Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 6th September 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 59 No.4
WEDNESDAY 6th September 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Russ Stephenson on Malnutrition in PNG.

APOLOGIES
Apologies to Jeff C before noon on Tuesday 5th.

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                           6th Sep          20th Sep         4th Oct                             
Duty Officer        Roly N           Chris B            Jim A                      
Assist DO           Angela G       Sherryl G        Robin H                          
Registration        Lionel T         Andy S            Bill H
Fellowship          Jeff C             Phillip S          John McL  

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
9th September
Jim Atkinson  (Leader)  Chris Ross-Smith  Rick Vickers

23rd September
Jeff Cornfoot  (Leader)  Keith Rogers  Ric Townsend  

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
President Alan opened the meeting by welcoming our guests – guest speaker Susan Griffith, YEP inbound student Adria from Lloret de Mar Spain and Kate Huth accompanied by her parents. 

Malcolm introduced Adria more fully and banners were exchanged.  It seems that Lloret is a popular honeymoon spot! 

Jim introduced Kate whom the Club sponsored to a Science Summer School in 1994 and YEP to Denmark in 1997.  Since then Kate has been active in Apex rising to National President in 2013 and World President last year, teaching English as a second language in Indonesia and Italy and, currently teaching Indonesian  in Albany, WA.  She has applied for a Rotary Peace Fellowship in Education and Curriculum Development in either USA or Sweden.

Michael reported that he had secured a high profile speaker, Kim Kirkman, founder and musical director of the Ten Tenors, as guest speaker but the only date  he is available is 14 December which is a Thursday.  Club members agreed that we would change the day of our regular meeting that week and endeavour to maximise attendance.

Keith introduced our Guest speaker Susan Griffith – manager and trainer at Lifelines’ Maroochydore Office.  Lifeline was established in the sixties by Reverend Dr Alan Walker as a means to support those who were isolated and had no one to turn to for assistance in times of need.  The need was great and Lifeline quickly expanded to the national organisation we know today with its well-known phone number of 13 11 14.  Except for the critical timeframe of 2200 to  0400 their phone line is staffed mostly by volunteers 24/7 and they also have online chat and are developing a texting option.  They also offer face to face consultations and educational workshops. 

Their vision is an Australia free of suicide, to provide support in times of crisis and to make communities safer.  They do not judge or offer solutions but rather help their callers to reach their own recovery plan.  They receive over a million calls a year which  equates to around 3,000 a day and 5% are at high risk of suicide.  They are able to trace the high risk calls and alert police and ambulance.

Males over 85  are the highest at risk group followed by the 25-50 group and the need in our area is increasing!  Nationally in 2015 there were 3,027 suicides, around 6,000 more attempted and a further 1.2 million thought about it!  This is twice the number of road  deaths and four times the number of murders. 

Susan then shared with us a couple of emotional stories about people saved by her organisation, one of whom  had appeared on Australian Story on the ABC.  Lifeline is mainly funded by Uniting Care Community Shops but Government funds their head office and they  receive government grants to fund the paid employees who staff the overnight shift.  Volunteers receive 12 months of training and have to pass crisis  support, assist, and assessment gateways – they can start attending calls after 12 weeks under supervision.

Michael thanked Susan for her excellent presentation, explained the work that our Australian Rotary Health is doing in the area of mental health research  and our own support of the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre and Low Cost Housing and presented her with the iconic Maleny Bag containing Rotary information.         

 FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
13th September
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

20th September
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Alan Still on the Maleny Weather Station.

27th September
Masonic Hall at 5:30 for 6:00pm for Club Assembly.

4th October
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for DG's Visit - Partners welcome.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR SEPTEMBER
4th John & Bernice McLennan  18th Andy & Mia Schouteten  28th Keith & Gloria Rogers

BIRTHDAY FOR SEPTEMBER
17th Judi Ross-Smith 29th Mia Schouteten

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
ADVICE FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

FIRST DAY AT THE SENIOR COMPLEX.

 

On her first day at the senior complex, the new manager addressed all the seniors pointing out some of her rules:
                      
“The female sleeping quarters will be out-of-bounds for all males, and the male dormitory to the females.”

“Anybody caught breaking this rule will be fined $20 the first time.”

She continued, “Anybody caught breaking this rule the second time will be fined $60.

Being caught a third time will cost you a fine of $180.”

“Are there any questions?”

At this point, an older gentleman stood up in the crowd inquired:

“How much for a season pass?”

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 16th August 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 59 No.3
WEDNESDAY 16th August 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Susan Griffith on SafeTalk (Lifeline).

APOLOGIES
Apologies to Bernice before noon on Tuesday 15th.

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                            16th August          6th September                     
Duty Officer         John W                 Roly N                      
Assist DO            Michael G             Angela G                                  
Registration         Robin H                Lionel T  
Fellowship           David F                Jeff C            

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
26th August
Chris Brooker  (Leader)  Angela Griffin  John Whan

9th September
Jim Atkinson  (Leader)  Chris Ross-Smith  Rick Vickers   

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
As the President, Alan Wilson, was unwell the meeting was chaired by IPP Jeff Cornfoot.  Following the usual opening formalities Jeff welcomed members with special mention of those returning from a lengthy trip away Angela, Sheryl and Michael. Our Guest Speaker, Judy Stubbs from the Queensland Country Woman’s Association (QWCA) was introduced and welcomed. Judy was accompanied by QCWA member Cynthia Daniels.

Jeff gave a brief overview of the Queensland Cross Country Championships held at the Maleny Golf Club last Saturday. Club members supervised the car parking and were able to raise $486 in donations from a generous public. Next year the Australian Cross Country Championships will be held at the Golf Club over 3 days and we hope to be involved in that. With around 1200 entrants and an estimated 4000 visitors it will be a major event for the Maleny community.

The publicity for the 2017 Melbourne Cup Day fundraising lunch is well underway and we are hoping, indeed expecting it to be another very successful event.

Secretary Bernice presented a letter from Velothon Sunshine Coast thanking club members for their support and offering $400 for our efforts. The event will be held again in 2018.

CL asked for members to consider volunteering as mentors to students at the Maleny Primary School and briefed us on the process and benefits to the students.

Members were relieved to note that the Sergeant was absent and having been saved from frivolous fines we fed the Polio Pig instead. Phillip won the scratch-it prize of $25.

After dinner the Duty Officer, Jim introduced our guest speaker Judy Stubbs from the Maleny branch of the QCWA. The QCWA was formed in Qld in 1922 with a national  group being formed in 1928. The first QCWA cookbook was published in Bundaberg 1928 and the funds raised used to establish a hostel for boys from the ‘bush’.

Recognising the need in the community for a healthier diet the QCWA has commenced a program called Country Kitchens and with support from dieticians and Queensland Health they have produced a “Healthy Cookbook”. To support this initiative they have trained ‘facilitators’ to take the program into the community. The primary focus is on education with a particular emphasis on children.

Judy challenged the meeting as to whether we ate 5 serves of vegetables and 2 pieces of fruit a day. A number of catch phrases for healthy living were mentioned including: “a meal should be 50% vegetables,25% protein and 25% carbohydrates”, “sit less move more” and “cook at home”.

As the local facilitator of the QWCA Country Kitchens program Judy is available and keen to present it to local organisations.  Judy was thanked by the ADO Jeff.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
23rd August
Masonic Hall at 5:30 for 6:00pm for Club Assembly.

30th August
TBA

6th September
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Russ Stephenson on Malnutrition in PNG.

13th September
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

20th September
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker TBA.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR AUGUST
15th  Phillip and Janice Stark  29th Angela and Mike

BIRTHDAYS FOR AUGUST
17th Malcolm Baker  20th Jocelyn Brooker  28th Mary Wilson and Lionel Tilley

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
A BENEFICIAL MEDICAL OUTCOME

A PSYCHIATRIST VS A BARTENDER

 A little something to ponder …..

Ever since I was a child, I've always had a fear of someone under my bed at night.  So I went to a shrink and told him:

"I've got problems.  Every time I go to bed I think there's somebody under it.  I'm scared.  I think I'm going crazy."

“Just put yourself in my hands for one year," said the shrink.

“Come talk to me three times a week, and we should be able to get rid of those fears.”

"How much do you charge?” 

“One hundred and fifty dollars per visit", replied the doctor.

“I'll sleep on it", I said.

Six months later the doctor met me on the street.

“Why didn't you come to see me about those fears you were having”, he asked.

“Well, $150 a visit, three times a week for a year, is $23,400.00."

A bartender cured me for $10.00. I was so happy to have saved all that money that I went and bought a new pick-up truck.”   

“Is that so?” 

With a bit of an attitude he said, "And how, may I ask, did a bartender cure you?"   

“He told me to cut the legs off the bed.  Ain't nobody under there now.”   

THE LESSON FROM THIS STORY IS …..

IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO GET A SECOND OPINION!
         

    

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 2nd August 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 59 No.2
WEDNESDAY 2nd August 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Judy Stubbs on QCWA Healthy Catering.

APOLOGIES
Apologies to Bernice before noon on Tuesday 1st.

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                          2nd August      16th August      6th September                  
Duty Officer      Jim A                John W              Roly N                      
Assist DO         Jeff C                Michael G          Angela G                                  
Registration      Malcolm B        Robin H             Lionel T  
Fellowship        Melinda M        David F              Jeff C            

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
12th August
Malcolm Baker (Leader)  Lionel Tilley  Phillip Stark

26th August
Chris Brooker  (Leader)  Angela Griffin  John Whan   

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
President Alan welcomed past and present members, partners and our Guest Speaker Dr Jon Outridge. 

He said that the vision of being "A Vibrant Club" would be discussed at next week's Club Assembly.

Bernice reported that the voluntary work for the Velothon was successful.

Dr Jon Outridge spoke of his past in medical practice in Maleny before talking about the Royal Flying Doctor Service and his work from their Charleville base.
The Reverend John Flynn had worked in rural and remote areas of Victoria and was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church to look at the needs of Outback people. His report to the Presbyterian Assembly in 1912 resulted in the establishment of the Australian Inland Mission (AIM), of which he was appointed Superintendent. In 1928, he formed the AIM Aerial Medical Service, a one-year experiment based in Cloncurry, Queensland.   This experiment later became The Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The RFDS Charleville Base commenced operations in 1943. Services provided from this base include medical chests, remote medical consultations, aeromedical retrievals and primary health care clinics incorporating general practice, child and family health, health promotion and field days. The Charleville Base services approximately 622,000 square kilometres of southwest Queensland - an area almost the size of the United Kingdom - extending from the New South Walesborder to the Northern Territory and South Australia borders in the west, and the Carnarvon Ranges in the east. The base operates a single plane fitted with two stretchers and other medical equipment. To the uninitiated it was amazing how thinly spread were general medical facilities within that area.

With a series of excellent slides, Jon's presentation covered the above topics in detail as well as showing pictures of the country over which he flew. 

There was a lively question and answer session before Roly gave a vote of thanks.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
9th August
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

16th August
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Susan Griffith on SafeTalk (Lifeline).

23rd August
Masonic Hall at 5:30 for 6:00pm for Club Assembly.

30th August
TBA

6th September
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Russ Stephenson on Malnutrition in PNG.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR AUGUST
15th  Phillip and Janice Stark  29th Angela and Mike

BIRTHDAYS FOR AUGUST
17th Malcolm Baker  20th Jocelyn Brooker  28th Mary Wilson and Lionel Tilley

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
CRYSTAL BALL GAZING
IS THIS WHERE WE ARE HEADING?

- Hello! Is that Gordon's pizza?

- No sir this is Google's pizza.

- Sorry, I must have dialed a wrong number --

- No sir, Google bought out Gordon's Pizza a short while ago.

- OK. Take my order please.

- OK sir, would you like your usual?"

- The usual? You know me?

- According to our caller-ID database, your last 12 orders were for pizza with cheese and sausage toppings, thick crust and crisp.

- OK! That's it...

- May I suggest this time you add ricotta, rocket with dry tomato toppings?

- What? I hate vegetables.

- Your cholesterol is not good, sir.

- How do you know that?

- We cross-matched your phone number with your name and your online medical portal. We have the result of your blood tests for the past 7 years.

- Okay, but I do not want those toppings, I already take medicine ...

- Excuse me, but you have not taken your medicine regularly. We can see from our database, 4 months ago, you only purchased a box with 30 cholesterol tablets at CVS.

- I bought more from another pharmacy.

- Such a transaction is not showing in your credit card account.

- I paid in cash.

- But you did not withdraw that much cash according to your recent bank statement.

- I have another source of cash.

- That is not showing as per your latest tax return unless you obtained it from an undeclared income source.

- WHAT THE.....

- "I'm sorry, sir, we use such information only with the intention of helping you.

- Enough! I'm sick of Google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp. I'm going to an Island without internet, cable TV, where there is no cell phone service and no one to spy on me.

- I understand sir, but you'll need to renew your passport first as it expired 6 weeks ago!

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 19th July 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 59 No.1
WEDNESDAY 19TH JULY 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Dr Jon Outridge on Royal Flying Doctor Service with Partners welcome.

APOLOGIES
Apologies to Bernice before noon on Tuesday 18th.

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                        19 July                2nd August       16th August       
 Duty Officer    Chris B               Jim A                 John W                      
Assist DO        Phillip S              Jeff C                 Michael G                                  
Registration     Bernice McL       Malcolm B         Robin H  
Fellowship       John McL           Melinda M          David F            

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
29th July
Keith Rogers (Leader)  Andy Schouteten  Robin Hay 

12th August
Malcolm Baker (Leader)  Lionel Tilley  Phillip Stark   

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
Our freshly minted President Alan opened the meeting by welcoming members and our guest speaker Louise Hickey.  He thanked all those who had organised and supported the Changeover Night, which had 65 attendees. He spoke about his vision of being "A Vibrant Club" and circulated a brochure.

Bernice spoke about the final arrangements for Velothon.

Kate Huth, a former exchange student, will be invited to address the Club on 16 August.

IPP Jeff spoke of the competition for the Melbourne Cup Lunch and indicated that increased promotion was needed.

Jeff and Jim Atkinson had attended the Glass House Mountains Changeover.

John and Bernice had attendeed the Sunshine Coast Central Charter Night.

Louise Hickey spoke about eventing, describing it as a triathlon for horses.  It was based on military competitions in the late 1800's.  The three disciplines are dressage, cross country and show jumping.  Australia has been one of the top countries in the Olympics for this sport.  There are a number of 3 day events held in Queensland as well as 1 day events.

She then went on to outline the progress of the local Club on the precinct and to outline their hopes and plans for the future.

Keith gave the vote of thanks.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
26th July
Masonic Hall at 5:30 for 6:00pm for Club Assembly.

2nd August
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Judy Stubbs on QCWA Healthy Catering.

9th August
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

16th August
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Susan Griffith on SafeTalk (Lifeline).

BIRTHDAYS FOR JULY
11th Roly Neiper and Jacinta Townsend  20th Beth Wann

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
A VIEW ON SCOTTISH ROMANTIC DOMESTICITY

As Winter comes with its cold blasts, it is nice to know romance is not dead...

A thoughtful Scottish husband was putting on his coat and hat to make his way down to the local pub.  He turned to his wee wife before leaving and said,

"Maggie - put your hat and coat on, lassie."

She replied, "Aw, Jock that's nice. Are you taking me tae the pub with you?"

"Nay," Jock replied "I'm turning the heater off while I'm oot."

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 28th June 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 58 No.22

WEDNESDAY 28TH JUNE 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
The Orangery at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Changeover Night

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                            28th June           5 July              19 July
Duty Officer                                    Andy S          Sherryl G                      
Assist DO                                       Keith R          Chris B                              
Registration                                   John McL       Lionel T           
Fellowship                                     Robin H         Melinda M             

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
1st July
Chris Brooker (Leader)  Bill Hankinson  Ric Townsend

15th July
Jim Atkinson  (Leader)  Jeff Cornfoot  Roly Neiper

MINUTES OF  MEETING OF 7TH JUNE 
In the absence of President Jeff, who is currently overseas, President Elect Alan chaired the meeting. 

The Guest speaker was Conondale resident John King accompanied by his wife Mary. John & Mary have been making Rainforest Liqueurs on site since 2000. While John & Mary have owned their property in Conondale since 1988, it wasn’t until 1996 that they applied to the Council to establish a distillery on their land. Council approval was finally granted in 1997 and it then took another three years before Government approval was granted to commence producing Liqueurs. The conditions of the Licence required them to have a Commercial Kitchen to manufacture the Liqueurs, build an insulated Bond Store and to top it all off, they are only permitted to sell their Liqueurs at the Cellar Door or Wholesale.

John & Mary collect fruits, berries, flowers and leaves from native Australian trees and shrubs, mainly from the Maleny and Conondale areas, but need to travel further afield to source some of the raw materials needed to make their Liqueurs. As an example they need to travel to the Brigalow Belt of Central Queensland to obtain the Australian Desert Lime, from which they produce their “Kandertal Liqueur”, which is described as a “Liqueur with a distinctive lime family flavour”. The liqueurs are made by obtaining an extract from the raw materials and then distilling the liquid. John & Mary produce 16 different liqueurs, and those present at the meeting were pleased to see that they had brought along most of the 16 for taste testing! Needless to say, that due to the unprecedented interest by the members present in trying anything alcoholic, President Elect Alan closed the meeting after which taste testing continued!

It was suggested that maybe the Club could visit John & Mary’s property as a Vocational visit later in the year to learn more about the process of making Liqueurs as well as to undertake a walk through the property and that of a neighbour, so that the actual trees that are used to make the liqueurs can be identified. John advised the meeting that anyone wishing to purchase the Liqueurs can purchase them in the Bottle Shop of the Maleny Hotel, or from the cellar Door in Conondale.

Jim moved a vote of thanks to John & Mary.

Other points of Interest;

·       Bernice thanked all who helped at the Show Stall, particularly the Friends of Rotary, Rotary Partners and members of the MSHS Interact Club. The Stall was very successful with most stock selling out on Saturday evening.

·       Jim advised the meeting that while takings were slightly down on the 2016 Show the Club would still make a profit of over $7,000.

·       Jim thanked all members who helped at the Show Gate on Friday and made particular mention of the work of Chris (I can’t so NO) Brooker, who was on the Gate from 5.45 am until after 7 pm.

MINUTES OF  MEETING OF 21ST JUNE
Susie Duncan Coordinator, Hinterland Bush Links Inc. gave us a great talk on connecting bush to conserve our flora and fauna.  Originally from Victoria Susie fell in love with the Maleny district due to our abundance of wildlife.

Hinterland Bush Links was set up in 2011 in recognition of the threats posed by both the loss and fragmentation of our bush in this region. Small, isolated blocks of vegetation have limited habitat value but connecting them with broad wildlife corridors greatly enhances the worth of all remnant vegetation. Linkages enable wildlife to access more habitat, and nomadic species can readily follow seasonal blossom and fruit, pollinating flowers and dispersing seed on the way. On a wider scale, connecting bush is critical to the migration of birds and flying foxes and the adaptation of species to climate change.

Within the project they work closely with landholders to assist them with restoring habitat on their properties. This includes weed management and revegetation work to improve the health of their bush as well as achieving ecologically valuable linkages with neighbours and conservation reserves.

They also assist landholders with this bush restoration through our fortnightly Roving Restorers volunteer program.

They have a strategic project to eradicate Cats Claw, Madeira Vine and Dutchman’s Pipe from the Upper Mary River catchment. They also run a Subtropical Forests Ecology Course annually.

She had some great local wildlife pics and you can see more here: http://www.hinterlandbushlinks.org/

John Byrne Principal of the Maleny State School also gave us a short talk on the value of mentors for some of the young children who have difficulty in fitting into school life. He has seen great success when these children have access to another neutral and supportive adult in their life. John is seeking individuals who are interested in becoming mentors. Blue Cards and training will be arranged by the school. The school can be contacted on 5499 8333 if you are interested in becoming a mentor.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
2nd July
Parking duties at Muscle on the Mountain.
   
5th July
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Louise Hickey on Maleny Eventing.

12th July
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

19th July
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Dr Jon Outridge on Royal Flying Doctor Service.     

26th July
Masonic Hall at 5:30 for 6:00pm for Club Assembly.

BIRTHDAYS FOR JUNE
1st Mike Edwards  21st Peter Wilkinson

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR JUNE
1st Chris and Judi Ross-Smith  16th Alan and Mary Wilson

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
POLITICAL INCORRECTNESS FROM THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

                       
















   

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 7th June 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 58 No.21
WEDNESDAY 7TH JUNE 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker John King on Rainforest Liqueurs.

APOLOGIES
Apologies to Bernice before noon on Tuesday 6th.

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                               7th June              21st June           5th July          
Duty Officer            Michael G           John W              Andy S          
Assist DO               Jim A                   Ric T                 Keith R                      
Registration            Bernice McL        Chris R-S          John McL
Fellowship              John W                Bill H                 Robin H

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
17th June
John Whan  (Leader)  Keith Rogers  Chris Ross-Smith

1st July
Chris Brooker  (Leader)  Bill Hankinson  Ric Townsend

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
At our meeting we were privileged  to have 2 speakers. Firstly President Jeff welcomed Linda Morrell, Assistant District Governor for The Hinterland Cluster
of Rotary Clubs. Linda spoke briefly on her desire for the clubs in the cluster to come together to share information and help each other to grow.

Then we had a very informative talk by Melinda Martin on her life. Melinda was born into the Ashton family with 2 sisters & 1 brother at Boxhill, Vic where her father was a competitive cyclist.  He also had an interest in trotters, owning several horses. In 1966 the family moved up to the Gold Coast where her father followed his pursuit in training and racing trotters.

Then in the early 1970’s they moved to Ballina to build a boat to go prawn trawling. They sailed the boat to Thursday Island & went trawling for 18 months with little success. So they sailed back to the Gold Coast for a period,  then on to Victoria.

 After returning to the Gold Coast, Melinda attended many different schools.  She did part time work after her school day, working at training horses, swimming instructor and in a restaurant. On leaving
school she trained as a nurse at Royal Brisbane Hospital. After graduating, she returned to the Gold Coast for the start of full time nursing career.

Leaving nursing in 1973, Melinda held a number of senior positions -  7 years with QML, followed by SKF, Hollister, and Dansac as Qld Manger,  where she built it up to be number 1. She then moved to Care Fusion, which manufactured IV pumps, where she led the company and managed the sales team;  Philips Healthcare which supplied MRI equipment, where she supervised 45 engineers & 20 sales staff.  So a wonderful career in medical related businesses.

During this time Melinda married Ashley Martin in 1980. They built their first home at Coomera, which they owned for a while before selling. They then bought land in 1989 to build a shed in which they lived, while they owner built their second home . As Ashley was interested in farming, in 1996 they bought land with a rundown house at Conondale with bad tenants who were hard to move out. This house was renovated and they lived there with their son & daughter till 2003 during which
 time Melinda was still working in Brisbane.

 On leaving her job she then became involved in Real Estate, eventually buying Ray White Maleny. Today she loves looking after her clients both buyers and sellers.

Thank you Melinda for sharing your life story with us.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
31st May
Masonic Hall at 5:30 for 6:00pm for Club Assembly to fine tune arrangements for the Show.

2nd and 3rd June
Maleny Show

7th June
See above

14th June
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

21st June
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Susie Duncan on Hinterland Bush Links.

28th June
The Orangery at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Club Changeover with Partners welcome. Please pay the cost of $35 per head in advance.

2nd July
Parking duties at Muscle on the Mountain.
   
BIRTHDAYS FOR JUNE
1st Mike Edwards  21st Peter Wilkinson

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR JUNE
1st Chris and Judi Ross-Smith  16th Alan and Mary Wilson

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
FROM OUR ETHICS CORRESPONDENT

Something to ponder . . .
       
 A lawyer, who had a wife and 12 children, needed to move because his rental agreement was terminated by the owner who wanted to reoccupy the home.
       
 But he was having a lot of difficulty finding a new house.
       
 When he said he had 12 children, no one would rent a home to him because they felt that the children would destroy the place.
       
 He couldn't say he had no children, because he couldn't lie -- we all know lawyers cannot and  do    not  lie.
       
  So he sent his wife for a walk to the cemetery with 11 of their kids.
       
   He took the remaining one with him to see rental homes with the real estate agent.
       
   He loved one of the homes and the price was right -- the agent asked:
       
 "How many children do you have?
       
   He answered: "Twelve."
       
   The agent asked "Where are the others?"
       
   The lawyer, with with his best courtroom sad look, answered  "They're in the cemetery with their mother."
       
    He got the house.
       
   MORAL: It's not necessary to lie, one only has to choose the right words............................

.........and don't forget, unfortunately most politicians are  lawyers.
       
     

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 17th May 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 58 No.20
WEDNESDAY 17TH MAY 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker our own Melinda Martin on "My Story".

APOLOGIES
Apologies to Bernice before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                              17th May              7th June           
Duty Officer           CL Claridge          Rick V           
Assist DO               Malcolm B           Jim A                      
Registration            Ric T                    Bernice McL
Fellowship              Bill H                   John W

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
20th May
Lionel Tilley  (Leader)  Andy Shouteten  Malcolm Baker 

3rd June
Jeff Cornfoot  (Leader)  Roly Neiper  Phillip Stark

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
President Jeff opened the meeting and Chris Brooker gave us a rundown on the members required for the following events:
•    Wood Expo Parking
•    Maleny Show
•    Muscle on the Mountain
   
Our Guest Speaker was Sharon Tregoning whose topic was Advanced Care Planning. She described this in a detailed presentation which is attached to the bulletin notice.

Basically she outlined how you can capture your wishes for your end journey and provided a bucket list to help achieve this goal.  She explained how a number of significant items played their part.

A potentially difficult topic was explained sympathetically and lucidly.  It is recommended to all that her presentation be read in its original.

David Fraser gave the vote of thanks and managed to get ANO to capture the event.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
24th May
Masonic Hall at 5:30 for 6:00pm for Club Assembly.

31st May No meeting

2nd and 3rd June
Maleny Show

7th June
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker John King on Rainforest Liqueurs.

14th June
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

21st June
TBC

28th June
Club Changeover at The Orangery with Partners welcome.

2nd July
Parking duties at Muscle on the Mountain.
   
BIRTHDAYS FOR MAY
4th Angela Griffin  18th Cilla Vickers  23rd John Hay

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONUNDRUM
WITH APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE FOR POLITICAL INCORRECTNESS
  
Written  across the wall of the cave were the following  symbols:

It was considered a unique find and the writings were said to be at least 3000 years old!
The piece of stone was removed, brought to the  museum, and archaeologists from around the world came to study  the ancient symbols.
They held a huge meeting after months of  conferences to discuss the meaning of the markings.

The  President of the Society  pointed to first drawing and said:


  
"This is a  woman. We can see these people held women in high esteem.  You can  also tell they were intelligent, as the next symbol is a donkey, so  they were smart enough to have animals help them till the soil.
 
 

The next  drawing is a shovel, which means they had tools to help them."

  

Even further proof of their high intelligence is the fish which means that if a famine hit the earth and food didn't grow, they seek food from the sea.

   

The last  symbol appears to be the Star of David which means they were evidently Hebrews."
The audience applauded enthusiastically.



Then a little old Jewish man stood up in the back of the room  and said,

   
"Idiots... Hebrew is read from right to left... It says: 'Holy Mackerel, Dig the Ass on that Chick!'"

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 19th April 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 58 No.19
WEDNESDAY 19TH APRIL 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Sharon Tregonning on Advanced Care Planning.

APOLOGIES
Apologies to Jeff before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                               19th Apr           17th May            
Duty Officer            Chris B             CL Claridge           
Assist DO               David F            Malcolm B                      
Registration            Keith R             Ric T
Fellowship              Rick V              Bill H

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
13th May
Lionel Tilley (Leader)   Andy Shouteten  Malcolm Baker

27th May
Jeff Cornfoot  (Leader)  Roly Neiper  Phillip Stark

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
President Jeff welcomed members and guests to the meeting. He reported that the Club had gained good PR in the Glasshouse Country and Maleny News and a positive response to the Community Grants evening held at the RSL last month. Rotary also features in the current Hinterland Times - advertising the calendar photo competition. Several members reported that the District Conference held at Caloundra last weekend went well. Past RI President Glen Kinross’s speech was particularly mentioned.

Reminders were given about the 2017 Maleny District Sports and Recreation Club Awards night to be held on Sat 22 April at the RSL. It would be good to have a Rotary table. The club has nominated the Interact Club for one award. Some discussion was held on the sausage sizzle trial of later starting and finishing times. Results were mixed - the position of the sizzle could affect the takings, and Rotary PR may be more the priority than fundraising. Our incoming exchange student from Spain arrives on 4 July. Jeff thanked Malcolm who has agreed to be his counselor. Lionel announced that this would be the last year of the Rotary Bowel Scan program. Kits in hand would be sold at the usual venues. The Federal Government will be running their progamme after that.

Sue Larsen from the Fred Hollows Foundation was welcomed at the guest speaker. Sue is the National Fundraising Manager for the Foundation, which started 25 years ago. Sue previously worked for Thai International Airlines for 20 years and met Fred Hollows through her work there, and his work in Eritrea and Nepal. Fred loved indigenous Australia and launched the National Trachoma Programme. Trachoma is an eye disease endemic in lots of indigenous areas. Fred pioneered and revolutionised cataract surgery through the use of the perspex intra-ocular lens. He set about reducing the cost of the lenses and the operations, and training local people to do the work.

Sue’s presentation highlighted lots of statistics relating to the need to treat preventable blindness, and about the success and extent of the Foundations’ work in 25 countries including Nepal, Eritrea, Northern Africa, South East Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• 32.4 million people in the world are blind
• 90% live in developing countries
• 3 out of 5 of them are women
• 4 out of 5 have preventable blindness
• In 2015 the Foundation reached 890,066 in eye operations and treatment
• 64,613 people had been trained, including 232 surgeons
• $2.4 million has been invested in equipment and technology
• $25 donation can restore sigh t- a gift that is life-changing.

It was gratifying to be reminded that Rotary International had kick-started the Foundation with a $100,000 donation presented to Gabbi Hollows at the Melbourne Rotary International Convention in 1992. Sue’s presentation reassured us that the work that Fred Hollows pioneered is still being carried out by the Foundation, which is now stronger and reaching more communities- providing affordable and sustainable eye care, investing in people to carry on the work in the 25 countries it has reached. Sue outlined ways that people can get involved as volunteers, and/or in participating in fundraising activities such as Coastrek  coming up on the Sunshine Coast in July. For more information visit coastrek.com.au or the Fred Hollows Foundation website at : www.hollows.org.

Sue finished the presentation with a video showing the remarkable work of the Foundation through the commentary of Ray Martin, the Foundation’s first chairman, travelling to a remote area in Laos where surgery was needed to be carried out on twins, both born with cataracts. 

Sherryl gave the vote of thanks.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
22nd April
MDSRC Awards Dinner at the RSL.

26th April
Masonic Hall at 5:30 for 6:00pm for Club Assembly.

29th April to 1st May
Car parking duties at Maleny Wood Expo.

3rd May
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

10th May
Combined Clubs Meeting at USC.

17th May
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker TBC.
   
BIRTHDAYS FOR APRIL
1st Nancy Baker  4th Phillip Stark  8th David Fraser 12th Chris Brooker  23rd John McLennan  27th Chris Ross Smith & John Whan

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR APRIL
13th Jeff & Jan Cornfoot  26th Bill & Marlene Hankinson

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE DOES NOT RUN SMOOTH
A WIFE'S TALE

Several days ago, as I left a meeting, I desperately gave myself a personal search. I was looking for my car keys.

They were not in my pockets. A quick search in the meeting room revealed nothing.

Suddenly I realized I must have left them in the car. Frantically, I headed for the car park.
 
My husband has scolded me many times for leaving the keys in the ignition.
 
My theory is the ignition is the best place not to lose them. His theory is that the car will be stolen.

As I scanned the car park I came to a terrifying conclusion! His theory was right. The car park was empty.

I immediately called the police. I gave them my location, confessed that I had left my keys in the car, and that it had been stolen.

Then I made the most difficult call of all.
 
"Hello My Love", I stammered; I always call him "My Love" in times like these. "I left my keys in the car, and it has been stolen."

There was a period of silence. I thought the call had disconnected, but then I heard his voice. He barked, "I dropped you off!"

Now it was my time to be silent. Embarrassed, I said, "Well, come and get me."


He retorted, "I will, as soon as I convince this policeman I have not stolen your bloody car."

This is what they call, " the Golden Years!"

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 5th April 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 58 No.18
WEDNESDAY 5TH APRIL 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Sue Larsen on the Fred Hollows Foundation.

APOLOGIES
Apologies to Jim before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                               5th Apr           19th Apr        17th May            
Duty Officer            Michael G       Chris B         CL Claridge           
Assist DO               Sherryl G        David F         Malcolm B                      
Registration            Phillip S          Keith R          Ric T
Fellowship              Alan W           Rick V            Bill H

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
8th April
Rick Vickers  (Leader)   Ric Townsend   Chris Brooker

22nd April
Jim Atkinson  (Leader)  Michael and Sherryl Gregory

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
President Jeff opened the meeting with a report about the success of the DIK packing trip (10 Club members had travelled to Brisbane) and the recent decision of the Board to give $500 each to DIK and ROMAC.

Though the Maleny Interact Club did not win best presentation at the recent Conference they were congratulated on winning it every year for the past 3 years. The Award this year had gone to the most recently established Interact Club near Gympie.

Chris Brooker spruicked the bikes for wheelchairs project – 10 bikes had been stripped so far and more volunteers were needed to dismantle bikes that had been donated.

Other issues covered included: Gazebo sign (now sorted), Community Grants Dinner arrangements, MCSR tour for interested Rotarians on 29 March, Historical Society Open Day on 7 May. There was serious notice of the new Rotary requirements in relation to volunteering involving children – in future the Blue Card was not sufficient and a full police check was now needed for each member. Members were warned never to be alone with an under 18-year-old child.

Chris Ross Smith spruiked the Arts Council event at Community Centre at 2pm on 26 March – Eleanor’s Story.

The Sergeant extracted a few coins from the unwary.

Ken Wishaw, Professor of Paramedic Science at the Sunshine Coast University, was our speaker for the evening. He had been a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army and a doctor in Buderim but now retired to pursue his lifelong passion of astronomy.  Ken enthralled us with a fascinating talk about the search for and successful identification of a site in Maleny for stargazing.

He showed us extraordinary photographs of distant planets and stars taken with an iPhone through a telescope at the Maleny Golf Club and educated us about space, stars, planets, moons, solar systems and galaxies.

Apparently, the Maleny Golf Course is potentially one of the top astronomy sites in Australia and, with the support of Cllr Jenny McKay, Ken was in negotiations with the Sunshine Coast Council for the formal designation of the Maleny Golf Course as an “astro tourism” site – the goal being an open air planetarium that would attract stargazers far and wide.
There is to be a demonstration on 24 March on site and the first public event was planned for 1 April.
Ken was seeking feedback on the idea and support – more information on Darksky.org.  Angela gave the vote of thanks.

COMMUNITY GRANTS AWARDS DINNER
A short report on this successful event at the RSL and details of the recipents of the awards have been published on our blogsite.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
12th April
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

19th April
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Sharon Tregonning on Advanced Care Planning.

26th April
Masonic Hall at 5:30 for 6:00pm for Club Assembly.

3rd May
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.

10th May
Combined Clubs Meeting at USC.
   
BIRTHDAYS FOR APRIL
1st Nancy Baker  4th Phillip Stark  8th David Fraser 12th Chris Brooker  23rd John McLennan  27th Chris Ross Smith & John Whan

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR APRIL
13th Jeff & Jan Cornfoot  26th Bill & Marlene Hankinson

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
US COURT RULES ON HOLY DAYS

In Florida, an atheist created a case against Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood and objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others.
The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays..."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counselor, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said," Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists." 

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fool's Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day.

Court is adjourned..."

You gotta love a Judge that knows his scripture!

Rotary Club of Maleny's Small Grants for Community Groups March 2017

AWARDS NIGHT 23 MARCH 2017

 At a very successful dinner on 23rd March at the RSL, the Rotary Club of Maleny held an awards night  where 15 local community groups were presented with cheques to enable them to finance projects that had been submitted for approval.

President Jeff Cornfoot explained the background to the scheme:

  

"For the last 3 years the Rotary Club of Maleny has called for applications from local Community groups for grants of up to $1000 to assist with specific projects. The 2017 program has been completed with 15 groups sharing a record $10,200." 

  

The attached video presentation lists the successful applicants (in alphabetical order) and the projects for which they had requested funding.  Special thanks are due to Ric Townsend for the production and posting of this video.

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 15th March 2017

"THE RANGE"  Vol. 58 No.17
WEDNESDAY 15TH MARCH 2017

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Ken Wishaw on Light Pollution.

APOLOGIES
Apologies to Bernice before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTERS                       
                                15th Mar            5th Apr            19th Apr            
Duty Officer            CL Claridge       Michael G        Chris B           
Assist DO               Angela G           Sherryl G         David F                      
Registration            Lionel T             Phillip S           Keith R
Fellowship              John W              Alan W             Rick V

SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
25th March
Chris Ross-Smith  (Leader)   Angela Griffin   John Whan

8th April
Rick Vickers  (Leader)   Ric Townsend   Chris Brooker

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
Our guest speaker for the night was Julia Peddie from the local community group Compassionate Housing Affordability Solutions for Maleny (CHASM).  Julia’s stated intention of her address was to leave members with a greater appreciation of the need for affordable housing in Maleny and, inspired by the potential for the community to find and run our own solutions, to maintain the social diversity and to strategically manage and design our community’s future …and indeed she did.

Julia presented some startling statistics for example: women over 55 are the fastest growing group of homeless in Australia (double that of the UK); only 7% of single mothers in Australia own their home; Maleny has one of the tightest rental markets in the State – this is resulting in people having to move away including young families and pensioners as well as people who have fluctuating incomes such as service workers, the self employed and artistic people. Last year 82 people reported experiencing homelessness to MNC. This is an issue our community must take control of given the lack of interest by the State Government.

To find affordable housing solutions for the community, CHASM was formed in 2016.  The aim is to provide a diverse range of housing options that allow people of all income levels to live in the neighbourhood of their choice and to create a society that is inclusive, improves wellbeing and provides for a sustainable future.

The group has presented three key projects to Council and is in discussion for a display village of small and affordable housing on the Sunshine Coast; the first being rolled out this year is ‘Home Made: Living Small & Simply’ . The first small dwelling will be trialled on the Maple Street Community Garden land.

CHASM is seeking from the community:
•    Landholders wishing to be involved for long-term lease arrangements or provide land donations;
•    Fundraising partnerships;
•    Material donations;
•    Building and trade skills donations;
•    People to help build and obtain a Certificate 1 in Construction;
•    Board members for governance and finance;
•    Crowd-funding help.


Phillip proposed a vote of thanks.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
22nd March
Club Assembly at the Masonic Centre now cancelled.

23rd March
RSL at 6:30 for 7:00pm for the Club's 2017 Community Grants Awards - Partners Night.

24th to 26th March
District Conference at Caloundra.

26th March
Bikes to Wheelchairs at the Maleny Showgrounds.

29th March
Possible vocational visit to the new Mary Cairncross Park building - TBC.

5th April
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm with Guest Speaker Sue Larsen on the Fred Hollows Foundation.

12th April
Board Meeting at the Masonic Hall.
   
BIRTHDAYS FOR MARCH
5th Judy Tilley  26th Rick Vickers

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR MARCH
6th John & Beth Wann  22nd Peter and Kay Wilkinson

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
WITH THE APPROACH OF ST PATRICK'S DAY, LET'S RISK AN IRISH JOKE

An Irish mother's letter to her son

Dear Son,

We are all doing very well.

You won't recognise the house when you get home - because we have moved. Your dad read in the newspaper that most accidents happen within 20 miles from your home, so we moved 25 miles to Wexford.
  
I won't be able to send you the address because the last family that lived here took the house numbers when they moved so that they wouldn't  have to change their address.

This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine. I'm not sure it works so well though: last week I put a load in and pulled the chain and haven't seen them since.
 
Your father's got a really good job now. He's got 500 men under him.  He's cutting the grass at the cemetery.

Your sister Mary had a baby this morning but I haven't found out if it's a boy or a girl, so I don't know whether you are an auntie or an  uncle.

Your brother Tom is still in the army. He's only been there a short while and they've already made him a court martial!

Your Uncle Patrick drowned last week in a vat of whiskey in the Dublin Distillery. Some of his workmates tried to save him but he fought them off bravely. They cremated him and it took three days to put out the fire.

I went to the doctor on Thursday and your father went with me. The doctor put a small tube in my mouth and told me not to talk for ten  minutes. Your father offered to buy it from him.

The weather isn't bad here. It only rained twice this week, first for three days and then for four days. Monday was so windy one of the chickens laid the same egg four times.
 
We had a letter from the undertaker. He said if the last payment on your grandmother's plot wasn't paid in seven days, up she comes.

About that coat you wanted me to send you, your Uncle Stanley said it would be too heavy to send in the mail with the buttons on, so we cut them off and put them in the pockets.

John locked his keys in the car yesterday. We were really worried because it took him two hours to get me and your father out.
 
Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pick-up truck. Ralph was driving. He wound down the window and swam to safety. Your other two friends were in the flatbed at the back. They drowned because they couldn't get the tailgate down.
 
There isn't much more news at this time. Nothing much has happened.
 
Your loving Mum.
  
P.S. I was going to send you some money but I had already sealed the envelope.

Rotary Club of Maleny and Mary Cairncross Park

MARY CAIRNCROSS SCENIC RESERVE RAINFOREST DISCOVERY CENTRE

This new building was formally opened by the Governor in the presence of invited guests.  Amongst these was Chris Brooker representing the Rotary Club of Maleny.  The text of Chris's speech which covers our Club's involvement with the establishment of this Reserve is given below.

"Your Excellency, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentleman.

I congratulate Sunshine Coast Council for their foresight in upgrading the facilities here to the magnificent structure in which we are and thank you for inviting me to talk as recognition of Rotary’s involvement in what is one of the longest running projects involving Rotary in Australia. 58 years.

Unfortunately, sometimes the history of our contribution to the Reserve gets lost in the annals of time and records.

Photos of the original opening show Sir Henry Abel Smith escorted by two Rotarians, Norm Tesch as Past President and Vic Waddell current President.

 

I have relied heavily on the book Rotary in Maleny, written by Jack Wilcox OAM and my own recollections.

 

In October 1959, after the Club had discussions with Landsborough Shire Council and in consultation with Elizabeth Thynne, it was agreed that the new Rotary Club of Maleny would create and maintain the Reserve and Sanctuary as the Club’s first major project. Without Rotary, this Reserve wouldn’t have happened and we have been involved with the Reserve in various capacities since then.

  

The Charter President, Norm Tesch, wished to have the Reserve open in October 1960. Thousands of hours of volunteer work over the next two decades by Rotary members, wives, their children and friends turned the 100 acres of Natural Scrub into an enduring tourist attraction. .

Almost every weekend, most of the members worked to clear dead trees and lantana, clear and establish walking tracks from the original snigging tracks, dig toilets, remove rubbish (no wheelie bins in those days) identify and name trees, erect shelter sheds, water tanks and toilet blocks, tables and fireplaces and mow the grass. Imagine 12 Rotarians with old Victas in a line mowing grass in summer every weekend.

 The Cairn at the front was erected as a memorial to Mary Williamina Cairncross in 1964; Sir Henry Abel Smith again did the honours.

In 1968 the small bridge over the creek was another Rotary project.

 1985 saw the replacement of tables and perimeter posts and in 1987, the Rixon Burnett walk was declared. Rixon was a past Rotarian and Shire Councillor and probably pivotal in the original talks between Rotary and Landsborough Council.

 

1989 Rotary funded and constructed a children’s playground and Apex built the fence along the side of the park track and in 2002 we donated 5 hardwood seats and we today maintain representation on the management committee of the Reserve.

 

As a Rotarian, I am very proud of our history and continuing participation with Mary Cairncross. Another Rotarian, my dad, Bert Brooker, was involved right from the start and I was one of the kids who spent countless hours playing on the grass here, catching leeches in the creek and honing my driving skills, at 15, by taking Bert’s Falcon for a spin down to Landsborough Rd cnr. Only did that once though.

Mayor Jamieson and Councillor McKay, once again my sincere congratulations.

Thank you.