Waffle with Wine Meetings – We are now into our fourth week of Waffle with Wine Zoom meetings on Friday evenings and we now have at least five weeks of isolation behind us. It seems like most members are holding out well under the current conditions and it won’t be long before we are hopefully on the other side of the pandemic and enjoying the company of each other face to face.
Some members are continuing the practice of having new locations presented as their backdrops to the Zoom meetings which adds a bit of fun alongside the quizzes that Ian Harper has circulated to members. The electronic meetings are working well; it is a time when members can raise Rotary issues or ideas for connection to our community in light of the present distancing restrictions, or to just generally have a social chat and catch up between us.
As mentioned last week, Zoom has strengthened their security and you will need to record the meeting number and password to enter the meeting. Both will be displayed in the email I will send you. The meeting number and password will be specific to this meeting and not to be used for any other meeting links. Therefore it is best to delete the email after each of our meetings. If you have the Zoom downloaded on your computer, you can press the icon ‘join meeting’ and then add the meeting ID and password and wait to be connected. If you do not have Zoom on your computer, press the link in the email and when prompted add the meeting ID and password, again wait a minute to be connected.
Induction of new member – I am pleased to report that Daybreak will be inducting new member Jennie Miller in the coming week. Jennie’s classification will be HR Consultant and she will be appointed within the Foundation Committee. Jennie’s induction will take place at a special Zoom meeting scheduled for 7pm on Wednesday April 29 and all members will receive an invitation to attend. It is anticipated that we can have a celebration and a handing over of pins etc to Jennie when current restrictions are eased. I have included a humorous picture of Jennie in this newsletter, apparently she ordered a pet bed that was way too small but fitted nicely as a fashionable hat. It’s a pity we don’t have the racing carnival this year as she could have put it to good use!
Board Meeting – The Board met via Zoom on Tuesday April 21and it passed that the Club purchase a new laptop and presentation cables to be used for meetings and other Club necessities and presentations. Ian Watson kindly offered to oversee the requirements and purchase and I’m pleased to say the computer is on its way to Daybreak. Currently I think we are the only Club in the district that does not have their own club computer for meetings and presentations.
The Board also passed that the Club purchase a Zoom subscription at the time of the changeover each year so that some meetings extra to our breakfast meetings can be conducted electronically into the future and not have a time restriction as is the case with the current free program. There are many extra meetings throughout the Rotary year that the Executive Committee need to attend including Board, Group Five and various District meetings. It makes sense to move into the electronic format at this time when other Clubs are also working in this way. There is a possibility that the District Assembly and other training events will be delivered in this way. Also there will be the option to Zoom a guest speaker from afar into our weekly breakfast meetings.
District Meeting Sunday April 26 – The Board and incoming Board will have received an invitation email with a link to a District meeting that will discuss requirements as we move into Rotary 2020-21. The meeting will also discuss the upcoming Assembly and would be a learning opportunity for the incoming executives. The meeting will be held via the Team application however to participate you need only press the link sent in the original email. If for some reason that does not work type the following link into your browser http://tinyurl.com/y92k4tsv
Anzac day – PE Peter Cassady has kindly offered to lay a wreath at the memorial on behalf of Daybreak. Appointments for the laying of wreaths needed to be booked with the RSL and unfortunately our Club was not aware of this process till recently, so we thank Peter for his generous offer to lay our wreath at the same time that he will lay a wreath for the Lodge. Lest we forget.
Care Program Update – Glenn and Harpo met with Anglicare (Louise Serra) and Council reps (Scott Cavanagh, Paul McNamara & Mat Deans) at our Care program site at Surfside 2 to discuss the Care Program requirements and how the program could be managed in the interim period that Daybreak cannot be involved. It seems the need in the community is great and also very much appreciated by its clients, the Council and other service providers.
Anglicare are proposing to commence the service on Sunday May 3. They are planning to use volunteers under the Anglicare umbrella. It is their policy not to engage volunteers aged 70+ because of the virus, but they are actively seeking other volunteers to assist. They won’t be having a BBQ because of the social distancing requirements, but will look at perhaps supplying pre-packaged sandwiches, or something similar.
Showers will be disinfected after each person's use, and responsibilities will be placed upon clients to adhere to social distancing requirements. If people do not adhere to requirements, the service will be suspended.
Glenn and Harpo will be available the first couple of weeks via phone in case there are any issues that arise in which we can provide advice.
It has become very clear that other service providers and the Council greatly appreciate what we have been doing, and they are looking forward to when we can safely manage the service again. Everyone understands that our club cannot continue to provide this service in the current climate because of the age and vulnerability of many of our club members and/or families.
RDU Magazine subscriptions – Jan has recently sent notification to members regarding whether you prefer hard copy or electronic versions of the RDU magazine. There is a cost difference with electronic versions being cheaper; Jan has outlined costs in the notice that she emailed to members. If you haven’t already done so could you please get back to Jan with your preference so that we can sort the database. It is also important that your current email is up to date on the Rotary website, it is the responsibility of all members to keep their own contact details up to date.
Birthdays and Anniversaries – We have a couple of birthdays this week; Dianne Brown celebrates her birthday on Sunday April 26 and Drew Giblin has a birthday two days later on Tuesday April 28. Congratulations to both members.
Assistance – A reminder that our Club may be able to provide some form of assistance to those members and their families who may be overwhelmed by their isolation in the current situation. If you are unsure of how to order in food or other supplies or how to contact other services, we have members who could assist you in understanding these processes. Please call Glenn in the first instance on 0417 031 943 and if you can’t reach Glenn, Harpo can be contracted on 0427 941 198. Hopefully we can provide assistance or advice from afar rather than face to face.
Remember to touch base with those members and friends who may be feeling more isolated than you for a range of reasons; it may only be a phone call but may mean a lot more to them than you think. Stay safe and stay connected and more importantly at this stage of COVID-19, stay home.
Liza
