The New Year started off with a well-attended and lively club meeting. It is always amazing how much we can fit in a limited amount of time, including fellowship before, during and after, a light-hearted meeting.
The highlight of our meeting was the induction of two previous members, Kathryn Mackenzie and Kevin Dobson. Both Kathryn and Kevin were valued members of the club previously, but either resigned or transferred to another Rotary Club club due to their respective work situations. It’s great to have them back in the club now they are both in Bendigo for the long term. We look forward to hearing from each of them at future meetings as to what happened in their lives after their departure from Bendigo up until the present time. Again, a very big welcome from club members to both Kathryn and Kevin.
The Australia Day and market committees are busy preparing for our big upcoming event and no doubt we all have it on our calendar to support this great community event. At our meeting next week we will get our final briefing from our coordinator Peter Rainey as we fine-tune our arrangements and responsibilities for the day. As you know, the display of motorbike sidecars and trikes, in the northern carpark area, is very popular. Just for a bit of fun, there are 3 prizes to be awarded this year, as per last year. Our Mayor, Andrea Metcalf, has again graciously agreed to be a judge and to pick her favourite. Adrian and Ray will be picking their favourite on behalf of our club, and there is another prize for the oldest trike or sidecar. It’s a good opportunity for both the City and our club to recognize and thank the riders for their efforts to organize the display and support our club-run community event.
Cathie Miller gave us an overview of our Strategic Plan, whereby she outlined our aims and objectives in growing and improving our club. It was heartening to see quite a number of our members volunteering to serve on the various committees that are going to work on discrete projects and actions for the future. Regular updates will be part of the Plan so we are all kept abreast of developments as they occur. Everyone’s opinion is respected and valued, so if a member has an issue or an idea to be put forward for consideration, please do so, as you will be heard and action can be taken if deemed necessary.
Liz Commadeur reported that our clubs’ assistance to Foodshare over the Christmas holiday period was greatly appreciated by the organization. By helping to collect all manner of excess food from supermarkets that would otherwise go to landfill, and taking it to other organizations for further distribution, our participating members were able to give Foodshare volunteers a well-earned break for a few weeks at that time of year. Thank you to those members who were able to help out in this unfortunately necessary social program.
Stew Annan reported that the tree and shrub-planting project we carried out late last year alongside the Lightning Reef Primary School has been quite successful so far. Not all plants have survived, but a fair proportion have. He believes we should have another working bee in the relatively near future, so as to keep on top of the weeds, do some watering, etc. He will let us know when he thinks it’s most appropriate, so our previous efforts don’t go to waste. Thank you, Stew, for all the effort you put in to keep this excellent project alive and well.
The Bendigo Rotary Club has arranged for a Special Speaker’s Evening get-together at the Bendigo Club, Park St, Strathdale, for Tuesday, 11th February, at 6pm for a 6.30pm start. The guest speaker is to be Associate Professor Janelle Brennan, a local urological surgeon. Janelle will be speaking on the capabilities and importance to our region of the da Vinci Xi Robot, a machine which will eventually be installed at the St John of God Hospital here in Bendigo. All members of the Bendigo and regional Rotary clubs are invited to be present on the night. RSVP by 5th February to Dianne Petrie, email Pinjarra@internode.on.net or 0439 431 256.
As a consequence, we have now moved our first board meeting for the year to the 4th February. Co-presidents Ray and Adrian