Welcome to our prospective members Linus, Bronwyn and Phillip and we certainly look forward to seeing you again, of course along with Justine. Congratulations to John Kinai and Frank for introducing them to the club.
I must also thank Frank and Fay for their efforts in making enquiries in relation to the mini forum we held in the Sanctuary Lakes Board room the previous week. Unfortunately, their enquiry resulted in a dead end, as that particular avenue was not an option.
Their seemed to be a bit of mixed reaction to the committee meeting last week, in relation to guests attending. I gauged this both from comments from the floor on the night, and also a few members I have spoken to since the meeting. The two schools of thought were mainly:
Committee meetings give new and prospective members a practical insight into the various projects that Rotary has to offer and what the club is considering. This can help them make their own assessment about the club.
It may be boring for prospective members and certain topics may not be suitable for a broader audience, or club members may be reluctant to speak up in a slightly unfamiliar audience.
I thought I might briefly clarify the purpose of what the committee meeting nights are. These nights are a sort of “brainstorming” night once a month where ideas for projects are put forward and kicked around to decide if we want to proceed with them.
Committee nights are not the venue to discuss any issues or problems within the club, nor more strategic things such as overall club direction. These sorts of things are done at a club forum, typically held once a year only.
Moving forward, a reminder that apologies and extra bookings are not to be made through Julie Krause until further notice. Please contact Steve Medcraft; his details are at the bottom of this Bulletin. Julie is focusing her attention on some personal issues and I am sure she would appreciate a call from those that are closer to her.
Also in this bumper issue of the Bulletin is some explanatory information on bushfire relief work. Alex Pattison has offered to pick this project up and run with it on behalf of the club. As such, please direct any questions or issues you have through Alex and not through the published central contact point. Many thanks to Alex, this has the potential to be a milestone event for the impact that the club can make and the memories that can come with it.
This week is board meeting night, and Alex will tell us his life story, which I am sure will be very entertaining. He is another member who has lived for extensive periods in different countries so there should be some tales to tell.
Moving forward, on 23 September we have our partners’ night, with Vanessa Bird talking about the famous and infamous Kokoda Trail.
On 30 September Aleks Dyrnes is making his formal presentation speech about Norway. This is not strictly a partners’ night, but I am sure many partners will want to come for this.
In October we have two separate major events which are both partners’ nights. 7 October is the District Governor’s visit, which is always a special event in the annual diary. On 28 October we have a significant social and cultural event with a renowned singer Michael Lappina in attendance. More on these closer to the time.
Finally, Treasurer Chris has advised me that the final profit figure from the Bunnings BBQ in July was a healthy $810.00. Not bad for a days effort.
Our shopping tour reaped a total of $1653.00 for the club coffers (including raffle sales etc) Well done on that one to all concerned, especially Fay.
As always, remember, the future of Rotary is in your hands!
Gordon Clarence
