Welcome to Issue 5 (2023-24) of the weekly bulletin for the Rotary Club of Bendigo Sandhurst, Read on for more news from our club, including a call for help for items for Karen refugees.
*August is Rotary Membership and New Club Development month
Wed Aug 9 - 6.30 for 7pm. Club fellowship dinner Kang Thai Restaurant 25 - 27 Williamson St (formerly Ultima). No morning meeting. See details below
Tue Aug 15 - 5pm Board meeting (Ray and Toni's, 179 Wattle St)
Sun Aug 27 - BBQ Federation Picnic Marong - great day out with vintage and veteran cars and bikes!
September
Sat Sep 23 - Rotary Club of Echuca Moama 75th Anniversary celebration
2024 Barham Weekend - March 15 to 17. Phone 5453 2553 to book and say you are from Rotary
Week
9-Aug
16-Aug
23-Aug
30-Aug
Speaker
Fellowship Dinner
Club Forum
Andrew Cooney
Bendigo / Comm Games [tbc?]
District Governor
Ron Payne
Meeting Location
KangThai restaurant
PepperGreen Farm
PepperGreen Farm
PepperGreen Farm
Chair
25-27
Barb Mitchell
Stan Hendy
Co-Presidents
Ray & Adrian
Set-Up 6.45am
Williamson St, Bendigo
Stewart Annan
Paul Kirkpatrick
Geoff Michell
Welcome
6:30 for 7pm
Linda Barrow
Paul Henderson
Evelyn Lehmann
Raffle
EVENING Dinner
Philip Harris
Ian Johnson
Graeme Lynas
Members please double check the roster. We are a dynamic club and changes can occur!
Reminder: if you are rostered on and cannot make it, please find someone to cover your spot.
Co-Presidents' report
Welcome all
Our guest speaker, Rotary member Mal Padgett, presented from Queensland on the importance of screening for bowel cancer. He certainly gave us a lot of food for thought 😊 (see speaker notes).
We are looking forward to the visit of our DG, Ron Payne, on Wednesday 30 August. Thank you Jim for amending the meeting program.
The next cluster meeting will be held on Sunday 13 August at the Mechanics Institute in California Gully from 10am. Agenda points include dissemination of club newsletters amongst clubs, updating Rotary signs when entering the city as a joint Rotary project, and future changeover functions. Please let us know if you wish to flag other possible points for discussion.
Our next board meeting will be held on Tuesday 15 August at 5pm at Ray and Toni’s house, 179 Wattle Street. Club members are encouraged to suggest points for discussion and, as always, are most welcome to attend these meetings.
Tree planning on National Tree Day was attended by club members on Sunday 30 July in Ironbark Gully as well as Junortoun.
There will no breakfast meeting this coming Wednesday but, instead, we look forward to seeing you in the evening. Please see details below and book.
Co-presidents Adrian and Ray.
Club fellowship dinner
We are arranging a club fellowship dinner on Wednesday August 9 at 6.30pm so there will be no morning meeting on this day.
Instead, interested Rotarians can book for dinner and conversation at the new Thai restaurant at 25 to 27 Williamson Street, Kang Thai.
This is the former Ultima building, just past the Shamrock.
We have asked for tables of four, so when you arrive you will be shown to a table without knowing who you will sit with!
Please book directly with the restaurant and say you are with Rotary. The booking is under Linda.
4433 0298.
Help wanted
Help wanted:
For arriving Karen refugees in Bendigo, Father, 20 yo son and 14 yo son.
White goods, including washing machine etc,
TV
Furniture, including beds, bedding linen
Any clothing suitable for them
Kitchen ware etc
I have a good fridge for them , however they are moving into an unfurnished rental and have no chattels and very little clothing.
I can arrange for pick up as the goods will be required in 2 weeks.
Mal is a fellow Rotarian originally from Melbourne and currently a member in Queensland. Mal has played a key role in Rotary's work of raising awareness of bowel cancer. His keen interest in this area is also personal because of the loss of his brother at the young age of 47. Mal draws on his background as a graphic designer and event manager in this promotional work.
Rotary played an important role in the distribution of testing kits before the advent of the government offering these free to people aged 50-75. Our work is not done however. Rotary's brand and influence have a big part to play in further promoting awareness.
Mal had some interesting observations about the uptake of testing kits and the promotion of bowel cancer awareness in relation to other cancers. It was disappointing to hear that only 40% of testing kits are returned. There is a 70% return rate in Britain. There isn't a slogan such as "slip, slop, slap" or "quit" that is associated with bowel cancer. Plans are well under way to make April Fools Day a bowel cancer awareness day using a slogan such as "don't fool around with bowel cancer." Mal is working hard to attract sponsorship for the proposed promotion in Brisbane of "most people in their underpants."
One of the key issues in promoting awareness is the importance of the hereditary factor in people becoming ill with bowel cancer. It is very important that family members with a history of bowel cancer undergo regular testing irrespective of their age. Testing techniques are such that bowel cancer can be detected up to ten years before it becomes a problem. The youngest ambassador for bowel cancer awareness is only fifteen. This sends an important message about the dangers of thinking that bowel cancer only occurs in older people.
Mal showed members some interesting data which can be accessed through the Australian Cancer atlas. The incidence of bowel cancer and the preventive measures taken in particular areas can be accessed through this tool. Demographics are a key factor in both the incidence of bowel cancer and the preventive measures taken. Anecdotally it would appear that active promotion by Rotary Clubs is a factor in increasing the uptake of preventive measures.
People like Mal make us proud to be Rotarians. We thank him for his most informative and engaging presentation.
- Jim Rolfe
No sting in this tale
Bendigo Sandhurst Rotarians are always ready to raise money for a good cause, but it turns out we may have stumbled onto an under-appreciated resource in stinging nettles.
Stew and his helpers Chris, Rob and Barb held a working bee at Lightning Reef Primary School on Sunday, pulling out a crop of nettles.
Recently, Graeme spotted similar nettles for sale at the Vic Market in Melbourne for a whopping $3 per bunch. The school may be sitting on a small fortune in weeds!
And as if that's not enough, some club members have reported exciting things to do with nettles in the kitchen. Paul K found a handy recipe for Stinging Dip (below) - if anyone is game to try it!
ABOVE: Chris demonstrates the potential riches of stinging nettles, with Stew, Rob and Barb.
ABOVE: Rob and Stew hard at work.
RIGHT: Graeme found stinging nettles selling for a whopping $3 per bunch at the Vic Market in Melbourne
BELOW: Paul's recipe for Stinging Dip, courtesy of Vasili's cookbook.
Invitation from the Rotary Club of Melbourne
Dear President (and members),
Each year for more than 50 years, the Rotary Club of Melbourne has held its annual Angus Mitchell Oration.
Angus Mitchell was inducted into the Rotary Club of Melbourne in December 1927. He was President of the Club in 1931-32 and was elected as our District Governor in 1934-35 and again in 1937-38. In 1948-49 he became the first Australian to be elected to the office of President of Rotary International. He was created a Knight Bachelor by Her Majesty the Queen in 1956. Two years later he was the first member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne to be named a Paul Harris Fellow.
Past orators have included Governors General of Australia, Nobel Laureates in both Peace and Medicine, the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, a winning skipper of the America’s Cup, a High Court Judge, and other business and community leaders.
We are delighted that this year – on the occasion of our club’s 5000th club meeting– our Angus Mitchell Orator will be the Hon John Howard OM AC talking on the topic of “Global Leadership”. The Event is in the Grand Ballroom at the Sofitel on Collins on Wednesday 30th August 2023 from 12.45-2pm..
Extending an invitation to all clubs in our District, we would be love for you and your club members and guests to attend. In particular, this is a special opportunity for young Victorians to hear directly from a Past Prime Minister, and we invite each club to sponsor two students from a local school to attend the luncheon. You may purchase tickets individually or discounted for a Table of 10. Book now as this event will sell out.
Young leaders from your local community will never forget their once in a lifetime chance to hear from and meet Mr Howard. We hope you and your club members can join us to support this special event celebrating Sir Angus Mitchell.
