Meeting Notes 30th July 2018

Guest Speaker

Danny Parker

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President David Ellis welcomed Rotarians and guests to the Rotary Club of Dalkeith.

President David asked members to sing the anthem. John Thornton led the way.

President David welcomed Guest Speaker, Children’s Picture Book Author Danny Parker who has agreed to address the meeting on The Power of Picture Books.

Apologies and Leave Of Absence:

President David advised based on his best possible estimate (Clubrunner does not give easy access to meeting acceptances, apologies or leave of absence) 37 Members and one Guest were expected to attend the meeting.

VISITING ROTARIANS and GUESTS:

There were no visiting Rotarians or Guests.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

The question for this week was read by PP Craig James

Question: Which Rotary Organisation is one of the largest independent funders of Mental Health Research in Australia?

Answer: Australian Rotary Health.

Answered by Graeme Sansom with a little help from his Rotarian friend Ian Ritchie

FAMILY AND FRIENDS ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Craig James announced that he and Colette have been blessed with a fourth grandchild born to their youngest daughter Elissa and son in law Duncan in Hong Kong on 19 July.

PDG Lindsay Dry informed the meeting that Tom Langley will be discharged from hospital this week following his admission with a broken neck. By email to LD Tom, somewhat understated reported;

“It happened whilst I was doing a power walking in Bold Park on 20 July, got a bit dizzy, tripped and landed heavily with my head hitting a rock, fracturing C1. I fell a few times trying to get up then walked 0.5 km to home, not feeling too bad. After about an hour the pain started so I drove to Charlie’s and admitted. The radiologist seems to think I was incredibly lucky not to be paralysed. I will be in a neck brace for six weeks, otherwise fine.”

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES: (Dave Smith)

Tue, 31 Jul - Anita Bourke's Birthday (she is enjoying it in Paris)

Sat, 28Jul - Peter Marfleet will have served our Rotary club for 4 years

Mon, 30Jul - Gary and Margaret Dienhoff will be celebrating 49 years of Marriage

Wed, 1 Aug - John Saleeba will have served our Rotary club for 28 years

Members Attendance: (Ian Ritchie)

The meeting learnt the attendance at the meeting of 23 July was 72%, tonight we had only 30 in attendance and will learn the percentage next week.

COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Charitable Trust: (Russell Hawkins):

RH announced he has a new supply of wine available to Members and their friends – Snake and Herring Cabernet Merlot 2014 and Snake and Herring Sauvignon Blanc 2017 at $125 a dozen. Rotarians should contact RH.

https://snakeandherring.com.au/

Club Secretary’s Report (Craig James):

CJ encouraged Members, particularly the newer Members to give serious consideration to attending the Rotary Leadership Seminars to be conducted by District 9455 in September/October or February/March. CJ explained the three seminars can be done in any order at any time. Attendance at the seminars will enhance their enjoyment of Club membership through a better understanding of Rotary. Attendance at the Seminars is also a criterion against which Club’s are measured by RI.

Club Treasurer’s Report (Anthony McGrath):

Anthony announced that he has issued two invoices;

a Membership Invoice; and
a voluntary invitation to contribute $150 to RI Foundation.
Payment to the General Account is requested.

Club Service: (Ian Ritchie):

Because of the low response to invitations (due to Member absences) the Guess who’s coming to Dinner function which had been planned for Friday 17 August has been postponed to a date later in the year to be determined.

Community Service: (Peter Robertson):

No report.

Vocational Service: (Peter Marfleet).

PM reported that because of interest raised with him by some members, his committee will give consideration to finding projects supporting the First Australians community.

David Smith has sent out information for the WA Ballet visit. There is still a waiting list so anyone who has booked but can now not attend should contact David.

Foundation and International Service: (Peter Webb):

Still no report from Rotary Club of Denpasar, but KI and PP are visiting the Club this week and will encourage the Club to comply with RI’s requirements which are holding up the approval of the Global Grant for the Bali Eye Clinic Bus.

Public Relations: (Kevin Jackson):

KJ reminded members that Steve Plain will be Guest Speaker at the next meeting of 6 August. The meeting will be a night for partners and spouses to attend. Steve has just completed the epic achievement of climbing 7 Mountains on 7 Continents in 117 days.

Membership: (Lindsay Dry):

A Committee meeting will be held in the on Monday 13 August at a venue to be advised.

Peter Robertson suggested the Club website might be altered to encourage new member applications rather than stating “Membership by Invitation”.

Youth: (Kim Smith/Leon Lorenzen):

Members were reminded that their support is requested in finding corporate donors to support the 2019 Science and Engineering Challenge – a minimum amount of $20,000 is required.

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OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS: (Kevin Jackson).

Kevin drew the meeting’s attention to articles in the West Australian of 25 July titled “Is your brain ready to retire” which espoused the benefit of Men's Sheds:

“You spend half a lifetime getting your finances ready for retirement, but have you given a thought to being mentally prepared for the change?”

President’s Report;

President David reported that;

Carlos finally arrived in Perth after missing his connecting flight in Sydney which forced him to stay over in Sydney for one night, a challenging experience for the first night in a strange land. Carlos looks forward to Steve H dusting off his bike and delivering it. Carlos will be attending Shenton College;
Assistance is needed to collect the Qantas Blankets from Belmont for delivery to Red Cross.
He and PP Craig represented the Club at the Australian Rotary Health “Lifting the Lid on Mental Health” Seminar at University Club at which the Club pledged a donation of $2500 to ARH Mental Health Research.

President David reminded Members;

that they should be ever conscious of the open invitation/duty to invite to meetings guests who may be potential new members/friends of RCD.
The series of Rotary Institute Seminars coming up in September and October

SERGEANT: (Ray House):

JT for a phone he could not stop ringing and a car so clean he mistook it; Wine Table; Dave Smith for coveting a home closer to Kevin J; Wilkie and Lindquist, arrivals tax; Lindquist for (canine) bereavement tax; Sudlow and Saleeba for delivery shopping bag order to RC Northam; Webb for his unnatural attention towards Mammoth Harley Davidson Sale; Jackson for longest drive earlier in the day; Laurie arriving at the meeting without cash.

GUEST SPEAKER:

Bruce McGeorge introduced Guest Speaker Danny Parker.

Before arriving in Australia Danny taught for several years in the UK including at Gordonstuon School. Danny arrived in Australia in 2004 with his wife and three sons to take up a position at Hale School, he now teaches English Literature to K – 12 students at Perth College.

Danny delivered an entertaining and informative talk that included him singing verses from “The Water is Wide” whilst accompanying himself on his guitar. Danny’s talk was warmly received and appreciated by the meeting.

Danny explained that as well as very much enjoying the interaction with young enthusiastic students he is also an avid writer of Children’s Picture Story Books in which the pictures do as much of the telling as the words. Danny is passionate about writing. A skill he has learned is to write as little as is essential leaving as much space for pictures as possible. The illustrator is as equally important as the author. Most of Danny’s books have been illustrated by highly regarded Matt Ottley a multi-modal artist working across the fields of visual arts, music and literature.

Danny’s first three published picture books seem to accidentally chart a period between losing his father, becoming a father, and the odd world that is parenting. This wasn’t planned, but the combination of family and the deeply personal process of writing seem intertwined for him.

His main inspiration seems to be his family. Whenever he embarks on a story or starts to fan the flames of an idea, no matter where the original idea came from it seems to find its way back to his family and close relationships.

Danny explained his writing works on positive psychology looking at the bright side.

Picture books evoke different reactions in the reader. By distancing the reader from reality can bring children closer to it, digging beneath the narrative can reveal the hidden story as in his book “Tree” in which a sapling grows in the shelter of an older tree, where he is happy and safe. One day a violent storm destroys everything the sapling knows (including the older tree), and he suddenly finds himself unprotected and alone. But as the sapling grows, he gradually discovers that every end is a new beginning. “Tree” was inspired by the sudden death of Danny’s father.

APPRECIATION:

President David thanked Danny Parker for his presentation, presented him with a famous Rotary Fruit Cake and promised members that details of where to buy his books would be published in these notes… so here you are https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/392819.Danny_Parker (Your scribe suspects there may be more than one Danny Parker author!!)

Members warmly applauded.

FUTURE EVENTS:

Before closing the Meeting, President David reminded members of the future club events.

Guess who’s coming to Dinner will be held on a date later in the Year.

RLI1 September 9 8.30am – 2.30pm

RLI2 September 30 8.30am – 2.30pm

RLI3 October 7 8.30am – 2.30pm

Business Lunch … 17^th October 2018

RLI 1 February 3 8.30am – 2.30pm

RLI 2 February 17 8.30am – 2.30pm

RLI 3 March 10 8.30am – 2.30pm

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