Saturday was a great day for the Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise celebrating the 10,000th Wheelchair - please have a read of Franz’ excellent report but it was great to see so many former Surfers Sunrise Rotarians, families, friends and of course District Governor Andy Rajapakse, State MPs Rob Molhoek and Sam O'Connor, and Councillors Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden and Brooke Patterson.
Thank you again to everyone that contributed on the day including the Rotary Clubs of Parkwood and Broadbeach, our soon to be members Adam & Tash from InvincAble, Rotaract Burleigh Heads, Pimpama State College and of course all the Surfers Sunrise Rotarians. Feedback I have received from visitors has been excellent and there have been enquiries about how people can help the Wheelchair Project going forward so watch this space. And of course, congratulations again to all the Volunteers at the Shed and their leader Des La Rance for their amazing work which has changed the lives of over 10,000 people all over the world.
A special mention and thanks also goes to Accent Press and Bruce Scott Picture Framing for donating Des’ Commemorate 10,000th Wheelchair Collage.
So on we go……….this week, we’ll be sending 280 Wheelchairs to Durban to be distributed by 10 South African Rotary Clubs. The Container will arrive at the shed early Wednesday morning and we will do some packing Wednesday morning if possible (the Social Breakfast at the Surf Club is still on as well. Come afterwards if you like.) Then finish the packing on Saturday Morning, so keep Saturday morning 7.30 - 10am free and we will put on a Sausage Sizzle. There is now a very real possibility that we will have no wheelchairs in stock by the end of November. Another amazing achievement considering we had over 550 Wheelchairs in stock at the start of 2020!
Again, well done all and see you this Wednesday morning at the Surf Club for a Social Breakfast at 7am.
What a superb morning last Saturday at our Project Shed, where we celebrated the 10,000th Wheelchair manufactured. For any of our readers who are not familiar with the concept: parts from recycled bicycles, marine plywood, solid rubber BMX wheels and... LOTS OF VOLUNTEER HOURS equal a wheelchair which can be manufactured for $100! Give yourself a pat on the back, but particular recognition must go to the principal movers and shakers who started and carried this project through: Des La Rance, Daryl Sanderson and the late Keith Lutz and Bob Harrison. Jan Lutz was there, but regrettably, Gloria Harrison was unable to join us, but for a good reason: her grandson debuted on that same day, playing Grade 1 Cricket in the Queensland Premier League. Howzat! Bob would be proud on both accounts.
We had the bulk of our members and volunteers present from an early hour, setting up the various marquees, putting the last touch to the refurbished bikes we had for sale, setting up the stage, the videos... The Rotaractors from Burleigh Heads were there in force, the Rotary Club of Parkwood ran a sausage sizzle and the Rotary Club of Broadbeach ran a raffle, our soon to be inducted new corporate members Adam and Tash from Invincable had a stand and so did the Pimpama State School with their version of the wheelchair design. We were honoured by visits from District Governor Andy Rajapakse, State MPs Rob Molhoek and Sam O'Connor (he has done a nice write up on his Facebook page too) as well as Councillors Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden and Brooke Patterson.
President Charles Thomasson opened the formal part of the celebrations welcoming our dignitaries, which was followed by a brief address by DG Andy Rajapakse, in which he referred to his own efforts of taking well over 500 wheelchairs for distribution in his country of origin, Sri Lanka. Following our DG, the inventor of the wheelchairs from bicycles, Des La Rance, outlined the project from early times in the mid 1990's, the breakthrough when Ray Martin's A Current Affair broadcast the delivery of the first 10 wheelchairs to Fiji in 1997, the building of schools for the tsunami affected regions of Thailand and Samoa, the House of Hope in Apia, leading to the current project of the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu.
But of course, the culmination of the morning was the presentation of a commemorative collage to Des La Rance (see picture). This was designed and made by Neil Thurlow and his graphic wizards of Accent Print and Copy.
Photo shows (from left) Jan La Rance, Daryl Sanderson, Des La Rance, Jan Lutz. More photos are in the Photo Album, videos coming up shortly.
Last Wednesday we had the privilege of PDG Prof Michael Irving presenting his view on Climate Change. OK, so why should Michael’s views be of significance, compared to the zillion of newspaper articles, blogs and social media posts one can read, videos and movies one can watch and reports which go into the hundreds of pages, such as the ones presented by the UN funded Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)? In the humble view of your Editor, two major reasons: (a) Not everyone has the time, inclination or scientific knowledge to evaluate and (b) the vast bulk of them are written by people who get paid for promoting the alarmist view.
Michael, whose background includes professorial appointments in Biomedical Science, as well as Vice Chancellorships in multiple universities, also has spent time on Antarctica on a scientific research project. “I have always loved Chemistry” he declared. But, as a scientist, his concern is that, for a theory to be true, it must be proven. “Yet, the vast bulk of information that is being disseminated is based on Computer Modelling, e.g. knowing what results you want and working back from there” he said. Michael outlined in clear layman’s language how Geochemistry can provide unequivocal, irrefutable data, because of the use of radioactive isotope decay.
“Remember the volcano that went up in Iceland in 2010? That volcano released more Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere than was released since the start of the Industrial age” he said.
Michael continued outlining the scientific tools to measure Climate Change. In summary: Michael emphasised that, indeed Climate Change is happening. It has changed since the beginning of our planet. What caused the changes? In order of magnitude: Volcanic activity, Intercontinental drift, Glaciation waxing and waning – over the last 5 million years, sea levels have changed +/- 350 metres. None of them related to carbon dioxide levels…
In the Download section on the right, you find a copy of his PowerPoint presentation which lists the most relevant facts, including some telling graphs. Picture: PDG Prof Michael Irving with Rotaractors, President Charles Thomasson on right.
This Wednesday 18th Nov 2020 afternoon is deadline to order! Mario Fairlie will place the order directly on behalf of all members and friends of the club. Please order directly with Mario by email (not verbally) tomario@fairlie.com.au. We have had them in the past - they are real yummy! And the cakes come in a tin, so they stay moist. Why not order right now?
Note, this is also a bit of a fundraiser for The Rotary Foundation: for every fruitcake or steamed pudding, a donation of $2.00 is made; $1.00 for the baked pudding.
Johnny Bueti, whose grandparents immigrated from Italy after WW2, is certainly no stranger to the delights of Italian Cuisine. He is organising 'The Long Italian Lunch', as a fundraiser for our Rotary Club. In his previous editions, he would have some 150 people there, but due to COVID restrictions limited it to 80. It will take place on Thursday, 10th December 2020. Click on this link to book! Download the flyer - see Download Section on the right.
Remember Mark Twyfords youngest daughter Maggie, who presented at our Club on Misión México via Zoom earlier this year? (That’s her on the right – click on this link to read the story again). Maggie continues to be involved with the Mission. This November will also mark the charity’s 20th anniversary. To celebrate, they are holding their biggest ever global event; the Move for Misión México - 20/20/20 Challenge: 20,000 kilometers on foot, bike, in the water, any way you can think of while working together to raise £20,000 for their education program. All money raised will go towards Mision Mexico's Education Program.
To support this event, Mark has enrolled in the Challenge with the aim ofraising $AUD 1,000.00, committing to riding a minimum of 500Km in the month of November. You can track his progress here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/704802. Mark also will provide us with a weekly total: As of today 16/11/20, he has racked up 378.1 Km and raised $900.00! He hopes to rope in a couple of more Riding Rotarians to make up another 500Km over the month. If you wish to support financially, please click on this link, and also advise Mark on mark@bradendmdtaccounting.com.au so he can update his website. Alternatively, you can direct deposit to an account - send him an email and he'll send you details. A tax receipt will be issued once funds are received.
Ashleigh Symes was at the door, Paul Seymour was Chairman and Ian Mayberry was Sergeant. We had apologies from John Chirio, Gerald East, Peter Morgan, Mitch Brown, Adrian Crowe, Peter Smith and Ray Higgs.
President Charles Thomasson welcomed all members, special guest Stah Nduku (guest of Darrell Brown), our Rotaractor guests and of course our Guest Speaker, PDG Prof Michael Irving.
Following Michael's presentation (see separate article above), Charles and Larry Murray outlined the roster and planning for the 10,000th Wheelchair celebration (see report above). Mario Fairlie advised that he had arranged for our volunteers at the Project Shed to be fitted out with the new T-Shirts [at his personal expense - thank you, Mario! Ed.].
We tried hard to stretch out the time, but Sergeant Ian Mayberry still managed to outline a few misdemeanours (highlighting that all money collected from fines will go towards buying Christmas presents for St John's): Col Laurenson, you are not really responsible... is Larry Murray? (??) Geoff Croad, was that your mobile phone? Darrell Brown, according to the Professor, high-rise buildings reflect heat and thus Climate Change is all your fault... Ashleigh Symes (her first time at the door): do you remember the name of every member now...? Neil Thurlow, you made me wait last week - totally unacceptable... Richard Smith, just where did you get THAT shirt?? Mario Fairlie, how much would I have to pay for a ride...? Charles Thomasson, No X of 26 for not introducing the Sergeant at the Changeover... Franz Huber, you are the last person to tell somebody to talk clearly..! Al Sirovs, is that campervan of yours finally fixed? (yes). To close it all off, a quite emotional Paul Seymour paid a "happy buck"[one assumes]: his daughter Tanya (see photo on right) will represent South Africa at the upcoming Young Horse World Championships (Dressage) in Germany. That is the second time Tanya was selected, first time in 2019. Congratulations, Tanya, wishing you every success!
Put it in your diary now: our Christmas Breakfast will be on Wednesday, 16th December. This year, we'll have it at the Edgewater Dining and Lounge restaurant (where we had our Changeover in July). More details in next week's bulletin.
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
“There is no way that we can predict the weather six months ahead beyond giving the seasonal average” ― Stephen Hawking, 'Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays'
A National Geographic Magazine article of Nov 1976, warning about a potentially imminent severe cooling, described the situation of just 18,000 years ago (not long ago in the overall context): 'Chilly August, 16000 B.C.'"Manhattan Island lies under half a mile of ice, but parts of Alaska, then linked to Asia, are ice free. Sea level stands 300 feet lower than today..." [no doubt, that was caused by Climate Change! Ed.]
The scientific bottom line is that you can't burn coal without producing CO2.
The political bottom line is that the economic bottom line wins.
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.
What a superb morning last Saturday at our Project Shed, where we celebrated the 10,000th Wheelchair manufactured. For any of our readers who are not familiar with the concept: parts from recycled bicycles, marine plywood, solid rubber BMX wheels and... LOTS OF VOLUNTEER HOURS equal a wheelchair which can be manufactured for $100! Give yourself a pat on the back, but particular recognition must go to the principal movers and shakers who started and carried this project through: Des La Rance, Daryl Sanderson and the late Keith Lutz and Bob Harrison. Jan Lutz was there, but regrettably, Gloria Harrison was unable to join us, but for a good reason: her grandson debuted on that same day, playing Grade 1 Cricket in the Queensland Premier League. Howzat! Bob would be proud on both accounts. 
Last Wednesday we had the privilege of PDG Prof Michael Irving presenting his view on Climate Change. OK, so why should Michael’s views be of significance, compared to the zillion of newspaper articles, blogs and social media posts one can read, videos and movies one can watch and reports which go into the hundreds of pages, such as the ones presented by the UN funded 
This Wednesday 18th Nov 2020 afternoon is deadline to order! Mario Fairlie will place the order directly on behalf of all members and friends of the club. Please order directly with Mario by email (not verbally) to 
Remember Mark Twyfords youngest daughter Maggie, who presented at our Club on Misión México via Zoom earlier this year? (That’s her on the right – 
all your fault... Ashleigh Symes (her first time at the door): do you remember the name of every member now...? Neil Thurlow, you made me wait last week - totally unacceptable... Richard Smith, just where did you get THAT shirt?? Mario Fairlie, how much would I have to pay for a ride...? Charles Thomasson, No X of 26 for not introducing the Sergeant at the Changeover... Franz Huber, you are the last person to tell somebody to talk clearly..! Al Sirovs, is that campervan of yours finally fixed? (yes). To close it all off, a quite emotional Paul Seymour paid a "happy buck"
