjan. He was also a Law graduate.
Sam was a gentleman of impeccable character, polite, humble and always wearing a winsome smile. He was a good Christian and together with Norah, prayerfully encouraged me during my health challenges.
Our late President-elect had great plans for the future of Rotary in the areas of membership and extension. As a member of the International Polio Plus Committee, Sam was dedicated to the eradication of Polio.
The many tributes that have appeared on social media and the fact that his country is organising a state funeral for him bear testimony to the life of a truly great leader and the esteem in which they hold him.
A part of the “Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow best describes Sam and his impact on us.
‘Tell me not, in mournful numbers
Life is but an empty dream
For the soul is dead that slumbers
And things are not what the seem
Lives of great men all remind us.
We can make our lives sublime
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time
Our thoughts and prayers are with his loving wife, Norah and the entire Owori family. May his soul rest in Peace.
This week’s meeting featured a special event, the induction of our newest member, Howard Atkinson! Howard and his wife Ann moved to Coolamon fairly recently and have been making extensive renovations to the old convent, in which they reside and will be using to host weddings and other functions. Howard is originally from Finley, NSW, and recently moved to Coolamon to be near his wife’s family after living for a number of years in Queensland. Howard was gracious enough to share his life story with us after the induction and will be an excellent addition to the club. Following Howard’s presentation, Professor Paul quizzed those present on some acronyms we often see but may not know; we won’t reveal how many answered the questions correctly, but you might want to have a crack at these yourself and see if you know what these acronyms stand for: NAIDOC, RADAR and TWAIN (no fair using Goggle!). John Bond won an extra raffle ticket for correctly identifying the words that make up RADAR, which is all the boost he needed to eventually win the raffle. Ted led an entertaining fine session, as usual, but for some reason has the mistaken impression that President Paul was responsible for the cold bug that has stricken most of the members of the club since our changeover.
Don’t forget about Christmas in July!
Next week’s meeting (31 July) will be another meeting not to miss, when the club hosts its first Christmas in July in recent memory. Diane and Gilbert will be serving up a Christmas feast of roast ham and turkey with all the trimmings and, if rumour is correct, Christmas pudding for desert. The cost will be only $23 pp, and all are asked to bring a wrapped gift to the amount of no more than $10 (or you can bring a homemade treasure). The gifts will be distributed via a Yankee Swap (see Wikipedia for a description). Partners are certainly welcome for this primarily social event. We will also introduce our Rotary exchange student from Germany, Lucia Bohnsack, on the night. Please be there!
And Choirs at the Club!
As if we didn’t have enough going on next week, don’t forget about Choirs at the Club, to be held at the Coolamon Sport & Rec Club on Thursday, 3 August. This special event will feature two fabulous choirs from Wagga Wagga, the Wagga Men’s Rugby Choir and Murrumbidgee Magic, a female choir from Wagga. The festivities will kick off at 7:00 f0r 7:30 pm, and the $15 admission will include finger food as well as the choir performances. RSVP by 31 July to Don Dyce (0427 981 456) or Dick Jennings (0427 273 074). All proceeds will benefit mental health education.
Diary
Monday, 31 July*: Christmas in July. Bring a gift to the value of $10. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6.30 pm for 7 pm. Welcome to German Rotary exchange student Lucia Bohnsack.
Thursday, 3 August*: Choirs at the Club. Wagga Men’s Rugby Choir and Murrumbidgee Magic will perform. Admission $15 (includes finger foods). RSVP by 31 July to Don Dyce 0427 981 456 OR Dick Jennings 0427 273 074. All proceeds to benefit mental health education. Coolamon Sports & Rec Club, 7 pm for 7.30 pm start.
Monday, 7 August*: Regular meeting. Guest speaker: TRAC students will talk about their recent trek on the Kakoda Track. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.
Thursday,10 August:Bingo. Allawah Lodge, 6.45 for 7.30 pm. Roster: Paul (Captain), Rod, Myffy, Bernie.
Monday, 14 August: Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.
Saturday, 19 August: Street raffle. Coolamon Newsagency, 6.30 am – noon.
Monday, 21 August: Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6.30 for 7 pm.
It is not often that we get the chance to listen to and enjoy not ONE but TWO Choirs from Wagga. All for a good cause to raise funds for mental health education.
TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!
Thursday, 3 August 2 Choirs at the Club.
Wagga Men’s Rugby Choir and Murrumbidgee Magic will perform. Admission $15 (includes finger foods). RSVP by 31 July to Don Dyce (0427 981 456) or Dick Jennings (0427 273 074). All proceeds to benefit mental health education. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 for 7:30 pm.
Based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Murrumbidgee Magic Chorus is a dynamic fusion of energetic, fun loving women who sing and perform a cappella harmony. Our repertoire has something for everyone, from hits of the 20th century to popular Australian songs.
Under the direction of our Musical Director Judy Ferguson, we sing at a wide range of community and charity events and concerts, and are available for hire. We also compete at regional contests which are held every year at various locations around Australia.
This week’s meeting was a continuation of last week’s planning meeting. President Paul explained the procedures for bringing new members into the club and further expounded on his priorities for the coming year. Members were reminded that German exchange student Lucia Bohnsack will be arriving in Sydney on 29 July, and will be a guest at our meeting on Monday 31 July, which will be a Christmas in July celebration since it will be the 5th Monday of the month. The meeting concluded with a brief fine session and meat raffle, which was won by Barry Lillywhite.
Plan to be there on Monday night!
Monday night (23 July) will be a special night as we induct our newest member, Howard Atkinson. Please be there and support Howard on his entry into our club!
On the lighter side
Word from Dick Jennings: if you fall off a tractor and need to go to hospital, make sure the tractor is the right colour!
Diary
Monday, 24 July: Regular meeting and induction of Howard Atkinson. Guest speaker: Howard Atkinson. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Wednesday, 26 July: Community Drug Action Team (CDAT) meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 4:00 pm.
Wednesday, 26 July: Alzheimer’s Australia NSW Healthy Brain Ageing and Memory Van visit (noon-3:00 pm). Presentation at Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30-8:00 pm.
Monday, 31 July*: Christmas in July. Bring a gift to the value of $10. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm. Welcome to Lucia Bohnsack.
Thursday, 3 August*: Choirs at the Club. Wagga Men’s Rugby Choir and Murrumbidgee Magic will perform. Admission $15 (includes finger foods). RSVP by 31 July to Don Dyce (0427 981 456) or Dick Jennings (0427 273 079). All proceeds to benefit mental health education. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 7:00 for 7:30 pm.
Monday, 7 August: Regular meeting. Coolamon Sport & Rec Club, 6:30 for 7 pm.
Thursday, 3 August: Bingo. Allawah Lodge, 6:45 for 7:30 pm. Roster: Paul (captain), Rod, Myffy, Bernie
Sunday, 12th November: DisTec17 in Young 10.00am-4.00pm. Internet and computer skills for bulletin editors and club web masters training.
*Partners and Guests Night
Apologies for Monday meetings: call Ian Jennings on 0428 492 157 BY FRIDAY
It was several years later when I was visiting family in Florida, my Uncle suggested I bring the idea to his local Rotary Club in Tarpon Springs, Florida. I sent in my presentation and to my delight Dr. Carrie Root and Deb Connelly – members of Rotary Club Tarpon Springs pushed the idea forward and began writing a grant that supported teaching locals how to build sustainably using waste straw in a remote Village in Bali. Rotary Clubs Holiday, Dunedin North, and Dunedin, Florida also participated in raising funds that were matched by District grant 6950 for a total of $16,800 USD which was awarded the following year! I joined Rotary Club Bali Taman and have discovered a whole new group of people who like to help others.In Bali there are no baling machines so making bales by hand is the only option.
A special thanks to all the people in Rotary, especially RC Tarpon Springs who believed in this project from the start and gave their hard earned money to provide aid to a Village half way around the world. Thank you friends and family who also made contributions and to Kadek Suaradana who led the team in the Village. The people of Nawa Kerti are very grateful and proud to house the first straw bale building and have become new straw bale enthusiast.
