Tuesday 7th March - Meeting 1654
A Night of Cake & Camaraderie
Apologies: Sonia Laucke and Shannon Welk.
Visitors: Kevin Hales Honorary Member of Hornsbury Rotary Club, Past President Andy Wood, Phil Smith, Brian Tapping, Lorenzo Sanches-Pagliuso, Bill and Sue Watts and Steve Dick Former Member of Naracoorte and Bordertown.
Guest Speakers: David Steinert & Janet Tapping
Tonight’s meeting had a slightly different rhythm, with dinner served before the formalities began, and what a dinner it was! Members enjoyed a hearty serving of beef lasagne, chips and fresh salad, followed (because clearly restraint is not our strong point) by cake and ice cream.
Sergeant Tamara was assisted by Bronnie Daws, who delivered a lovely and thoughtful toast to Australia to begin proceedings.
President Debbie was then invited to the lectern, where she warmly welcomed our guests.
Member Talks and Two Minute Spots
In a new initiative, whenever we don’t have a guest speaker, two of our members will share a short talk about themselves; their background, where they’ve come from, and a little about their life journey.
Tonight, we heard from David Steinert and Janet Tapping. Both shared engaging and personal reflections that reminded us just how diverse, experienced and interesting our club members truly are.
Tony McWhinny also gave a quick two-minute update on the upcoming Neighbourhood Watch AGM — short, sharp and informative! Also their guest speaker at the AGM sounds like an inspiring story so get along if you are able!
There was once again some lovely produce available, home made crunchy ANZAC biscuits, home grown herbs and kale as well as some lovely home grown tomatoes. Thanks to all the lovely Rotarians (present and past) who contributed. All proceeds go towards the environment team and RCP.
Happy and sad dollars flowed freely, along with a self-inflicted fine (always the best kind).
Sergeant Tamara then delivered a fun and slightly chaotic quiz. Sue was firmly instructed not to answer every question this week, which allowed Meredith to shine and take out the honour of “Most Correct Answers” — largely motivated by her very strong desire to win the chocolates!
We also learned about one of nature’s most extraordinary creatures — the Tardigrade.
The Tardigrade (also known as a “water bear” or “Moss Piglet”) is a microscopic animal famous for its almost unbelievable survival skills. These tiny creatures can survive extreme heat, freezing temperatures near absolute zero, intense radiation, crushing pressure, dehydration for decades, and even the vacuum of outer space! They essentially dry themselves out, shut down, and then “reboot” when conditions improve. If resilience were an Olympic sport, the Tardigrade would take gold every time.
In a slightly more questionable educational moment, Tamara also suggested a (purely hypothetical!) method for corrupting a crime scene using a koala paw, which may or may not have raised some eyebrows…
Following the quiz, Tamara took a more serious tone and offered a heartfelt apology to members, sharing that over the past nine months she has felt she has been spreading herself too thin and, at times, letting people down. She acknowledged the importance of setting clearer boundaries and focusing on what truly matters moving forward, and not taking on quite so much.
She also shared the exciting news that she has been nominated for the Fleurieu Community Women’s Awards, to be held this Friday, March 6th. A wonderful and very well-deserved recognition.
A Very Special Celebration
The evening concluded with a beautiful surprise for the wonderful Christine Smith, who celebrated her 80th birthday last week.
Di Keach created a stunning Black Forest cake, complete with flowers and candles. We all sang Happy Birthday with great enthusiasm (and reasonable pitch accuracy). Christine was suitably surprised and delighted.
At this point, it is safe to say we were officially cake, chocolate and more cake’d out.
The following day a lovely thank you card was received from Chris thanking us for her lovely cake and Surprise! She said she loved the night and her lovely flowers too.
