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December 19 2019

POST CHRISTMAS VOLUNTEERS URGENTLY NEEDED
New Volunteer Roster at the NSW Rural Fire Service Catering Brigade at Hawkesbury Fire Control Centre, Macquarie Rd Wilberforce.
The current Team of Volunteers are exhausted and need a well-earned break.
New Volunteers would need to be available for shifts up to 7 days a week.
 
There are two shifts daily 8am - 2pm and 1pm – 8pm.
 
Please text:
Volunteer Coordinator on
0439-402-243
To register
 
 
 
 
12 DAYS LEFT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CONFERENCE EARLY BIRD RATE
Register for the Multidistrict Conference in Wollongong before 31 December, for only $240!
 
FRIDAY 20 - SUNDAY 22 MARCH 2020
 
Hear from fantastic speakers including:
* Mark Huddleston
* Turia Pitt
* Munjed Al Muderis
* Rebecca Tolstoy AM
 
Have fun at the Roaring 20s Evening on the Saturday Night.
 
Find lots of different accommodation options, that include special Rotary rates.
 
Engage with presenters at workshops on Friday Afternoon or be involved in a practical activity.
 
Enjoy breakfast near Wollongong beach on Sunday morning, before the plenary sessions - a great way to start the day!
 
For more information and to register head to the Conference Website - HURRY! BE QUICK! The early bird registration rate finishes in 12 days! 
 
Lots of different registration packages available throughout the weekend - just check the website.
 
 
REASONS MULTIDISTRICT CONFERENCE MARCH 2020
 
 
 
 
LAUNCH OF CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

The Sydney Rotary Club has pleasure in advising that the Vice Regal couple Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AO QC, Governor of New South Wales and Mr Dennis Wilson, will Host the launch of the 2021 Centenary Celebrations at Government House, Sydney. 

As you would be aware our Rotary organisation will be celebrating 100 years of being established in Australia and New Zealand and a number of clubs in both countries have created a committee of the willing to start the journey and countdown to the Centenary Celebrations in 2021.

Many different events and activities are being worked on and it is the intent of the committees to enrol all Rotarians from around both countries, where practical to participate and show their pride and enthusiasm for our great organisation and capitalise on the opportunity to highlight the great work we do.

With this in mind the Governor of NSW will be hosting an event to commence the launch in NSW of the Centenary Celebrations. We have been advised by Government House there is a limit to the attendees and on that basis, it will be a first in selection. For the clubs of NSW there is an allocation of 50 places. That means that the first 50 clubs to register a Representative and pay $500 towards the Centenary project will receive a ticket to the event.

Wednesday 12 February 2020 at 6:00pm

Government House, Sydney
Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=581126&

 

TURRAMURRA REPORT ON THE DROUGHT
On Thursday 12th and Friday 13th December Ian Salmon, Parry Monckton and Tim  Shay  visited Muswellbrook in the upper Hunter Valley.
 
We joined the Muswellbrook Club for dinner on Thursday night and met the President, John Hobden and other key members of the Club. The Club has about 20 members. We met about 10 members. They were very welcoming to all of us and also introduced us to members eg their member who is head of the chamber of commerce in the town. They are very keen for us to adopt them.
 
The Club has been involved in the distribution of hay for farmers in 2018/2019 and has raised $50,000 for this. This is especially in badly affected areas in a hundred kilometre or so radius.  They distributed a lot of hay by club members personally, but had some issues with a few who were not worthy. In view of this and now a severe lack of actual stock on farms, having been sold, they have preferred to concentrate on giving out Voucher cards for spending  only in local businesses as the preferred option to help.  Those businesses are very much affected by the drought as well as farmers, as local farmers have no money to support those businesses. The distribution of these cards can also be tightly controlled by local members of the other surrounding Rotary clubs and other organisations who are themselves “in the know” who is most needy . This helps local businesses as well as the recipients.
 
There are many ways in which we can partner with the Muswellbrook Rotary Club in helping them do this in fund raising activities or events, hands on, and building fellowship.  We explored some of their activities for the future such as just one example:   a STEM camp run by the University of Newcastle for year 11 and 12 students from local area high schools in June running for  3 days. The cost is about $ 300 each but where we might help them on those days to help run the events. . 
 
On Friday, John and Gary spent all day driving us to surrounding towns Merriwa and Murrurundi.  It was an opportunity to see just first hand how pitifully dry and desolate the whole landscape of the upper Hunter is. There is no grass,  just dust and dirt, trees dying everywhere and no stock to be found in hundreds of kilometres. It is truly heart breaking!  Very difficult to describe how awful it really is.
 
At Merriwa we had morning tea with members of the Rotary Club of Merriwa, and in particular John Sparrow, the President. These people were nearly all local farmers as well as members of Rotary Merriwa farmers. Again the reception and friendliness was wonderful.  
 
They distribute vouchers in conjunction with the Muswellbrook Rotary Club. These vouchers are often targeted at particular businesses. For example, chemists. In one case we were told of a husband and wife who were each requiring medication. Because of their circumstances, only one could afford the medication so the other had to go without. The Club managed to organise vouchers with the chemist so that both the husband and wife could afford the medication. They have also been involved in hay distribution. The feeling was, that at this stage of the drought hay distribution was wasn't really going to be of much benefit as most farmers would have run down their stock to low or zero levels. 
 
Along the way, we discovered the Merriwa Club does a bicycle event similar to our Bobbo in the Merriwa hills. The next one will be on the 8th March 2020. Perhaps our club would help  support that event and then they could support ours too!
 
We also met Maria Cameron. She works as a Land Services Officer - Regional Drought Support for the New South Wales Government but is an absolute gem! She not only lives on the land herself locally but visits every single property ( 4000!) in the area as part of her job. She knows first hand and keeps a very confidential list of those that can mostly be helped in the whole area. We discussed amongst other things mental health issues, suicides, and how the farmers women and men and school kids can best be helped.   Maria has been organising trade courses for farmers ( who are not able to do much on their land at the moment with no stock and bare barren hillsides, to acquire skills eg welding  etc and which  also has a separate agenda in helping those farmers ( especially men) just getting together to have fun and learn  providing psychological support at the same time in the form of courses and social get togethers. Our clubs could get together and go and help at one of these workshops and have dinner with all of them. ( there is a wonderful local venue for this Brindley Park!!!)
 
One possibility is for Turramurra Rotary to just go to Merriwa to support the community and businesses.  Maybe on a weekend. Just get a bus together or go up and go shopping! And hand out the cards! Or just buy stuff to support the town businesses There is quite good accommodation available.
 
We then went to Murrurundi.
This town is on level 6 water restrictions and has been since July 2018. 
We visited Justine Cooper and her team of volunteers. It is truly awe inspiring what they do!!
 
Justine runs an operation called the Pop-Up Pantry in a little local old weatherboard church ( part of the museum). Supplies and money are donated from all over NSW including individuals or charities or schools or small groups charities , scout groups and from everywhere including Sydney. The volunteers help sort those supplies  and then stack and sort onto the shelves for the local Murrurundi farmers and most needy people to simply come and shop for free, two days a week. They come from far away flung locations in the Upper Hunter not just the local town. When they don’t have something donated ( they don’t keep perishables at all) they give cards or direct then to the one local supermarket. Justine simply buys from the local supermarket to stock items in short supply if they don’t have it and is bought for needy farm families. This can be a sensitive operation as farm families are often embarrassed about receiving help. Originally the family would come and collect groceries from the Pop-Up Pantry only at night. This is now a bit more relaxed and they can now feel comfortable to come during the day. Demand for groceries and supplies is ever increasing.
 
But the worst problem is literally no water! The Pop-Up Pantry also buys and supplies water to needy farmers who have literally no water and reliant only on their bone dry water tanks and dams .  They have no money to put down bores ( about $10000 and not necessarily successful!) .
 
Justine and her volunteers just hand out 10 liter containers of drinking water on a Saturday morning to those needy who pull up and they put it in their vehicle. The next three weeks is earmarked for mostly doing just this.
 
Justine spends  in each case,  $400 for 30 kilolitres of potable water to be carted by a local business to put into  rain water tanks. . There is no charge to families who are in need and these volunteers know who is needy. They don’t ask questions they just do it and Justine’s phone never stops ringing. She isn’t even eligible for government donated money! ( which can only be accessed for mental health programs !)
 
In the short term we could give money, write a cheque, go shopping for groceries  put them in a trailer and drive up there. Or shop in the town and give it to the pantry. Or buy water!
 
 
 
D-CAF: DEMENTIA CAFE
The D-Caf program was included this year under District 9685 Community Service Dementia Awareness & Support chaired by Bobby Redman.

D-Caf was an initiative of the Rotary Club of St Ives and a pilot program, with the support of KNC, commenced latter part of 2018 at the PCYC in Waitara.

Following the success of the pilot program initially run by Tim England and Fiona Jenkins, and with continuing funding from the Rotary Club of St Ives, the Waitara D-Caf continued through 2019. Mid year Fiona Jenkins was appointed D-Caf Coordinator to continue with the Waitara D-Caf and to encourage other Rotary clubs to establish their own D-Caf. Several new D-Cafs have been established with more to follow; congratulations to the hosting Rotary clubs and to their community based partners.

The D-Caf program will continue in 2020 and beyond, and Ian Cameron (Rotary Club of Wahroonga) will take on the D-Caf Coordinator role. Please forward all future enquiries to Ian.

For convenience, a mobile phone number 0455 322 097 has been allocated for D-Caf, and for other enquiries in relation to Dementia Awareness & Support.
 


 
RAM QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
Click on this link: https://mailchi.mp/f7b0a0edeb79/correct-version-ram-newsletter-july-september-747873?e=052fbd4bbf
 
 
 
 
SOCIAL WORK INTERNSHIP REQUEST
Dear Rotarian friends in Sydney,

I am a member of the Rotary Club Lehrte-Burgdorfer Land (www.lehrte-Burgdorfer-Land.de) in District 1800 in Germany. I have a special request, perhaps you can help me at short notice in a personal matter.
Of course, I know that especially in the Christmas-season you are all very busy. Nevertheless, I would like to address a request to you:
My son Robert (24 years old) is currently studying "Social Work" in Germany and is visiting a friendly family in Sydney from 17 January to 25 March 2020. An unpaid, six-week internship in "Social Work" (working on and with young people, teenagers, people with disabilities/ special needs, etc.) is part of his studies. Unfortunately, the planned facility in Sydney was cancelled at short notice.
Since the flights are booked, a visa (work-and-travel) is available and he has a fixed accommodation in Unit 311/Pacific Highway CrowsNest, he is now desperately looking for an alternative.
Robert and I would be very grateful if we could find a job through our Rotarian friends for the timespan mentioned above.

If needed, I would be most happy to give you further information.

Yours sincerely,
Michael Loske
E-Mail: info@gymbu.de

 
Read more...
SPREAD YOUR CLUB NEWS ON THE RADIO
Rotary Matters a weekly program on community radio station Triple H 100.1 FM profiles the causes, projects and people who make up Rotary. The idea is to arouse interest and engagement among the wider general public. Each week a different Rotary initiative is profiled with an in studio interview. This is followed by a What’s On of activities in District 9685 which are accessible to the public. To have your Club’s initiatives and activities profiled on Rotary Matters, contact the host, Ian Stuart on 0416 138 860 or ian.stuart@optusnet.com.au Episodes of the program can be heard indefinitely on the Rotary Matters Facebook site and other social media platforms like Spotify.
 
 
In Memoriam
* Joe Blair, Richmond
* Bill Peard, Lower Blue Mountains
* Irene Reid, Upper Blue Mountains Sunrise
 
Please email editorial@rotarydistrict9685.org.au to let us know of any bereavements you would like published.  
You may also inform your Assistant Governor, the District Secretary, or the Governor.  Remember to also update your club's member database on the District website.
 
RYLA Team Meeting
District Office
Dec 21, 2019
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
 
RYLA Committee Meeting
District Office
Dec 23, 2019
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
 
RYLA - Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Elanora Heights Conference Centre
Jan 05, 2020 8:00 AM –
Jan 11, 2020 3:00 PM
 
COTA Meeting
District Office
Jan 17, 2020
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
 
Rotary Foundation Committee Meeting
District Office
Jan 23, 2020
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
 
DG Nominating Committee Meeting
District Office
Feb 02, 2020
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
 
Summer RYPEN
Sydney Academy of Sport and Rec, Narrabeen
Feb 07, 2020 6:00 PM –
Feb 09, 2020 2:00 PM
 
Summer RYPEN
Sydney Academy of Sport and Rec, Narrabeen
Feb 07, 2020 6:00 PM –
Feb 09, 2020 2:00 PM
 
2019/20 District Team Meeting
District Office
Feb 08, 2020
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
 
GTrain Meeting
District Office
Feb 15, 2020
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
 
Presidents Meeting
Hornsby RSL
Feb 22, 2020
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
 
RLI 56.1
District Office
Feb 22, 2020
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
 
DG Nominating Committee Meeting
District Office
Mar 01, 2020
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
 
Rotary Foundation Committee Meeting
District Office
Mar 05, 2020
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
 
RLI 56.2
District Office
Mar 07, 2020
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
 
COTA Meeting
District Office
Mar 13, 2020
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
 
President Elect Learning and Development (PETS)
Next Generation Club
Mar 14, 2020
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
 
District Conference 2020 - Reasons
WEC, Wollongong
Mar 20, 2020 6:00 PM –
Mar 22, 2020 1:00 PM
 
PDGs Meeting with RIPPR
TBA
Mar 23, 2020
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
 
DG 2022/23 Interviews
District Office
Apr 05, 2020
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
 
View entire list
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