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Burnett Cup - City vs Country in Mundubbera
Mundubbera Golf Club
Aug 18, 2018
12:00 PM – 10:00 PM
 
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Jul 23, 2018 12:30 PM
Member in the spotlight
Jul 30, 2018 12:30 PM
Exercise physiologist, The University of Queensland
Aug 06, 2018 12:30 PM
Member in the spotlight
Aug 13, 2018 12:30 PM
Conductor of the Qld Pops Orchestra
Aug 27, 2018 12:30 PM
Cyber Safety, Social Media and online Fraud
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Meeting Roster

23 July 2018

President             C Muir
Chair                   J Smerdon
Minutes                J De Lacy
Front Desk           D Schellbach/
                         J Smerdon
 

30 July 2018

President             C Muir
Chair                   M Stephens
Minutes                M Williams
Front Desk           D Schellbach/
                         J Smerdon

 6 August 2018

President             C Muir
Chair                   R Tamaschke
Minutes                C Shepherd
Front Desk           D Schellbach/
                         J Smerdon

13 August 2018

President             C Muir
Chair                   W Walker
Minutes               J De Lacy
Front Desk           D Schellbach/
                         J Smerdon
ClubRunner
Stories
Meeting Notes - 9th July 2018
Chair for the meeting was Michael Stephens and he opened the meeting with Rotary Grace and toasts before inviting acting president Graeme Whitmore to the podium to address members.
 
Graeme welcomed guest speaker Ali France and visiting Rotarians Jeanette Harris from the Buderim club and Roy Wiffin, visiting from Sugar Land, Texas.. He also reported that there had been some good news on the sporting front with the Reds and Broncos both scoring wins. The Maroons have a big game on Wednesday to try to avoid a wipe on the state of origin. Attendance was light with 4 members being overseas and a couple of members being stolen by another meeting in the same building!
 
There being no spots, members were able to enjoy fellowship before the guest speaker.
 
At 13:20, Chair Michael invited guest speaker Ali France to the podium.
 
Ali began her presentation by musing on the topic of the 2018-9 presidential theme - "Be the inspiration". How does one be the inspiration? Does one do inspiring things? Does one try to to inspire others with words? Or does one simply try to better oneself and let the inspiring look after itself?
 
Ali then went on to tell us a pretty inspiring story of her own, relating how as a young mum she had lost a leg when struck by a runaway car in a shopping centre carpark, how this somewhat unexpectedly to her led to a period of depression and PTSD and most importantly caused her life to be ruled by fear. She only started to overcome her fears when she faced them head-on and started taking risks. For example Ali was afraid of drowning and did not swim well, so she chose the sport of outrigger canoeing. More to the point, she excelled at it, representing Australia with honour in competition for the handicapped and open competition as well. For the future, Ali is taking on the challenge of volunteer work and contesting the seat of Dickson at the next Federal election.
 
 
Michael Stephens won the raffle, but could not find the joker. The Jackpot approached $1500.
 
Acting President Graeme closed the meeting with the singing of the national anthem at 13:45.
 
 
 
Doing good in Vietnam

By Shahul Hameed, Rotary Club of Singapore (District 3310)

A young girl washes her hands in the new facilities.

For some of us, it might be hard to imagine life without clean water. We may have suffered the inconveniences of temporary water cuts due to breakdowns or repairs in the water network. And we may have felt frustration after working out at the fitness center if the shower was broken. But those are just minor inconveniences compared to what people in the Huong Nguyen commune live with. Until recently.

It takes a drive over many miles through tortuous and bumpy roads to reach Huong Nguyen commune. It is located in a very mountainous region, close to the Laos border, in the A Luoi District, Thua Thien Hue Province, one of the most affected areas during the Vietnam War. Through the assistance of a Rotary Foundation global grant, a project provided a water supply system and environmental sanitation benefitting 1,252 people in 316 households.

Left: Visiting Rotarians teach the children safe hygiene habits.

The project also enabled construction of 50 hygienic latrines. These play an essential role in keeping waste away from living spaces, which means less disease and better health for all the affected people.

It is expected that all these measures will have an important impact in the health of the inhabitants of the commune. But they are also expected to have other impacts. It will no longer be necessary to travel long distances to bring clean water home, saving time for the inhabitants of the commune, time that might be spent in other profitable tasks, increasing the economic prospects of the whole area.

It is difficult to describe the atmosphere in the training sessions where those living in the commune learn about the new facilities and are taught hygiene. The smiles on the faces of the attendees and the laughter of the boys and girls says much about the joy and happiness that Rotary has brought to this poor commune almost lost in the mountains of Vietnam.

 

Source: Rotary Voices

Crossing the border from Rotaract to Rotary

By I.J. Carido, a member of the Rotary Club of Smpaguita Grace Park, and the Rotaract Club of University of the East Caloocan, Philippines

Members of the Rotary Club of Sampaguita Grace Park and the Rotaract clubs of University of the East Caloocan and University of Caloocan City.

During the summer when the weather is ever shifting, I joined members of the Rotary Club of Sampaguita Grace Park and the Rotaract clubs of University of the East Caloocan and University of Caloocan City to visit a majestic sight. The journey took us to Wawa Dam, a natural gem located two hours from the bustling streets and towering buildings of Makati and Manila. It was my first time to see a dam up-close and personal and as an aspiring engineer, the structure was a wonderful sight to me. However, what we were seeking lies far beyond the water reservoir.

Left: En route to Sitio Inigan.

Not far from the dam, nature takes over. The zigzagging river, shifting plains, and lush green forest envelop everything in breathtaking fashion. An hour and a half later, we finally arrived at our destination. Nestled in the deep part of the trail is something one would not expect to find – a community of people, thriving on farm lands where the basic mode of transportation is walking or through a raft. The nights are only illuminated by the night sky because there is no electricity. This was the reason for our journey.

Through a partnership with Liter of Light, BYKA group and 8990 Holdings, Inc. we managed to provide 100 solar lights and two street lights to the people of Sitio Inigan, Rizal, while training them in the assembly of the solar light. We also distributed 100 pairs of reading glasses to the elderly. It was then that we found the real gem that we were looking for — the smile on the faces of the people of Sitio Inigan. We gave them a means to light their dark nights, but it is within their eyes where we see a glimmer of hope for a better tomorrow that made our jobs as Rotarians fulfilling.

The long walk under blazing sun that abruptly turned to pouring rain suddenly didn’t matter. We had crossed the border from paved road to craggy dirt trail to extend our hands to those who needed it most. It was this experience that made me realize that I have crossed a border as well – a transition from Rotaractor to Rotarian.

Through the dual-membership program of Rotary International, I became a Rotaractor and Rotarian at the same time. I can see the two worlds simultaneously, admiring the works of both. While they may be different from each other, I realize they can co-exist and bring out the best things out of the good in this world.

Source: Rotary Voices

Musical Interlude

Club Officers

President                   Chris Muir
Secretary                   Mark Williams
Treasurer                   Warren Walker
Imm. Past President  Daniel Vankov
President Elect          Michael Stephens
Sergeant-at-arms       Luke Marshall
The Rotary Club of Brisbane Inc.
ABN 75 152 438 499
GPO BOX 2909 Brisbane Qld 4001
District               9600
Club Number   17787

Brisbane City Cluster Assistant Governor

Lisa Bateson

District Governor

Wendy Protheroe

Rotary International President

Barry Rassin