Pam Donaldson had to go to a funeral so we still know little about her but Melodene Stonestreet stepped into the breech and told us lots of funny stories about herself as a medical student and subsequently studying physiotherapy. I don't think she ever did any work at university.
We ha such a good laugh at her study career that we never heard about work or Rotary so I suppose we will have to have Part 2 at some stage.
Despite our depleted numbers owing to the Arts Festival we had three visitors.
Visiting Rotarians Shatu Garba and Rosinnah Dlamini from the Rotary Club of Greenwich in England as well as Zimbabwean Simbah Mutasa who is working in Johannesburg.
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| Simbah Mutasa |
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| Rtns Rosinnah Dlamini & Shatu Garba |
Our thanks to all who did such sterling work at the Rotary Arts Festival. It's all over now and despite everyone pulling their weight most of the burden rested upon the shoulders of Jean Bernardo and Joan Sainsbury. As helpers we haven't had to cope with the frustrations, disappointments and physical tiredness resulting from the huge number of hours that they have put in. We mustn't forget the artists who provided workshops and the Rotary Anns who coordinated the food for the launch and stepped into the breach where necessary. Finally the members of the Arts Festival Committee without whom many things that are unseen would just not have happened.
This Week
A mighty contingent from our club is off to Discon in the Kruger National Park. God speed and don't be eaten by anything larger than a mosquito...and look out for them too.
Those of us who are left holding the fort will have a social meeting in Chariots at Wanderers. It will be at the usual time and we will eat off the menu. These social meetings are a pleasant interlude so do come along. Also keep a lookout for anyone trying to visit us.....I will mention it to reception when I arrive.
Make sure that you have booked with Les Short for the Induction Dinner at Bryanston Country Club on the 29th June! Then there will be a whole new Rotary Year before us with Jean Bernardo at the helm.
ROTARIANS
KEEP THE
VILLAGE
MOVING
Rotarians from District 9640
and beyond capitalised on the XXI
Commonwealth Games to build Rotary’s
public profile and raise over $200,000
through taking up housekeeping
services at the Games Village. A total of 180 housekeeping attendants were mustered from the Rotary clubs of CurrumbinCoolangatta-Tweed, Gold Coast, Parkwood, Runaway Bay, Surfers Sunrise, Summerland Sunrise, Warwick Sunrise, Toowoomba North and Sunnybank Hills. Volunteers from several charity and church groups also came on board, to form 22 teams comprised of five members in each.
Church groups from the Pacific Islander communities of Brisbane and the Gold Coast provided a large number of the volunteers. All were required to undertake rigorous accreditation and training beforehand, as many had no prior experience whatsoever in the hospitality sector.
Finding people available was a challenge in itself, as many were committed elsewhere or scheduled to be away from the Coast. However, all was achieved within less than three months from the opportunity presenting itself to the opening ceremony, due to the determination and hard work of those involved in recruiting, management and administration. PDG John Wigley and Bill Dagg, who had assisted with a similar effort at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, flew up to support the effort.
Recent Gold Coast City Councillor Margaret Grummitt acted as District 9640 Commonwealth Games Coordinator. When the Games launched, Rotarians were hard at work behind the scenes for a gruelling, but rewarding effort.
“I stripped bed linen the first couple of days,” Darrell Brown said. “Other days I made beds non-stop, or made up linen packs. Day 10, I was a toilet and bathroom cleaner. Everyone would do their housekeeping shifts and go back to their normal jobs, working late into the night. We pulled together with great camaraderie. The atmosphere in the village was electric – it really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
At the end of the Games, Paul Lovett, CEO of Incognitus, the housekeeping company that oversaw operations, presented a cheque for $222,720 to assistant governor David Baguley, who coordinated the volunteer workforce.
“Paul praised the team and commented that we were the best housekeepers he had ever had,” Darrell said.
The hard-earned funds will be split between a variety of worthy causes, including, but not limited to: • Providing crisis care and support to families of patients in intensive care at Gold Coast University Hospital;
• The Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise’s project making wheelchairs for children in undeveloped countries out of discarded bicycles;
• Australian Rotary Health PhD Scholarships in mental illness;
• The Rotary-backed Malaria Vaccine Project, developed at the Gold Coast’s Griffith University.
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