First of all this week, I wanted to acknowledge the work put in by Franz and Ray in organising our Peace Fellows dinner on Wednesday night at the RSL. It was a fabulous turnout of almost 80 people representing 8+ clubs in the District and also an international Club being that of East Timor. Whilst the venue provided us with some significant challenges, some created by Rotarians' notorious habit of booking things at the very last minute, we shouldn't let it detract from the very important work being undertaken by the Peace Fellows. Thank you to Mohamed, Mikaela, Michelle and Isabella for taking the time to share their stories with us. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it and they overcame a few hurdles; speaking passionately and intelligently on the issues that they each have adopted as their studies.
My next job is to rally you all to the Gold Coast Ramble on Saturday August 5th. This is our Club event and we need more volunteers across all roles to make this a successful event as well as more teams to participate. Ill discuss again on Wednesday but if you can spare the time or can push the event with family and friends it would be great to have your support. At last nights Board Meeting we also agreed to provide a little help to the Gold Coast Small Business expo on 6th and 7th September - just a couple of hours at the start of the expo and at the end to move tables and chairs for a healthy donation- more of that to follow.
Those of you who are on Facebook and Instagram will notice much more frequent posts from our Club- all designed to be shared with your networks - thanks Franz and Charles, you're putting us on the map!.
Our new Club regime has started- a first small and succinct Board meeting which will next be followed by a bigger meeting where we can put together our plans and a Club Assembly to follow closely after - theres lots to discuss with you all - especially our 'home' which we still haven't got quite right and is such an important part of the Club. We'll give the Surf Club at Surfers Paradise one more go- this time eating from their breakfast buffet downstairs to see if the food is better. That will help us make a decision on the as a potential new venue. This week's meeting is important as we have DG Terry and wife Carol Brown joining us so I hope a many of you can are able to make it.
For breakfast this coming Wednesday 25th July we'll meet again at the Surfers Paradise Surf Club on the Esplanade, Surfers Paradise, where we recently had the Lutzy Award presentation. Meeting assembly at 07:00 am for 07:15 start. Again a special occasion: our newly baked District Governor Terry Brown and his partner Carol will visit, to outline to us their vision for the coming 12 months. Please join us to give them a hearty Surfers Sunrise welcome!
Parking: regrettably, the free parking has not come through (yet), so street parking or Early Bird at the Paradise Centre, off Hanlan Street.
Regarding the meal: we have noted your comments in relation to the food from a couple of weeks ago. So, this time we'll have an 'All you can eat' buffet breakfast, much more sumptuous too: eggs poached, eggs scrambled, baked beans, bacon, potato gems, sausages, pancakes, toasts, cereals, fresh fruit and house made yoghurt.
Last Wednesday we had a very special, Multi-Club dinner meeting: Four Rotary Peace & Conflict Resolution Scholars came down from the University of Queensland to give us a presentation about what that particular facet in the Rotary diamond is all about. OK, so you may have felt a bit crowded - partly your Editor (and Club Admin Chair) must take the blame: we almost doubled the number of attendees from about 40 to 80 within the last two days! Talking about leaving the booking to the last minute!
But it was a Super Meeting: with some 10 Rotary Clubs from the Gold Coast participating. Michelle Helman from the USA gave the principal address, with Mohamed Sheik Yussuf from Kenya, Miku Lagarde from the Philippines and Isabella Beron from Columbia giving a brief outline of their experiences and visions for the future. In the words of one of the speakers, Isabella Beron from Columbia (which has been in a state of conflict for some 56 years): "Before coming to Australia, I have never lived anywhere where there is no conflict". Worldwide, some 1000 scholars have undergone serious training at various University Campuses throughout the world in Peace & Conflict Resolution. Will it make a difference? You bet it will, more than politician's grandstanding.
Photo above (from left): Mohamed Sheikh Yussuf (Kenya), Mikaela Francine (Miku) D. Lagarde (Philippines), Michelle Helman (USA), Isabella Sinisterra Beron (Colombia). See more details about the presenters on the Download section (on the right) - Rotary-Peace-Fellowship-Dinner-18-July-2018.pdf
The 2nd Gold Coast Ramble is on in just a bit over 3 weeks! Can you assist, participate, promote?
As last year, this year's event will be in conjunction with the Rotary Clubs of Gold Coast, Griffith University and Surfers Sunrise. It is one of our major fundraising events for the year, so we need your help!. The event is only a bit over 2 weeks away - SUNDAY 5 AUGUST - starting earlier at 9am and finished by 1pm. Details on website: www.goldcoastramble.org.au
How can you help?
Encourage clients, suppliers, staff, family and friends to enter a team/s - we have a template to send out invitations - please reply to the Editor or send a message via the Facebook link below.
We need more volunteers! If you can assist to help on the day, please email David Baguley (see address below) - we need to man 40 checkpoints from 08:30 to 12:30, as well as for setting up and taking down duties.
We would love to get more checkpoint sponsors - if you have business contacts in the Main Beach or Surfers Paradise areas, we can locate a check point to their advantage. Please advise contact names and we will follow up.
See Download Section on the right - District Governor Terry Brown has answered the 33 Questions! Note: this is meant to be lighthearted... That means neither the DG nor your Editor will enter into any correspondence... ☺
Next week: DG's "better half" Carol Brown's answers.
Duty Roster - note: subject to change. Please check every week:
New duty: Fellowship. What does it entail? Your job is to ensure that all members, in particular new members, visitors and guests, and in particular the Guest Speaker, are welcomed, are introduced to other members and are comfortable. If required, explain the usual procedures, e.g. when we have our meal, when the speaker is expected to be at the rostrum etc.
It has been hard for outsiders to realize that Russian national feeling is a spiritual emotion largely detached from the mundane things of life, that for centuries past Russia has meant for her people much more than just a country to be loved and defended: ‘Russia’ was more a state of mind, a secular ideal, a sacred idea, an object of almost religious belief – unfathomable by the mind, unmeasurable by the yardstick of rationality. Tibor Szamuely: The Russian Tradition.
Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. Ronald Reagan.