Kimberley, a former elite sprinter and Stawell Gift winner, now works as a sports and remedial massage therapist on the Gold Coast, drawing on her professional athletic background. Influenced by her father, Gary Parkes, an AFL player (for Essendon & Richmond) and coach, Kimberley combined competitive running with massage study and later built a niche practice focused on athletes and active adults. Her talk emphasised that massage is not mere indulgence but a vital part of “prehab” and recovery, especially for ageing bodies, supporting longevity, stress reduction, and sustained performance.
Club Visitors and Special Guests
Members welcomed several guests last week, including Lucy our Youth Exchange Student from Argentina, who shared some of her recent highlights incuding a Rotary Camp, a local air show and special time with club members and host families. It is wonderful to see Lucy making the most of her exchange!
District Governor Deb and her husband Craig, along with Susan Howard and Rob Brown (Hope Island RC) attended in support of the winning MUNA team from our District. Speaking of the MUNA team, the outstanding students from Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School (Nick, Kimiyo and Ben) were there, accompanied by their teacher, Elisse (who herself was a former Rotary GSE Team member). The MUNA team were presented with the winner's shield and shared with us some of their insights from the competition. Also supporting the team, was former MUNA participant (and a judge this year) and now Law student at Bond University, Rafael. Rafael is also a representative on the Queensland Youth Parliament.
We also welcomed some friends of Andy's - Christina and Robin who attend the same church as Andy.
Duck Race Campaign Launch
Preparations are well underway for the Duck Race on 21 November, supported by new banners and a digital ticketing platform launching next Thursday. Volunteers are needed for stalls at Bunnings, Currumbin RSL, and other sites. Huge acknowledgment to members, Mike Shambrook, Yvette Morgan and Michael Cooper for parading in their duck alter egos. It certainly drew attention to the event; but also added to the fun our Club is known for!
Club Projects and Opportunities
Members heard about a planned joint breakfast with US Rotarian Patrick Lonergan on companion clubs, a potential Domestic Violence Month event in May, and an invitation from an Interact club in Brazil to partner on a global project. Youth opportunities through RYLA and RYPEN remain open.
Foundation, Service and Fundraising
To date, the club has raised $1,019 for the Rotary Foundation and $1,035 for Polio Plus. Wheelchairs and walkers have been collected from Red Cross for redistribution. Several Bunnings barbecues are scheduled through October–December, expected to raise significant funds for club projects.
International Connections
David delivered an international toast to the Rotary Club of Venezia (Venice), sharing a story of how some of the members of that Club, came together at the historic Hotel Danieli, to ensure that when David and Vik (and as it turned out, two other Australians - from Tully in Qld) were visiting in Venice, they were able to attend a Rotary meeting (and do a banner exchange). David shared that his father would visit Rotary clubs whenever he would travel and that he has followed in those footsteps. Thank you for the toast David - I have emailed the Venezia RC letting them know.
This week, Ron Mullins will deliver the international toast, followed by Loraine Pearce and the week after that, our exchange student Lucy would like to propose the toast!
An extraordinarily full and meaningful meeting indeed! Well done to Chair, Tony Heading, for managing to fit all of that in, without going over time!
