March 26 Newsletter - The Breeze (Mar 28, 2025)

Helen Ansell

Guest Speaker - Helen Ansell

Helen Ansell, a talented Western Australian artist who’s gained international acclaim.

She works from her art gallery in Mullewa, a small town near Geraldton, proving that big talent can thrive in regional settings.
Helen grew up in Ululla, a remote Aboriginal community, near Wiluna, and Meekatharrra, in central WA, where her deep ties to the indigenous people and the rugged desert landscape were inspired.

Her vibrant paintings of native flora and fauna truly capture the essence of Australian art, bursting with colour and life.
She keeps the art scene dynamic, regularly launching new exhibitions like her 2022 ‘Floral Fashionista,’ where she teamed up with Flax and Fleece to create a limited-edition clothing line inspired by her work.

Helen’s a creative powerhouse, bringing the spirit of our region to the world stage!

Helen grew up in Meekatharra where she sold her first painting while still at school for $60. She left Meeka to attend university where she graduated with a degree in Social Sciences specialising in Youth Work. She moved to Edinburgh, Scotland where she was an artist for three years before returning to WA.

She then went to live with her father at Ululla, south of Wiluna and it was there that she saw her childhood landscapes through different eyes and started to focus her art on native flora and fauna. She started to work in different mediums and decided because of lack of money to make Mullewa her home. It was the cheapest place to buy a house.

Along the way she came into Geraldton to do a barista course at TAFE and was able to combine her art gallery with a coffee shop. Last year she was open for twelve months of the year and the locals had somewhere to have a coffee and meet. She says she can sell more artwork in Mullewa that she can in Perth. However she now has a F/T stall at the Fremantle markets and can afford to employ people.

She agrees that big cities are hot spots of creativity but believes she has turned that tradition on its head with her success in Mullewa.

Questions:
Kevin Green on opening hours.
Jim Dillon comments on people moving to Pindar (Mullewa's tiny neighbour).
Tony Ambrose on the wildflower season. Last year was the 'best' in 46 years!

Hugh Lavery thanked Helen for being our Giest Speaker and presented her with a certificate representing a donation of 50 vaccinations to Rotary International's End Polio Now Campaign on her behalf.

Helen supports the Rotary Club of Greater Geraldton and the Community - Check out her online shop at helenansell.com/shop/

Weekly Meeting 26 March 2025

Rotary Notes 260325
Geraldton Golf Club 7am

President: Hugh Lavery
A/Sgt: Kevin Green

Invocation and Toast: Grant Woodhams

Attendance - Jo Clarke, Jim Dillon, Barry Dring, Kevin Green, Bob Hall, Hugh Lavery, Robert Mosel, Grant Woodhams, Don Rolston, David Freeman, Laurie Dines.

Guests - Anthony Ambrose, Joshua Foster, Kiera Foster, Celia Lee, Chris Lee, Julie Dines, Helen Ansell.

Apologies - Geoff Wood, Bob Urquhart, Viki Fennell, Robert Symington.

Announcements

Grant Woodhams
- Legacy Golf Day is on 250425. There is a sign up sheet to help. Also we need auction items. They can be brought to Rotary meetin

Robert Mosel
- If you owe money for Christmas cakes please pay. Similarly membership subs are due. Please pay.gs on Wednesday mornings.

President Hugh

- Sofia Underland our exchange student from Norway is returning home early for family reasons.
- Anzaas Science Experience EOI's sent to local high schools. Club will sponsor students.
- RYE we have four applicants. Interviews will be in mid April.
- Radio Auction. We need to start planning for this year's event.
- RWADE is planned for June or July and depends on availability of a suitable venue .
- Position of Programme Chair will be become vacant soon. (Laurie Dines is current PD).

LATE NEWS:

The Batavia Coast Rotary Club invited our members, partners and friend to their Easter Fundraising Night.

It will be held on Sunday 7 April at 6 pm at the Geraldton Golf Club . Cost will be $25 to cover the meal.

We will be fundraising for community group and having lots of fun and games so please let everyone in your club know and I will need RSVPs by 3 April. Please email Pam at cinders04@bigpond.com

Kind regards

Pam Roffey

Late, Late News: Our Meeting on April 2nd will be a SPEED-DATING Discussion on THE 2025 RADIO AUCTION. I would like all Volunteers, Members, Partners to come along, you are essential to our success !. This is a very important pointof our 2025 Fundraising Campaign

Raffle (heads and tails) with A/Sgt Kevin Green.
Bottle of wine won by Chris Lee.

Fines with A/Sgt Kevin Green.
Hugh Lavery the television personality.
Laurie Dines on introducing his wife.
Hugh Lavery on asking who Laurie Dines' wife is?
Grant Woodhams on bringing a wine cooler to Rotary.
Floor Fines:
Jo Clarke on Barry Dring's Crocs.
Barry Dring on Barry Dring's Crocs.

Closing announcements:
Next week we will induct Tony Ambrose into our club.

The Magic of Rotary - President Hugh

President's Report - Hugh Lavery:

Apologies for not presenting in person. Thanks for getting zoom working to enable the sharing of the incoming World President Stephanie Urchick's address:

It can be found on the internet here: “The Magic of Rotary”

Short version

Long Version and well worth the 15 minutes.

It is also very rewarding to watch Stephanie Urchick's presentation on making a Rotary Club irresistible.

Hugh's message echoes Stephanie's in making our meetings irresistible and engaging. Have conversation, connect, learn and get involved in the Community. It is important that we become a more diverse membership.

HMAS Sydney II Memorial

“OUR GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY”

In 1998 the Rotary Club of Geraldton (now Greater Geraldton) embarked on an ambitious journey to build a memorial on Mt Scott in Geraldton, dedicated to the 645 sailors lost at sea when the HMAS Sydney II was sunk off the Mid-West coast during World War II. The HMAS Sydney II Memorial is by far the largest and proudest project the RCG has undertaken.

Australia’s worst naval disaster occurred on 19 November 1941 when HMAS Sydney II was lost following a battle with the German raider HSK KORMORAN, in the Indian Ocean off the Western Australian coast. Geraldton was the last port visited prior to her demise. The loss of the SYDNEY with its full war complement of 645 sailors remains etched in the nations psyche. The KORMORAN was also sunk, but 317 of its crew of 397 survived. The fate of the Sydney remained one of Australia’s greatest wartime mysteries until the location of the wreck in 2008.
“LEST WE FORGET”