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Australian travel writer Dan Slater has published an article in the Australian Geographic online that can only be described as a extremely complimentary description of his positive experiences in last years Gears and Beers and encouraging cyclists to come to Wagga and participate in this years October 5th and 6th event. He not only recognises the adventure of the ride, but the fun of the festival, the quality of the local craft beer and the great benefit to the community through the efforts of Wollundry Rotary and all their supporting community organizations. He has titled it Best of both worlds: Riding Wagga’s Gears + Beers cycling festival. The story subtitle goes: "The 2024 Beers and Gears is on October 6 and is a must-ride. Just ask Dan Slater, who recounts last year’s running of this unique event that combines bicycles and craft breweries in the best possible way". Click here to read the article. |
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Miss Wagga Velika Hayes and Community Princess Jess Barclay, were introduced by David Byfield. It has been some years since we have had Miss Wagga representatives at our club and so David took the initiative and invited our current winner of the contest to visit.
Velika and Jess spoke alternatively and gave us a comprehensive insight into the work of the Miss Wagga quest and the exciting year they have experienced.
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These two impressive young women who attended Kildare High School, spoke about the journey of discovery and growth they have experienced. They explained that the Miss Wagga quest has a twofold purpose, to give participants the opportunities for personal development and to raise funds for charities. They chose four charities including Carevan Wagga and Ronald McDonald House. Since inception, the Quest has raised an impressive sum of money for the Wagga Community.
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Velika and Jess both described Crowning Night as a highlight of their lives, very exciting and the reward for their fundraising achievements. To prepare they had engaged in training workshops on public speaking, deportment and community engagement. Their presentation to our club demonstrated how well they had absorbed all they had learned.
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Some of the fundraising highlights were: Christmas in July, a Trivia Night with 200 participants, a Long Lunch, Lawn Bowls at the RSL and a High Tea.
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Local businesses were very cooperative and Velika and Jess both thanked various organisations for their help. The young women were motivated to enter the quest by their desire to give back to the Community. They experienced the benefits of a happy family life and school and described Wagga as their forever home.
Wagga's sister city Leavenworth (Texas) played host to our Ambassadors for six days. They experienced many highlights including a Mayoral Reception, Wagga Week, a visit to Fort Leavenworth, Wagga Drive, an American High School, a Lions Club and learnt the history of Leavenworth. The year has passed quickly for these talented young women and they both believe it has equipped them well for their future. They thanked the club for the opportunity to speak and were rewarded by the full attention and applause of our members. President David thanked them on our behalf and presented each with a bottle of Wollundry Olive Oil, a fitting home grown product for two special locals. |
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| A few weeks ago at the beginning of our meeting President Davids partner Karen Walsh briefly made an announcement that her daughter Emily Walsh, won an Emmy Award. At that time we didn't have the photos and the details, but now we do and here it is courtsey of Region Riverina, 10 September 2024 | Jarryd Rowley |
Cootamundra High School graduate Emily Walsh has become an Emmy winner with her incredible work on FX’s hit TV show Shogun. Photo: Supplied. Inspired by the design of Captain Jack Sparrow, Emily Walsh began her career in makeup after completing a TAFE course during her final years at school. Little did she know that 18 years after completing her studies, she would win an Emmy for Outstanding Period Makeup (non-prosthetic) on the hit FX TV show Shogun. Shogun this week broke the record for most Creative Arts Emmys won for a single season, scooping a total of 14 awards across makeup, production and costuming. Filmed during the pandemic, Shogun is one of the most expensive shows ever filmed, costing a reported $250 million in its first season. It quickly became one of FX’s (a network owned by Disney) most streamed shows ever, pulling in more than two billion streamed minutes across its first 10 episodes. It also has become one of the most critically acclaimed forms of media ever. So how did one of the biggest shows in history land a makeup artist from Cootamundra? Back in 2007, Emily was in her graduating year at Cootamundra High School. According to her mother Karen, Emily was allowed to pick up a skill-based course through TAFE and landed on makeup. After completing her schooling and taking a gap year, Emily was offered a course in Sydney with Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics. It was there that she learnt about prosthetic makeup and began her journey into film and TV. “When she was younger, she was always in the theatre. She was always on stage. She would do the makeup in the dance classes, and she did all that kind of stuff,” Karen said. “After working a couple of years in London, she came back to Australia but she didn’t know what she wanted to do. “I asked her, ‘What do you want to do?’ and she said, ‘I really want to get back into doing prosthetic makeup and the best place to do that is in Vancouver Film School in British Columbia, Canada.” Being a Canadian citizen through ancestry (Karen was born in Canada), Emily completed her course at Vancouver Film School in 2016 and from there moved on to a handful of shows, including Canadian drama Family Law and CW’s Big Sky. Emily then received a recommendation from one of her peers to work on a Disney-funded historical epic. Learning that it would be a high-budget adaptation of the popular Japanese story Shogun, Emily was justifiably reluctant. “When she was first asked, she was like, ‘I don’t know whether I can do that’,” Karen said. “I think that was when the nerves set in. The show is so big, and she was really unsure about whether she was going to do it.” Struggling with harsh weather, pandemic restrictions and long hours, the difficulties of working on a show such as Shogun also became some of its perks. “They [FX and Disney] brought people from Japan to show them how to tie all the costuming properly, how it would be in the old, traditional way,” Karen said. “It became very, very authentic in that sense. “She also worked exclusively with the lead actor Cosmo Jarvis [John Blackthorne in the series] because he was immune-compromised during the production. She learnt a lot of new skills and has taken a lot of confidence away from working with him.” |
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After 10 months of filming and nearly 18 months of post-production, the show finally premiered on Disney+ in Australia on 27 February, 2024. After several months of hype and countless minutes streamed, Shogun was nominated for a record 25 Emmys. During the Creative Arts Emmys on 8 September, Emily won the prestigious award for the series’ eighth episode, titled The Abyss of Life. “Working on Shogun has been the highlight of her career so far,” Karen said. “On Sunday night, her time, winning that Emmy showed off just how many years of hard work she put in, and to see her get that recognition is a dream come true.” Shogun has officially been renewed for a second season, so here’s hoping Emily and her team will return. |
Our Guest Speaker was to talk to us about General Aviation in Australia, so there was no competition - Geoff Breust was to do the introduction.
Ben Morgan is the CEO of the Australian Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, is based at Bankstown airport in Sydney, and has been involved in lobbying for his association in political and industry issues.
He started by telling us about the government regulation of aviation, heavily regulated through CASA, and the creep to tighter regulation that seems inevitable in Australian society.
Statistically, aviation is very safe, but is being strangled by a public service that needs to justify its existence, and Ben gave examples of the USA equivalent which is far easier to deal with.
A significant issue that has impacted General Aviation revolves around the Federal Government decision to privatise Airports, where large commercial entities purchased the asset, and developed the site with regard to maximising return, but not for aviation interests. This has seen many general aviation sites used for residential and commercial development that is not sympathetic to the industry.
Another major issue that Ben's association has to deal with is the failure to train personnel, both pilots and engineers. The large Commercial airlines have poached pilots from overseas, and aircraft maintenance was allowed to cease after the Lima convention where engineering procedures in third world countries are deemed to be equal quality to established standards here. Australian Airlines cut costs and moved maintenance overseas.
Ben spoke of many critical issues that the association is facing -
Failure to train apprentices in engineering roles.
Medical requirements for light aircraft pilots.
Airport expansion acreages reallocated to residential and unrelated commercial.
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| Here is a Facebook note to Wollundry: Many thanks to the Wollundry Rotary Club for their extremely generous donation to Carevan. Donations from community groups keep the wheels of Carevan turning. We greatly appreciate your support. |
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Wollundrians helped out at Bunning's Barbecue on Sunday to help St Vincent De Paul Society (Vinnies) raise funds for their Winter Appeal. Gail Crozier, Kay Sutton Peter Crozier, Darren Wallace and Doug Sutton cooked around 500 sausages to help raise a total profit of $1,419. Trevor Urquhart thanked the volunteers and Wollundry Rotary for their assistance.
Our Club received some good publicity. Good effort.
| "ONE OF THE BEST EVER CHANGEOVERS!" | |
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| Soon to be Past President Darren Wallace and MC for the evening Sally Bryant from ABC Riverina. | |
Last Night's 46th Changeover Dinner for Wollundry Rotary was an outstanding success. The Grange Community Centre proved a masterstroke for the organising Committee.
A spacious inviting Dining Area with Bar and Kitchen facilities, provided the perfect setting for a night of good food, fine wine and conviviality for the 87 Rotarians and Guests. | |
President Darren opened the meeting with an Acknowledgement of Elders of our Wiradjuri Nation. He welcomed our special guests including The Hon. Joe McGirr MLA Member for Wagga and Deputy Mayor Amelia Parkins as well as Representatives from Pro Patria. He then called on PP James Hamilton for the traditional Invocation, which included prayers of thanksgiving and for guidance. PP Phil Burgess attended to Housekeeping matters and read a list of apologies from Fred and Rae Lonergan, Mayor Dallas Tout, Kirsty Cole, Rotary Clubs of Junee and Tumbarumba and Inner Wheel. MC for the evening Sally Bryant, took her place at the microphone to introduce herself and take control of proceedings. Sally spoke of her awe for the work done by Rotary and Wollundry Rotary Club in particular. Since her arrival Wagga in 2019 she had come to realise how important Wollundry's contribution affects the wellbeing of many in our community. Sally said it was a real treat and an honour to be asked to MC the evening. She spoke of change in her own organisation the ABC and the need for organisations everywhere to adapt to the new technologies, social constructs and expectations. How do you plan for the Future? she posed. We are faced with a new generation and we need to be prepared to change. Sally then introduced PP Doug Sutton and PDG John Egan to propose a Toast to Rotary International and a Response respectively. | |
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Following his Response to the Toast to Rotary International PDG John Egan surprised and delighted the room by presenting Pres Darren Wallace with a Paul Harris Fellowship. The surprise was that there was no forewarning, but given the amount of work Darren has done for RYPEN over many years it was no surprise that he was afforded this honour. Members and Guests applauded Darren who was presented with a Paul Harris Badge and Testimonial. | |
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Darren addresses the audience after receiving his PHF. He spoke of his growth in knowledge of people and of himself as he carried out his role of President. He said that he tried to initiate change in the Club and believed that he had been successful in doing so thanks to the support of The Board and the Members getting behind the various proposals. Despite some of the changes being contentious, he was grateful for the positive response of members and their acceptance of the need to take a new direction. Darren said he has never been more proud to be a member of Wollundry than he is now. He expressed elation to be handing over the reigns to DAVID POST. He looks forward to supporting David into his new role.
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David Golland proudly displays his Rotarian of the Year Award which was presented to him by Dr Joe McGirr MLA. David is a relatively new member in our club but has taken up a number of duties and as a Director, has been particularly industrious. Congratulations David and well deserved. |
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100 %ers: James Hamilton, David Pyke, Neil Pinto, David Byfield (46 yrs) Wal Paton and David Benn, |
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| The monet of Transition. Darren places the Chain Of Office on New President David. The "Chain" contains the names of all 46 Presidents of our Club. |
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New President David Post thanked PP Darren for the great work he and The Board did in the past year. He also thanked all members for their support in acknowledging him as the latest President of such a wonderful club. David said his main focus would be in the areas of Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Peace, Local Community, Partnerships and International Programmes like Polio Plus. |
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| New Board for 24/25 from left to right: President David Post, Phil McIntosh, John Egan, David Golland, Geoff Breust, Peter Whilesmith, Darren Wallace, Doug Sutton and Phil Burgess. |
PP Darren drew the official proceedings to a close with a thank you to the MC Sally Bryant for an excellent job, a thank you to the Grange excellent Bar Staff Ron Crouch and Ray Pluis, David Lugton and his team. All the visitors who helped make the evening exceptional.
The lucky door prize, a bottle of Borambola Shiraz was won by Doug Sutton
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Immediate Past President Phil Burgess called Geoff Breust to the podium to introduced the guest speaker, Isabel Baker. Isabel started her speech with a bit of her background: nurse, midwife and in the ‘80’s started working with dementia patients. She said that there are one hundred different diseases that affect the mental wellbeing of patients. She used the term “therapeutic fibbing” to help stabilize the behavior of an agitated patient. She talked about various examples: why a female may get agitated at 3 pm ... she is used to picking up school kids, making dinner, etc. A gentleman wanted to get up at 4 am and he was a dairy farmer and it was time to milk the cows. So, the staff found the name of a person who helped with the milking and through “therapeutic fibbing” would tell the gentleman that so and so was taking care of it. Isabel gave the example of a gentleman who fought having his shirt removed and found out that he was a former rodeo rider and had many injuries to his shoulders and clavicle.  She recommended that everyone in the audience write down their likes and dislikes in their care plan to help in their care in the later stages of their life. Isabel has written a book titled The A to Z of Dementia Care and it will be for sale in book stores at the end of the year. After comments and questions from the audience, PP Phil presented Isabel with a bottle of Olive oil. |
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| Our guest speaker on Tuesday the 23 of April, 2024 was Lisa Simpson from Ronald McDonald House. She gave the members a PowerPoint presentation of the details, services, costs and objectives of the organization. Ronald McDonald House Charities Support extends well beyond the original home near the hospital. The programs include Ronald McDonald Houses, Hospital Family Rooms (Wagga Base has one), relaxing Ronald McDonald Family Retreats and one-on-one tutoring through the Ronald McDonald Learning Program. |
 Ronald McDonald Houses are a warm and supportive home where families can stay together keeping families close to their child with a serious illness since 1981. Ronald McDonald Houses are located within footsteps of major women’s and children’s hospitals across Australia. Our Houses provide a homely and inviting place to stay for parents, guardians, carers and their siblings while their child is undergoing treatment in a nearby hospital.Part of what makes our Houses unique is that families are able to benefit from the compassionate support of our volunteers and staff, and the companionship of other families who are navigating a similar journey. |
 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms are located inside major hospitals (Wagga Base Hospital has one) and are exclusively for the families of children undergoing treatment in a nearby ward. Run by friendly volunteers, the Family Rooms are welcoming spaces where families can take time out from the clinical environment of the wards, have a tea or coffee, freshen up with a shower or find a quiet space for a much-needed nap. The Family Rooms also have dedicated play areas so the siblings of seriously ill children can have a bit of fun. Ronald McDonald Family Retreats. With six Retreats in picturesque seaside locations across Australia, Ronald McDonald Family Retreats provide a peaceful getaway from the everyday, where families can simply be together in a tranquil setting. Families can enjoy up to a week of free accommodation, offering a welcome escape for those who might otherwise be unable to afford any time out due the pressures of caring for a seriously ill child. Ronald McDonald Learning Program is a tailored program to help seriously ill children catch-up on missed education. After a brief question and answer period, President Darren thanked Lisa for her well prepared and presented talk and presenter her with a small gift from the club. |
Wagga Wagga City Council has set sail on a new initiative with Wollundry Rotary, agreeing at this week’s Ordinary Council meeting to accept a generous $25,000 donation from the branch to fund the addition of a shade sail, signage, and new seating at the Victory Memorial Gardens playground. (Reprinted from Council News)The donation, a result of fundraising efforts by Wollundry Rotary through the Gears and Beers Festival, will significantly value-add to the Garden precinct, enhancing facilities on site just in time for this year's festival, while also providing long-term benefits for families and guests visiting this beautiful part of the city centre.
Manager City Growth & Regional Assets Ben Creighton noted he was pleased with the donation.
"Once completed, families visiting the Gardens can expect a more enjoyable play experience, with increased shade for playground users and carers,” Mr Creighton said.
A key feature of the proposed signage will be its acknowledgment of not only the donation and the Gears and Beers festival, but also the fruitful, engaging long-term partnership between the Council and Wollundry Rotary in bringing projects such as this, to life.
In turn, Council will contribute project management and ongoing maintenance services for the upgraded playground area, to ensure the infrastructure meets safety standards and is of high quality.
Director Regional Activation John Sidgwick echoed Mr Creighton’s sentiments, going on to state that “this initiative underscores the positive impact that collaboration between community organisations and local government can have on enhancing public spaces for the benefit of all.”
Past President of Wollundry
Rotary Club and Chair of the Gears and Beers Festival Phillip McIntosh, noted that the Club was excited to once again partner with Council in giving back to the community via a project that will serve such an important purpose. “Core to our Rotary values has always been investing in projects that both serve the public good and promote the many wonderful things Wagga Wagga and the Riverina have to offer locals and visitors to the area,” Mr McIntosh said. “To that end, Wollundry Rotary has enjoyed a wonderful collaborative partnership with Council over the years, particularly over the last decade in bringing the Gears and Beers festival to life, and we look forward to more of the same in years to come.”Indeed, although the Victory Memorial Playground was not initially earmarked for shade sail installation, its proximity to the festival grounds and popularity with residents and guests to the city alike, made it a prime location for such an upgrade.
Wollundry Rotary’s selection of this location also aligns with Council's long-term strategic goal to increase shade in playgrounds across the city.
The installation is scheduled for completion by the end of June 2024.
GEARS AND BEERS AND THE RFS
A feature of tonight's meeting was the presentation of a cheque to the Downside Rural Fire Service for their assistance at our annual cycle event, Gears and Beers.
Past President Paul Murray spoke about his long association with David Miekeljohn Captain of the Downside Rural Fire Service branch. They first met during the 1994 bushfires in the Blue Mountains where Paul drove a fire tanker and David was a crew member.
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PP Phil McIntosh Chair of Gears and Beers speaks of the terrific assistance the RFS provides to Gears and Beers before presenting a cheque for $1000 to Downside RFS Captain Davd Miekeljohn.
David told us that the Downside RFS started in 1949. Max Miekeljohn and Jack Chamberlain were the initiators. David was a Rotary Group Study Exchange participant in 1993 and traveled to Maine and New Hampshire. He appreciates the work Rotary does and was happy to help with Gears and Beers. Firies love spraying water around don't they?
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Today's speaker Tony Molyneux was introduced by Michael Knight who told us that Tony's and Michael's spouses were members of the Embroiderers Guild. Thus Michael became aware of Tony's involvement in Antarctic expeditions and invited him to come to our club as a guest speaker.
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An employee of Antarctic Division Journeys, Tony took us through a series of spectacular slides helping us to get a good understanding of the terrain and freezing conditions on this great continent. Since 1983 Tony has been variously coordinating expeditions to Casey Station, resupplying stations including Davis and Mawson, working with logistics to establish the Blue Ice Runway.
Australia has two Icebreaker Ships, Polar Bird and Aurora Australis which was built in Newcastle NSW. These Icebreakers provide a very rough ride until they get to the ice when they literally ride onto the ice crushing it and therefore making for a much smoother transit. They don't have a keel, hence the extreme motion in the southern ocean.
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One interesting point about Icebergs Tony told us is that they melt faster underwater than they do on top. Because most of the Iceberg is underwater they eventually become top heavy and flip over so you don't want to be too close when that occurs.
The trip from Hobart to Casey Station via Macquarie Island traverses the Roaring Fortys, "Filthy Fifties" and the "Screaming Sixties". It takes 6 days to reach Casey and 14 days to reach Mawson. Herd Island, like Antarctica itself, is claimed by Australia as its territory. A claim recognised by only four other nations. Herd Island is Australia's only active volcano. It is 55 metres higher than Mt Koziusko and last erupted in 2018.
Macquarie Island is an uplift of the ocean floor and so is an ideal place to do research. It is World Heritage listed and has been returned to a vermin free place after much effort.
The abundant wildlife includes Souther Right Whales, Penguins, Elephant Seals, Seals which all looked healthy and thriving in the pictures we were shown.
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Staff are required to wear specialist gear in both Summer and winter. The outside temperature in Summer is as low as minus 18 and as high as minus 4. Blizzards can set in very quickly and so guide ropes are placed strategically to allow staff to find their way to shelter if there is a whiteout.
The Australian stations run their internal temperatures at a comfortable 18 degrees c. Sikorsky helicopters are used for quick transport between bases and to transport fuel and goods. The first female engineer has broken the ice and was responsible for the fleet of choppers. There are operating theatres on the hosts and stations but accidents can cause real dramas.
President Darren thanked Tony for his very informative talk and bringing to our realisation just how harsh and beautiful the Antarctic environment is. Members warmly applauded Tony in support of Darren.
A wonderful night at the Schirmers. Neil and Margaret hosted about 40 people to a Pizza and Sweet night at their home overlooking the city; a beautiful spot. Neil showed his cooking skills as lovely pizzas kept turning up on the table. The desserts that followed were just superb . A great night and our sincere thanks for the hospitality!
PP Geoff Breust very quickly pulled together an event, An Evening with Fiona McDonald. Fiona was in the area launching her new book. Fiona is a much published author, and has herself been subjected to Domestic Violence This event was meant to highlight again the effects of Domestic Violence and she was supporting Leah Anderson who operates a help group known as STEPS. Leah has been guest speaker at the club
It was an eye-opening session. Geoff is to be congratulated on his efforts to bring this to the Club.
An auction at the end of the evening brought the total raised to some $1400. A great effort.
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David Post and Karen Walsh paid a visit to the Canmore Rotary club in Canmore Alberta Canada. The club is the home club of the late Dr Brent Pickard who for many years made Wagga his home and was an adopted member of Wollundry.  David and Karen were especially pleased with the welcome they received from the 75 members that were present for their Christmas meeting. David told the members about the Canmore Festival of Trees in the halls of the beautiful Malcolm Hotel. Local businesses or individuals purchase a tree for from 300 to 3000 dollars and decorate it according to their business theme. The project brings in $100,000 a year for the club. In the above photo they are on the deck of the Canmore Golf and Curling club, holding Rotary club exchange banners. |
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Our speakers at Tuesdays meeting were from STARTTS (NSW Services for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trama Survivors). Specifically they were Ali Reid and Yazidi refugee Rasheed Shanibaqi. Ali was the first speaker giving an overview her past work with refugees in the Riverina and the work of her organization. STARTTS NSW Service for the treatment and rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors ... it is a part of the Rural and Regional services. STARTTS provides assistance to refugees and other people from refugee like backgrounds living in NSW who have experienced torture and other traumatic events prior to arrival in Australia. STARTTS mission is to facilitate the healing process of survivors or torture and refugee trauma and to assist and resource individuals in other agencies who work with them. STARTTS services provide a holistic range which have evolved in response to client needs and incorporate the latest development in the treatment of trauma. |
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Rasheed arrived in Wagga from Iraq in 2017, however his involvement with STARTTS officially began just a few days ago. He spoke of personal experiences and experiences of other refugees. Some of their services: culturally appropriate counselling and therapy, group work. Activities for young people including camps and trips. Referral and Case Management. Community liaison and consultation. STARTTS is responsive to changing client's needs and uses a multi-disciplinary approach. David Benn and David Pyke both related stories to the club in their involvement with refugees on a personal basis. President Darren thanked them for giving the members a well prepared overview of the STARTTS organization and presented them with gifts of local olive oil. |
| Click below to see the Downside members helping with the Gears and Beers | |
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David Post Welcome to Wollundry Rotary Postal Address: PO Box 229 Wagga Wagga 2650 Email address: secretary@wollundryrotary.org.au Wollundry Rotary is home to the Saturday Markets (held from 9 to 1pm in the Civic Gardens next to the Civic Theatre), |
Members: click below to download the club directory
