John Turner, Don Landers (Standby John Weingarth, Valda Andrews)
Set up & pack up:
John Garrett, Denis Fernandez (Standby Peter McNair, Michael Bartok)
Speakers & topic:
Mr Tom Dusevic - Politics and the election
Rotary Club Meeting July 19th 2016
Introduction
President Paul welcomed everyone and asked John Turner to introduce a guest, Neil McKechnie from Centurion Rotary in South Africa. Neil visited us earlier in the year and has now settled in Sydney permanently.
Paul commented on his attendance at a recent Rotary Presidents’ meeting. He asked everyone to refer to the Club Calendar on the website and to make themselves aware of the activities planned for the coming year. He particularly asked that people try to keep free the weekend of the annual Fireworks so that there would be plenty of hands to assist.
Paul also advised the members of the sad passing of former Rotarian Martin McCurrich after a prolonged illness.
Toast
A toast to the Rotary Club of Toronto was made by Helen Gulson who recently returned from a trip to Canada.
She gave a brief description of the club and spoke about her attendance at a Club meeting to mark Canada’s National Aboriginal Day.
Announcements
Rob Coote asked for support for the Unity Walk & Run in fundraising for Parkinsons’ disease. He is taking part in the walk two tables immediately collected funds for this cause.
At a special dinner held in July, the Rotary Club of Northbridge inducted Paul Sullivan as its President for the 2016-2017 year. NSW Treasurer and Willoughby MP Hon Gladys Berejiklian attended the dinner and presented awards.
Paul, a long term Northbridge resident, is a former small business owner. He is an active member of Northbridge Golf Club and, with his wife Christine, a keen traveller and camper. Paul has been a member of Northbridge Rotary since 1993. It is one of the largest and most active Rotary clubs in Sydney.
“The international motto for the coming year is Rotary serving Humanity,” Paul said after his induction. “I believe that Rotary provides an opportunity for us to change lives”. Among Paul’s goals for the year are increasing membership of the club, an active fundraising program and having a fun year.
Northbridge Rotarian David Robertson travels to Fiji twice each year and he always manages to take with him donations which provide practical help to poor and disadvantaged families.
In May, the Rotary Club of Northbridge supplied David with many packages of rubber gloves for the Lautoka Hospital in Fiji to lessen the chances of cross infection. David also brought soaps to wash nurses’ and doctors’ hands before seeing their patients, surgical scissors and toothbrushes and toothpaste for each child so they can be taught oral health and keep their incredible white smiles.
Last year, David – a Castlecrag resident - brought more than 500 solar-powered lights to remote villages in Fiji which do not have regular electricity to provide a source of light for school children and their parents
“Most people know Fiji for its fabulous resorts and some of the friendliest people on earth,” David said. “What they don’t know is that just a few kilometres away there are seriously poor and disadvantaged families living in extreme poverty. They don’t get the tourist dollar, and on some islands the villages have no access to health care”.
Northbridge Rotary expressed its sincere thanks to Ansell for supplying the gloves; Donations In Kind for donating the toothbrushes and soaps; and to David for carrying the 30 kilograms of baggage from Sydney to Fiji.
Photo caption:
Northbridge Rotary member David Robertson (left) presents medical supplies to the Manager of Nursing Services at Lautoka Hospital, Matron Milika Narogo (centre), to help reduce infection at the hospital in Fiji.
A crowd estimated at more than 3000 attended Northbridge Rotary Club’s community Fireworks Spectacular on Northbridge Oval on May 7. It was close to a record attendance in the 29 years of the annual event.
The event was a great success, according to the organiser, Rotarian Peter McNair. “We were lucky with good weather and it was a great night for families who attended the evening,” Peter said. “The fireworks were spectacular, there was more entertainment for the children and a variety of food. Seven Rotary barbecues were flat out all night!”
“We had about 100 Rotary Club members, spouses and friends helping on the night,” Peter said. “By the end of the evening, we were all exhausted but our efforts were well worthwhile.”
The spectators included Willoughby MP Gladys Berejiklian, North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman and Willoughby Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney. The Mayor welcomed the huge crowd and thanked Rotarians, volunteers and sponsors for making the huge community event so successful.
The event is expected to raise more than $30,000 (net of expenses), which will be used to support disadvantaged youth locally, third world health and education needs and for emergency relief for victims of natural disasters. Peter said that, because Rotary was a volunteer organisation, 100 cents of every dollar of proceeds would go to the charities.
Rotary President John Turner thanked Northbridge Plaza which was once again the major sponsor of the event and also expressed his appreciation to Willoughby City Council for its contributions. He thanked sincerely other sponsors of the event: Century 21, Westpac, Willoughby Leisure Centre, Borusso’s Pizza and Pasta, Northbridge Physiotherapy, BackVintage Wines, Coates Hire and Castlecrag Montessori School. “Without such generous sponsors, we would not be able to hold the event”, John said.
He also thanked Rural Fire Service and its volunteers who provided the specialised equipment used on the oval. He noted that Northbridge Golf Club generously allowed the use of part of the golf course.
For further information contact Peter McNair, 0415 242 628
About 120 enthusiastic seniors helped to celebrate Seniors’ Week by attending the Rotary Club of Northbridge’s annual Seniors’ Lunch on April 15.
“Everyone seemed to have a great time and Rotarians were warmly thanked for their service to the community”, the lunch organiser Rotarian Karin Eurell said. “I was particularly pleased to see our local senior citizens enjoying themselves and the Rotarians work well together as a team to make it all happen”.
The lunch in St Marks Hall included refreshments and entertainment. The hall was decorated with colourful table cloths, balloons and flowers. The meal and drinks were served by about 40 Northbridge Rotarians, partners and friends of Rotary
Speaking to the attendees, Willoughby Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney thanked Karin Eurell and the Rotary Club for its community and charity work. She summarised the background to the Council amalgamation proposals for Willoughby and answered several questions from the floor.
Among the attendees acknowledged by Rotary President John Turner were three locals who were more than 100 years old, and who were warmly applauded. John thanked Lansdowne Gardens and local wine merchant BackVintage Wines for their contributions to the event.
For further information, contact Karin Eurell 0412 468 884
The people of the tiny village of Naulo Gau in Nepal were so grateful for a donation from the Rotary Club of Northbridge that they have now adopted the nickname “NORTHBRIDGE NEPAL” for their village.
The donation of more than $18,000 was made possible by generous local residents who gave to the Rotary club’s bucket appeal at Northbridge Plaza in May 2015.
Northbridge Rotary’s International Director Derek Matz said that life changed forever when the fishing village of Naulo Gau, 30 kilometres from Kathmandu, was totally destroyed by a 7.8 earthquake.
“Residents of the village were left completely homeless and had to build temporary shanty homes during the severe conditions of Nepal’s freezing winter,” Derek said. “Conditions were so bad that many families including children were sleeping in the mud and the possibility of disease was of great concern”.
Using Rotary funds, there were 12 houses built in the past year the largest of which accommodates 10 people. They have provided emergency shelter for these desperately poor villagers.
Northbridge Rotary Club also donated two brand new ECG machines to the local Banepa Sheer Memorial Hospital in Nepal, where many lives are being saved with this equipment.
Derek Matz said that Northbridge Rotary also sincerely thanks members of the Rotary Club of Banepa, Nepal, for overseeing the project and distributing the funds.
For more information contact Derek Matz (0412 418 334) or Ranald Stewart (0416181447).
The Rotary Club of Northbridge gratefully acknowledges the generous sponsorship of Northbridge Plaza for our Annual Community Fireworks Night & Pictures on the Pitch Film Night
