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President's Message
Mario Fairlie
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Hi All
 
Not much to report this week. With regard to COVID-19: it looks like the most of restrictions which currently prevent us to meet in person and prevent volunteer work at the Project Shed, could be removed by the end of May. That is, if everything goes to plan. I am being very optimistic!
 
I think it is all in our best interest to register for the COVID Safe mobile phone app. This will definitely help to move things along and make it much easier for the health authorities to find the source of any breakout of the virus. Personally, I have registered and I would encourage you all to do so. The more people register, the better the chances of stopping any new break-out quickly, and subsequently help remove the present restrictions and get business and our community back to normal.
 
Obviously, once the government allows us to hold meetings and re-open the Shed, we will start to feel better again. Some restrictions will remain. I believe, the distancing of 1.5 Metres will continue until we have a vaccine. The experts have indicated that this could be a year away.
 
Remember most of the Members and Associate Members (who work at the Shed) are in the most vulnerable ago group. Therefore, any activity must be done with this in mind.
 
Next, we are presently working on a way to promote the Wheelchairs in Rotary Down Under (Australian Publication) and The Rotarian (Rotary’s International Publication). This we think may assist in moving some of the quantities of Wheelchairs we presently have in stock. The Wheelchair Project has been a “Signature Project” of the Club and while we are looking at other projects, building wheelchairs will continue to be a very important part of the activities at the Shed and our Club.
 
Also, the Trustees of the Wheelchair Trust (which gives tax deductibility to donations for the wheelchairs) have indicated that monies held by the Trust can only be used for Wheelchair related items, e.g. the purchase of goods for the manufacture of wheelchairs and associated matters. Funds cannot be spent on anything else.
 
As was indicated previously, we have been looking at building the ‘Community Friendly Bench’, with the assistance of Jo Winwood (Past President of our Club). Jo’s organisation, Feros Care (which also runs the ‘Be Someone For Someone’ campaign), and our club have agreed to work closely together in the manufacture of the ‘Community Friendly Bench’. Jo's organisation will raise the funds for the materials and manufacturing of the benches at the Shed.  Jo’s organisation will be in charge of the location, management and long term use and maintenance of each bench.  This project meets all the parameters of what Rotary is all about. [See more details below in 'Snippets of last meeting'. Ed.]
 
However, I must emphasise that, while the ‘Community Friendly Bench’ will fill a void while we may suspend the making of wheelchairs for a few months until our stocks a diminished, Surfers Sunrise and the Project Shed would expect to continue making wheelchairs for a long time to come.
 
Finally, we are in the process of finalizing the plans to reorganising the Project Shed to allow these other projects like the ‘Community Friendly Bench’ to be manufactured there.
 
That it for this week. The regular Rotary ZOOM Meeting is on at 7:30am Wednesday morning.  SEE YOU THEN!  Please stay safe.
 
Mario Fairlie
President
Stories
This Wednesday 29th April: PDG Ross Smith - Architecture
On-Line meeting, with PDG Ross Smith our Guest Speaker. Ross describes himself as a 'Hobby Architect' (his real vocation is/was High School Principal). He will present (on-line) on the buildings of one of America's most recognized Architects, Frank Lloyd Wright. Invitations with the link have been sent to all members.  If you would like to participate and/or invite friends or other Rotarians, you are welcome! Just drop me a message or email and I'll send you the link.
Containers for Cash: are you in it?
Some time ago, our "Minister for Everything" Geoff Croad has advised that he set up an account with 'Containers for Cash', which has so far has raised well over $1,100 for our Project Shed (Surfers Sunrise Wheelchairs Trust). Particularly now, when we cannot have fundraising events such as a Bunnings sausage sizzle, this would greatly help. So, why not collect the empties for us as well?
 
Our ID / Registration Code is C10199443
So, keep your soft drink bottles, stubby bottles, aluminium cans, milk cartons etc.  As a general rule, most drink containers between 150ml and 3L can be returned for a refund under your state’s container deposit scheme. Containers should be empty, unbroken, lid-free and display a 10-cent refund marking on the label. Something like this, but many others are simply marked as suitable for recycling. Note: they must NOT be crushed. See image above what is and what is not accepted. [No Henrietta, your wine bottles are not, but you still can recycle them in the yellow council bins...]  How do you go about it? Very straight forward: click on this link www.envirobank.com.au/locations which will show you where you can drop your containers off, using the above Registration Code. That is also where you can pick up their orange coloured Envirobank bags, suitable for 50 containers. When you drop off your bag, simply use the above Registration Code. Make a note of it now.  You have started setting all those containers aside, haven't you?
Be Someone for Someone Campaign
At last week's meeting, Past President Jo Winwood (now a member of RC of Byron Bay), brought one of her organisation's major projects to our attention.  Appropriately named '1000 notes of friendship', the project aims to reduce loneliness, particularly for people who are in retirement and nursing homes. Write (best hand write) a note, a postcard or a letter to a 'mystery person' and post it (yes, by old fashioned snail mail) to Jo.  This is to safeguard privacy. Below is Jo's summary. There is also a PDF in our Download Section (on the right) and their website, click here. This will also be discussed in more details in the upcoming meeting this coming Wednesday.
 

Help 1,000 of our most vulnerable seniors by making them feel less alone with a simple note of well wishes / friendship.

Be Someone for Someone is Aged Care provider, Feros Care’s initiative to tackle loneliness– and never has there been a greater need for our help. Right now, millions of vulnerable seniors in Australia are in self-isolation, with no visitors and no chance of leaving their home.  We know that loneliness leads to anxiety, depression, chronic disease and worse. We want them  to know that they matter, and we are thinking of them. 

What you can do

Write a letter/note or card - leave the name section blank ( the part where you normally write "Dear" and Jo will personalise them for you.

Post the note to 

1,000 Notes of Friendship Campaign
PO Box 585
Byron Bay
NSW 2481  

The team at Be Someone For Someone will take care of the rest

PS: Include your address if you would like to encourage a response.

Now, is that a project worth supporting or not?

Snippets of last week's meeting 220420
Our regular Zoom meetings are becoming the “new normal” – we had about 20 members joining us on Zoom, as well as Past President Jo Winwood (RC of Byron Bay) and Steve Garfein (RC of Poulsbo, WA, USA).
 
President Mario Fairlie (picture right) welcomed all members and visitors. Many of you would recall (now Councillor) Darren Taylor, who visited our club at the last physical meeting at the Surf Club? Well, Darren has now been elected and Mario will extend an invitation to him to become an Honorary Member of our club.
 
Extensive discussions were held in relation to our Project Shed, including the cost of containers we have parked there for storage, the situation regarding the Safety Standard of the currently installed Shelving and racks.  (Quite certain that they comply, since the very same shelves are used at Bunnings).
 
The main topic of the meeting was the adoption of the ‘Friendly Bench’, a community service project which is very successful in the UK (see last week’s bulletin for a prototype design by Des La Rance).  PP Jo Winwood, who works with Feros Care, outlined the principal points:
  1. Loneliness, particularly among older people, is recognised as a major issue. The purpose of the Friendly Bench is to have a meeting point for people to converge
  2. If the project gets approved, the raising of funds is taken care of from outside of our club. For example, in the UK, substantial government and major philanthropic funds have been made available for these types of project.
  3. We would manufacture them and sell them on for installation at whatever location.
  4. Once installed, a third party will take care of ongoing maintenance, ensuring that they are used for their intended purpose (e.g. not for homeless people’s “accommodation” or the like)
PDG Darrell Brown, our resident Architect, advised that we shouldn’t use timber, but instead use recycled plastic, such as is manufactured by REPLAS. He’ll further investigate.
 
Many members contributed to a very productive discussion on how to make this all come together. This may well become a major segment of work that is being done at our Project Shed. A number of issues need to be sorted out as well. For example, our resident legal expert, Peter Morgan (also a  director of the Wheelchair Trust) made it quite clear that the current setup does not permit for funds donated to the Trust to be spent on anything other than wheelchairs and wheelchair related items.
 
President Mario briefly elaborated on our X-Ray unit project for Pentecost Island, Vanuatu: due to COVID-19, this project now will almost certainly be postponed for a year, since on-site installation must happen in Winter, due to weather and temperature conditions.  We are also awaiting feedback from Dr Richard Leona in Vanuatu.
 
The fact that the meeting went well over time is proof of the strong interest in the subjects discussed, and that running On-Line meetings is a quite viable alternative method to discuss club business, but can have clear advantages. For example, it is unlikely that Jo Winwood would have been able to join us in a regular physical meeting!  Which reminds me: Jo is also running the 'Be Someone for Someone' project (see website and separate article below and in last week's bulletin). Have you written your letter yet?
 
National Youth Science Forum: looking for candidates
As we won’t be able to participate in RYLA & RYPEN this year, NYSF is a possible alternative at this stage. We need a student going into year 12 next year to participate. At this Monday's meeting, this was approved by our Board; we do have approximately $1800 that we would have expended with (then now cancelled) RYLA & RYPEN camps. This would cover more than half the cost of NYSF (with the parent contributing the other half) if we gained a successful student.
 
For full details, (District Website) click on this link - for the NYSF website click here: https://www.nysf.edu.au/
 
Please contact Youth Services Director Darrell Brown directly if you know of a suitable candidate.
Inspirations - well, sort of... 290420
I have met many bureaucrats throughout my career, yet almost every attempt to explain my position to them in my usual business format has met with abject failure…. … business cares about end results; bureaucracy cares about the process. If an entrepreneur is a person who can make the impossible possible, many bureaucrats have perfected the art of making the possible impossible.  Jacob Burak, ‘How to find a black cat in a dark room, especially when there is no cat’
 
Neil's post of the week: I swallowed a bunch of scrabble tiles and it gave me a thesaurus throat. My next trip to the bathroom could spell disaster.
 
Gerald's post of the week: click on this link and view all the latest in men's household appliances!
 
Andy's post of the week:
Husband: "Scientists have found that men say about 10,000 words a day, while women say about 20,000..."
Wife (shouting from the kitchen): "That's because we have to repeat everything twice, you blockheads!"
Husband: "What?"
 
You come from dust, you will return to dust. That's why I don't dust. It could be somebody I know.
 
 
Download Files
1000 Notes of Friendship Project
The Story of the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchairs Trust
Why Join Rotary?
Upcoming Events
Angie Bell, Federal MP
On-line, by invitation only
May 27, 2020
7:15 AM – 8:30 AM
 
View entire list
Photo Albums
Surfers Sunrise Rotary Golf Day Nov 19
Our YE Student from Japan - Ayana Sadaka
Surfers Sunrise 'Sleeping Sanctuary'
Lucy Thorburn in Minnesota
X-Ray Unit for Hospital on Pentecost Island
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