The Rotary Club of Northbridge gratefully acknowledges the generous sponsorship of Northbridge Plaza
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Peter Grinter
March 1
Eleanor Chevor
March 3
Peter McNair
March 13
John Turner
March 19
Spouse Birthdays
Fran Garrett
March 2
Anniversaries
Helen Gulson
March 8
Join Date
Malcolm Lye
March 6, 2001
19 years
Alan Hession
March 8, 2016
4 years
Helen Gulson
March 8, 2016
4 years
Andrew Rennie
March 20, 2018
2 years
David Robertson
March 23, 2010
10 years
Sally O'Neill
March 25, 2003
17 years
Denise Woodward
March 27, 2018
2 years
Luke Keighery
March 27, 2018
2 years
Ros Virtue
March 28, 2006
14 years
Garth Carter
March 29, 2016
4 years
Club Meeting News
Welcome
President Malcolm welcomed all members, guest speaker Sarah Ludowici and her partner Barton Tanner.
Toast
Angie Fernandes proposed a toast to the RC of University Houston. Their fundraising activities include Feeding the Hungry Homeless and providing school desks and firefighting equipment to Mexico.
Announcements
President Malcolm advised the cancellation of the District Conference, Fireworks, Super Rugby Comp, Rock for a Cause and most likely Comedy for a Cause in June and spoke about the critical coronavirus situation.
Sally O’Neill also talked about the cancelled events. The Fireworks has been postponed to 12 Sept (a tentative booking has been made for the oval), and it is hoped Rock for a Cause and Comedy for a Cause can be deferred to later in the year. The planned Bridge Day will be held after the Fireworks.
Sally said we need ideas for non-weather dependent and non-crowd dependent fundraising ideas so if you have any, let Sally know.
Kim Wilkins advised the last bookstall made a profit of $446. He thanked all those who volunteered, particularly Andrew & Marie Rennie.
Liz Grey spoke about Ros Virtue’s husband, Peter McDonald. Peter was operated on on Thursday to have two small tumors removed from his brain. We all send Peter our very best wishes.
Guest Speaker - Sarah Ludowici
Fay Petrou introduced Sarah Ludowici, an exercise physiologist, diabetes educator and ultra trail marathon champion. She is also Luke Keighery’s neice.
As an exercise physiologist Sarah works with all groups of people from elite athletes right down to elderly folk who have had a hip replacement.
The ultra marathons she has undertaken vary between 45km to 103km. She spends 11 hrs/week training, including strength training, as well as running to work. Sarah impressed on us that strength training is important for people of all ages to prevent injury.
During these ultra marathons she runs anywhere from 10-14 hours per day. She said food is important and she eats non-stop whilst running.
After answering numerous questions from those present, Sarah was thanked by Fay for her talk and for giving us an insight into what is involved in ultra trail running.
President's Message
Malcolm Lye
Most of my Rotary time since March 3 has been involved with discussions about the impact on our club of the coronavirus which has progressively escalated until it has now caused most of our club’s activities to be cancelled: Rock with a Cause, the Fireworks (deferred until September), District Conference cancelled, Super Rugby suspended indefinitely, some Rotary youth programs cancelled Bunnings barbecues cancelled and about 50% attendance by members at last Tuesday’s meeting.
I thank sincerely all our hardworking members who have been involved with these projects and I commiserate with them that their efforts have so far been unrewarded.
In regard to coronavirus, we have tried to make our weekly meetings safer, with a club coronavirus protocol, more space between chairs, and sanitisers and wipes available. Nevertheless, it is inevitable that attendances will be lower than usual.
At the club’s Board meeting on March 20, it was decided to continue the club’s weekly meetings at the Golf Club for as long as members wanted to attend or until further health restrictions make it impossible to continue. The decision was taken after much discussion but it was finally agreed that our Rotary club exists for its members and if they wanted to attend (as 25 indicated they did at the March 17 meeting) we should continue to meet. The Board also discussed ways to hold meetings via electronic means rather than face-to-face and this is a work in progress.
We know that many members understandably do not wish to attend dinner meetings because of the potential health risk. The Board agreed to relax attendance requirements during the crisis. Those not wishing to attend should apply to Secretary Liz Grey for Leave of Absence, which will be addressed sympathetically by the Board.
In coming months, it will be a challenge to hold the club together as a viable, functioning organisation. We will try to keep all members informed about the club’s activities during these very difficult times and also try to maintain contacts between members.
Malcolm Lye
DID YOU KNOW
In the quest to find another potential source of regular income for the Charities Account and to compliment the annual Family Fireworks the Club in 2007 decided to venture into the world of gardens and gardening fairs. September saw the culmination of the efforts over many months under the leadership of President Barry Anderson, of the Northside Garden Fair and Open Garden Days. The event was held in conjunction with the Willoughby Spring Festival. Seven (7) private gardens in the City of Willoughby were opened for public inspection over two (2) days and then on the third day the Fair was held at Willoughby Bicentennial Oval. There were some 50 stalls at the Fair concentrating on gardening and/or community themes with musical entertainment, activities and entertainment for children and food stalls. The project was repeated in 2008 by the Club under the guidance of President Ian Jones and Immediate Past President Barry Anderson which was again held in conjunction with the Willoughby City Council’s Spring Fair in late September. This project again involved all available members manning five (5) Open Gardens one weekend and staging the Fair the following Sunday. The numbers through the gate were an improvement on the previous year but it was ultimately decided that this event was not sufficiently financially viable for the amount of effort by the members involved as the 2 events only raised a total net profit of $8313.00 and so was not again repeated.
The problem with political jokes is that they sometimes get elected.
Forget world peace, visualize using your turn signal.
I’m pining for a good tree pun. I wish they were more poplar.
Silence is golden. Duct tape is silver.
Afraid of Santa? You may be claustrophobic.
Just because you are offended doesn’t mean you are right.
Sweet dreams are made of cheese, who am I to dis a brie!
I danced like no one was watching. My court date is pending.
Turning vegan would be a big missed steak.
I have a chicken proof lawn – its impeccable!
I ate a frozen apple – hard core!
If anyone has any jokes or funny stories, feel free to send them to me for the humour section of the Bulletin! Email them to helen.gulson@ozemail.com.au
The Rotary Club of Northbridge is offering a Peace Scholarship in 2020-21
The Rotary Peace Fellowship is the premier educational program of The Rotary Foundation and supports Rotary’s mission to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace. It is intended for individuals who have chosen a career related to international relations, peace, and conflict resolution; who have work experience in these areas; and who have a commitment to community or international humanitarian service and working for peace.
These links explain the scholarships and where they are offered.
Due to COVID19 Virus Safety Restrictions this event has been cancelled until further notice
Looking for something different to do in Northbridge?
Get in the groove with the local band, Laneway 91. Enjoy the evening with popular music, catch up with friends over delicious food and a drink, and help Rotary raise money for rural communities in need.
Dave Banks (left), President, Nambucca Rotary Club presenting a cheque to a member of the community.
Photo caption:
L-R: John Turner, Marko Delatovic, Nick Hillyard and Peter Grinter.
Rotary President, Peter Grinter, presents cheque to Nick Hillyard for BlazeAid at the Charity Fundraiser at Northbridge Golf Club on 24 January.
Over the recent months our nation has been beset by numerous disasters on a national level. As you are no doubt aware your local Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Northbridge, has approached you to assist us in raising funds to help alleviate, in some way, the suffering occasioned to our fellow Australians. We, the members of the Club, have been blown away by the response and generosity of the members of our local community to our requests.
In October last year we conducted a bucket appeal at the Plaza for funds for the relief of drought-stricken farmers and we raised an amount just shy of $20,000.00. This was followed the next month with another bucket appeal at the Plaza to raise funds for victims of the bushfires then devastating the mid north coast of New South Wales which raised just under $16,000.00. Two months later we were back again asking for money for the victims of the fires then raging down the South Coast and nearly $26,000.00 to date has been raised. This is a grand total of some $61,500.00.
In dealing with funds raised by means of these appeals when, quite often, there are national appeals being conducted to raise substantial funds for the same cause, we have found that while the needs of the individual victims of the particular disaster are being helped financially by those national appeals, quite often community amenities are destroyed. However, the repair or replacement of those amenities which would greatly assist the devastated community achieving some return to normality do not qualify for assistance and literally fall through the cracks. To overcome this problem, we try to work with the local Rotary Club in that area and direct funds to helping restore those amenities and allowing the local community to rebuild as an interacting community.
In the middle of all this we conducted our regular annual ‘Tree of Joy’ at the Plaza to solicit Christmas presents for The Smith Family’s Annual Toy and Book Appeal for underprivileged children. This appeal resulted in our collecting enough presents to fill 24 waist-high, 75 litre, self-standing green plastic garden bags. Another magnificent effort by the local Community.
We, the members of the Rotary Club of Northbridge, wish to gratefully acknowledge the generosity of our Northbridge Community and to place on record our sincere thanks and gratitude for the material and financial assistance you have provided so readily when asked by us.
Where does the money go?
“Two people cried as they were so overwhelmed by Rotary generosity”
Karin Eurell
In typical Rotary fashion, we partner with another Rotary Club that is located close to the disaster zone. In this case, we connected with the Nambucca Rotary Club and the $15,000 raised from our first bucket appeal has been distributed already to where it is badly needed.
Nambucca Council provided Rotary with contact details of the 38 people who registered for Council assistance as they had lost their home in the bush fire.
The 38 names and phone numbers were allocated to 6 Rotarians to call and present them with a cheque for $300.
The President of Nambucca Rotary told us: “I have called 6 people so far, two cried as they were so overwhelmed by Rotary generosity.”
A further $1,400 is being donated to Out of the Ashes for porta loos –for people who have lost their home and are living in a tent.
The balance of $2, 200 will go to BlazeAid to assist farmers in the area by providing fencing materials which will be purchased locally.
Photo captions: The educators opened the box with mannequin torso at Christmas, and they were thrilled. It is the first clinical equipment that the hospital education team own themselves. Thanks so much 😊🙏Marg
A cry for assistance is certainly not uncommon in developing countries, especially when it concerns medical equipment. Northbridge Rotary Club heard the cry through two of its members Liz Grey and Ros Virtue, and immediately took up the challenge of fulfilling the needs of one of our closest neighbors, East Timor.
At Dili National Hospital, there are currently 12 Clinical Nurse Educators of which two are midwives. This year they became recognised as the first Timorese Clinical Nurse Educators at the Hospital to teach new nurses, midwives and student nurses on the wards.
Margaret McDonald-Ashe, a Nurse Educator for St John of God Nursing Development Program in Timor-Leste said “There is no budget allocation available for teaching equipment at the Hospital or the rural hospitals. We need assistance to carry on this really important work”
Past President Derek Matz ( Northbridge Rotary Club ) said “we managed to purchase or obtain via donation the vital pieces of equipment that were requested – mainly 2 adult and 2 child mannequins, a laptop and projector, stethoscopes, thermometers, 12 oxygen saturation monitors, a defibrillator with 10 batteries, bandages, medical tape and much more.”
“We can now continue the fantastic work the educators are doing, and even take on a few more people to move into the rural areas and train them as well.”
Margaret couldn’t thank Northbridge Rotary Club enough along with all the people who donated the equipment.
Children from the Wellington district enjoying their day out at the Dubbo Zoo with BBQ lunch.
Rotarians in Action:
Members of Northbridge and Wellington NSW at the Dubbo Zoo
Photo: Cheetah, Dubbo Zoo
The Rotary Clubs of Northbridge (Sydney) and Wellington (NSW) have embarked on a joint project to support the families of drought-affected communities in Western NSW. There are 744 primary school kids from the Wellington District and they are all being treated to a day at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo including a BBQ lunch.
The project is being run over a 7-week period. Rotarians from Northbridge are driving there to connect with their fellow Rotarians in Wellington and to jointly run the BBQ. Northbridge President, Peter Antaw, said that of the families: “The children are suffering as well, most of them don’t understand the financial and extreme pressures that their parents are going through.” The families are anxious about their future but there is also much determination to keep their communities alive.
Australia is experiencing one of its most severe droughts on record, with areas in NSW facing the prospect of running out of water by mid-2020.
The Burrendong dam is now at 4.5% capacity and dwindling rapidly.
The crisis is severely impacting the Wellington area and so special treats like a visit to the zoo is just not possible for many locals and their families.
3000 muesli bars, supplied free by Nestles, as well as 744 sausage sandwiches and a cold drink will be given to the children of the district which includes regional small towns such as Geurie, Mumbil, Stuart Town and Euchareena.
The joint project was launched on 11th September and Channel 7 Prime TV attended the Zoo to film the event. ABC Morning Radio interviewed the Presidents. The kids thoroughly enjoyed their day with most of them citing the Cheetahs and Meer Cats as their favorites.
Ben Shields (Mayor of Dubbo Regional) and Daryl Thompson (Headmaster of Wellington Primary) also attended the launch. They both congratulated the Rotary Clubs for identifying children as the hidden victims of the drought. President Greg Hart of Wellington Rotary also thanked Northbridge Rotary and the Rotary Australia Benevolent Society for their very generous contributions to the project, and for driving up from Sydney to help at the BBQ’s. Without Northbridge, Wellington would not have taken on this project.
