The Vanuatu project is progressing. All the items required for construction should be available by the end of the week. After that site construction will proceed rather quickly and it will be time in the next few weeks to think about what you can do to assist with the project. For example, if your good at painting and love white paint you’re the person. I am hopeless and hate it. There will be lots of other jobs and Des will point you in the right direction. Des has completed the detail drawings for the building foundations and site work. These will be forward to Dr Richard Leona so he can organise for the work to be done prior to the building arriving at Mauna Hospital on Pentecost Island. Col Laurenson has offered to assist with logistics and shipping arrangements which are critical for the success of the project. Thanks Col.
The next meeting for the Global Grant application is on March 6th. In the meantime, we have been contacted by Therese Crollick, the President of Ballina Rotary Club and a retired Medical Scientist. Dr Graham Sivyer has been in contact with her, as Therese has offered to help regarding the setting-up of the pathology requirements and in-country staff training. What a stroke of luck! It’s amazing.
No more news on the POD…..the Sleeping Sanctuary. Hopefully we will find a suitable candidate after the next GC Homeless Symposium on 4th March.
Next, our Past President Jo Winwood (Gorman) contacted me during the week to share with us a project that she has been working on and she thinks our Club should consider. It’s the construction of a Community Friendly Bench. They have been extremely successful in UK and in New York City. Jo believes that they may be something our Club and the Shed would be interested in manufacturing. Early days but it’s a very interesting the project that brings the community together.
Monday 2nd is the next Board meeting. If you have any matter that you would like the board to address, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Finally, once again, we need to emphasize our involvement in the "Excellence in Workmanship Awards". Please come along, bring your wife, partner or best friends, be involved and enjoy the evening.
Well, I’ve met people would claim that life dealt them a lemon right from the start: being born into a family of 9 kids, being raised on a pig farm, would entitle them to special treatment… On the other hand, people such as our newest Corporate Member Paul Smith, have had the slogan “Have a go!” inculcated into their DNA from an early age. In his teenage years, his father convinced him to save his money and - - buy a pig. “Well, I sold it for $250.00 and that paid for my first car, a Holden…!” Thus was born an Entrepreneur.
“But when I was a young bloke, all I wanted to do was play Golf”, Paul declared. “We lived near a Golf Course in Queanbeyan (Canberra), and I got my handicap down from 27 to 9.” He completed a Golf Pro Apprenticeship for 3 years, then played in every major tournament in Australia. Quite an achievement, considering that there were some 1,500 applicants and only 140 players can make it.
But professional golfing didn’t “keep body and soul together”, he said. His father decided to go into the Funeral Director business. He learned the trade in somebody
else’s business, then the family embarked on their own. And for the first 12 months, they didn’t have a single body to bury… Paul’s father passed away in 1980 and he became Managing Director. Within 10 years their business was doing about 450 funerals a year, had a flower shop and also included the biggest monumental masonry business in Canberra! Paul recollected some quite amusing stories too – sorry, you should have been there! He sold the business and moved to sunny Queensland.
Getting bored after about 12 months of leisure, he briefly worked for the Coolum Hyatt to run the Pro Shop, but “being employed was not my ideal situation”. Space does not allow to fully elaborate, but in essence: he convinced the GM at the Hyatt to spend $300,000 on improvements so they could have major sporting and entertainment events which his company managed. This led to major clubs such as the Brisbane Bears, Carlton and Adelaide play practice matches and Rugby teams quickly followed. The Brisbane Broncos, Raiders, St George and Canterbury played a double header. And then came the managing of Entertainment Events: Michael Crawford, Marcia Hines, Kate Subrano, Anthony Warlow… And the managing of sporting greats. One of these included Simon Black, now his co-owner of the Southport Branch of the Bank of Queensland. “I didn’t really know anything much about AFL, and I asked ok, who is this Simon Black?” And the answer came straight back: well, he just won the Brownlow Medal…
Asked which of his various enterprises would have been the most satisfying, Paul’s answer came straight: “Being a Funeral Director. Taking care of people, helping them when they are at one of their worst stages of their lives, is immensely fulfilling.”
Photo above: Paul Smith (left) with Cole Todd from Wilsons Advisory, another of our Corporate Members.
Vocational Services chief Richard Smith is again organizing the annual Excellence in Workmanship Awards. Social dinner night of course, so make sure your partners know about it too, and all friends and guests are welcome. Eight candidates have been selected and thus nominations are now closed.
Gerald East was at the door, Doug Garvie chaired the meeting for the first time and Andy Bell was Sergeant. We had apologies from Ray Higgs, Adrian Crowe, Geoff Croad, Ian Mayberry and Paul Seymour.
President Mario Fairlie welcomed all members, Associate Corporate Members Ashleigh Symes and Todd Cole (Wilsons Advisory), Tony Merlo (guest of Larry Murray) and one of our RYTS awardees (Rotary Youth Transition Seminar, for 16 - 18 year olds), Ben Kelly. Ben, introduced by our Youth Services Director, PDG Darrell Brown briefly addressed the meeting (see photo, by Charles Thomasson). "Attending RYTS was the best decision I ever made!" Ben enthused. He commented on the benefits not just of making new friends, sharing a cabin with 8 others, hearing some top notch motivational speakers, but... wait for it... "living a whole week in isolation!" [Isolation?? have they moved it to the Simpson desert? No, it was at Bornhoffen, off the Nunimbah Valley road...☺☺ Ed.]
Following Paul Smith's presentation on Entrepreneurship (see separate article above), club business was discussed: President Mario urged all to attend the various club and Rotary functions coming up: Crazy Whist(29/02/20), Excellence in Workmanship Award (18/03/20), Gold Coast Ramble (Sunday, 22/03/20) and on the last weekend in March, the District Conference in Tenterfield.
Secretary Mitch Brown briefly elaborated on the proposed changes to the Club Consitution to allow Corporate Members to have two full membership votes, and Franz Huber reminded members and guests of the upcoming events (see above). This was followed by a brief, but very amusing "Sergeant's Session" by Andy Bell: Nobody was fined, but instead was encouraged to briefly talk about an "unusual fact" story they came across in their lives. Well, almost nobody was fined: Gerald East copped a fine for that fine combination of a lilac shirt and (darker shade) lilac shorts...
Together with the Gold Coast Rotary Club, on 22nd March 2020 we are staging the 3rd Gold Coast Ramble. This year it will start from Macintosh Island Park. Lets organise some teams of costumed Ramblers, exploring the streets and businesses of Main Beach and Northern Surfers Paradise. Teams endeavour to gain as many points as possible during the 2 hour period, however, it is primarily designed for participants to have fun, no matter their level of fitness or mobility. Yes, prams and wheelchairs welcome!
Participants can choose to support any of 7 charities: Australian Anti Ice Campaign, Baby Give Back, Bravehearts, The Butterfly Foundation, Orange Sky Laundry, The Prostate Foundation of Australia and the Salvation Army. Full details, and to register, please visit the website: www.goldcoastramble.org.au.
(Photo: last year's winners, Rosie Rocco and her team)
This year's event is going to be a real country affair! Go to the Conference Website http://www.rotary9640conference.org.au and check out what's happening. There you find the program, a brief summary of all the Keynote Speakers, and of course you can register. But of course, one of the big attractions of attending a conference is always the deep feeling of Rotary Fellowship. Being in the country, formalities will be kept to a minimum. You have an opportunity to meet, eat and drink with other Rotarians and their partners from other places in the District, you'll meet overseas people, Exchange Students. But I know, you are all quite shy... Not to worry! So far, our club has 9 people registered, so if worse comes to worse, you can always talk to one of us... ☺
Here is another one of the speakers I certainly wouldn't want to miss: Kellie Foran. Her organisation, 'Friendly Faces, Helping Hands' helps patients from rural and remote areas to navigate the complex health systems. She knows first-hand how challenging it can be for people from rural and remote areas to navigate the health system in a big city during times of crisis: At eight months pregnant with her first child, Kelly, who lived with her husband Dave on a farm at Maules Creek, outside Narrabri, in the state’s north-west, became seriously ill on Boxing Day 2002.
At Dubbo Base Hospital, she was diagnosed with a massive brain tumour and within the hour she was airlifted to RPA Hospital to have an emergency caesarean section. I have attended one of her presentations a couple of years ago. You've got to hear her inspiring story on how she survived all this and then set out to help other people who live 'in the bush' to navigate the Health System.
Duty Roster - note: subject to change. Please check every week:
New duty: Fellowship / Project Shed. What does it entail? There are two aspects to this:
a) At the club meeting, 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.
b) This person is also to attend the Project Shed on the following Saturday, as the representative of our club and to assist in the general management.
Latest on the Corona Virus investigation: Chinese Plain Clothes Police is on a roll...
“I can honestly say that I have never gone into any business purely to make money. If that is the sole motive then I believe you are better off not doing it. A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” Richard Branson, 'Losing my Virginity, How I've Survived..."
But if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there. George Harrison (Lyrics from ‘Any Road’)
I hate spelling errors. You mix up just two letters and the whole document is urined.
Well, I’ve met people would claim that life dealt them a lemon right from the start: being born into a family of 9 kids, being raised on a pig farm, would entitle them to special treatment… On the other hand, people such as our newest Corporate Member Paul Smith, have had the slogan “Have a go!” inculcated into their DNA from an early age. In his teenage years, his father convinced him to save his money and - - buy a pig. “Well, I sold it for $250.00 and that paid for my first car, a Holden…!” Thus was born an Entrepreneur.
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President Mario Fairlie welcomed all members, Associate Corporate Members Ashleigh Symes and Todd Cole (Wilsons Advisory), Tony Merlo (guest of Larry Murray) and one of our 
Ed.]
Together with the Gold Coast Rotary Club, on 22nd March 2020 we are staging the 3rd Gold Coast Ramble. This year it will start from Macintosh Island Park. Lets organise some teams of costumed Ramblers, exploring the streets and businesses of Main Beach and Northern Surfers Paradise. Teams endeavour to gain as many points as possible during the 2 hour period, however, it is primarily designed for participants to have fun, no matter their level of fitness or mobility. Yes, prams and wheelchairs welcome!
Here is another one of the speakers I certainly wouldn't want to miss: Kellie Foran. Her organisation, 'Friendly Faces, Helping Hands' 
