Wasn’t it nice to get back to a normal Rotary meeting again? Our members certainly looked happy, mingling and swapping lies as usual. New members Jane Drury, Pam Crockett and Julie Colette mingled with the “oldies”, while David McNamara won the raffle: a nice bottle of red.
President Tilak gave an update of what has been happening behind the scenes, and some plans for the future: Doug McLean’s “Man Behind the Badge” focused on the Forestry and Timber industries, and afterwards it looked like no-one wanted to go home, as members sat around and chatted.
We have certainly missed our Rotary meetings: isn’t it grand to be back?
February is Peace and Conflict Resolution Month.
District Secretary Jane Pennington sent us two flyers for “The Bulletin”, relating to Rotary Foundation Scholarships in Peace and Conflict Resolution and Post Graduate Scholarships. You may recall the inspiring Lien Trinh (left) addressing the club.
Have a look at the flyers (in Forthcoming Events): do you know any potential applicants?
Mermaid Makeover
Geraldine Massey writes in “The Spectator”:
The wait is finally over, be still my beating heart. A modern retelling of The Little Mermaid is set to hit bookstores in June to coincide with Pride month. You guessed it, the story, Nen and the Lonely Fisherman, has ” LGBTQ+ inclusivity and a subtle environmental message.” And is it just me, or does Nen look like a merman of colour? That’s the woke trifecta then.
Here’s the heartwarming synopsis:
Nen and the Lonely Fisherman tells the story of a merman’s search for true love. Nen sends a song of hope across the sea while a lonely, caring young fisherman named Ernest hopes to find warmth in his heart. As the two meet, they feel a special connection, much to the dismay of Nen’s father, Pelagios, who creates a wild sea storm to protect his son and the ocean. Can Nen save Ernest?
I bet this will have your littlies beating down the doors of your local bookstore, and you beating your head against the wall.
Stand-up Comedian
President Xi of The Peoples Republic of China delivered some of funniest lines so far at the World Economic Forum. Against a backdrop depicting a fiery sunrise over the Great Wall of China, he told elite invitees via Zoom that, ‘the strong should not bully the weak’, peace and stability depend on respect for ‘international law and international rules’, and differences should be bridged through ‘dialogue’ and ‘negotiation’.
Xi achieved the impossible and gave the whole nation a good belly laugh with his comic timing and mastery of Newspeak. Now that the Wuhan flu has raised the value of toilet paper, copies of our Free Trade Agreement with China could come in handy.
A Solution that Ends Malnutrition
Karalyn Hingston of Food Plant Solutions has sent us a link to their first newsletter: https://foodplantsolutions.org
/january-2021-newsletter/Food Plant Solutions create educational materials that explain what nutritional food is, why our bodies need it and how to grow and use it. They focus on what are often neglected and underutilised plants, plants that are growing in and adapted to their environment, and are high in the most beneficial nutrients.
Their materials are designed to empower people, but particularly women, so that they can make informed choices on what plants to grow and eat that will nutritiously feed themselves and their families. This project is cost effective, proven to work, sustainable and enables self-sufficiency.
So enjoy the newsletter!
Past Presidents
We wrap up our series on Past Presidents with an article by PG Bernie Walshe, who gives us a potted history of Hawthorn Rotary Club.The series is far from complete, but it helped fill our pages over the Xmas and Covid break.
Jill Weeks has sent us a photo of the late Reg and Cora Harris, who were Lord and Lady Mayoress of Hawthorn. Reg was our Club President in 1966-67, and Cora established and ran the 'Little Shop On Glenferrie Road'.
Thanks Jill: any other memorabilia would be welcomed by our readers.
Photos: The "after" party: members siting around and chewing the fat. We DID miss each other.
Pam Crockett with Charlotte England: Julie Colette and Lawrence Reddaway.
Next Tuesday: No Meeting
The Shadow knows that you know this. And that you know there are containers to be loaded at DIK. He also knows that 
Noel McInnes and Gordon Cheyne are a bit underwhelmed by your response to their request for assistance.
Noel McInnes and Gordon Cheyne are a bit underwhelmed by your response to their request for assistance. If you can give a couple of hours of help, it would be greatly appreciated.
Call Noel on 0418 310 007 or Gordon on 0417 583 803.