Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 1st February 2023

VALE PDG TONY HOLMES

It was with great sadness that members learnt of Tony's death in a farming accident. Tony was a member of our Club whilst serving as District Governor in 2003-04..  Our sincerest sympathy is extended to his widow and family at this tragic time.

THIS WEEK'S MEETING

Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for a Dinner Meeting with Guest Speaker our own Renee Harris on "My Story."

APOLOGIES
Apologies please to Bernice before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTER
                       1st Feb         15th Feb         1st Mar
Duty Officer    Keith R         Michael G
Assist DO       Rick V          Sherryl G
Registration   John McL     James McC
Fellowship      John W        Bill H

WOOLWORTH SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
04Feb   0730 - 1030  Brian A   Sherryl G   Phillip S 

            1030 - 1330  Jeff C   Rick V   Andy S 

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Ric Townsend, Greg Williams and myself attended the Sunshine Coast Australia Day Awards last Friday January 20 to see our fellow Rotary member, the consummate gentleman, John Whan, receive his certificate for being nominated for the Senior Citizen of the Year.

Unfortunately, John didn’t win however it was a wonderful morning with his children, Peter, Helen and Janet there as well, and they all went off to lunch afterwards at one of the surf clubs on the coast. Photo with Andrew Powell who came up to congratulate John as well.

Just a short note to thank the members who attended the Australia Day activities at Ziza Field - more at the meeting. The ShelterBox tent was safely erected - and dismantled, our marquee was well laid out and the sausage sizzle was well patronised.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF 18TH JANUARY

Being the first business meeting for the year, it was a relatively short meeting as many activities are yet to crank up for the new year. Updates on the following issues were discussed.

• Price of meals: As of next meeting the dinner fee will be $22.00 following an increase in the cost from the Hotel. This is the first increase for many years.

• Australia Day Activities: The Club will have a spot an the MDSR Precinct to display a shelter box and provide a free BBQ. Still a lot of uncertainty about the event and Club members  will be kept informed by email.

• Rick Townsend reported that Judith Ross-Smith has a chair that needs to be repaired and asked for volunteers to help.

• Australia Zoo parking was very hectic over the Christmas and New Year period with the club doing some 20 shifts.

PDG Michael Gregory was invited to give an update on Rotary International business and the Rotary Foundation. He advised that Regionalisation in Zone 8 has been put on hold because of the failure of a vote last year. Other zones are now up and running with our zone being left out.

• Global water supply and health hygiene are hampering many global disease programs; water will become a major priority in many developing countries and will be a focus for the Rotary Foundation

• Polio Plus: Still a lot of work to do to reach the target of eradication. Global upheaval will hinder progress.

Despite successful funding activities by Rotary Clubs in 2022 raising $4.3M, it fell short of the target of $5.0M with the shortfall being made up by RI.

A Polio Plus Society Program has been formed under the Paul Harris Society Program which will allow easier donations and pledges to the program. Also a new vaccine has been developed to eliminate the vaccine derived outbreaks which are now occurring. The new vaccine is more stable and easier to transport.

• Rotary Builds Peace program has been given a priority by RI as the General Secretary of RI is a Ukrainian. The Club supported these activities last year; overall $15M was raised worldwide.

• Malaria programs could deserve our support in 2023 to raise funds for many countries to assist with control programs.

FUTURE MEETINGS AND EVENTS

08 Feb  Board Meeting

15 Feb  Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Business Meeting

01 Mar  Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Dinner Meeting with Guest Speaker TBA

BIRTHDAYS FOR FEBRUARY

18th Jeff Cornfoot  

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
AN UNUSUAL TRAFFIC INCIDENT

Two Brisbane Patrol Officers were conducting speeding enforcement on the Cunningham H/way, just west of the Amberley Air force Base at Ipswich. 

The officers were using hand held radar devices to check speeding vehicles approaching the crest of a hill. The officers were suddenly surprised when their radar guns began reading 500 kms per hour. 

The officers attempted to reset the radar guns, but they would not reset and then turned off.  Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had in fact locked on to an RAAF F/A-18 Hornet which was engaged in a low flying exercise near the location. 

 Back at the Queensland Traffic Control Headquarters the Patrol Sergeant fired off a complaint to the RAAF Base Commander.   

The reply came back in true RAAF style:

 Thank you for your letter. 

We can now complete the file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Hornet had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked on to your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it, which is why it shut down. 

Furthermore, an Air-to-Ground missile aboard the fully armed aircraft had also automatically locked on to your equipment location. Fortunately, the Senior Pilot flying the Hornet recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile system alert status and was able to override the automated defence system before the missile was launched to destroy the hostile radar position.

 The pilot also suggests you cover your mouths when cursing at them, since the video systems on these jets are very high tech. Sergeant Johnson, the officer holding the left radar gun, should get his dentist to check his left rear molar. It appears the filling is loose. Also, the snap is broken on his holster 

 Thank you for your concern.

 Wing Commander Brown, SFO RAAF, Amberley, Ipswich, Queensland.

 

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 18th January 2023

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for a Business Meeting. 

APOLOGIES
Apologies please to Bernice before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTER
                       18th Jan         1st Feb         15th Feb
Duty Officer    Jim A               Keith R         Michael G
Assist DO       Roly N             Rick V          Sherryl G
Registration    Laurelle O       John McL    James McC
Fellowship      Neil A               John W        Bill H

WOOLWORTH SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
04Feb   0730 - 1030  Brian A   Sherryl G   Phillip S 

            1030 - 1330  Jeff C   Rick V   Andy S 

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

Our last two meetings have been successful social events.  Firstly the Club thanks Roly and Kerry for kindly organising and hosting the Christmas Party at their home. Unfortunately your Scribe was laid low with Covid and therefore missed this celebration.  On 4 January our thanks to our resident Platypus Whisperer for arranging a guided tour along a section of the Obi Obi creek for a number of intrepid members.  This was followed by a BBQ in the Light Horse Museum for participants and others.  There were no reports of Ornithorynchus sightings but date stamped photographs from earlier that day were available for inspection.

Thanks to Neal for his arrangements and to the BBQ crew.

FUTURE MEETINGS AND EVENTS
26 Jan  Possible Australia Day function at the Showground

01 Feb  Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Dinner Meeting with Guest Speaker TBA.

08 Feb  Board Meeting

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY FOR JANUARY
 1st Malcolm and Nancy Baker

BIRTHDAYS FOR JANUARY
1st Jan Cornfoot  21st  Michael Gregory  24th  Renee Harris

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
A HEART WARMING STORY FOR THE NEW YEAR

Once a TTE (Train Ticket Examiner) who was on duty on a Bangalore bound train from Mumbai caught a girl who was hiding under a seat. She was around 13 or 14 years old.  The TTE asked the girl to produce her ticket. The girl hesitantly replied that she had no ticket. The TTE told the girl to get off the train immediately. 

Suddenly, a voice from behind said, "I will pay for her". That was the voice of Mrs Usha Bhattacharya, who was a college lecturer  by profession. Mrs. Bhattacharya paid for the girl's ticket and requested her to sit near her. She asked her what her name was.

"Chitra", the girl replied. "Where are you going?" "I have nowhere to go," the girl said. "Then come with me." Mrs. Bhattacharya told her. After reaching Bangalore, Mrs. Bhattacharya handed over the girl to an NGO, to be taken care of. Later Mrs. Bhattacharya shifted to Delhi and the two lost contact with each other.

After around 20 years Mrs. Bhattacharya was invited to San Francisco (USA) to deliver a lecture in a college there. She was in a restaurant, having a meal. After she finished she asked for the bill, but she was told that the bill had already been paid. When she turned back, she saw a woman with her husband smiling at her.

Mrs. Bhattacharya asked the couple, "Why did you pay my bill? " The young woman replied, "Ma'am, the bill I paid is extremely little, compared to the fare you paid for me for that train journey from Mumbai to Bangalore”.

Tears rolled down from the eyes of both women."Oh Chitra... It's you..!!!" Mrs.Bhattacharya said happily. While hugging each other, the young lady said, "Ma'am my name is not Chitra now. I am Sudha Murty. And this is my husband, Narayan Murty".

Don't be astonished. You are reading the true story of Mrs Sudha Murty, the Chair of Infosys Ltd, and Mr. Narayan Murty, the man who established the multi-million Infosys software company.

Yes, the little help you extend to others can change their whole lives!

As an aside, Akshata Murthy is the daughter of this couple and is married to RISHI SUNAK who has recently become the Prime Minister of UK.

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 21st December 2022

RIP  DAVID WILSON  1933 - 2022
Every one associated with our Club will be saddened by the news of David's passing last week.  David was the last surviving member  of the original Charter Members of the Club in 1959 and was President in 1996.  Our sincere condolences to Danni and the family.

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Christmas Party at Roly and Kerry Neiper's home in Watson Lane at 6:00 for 6:30pm. Please note that there is limited parking inside the property. BYO drinks and glasses and possibly chairs.

APOLOGIES
Apologies please to Bernice before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTER
                       21st Dec          4th Jan        18th Jan
Duty Officer                            Greg W         Jim A    
Assist DO                               Ric T             Roly N      
Registration    Peter McQ      Craig S          Laurelle O
Fellowship                              Lionel T         Neil A

WOOLWORTH SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
07Jan  0730 - 1030  Peter McQ   Roly N   Fran T 

           1030 - 1330  Ric T   Chris B   Keith R

04Feb   0730 - 1030  Brian A   Sherryl G   Phillip S 

            1030 - 1330  Jeff C   Rick V   Andy S 

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Don’t forget!! Our last get together for the year is Christmas dinner next Wednesday 21st

at Roly and Kerry Neiper’s home in Reesville. It will start earlier than our normal dinners,

at 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start although dinner will commence at 7.00pm. So we get some

more time for chatting and drinking.

Then, our first social get together for 2023 will on Wednesday 4 January and that’s going

to be, although it’s yet to be fully confirmed, a platypus tour with our own Platypus

Whisperer, Neil Andison, followed by a BBQ and drinks at Beersheba Museum. So, it’ll

start at the showgrounds sometime in the afternooon and proceed along the Obi creek

and Maleny Trail through to the Maleny Precinct. Details will be sent out by email once

they’re confirmed. Sorry, Peter, no croquet just yet! Talk with Craig about having it as a

future vocational visit in 2023.

That’s it for me! I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Neiper’s

home next week and if I don’t I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a

sensational New Year kicking off into 2023!!

Lastly I am attaching some photos of last week's street party. 

Sherryl on Santa's knee with Mrs Santa and Craig

Santa kicking on post duties

MINUTES OF MEETING OF 7TH DECEMBER

President Pauline opened the meeting by welcoming 17 members, Honorary Member Jill Morris and our Guest Speaker Michael Hinds, Branch Manager of BOQ Maleny.  She reported on the interesting and well organised vocational visit to the new Emergency Services Centre on 30 November.

• Maleny Christmas Festival on 9 December. Arrangements in hand for story telling for children in a Rotary marquee and a BBQ at the Maleny Food Company premises.  The latter will be organised by Jim A who needs three helpers.

• Roll call for those attending the Christmas Party at Roly and Kerry's on 21st December.

• Maleny Neighbourhood Centre Christmas Breakfast on 25 December at MNC. All community members welcome. Volunteers needed to assist set-up, cooking & service of BBQ etc. See Greg if you can assist.

• Possible arrangements for Australia Day at the Showground are still being discussed.

Michael Hinds gave a well illustrated presentation on protection for individuals from on line and phone scamming.  This included an outline of the most commonly occurring scams which targeted the general public, particularly senior citizens.  The goal of the scammers is to obtain personal information from their victims that will allow access to their accounts/records. The main types of scams can be found at the following website: 

https://www.boq.com.au/help-and-support/fraud-and-scams/protect-yourself

Michael's advice was to never provide any personal information to anyone who calls or emails you - just hang up if that occurs!  Passwords should be upgraded and accounts checked regularly.  If anything does not sound "right", end the conversion. The watchwords are Pause/ Process/ Proceed - if in doubt, take no action.

There was a lively questions and answer session at the end of his talk and Renee gave the vote of thanks.

ROTARIANS FROM NEPAL

Recently two Nepalese visitors were staying in the Maleny Hotel where they noticed our sign giving details of our meetings.  Although no meetings coincided with their visit, they asked for details of our Club.  Fortunately Kim was on hand and took them across the road to meet PP Chris Brooker, shown with Rajendra Guatam.

Raj is the current Secretary of RC of Kathmandu. He joined Rotary after being in Rotaract from 2009 and was President of Kathmandu Rotaract 2014/15.  He is in Australia for a month with an award from RC of Melbourne.Raj's partner is Rumi Dhungel, shown below.Rumi, who has a Masters degree in Accounting and Business Administration, lives near New Farm in Brisbane and is working in aged care.

Chris gave them a copy of 50 years of Rotary in Maleny. Interestingly the Kathmandu Club was established in 1959, the same year as Maleny.

FUTURE MEETINGS AND EVENTS
04 Jan  Possible walk with the Platypus Whisperer - details to follow.

11 Jan  Board Meeting

18 Jan  Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for a Business Meeting

26 Jan  Possible Australia Day function at the Showground

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY FOR JANUARY
 1st Malcolm and Nancy Baker

BIRTHDAYS FOR JANUARY
1st Jeff Cornfoot  21st  Michael Gregory  24th  Renee Harris

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT 
CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 20th April 2022

THE RANGE"  Vol. 64 No.18

WEDNESDAY 20TH APRIL 2022

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for a Dinner Meeting with Guest Speaker Jill Lillingstone on Early Maleny Selectors - Partners Night. 

APOLOGIES
Apologies please to Bernice before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTER
                           20 Apr           4 May                   18 May
Duty Officer        Chris B         Renee H               Jim A
Assist DO           Fran T           Phillip S                Paulette S
Registration        John McL      Bernice McL         Alan W
Fellowship          Roly N          James McC           Michael G

WOOLWORTH SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER

14 May   0730 -1030 Rick V   Sherryl G   Des C

               1030 - 1330  Paulette S   Andy S   Greg W

11 Jun    0730 - 1030   Phillip S   Keith R   Peter McQ

               1030 - 1330   John & Bernice McL   James McC      

 PRESIDENT'S NOTES
I hope that all members and their families are enjoying a happy and safe Easter. Our meeting next Wednesday is a Business Meeting. For the first time in a very long time there is no need to wear masks or to log in with your Qld App at the Maleny Hotel. We can all look forward to some good hearted Rotary fellowship and a presentation by local historian Jill Lillingstone about the early Maleny selectors. It’s a Partners night, but also keep a lookout for and give a warm RC of Maleny welcome to visiting RC of Katoomba President David Arnott and his partner Ruth Achurch. Also our own young Maleny adventurer and fundraiser extraordinaire Sam Hughes, the Travelling Jackaroo, who is on a lightning visit back to Maleny.

 Our Rotary Calendar will be very busy over the next few weeks and right through May 2022. 

1. Our Australia Zoo Parking team are finishing their duties this morning. I want to pass on my sincere thanks for their volunteer work over the Easter School holidays. Australia Zoo has been very busy over the past few days and several of us have needed to rest our feet after busy sessions at the Zoo. 

2. Anzac Day 25 April. On behalf of our RC of Maleny, I will be presenting 4 vouchers of $50 each to our local schools – Maleny SHS, Maleny SS, the River School and Conondale SS at the main Maleny ceremony. I encourage as many members as possible to participate in and/or attend one or more of our local marches and ceremonial services. 

3. 10 May. Maleny Candlelight Ceremony, Tesch Park at 5pm. Our Speak Up Now collaboration will be hosting this domestic and family violence and elder abuse event and all members and partners are encouraged to attend to listen to some great speakers.

4. 11 May. Combined Meeting Rotary and University of the Sunshine Coast Community Fund (RUSCCF). Our Club will be attending the RUSCCF Scholarship Presentations at the University of the Sunshine Coast from 6 pm to 9 pm. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with Rotarians from all over the Sunshine Coast and learn about the world leading research being undertaken by PHD students that University. My money is also on Alan W picking up another raffle prize.

5. 25 May. RYDA Training Day at Corbould Park Caloundra. For Rotarians considering participating in one or more of the upcoming driver training days for our local Maleny SHS year 10s and other local schools during July 2022. This project is one of our best and most impactful youth projects. 

6. 27 and  28May. Maleny Agricultural Show – RC Maleny Rotary Food Stall and gate duties /parking. Roly N and Chris B will have their rosters ready for Rotarian and partner volunteers. We need as many Club members and their partners as possible to participate in one of our main fund raising activities for the year. Roly N is confident that our magnificent steak burgers will be the talk of the Sunshine Coast again this year.

7. Rotary BowelScan Qld will also be manning a stand in the Education Building beneath the Main Pavilion during the Maleny Agricultural Show– much like that at the recent 9620 District Conference at Caloundra - so keep an eye out for it at the Show and for some local publicity about the program through social media, facebook, GC&MN, SVG and MDSRC News.

8. 3 June. River School are holding a respectful relationships and kite making workshop run by Speak Up Now. Sherryl G, Greg W and Val France will be involved along with teaching staff of the River School.

On behalf of all members, I wish Paulette a speedy recovery.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF 6TH APRIL
President Greg opened the meeting with the usual formalities with Mike G giving the Loyal Toast and Renee the Rotary Grace.
Greg briefed us on the District Conference and thanked those members who attended.
Roly asked for volunteers to assist with parking at the Maleny Golf Club on 13th April 0700 – 0830.
Paulette briefed us on the 2022 Combined Rotary & University of Sunshine Coast meeting on 11th May; Chris B will organise the bar and nominated a team of ‘so called volunteers’.
Roly confirmed that the 2022 Maleny Show is ON and the Club will be running the usual Food Stall all day Friday and Saturday 27th & 28th May. Many volunteers will be required.
Jim confirmed that, as tradition demands, Maleny Rotary will man the main entry gate for the show on 27th from 0600 to late evening. Again many volunteers required.
Sherryl briefed us on activity with the Domestic Violence group and the availability of promotional cards.
Fran covered recent Maleny High School Interact activities.
Following the meal Sergeant Chris then entertained members with ridiculous fines. All were received with the usual good humour.

Keith, as the Duty Officer, introduced the guest speaker with a brief introductory bio. Dr Adrian McCallum is a Senior Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering at USC with great ‘hands on’ experience in remote area science and engineering.

It is not possible to adequately cover Adrian’s life experiences and qualifications in a few lines so if you are interested please go to www.arcus.org/researchers/43225/display.

Adrian explained that he had an early age ambition to be a polar explorer and at the Brisbane Expo 88 he met Tim MacCartney-Snape, the first Australian to summit on Mt Everest. Inspired, Adrian then wrote to Sir Ranulph Fiennes and asked how he could achieve his ambition. Refer http://www.ranulphfiennes.co.uk/
Adrian has the rare distinction of having served in the Australian Air Force, Army and Navy. He became a Navy meteorologist and climbed Mt Everest as part of a Navy team in 2001.  Three Australians died on Mt Everest at that time and this led to Adrian’s interest and expertise in oceanography and in particular  the behaviour of ice/snow in order to predict avalanches.
Adrian presented some fascinating photos and short videos of life on Antarctica and within the Artic Circle.
A wonderful 30+minute presentation to a rapt audience.

Jeff gave the vote of thanks.

FUTURE MEETINGS AND EVENTS

4th May Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Guest Speaker Scott Willis, Principal Conondale SS

11th May Joint Clubs meeting at USC for Rotary Scholarships Dinner

18th May  Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for a Business Meeting

BIRTHDAYS FOR APRIL
1st Nancy Baker  4th Phillip Stark  12th Chris Brooker  23rd John McLennan  27th John Whan

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR APRIL
13th Jeff & Jan Cornfoot  16th Brian & Gillian Allen  26th Bill & Marlene Hankinson

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT

A BAGPIPER'S LAMENT?

As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the bush. As I was not familiar with that area, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late.

I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played "Amazing Grace", the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car.

Though my head was hung low, my heart was full.

As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen anything like that before, and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 15th September 2021

THE RANGE"  Vol. 64 No.5

WEDNESDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER 2021

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Guest Speaker Shannon Horsfall on USC Rotary Scholarship.

APOLOGIES
Apologies please to Bernice before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTER
                          15 Sep              6 Oct             20 Oct
Duty Officer       Keith R             Craig S          Michael G
Assist DO          Angela G          Fran T           Roly N
Registration       Bernice McL    Neil A             Paulette S
Fellowship        John McL          Peter McQ     Des C

WOOLWORTH SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
18 Sep    0730 - 1030    Jim A   Phillip S  Sherryl G

               1030 - 1330    Rick V   Fran T   Bernice McL

PRESIDENT'S NOTES
Our next meeting at the Maleny Hotel on 15 September is a General Meeting subject to our new COVID 19 restrictions. The Delta Strain is having consequential impacts on many of our planned activities and those of so many of other clubs and organisations. Don’t forget to log in with your Qld App and continue bringing your masks - which can be removed when seated. We can look forward to an interesting presentation from Shannon Horsfall on USC Rotary Scholarships.

1. Many thanks to Craig S, and John and Bernice McL for volunteering at  the Mooloolaba Ironman on Sunday 12 Sep in the baggage area.

2. Sherryl G, Paulette S and myself joined our Speak Up Now  partner members Val France, Barb Jones and Ian and Karen Demack at a Hairdressers for Hearts Fundraiser at the Bribie Is RSL on 9 September. It was a great opportunity to network and special mention was made of our new Red Benches and hairdresser and beautician  domestic and  family violence and elder abuse training up here on the Blackall Range.

Special guest was Hairdressers for Hearts Ambassador Lisa Curry and we were thoroughly entertained by her hairdresser husband who is a highly talented look a like Elvis Pressley entertainer. And Ian Demack took home a seafood tray raffle prize to make the journey down the Mountain and back even more rewarding. 

3. Sherryl G attended an inspection of the Palliative Care Rooms at Caloundra Hospital opposite the Caloundra RSL last week and has come away for some great ideas with respect to our hands on service project to renovate the Palliative Care Rooms at the Maleny Hospital.

I can only reinforce the benefit of this project for our community after spending Friday in a ward at the Maleny Memorial Hospital with a 90 year old gentleman (who was waiting to enter a High Care unit at the Palmwoods Retirement Centre) and moreover the speed with which the medical staff acted on the adverse results of an Xray and Ultrasound Scan to my hand. The medical care that our Hinterland community is provided by our local Maleny Memorial Hospital and it's staff is absolutely outstanding. And thank you to Paulette S for driving me at short notice to SCUH, from where this report has been sent.  I look forward to catching up with you all next Wednesday.

And congratulations to Keith and Gloria who celebrate a milestone anniversary this month.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF 1ST SEPTEMBER
Some Rotary business before dinner included:
• Sherryl gave an update on the Speak Up Now DV project. The latest Red Rose Foundation red bench at the Pioneer Village was unveiled on Tuesday 31/8 by Malcolm Baker and Senior Sergeant Kate Teasdale from the Sunshine Coast Vulnerable Person’s Unit. A good crowd including the Men’s Shed attendees watched the unveiling & presentations, followed by a sumptuous morning tea provided by the Historical Society. The Hairdressers with Hearts on-line DV awareness training has been taken up by 16 local hairdressers/barbers so far, including three from Barbers of Maleny, all of whom received a Pride of Workmanship Award from the club. Renee from Barbers of Maleny attended the meeting.

• Fran described the recent Interact activities which included a wheelchair sports day and RUOK Day.

• Lionel thanked all those who helped to hang the photos submitted for the 2022 calendar at Maple 3 last week. The calendars are now on sale for $6, with a couple of new outlets coming on board to sell them.

• Bernice passed around the roster dates for the Australia Zoo parking for the Sept/Oct school holiday period. 

• Greg reminded members of the date for the rescheduled DG visit to the Kenny Cluster. It will be on Sunday 17 October at Australia Zoo. Members who registered for the original date need to confirm with District Secretary Ian Hope for the new date.

• Paulette announced that the inaugural meeting of the club environment committee had been held with several ideas put forward for future club projects in this area. One was a Conservation survey of platypus in the Obi, possible date 10 October. Paulette also described the Pride of Workmanship Night as a great success with 13 recipients and 86 attendees at the event at Tranquil Park on 21 August.

• Bernice reported on a visit by a group of club members to the Maleny Hospital family rooms with current President of the Hospital Auxiliary, Jan Cornfoot. The work needed could mainly be painting once a suitable colour scheme was decided upon.

• Craig confirmed that the club Vocational Visit to the Pioneer Village on Wednesday 29 September had been locked in for 4pm. Venue for a meal after the visit is still in planning.

Our guest speaker for the night was Darrell Dalton, President of Golf Programs Australia (GPA), assisted by his wife Michelle who is secretary of GPA, and Sophie Bolton who is one of the athletes in the GPA program. Their motto is “Driving Inclusion – Breaking Isolation”.

What seemed like a presentation all about golf turned out to be much, much, more. A little research on the organisation revealed that Golf Programs Australia Incorporated is a social enterprise charity organisation that develops and delivers golf programs for the underprivileged in the community. These include: The Intellectually and physically disabled, youth at risk, mental health programs, programs for the aged and indigenous programs. The charity operates a retail store at 89 Currie Street Nambour which provides opportunities in retail, business & creativity and assists in social enterprise training for individuals living with an intellectual disability (govolunteer.com.au).

Darrell who is a golf professional and has a background in nursing gave a potted history of PGAI which started in 2014 as a training program for the Special Olympics. In 2015 it became a registered charity, and the golf program became a springboard to value-add opportunities for social enterprise training for the participants. About 25-30 athletes attend golf activities from 4-6pm at Tanawa Valley Golf and Tennis centre every week.

Michelle described the Social Enterprise training aspect of the organisation, for which she is the trainer and mentor. Students can learn skills such as design, upholstery, interview techniques, journalism, business and accounting. They have both a shopfront and workrooms in Currie Street Nambour - a cross between a golf shop and an Op shop where they sell golfing equipment as well as products produced by the enterprise trainees. The shop opened in 2016 and is run like a family business. A focus is on reusing, recycling and repurposing resources. Michelle highlighted several products which she had on display, including cards made by Sophie and their annual GPAI calendars. 

Darrell and Michelle have a vision to build purpose-built golf facilities in every state and territory for individuals who have an intellectual disability. The facilities would provide training and work placement opportunities in areas such as warehousing, greenkeeping, hospitality and retail. They illustrated their presentation with clips from their You-Tube channel. They have a significant social media presence which includes an Instagram and Facebook page. On their display they had a brochure which showed the bios of some of the students in the video clips, including Sophie whose social enterprise business is called ‘Angel 22’. 

This certainly was a very interesting presentation about an organisation which many of us had not heard about before. For the golf athletes and students in the social enterprise training, GPAI is making a significant impact in their lives. More information on Golf Programs Australia can be found on their webpage at: https://gpai.org.au.

FUTURE MEETINGS  AND EVENTS
29th September  Vocational Visit to Maleny Pioneer Village.

6th October  Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Guest Speaker David Gookegen on Nanangi Music.

13th October  Board Meeting

17th October  DG Visit to Kenny Cluster at Australia Zoo.

20th October  Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for a Business Meeting and Lift the Lid for ARH.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES FOR SEPTEMBER

4th John & Bernice McLennan  18th Andy & Mia Schouteten  28th Keith & Gloria Rogers

BIRTHDAYS FOR SEPTEMBER

17th Judi Ross-Smith 29th Mia Schouteten

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT

A SHORT NOTE ON EVOLUTION

Rotary Club of Maleny Bulletin for 7th October 2020

 "THE RANGE"  Vol. 62 No.7

WEDNESDAY 7TH OCTOBER 2020

THIS WEEK'S MEETING
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Guest Speaker for Wayne Litherland on ROMAC.

APOLOGIES AND MEALS
Apologies please to Bernice before noon on Tuesday.

DUTY ROSTERS
                       7th Oct         21st Oct             4th Nov              
Duty Officer   Ric T            Bernice McL       TBA        
Assist DO      Paulette S    Jim A                    
Registration   Michael G    Phillip S
Fellowship     Roly N        James McC
           
SAUSAGE SIZZLE ROSTER
None at present

PRESIDENT'S NOTES

I thank all our members who have assisted with the parking of cars over the school  holidays at Australia Zoo. Their voluntary service has helped to keep visitors to Australia Zoo safe, provided an opportunity to meet and catch up with members from our sister clubs at Glasshouse, Woombye-Palmwoods and Nambour whilst also  raising some funds for our club.

Another thank you to Roly and Phillip for conducting an excellent brainstorming session to work out one or more 100 year projects for the club. Please could members continue to expand and/or develop ideas and provide them to Roly and  Phillip. 

 And last Wednesday Paulette organised a fantastic vocational visit to Forest Heart Nursery at Coral Street where we were treated to an informative presentation from Spencer Shaw, followed by a very interesting wine tasting at Purple Palate and a scrumptious wood fired pizza from Jen.

 Lastly could you keep your diaries free firstly to join with me for an early morning Ride for Polio train trip on Friday 23 October from Nambour to Landsborough and also to attend our Polio Dinner being organised by Jeff at the Maleny RSL on Wed 28 Oct 2020.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF 16TH SEPTEMBER
President Greg welcomed partners and guest Craig Sim to the club business meeting. Greg thanked members who had volunteered for the Ironman Event on 13 September at Maroochydore. Sherryl called for helpers to distribute the Domestic and Family Violence signs for Men’s Amenities. Jeff gave information about the Polio Fundraiser Night at the RSL on Wednesday 28 October, as well as calendar selling at the Community Centre kiosk on Wednesday 30 September and Saturday 7 November. Chris B. advised that the Australia Zoo Parking duty roster had been emailed out to members participating throughout the school holidays (19 Sept- 04 Oct).

Paulette outlined the arrangements for the club Vocational Visit on Wednesday 30 September. It will begin at the Forest Heart Eco-nursery in Coral Street at 4.30pm for a look around and educational talk, then move to the Purple Palate at 6pm for a wine tasting of wines from the Mudgee/Orange area of NSW, interspersed with wood-fired Pizza from Jen’s Pizzas. Cost will be $20 for wine tasting and $10 for pizza. Paulette also advised that the Christmas Carnival on Friday 11 December will be in a different format this year. It will be a Music Concert at the Showgrounds, with opportunity for local service clubs to sell food at the event.

Bernice advised that the Uniting Church Christmas Tree Festival will be going ahead but also take a different format this year. The theme will be “Hope” - appropriate for 2020. Rick V explained that the Australia Day Community Expo and Citizenship Ceremony for 2021 was in doubt, due to COVID restrictions. The Sea Cadets are unable to take part in any public events at this stage.

Jim responded to many members enquiries about Beth Whan’s funeral which was held at Caloundra on Tuesday 8 September. Due to COVID restrictions it was invitation only, however the service can be viewed online at the Gregson and Weight website. Jim also advised that the Maleny Quilter’s Group had donated $784.10 to the Rotary Bushfire Appeal which was established earlier in the year. Jim has deposited the funds into the RAWCS Bushfire Appeal account. Sergeant Chris then conducted a short sharp Sergeant’s session.

The highlight of the meeting was the induction of Craig Sim into membership of the club, and the world wide family of Rotary. Craig, who owns a communications business in the main street, and is a former member of Apex, will hold the classification of Communications. Rick V will be his Rotary mentor. He was enthusiastically welcomed into the club by members.

The remainder of the meeting was taken up by a structured brainstorming session conducted by the Membership Committee. The focus of the session was how the club could celebrate 100 years of Rotary in Australia.  Ideas that would foster membership growth and increased awareness of Rotary ‘s work and world-wide achievements were encouraged. Roly ably chaired the session while Phillip projected the ideas put forward onto the screen. Many suggestions were recorded, showing a variety of ideas for both long and short-term projects and events. These will be prioritised by the Membership Committee for further consideration.

Finally, Lionel reminded members that the 2021 calendars were now on sale at $5 and would be available at meetings for purchase. All submitted photo entries are up for viewing in Maple 3. Michael encouraged members to tune into the Rotary Zone Conference from Alice Springs being held over the following weekend. Speakers from all over the world will be featured. Greg thanked all members and guests for their participation and attendance before closing the meeting.

FUTURE MEETINGS & EVENTS
14th October
Board Meeting

21st October
Maleny Hotel at 6:30 for 7:00pm for Business Meeting.

23rd October
Train Ride for Polio Day.

28th October
Polio Fund Raising Dinner at the RSL.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY FOR OCTOBER
26th Rick and Cilla

BIRTHDAYS FOR OCTOBER
12th Gloria Rogers  14th Keith Rogers  16th Kerry Neiper  28th Bernice McLennan  30th Andy Schouteten  31st Gillian Allen

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
TWO TRUE STORIES

STORY NUMBER ONE
Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago.  Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic.  He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.  Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie."  He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason.  Eddie was very good!  In fact, Eddie's skill at legal manoeuvring kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
 
To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well.  For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.
 
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however.  He had a son that he loved dearly.  Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education.  Nothing was withheld.   Price was no object.
 
And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong.  Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.  Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.
 
One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision.  Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.  He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name and offer his son some resemblance of integrity.  To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. However he testified.
 
Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street.  But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay.  Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.
 
The poem read:
 "The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.  Now is the only time you own.  Live, love, toil with a will.  Place no faith in time.  For the clock may soon be still."
 
STORY NUMBER TWO
World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission.  After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.  He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier.  Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet. The American fighters had flown on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless.  He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet.  Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do.  He must somehow divert them from the fleet.
 
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dived into the formation of Japanese planes.  Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another.  Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault.  He dived at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.
 
Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale.  It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet  He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.  This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.
 
A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29.  His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man. So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor.  It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?............
 

Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son.