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President's Message
Kelly Binyon
President's Report No 32
Hi Everyone
Hopefully you have all enjoyed the long weekend off and preparing for the busy weekend ahead with another three big events coming up.
Firstly is Relay for Life which Darrell is still chasing walked for the Graveyard Shifts if some of you party animals can assist to ensure our Team has walkers of the track for the entire event. See story further down in this edition.
Also we have a Cowrie Market on Sunday which will be our final opportunity to sell Raffle Tickets to the masses if anyone is at a loose end and able to assist for an hour. Please be sure to get all of you tickets back in time for the draw this Monday. Remember we only want money and stubs, not unsold tickets please.
Then Tuesday we are again hosting the Strathewen Primary School for their annual beach visit to Torquay, again more helpers will be appreciated. If you available please contact Alan Anderson.
I will be away this weekend but hope that you all enjoy the rest of the week and our Club events at the weekend, and I look forward to catching up with you all on Monday night to hear Moses Pulop talk about a water project in Papua New Guinea!
Last Monday's meeting was all about the Book Fair with thanks and recognition to the supporters of the 2020 event and distribution of some of the proceeds to worthy recipients.
We welcomed some of the generous contributors to the Book Fair including past Rotarian John Parello who kindly donated $500 to purchase tables for the Club.
A $1,000 donation was made to Desley McKnight representing Torquay Scouts with another $1,000 presentation to Lifeline held over as Matt Richardson was a last minute apology on the night. These organisations have been extremely generous with donations of books and support for the Book Fair which is has become one of our Club's biggest fundraisers.
$2,000 was allocated to Rotary Mental Health Research through Australian Rotary Health represented by Jane Cox. This donation was very generously increased to $4,000 by a personal donation made by the Anchen & Hinchey family. Mental Health needs a lot more research and this is great contribution towards that cause.
The evening also presented an opportunity to acknowledge the great work of Rhonda Anchen who took an idea to run a Book Fair 5 years ago with support from the RC of Geelong West and as the event Coordinator has led a dedicated committee who have grown the event to be the great contributor to our Club Funds that it has now become. So as Rhonda has now stepped aside from the leadership role of the committee it was with pleasure that the club welcomed Neil Henderson into the role of Committee Chair on the night.
We witnessed a further act of generosity on the night when following Desley McKnights announcement of the Torquay Scouts plans to renovate their Kitchen, John Parello kindly stepped forward and offered a $2,000 donation to the project from his Torquay Joinery business.
All in all it was a night of Torquay Rotary recognising the great achievement of it's members in doing what they do best, raising funds...……... donating those funds to worthwhile causes
and through strong networking relationships, facilitating community supporting community.
REMEMBER our Motor Show Raffle will be drawn at our this Monday 16th April at the Lions Village
So your raffle ticket stubs and money MUST be returned to Maggie, John or myself either before the meeting or you MUST bring them yourself on Monday night.
We need more Club members & their families , friends to register for the Rotary Team on the Surf Coast Relay For Life website a soon as possible.
and Remember to "Join" the Rotary Club of Torquay Team when you Register.
We have a Team of walkers rostered for each hour from 7pm Friday 13th through to 1pm Saturday 14th March, but we still have three slots to fill:-
2.00 - 3.00 am
3.00 - 4.00 am
4.00 - 5.00 am
So come on all you night owls help us fill these slots Call Darrel Brewin to volunteer.
The event is scheduled for the 13th and 14th March 2020 at the Polwarth Oval - Banyul Warri Fields Precinct , 1 Merrijig Drive , Torquay.
If you, your relatives or friends have be touched by cancer, then you understand the importance of participating in this event.
Please follow the instructions I emailed to you on 17th Feb to register for the Rotary Team on the Surf Coast Relay For Life website a soon as possible.
This greatly successful fundraising event is an important part of the Rotary calendar.
The Torquay Rotary Club can proudly claim responsibility for establishing this event on the Surf Coast nine years ago and in that time our community has raised in excess of $500 000 for cancer research and support.
Over the years our members have strongly supported the event through directly participating in the Relay and also through our Club's annual donation to the Cancer Council Victoria.
This is our final opportunity to contribute to a project to support DG Rosannes Purple House Project, an organisation that provides dialysis services to remote indigenous people in Central Australia.
Purple House is an innovative Indigenous-owned and run health service operating from its base in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Now operating 16 remote clinics and a mobile dialysis unit called the Purple Truck, Purple House is getting patients back home so that families and culture can remain strong.
DG Rosanne Kava has asked us all to provide any of the following items to our Assistant Governor, Judy Beasley, who will pass them on to Purple House CEO Sarah Brown for delivery to clients in remote communities
Soaps, shampoos, conditioner, body lotion and toiletries including combs, brushes, toothpaste and tooth brushes (no sanitary items as they are sourced elsewhere).
Special recognition will be given to the Club that provides the top contribution.
Think about volunteering to assist Purple House if you are travelling in central Australia, eg to assist in building a new Purple House in Coober Pedy, or as a nurse on the Purple Bus or one of the Purple Houses. Click the image for more details or CLICK HERE to contact Purple House or phone 08 8953 6444.
Please give your donated items to Lesley Shedden or Mike Reed this Monday at Rotary so they can be given to Rosanne at District Conference the following weekend.
DG Rosanne Kava invites you all to District 9780 Conference in Swan Hill March 20 - 22 2020
As always there is a stellar line-up of award winning presenters scheduled for the conference so to further entice you please view the Conference Program and information regarding Accommodation on the flyer below.
Go to 2020 Conference Link for the Conference Program and all updated information.
If you are interested in accommodation at the same venue as other Torquay Rotarians please talk to Maggie Isom 0412713102 who is booking accommodation at the Swan Hill Resort or the Swan Hill Caravan Park
On Tuesday 17 March, our Strathewen Primary School friends will head down to Torquay for the 11th consecutive year. According to Principal Jane Hayward, everyone is looking forward to a day of surfing, beachcombing and enjoying Torquay Rotary’s famous barbecue lunch.
At its last meeting, the Board voted unanimously to support the day by providing lunch, morning and afternoon teas for everyone.
“You’re all amazing,” Jane said when she heard the news. “Wowee! I’m sitting here at my desk and your text made me a little bit sooky!”
The club has hosted this event since 2009 after the Black Saturday fires destroyed the Strathewen community and its school, which for so many years had served as a local hub. The devastating impact and slow recovery is documented in the 2012 documentary ‘Then the Wind Changed’, currently on ABC iView (until 8 March).
So far this year Jane and the school have been actively supporting the recovery of communities affected by the most recent bushfires in the east of our state. Jane spent several weeks in north-east Victoria and East Gippsland advising local schools while the students have been busy raising funds towards bushfire relief.
The club needs volunteers to assist with this year’s visit. If you’re free on Tuesday 17 March and up for some food preparation, barbecuing, serving, setting and packing up, please contact Alan Anderson 0419330774 who will be co-ordinating the Team.
It will be worth it just to see so many happy, grateful faces.
To give you and understanding of the trauma that still haunts the Strathewen Community there is a 1 hour documentary "Then The Wind Changed" made by survivors of the Black Saturday Fires in Strathewen which is running on iView but only until Midday on 8th March so don't delay
A word of advice - Be sure to have some tissues handy....... it's definitely worse when you've met many of the parents, teachers and kids who are in the film.
Wonderful Outrageous Witches Need Your Help to Create a Magical Fundraiser!
Torquay Community House is holding a fundraiser luncheon on Friday 13th March to raise funds to purchase a therapy swing for a women’s refuge in Moruya on the south coast of NSW -an area that has been hard hit by fires.
We are asking for your help to make this fundraiser a success.
Here's ways to help:
- Donating food for the luncheon. In particular we need sandwiches, slices and fresh fruit - Donating a bottle of Yellowglen sparkling wine or orange juice - Donating home made / home grown goods for sale on a trade table - Donating goods suitable for a silent auction or raffle prize - Donating any unwanted halloween witches or pumpkins decor - zombies not required! - Making a cash donation in lieu of the above. All money received will go towards the swing. - Sharing this information and forwarding this email to your contacts
If you can help in any way please call or text Julie Stevens 0438 735 302 All support from local businesses will be acknowledged publicly.
Can't help out with any of the above? Just come along and join the fun! Buy tickets for you and your coven HEREor by coming into 14 Price Street, Torquay.
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!
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.
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
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 .
If you cannot meet one of your assigned duties, Please contact Maggie Isom ( 0412713102 ) to advise.
The duty team should arrive no later than 6:00 p.m. Besides the below duties, the assigned team is responsible for Room Setup, Greeting Members and Guests, and Room Tidy at the end of our meeting - see checklist in storeroom or click here .
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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