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Welcome to our new home. As was communicated after the meeting on 31st March, the outcome of the voting for our club meetings venue was Tanunda Hotel = 18, Wanera = 15. Thanks to everyone who participated.
Sandie says Thank You to all the Rotary Polio Ute Raffle ticket sellers, our club’s allocation of tickets has added $400 to our contributions to the Rotary District 9510 Foundation.
Bill and Sandie have again organised the first prize, which is the “Fly The Barossa” package consisting of two nights at Rogasch Cottage, courtesy of Jan and Craig Rogasch, a wine tasting and two bottles of Bethany Wines, thanks to Geoff Schrapel, two ten minute helicopter rides with Barossa Helicopters, and our club is donating four adult tickets to the 2023 Barossa Airshow and a twenty minutes glider flight. President Bill and Sandie will attend the Rotary District 9510 Foundation lunch on Sunday 15th May, when the raffle prizes will be drawn.
Regards the District Conference, it was good for me to meet old friends from Mitcham and catch up with what is happening at my old club.
We were well represented at the Conference. Bryce was assisted by Sandie and President Bill with a Showcase display about our club’s ring pulls project “Ring Pulls Transform Lives”. Many attendees picked up flyers and several were unaware that this project is ongoing, so they now know what to do with the collections they have at home! We’ve shared information about the project with other clubs for their newsletters and it’ll be mentioned in the next edition of the District Classifieds. We ran a competition for attendees to guess how many ring pulls in the jar, the prize being a magnum of Jim Barry Riesling. Forty-three entries were recorded, ranging from 896 to 10,101!! Nelson Petersen of Adelaide Uni Rotaract Club won with a guess of 1890, only 27 off the 1863 in the jar! (Bryce counted them twice to be sure, to be sure!)
The Soapbox presentation about the Airshow was well received and generated several questions at later breaks. The Sunday BBQ lunch was a great success with us serving up about 300 lunches that gave the departing attendees a pleasant memory of their final act at the conference.
In early June there will be a massive Rotary Showcase at Adelaide University, to which the public will be invited.
There are several things on the go this month including
- 2023 Airshow Committee meeting will be on Tuesday next week, if you have any interest in assisting in the planning of the airshow, please talk to me or a committee member.
The Nuri clothing bin will be back in action soon so the collectors need to be ready. I am scheduled for 29th April to 12th May. The problem is I will be in the Flinders Hospital from the 5th May to the 7th May and will not be very mobile in the following days. I will need someone to fill in for me for 8 days. (As a kid. I had an accident on my bike and damaged my urethra. Scar tissue has built up so they are going to remove it.)
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DONATIONS IN KIND
Guest Speaker David Cockshell. David joined the Gawler Light Rotary Club in 2001. Since then he has held many positions, including President in 2005/6. Since 2010 he has held the position of Chairman/Regional Manager of DIK Central Region. In 2020 David received the RI Service Above Self recognition for his work and commitment to DIK. Those of us who have seen the enormous changes at DIK know how much work David has done since he took over the role of regional manager.
DIK is a major program of RAWCS which is split into five regions. David manages Central Region which started in 1992. The major objective of DIK is the collection of goods and distributing them to needy communities. The goods collected/donated include medical supplies and instruments, dental and hospital equipment and furniture, school books, desks and chairs along with computers, sewing machines, toys and clothes - a wide range of quality goods that can be beneficial to another country. Hospitals have been a huge source of useful goods, much of which is sent to third world countries such as SW Pacific, SE Asia and Africa.
Freight costs are never cheap and range from $3000 to $11,000 depending on the size of the container and destination country.
Goods for local beneficiaries include wheelchairs and domiciliary equipment. DIK is not just a humanitarian service as much of the goods collected are beneficial to someone else with less going to landfill.
Over the years several of our members have worked at DIK packing containers, including for Myanmar and Tuvalu and Africa. DIK usually has an annual working day when up to fifty or so Rotarians and friends spend a day working as directed with a BBQ lunch provided. You will come home tired. However, it is an opportunity for Rotarians to enjoy some hard work and aching bones. Recommended to all those who have never taken part.
Finally with the change in Royal Adelaide Hospitals (the old to the new) a huge amount of surplus equipment was directed and collected for DIK. It was the largest single Rotary Project undertaken in South Australia. Similar good from Calvary Hospitals have been collected. With the outbreak of COVID DIK was able to provide equipment for SA Health, particularly beds that were needed for contingency management of the pandemic locally. Past President Keith Millington thanked David for his very interesting talk supported by acclamation from those present. He then handed him the usual small gift.
PPs Sue and Keith thanked David for his excellent presentation
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District 9510 Conference.
Governor Jeff Neale with his RIPPR Dennis Shore,
PDG from D9800
Editor's notes:
This was the 24th District Conference I have attended in my 38 years of Rotary.
I attended the Rotary Foundation Breakfast on Saturday morning April 2nd at the Weintal Motel. Approximately fifty people attended. Speaker at the breakfast was Alexandra Rose a Rotary Peace Scholar. Alex is already a highly credentialled graduate of the University of Queensland, experienced in working in a number of different cultures and fluent in several languages. Alexandra has now been offered a fully funded Master's Degree Course at Duke University, North Carolina USA. These Peace Scholarships are always very highly sought by students from around the world. In due course she will join an international network of people working to reduce the intensity of existing conflicts, to assist those caught up in conflicts and to contribute to the education of people to avoid causing conflict situations. Rotary Foundation Chair Marie-Louise then presented Level 11 certificates to three clubs for their support of The Rotary Foundation. Our club's donation was the equivalent of $250 per member.
Acknowledgement of donation to the TRF of RI
Bill, Bryce & Peter chatting at the Conference
From Club Secretary Sandie: the Conference was a well organised event of amazing diversity and awe-inspiring impressive speakers, whose presentations were interesting with sometimes confronting topics. The Conference dinner was a big Saturday fun night, which included a first class meal with drinks and many masked up Rotarians . Sandie said that the conference was a great opportunity to share our projects (Ring Pulls) and learn from other clubs. The speakers were excellent and included nine Rotarians who each had a five minute soap box regarding their particular project.
PP Keith Millington was the first to tell us all about the success of the 2021 Airshow and then advised that 2023 Airshow will be April 16th.
Many other presenters included Ian Henschke who addressed the rights of older Australians,
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, COVID got a mention here.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens
Philip Hoffmann Travel acknowledged the difficulties of the industry through COVID. He now employs 200 passionate South Australians across ten branches and an annual turnover at more than $155 million is testament to Phil's impeccable reputation, In recognition of his work and contribution to Rotary he was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow.
Conference MC Lynton Nicholas seeking a few answers from Phil Hoffmann.
Peter Gorayski is a Radiation Oncologist at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) on North terrace Adelaide. His work with Proton Therapy and Research has been beneficial in treating cancer. If you have never visited SAHMRI it is worth a visit. Regular tours are provided.
Another key note speaker was Rotarian Lisa Dallow. Lisa was on White Island NZ when the explosion occurred on December 9th 2019. Twenty two people lost their lives, To her it was an unspeakable tragedy. Her darling husband Gavin (well known to many of us) and her beautiful, bright daughter Zoe lost their lives in the eruption. Lisa asked everyone in the audience to take out their mobile phones and send a message to members of their families telling them how much they are loved. She continues with her recovery therapy and has returned to work as an engineer.
Other speakers to name a few included, Elaine Bensted Chief Executive Zoos SA, Dr. Leanne Beagley CEO Mental Health Australia and Martin Hamilton-Smith. AllKids was the chosen project of our District Governor's wife Jenny Neale, so it was fitting that we heard from Paul Otto, AllKids Country Director. Paul's presentation covered his 10 years of education in rural Cambodia. At the beginning of Jeff and Jenny's year she asked clubs to support her AllKids project. Up to and including conference time she told the gathering that $33,000 had been donated from the D9510 clubs.
This Conference was yet another outstanding event enjoyed by more than 400 Rotarians and partners.
Incoming DG Paul Thomas and wife Kathryn
So what about next year? Well, our incoming Governor is Paul Thomas from the Northern York Peninsula Club and he told us of his rather unique plan for Conference 2023. The International Convention 2023 is being held in Melbourne from May 27th to 31st, so rather than have a District Conference as well, Paul and his committee will be encouraging us all to represent D9510 by attending the International Conference. The plan begins by taking the Overland Train from Adelaide to Melbourne on or about May 25th 2023, accommodation to be included. PDG David Egan heads up the planning committee. We will hear plenty more in coming months as this arrangement begins to fall into place. All being well I hope to be on that train.
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Members of the Barossa Valley Club cooked up about 300 lunches to feed Conference attendees before sending them on their way.
Someone has to do it.
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Maundy Thursday Breakfast 14th April
22 members, partners and guests enjoyed a breakfast of egg & bacon on toast, followed by the usual delicious hot cross bun. Retired Lutheran Minister Brian Schwarz began with his thoughts from Philippians in presenting a short interesting Easter message. President Bill thanked Brian and presented him with a nice bottle of Red. Thank you Peter Sich and all helpers for yet another pleasant Rotary get together.
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Attendance April 7th 2022
Members attending 19
Visiting Rotarian 1 Guests attending 1
Total Attending 21
Member Birthdays
Ian Mader April 5th
Sue Graetz " 16th
Peter Frazer " 18th
John Semmler " 30th
Date Joined Rotary
Ian Rice (now Honorary) 1/4/1978 44 yrs
Patrick Ritchie-Haydn 1/4/1982 40 yrs
David West. 10/4/2008 14yrs
Ian Mader 11/4/2019 3 yrs
Roxane Canning 24/4/2014 8 yrs
Sue Graetz 24/4/2014 8 yrs
Marie Rothe 24/4/2014 8 yrs
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JUST A THOUGHT
In a time marked by crisis, despair and desperation Easter reminds us that in the face of darkness there is light.
To all readers.. A very Happy Blessed Easter.
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Rotaract Representative Iryna Bushmina visits Ukraine
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