Presidential message - November 2015
K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran President 2015-16
One sunny morning at the end of June 1991, a van drove through the busy, rush-hour streets of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Winding through traffic to a northern suburb, the van arrived at the Forward Command Headquarters of the Defense Ministry. Security guards stopped it for inspection. When they did, the two suicide bombers driving the van detonated their cargo: thousands of kilograms of plastic explosives.
The roof of the building was blown off completely. Debris was strewn for blocks. In total, 21 people were killed and 175 people injured, among them many pupils of the girls' school next door. More than a kilometer away, the blast shattered every window in my home. My wife raced toward the sound of the explosion – toward our daughter's school.
Our daughter was then nine years old. That morning, she had forgotten her pencil case at home. At the moment of the blast, she was coming out of a stationer's shop, admiring her new pencils. Suddenly her ears were ringing, the air was filled with sand, and everywhere around her people were screaming, bleeding, and running. Someone pulled her into the garden of the badly damaged school, where she waited until my wife arrived to bring her back to our home – its floors still covered with broken glass.
Sri Lanka today is peaceful and thriving, visited by some two million tourists every year. Our war now is only a memory, and we as a nation look forward to a promising future. Yet so many other nations cannot say the same. Today, more of the world's countries are involved in conflict than not; a record 59.5 million people worldwide live displaced by wars and violence.
In Rotary we believe, in spite of all that, in the possibility of peace – not out of idealism, but out of experience. We have seen that even the most intractable conflicts can be resolved when people have more to lose by fighting than by working together. We have seen what can happen when we approach peace-building in ways that are truly radical, such as the work of our Rotary Peace Fellows. Through our Rotary Foundation, peace fellows become experts in preventing and resolving conflict. Our goal is that they will find new ways not only to end wars but to stop them before they begin.
Among the hundreds of peace fellows who have graduated from the program, two from Sri Lanka, one from each side of the conflict, studied together. In the first weeks of the course, both argued passionately for the rightness of their side. Yet week by week, they grew to understand each other's perspective; today, they are good friends. When I met them and heard their story, they gave me hope. If 25 years of pain and bitterness could be overcome by Rotary, then what, indeed, is beyond us?
We cannot fight violence with violence. But when we fight it with education, with understanding, and with peace, we can truly Be a Gift to the World.
Fines Session.
Paul Milde stood in for John Flynn, and was relentless in pursuing dollars from members.
- John Gray - arriving for the second shift of the Tent repair morning
- Peter Crozier - for a fine spraying of weeds at the shed site
- Tim Barter - arriving to the Food and Wine committee meeting 15 minutes late
- Mal Robinson - Flash utility at the worksite - amazing what a can of tyre black can do
- Wal Paton - even with a knee replacement operation was able to do two makeups
- Dave Wishard - hopping into the bar at the Christmas Party after a fly with Geoff Bruest over his house
- Daniel Burns - where is the NZ Cricket jersey? Great story in the DA through the week
- Ken Taylor - great photo in the paper in response to questions from the DA about the abolishon of Farmers Markets
- John Ireland - Chasing something or another
- Nick Leywood - great looking BMW motorcyle
- David Pyke - seen at the Botanical gardens doing something
- Aeroclub Rotary members for a great job at the weekend
David Benn crossed fined Paul for his list.
Sprout and About this Saturday - Trailer pullers 6:15 at the shed.
- Geoff Hamilton
- Greg O'Hare
- Mal Robinson
- Andy Irvine
Do not bring the bbq this month - South Wagga Apex have it organised.
New Years Eve City for Wagga Wagga Party.
9am pick up at the shed - Laurie Blowes, David Wishard, David Pyke.
Pick up the next day at 9am from the Victory Memorial Gardens.
Secretary Laurie read a letter from a participant in the Gears and Beers 2015.
Helen Supple from Canberra said;
Dear Mr Hamilton,
I am writing to thank you and the members of Wollundry Rotary for hosting the 2015 Gears and Beers festival.
Several of my relatives and friends from Canberra came to Wagga Wagga for the long weekend specifically to take in the festival as well as having some family time.
Some of us participated in the cycle challenge (15k and 30k course). Who knew there were so many hills this close to Wagga Wagga?
We then had great fun enjoying sampling the various foods and beverages that were in offer while listening to the musicians perform. The young adults in my group, who call themselves " the Yak Pak", particularly enjoyed the Mighty Yaks, dancing up a storm while working up a thirst!
We have already put the event in our diaries for next year and the Canberra crew plan to come across to Wagga Wagga again, and bring more friends now that they have experienced "gears and beers".
It takes many hours of planning to host such an event so I wished to le you know that the Club members hard work is appreciated.
Member Profile Update 
Tim McGillicutty stated that he has been a member of Wollundry for 4 years, and that those years have been the most eventful iin his whole life both here and at Kurrajong.
He is the manager at the Recycling on Chaston st. and has been with them for 6 years.
It has recently unedegrone an upgrade which has seen capacity double, with the addition of a glass crushing plant, which is a sand and gravel substitute. Riverina Cranes and Truck - Art ar two recent companies who have used the product in flooring.
On top of this, further expansion will see the capacity double again to 30,000 tonnes per year.
NDIS - the National Disability Scheme is set to roll out in July next year, and Kurrajong have received a State award for perfomance of a disability organisation and being NDIS ready.
David Benn asked for a quick summary of lfe prior to Wagga and Tim said;
- Born 1960
- Schooled Sydney Grammar
- joined regular army
- 1977 Townsville
- 1985 SASR selection, injured and discharged
- Grenfell, Tilpa - sheep, Lionel Fields Station, Grenfell - transport industry
- 2006 drought got them out of the farm
- 2008 - Wagga Wagga
Date for the diary - Riverina BMW Wagga Food and Wine Festival Friday 18th, Saturday 19th and Sunday morning 20th March 2015.
