President Paul advised that his computer has carked it, so he is unable to write his weekly message of inspiration and moral support... Here is the 'ghost written' substitute by your Editor:
Do you know anyone who is illiterate? Rotary International’s monthly theme for September is ‘Basic Education and Literacy’. Some time ago, I interviewed one of our regular Associate Members at our Project Shed, Lionel Molloy, as part of the series ‘Meet our Volunteers’. Now, I DID ask Lionel Molloy’s permission to publish this, and he did agree. So here is a fact which many of Lionel’s fellow volunteers and friends are not even aware of: He is severely dyslexic. In simple terms: he can’t read. He couldn’t read even a short sentence if his life depended on it, and it’s not because he didn’t try hard, all of his life. His disability is so severe that once he caught the wrong plane because he was unable to work out the airport’s signage of which plane goes from which gate… Yet, Lionel became a successful, valuable contributor to society; he just had to do it the hard way. That doesn’t mean that, particularly in his youth, he couldn’t have had any use for a bit of a leg up.
Let me come to the point: there are much more people out there who severely struggle with literacy and numeracy Some may simply have been too lazy in school or may have been genuinely disadvantaged due to a physical or mental disability. Some – dare I say it? – due to “environmental” circumstances (read: family and/or peer group who kept putting them down). Regardless, as Rotarians it is incumbent on us to offer assistance. If you know a person, particularly a child, who struggles with literacy or numeracy, you may indeed be the one to give them a leg up. There mightn’t be anyone else.
Our newest member, Brian Pearson will present on one of his major hobbies: cooking! Rumours that he will bring his portable rechaud and pan with him have, however, not yet been confirmed... ☺
Also, the Paul Harris Fellowship pins have finally arrived from locked-down Sydney, so Immediate Past President Charles Thomasson will present the pins to the members who deservedly were awarded one, including our two Rotaractors, Kristen 'KJ' Jewson and Matt Hayward, who were given the award for their outstanding contribution in developing the new websites for the Wheelchairs Trust and Mauna Health Centre.
Usual rules: pick up your meal at the downstairs bistro and take it upstairs for a good ol' chinwag and a bit of fellowship prior to the meeting starting at 07:30 sharp.
Take a couple of minutes and seriously think about this month’s theme. What springs to mind? Do you have an image of children in “developing countries”? Sure, and our club’s very substantial efforts in providing schools for tsunami devastated Phuket (Thailand), Mataafa and Apia (Samoa) without a doubt made a difference.
But according to a report by the ABC, "Forty-seven percent of the Australian population are functionally illiterate," meaning that “they can't read the instructions on a medicine bottle, they can't read a map, they can't read a recipe." OK, the report is dated 2012, but it is unlikely that matters would have substantially improved. On a less critical view, the Australian Bureau of Statistics says that, as at 2020, about 4 out of 5 people have attained year 12 or Cert II. That still leaves about 20% of the adult population who are struggling.
Sounds like a task simply too enormous? Well, if 25 years ago Rotarians had thought it impossible to achieve the inoculation of more than one billion children some 2 million children today would not be walking. They would be sitting in a wheelchair (if they had one).
It's happening! On Monday, 25th October, we'll again host a Golf Day at the Surfers Paradise Golf Club. It will be a 'Shotgun Start' at 12:30 pm (registration from 11:30 am). Several options:
Corporate Hole Sponsor (includes 4 players, signage and advertising)
4-player Team
Single individual player
Chief organizer Charles Thomasson is looking both for players as well as helpers. If you and/or your friends, associates, customers, suppliers want to play:Bookings have now opened - click on this linkhttps://www.trybooking.com/BTZXE or click on this QR Code.
Regrettably, the presentation of the Lutzy Award, originally scheduled for 15th September, had to be postponed yet again. This time, COVID had nothing to do with it; it was simply that we were not aware that the recipient of the award had also been enrolled in the Kokoda Challenge..! ☺
A new date has been finalised: Wednesday, 27th October 2021 All current bookings will be retained, and the Trybooking site will reopen as soon as we know it (AND we have confirmed it). You still can book to get a delicious breakfast for just $11.00: all menu options are listed on the Trybooking site. Click on this link: https://www.trybooking.com/BTFCL.
Duty Roster - note: subject to change - please check every week. Note: Fellowship duty also is expected to be at the Project Shed on the Saturday following the meeting
<--(your Editor is right now navigating around convoys of Grey Nomads with their caravans in Queensland's Outback (Winton to be exact). No, I'm not towing a caravan myself. Some of our older members may remember the stories about the dreaded 'Drop Bear'?
Gerald's post of the week:
They say we can have gatherings of up to 8 people without any issues. But I don't know 8 people without issues. [Thanks, Gerald, we appreciate your compliment! Not.]
The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already without a shadow of a doubt, what is laid before him. Leo Tolstoy.