On behalf of the club I pass our condolences onto Adrian Crowe and his family after Beverley’s passing last week. Our thought are with you at this time.
Last week’s Gold Coast Small Business Expo was a success with a big turn out from the club and a good amount raised for our Youth Projects. PDG Darrell Brown did a great job of organising. Thanks to everyone that helped out.
One week until the Golf Day and it looks like it is going to be the biggest event for the club for many years. We have almost 100 players including 13 Corporate Teams and 6 Rotary Teams from other clubs. This is one of our major fundraisers for the year so please support the club by either playing, sponsoring or volunteering. This year we will also be having a $5,000 Hole in One Prize sponsored by Insurance Advisernet – thanks to Ashmore Rotarian Graeme Allan. Please get in touch with Doug Lipp or myself if you can help with the below:
We need volunteers to promote Surfers Sunrise and sell raffle tickets starting at 11am. You can buy a few raffle tickets even if you can’t attend on the day – they are 1 for $10, 3 for $20 or 9 for $50.
We have a good group of prizes for the raffle including a $300 Cash 1st Prize and Champagne, Wine, Beer and Vouchers. However if you know anyone that can donate a voucher or prize that would be great – I will give them a plug on the day.
Col Laurenson and Larry Murray are still working on the logistics for a 40 foot Container of Wheelchairs to go to South Africa and we hope to update you shortly on a date to pack the container in the next 3 weeks. The organisation of the ’10,000th Wheelchair Celebration’ on November 14 continues to progress well and we are also now in discussions with Palen Creek Correctional Centre (who help manufacture Wheelchairs) and Rotaract to also be involved on the day.
We have a Social Meeting this Wednesday at the Surf Club. The new Rotary Surfers Sunrise Polo Shirts will be for sale at $35 each using our new ‘Square’ Terminals – see you then.
With great sadness, it is our duty to inform you that last Friday afternoon our member Adrian Crowe's wife Beverley has passed away, having suffered what appears to be a heart attack. Adrian, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, may you have the strength to carry the heavy burden of your grief.
As many of you would be aware of, Beverley was highly instrumental in Rotary's women's organisation Innerwheel, holding the office of District Chairman, culminating with the Presidency of Innerwheel Australia in 2016/17.
The date of the funeral has not been set, but is not expected to be for at least two weeks, since family members from Interstate will need to enter into Quarantine. We'll keep you posted.
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.
PDG Prof Graham Jones worked for many years as a Professor of Mathematics in the USA, and has a deep understanding of their electoral system. He is also deeply involved in the fundraising for the Griffith University’s Malaria Vaccine Project, and provided us with a brief update on this. But on to the US Elections:
A graph of US States’ results in 2016 (see Graham's PowerPoint slides in the Download Section) showed a sea of red (for Trump) of 304 Electoral College votes, against 227 for Clinton. “It was not even close” Graham outlined… “But have a look at the Popular Vote, and you see that Trump was 3 Million votes behind Clinton, yet Trump won the Elections.” Graham went on to explain the US system of House of Representatives and Senate, somewhat similar to Australia’s, with the former represented on the basis of population (435 members), whereas the Senate has just two Senators per state (100 members). So, for every House of Representatives and Senate seat, there is one Electoral College (EC) vote, plus 3 votes for the District of Columbia (Washington). Thus, in total there are 538 EC votes.
Graham briefly went back to historical times of the first Presidential Election in 1789 when there were just 10 states, when George Washington won with 69 out of 138 EC votes. John Adams, who came second, became Vice President. (It’s not within the scope of this article to elaborate).
Now to the crux of the matter: Where does the people’s vote come in? Well, in all but two states (Nebraska and Mayne), all the Electoral College votes go to the winner of the popular vote. Thus, for example, were Trump to win California by just one vote, all of the 55 EC votes of that state would go to Trump. To win the Presidency, the candidate thus needs to win a total of 270 (half + 1) of 538 EC votes. Votes are cast by Electors (delegates) on 14th December. The winner is formally declared on 6th January.
“But what if no winner can be declared, due to disputes, legal wrangling?” was your Editor’s question. Well, in that case Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Reps will take over temporarily, and if she is not available, the next in line is Senator Chuck Grassley, aged 87…
The meeting was recorded on Zoom. If you would like a link (members only), please let me know. Ed.
We have record corporate team bookings for this year's Golf Day which will be held on Monday, 26th October 2020. It will be held at the same location as last year, the Surfers Paradise Golf Club on Fairway Drive, Carrara. We'll need both volunteers to man the course, and of course we need participating teams. Check out the flyer in the Download section on the right. We need some more prizes. Can you spare a nice bottle of wine, or convince your favorite restaurateur to donate a free dinner?
On Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday, a large numbers of our members helped with the setting up, manning the Car Park "Gold Coin Donation" gate and again in taking all the tables and chairs down at the end of the day. Final figures will become known once Treasurer Doug Lipp has arm wrestled his friends at Suncorp Bank to put the bucket of coins through a counting machine. A big thank-you goes to all the helpers: Organiser PDG Darrell Brown, President Charles Thomasson, Karen Holland, Ashleigh Symes, John Chirio, Paul Seymour, Geoff Croad, Andy Bell, Angus Miller, Larry Murray, Johnny Bueti, Neil Thurlow, Franz Huber, our newest member Ramez Salib, as well as our 'Honorary Queenslander' Ann O'Connor andAssociate Member Tracy Zimmerman and her Lutzy Award winningdaughter Jazmin. Many who took multiple shifts, and some, including Darrell and Charles, were there for the full time from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday evening. And particular thanks must go to Paula Brand, whose business staged the Expo, for providing us the opportunity for this fundraiser. COVID-19 caused massive obstacles for her business, but Paula beat all the negatives and still made it happen, against all the odds! Well done all!
Photo (from left): John Chirio, Larry Murray and PDG Darrell Brown blinking into the sun on Thursday morning at the "Gate".
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
<-- Neil Thurlow's post of the week, in view of last week's Guest Speaker's theme. [Please do not shoot the Piano Player!]
Andy Bell's post of the week:
What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumkin by its diameter? A Pumpkin
Because humiliation is such an apocalyptic punishment, watching villains being punished this way can feel rapturous. As we’re a tribal people with tribal brains, it doesn’t count as humiliation unless other members of the tribe are aware of it. Ian McEwan - On Chesil Beach
Diesel Services Queensland and AB Crane Hire recently provided a truck and a huge mobile crane at no charge to lift a 40' container into our Project Shed area at Arundel. Thank you! Click on the links to go to their website.
One of our sponsors for the 'Lutzy' Surf Rescue Board being presented this Wednesday.
With great sadness, it is our duty to inform you that last Friday afternoon our member Adrian Crowe's wife Beverley has passed away, having suffered what appears to be a heart attack. Adrian, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, may you have the strength to carry the heavy burden of your grief.
PDG Prof Graham Jones worked for many years as a Professor of Mathematics in the USA, and has a deep understanding of their electoral system. He is also deeply involved in the fundraising for the Griffith University’s Malaria Vaccine Project, and provided us with a brief update on this. But on to the US Elections:
We have record corporate team bookings for this year's Golf Day which will be held on Monday, 26th October 2020. It will be held at the same location as last year, the Surfers Paradise Golf Club on Fairway Drive, Carrara. We'll need both volunteers to man the course, and of course we need participating teams. Check out the flyer in the Download section on the right. We need some more prizes. Can you spare a nice bottle of wine, or convince your favorite restaurateur to donate a free dinner?
On Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday, a large numbers of our members helped with the setting up, manning the Car Park "Gold Coin Donation" gate and again in taking all the tables and chairs down at the end of the day. Final figures will become known once Treasurer Doug Lipp has arm wrestled his friends at Suncorp Bank to put the bucket of coins through a counting machine. A big thank-you goes to all the helpers: Organiser PDG Darrell Brown, President Charles Thomasson, Karen Holland, Ashleigh Symes, John Chirio, Paul Seymour, Geoff Croad, Andy Bell, Angus Miller, Larry Murray, Johnny Bueti, Neil Thurlow, Franz Huber, our newest member Ramez Salib, as well as our 'Honorary Queenslander' Ann O'Connor and Associate Member Tracy Zimmerman and her Lutzy Award winning daughter Jazmin. Many who took multiple shifts, and some, including Darrell and Charles, were there for the full time from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday evening. And particular thanks must go to Paula Brand, whose business staged the Expo, for providing us the opportunity for this fundraiser. COVID-19 caused massive obstacles for her business, but Paula beat all the negatives and still made it happen, against all the odds! Well done all!
