A cold start to the meeting this morning with the mercury just above the single digit ! It was however made all the more sweeter with Terri Taylor, chef and member extraordinaire, bringing along a superbly baked and decorated carrot cake for all members for their morning tea (see the pic below!) Our speaker today was Bruce Howlett, a visiting member who comes to our meetings when he migrates from up north to spend some time on the Goldie. The hot topic of malaria was most interesting. So much has been done by RAM (Rotarians Against Malaria) but it is quite evident from the global figures that a lot more can be done. Education and training not being the least of it. Good to hear that the women are the ones who are, in many of these disadvantaged countries, the driving force behind the control of this terrible mosquito borne disease .. especially as the children get affected very easily. The potential for elimination is what drives everyone forward. In other news this morning, we also had a new inductee to our club. Welcome to Warren and Tracey Maree. We are sure that your Rotary journey with Rotary Burleigh Heads will be a good one. Its a good reminder for all of us that you will get as much out of it, as you put into it !!

 

Today we celebrated the arrival of the Baton which commemorates 100 years of Rotary in Australia, a very long time of  community service by Rotary throughout Australia.Another spectacular Autumn morning out on the deck of the Surf Club.

 

The Breakfast Meeting today was a superb presentation by our club member Tony Heading. Tony is an expert on all things Foundation and his presentation on this aspect of Rotary was aimed at club visitors and the 'newbies', but it really ended up as an eye opener for club veterans too. There has now been a request from other clubs (like the newly formed Rotary club of Currumbin) and from Tenterfield (where our club member Jacqueline Plaice has moved and transfered to)  for Tony to go along and address them. The reach of Rotary is tremendous and the work that the Foundation does with its various areas of focus, gives all Rotarians an immense world platform to reach out and help communities in need. Thank you Tony Heading, for coming along and presenting to us on this aspect and work of Rotary International. 

Today we had Carey Westwood from her charity organisation Manasprings, presenting her story of this interesting organisation that assists young women and girls in Nairobi create a life for themselves despite the hardship,providing assistancee in creating schools,training and accommodation.Obvously it has been very difficult for Carey for the past year being stuck in Australia due to the pandemic and unable to travel to Nairobi. 

This is the first stage of our latest community service project, to create a new elevated interactive garden for the Endeavour Foundation at Mermaid Waters. We had many Club members volunteer for some very hard labour, removing the old garden and getting ready for construction of the new one.

 

The meeting today was a lot of fun. You can see it in the broad smiles ! Thank you to Wayne Sticher and his fellow vollies from Cycling without  Age for bringing along 3 Tribikes. Unfortunately the weather let us down but a few of us got a spin in the superb Rolls Royce of Tribikes. We whizzed around the carpark much faster than what is usually the case .. but no one was complaining. A fantastic initiative that we hope we can get involved in, in the future. To check out more about this local charity and the excellent work that they do, head to https://cyclingwithoutage.org/ 

The charity 'Cycling Without Age' is a Nonprofit organization founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2012. By 2020, this initiative has expanded into 50 countries, serving over 1.5 million people worldwide .. and today they were at Rotary, Burleigh Heads ! 

The guest speaker this morning was Howard Dewhirst, Geologist and Presenter Extraordinare! Usually statistics come up and scare everyone into submission! There was no opportunity for that as the analysis and the presentation was powerful and unexpected from the opening sentence! No reason to fear Climate Change as this has been changing since Day Dot. Aren't we lucky to have a climate in the first place ?! When there is a climate, there will be change .. cyclical and constant. If you missed this talk, it was something to regret, as Howard spoke from a place of authority and experience. Thank you for a fabulous morning where we all learnt something. Breakfast at Rotary, Burleigh Heads continues to surprise and inspire :) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a very emotional and moving presentation by Dr Dinesh Palipana, Queensland's Australian of the Year. Despite his huge setbacks in life, now confined to a wheelchair, and having no movement in his fingers, somehow he has managed to become a Medical Doctor with a Law Degree! He now works in the Emergency Department, and is an inspiration to us all. As is his Mum!

Our latest International Project, led by Ross Smith, with many members and friends of our Club,not only donating hundreds of household items,but all getting together on a Sunday afternoon to sort,pack and label,35 boxes to be sent to Fiji to assist the many Fijians that were devastated by the latest Cyclone.

We held our annual Christmas Party at Winders Park overlooking the magic Currumbin Creek,with excellent BBQ food and salads,and lot of fun and laughs.

 

Second last meeting of this year! Our Annual General Meeting that saw the appointment of new Board Members for the coming year. Some of our members are not just with Rotary but also doing a lot of good in the local community at an organisation like OzHarvest. To find out more, get in touch with our club :) Check out our website to see a list of inspirational speakers lined up for next year. There is a lot of good work happening and Rotary Burleigh Heads gives you a glimpse of that at our weekly meetings. We finish for the year soon but will be back early January, to continue the good work. Get in touch with us to get involved or to just attend a meeting or two !