June11 Newsletter - The RCGG Breeze (Jun 16, 2025)

Weekly Meeting June 11

Weekly Meeting Jume 11th 2025

Geraldton Golf Club 7am

President: Hugh Lavery

A/Sgt: Di Gilleland

President Hugh with Guest Speaker Russell Mckinnon

Invocation and Toast: Bob Symington

Attendance - Tony Ambrose, Jim Dillon, Barry Dring, Di Gilleland, Kevin Green, Bob Hall, Hugh Lavery, Russell McKinnon, Robert Mosel, Don Rolston, Robert Symington, Ian Taylor, Grant Woodhams, Terry Stewart.

Guests - Kim Wann

Apologies - Jo Clarke, Laurie Dines, Viki Fennell, David Freeman, Peter Sukiennik, Bob Urquhart.

Announcements:-

Hugh Lavery: Changeover and annual dinner on Sunday 22/06. It also includes Apprentice of the Year. $70ea. RSVP by 20/06. Most of the set up for the day will be done by the Geraldton Golf Club.

Youth Exchange- Visa details for Esther Rosa are new inbound from Brazil are being confirmed before the exchange can occur. However we need host parents. Especially some for her first placement in Geraldton. Derek Lange at Geraldton Grammar has been contacted and Tony Ambrose is working with Nagle. Another point of contact is Friday Circulars that is produced by Fusion's Rohan Prowse.

Nth NSW Flood Donation - We thought we had been scammed $5000 but the money has been returned to our account. Further investigation will occur.

Rob Mosel: We had eight applicants for Apprentice of the Year. We have selected a winner. We will invite last year's winner to do a presentation as well as our first AotY Ron O'Malley.

Don Rolston: Congratulated Rob Mosel on his hard work with AotY and proposed a vote of thanks from our club to Rob, for the outstanding effort he's made over many years.

Di Gilleland: An update on the state of play with this year's Radio Auction. We need to acknowledge that some sponsors/supporters will drop away. They need to be replaced with new businesses. Di outlined how she is getting the Shire of Shark Bay involved. Hugh Lavery indicated that he is organising for pledge sheets to previous donors to be sent out. Bob Symington suggested we contact tour bus operators, especially those who are visiting the HMAS Sydney Memorial.

Grant Woodhams: Tomorrow night (Thursday 12th) at the QEII centre one of the world's leading euphonium player's, Stephen Mead will be giving a performance. A euphonium is like a tuba... All welcome, only $15/head.

Fines session with Kevin Green and others. Among those receiving "accolades" were Tony Ambrose (joke telling), Hugh Lavery (flood money), Grant Woodhams (euphonium explanation), Russell McKinnon (dressed by his wife?), Bob Symington (the escaped tomato), Tony Ambrose (Philippines Independence Day). Russell then fined himself for his wife's and his recent birthdays. Ian Taylor joined in fining Russell for all the caravans on the road!

Di Gilleland, who incidentally won the raffle and went home with a bottle of wine

'Cold' Breeze Notes Grant Woodhams- Photographs Ian 'Doc' Taylor -

Guest Speaker Russell McKinnon - 11 June 2025

Guest Speaker: Russell McKinnon ex Wanganui First XIV.

Russell initially outlined how the magazine he produces "Caravans West" was scammed by a Chinese company. He then went on to elaborate on the recent Caravan Association of WA biennial rally which was held in Geraldton.

Eighty Six caravans parked on the No.2 Oval at Eadon Clarke for the forty sixth running of the event.

It was a good turnout by comparison with recent rallies which saw one hundred and seventy at Pingelly, but only seventy six in Bunbury.

There are seven hundred caravans in the WA association. The last national rally was in Albany in 2019 (Pre-Covid) where two hundred and eighty vans turned up from all over Australia.

Meanwhile there are fifty caravans in the local MW club, but very few of them camped at Eadon Clarke although many participated in the various activities that were organised e.g. ladder golf, disc bowls, horse racing and a visit to the HMAS Sydney Memorial.

The Geraldton rally tipped $67,000 into the local economy.

President Hugh thanked Russell for informative talk and contribution to the local community.

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”