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Welcome to The Rotary Club of Northbridge
Northbridge
We meet Tuesdays at 6:00 PM
Northbridge Golf Club
Sailors Bay Road,
Northbridge, NSW 2063
Australia
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Please send apologies to Helen Gulson before 10:30am each Monday at helen.gulson@ozemail.com.au
Club Service Duty Roster
Club Service Duty Roster
Speakers
Mar 31, 2020
Australian Wildlife Park
Apr 07, 2020
Film Producer
View entire list
Upcoming Events
Bookstall at Plaza
Northbridge Plaza
Apr 19, 2020
 
Bookstall at Plaza
Northbridge Plaza
May 17, 2020
 
Club Commitee Evening
May 19, 2020
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Bunnings BBQ
Bunnings Chatswood
May 24, 2020
 
Club Forum (Visioning)
Northbridge Golf Club
May 26, 2020
 
Combined 2020 & 2021 Boards Meeting
Jun 18, 2020
 
View entire list
 
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
 
ClubRunner Mobile
Club Meeting News - YOUTH Program Presentation
 
Welcome
 
President Peter welcomed all members and guests from Willoughby Girls High School. He then introduced President Elect Kevin Tattrie to oversee the YOUTH Program Presentation meeting.
 
YOUTH Program Presentations
 
President Elect Kevin welcomed everyone to the new format YOUTH Program Presentation evening and acknowledged the new Youth Director for the current and next Rotary year, Susan Law. Kevin outlined the evening’s agenda and the Programs which would be reported on. He then introduced Danielle Francis, who only recently spoke to the club in relation to water programs and securing our water supplies, and who is also a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar who studied in France, and would be speaking on the opportunities Rotary has presented and the benefits and outcomes Rotary has made in her education and career.
 
GUEST SPEAKER - Danielle Francis (Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar)
 
Danielle Francis spoke about her history and the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship with a focus on engaging the Youth Program presenters who were reporting across the programs sponsored by our club. Danielle spoke of the outcomes both personally and in her career that had such an impact on her and continue to influence her in all areas of her life. There was a very direct connection between the STEM and Leadership programs which were to follow.
 
President Elect Kevin took several questions from club members for Danielle and thanked her for speaking and attending the first YOUTH Program Presentation meeting. Kevin then explained the relationship with Willoughby Girls High School and the Programs that had run during the first half of the year since July 2019. He outlined the 3 programs which had been completed being the Conocco Phillips Science Experience, the Women in Engineering STEM program, and the first of two yearly RYPEN leadership camps. Kevin apologised that the sponsored Science Experience candidate was unable to attend and introduced the first program report from the two candidates attending the Women in Engineering STEM program to report on their experience.
 
The Women in Engineering report by Chloe and Aela was received warmly and the two presented on the various STEM and engineering related activities which made up the program. Questions were taken and Kevin thanked the girls for their excellent presentation.
 
Following a short break to give everyone the opportunity to mingle and enjoy the food, Kevin introduced the next YOUTH Program reporters. The candidates reporting on the RYPEN Summer Camp were Meg, Sarang and Victoria, all year 9 students at WGHS. The girls presented on their weekend camp experiences and the leadership focus activities which challenged them. Of note was the added challenge of the experiences corresponding with the memorable storms which hit Sydney the same weekend. Kevin then took questions from the club, and the girls were warmly thanked by the club.
 
Also in attendance at the meeting were the key liaisons for WGHS who work so hard with our club across not only all the sponsored YOUTH Programs but also the Mock Interviews which run every year, not to mention the volunteer help we receive from their students at our yearly Fireworks. For this work Kevin gave a well-earned and heart felt thank you to Nola Budd and Rana Morris for all their support and assistance to deliver the programs to the students at WGHS.
 
President Elect Kevin then closed the official part of the evening and thanked the club and all in attendance for their support of the Youth Programs sponsored by the club.
Kevin Tattrie
 
DID YOU KNOW
 

The Club as a group became aware of the activities of Taldumande many years ago when a representative of that organisation addressed the Club in a regular meeting in an endeavour to try to obtain financial support for its activities which was not the same but complemented those of StreetWork. Subsequently in 2008 Carmen Bekker, the then CEO of Taldumande was awarded a Pride of Workmanship. However it was not until 2014 under the presidency of Noel Phelan that the Club really got involved with this charity. The needs of the charity were to some extent a little different from our usual involvement as whilst it definitely needed cash, it also needed manual help in maintaining and refurbishing its property. This found members gardening and building a pergola. The money side of things changed when the charity qualified to receive government funding. However in due course it was found that Taldumande was an excellent means of dealing with the money that had been transferred to it by Sydney Enterprise Education. A number of the young people who had received help from Taldumande wished to further their education and often found that the ownership of a laptop computer made this pursuit much easier and through connections of P.P. John Turner a source of very reasonably priced laptops. To the 30th June 2019 the Club has donated a total of $28,549.00 to this charity, including the purchase of the laptops and other educational aids.

YOU CAN READ MORE IN THE CLUB HISTORY https://tinyurl.com/rcnclubhistory

 
 

Something to amuse and entertain - just click the link …

 

https://tinyurl.com/toamuse

 
 
If anyone has any jokes or funny stories, feel free to send them to me for the humour section of the Bulletin! We certainly need a little humour in our lives at the moment!!! Email them to helen.gulson@ozemail.com.au
 
 

 

 
Stories
Rock for a Cause with Rotary
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.
 
Save the date: TBA
Time:  TBA
Venue: TBA
Tickets available: TBA
 
 
2020 Northbridge Community Fireworks
The Rotary Club of Northbridge will again hold the annual community Fireworks event. 
 
Due to COVID19 Virus Safety Restrictions this event has been rescheduled to be held on Saturday 12th September 2020 at the Northbridge Oval. 
 
100 per cent of funds raised go towards supporting rural communities, including aiding disadvantaged youth and mental health.
 
There will be lots of rides, entertainment and a variety of food to enjoy – so come on down.
Be sure to mark this family friendly event in your diary.
Volunteer assistance from the community is welcomed!
 
Please contact Sally on 0411 886 539 for more details.
Applauding the Generosity of our Community
 
 
Photo caption: 
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.
 
Read more...
First Box Opened at Christmas
 
 
 
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.
Rotary Treats 744 School Kids to a Day at the Zoo
 
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.
THE 4 - WAY TEST of the things we say or do

1). Is it the TRUTH?

2). Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3). Will it build GOODWILL & BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4). Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?