Rotary Notes 23 October 2024
Rotary Club of Greater Geraldton
Geraldton Golf Club 7am.
President Hugh Lavery
Sergeant Bob Urquhart
Invocation and Toast – Don Rolston
Apologies – Bob Symington, Bob Hall, Viki Fennell
Attendees – Hugh Lavery, Bob Urquhart, Grant Woodhams, Laurie Dines, Kevin Green, Jim Dillon, Don Rolston, Rob Mosel, Terry Stewart, Ian Taylor, Barry Dring, Peter Sukiennik, Jo Clarke.
Guests – Sofia Underland (IBEX); Kiera Foster (Sofia's host mother); Eugenie partner of Barry Dring.
President's Announcements:
Hugh went to community building session where the emphasis was on involving young people in the community. This involves the commitment of a lot of agencies.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards -Our club has room and time to sponsor more applicants.
Member Announcements:
Grant Woodhams thanked Peter Sukiennik for the work that his volunteers did at the Chapman Valley Country Music Festival which was held last weekend.
Jo Clarke with Rotary Radio Auction Update.
We are ahead of last your on pledges made.
2023- 67K+ compared to 2024 – 73K+ Glen Feltham is working on our newspaper program for the day. Hugh will email what is required of members on the day. Can everyone please register for it on Club Runner?
Guest Speaker Peter Sukiennik
Peter told us about Rotary's involvement in Landor Races this year.
Thirty Two people helped this year. Peter described the trip there and provided substantial detail supported by a slide show of photographs of the event. We will invoice Landor Races committee (EGRC?) $20,000 for our work. Peter would like to repeat the exercise next year.
Laurie Dines thanked Peter in the usual way, that is donating fifty polio vaccinations. He also thanked him in the unusual way of providing him with a red ca
p.
The Raffle (a game of heads and tails this week was won by Kevin “the two headed monster” Green.
Discussion
Hugh provided an outline re Strategic Plan for Rotary Club of GG going forward:
-Venue and meeting structure.
-Engagement and communication.
-Membership Development (A reminder that Hugh has already sent out forms.)
-Community Service Projects. What does our community want?
-Governance
-Marketing and outreach. Rotary can be a platform for many things in our society.
All comments are welcome.
Fines Session with Kevin Green:
The following were found out by KG – Don Rolston; Laurie Dines; Peter Sukiennik and Bob Urquhart.
Open fines saw Hugh Lavery fining Laurie Dines and Doc Taylor; Jim Dillon fined Peter Sukiennik and Jo Clarke by her own admission will have been married forty years next year. Does her husband Dean know???
Final Comments: A reminder re Rotary Radio Auction on Sunday November 3rd. Please go online and register for it. It will be held in the Nth Area Catchment Council offices in Walton Close, which is off NW Coastal Highway.
IBEX
report with Norway's Sofia Underland:
<-- Caption - Host Mum, Kiera Foster, Sofia Underland (Norway) Mentor, Jo Clar
ke
Inbound Exchange Student Sofia Underland: Our Rotary Exchange student Sofia was away on a two-night orientation in Perth and on an Outward Bound course.
Sofia told us she spent some of the school holidays at Donnelly River on the South Coast.
Then spent some time in Geraldton and Perth.
She took part in IBEX Student Camp and then when she returned to school (Geraldton Grammar) she went away on Outward Bound Camp which she said was tough challenging and enjoyable.
President's Report - Hugh Lavery:
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.
