Meeting Tuesday Sept 29 th at The Riverine Club Technology is letting us down a little despite the best efforts of Secretary Phil and the advice of PP Pykie. We still got off to a good start, albeit 5mins or so late. President James called on Doug Conkey to present the Sergeants Round up. He proceded to tell us that this was his first ever Fine Session, and he intended to get us all. He did. If we had a beard, we were fined. If we shaved and looked after ourselves, then that too counted! Mission complete! Today's Rotary Information was presented by David Benn who was President 97/98 He spoke of the great support he had as President from his Board and the club He was fortunate enough to go to The World Conference in Glasgow and Peter Davies stepped in while he was away. We recorded our first million dollar milestone in his year, and he conferred five Paul Harris Fellows, two of whom were women, one being to Kaye Hull for her service to the city both as a city councillor and local member. He also noted the passing of four people intimately associated with the club during his year. It was also the year that Paul Milde began his ongoing commitment to the Club. Summing up, David urged anyone who was offered the position not to miss the opportunity! DON'T FORGET HAT DAY this coming week! This week our Guest Speaker Alan Johnston, was introduced by Richard Rossiter, who by way of introduction highlighted the School Leaders Programme, which Alan introduced. From personal family experience he feels this is a magnificent project. Here are more of the things Alan spoke on. Alan Johnston is the Chairman of The Committee for Wagga Wagga and was born in Scotland, on the border, in a town that actually had a beach, He grew up in Albury before undertaking an Accountancy Degree at the then Riverina College of Advanced Education ( a wonderful Alma Mater that now is Charles Sturt University.) Following that he took up a position with Coopers and Lybrand here in Wagga, along with our former club member, John Ashton. Subsequently he managed Buchmann labourites, an international company based in the US, but decentralised to Wagga Wagga. As he said, his whole life has been centred around managing change. He joined the board of Committee for Wagga Wagga after an unsuccessful attempt to retire. The City Council and the Committee are often at cross purposes he thinks, but feels sure that the healthy disagreements are leading us all in the right direction. Some of the highlights he mentioned include bicycle track provisions, the lights around the Lake, The New Years Eve functions, and the successful completion of the major works on the Levee banks. Naturally there are still things to come, but time and tide will bring these to fruition. He mentioned specifically the Bomen Special Activation Precinct which both he and Mayor Greg agree has high importance to the city. Again he stressed the value and necessity of keeping Wagga Wagga and its development at the forefront of people's mind. We will grow to 100.000 by 2040. But how we do it is up to us to decide. Digital connectivity is at the cutting edge right now. It will be even more vital in convincing corporations to move our way. Keep telling good stories! After fielding questions on high rise development, and location of the spur line at Bomen, Alan was thanked by President James with the traditional bottle of wine. He then drew his own number from the pan, but graciously dipped again to reward John Ferguson! | | Makeups, Apologies and Guests: Apologies.Craig Bromley, Shane Carroll, Ken Cook, Pat Ingram, Paul Murray, Graeme Obst, David Wishart, Sophie Seneme. Makeup. David Byfield Guest. Alan Johnston Joining on Zoom: Doug Sutton, Adrian Whiting, James Hamilton. | | Jonty Shuter announced the gathering of Sophi's host families. It will be early next month and he is hoping to have a good representation of Rotarians. | | | |
Andrew Puckeridge called a meeting for The Food and Wine Committee. There is still covid doubt hanging around, but as it was pointed out to the Editor, we can have 40000 at a football match, so who really knows? | | DON'T FORGET HAT DAY this coming week!! Wear your silliest hat and be prepared to pay for the privilege. The funds go to research into Mental Health issues. | |
| | Paul Milde announced that we would be holding our HAT DAYnext week. Hat Day or" Lift the Lid Day" is a social event run in Rotary Clubs and other organisations where we pay for the privilege of wearing a silly hat. There are prizes for the worst, best and in between. Every dollar raised goes to Australian Rotary Health for research into Mental Health issues. This audio track is an explanation of the Day, and what it really means to hundreds of sufferers. | | | |
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