First and foremost, I must offer my sincerest apologies for not being able to attend our most recent meeting. An untimely calf tear, courtesy of a particularly ambitious game of pickleball, had me sidelined. A word of caution: while pickleball may seem like a light-hearted pastime, it can quickly turn into a dangerous sport if you're not careful (or, in my case, even if you are)!
Despite my absence, I was heartened to hear how well the meeting went. I’ve received such positive feedback from several members. I understand that Nick Hansen, fresh from his experience at RYLA, gave a fantastic and thoughtful presentation. His insights on the power of maintaining a positive inner dialogue and his call to “leave a legacy” clearly struck a chord. It’s always inspiring to hear how the next generation of leaders are thinking about their place in the world and their impact on it.
We also had the pleasure of hosting Zashua Hall and Ebony McNaughton from Paddington Rotaract, who brought incredible energy and passion as they spoke about their ambitious Project RISE in the Solomon Islands. I was particularly interested to hear about their guiding philosophy: “solve the big stuff, and the little stuff takes care of itself.” It’s a bold approach and one that resonates deeply with Rotary’s ethos of service above self.
I am pleased to report that Grace Sauer successfully completed her 175km fundraising walk to raise awareness and funds for the Women's Crisis Support Service Inc Ipswich. It was an incredibly difficult walk for her as the blisters started at the 30km mark and she had to overcome some real inner demons to complete the walk. The power of the human mind to overcome adversity is really inspiring. Grace has asked me to thank all Rotarians who very kindly donated to her fundraising efforts.
I’m now looking forward to our next meeting on 1 July, which promises to be a special occasion. We’ll have the opportunity to formally recognise and celebrate the contributions of several longstanding members of our club who have given so much over the years. It will be a fitting way to begin closing out the 2024-2025 Rotary year.
Thank you all for your continued commitment, enthusiasm, and good humour. I look forward to seeing you soon with hopefully a renewed sense of balance on two fully functional calves!
Yours in service,
Dave Patmore
President
Last Meeting
CLUB MEETING HELD 3rd JUNE
at ONE TABLE CAFE
Chair : Leanne Hardinge
Reporter : Paul McLaughlin
Chair Leanne welcomed members to the meeting and welcomed our guests
Dr Amanda Salmon, husband Ben and baby son
Carole Mead (Rob)
Sanjay Shah, Rotary Club of Boroka PNG
The chair acknowledged the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and proposed the Toast to Rotary.
Dinner followed.
After dinner the chair called the President to address the meeting.
Dave Patmore welcomed our guests in particular guest speaker Dr Amanda Salmon.
Dave noted that we are a particularly dog-friendly club, with a speaker on assistance dogs and a newly inducted special dog member “Shadow”.
Thanked all members for their help at the Brookfield Show and Opera in the Gardens.
Promoted the fundraising walk of Grace Sauer in aid of the Women's Crisis Support Services. Grace aims to walk 175 km at Mt Coot-tha in 40+ hours on 19-21 June. Please follow the link in Dave's President Remarks above if you'd like to financially support Grace's quest.
Member Announcements :
Mary Kearney :
10 club members assisted with the Opera in tha Gardens event on Sunday 1st June. Attendance was down on former years and takings were less.
A Fundraising Concert will be held 3rd August at Kenmore Anglican Church, featuring David and Mary's Brisbane Concert Band and vocalist Kelsey Giarola. The concert will aid Rotary's flood and cyclone relief appeal.
Ricky Haberfield :
Community Pantry project will commence on 10th June
Collection of items for Christmas hampers will begin in October.
For new members Ricky explained the Community Pantry was started after Covid. It aims to fill the pantries of local charities including St Vincent de Paul and Anglicare.
Ricky asked members to consider donating groceries, toiletries etc.
GUEST SPEAKER : Dr Amanda Salmon (UQ)
“Assistance Dogs in Aged Care”
An Assistance Animal is accredited to assist a person with a disability.
Studied this topic for PhD
Benefits of assistance dogs for older adults : practical, physical health benefits, mental health, social health and an interaction of these benefits.
Ownership in older age:
Most owners want to retain the dog well into old age, relocating to aged care.
Should they?
Key Stakeholders : RSPCA, Aged Care staff, Allied Health, owners and trainers etc.
Birthdays in June : David K, Ruthven, Martin, June, Claylia
Final Spot : Ruthven commended the club for its participation at the Brookfield Show. He said he found it a lot of fun and a great community service.
Meeting Photos
June and Margaret
Wise ones
Stalking photographer
Happy trio
Dietary choice
Some club icons
Leanne stood in as chair
El Prez
Ricky explains Community Pantry
Dr Amanda - our guest speaker
Madam Chair
Deirn on Fellowship
Club Projects
Opera in the Park - Sunday 1st June
Performers
….and the workers
From Mary Kearney :
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
Where will we and our club be in five years time?
The aging demographic of Rotary in general requires some changes of thinking.
All clubs need to look inward at everything they do before they look outward to find members
Strong clubs with fully engaged members are inviting to non members
These statements are from a District membership workshop which was held on Sunday 24th May, The workshop was an introduction to the three year plan devised and presented by Stephen O’Connell, DG District 9790, and Carol O’Connell. The workshop was attended by Margaret De Wit, Ricky Haberfield and Mary and David Kearney.
The Membership Action Plan is based on the Rotary Action Plan, with the key goals being:
Increase our impact,
Expand our reach,
Enhance participant engagement,
Increase our ability to adapt.
The plan is based on strengthening clubs, making them more accountable to members, to encourage better member engagement and giving consideration to everything about the club, to allow well informed consideration to be given to potential changes..
The plan presents a structured programme, with a series of stages, beginning with a short survey of members to assess satisfaction with club meetings, including costs and club culture. Several of the stages involve a club meeting devoted to watching a video, followed by a club assembly to discuss. The importance of public image was emphasised, as well as the need to be curious about suggested changes and listen without judgement before making a decision.
I believe that this programme represents a great opportunity for us to potentially make an already strong and successful club even better for the future.
