From the President  President John opened the meeting on time calling for Visitors. Visiting Rotarian Brent Bannister from Canmore in Canada plus visitors Youth Exchange Student Franzi Traber, Travis Downie, Glenn Lollback, Peter Green and Adam, Jeremey Hutcheons and Sarah Sweeney from local youth mentoring group "Ignite", our guest speakers.
John informed us that Laurie Blowes is still off with his back but coming along well. Peter Clucas' wife Sharon is undergoing surgery tomorrow (Wednesday) for breast cancer and we all wish her well and offer Peter whatever support we can. Sunrise Rotary is selling Christmas trees at the Master's carpark - please support a fellow club.
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Sunday Market Report
OIC Rick Priest, Team: Paul Mildie, John Ireland, Mark Hillis, Geoff Bruest and Paul Murray 
Much ado about rain and thus the stall-holders were given relief from fees. It was noted that anotehr big market was held at the showgrounds at the same time (and suffered a similar rain-induced failure); further, why don't we look at combining our market with others being held on the same day? Why indeed.....
It was again noted, in Rick's inimicable, exasperated style, that $50 notes were of no use in the float. One could hear other words left unsaid, what with the presence of tender young ears in the room.
Financials: Gate $327.55
Stalls
Advanced Bookings
Trestles
Insurance
Total $327.55
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Attendance and Apologies
Visiting Rotarians: Brent Pickard - Canmore Club in Canada
Club Guests: Franzi Traber, Travis Downie, Glenn Lollback, Peter Green; Jeremy Hutcheons, Adam and Sarah Sweeney from Ignite (Club Guests).
Make-ups: Rick Priest, Paul Mildie, John Ireland, Mark Hillis, Geoff Bruest, Paul Murray, Wal Paton, Niel Pinto.
Apologies recorded: Laurie Blowes, Richard Braid, Peter Crozier, Michael Eldridge, John Flynn, James Hamilton, John Hawkins, Mark Hillis, David Hodge, John Ireland, Nick Leywood, Stephen McCoy, Robert Nicholson, Kerry Pascoe, Robert Pearson, David Pyke, Jeremy Riethmuller, Mark Sayer and Bob Willis.
The numbers are:
Eaters 27, Bun run 4, not eating at all 12, Recorded absent 19 and Absent without record 10 for total of 72.
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Rotary Fruit Cakes
There's a lot of them in the club but we could do with more - still only $15 with $2.20 to Rotary Foundation on Wollundry's behalf.
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Sergeant Geoff Hamilton  Rick Priest continued to bang on about anything (particularly on tables) for fines. David Benn gave a long and unwieldy expanation of why someone should be cross-fined. Apparently his spirits were spirited away without consent but he got the glass back intact so I would have thought he'd just be grateful! Smithy fined Geoff Hamilton for what amounted to being better endowed. In airplane terms anyway.
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Alan Eldridge asked for more nominations for guest speakers next year. 
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Guest Speakers; "Ignite"
Jeremy opened with the leading questions about whether our kids or grandkids were fed, clothed and shod from the family. Sadly, not all kids in our area are. Not far from where we likely travel each day, unseen by us are families in crisis and kids are being neglected. They are without role models and mentors, and this is where Ignite fits in. 
In days gone by there was always a sense of community and safety, with role models and guiding figures to lead us through. Not now however. Nationally, four out of five kids complete school; that means one in five, or 20%, do not. For Aboriginal kids it is one out of every two. We do not see these kids and their families, but Ignite now have trained over 100 mentors to assist, with over 30 kids part of the program at this stage.
Adam told of setting the service up; being surprised by the negative attitudes to start with. But he recalled the words of Ronald Reagan:
"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."
Ignite operates along with Anglicare, sharing resources to spread the load somewhat.
He gave examples of a local businessman and sportsman, paired with a local kid who he was able to give some cricketing advice to. The lad now plays A-grade, is being helped with his homework and with job applications, and he now has found a job at McDonalds, so gaining a chance to escape the downward cycle.
Another kid, a girl, was paired with a woman who had in common a love of all things French. Through just these small commonalities a bond is formed and now the girl is much more confident, even appearing on TV in interviews.
These kids often have no concept of how society should function, of a sense of community or giving to make it hang together. They are surprised when simple acts of giving come their way as it has not happened int heir lives before. Mentoring provides a positive role model that they can aspire to and learn from.
The most important thing a mentor can do for the kids is "listen". Usually these kids have no-one to talk to and so need to knwo that they CAN talk to someone and be heard.
The service costs about $40,000 a year to run. They have scope to immediately utilise over 100 more mentors if they could get them. Sarah from Ignite told briefly of the process used to "pair" the mentor and mentee, withthe service getting to know both family and child well before finding a match in the mentor.
 It was asked if the kids respond well to the service; it was pinted out that they are all volunteers to the program, and so they have real buy-in and do indeed respond well. President John thanked them all for their presentation.
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The peg was duly picked from the pan; Jim Gibson rejected numbers until his came out.
President John reminded us it was the turn of guest speaker Magistrate Michael Antrim next week before thanking our guests and closing the meeting. Meeting closed with national Anthem on time.
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