As you are aware Sylvia and I have been looking after our International Exchange Student Ayana for the last few months. Ayana is our club’s sponsored student from Japan. Ayana has, I believe, enjoyed her time with us and next week she goes back to school. Hence Marie & Chris will look after her for a few weeks before she goes to her next home sponsor. She will be with us until June. Her Parents & brother will visit her at the end of March for 5 days.
Chris Thurtell, "our" District Youth Exchange Chair, this week received an email from USA. It worth noting:
Dear Chris,
My name is Lynn and my Rotary club (Minneapolis South) was fortunate enough to host Lucy Thorburn this past year. She left us on Sunday and, while I know she felt ready to be back in Australia with her family, she leaves a gaping hole in Minneapolis. She will be deeply missed by many.
Lucy is a fantastic representative and ambassador for Australia, for Rotary, for your club and of her family. She integrated herself into life in Minnesota from the moment she stepped off the plane and was a joy all year.
Thank you for encouraging Lucy to apply to this program. You were spot on when you described her in your original e-mail with her application: you will love her; she is a riot. Yes, we do, and yes, she is.
Sincerely,
Lynn Keillor, Minneapolis South Rotary, Youth Exchange Officer
How wonderful is this. Lucy Thorburn is the young lady that was “Junior Surfer of the Year” and received the “Keith Lutz Award” from our Club two year ago and of course she has been our out bound student for 2019-20 being in the USA for nearly a year. We will hear more when she gets home.
Karen Holland & her husband have agreed to sponsor a Rotary Exchange student from France (a young man) for the next few months.
Gerald & Chris spent most of Saturday at Brisbane Airport organising 7 outgoing Students from our District destined for the USA & Europe. At the same time another 25 outbound students from the other Queensland District were also farewelled.
Isn’t amazing, while it seems on the surface not much is happening, Rotary keeps on keeping on.
A few other things:
Des has been contacted regarding the school which we built in Thailand after the Tsunami in 2004. They need assistance regarding some repair.
Nominations close on the 22nd January for “Pride of Workmanship Award” Please could you contact Richard Smith to get your nominations in for this year.
Monday night is a board meeting
We have made application for a Booth to display the Sleeping POD & Wheelchairs at the Rotary District Conference at Tenterfield 27-29th March,2020. Des has agreed to take the POD & Wheelchair on his ute, pull his Caravan and stay at the Tenterfield Caravan Park and man the display. Is anyone else able to help it would be much appreciated.
Don’t forget CHINESE NEW YEAR DINNER. The meeting on 29th January has been cancelled and we are having Dinner at Highland Court Chinese Restaurant Benowa Gardens at 6.30pm.
Also, don’t forget this week’s Club meeting on Wednesday morning at 7:00am……see you then.
This Wednesday 22nd January, our Guest Speaker is Wayne Leathem from the Medical Repurposing Network.
Medical Repurposing Network is a registered Australian charity that provides medical equipment and supplies to recipients in needy communities, both within Australia and overseas, by repurposing or recycling medical equipment that is still in good working order. It supplements this activity by purchasing medical equipment where necessary. For the past ten years, MRN has worked closely with Rotary Australia and overseas to source and fulfill medical needs. In view of our upcoming major project of the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu, this will be of major interest for us!
Charles Thomasson and Paul Smith have organized for our club to have a social dinner night, celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Rat. It will be in the form of a sumptuous banquet, held on Wednesday 29th January 2020, from 6:00 pm at the
Highland Court Chinese Restaurant
Benowa Gardens Shopping Centre
203 Ashmore Rd,
Benowa QLD 4217
Cost $35.00 per head. BYO, wine only - no corkage! (wine only - all other drinks must be purchased at the venue). Please book and pre-pay online, thank you. We need to provide final numbers two days in advance, thus bookings close Sunday 26/01/2020, 11:00 pm.
OK, so there is little resemblance between our Youth Exchange Student who spent the last 12 months in Minnesota, USA and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. And the (Fire) Tornadoes happened over here not over there. By now, Lucy would have returned to our shores. President Mario's message (see above) outlines an email from the Youth Exchange Director of Lucy's host club, Lynn Keilor, sent to Chris Thurtell, Chair of our district's Youth Exchange Committee.
We hear so often people making derogatory comments about "today's youth". Well, this sums up my view about the vast majority of "today's youth". Obviously, Lucy fulfilled her role as our ambassador for the Gold Coast and Australia in general with distinction and to our full expectations. Thank you, Lucy, and welcome back! We look forward to greeting you at one of our club meetings in the near future to hear all about your experiences!
(Photo by Lucy, when she experienced some of the not so hot climates of Minnesota...)
Vocational Services chief Richard Smith is again organizing the annual Excellence in Workmanship Awards. It will take place on Wednesday 18th March 2020, at a venue to be advised. Social dinner night of course, so make sure your partners know about it too, and all friends and guests are welcome.
Richard is looking for nominations! So, if in the recent past you have received excellent service by a tradie, an employee, a business person or anyone whom you consider to be worthy of that award, please communicate with Richard.
At the last board meeting, approval was given to sponsor two RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) Candidates for the upcoming seminar 14 - 19th April 2020. Our club will sponsor $550.00 of the total cost of $650.00 per person to attend this superb training camp.
What is RYLA? It is a premier youth leadership development program for people aged 19-28. During a week long camp designed to promote proactivity, personal and professional development through a range of inspirational speakers, team building exercises and leadership training. The development of communication and presentation skills, problem solving, conflict resolution, self-confidence and self-esteem are key objectives of this program. RYLA is one of those “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences which truly has a lasting impact on your life. The high intensity seminar is filled to the brim with Australia’s leading inspirational and motivational guest speakers, who give up their time purely based on the benefits they see every year for those attending.
RYLA helps young people, the future leaders of the Australia to realise their full potential and ignites their passion for life. Whether you have a sister or brother, a son or daughter, a niece, nephew, cousin, friend, colleague or even an acquaintance within the age bracket, who you think may benefit from a week of personal discovery, professional development in an uplifting and infectiously positive environment, I urge you to send them along. It will be the greatest gift you could give. Need more information? Click here.
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)
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.
Human intelligence, often traced on a curve from stupidity to genius, should perhaps be thought of in terms of a circle on which you always ended with the two of them so close together they overlapped.D.W. Buffa, in ‘Necessity’.
"It is not the time to argue about the causes of the fires... ... because our country will always be prone to them, in various degrees of severity. But we need an urgent solution and it will not be enough to undertake conventional measures before the next onslaught, such as prudent backburning and access clearing in the winter and deploying more water bombers, firefighting equipment and personnel, important though they are. We should summon technology to the cause — and the technology exists...Tony Grey, in 'Eyes in the skies will give us a chance to nip fires in the bud'. - The Australian 14/01/20.
I used to date a professional Tennis player. But when I suggested marriage, she raised a racket and made it quite clear that for her, Love was not even to be contemplated...
This Wednesday 22nd January, our Guest Speaker is Wayne Leathem from the Medical Repurposing Network. 
Charles Thomasson and Paul Smith have organized for our club to have a social dinner night, celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Rat. It will be in the form of a sumptuous banquet, held on Wednesday 29th January 2020, from 6:00 pm at the
.JPG)
Vocational Services chief Richard Smith is again organizing the annual Excellence in Workmanship Awards. It will take place on Wednesday 18th March 2020, at a venue to be advised. Social dinner night of course, so make sure your partners know about it too, and all friends and guests are welcome.
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!
