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President's Message
Kelly Binyon
President's Report No 33
Hello Everyone,
Our lives have changed very rapidly over the last week and tonight we wrangle the concept of going into lockdown except for Essential Services.
Although scary - we can and will get through this as long as we all DO THE RIGHT THING! As Rotarians we are used to stepping up and leading on the front foot when disaster strikes so please be a leader in your home, family life and community.
With restrictions now in place we have had to cancel the following: Relay for Life, District Conference, Dismal day and early end of Cowrie Market last Sunday, Strathewen Primary School beach visit, all Bunnings BBQ's and Anzac Day.
One of the saddest cancellations was Ting's Youth Exchange with our Club. I have just returned from Melbourne Airport where I escorted her through to the Departure Gate for international flights. It was a bittersweet good-bye but her family are keen to have her home safe with them, which is completely understandable. In the coming week I will be calling on you all to make a very short video message that we can send from the Club. Ting was very grateful and said to say thank you and goodbye to the members.
Greg Plumridge our PR Director put out a call for items to go in our new look Bulletin and from all accounts he has been inundated with lots of content! Thanks to all who have contributed so far.
The Board will be holding a meeting via Zoom (online meeting platform) tomorrow night and we will issue another circular after that to update members on club matters moving forward.
In this wonderful age of technology we can still be connected which is fantastic.
Finally, please take care, do the right thing and keep in touch so we can all support one another.
Keep them coming plus would love more "Self Isolation" & "Social Distancing" pictures
"My Corona" by Chris Mann Music........Click below to view
A Very Simple Question...……
Up at Coles the other night, I asked the manager if he had any toilet paper. “NO!” he yelled at me, in front of the whole check-out queue. They all kept staring at me. I am telling you, that walk back down Aisle 5 to the loo, with my pants around my ankles, was the most humiliating walk of my life.
Below - Effectiveness of Social Distancing Demonstrated for Idiots
Not long after my 70th birthday Lyn & I attended the Port Fairy Folk Festival. We rented a house and shared it with our son Chris his wife and their two little girls. Also in the house was one of Chris's mates, his wife and 3 kids. Now their 5 year old boy is always asking questions and telling stories about himself and his family's life. After about half a day of getting to know each other he took Lyn aside and said "who is that BOY with the white beard who lives with you?"
Well it may not be hilarious but its a long time since I've been called a boy.
Did you get a look at the 1948 Tucker Torpedo that was on display at our Motor Show?
We were fortunate to have such a rare vehicle on display as there were only 50 of these unique vehicle designed by Preston Tucker and manufactured in Chicago 72 years ago. The car at our show is reputedly the only example in the Southern Hemisphere and has a value of close to $3m.
The story behind the design, production and very small number of these cars is quite remarkable and was told in a movie Tucker: The Man and His Dream. Produced in 1988 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Jeff Bridges.
The film is well worth the watch and is available to view on Netflix which will be a highly recommended way to invest 130 mins of your Self Isolation.....Enjoy
If other members of our club are interested in the caravanning fellowship, Recreational Vehicles Fellowship of Rotary Aust Inc. (RVFR).
I have attached below
a copy of the Musters that are planned over the next 12 months,
plus a note (below) about a 6 week muster from Port Augusta (SA) to Toowoomba in Queensland
John Spath (Treasurer, Eastern Zone) is proposing a muster starting in Port Augusta late August 2020 continuing on to Alice Springs and then onto the RVFR AGM which will be held in Toowoomba. The stop in Alice Springs will coincide with the Australian / New Zealand Zone 8 Regional Conference to be held there in September. (ZONE 8: Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands: from District 9455 (Perth to Broome) and including every other District in Australia and the Pacific Islands including our own District 9780, and other South eastern Australian Districts 9790, 9800, 9810, 9820, 9830.) John is asking for expressions of interest. Sounds great!
Note all Bunnings BBQ's are cancelled for the indefinately
Our final BBQ Event was Scheduled for Sunday 19th April - Cowrie Market. However it is likely that this event will be cancelled and we will confirm this ASAP.
So Please Check Your Roster to see if you are Rostered "ON" for this event
You should have received by email the updated 2019-20 Event Roster, however, if you have not seen it you can download via the link below.
Please check "Your" events and note them in your diary
Note that this calendar now includes all rostered events such as Night Jar Parking, the Book Fair etc.
If you make any more swaps please let me know and I will update the roster which can be found in documents in club runner
If you do require to swap a date for any reason you will now need to find someone to do this with yourself. I would suggest that you send the request to Greg who has offered to advertise on a BBQ Roster Trading Post in the bulletin
As much of Australia deals with the tragedy of Bushfires many donation funds are being set up by both government and private groups, and one of the most commonly asked questions is
"Which Charity will ensure that your donation dollars reach those in need?"
When you donate through Rotary you can be assured that over 97% of the monies raised will go directly to those in need.
We are very saddened by the devastating bushfires in our district and across Australia. If you are looking to donate to help those suffering, it is important to make sure your donation is well directed. Below are details of 2 Rotary funds which are assisting those affected.
1. RAWCS - Rotary Australia World Community Service National Fire Appeal This is the only option for those who can only donate to a recipient with DGR (Donor Gift Recipient) status, or those who want tax deductibility on their donations. Go to www.rawcs.org.au to donate. To make sure the funds go to those affected by the fires in our district, tag the donation to ‘East Gippsland’. RAWCS do use 2.75% of the donations for administration.
2.East Gippsland Rotary Fire Aid Committee This is an account of the Rotary Club of Bairnsdale with the funds controlled by the East Gippsland Rotary Fire Aid Committee. Rotary Club of Bairnsdale Projects Account BSB 633000 Acct 165960451. Please email the East Gippsland Rotary Fire Aid Committee when you donateeastgrotaryfireaid@gmail.com
Other worthy causes are:-
East Gippsland Hay Donations and transport costs
For those wishingto donate hayto East Gippsland or elsewhere it is being organised through‘Need for Feed’.
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is coordinating fodder relief for farmers affected by bushfires in Gippsland and the Upper Murray. The VFF has secured an agreement with the Victorian Government to facilitate the transport of fodder to affected regions. This includesreimbursement of freight costs for transport of donated fodder.
Our Club is now using the internet based event booking system "Whoozin" for registering to attend our weekly Club meetings.
To make it easy for everyone I have prepared a Whoozin User Manual which is stored on Clubrunner under "Club Documents" that you will be able to print off if you wish.
In Summary the way it will work is:-
You will receive an initial email invitation for coming Meetings/Events.
You can immediately Accept or Decline, or leave it until later to RSVP.
You will receive a RSVP reminder email 3 days prior to the meeting and another the day before the event.
You will generally have until Midnight Sunday to register your RSVP however for some special events registrations may close more than one day prior to the event.
If necessary you can change your decision right up until the closing time for each event.
You can register up to 10 guests.
Please notify of where indicated any Special Dietary requirements
Please Note that if you do not register your attendance intentions it will be assumed that you will NOT be attending and no meal will provided for you.
If you would like to attend but have not received an invitation or have any problems with the booking system, please contact Greg Plumridge 0418521321 or Michael Reed 0418524315 .
Melbourne has been announced as the host city for the 2023 Rotary International Convention, the largest conference secured this century for Victoria.
Melbourne is a Big Events City! Set to deliver over $88 million to the Victorian economy, the Convention is the most valuable conference ever won for the state, with the four-day event anticipated to attract more than 20,000 Rotarians from around the world. The global spotlight will be on Melbourne and how we present ourselves to the world.
The Convention will take place 27-31 May 2023 using Rod Laver Arena and the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre for functions.
Watch this Space for further news as it comes to hand.
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