The month of April is normally a busy month for the Club as there are several commitments that stretch the Club’s human resources. April 2023 is going to be super busy as, along with the Maundy Thursday breakfast and Anzac Day breakfast, we have the Barossa Airshow 2023.
So, last Thursday night’s meeting at the Rowland Flat Airfield hangar was a relaxed and very enjoyable way to commence a busy month.
The traditional strength of this Club i.e. fellowship and enjoyment of each others’ company was evident. The hangar at the Rowland Flat Airfield, a new meeting venue away from the normal, was roomy and encouraged members to mingle and enjoy each others’ company.
It is incumbent of me to say a BIG thank you to Helen and Graham Koch, the Airfield owners. Without their generosity the Club’s fundraising capacity would be greatly diminished as the Barossa Airshow is the Club’s prime fundraiser. It was a great pleasure to welcome both Helen and Graham to last Thursday’s meeting.
I believe a factor in a successful meeting is including the Rotary “family” in Club activities and meetings. Attending the meeting with their Rotarian partners were Peggy Brookes, Valerie West and Sharon Kessner. Rotary Friends of the Club are integral to the Club’s success so thank you Phil Graetz and Ian Falkenberg for attending last Thursday nights’ meeting. These are all important ingredients to the Club’s success, so it is necessary that we continue to include the Rotary family in planning a meeting program.
If we focus on a Club program of interesting and enjoyable meetings in an environment condusive to fellowship this Club will thrive and will encourage the recruitment of new members.
Thank you to impromptu speakers Steve Ahrens (much to the President’s forgetfulness and embarrassment!) and Airshow chairperson Keith Millington for igniting members’ excitement and interest in the rapidly approaching Barossa Airshow; a joint thank you to both you gentlemen.
Now remember, Maundy Thursday’s meeting commences at 6.30am for 7.00am.
Next Club meeting is Thursday 20th April at our normal venue, the Tanunda Hotel. This is an important meeting as we need to plan for the Anzac Day breakfast at the Tanunda RSL.
Click on the link, scroll down to the ‘Click to Vote’ button and follow the instructions. You have to fill in a lot of detail to make sure nobody votes more than once.
We are number 47, The Barossa Flying Circus, the location is Krondorf.
Steve reported lots of exciting new aircraft, the Roulettes aerobatics team, the P8 flypast will happen, Chris Spirou and Warren Stewart will be there, the Silver Sharks with an extra plane making a 4 plane formation aerobatics team plus many more favourites from previous shows.
Ticket sales are going well with over 1000 tickets sold. Hopefully, we will make 4000 to 4500 patrons which will give our fundraising effort a boost,
and will also help our caterers and stallholders too.
We will be having working days from Easter Monday to get the grounds ready for the Airshow. We need to get the control tower erected early as we need the space for the toilets that will be delivered. Work days from Wednesday the 12th until the Airshow date will be continuous with the Cadell boys with us on the 12th to do the heavy lifting. Any members that can help would be welcome, see you there.
Our 2nd Airshow is not far away. Don't miss out, buy your tickets early and invite family, friends, neighbours now, including members of all Rotary Clubs in District 9510. Don't forget to offer a little prayer for perfect weather.
These three words identify one of the most successful programs of Rotary. It was established as a charitable fund in 1981 by Rotarian PP Ian Scott and the Rotary Club of Mornington, Victoria to research the mystery of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Something in the order of $2000 was donated by ARH to SIDS. ARH has now developed a strong emphasis towards Mental Health research and since the year 2000, has focussed its funding in that area. In 2012 this focus narrowed to the Mental health of young Australians; and in 2013 research projects focussing on the 'Prevention of mental health' were included. Lift the Lid on Mental Illness is our national fundraising campaign for mental health research celebrated in October each year on World Mental Health Day. Clubs are encouraged to hold a special meeting at that time of the year and one way or the other to truly 'LIFT THE LID' on mental health.
A recent update received from PDG John Campbell (ARH Board Director for District 9510) to our secretary reminds us that we are well into the 2nd half of the Rotary year. Please read on.............................
In August ARH hosted our
Symposium,
'HEALTHY CHILDREN - BRIGHT FUTURES'
where we launched the new Australian Rotary Health Program that will support research designed to improve the mental health of Australian Children (0-12 years). Twenty-four professionals participated in the Symposium: all focused on the well-being of young children. There was shared emphasis on non-indigenous and indigenous issues.
Why the change in emphasis?
For starters, regarding Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, we heard of the effects of falling behind in reading and writing at school being long term.
. By year 3 the child is 9 months behind in writing and 1-year behind in reading
. By year 9 the child is 4.5 years behind in writing and 2.5 years behind in reading.
This set the tone for presentations and discussions of the Symposium with early intervention being a key message for the treatment of children in conjunction with the need for coaching programs including on-line platforms for parents to help them interact with their children whilst also providing easy communication for them to seek help. The fact that ARH's efforts in research in the area of Mental Health goes back to basics and starts with our children is well founded. 'If we fail today's children, we fail tomorrow's society.'
This is why we fundraise - to support our valuable research programs. It is of little wonder that we are the leader in non-government research in this area.
I would also like to bring to your attention the ARH Indigenous Health Scholarship program which provides funds to support Indigenous medical students in continuing their studies. Through this ARH program we have encouraged more Aboriginal people to study in fields such as nursing, midwifery, dentistry, medicine, and health promotion. The program provides financial assistance of up to $5000 a year, which can be used to assist students with day-to-day expenses, such as computers, software, and textbooks. This is an avenue many clubs have chosen to follow. We are committed to improving health and wellbeing of Aboriginal South Australians as well as the Aboriginal employment levels across public health services.
To learn how to connect and support this program, please contact Jane Gascoigne (Chair District 9510 ARH Indigenous Health Scholarship) - candjgascoigne@bigpond.com.
I remind you that should you wish to have a speaker on Australian Rotary Health at your club, please contact me. (PDG John Campbell)
Another trip to Sims Metal by Bryce and Peter with 225 kg of ring pulls, a couple of old batteries and a bit of scrap metal gave us $389.00 !! The ring pulls filled four wheelie bins, heavy to get onto the trailer, but thanks to the great staff easy to empty.
From the Bulletin Editor: I have it on good authority that the 225 kg of ring pulls = 780,000 ring pulls. Now that is a lot of ring pulling. It is worth every cent so keep on pulling please.
Editors Note: John Hewko's article below is worth reading. He has held the position of General Secretary of RI for as long time. Gifting to the Rotary Foundation of RI is so important in situations like this.
By John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International
Today is the one-year anniversary of the tragic war in Ukraine. It’s a war that never should have started. And it’s a conflict that has evolved into a non-stop humanitarian catastrophe because the Russian strategy is now to inflict as much pain on the civilian population of Ukraine as possible.
For a peace-based, humanitarian organization like Rotary, this type of conflict is heartbreaking. Yesterday was our 118th anniversary, and throughout our history, Rotary has always stood on the side of promoting peace and rebuilding from the ashes of destruction. Peace is a central goal of Rotary, and we work tirelessly to help avoid and stop armed conflicts. Our focus is on helping people in need and creating the conditions for lasting peace.
But now, the people of Ukraine are trapped in a humanitarian and refugee crisis at a scale not seen in Europe since the Second World War.
John Hewko in Ukraine in the 1990s.
This conflict also hits me on a personal level. My parents are from Ukraine. They came to the United States in 1949 after having spent four years in a refugee camp in southern Germany. I grew up speaking Ukrainian at home, and my wife, Marga, and I lived in Ukraine from 1991 to 1996. In 1991-1992, I was privileged enough to play a small role in preparing the initial draft of Ukraine’s post-Soviet constitution and participating in the working groups that were developing the initial Ukrainian post-independence legislative initiatives. I still have a great deal of family, friends, and former colleagues there.
It’s impossible for me to turn away from the daily pain being inflicted on Ukrainians. Civilians are being forced to live without water, electricity, and heat in the winter. Missiles and bombs are blowing up hospitals, schools, apartment buildings, and train stations full of refugees.
There are tens of thousands of dead and wounded soldiers on both sides; tens of thousands of killed or injured civilians; and hundreds of billions of dollars in destroyed civilian infrastructure. The war has plagued Ukraine with mass looting, summary executions, sexual assault, torture chambers, mass graves, and more atrocities.
Rotary has responded to this crisis, just as we continue to do for crises around the world, including the devastating flooding in Pakistan, and earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria. There are many ways that people can help out and donate in times of great humanitarian need, but when you donate to Rotary, you can be assured of something unique – on the ground assistance and direction from people who know best where those funds can be best used. Giving to Rotary humanitarian response efforts ensures making a real impact in a timely manner.
So far, we have raised $15 million in our Ukraine Disaster Response Fund and we are anecdotally hearing about the millions of dollars of additional aid that Rotary clubs and districts are sending directly to Ukraine and its neighboring countries.
These funds are going directly to projects that alleviate suffering and assist Ukrainian refugees, both within the borders of Ukraine and in neighboring countries. Our efforts in Ukraine have made such a huge impact that Rotary has actually increased its membership in that country since the war began.
Our work cannot and will not end here. We must continue tirelessly so that Ukrainian reconstruction can begin after the war is over.
Not only will Ukraine’s infrastructure need to be rebuilt, but government corruption must be rooted out. Ukraine needs a real chance to join the European Union and to thrive as a fully independent democracy. But for Ukraine to reach these milestones, there must be peace. This is where Rotary can play a great role — the process of healing the wounds between the Ukrainian and Russian people and working toward a true and lasting peace in the world.
Donate to the Rotary Foundation Ukraine Disaster Response Fund and other disaster relief funds we have established. There is still much work to be done and we need your continued financial support to make it happen.
Readers would have noticed that there were the same number of 28 attendees at each meeting.
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Maundy Thursday Breakfast Meeting
The meeting began with the usual meal of a soft roll, bacon and egg, followed by a the traditional Hot-Cross Bun. Thanks to Mignon Sich who has over the years arranged the collection of the Hot X buns.
Rotarian Marie Rothe introduced our guest speaker Pastor Rob Morgan for this morning's Easter message. Rob is the son of a Uniting church minister. As a child he spent his primary school years in Thailand as a missionary kid.
Today he is married with three children. His wife works as a GP and medical educator.
Their eldest daughter is a teacher in Port Pirie, the middle child and second daughter works in retail and the son is in year 9 at Faith College.
As a young fella Rob worked on family farms in Tasmania and at Maitland on the Yorke Peninsula.
He was a registered nurse in Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea, then he became a university chaplain and church youth worker.
Formerly he was the Pastor on the Southern Yorke Peninsula and before that was based in and around Nhill in Victoria .
For the last 16 and a bit years, he has been a local pastor of the Uniting Church here in the Barossa, and currently his Parish covers Angaston, Nuriootpa, Tanunda, Greenock, Kapunda, Eudunda and Robertstown.
Marie said, "I know Rob from his involvement with the local Churches, putting on Funday Sunday each year and his involvement with the youth of the Barossa at their get togethers at Infusion."
Rob is also involved at the Angaston Footy club as an assistant coach to the U15 team.
Pastor Rob gave quite a story on the places he has served and the experiences that have made him the person he is today. His Easter message was quite simple yet so important in today's world. He said that God's love was the love that all of us should share to make it a better world. He finished his talk by encouraging us all to continue with the work we do in Rotary, by sharing the love and work we do with all of God's people. Overall it was quite clear that Rob is a dedicated leader in his field.
The Human race's attention to its survival when we were defenseless against tigers was better than today when we have become defenseless against ourselves.
A well-known Rotarian lost it laughing with this one.
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Rotary Club of Barossa Valley
Current Committee Structure on 30 June 2022
Vocational Committee
Team Leader: Bryce Lillecrapp
Members:
David Adams
Mark Graetz (also Treasurer)
Bronwyn Lillecrapp
Grant Schuyler
David West
Friends:
Karin Bosomworth
Peter Flaherty
Phil Graetz
Community Committee
Team Leader: James Dunn
Members:
Hans Haan
John Little
Philip Martin
Geoffrey Schrapel
Peter Sich
Geoff Zerk
Keith Millington
Friends:
David Braunack
Elly Monfries
John Monfries
Membership Committee
Team Leader: Sue Graetz
Members:
Peter Perkins
Marie Rothe
Bronwyn Lillecrapp
Bryce Lillecrapp
Friends:
International Committee
Team Leader: Peter Thomas
Members:
Keith Adams
Ray Fiebiger
Rick Kessner
Max Rasmus
Patrick Ritchie-Haydyn
Anne Schilling
Friends:
Bruce Dutschke
Russell Johnson
New Generations Committee
Team Leader: Prue Maitland
Members:
Donald Farley
Beverley Stephenson
John Semmler
Police Checks Recorder and Child Protection: Prue Maitland
Friends:
Sandy Carruthers
Kevin Hoskin
Rotary Club of Barossa Valley Foundation
Chair: Grant Schuyler
Secretary:John Semmler
Treasurer: Rick Kessner
Trustees:
Mark Graetz
Don Farley
Prue Maitland
Sandie Simons
Club President
Club Vocational Chair
Members who are not on Committees:
Peter Perkins, President
Sandie Simons, Secretary
Robert Brookes, Bulletin Editor
Sergeants. Patrick Haydn, John Semmler,
Rick Kessner, John Little, Phil Martin, David West, Ray Fiebiger
Website, Media, Keith Millington.
PHF Recommendations President, Peter Sich, John Little.
Friends of Rotary Sue Graetz
Police Checks Recorder Prue Maitland.
Bulletin Editor Robert Brookes
Clothing Bin Roster Peter Thomas
Child Protection Officer Prue Maitland
Club History Grant Schuyler
Great Revival Shop Rep. Peter Perkins
Ring Pulls. Bryce Lillecrapp, Bill Simons, Mark Graetz
Awards Committee PDGs Robert Brookes, Peter Thomas.
