THE RANGE Vol 66 No12
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for a Business Meeting.
APOLOGIES
Apologies please to Bernice by noon on Tuesday.
DUTY ROSTER
15Jan 05Feb 19Feb
DO Jim A Chris B James McC
ADO Fran T Paulette S Ric T
Registration Laurelle O John McL Su C
Fellowship Keith R Bruce K John W
WOOLWORTH SAUSAGE SIZZLE
01Feb 0830 - 1100 Lionel T Scott W Fran T
1100 - 1330 Neil A Rick V Andy S
01Mar 0830 - 1100 John & Bernice McL James McC
1100 - 1330 Jim A Greg W Chris B
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Happy 2025 to you all. Helen and I hope there were many opportunities to relax and enjoy wonderful times with your family and friends over Christmas and the New Year. Our Rotary Year finished with a wonderful Christmas Party at Beersheba with about 40 brave souls braving the weather!
Despite the rain, the atmosphere and camaraderie on the night were fantastic. Many helped make it such as success, but I want to give special thanks to Greg for arranging Beersheba at short notice, as well as Bernice and John for organising the catering. In case anyone is wondering, I still have some Christmas True or False Questions ready for next year.
Our year has already started with a Dinner Social at Daawat Indian Restaurant last Wednesday. Twenty members and partners savoured various heat ranges of the more exotic and flavoursome offerings with what seemed to be universal enjoyment. I suspect ‘Indian’ will be on more menus in future, it certainly will be for us. Thanks to Paulette who cleverly tied this dinner in with her birthday!
There is much happening with our Ukraine Fundraiser, and a full agenda of other community activities for each of us to become involved in.
If anyone knows of other activities or projects which fit our Club and Rotary’s objectives, please talk to me or other Board members so that they can be considered and brought forward to the rest of the Club. The same goes if anyone has ideas about making improvements to our meetings, or possible Guest Speakers.
I am looking forward to next Wednesday the 15th when we can all get back into the swing for the rest of this year.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF 4TH DECEMBER
President Scott welcomed members and guest speakers Aleathea Monsour and Katy Forde plus Val France from Speak Up Now.
Upcoming events were tabled:
• A reminder to RSVP to Bernice for the Rotary Christmas Party, 6.30 for 7pm, on 18 December at Beersheba Museum at the Precinct.
• The Hinterland’s 13th Red Bench, initiated by Speak Up Now, will be unveiled at the Baptist Church on 8 December at 10.30am.
• Rotary District 9620 DV Dinner on 10 December at Stellarossa, Morayfield.
• PP Paulette reported that the final Astro Night for the year has been cancelled due to poor weather forecast.
Other items of business for member’s interest and attention:
• P Scott reported that the Rotary Walk against Family Violence on Friday 29th had made a splash of purple in town and had people talking.
• Su C reported that in 2025 the Interact Club members will be decked out in special Interact shirts to make a splash of colour on Wednesdays and at fundraising events. RC of Maleny, as their sponsor club, will be acknowledged with the club’s name printed on the sleeve.
• Bruce K gave an update on progress with the Club’s major international project in Ukraine. Regular contact is being made with Svitlana Petrova from the RC of Cherkasy, Ukraine. That club has 27 members and Svitlana is the Club Foundation Chair. Bruce also has regular contact with Slavomir Podgorsky from the RC of Krackow in Poland, which has 29 members. The project is to buy generators through the Krackow Club to transport to the Cherkasy club to distribute where needed in Ukraine. Fundraising for this major project is through the Rotary Australia Day raffle at $5 a ticket. There is a $5000 cash prize. Bruce and Greg have been selling tickets outside the IGA three days a week. If any club members can help out with ticket-selling, please contact Bruce.
President Scott presented our marvellous Maleny Hotel ‘superwoman’ Kim with a Christmas Gift Voucher in thanks for her unstinting service and attention throughout the year. Kim ensures our club meals come out seamlessly each meeting and her ever-cheerful demeanour is much appreciated by all members. This was followed by the usual spirited fine session with Sergeant Chris.
Our guest speakers for the night, were locals Aleathea Monsour and Katy Forde, creators of the original, powerful and uplifting musical: A Girl’s Guide to World War. The musical theatre production which premiered in late 2018 in Nambour, celebrates the untold stories of Australian women who served on the frontline in World War I. Playing to sell-out crowds, the show has been a runaway success with toe-tapping music, a live band, and an emotional true story. A Girl’s Guide to World War, according to reviews, takes the audience from laughter to tears and back again.
Aleathea (composer) and Katy (book and lyrics) described their passion for telling stories about women in Australian history. The characters in the show are based on real women, including Dr Lilian Cooper (Queensland’s first female doctor, and Australia’s first female surgeon and a founding member of the RACQ) and her partner Miss Josephine Bedford (initiator of the first kindergarten in Australia). The hospital they established on the edge of Serbia/Macedonia on the Eastern Front was ahead of its time, very hygienic and organised, and helped to stem the awful death rate of Serbian men serving and injured in WWI. The show won the Lord Mayor's Award for 'Best New Australian Work' at the 2019 Matilda Awards. If you missed the club meeting, check out an interview with both Katy and Aleathea at https://frooty.com.au/arts/a-girl-s-guide-to-world-war-the-musical-love-letter-to-history-making-women.
The dynamic duo certainly livened up the meeting. If you have not seen the show yet, it will be showing in 2025 (with a new set and new costumes) at the Caloundra Event Centre on Fri 14 and Sat 15 March. It will then go on a regional tour.
The meeting ended with a splash as torrential rain peltered down outside turning Bunya Street down to the roundabout into a gushing stream. Even those who were well prepared with umbrellas were soaked getting to their cars.
FUTURE MEETINGS AND EVENTS
26Jan Australia Day Expo
29Jan Board Meeting
05Feb Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7.00 pm for a Dinner Meeting with Guest Speaker TBA
19Feb Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7.00 pm for a Business Meeting
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
A POLITICAL RIPOSTE
With an election year ahead, a look back at a couple of 19th century American political bon mots.
