What a great meeting seeing so many in attendance, thank you all for coming and sharing the fellowship.

-Our guest speakers Angela Beutal and Bryan Griffiths delivered a very insightful review of the flood situation in the rural areas of Woodburn, Coraki and Broadwater. Their next trip to deliver supplies is in September. With the help of our club, we are hoping to send a good supply of toilet paper so I am requesting you all to bring 1-2 rolls each to add to our donation box. Bryan will be down over the next few Mondays to collect our supplies.

-PP Rob gave a meaningful reflection on Bruce and Sally Fraser’s time at our club and in the Bendigo community. Including time with the scouting association, and the Bendigo Choir. He then presented Bruce with a well-deserved second Paul Harris Sapphire. Kevin Reade and Ray Carrington also shared stories of Bruce's roles over the years. We finished with sincere thanks for the involvement in our club.

- We have been asked to become involved with a Yo  Events Bendigo Freeza  team. A team of young people working on producing a Festival Style event and requesting our involvement. I will follow up with more information.

- Another Cluster meeting on Saturday which President Elect Ray Carrington will attend.

-Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Castlemaine on Wednesday night.

-Thursday night was the first meeting for the Environment committee. Stewart Annan led

 the meeting with some very exciting ideas.

-I encourage you all to add items and snippets of information to the bulletin.

 

My quote –Every Day brings new Choices. !!

Bendigo Jockey Club Golf Day Friday 16^th September

Beach Party Race Day Saturday 15^th October  

Bendigo Cup Wednesday 26^th October 

Christmas Party Race Day Sunday 11^th December

Two meetings ago, John Maher was our guest speaker.  He spoke very powerfully and passionately about the need for all of us, and in particular, younger inexperienced people, to try to be aware of the dangers of driving on our roads.  He spoke from personal experience, in an effort to help us all be more careful when driving.

He spoke of the immense pain and ongoing grief suffered by family members and friends of road crash victims, and how he was trying to raise awareness of the need for caution and common sense when driving.  John has become a committed road safety advocate after almost losing his own life in a horrific road crash, but tragically even more so after losing his daughter, Carmen, only a few months later, after she crashed her car at Junortoun.

You may remember in John’s presentation that in his own case, he was comforted and supported by either an emergency services worker or maybe a policeman, as he lay on the McIvor Hwy in his crushed vehicle, and how this person reassured him and kept him going until he could be cut free from his car for medical attention.

After the meeting, I was having a catch-up chat with John, as we have known each other for many years, due to playing cricket together in Ballarat.

Bruce Fraser very quietly came over to John, and told him he was the police officer who tried to comfort him and support him until he could be rescued.  John was astonished and delighted to meet him, and Bruce became the recipient of the two biggest hugs anyone has ever received ………..

Their conversation quickly became personal, so I left them to talk privately.

That’s Bruce – the quiet man whom we are all going to miss greatly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guest speakers for the meeting were Bryan Griffiths and Angela Beutel of Rochester Rotary. Angela and Bryan outlined the journey taken by members of their club in providing support to flood affected areas in northern NSW. The people of Rochester, with their own recent experiences of flooding, have provided overwhelming support such that additional plans for storage and transport have needed to be arranged in order to manage the many donations. It has become apparent that some of the smaller communities in the Northern Rivers region have been overlooked in terms of support offered so far.

 

Rochester Rotary has identified the communities of Woodburn (about the size of Elmore), Coraki and Broadwater as the ones for support. These communities are located in the Richmond River valley in the Northern Rivers area. There is still no electricity in these areas with many people living in tents. Farmers have had machinery washed away and there is little chance of a harvest for three more years. Much of the infrastructure including the cane mills has been destroyed. As yet schools have not opened. Rotary members have come across some terrifying stories such as a couple stranded on their roof for two days.

 

Angela recounted some inspiring stories about the generosity of people in the surrounding communities. The furniture and household goods from the Uniting Church of Tongala which was closing down have found a new home in a church in Woodburn. The donated goods were in such proportions that the trailer became overloaded and had to be repacked. The scenic route to Woodburn with its cosmic craters provided a few travelling challenges. It was quickly realised that a new navigator was required!

 

There is no doubt that members of these communities are suffering the effects of trauma. There are teenagers who are unable to talk about their experiences. An up and coming equestrian rider has lost all her six horses and equipment. The community is playing a crucial role in the rebuild. The Woodburn Hub has become the focal point for support. The next load of donated goods is departing on September 23rd. Angela and Bryan invited members to support this project in whatever way we can. Let's put our heads together and see what we can do between now and then! We congratulate Bryan and Angela on this initiative and we thank them for taking the early morning drive from Rochester to be our guests.