bulletin 4 RCoBS (Aug 03, 2018)

Week 4

With Chairman Doug in the chair this week, Graeme decided to change things around without notice, just to confuse everyone!

Anyway it all turned out alright thanks to Doug and our great guest speaker John Harkin. John as you know is a great fan of the two wheeled transporter, no not the pushbike, the other sort that goes fast and the ones John spoke about, go very fast.

John and Darren, his brother in law, ticked off a couple of their bucket lists by travelling to the Isle of Man and to the Spanish Grand Prix. John was asked by his brother in law if he was interested in marshalling at Grand Prix as well as other races, so this has now been a passion of both of them. The Isle of Man is self-governing, smack bang in the middle of the Irish Sea with Scotland being marginally closer at 35 miles away and between Ireland and England. With a population of 80,000 (increasing by 40,000 during the races weeks), accommodation is mainly homestay (providing you book?) and the language is Manx, with Gaelic thrown in, but English is more common. It is a tax haven, with the Manx Pound fixed to the British Pound as the currency. John explained that the Manx Pound is not accepted anywhere else in the world!. There are numerous museums dedicated to the automobile and motorbike. With conventional agriculture, horticulture and fishing the mainstay, one of the other anomalies on the Isle is 1000 Red Necked Wallabies which escaped from a private zoo in the 1920’s.

The 2018 Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) race commenced in 1907, after the British Government imposed a 20mph limit for all transport and as a self-governing entity, the leading politicians of the day said, you can race here on our island if you like.

The race has various classes of motorcycles which race over 14 days practice and includes 4 race days with two days between. Each lap is 37.7 mile, with the official race of six laps’ being 200 miles, through 35 checkpoints and villages with hazards such as rock walls, fences, trees and buildings. The top speed was 320kmh for the petrol machines and this year the electric bikes over one lap averaged 200kmh. The roads are closed so that the locals, particularly the farmers don’t decide to drive their tractors on the course. Over 150 riders have died since the inception of the race and 5 helicopters are on standby, each to be only 5 minutes away from an accident.

After the isle, John and Darren toured to Barcelona, where Darren was engaged as the first non-Spaniard to Marshall at the Spanish Grand Prix. It appears that if they weren’t watching motorbikes race or looking at them in museums a lot of time was spent sampling the food, wines and beers of both countries. Thanks John for a great talk and pics of your trip, fascinating.

Up coming speakers and events

August 8, Chris Rankin on “My life so far”

August 9, board meeting at Bruce and Sally Frasers

August 15, Board report from Directors and planning for Fed picnic and White night

August 22, Kaye Graves, Bendigo Community Health and Refugee support. Partners are very welcome to attend this meeting as Kaye is also looking for volunteer support for women and their families.

August 29, vocational visit to the science and Discovery Centre in Bendigo.

The following week sees Jim Evans from the Historical Centre and Gaelle Broad on her journey through the media and life.

Jim Rolfe also reminded members to keep him informed of any likely speakers or places to visit. Given the number of members away nationally and internationally, I am sure that there will be a wealth of stories to be told.

Talking about members travelling I was reminded of the regular articles in the Charlton Tribune where all those farmers travelling during the 60’s and 70’s had their itineries and stories recounted, I suppose as interest for most of the locals who had never travelled and to fill some space!. We all wish the Carrington’s, Hinneberg’s and Cathie Miller a safe journey to Scotland for their Rotary Fellowship Exchange, the Cannon’s and Kirkpatrick’s in various parts of Europe, the Ruffell’s in the USA and the Harris’s up North. Apologies to any one I have missed as there seems to be more away during this winter than usual.

From RI for your interest.

Membership and new club development month

August is Membership and New Club Development Month, and that’s the perfect time to celebrate you — the pillar of Rotary. You continue to show the world that Rotary members are people of action — people who are doing good in communities all over the world. For that, we thank you.

Show your passion for Rotary by adding a Proud Member frame on Facebook. Watch RI President Barry Rassin speak about strengthening our public image and diversifying our membership. We hope you’ll show his short membership video at your next club meeting.

Club and district leaders, an array of membership resources can help you engage current members, connect with prospective members, make new members feel welcome, and assess and develop your club.

Rotary’s club brochure template, available on the Brand Center, is a great way to show prospective members what you’re about. The customizable brochure allows you to upload photos of your club in action to show your community its projects and events.

Welcome new members to your club with the New Member Welcome Kit. Rotary Basics, a guide to all things Rotary, and Connect for Good, which explains all kinds of ways to get involved, are included in the kit.

Help your club stay relevant by conducting an annual Club Health Check. The health check helps you identify problem areas and suggests remedies. Find tips for boosting your membership in Strengthening Your Membership: Creating Your Membership Plan.

Younger professionals can bring new ideas and energy to a club. Explore Engaging Younger Professionals, a new online toolkit that will help you understand this audience, enhance your club’s culture, and engage emerging leaders.

Finally, Rotary has a series of membership courses available in the new Learning Center. From building a diverse club to practicing flexibility and innovation, each course includes a variety of materials, including self-guided learning modules that allow you to explore real-life scenarios similar to those you may experience in your club. Visit the Learning Center today! All membership courses are highlighted in purple.

All these resources and more can be found at rotary.org/membership.

Graeme

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