Well another week has zoomed by, and I must complete this E-News a little early now as I will be in NZ for the Institute all next week, and then a short holiday in the South Island the following week. So the next News Letter after this will be the first week of December. Gosh it’s a bit scary to mention that word December!
Last Saturday , Sandra and I were invited to Turramurra’s Jumbo Flight Day at Sydney Airport. What an experience that was!
This was Turramurra’s 35th year of running this wonderful event where they take some 300 handicapped or disabled kids up in a Qantas 747 for a 1½ hour flight over greater Sydney.
The organisation is amazing. There was Ian Thorpe and Ronald McDonald to entertain the kids before the flight; 32 Qantas ground staff, flight attendants and Captains who donated their time; plus 30 Turramurra Rotarians helping to put this together - and in ran like clockwork! This was also a great PR event for Rotary, and district was pleased to assist with some of the organisation and cost of the PR. Two TV cameramen were there plus the Sydney Morning Herald reporter and photographer. As a result, there was a segment on the Today Show, an article in the Sun Herald, and we are expecting a story in the Qantas In-flight magazine - keep a look out for it all you jet-setters! See all the photos
We also enjoyed a wonderful evening this week at Turramurra’s 40th Birthday night, where past members (many of them charter members) attended along with PDG John Moon who was the DG 40 years ago at the club’s Charter night!. PDG Bob Burnett and PDG Pam Prichard gave a most interesting presentation of the club’s achievements over the 40 years - which are truly remarkable! Congratulations Turramurra!
This coming Friday we will have our Presidents’ Christmas party at Miramare Gardens, and that will be our last one for the year! However please don’t forget the ARHRF Christmas dinner at Epping RSL on 11 December. See you there.
Finally, many of you know Rotaractors Evan and Barbara Burrell. Evan was a GSE team member last year and Barbara (née Rose) used to work for me before her marriage. Well Barbara and Evan asked me to tell you their happy news! They are expecting a first born around May next year. Not quite in time to test out our child-minding at the conference, but perhaps next year.
Yours in Rotary
Tony Castley
District Governor
DG Club Visits
This past week we visited two of our smallest clubs - Narrabeen Lakes and Ourimbah which make the running total now 57 - and 9 to go!
Narrabeen Lakes and Ourimbah may be small in number but they are both certainly big in heart! These two clubs have an amazing amount of projects, and in the case of Narrabeen Lakes they raise $100,000 each year! Congratulation to both clubs for their great Rotary work! See the photos! (oops, I think we forgot to take photos at Narrabeen Lakes – next time !)
2007/08 Membership Data
Correction to 2008/09 Membership “Start” Figures
RI recently sent me the official membership “start” figures for 1/07/08. You may ask what is the significance of these figures? Well, these are the membership figures for all our clubs and our district, on which all the Membership awards and Presidential citations will be judged for this year - and so they become very important. However, I saw a mistake in the figures and so I wrote to Evanston and I received a very nice email back, saying “sorry our data had a glitch, you are correct! We have now adjusted these figures as per your email “. Very Nice! So our official membership for our district is 1,918 as at 1/7/08. You can see all the individual club membership numbers here.
Rotaract in D9680
ShelterBox News
The latest news from ShelterBox Australia highlights the urgent need for continuing donations of ShelterBoxes and updates deployments from Australian-funded boxes. The latest list of donor Clubs from our District may be seen here. Wouldn't it be terrific if every club in our District could pay for at least two ShelterBoxes this year - that would mean shelter and support for at least a thousand people in desperate need. I don't think that $2,400 over the course of a year is too much to hope for. This is the biggest Rotary Club International project ever known. It certainly makes a huge difference to those to whom help is given.
Looking for Project & Matching Grant Ideas
Matching Grant Success in India
Read about the very successful Matching grant project in India where 10 toilet blocks have been built at schools. This project involved 10 clubs in D9680 joining with the Rotary Club of Gladesville to fund this project along with a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation. It is a good example how clubs can get together to achieve a very worthwhile project. For more information please contact PDG Bruce Allen.
Community Matters
Theo Glockemann, Community Chair has provided some news on Drought Relief and Bowelscan which are worth reading.
District Conference
The registration forms have now been distributed to every club, and we do ask that you please confirm your bookings asap. In this difficult financial environment, it is important that we get our numbers together quickly and that way we will be able to avoid any cost spiralling. Your assistance with early registrations would really be appreciated. Any questions please phone Conference Chairman, Bobby Clark 0409 430 348
RYLA ,RYPEN and District Vocational Excellence Awards
Please be reminded that the following chairmen are waiting to hear from your club regarding your nominations for RYLA, RYPEN and the District Vocational Excellence awards. Please support these programs asap.
RYLA PP John Steel 9943 0554 jlsteel@optusnet.com.au
RYPEN P Warrick Randell 9546 2992 wandj@iinet.net.au
DVEA PP Bob Kaye-Smith 9630 0541 kayesmaithr@syntechtron.com
China-Mongolia Rotary Tour
In April next year we are planning another Rotary Tour to Northern China and Mongolia. If you would like to join this tour, you should put your names down now.
In China, we will be hosted by CAFIU (China Association For international Understanding). CAFIU is a branch of the China Foreign Affairs Department with whom we have had an association since 1993. A CAFIU staff member will accompany us on the China leg of this tour which will take in major tourist centres such as Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, and we will also visit our Rotary projects in remote Bin Xian where the Crows Nest club have build several schools.
Then we will travel onto Mongolia by the Trans Siberian Express, a trip I have done twice before and it is a lot of fun and great way to see the country. In Mongolia, we will also have some exciting experiences like staying in a traditional Ger out in the magnificent countryside, as well as visit Rotary projects such as the Lotus Children’s Centre, Astral Buddhist Women’s refuge, plus while we are in Ulaanbaatar we will catch up with Ron Marcus’s team who will be there installing a Cath Lab in one of the hospitals at that time. See page 217 of the District Directory for further details, however the cost may have to be reviewed in the light of the latest cost increases for travel.
David Hobson In Concert - Special $30 Offer
Book now for 8pm Friday 21 November or the matinee at 1pm Sunday 23 November and purchase special $30 tickets. A limited number of tickets are available. David Hobson, star of It Takes Two and Dancing with the Stars takes to the Concert Hall stage in a lavish new concert production with his orchestra and band to perform songs from his outstanding career and new album A Little Closer. Highlights include Fields of Gold, Without You, Blackbird and hits from Man of La Mancha, Carousel, La Bohème and The Elixir of Love.
Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall 21 & 23 November
TO BOOK: ‘phone 9250 7777 and quote: 'Hobson $30 Offer'
inside Interplast
Inspired by the inaugural 2007 Interplast Eureka Tower Climb of 92 floors held in Melbourne, a group of WA
Rotarians came together and organised a tower climb of Perth’s tallest building, the Bank West Tower. This and other stories are in the latest monthly newsletter outlining the inspiring activities of Rotarians for Interplast.