President Paul opened the meeting, we sang Grace and Toasted the Queen. There were originally two presentations on the agenda for today, but as Phil Macintosh was away in Sydney with work commitments, we had more time to deal with the wrap up of Food and Wine Festival business.
Some meetings, we don't attract a single visitor, but today we were overrun.
Stanley Palmer came along with Neil McMullen (South Wagga Rotary). Stanley is a member of the Rotary club of Two Rivers, in Wisconsin, which is part of Paul Murray's old stamping ground. Greetings flowed across the room.
Craig Bromley had his dad along as a guest. Scott Carson runs Riverina Ice, and attended todays meeting, perhaps as a prospective member.
Des Damme, who attended with wife, Sally, had constructed and deconstructed the fence at Food and Wine Festival. He was involved in todays program, as were Michael Stanley and Catherine McDonald. A seperate story on this!
But as a complete surprise to most members, and especially the president, our exchange student Franzi Treber from Germany walked in with Col Duff.
All we needed to really make the meeting really special was a District Governor, when, in a flash of Green, in walked George Weston, followed soon after by the mayor. What a team.
We didn't have a sergeant at today's meeting. You could say that their efforts Petered out, after both a Crozier and a Clucas declined to play a role. One ceremonial aspect of the sergeant session was observed. The plate was carried around among the congregation by a priest.
The latest report on Michael Georgiou is that he is in Melbourne for tests, and in his own words, he is "getting along". Michael is a fighter, a tough man and has the support of a great club. We must make sure that he knows it.