The Keyway ROTARY CLUB OF WAGGA WAGGA SUNRISE Inc. DISTRICT 9700 PO Box 5430 Wagga Wagga 2650 NSW Meeting Venue: Thyme Out Restaurant, The Manor, 38 Morrow Street, Wagga Wagga Meeting Time: Breakfast 7.00am for 7.15am, completed by 8.30am 17th December 2013 Family Month PROGRAMME: Rev. Geoff Flynn A Christmas message. ATTENDANCE NO: 31 members. APOLOGIES: Deborah Braines, Jennifer Weale. BIRTHDAYS: Jo Wilson 14 th December. (right Geoff Flynn in full hortatory mode) ANNIVERSARIES: Peter & Judy Gissing 29 th Dec, Dave & Donna O Grady 1 st Jan. COMING EVENTS/FUND RAISERS: February 2014 Peace Day Ceremony June 2014 Sydney Rotary International conference: http://www.riconvention.org PRESIDENT S REPORT: Peter Gissing: We will have a two week break from Rotary meetings after today and resume on the 7 th January at our new venue, Elements at the Garden Court. Need to still be thinking about putting a nomination in regarding a Peace Day awardee, deadline early January. Remind everybody about Intl Conference to be held in Sydney June 2014. A number of members already registered. Calendars still on sale. First board meeting for 2014 will be on Wed 15 th January.
Board approved the purchase of a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask for a 13 month old child with health issues including Down Syndrome. MEMBERS NEWS: Ndungi Mungai gave an ABC Radio Riverina interview regarding the death and life of Nelson Mandela. SECRETARY S REPORT: Jo Wilson no mail this week. TREASURER: David Brady nothing to report. DIRECTORS REPORTS/Announcements: ( so enjoying breakfast, right) Hendrik Van Ieperen: first meeting for new year will be just fellowship to catch up. Max Chapman: thanked those who helped in the selling of our Christmas Trees. Sold the lot. Learnt a lot for next year (if agreed to by Board). Made at least $1000. Ndungi Mungai: made inquiries at Tolland Public School regarding possible support and Sunrise Rotary project/involvement. 45% of students are indigenous. Len Wade: sent out 800 invitations regarding next year s Rotary Foundation function and Len welcomed two of our new members to the committee: Vicki Lamrock and Karen Jamieson. Dennis Blackett: spoke about the Exhibition Peoples & Places as an opportunity to display our Calendars. He was hopeful of generating interest and sales. Discussed other venues in which Calendars might be available to public. SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Peter Gissing called on Ryan Dedini, proprietor of Thyme Out, to receive a special thanks from Sunrise Rotary, for his thoughtful stewardship of our breakfast meetings, providing a range of delicious breakfasts, a congenial and distinctive venue and being interested in our Club. Peter presented Ryan with a gift from Sunrise Rotary. Ryan thanked Peter and said he hoped to come along to Sunrise meetings next year. There was general acclaim. (right: Peter Gissing thanking Ryan Dedini) ROTARY INFORMATION: Marilyn Walter: (see below) When I attended the meeting of the Rotary Club of Yamana Nagar Riviera, D3080, India, in November, it was the occasion of the District Governor s official visit. DG Rakesh Aggarwal addressed familiar topics (eg membership, women in Rotary) and the District project (building and furnishing 175 schools destroyed in the recent floods in floods in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand (part of D3080). Both the differences and the similarities between the talks from DGs in D9700 and D3080 made me start thinking about the structure of Rotary International. RI is governed by a Board of Directors, which meets four times a year.
The current Board includes 14 directors as well as President Ron Burton, General Secretary John Hewko, Treasurer Andy Smallwood and other senior office-holders. An Executive Committee of six Directors, the chairman, and RI President meets inbetween these Board meetings to consider important issues in the running of RI which may arise in the interim. Our Zone 8 representative, John B. Boag, from the Rotary Club of Tamworth North, is a member of both the Board and the Executive Committee. (right: Ryan Dedini bearing delicious breakfasts to Sunrise Rotarians) The other point I found of great interest is the capacity of any Rotary Club to formally petition the Board of Directors to raise issues of great concern to members. Topics of petitions have ranged from inappropriate practices surrounding the election of District Governors, clubs not accepting prospective women members and the travel expenses for international travel for members of RI senior executive. We are often told that clubs are the backbone of RI. Up till now, I had not realised the nature of the link between clubs and the management structure of Rotary International. I find it reassuring to know that Sunrise can make direct contact with the Board of Directors and submit petitions if need be on issues of grave concern to local members. And from RI President Ron D. Burton on the Death of Nelson Mandela: Rotary members worldwide are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Nelson Mandela. He shared Rotary s commitment to humanitarian service and world peace. In 1997, he accepted Rotary s highest award, the Rotary Award for World Understanding, and donated the $US100,000 grant accompanying the award to the Nelson Mandela Children s Fund. Mr Mandela also supported the global effort to eradicate polio and helped to administer oral vaccine to the children of South Africa, which is now polio free. SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Dawn Smith (below, left) was crafty as our sergeant and extracted fines for the following: If you re not having Xmas at home. If you haven t been singing Christmas Carols How long have we been singing Jingle Bells? A: 15 years: those who didn t know pay up. Those who didn t know Ndungi is our only member who has in fact met Nelson Mandela. Potters Exhibition is being held at E3, WW Art Gallery Exhibition Space. Anyone who hasn t been, pay up. Sue McAlpin for sitting with all the guys (sorry Helen!!!) and Ray Goodlass with the girls, even though Ray piped up and said They sat with me. Alan & David B for making the smoke alarm go off X Fines Helen fined anyone who didn t go to Saturday night combining of the choirs at St Michael s Cathedral on Saturday night. Was a great evening! David Gilbey for dressing normally
(right: Ndungi Mungai, Vicki Lamrock, Sandra Rootes & Marie Wood) Fines total: $74.35 swelled the coffers well done, Dawn! PROGRAMME: Rev. Geoff Flynn: a Christmas message. Peter Gissing introduced this week s guest speaker, our former member Geoff Flynn who gave us a Christmas message to ponder on. Geoff deviated from the traditional Christmas message to provoke us by the words contained within the Gospel of St Mathew: And Jesus said, When I was hungry.naked..imprisoned, sick and you fed, or visited, or cared for and nursed back to health When you did this to the least of my brethren you did it to me What the text talks about is the incarnation: The Divine becoming Human Flesh. And this can take place even in the least when Jesus enters into the Human: God is within the person we can often walk past. (Geoff Flynn & David Gilbey deep in theological discussion) Rotarians serve the least and so are in fact serving God/Jesus himself. Christmas reminds us that we welcome and serve Jesus in the everyday and instead of building Christmas up to be a significant one day we should think of Jesus being within the least all through the year. Geoff also spoke of those who often look at those who serve/help others as being Righteous and those receiving help and being served unrighteous. He cited a town which, when struck by devastating storms, didn t ask for help as people there thought of themselves as a middle class suburb and they were normally the ones offering help. God in the baby of Jesus tells us that he was someone who as a baby was dependent but also grew to help and serve others. We in turn need to graciously and humbly learn to give and receive. Geoff was well thanked by Len Wade. (see right) LUCKY DRAW: Darren Verus won the raffle after Noelene drew out a fellow table companion. (left: Denise photographing the singing of the National Anthem MEETING FINISHED: 8.30am
Roster for January 2014: 7 th January 14 th January 21 st January 28 th January Meet & Greet Dawn Smith Max Chapman Debbie Braines Ray Goodlass Setup Meeting Peter Gissing Peter Gissing Peter Gissing Peter Gissing Packup Meeting Alan Sharp Alan Sharp Alan Sharp Alan Sharp Attendance Desk Ndungi Mungai Peter Brown Dave O Grady Jo Wilson Joan Skews Sandra Rootes Karen Jamieson David Gilbey Sergeant at Arms Bob Martin Helen Berger Darren Verus Noelene Hogan Bulletin Reporter Val Samuelson Val Samuelson Fred Loneragan Fred Loneragan Rotary Information Hendrik van Ieperen Marie Wood Denise Flockton Alan Sharp Welcome and Jennifer Weale Bronwyn Hills Dennis Blackett Introduce Speaker Thank Speaker Sue McAlpin Yvonne Braid Francis Desailly Programme New Year s meeting tba tba tba **Reminder: If you are rostered on for a job but can t make the meeting, please make arrangements for someone to replace you. NOTE: WELCOME FOR GUEST SPEAKERS The Board has requested that the person rostered to introduce a Guest Speaker should also be available to welcome and host the Guest Speaker. This would generally include sitting with them but not necessarily at the President s table. THE FOUR WAY TEST: Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? Board Members 2013/2014: President: Peter Gissing Secretary: Jo Wilson Treasurer: David Brady President Elect: Hendrik van Ieperen Club Administration: Hendrik van Ieperen Rotary Foundation: Len Wade Membership/Vocational: Jennifer Weale Public Relations: Dennis Blackett Service Projects: Max Chapman Youth: Ndungi Mungai Immediate Past President: Val Samuelson New Members Inducted in 2013/4 Rotary Year: Vicki Lamrock, Karen Jamieson District Governor: Geoff and Bettye Tancred (Orange Calare) Assistant Governor Group 5: Alan Sharp and Norma (Rotary Club of Wagga Sunrise) Club Members involved at District Level: Director, District Rotary Service Projects: Noelene Hogan District Committees: Peter Gissing (District Training Team, Vocational Service, Website & IT) Fred Loneragan (World Peace Fellowships, Rotarians Fighting For Aids, Peace Communities, Rotary Foundation) Marilyn Walter (Rotarians Fighting For Aids, District Training Team) Denise Flockton (NSW Inspirational Womens Award) and finally, some drollery
Fw: Things to Ponder.selections from a seasonal email [ed.]
(last pic for the year, right: the multi-talented and ever-congenial Darren Verus) Bulletin Reporter: Pics: Keyway Editor: Darren Verus Denise Flockton David Gilbey