In President Peter’s absence, IPP Peter Antaw welcomed members, Christine Sullivan and guest speaker Martin Moroney. He also welcomed back Luke Keighery and Barry Anderson from their trip to Timor L’Este to oversee the start of the new pipeline project in Ermera.
Toast
Ian Burnet gave a toast to the RC of North Sydney Sunrise. Their major fundraiser is a World Festival of Magic event held at Darling Harbour which made $18k. They also have projects in common with us like support Mary’s House and Nusa Tengarra.
Announcements
IPP Peter said that Fran Garrett had thanked the club for its thoughtfulness on her recent illness. John Garrett reported that she is now home from hospital and well on the way to recovery.
Jon Gidney advised that subscription fees are now due, and that if payment is made before 31 December the amount is $150 but after that date it will be $165.
Jon also brought up the matter of the Honor Boards which are taking up much needed space in the club. The idea is to dispose of them, particularly now that the Honor Board is digitally scrolled on the screen at each meeting. If anyone is interested in keeping these boards, please let Jon know.
Mike Cocks advised that the Cantorian Choir is singing at St Peter’s Church, Blues Point Road, North Sydney at 10 am on Sunday, 8 December.
Susan Law spoke of the initiative by Western NSW Local Health District, and supported by Wellington & Northbridge Rotary clubs, of a dinner to be held in Wellington for farmers and other locals titled “Mental Health in Dust & Drought”. The dinner is being held in an effort to engender fellowship and encourage chat about mental health issues caused by the severe drought.
Sally O’Neill reported on the two successful Bunnings BBQs on 23 November, with Sally running the one at Artarmon and Valda the one at Chatswood. A total of $3167 was raised from both, with an additional $1216 for the Bucket Appeal. She thanked everyone who worked on the day, and especially those who went above and beyond. She hoped everyone enjoyed their shift, and that they continue to volunteer for the BBQs next year. IPP Peter thanked Sally and Valda for their management of the BBQs.
IPP Peter also mentioned the Community Service Awards which were presented by Trent Zimmerman MP recently and for which Northbridge Rotary won an Award.
A reminder that the Club's AGM will form part of next Tuesday's meeting; and also that the RSVPs for the Christmas party on 7 Dec need to be returned by Monday.
Guest Speaker - Martin Maroney
John Turner introduced guest speaker Martin Moroney, Sydney’s premiere marriage celebrant, who offers a money-back guarantee if the couple is not happy with the ceremony.
Martin started by telling us he is a federally appointed Marriage Celebrant, and that only in Australia can a Marriage Celebrant register a marriage. In 2017 there were 113,000 marriages and 40,000 divorces.
He believes guests feel more a part of a civil marriage ceremony and that the tone of the ceremony fuels the wedding reception, and the reception consolidates the marriage ceremony.
Civil celebrants have been performing rites of marriages and funerals since 1973 when then Attorney-General Lionel Murphy appointed Lois D’Arcy as Australia - and the world’s - first civil marriage celebrant. His vision was to ensure that the marriage of non-religious couples had the same gravitas and meaning as church marriages. Prior to that, other than at a church, couples could only marry in a Registry Office with only two witnesses present and one photo. Australia is the only country in the world where a marriage celebrant can register a marriage. In other countries people can only marry in a registry office or a church. In Australia couples can marry any place of their own choosing. In 1973, 80% of couples were married in a church, with the median age of brides being 21 and grooms 24. In 2019, 80% are civil marriages, brides are aged around 29 and grooms 32, 80% of couples live together before they marry, 29% are parents and 3% are same sex.
Martin also spoke about the madness of the wedding industry. On average, if $22k is budgeted for a wedding, the actual is $33k, and 15% cost over $60k. Generally 60% of the costs come from parents, 6% take a loan and the rest of the couples finance it themselves.
Martin talked about the “Stockholm Syndrome” where some couples become hostage to the wedding preparations in the months leading up to the marriage, which becomes their only focus, with the effect that sometimes they find nothing in common after the wedding. He believes that honeymoons directly after a wedding make for a stronger marriage.
Valda Andrews gave the vote of thanks and thanked Martin for his most enlightening talk.
DID YOU KNOW
The Rotary Club of Northbridge has been instrumental in creating two Probus Clubs in Northbridge. The first was formed in the presidential year of Ross Alexander, the third President of the Club (1987-1988). At that time all Rotary Clubs were still limited to male only members and as Probus was deemed to be an offshoot of Rotary, Probus Clubs were similarly restricted in their membership. The Probus Club met regularly at the then Northbridge Bowling Club and prospered with a wide variety of speakers and social trips enjoyed by both the members and their wives and partners. However over the years the writing was on the wall for the demise of male only organisations. This Club’s demise was exacerbated by the formation of the second Probus Club as a Combined Club open to both men and women in the presidential year of John Becroft (2006/2007). The first Club continued to linger on for a number of years but finally succumbed and closed with several of its final members joining the Combined Club. The Combined Club has also prospered and has a membership limit of 140 which is constantly maintained with a long waiting list.
When things in life seem almost too much to handle and 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember this.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of dry sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes”.
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now” said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favourite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff. "
"If you put the sand into the jar first" he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical check ups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. "
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked" he said. "It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a cup of coffee with a friend!”
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 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.
