Rotary District 9830 Tasmania District Governor s Newsletter January 2013 Rotary enters into the Christmas spirit Spreading goodwill in the community German Exchange student, Isabella Apelt, who was staying with Rocky and Anna Findlater, experiencing a Tassie Christmas at the beach Rotaract Club of Tamar Sunrise members, Reannah Douglas, Katie Upston and Heather Pue, donating $868 to the Examiner Empty Stocking Appeal (photo courtesy of the Examiner) RC Salamanca members, Tom Goninon (left) and Bron Hogan busy wrapping Christmas presents in the Elizabeth Street Mall in Hobart A Splendid Santa Guess who? (answer on page 3) District Conference 2013 Rotary with CONVICTION
2 Southern Kiwis on tour in Tasmania South Island Rotary Exchange group enjoy Tasmania The members of the group all came home singing the praises of the island of Tasmania. It is worthy of much greater promotion as a tourist destination to New Zealanders. We saw a great variety of scenery from the striking boulder coast lines such as at Binalong Bay near St Helens, the Cataract Gorge at the doorsteps of Launceston, the beautiful harbour at Hobart, Central Highlands, lakes and National Parks, and much, much more. At Strahan, we experienced the boat trip on Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River, and saw a small portion of the magnificent Western Wilderness National Park. Learning about the poppy industry In February 2012, a Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) team from D9830, Tasmania, visited D9980 in the lower half of the South Island of New Zealand. A reciprocal visit to Tasmania was held between the 19 th October and 3 rd November by a team comprising four Rotarians and their wives. Beside the statue of "Malua" at Deloraine Although D9980 annually hosts inbound RFEs, it is many years since there has been an outbound RFE, and so this visit of New Zealanders to Tasmania was very special. The visit was most enlightening for myself especially, as I found myself to be the RFE contact for D9980. We were all extremely impressed with the friendly hospitality, kindness of our host families and the extent and detail put into sight seeing programmes for us by the individual clubs we were fortunate enough to visit. We were hosted by RC's Deloraine, Launceston, St Helens, Howrah (in Hobart), Wynyard and Devonport North. "Real" cheese to get a smile! Although we didn t see a Tasmanian Devil, we were treated to views of very productive farm land, visited a couple of cow sheds, an aero plane hangar with a couple of planes, partook of strawberry treats, cheese and chocolate, climbed a lighthouse, got a clear view from Mt. Wellington, learned about the astonishing poppy industry and Tasmania s convict history, and even extended our artistic cultural experiences when we made a visit to MONA!! On the day that Lesley and John Dare and Marc Smith took us to see Cradle Mountain it was, unfortunately, as elusive as New Zealand s Mount Cook, but that leaves just one of many excuses we have to return. Standing in front of the Himalayan Cedar tree that Paul Harris planted in Launceston in 1935
3 The group was interested to learn of different fund raising enterprises organised by the Rotary Clubs we visited. One club had so much happening one weekend, when we were there, that all the members of the club were involved with one or another of several events and yet they still managed to host our group. Amazing!!! Variety was certainly the name of the game. President of the newly chartered RC Derwent Valley, Craig Farrell (left), receives a Chain of Office from RC Glenorchy President, Brian Richardson (right) at the Charter Function for the newest club in Rotary Tasmania. RC Claremont President, Dennis Bordin (centre) is a proud observer. Like the South Island, never too far away from water in Tassie Our thanks go to Lesley Dare and her committee for organising our exchange, to our generous hosts and our Rotary guides for showing us the many local sights. We travelled 2,540 km altogether finishing with a day at the Tasmania Craft Fair in Deloraine, a fitting finale for our wonderful RFE visit. A Splendid Santa Who is it?: Peter Bourn, RC Latrobe Yellow Jersey Ride Now you know what "Friendship" as in Rotary Friendship Exchange means. Contributed by Lance Wensley. D9980 New Zealand, RFE Leader Your chance to get a yellow Australian Rotary Health jersey signed by Richie Porte by participating in the conference bike ride (Tour de Norfolk Plains) on the Sunday of conference. Raise a $1,000 in sponsorship and the jersey is yours, or whoever you nominate. More information: http://www.9830conference.com/australian-rotaryhealth-bike-ride.html Boys and their toys
4 Artex 2012 R C Ulverstone West has again held their very successful art show to large appreciative audiences. The show was opened on Friday 16 th November by Central Coast Mayor Jan Bonde with members hosting a gala cocktail event attended by over 120 people. The three highly credentialed Tasmanian judges made positive and complementary comments about the standard of the works on show, all of which were for sale. This venture is well supported by the North West Arts Circle with many of their members being annual contributors. At opening night, Tony MacCormick (with his new wife, Julie) was thanked for the many years of work to make Artex the event that is now widely recognised by artists throughout Tasmania. The judges declared one piece as the overall winner. This was then acquired by the local council to display in their chambers. Categories included acrylics, watercolour, mixed mediums, pen and drawing, miniatures and oils. This year a new category was instigated. This was for an emerging artist, one who has not won an award in the past. This has been named the Suzanne Charleston Award and will be ongoing in memory of the lady who with her good friend Adrienne Krist began the show 25 years ago. The Magic of the Magic Show During the 10 days of the exhibition over 700 people passed through the doors with 31 paintings being sold to the public and to sponsors. The highly appreciated sponsors luncheon had over 40 people representing the 30 dedicated company and individual sponsors vying to have first opportunity to purchase pictures of their choice. It is a pleasing feature of this annual show that the club has such a large number of local companies who are always prepared to sponsor the event. This year painting sales have netted $4,200 for the club. Entry fees, sponsorship raffles and cocktail event together are expected to net the club in excess of $7,000 profit once all expenses are met. The Magic Show was conducted at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Hobart on the 6th December. Here are a couple of letters of thanks from attendees. "We wish to thank RC Hobart for hosting the magic show held on Sunday 6 December 2012, at the Hotel Grand Chancellor. The donated tickets received through Anglicare were very much appreciated. The show was very enjoyable; the children were certainly in awe. Thank you, F Jordan" "A friend of mine's grandson recently attended the Magic Show with his grandmother (my friend). He is suffering from an incurable brain tumour and has amazed everyone by his tenacity. His grandmother has asked me to pass on her sincere thanks for giving her grandson such an enjoyable afternoon. I believe that she will be writing personally but she was anxious that you were thanked before then. Thank you for giving the family a little ray of hope in what has and continues to be a trying time".
5 Hobart-based clubs supporting threatened hill tribe in northern Thailand RC City Central Hobart and RC North Hobart joined forces to feed twenty children in northern Thailand for a year. The kids are from the Akha tribe in northern Thailand and are supported by the Ayui Foundation which was established in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. It provides hostel and educational support for poor, vulnerable, at-risk, ethnic Akha hill tribe teenagers. The two Hobart-based Rotary clubs have donated $1,500 to the Ayui Foundation, sufficient to provide rice to feed twenty children for a year. Dicky Crawford Sandy Bay's legendary speedster and Rotarian The late Richard (Dick, Dicky) Crawford, a charter member of RC Sandy Bay, was a Tasmanian motor racing and speedboat legend. In the early '60's, Dick ran a very successful mechanic's business in Sandy Bay. He was a master mechanic with a sixth sense when it came to engines. Dick's mechanic's business was very busy - he serviced the Governor's cars. As a mechanic, he would always wear overalls and a tie at work. Come Rotary meeting days, he would rush home at lunchtime, wash up, pull off with the overalls, keep the shirt and tie on, put on a reefer jacket and rush off to the Rotary meeting. But Dick was best remembered for his obsession with speed, racing 30 different vehicles. From the 1930's onward, on water or on land, he won races in anything that had a powerful engine, floated or had four wheels. Amazingly, he won the same speed boat trophy race for the centenary (1938) and the sesquicentenary (1988) of the Royal Hobart Regatta. When he handed in his racing licence, he was the oldest licensed racing driver in Australia in both facets of the sport and well into his 70's. Storing the rice donated by R C City Central Hobart and R C North Hobart Aside from putting children through school, the Ayui Foundation focuses on preserving their Akha culture. It supports teenagers who come from separated or poor families who have little or no means of support, or who come from mountain villages far from schools. The hostel (Baan Ayui or "Big Sister's House") is located in the peaceful and semi-rural community. It is within walking distance of the local market and the school that the children attend. Baan Ayui is run on a day-to-day basis by the married Akha housemother and father. The Akha students are in an environment with strong Akha role models. The children have daily chores and weekly activities. The hostel is run like a large family. In the holidays, many of the young people will return to their villages. Contributed by Hal Radin R C City Central Hobart Dick Crawford being made a Paul Harris Fellow by PP Margaret Hyland in 1988 Dick strongly believed in the ideals and philosophies of the Rotary movement. RC Sandy Bay honoured him by making him a Paul Harris Fellow in 1988. The club similarly honoured his daughter, Trish, in 2007 because of the devoted care and support she gave her ageing father, and through him, the Rotary Movement. Dick's many friends in Rotary will miss this fine man and will remember him with great affection. (Contributed by Ian Johnson and Ivan Pearson, RC Sandy Bay)
6 Sally's Ride 2012 Over 550 cyclists of all abilities turned out for the 2012 Sally's Ride. Five different rides of different lengths and degrees of difficulty over some of the best cycling territory in Australia catered for the novices, the elites and the in-betweens. For a cyclist, there's little that beats pedalling down the Tamar Valley on a warm late spring morning. All the better if you are in a pack of riders of similar speed. The latest from Murphys Creek Community Centre Finishing touches being applied before the opening next month View from the car park Sally's Ride Founder, Sally Fletcher, addresses the participants before they set off Sally's Ride is a major logistical exercise for RC Central Launceston with teams required for promotion, registration, sign posting, escort vehicles, traffic control at intersections and catering, among other tasks. Beneficiary of the $20,000 raised at the 2012 Sally's Ride was CORES (Community Response to Eliminating Suicide. The main hall Even though they've only done 1 kilometre, the field is stretched out as they turn into West Tamar Highway Entrance to the main hall
7, Charity Golf Day comes up trumps for RC Lindisfarne assists hearing-impaired Westbury students On Wednesday, RC Westbury received a major boost to its activities through a $7,600 donation from Coca Cola Amatil. This donation was presented by John Szabados, the Regional Manager of Coca Cola Amatil. RC Lindisfarne helped Herdsman Cove Primary School to purchase a "dyna mic" from Australian Hearing at a cost of $400. The equipment greatly assisted two hearing-impaired students at Herdsman Cove to hear by cutting out most of the background noise. It enables them to participate more fully in class room activities. A smiling President of RC Westbury, Penny Hickman (centre), after receiving a cheque for $7,600 from Coca Cola Amatil The funding was part of the proceeds of charity golf day held at Barnbougle in September last year. Michael Mitchell from McLean Health Care was part of the winning team on the day and nominated RC Westbury as the charity of choice to receive the first prize. Michael and McLean s Health Care had become aware of the Rotary Club s most recent international project which aims to provide much needed medical equipment and supplies to the 350 bed Lautoka Hospital in Fiji. The funding will be used to purchase equipment to send to Fiji and to assist in paying the freight costs which are significant. A 13 member team from RC Westbury visited Fiji in June 2012 to participate in a project building houses at Koroipita. While there they also visited the Lautoka Hospital and were saddened at the lack of equipment and resources at the Hospital. They subsequently returned to Tasmania and began collecting surplus medical equipment to ship to Fiji. To date over $200,000 worth of equipment has been collected and it was planned to load this equipment in a forty foot container and ship it prior to Christmas. Anyone wanting more information regarding the project can contact the RC Westbury on 0408 135 732. Smiles all around for the Herdsman Cove students who have benefitted from use of a "dyna mic" donated by RC Lindisfarne Kelly Mason, teacher of the Deaf and Hearing- Impaired, said there are about 30 children in Tasmania who could benefit from using a "dyna mic". For such a small cost, it could make a big difference to a young student's life. RC Somerset's Foreshore Fiesta wins award RC Somerset's annual Australia Day Foreshore Fiesta Family Fun Day was awarded a Sustainable Communities Award in the 2012 Keep Australia Beautiful Awards. The award is for an amazing event that keeps the community together. Club President Mary Duniam has acknowledged the Fiesta's founder PP Leigh Newman for his outstanding contribution. During its previous five years, the Fiesta has been the source of thousands of charitable dollars for the community. The club is indebted to Waratah Wynyard Council for its support, in particular the use of Anzac Park, and sponsors.
8 RC Lindisfarne's Eminent Presidents:- Owen Winter (left) - President at the 1,000 th meeting of the club Graham Burgess (centre) - President at the first meeting of the club in January 1973 Current President Peter Rasmussen who will preside at the 2,000 th meeting of the club Project Management 101 for Rotarians by PP Noel Atkins of RC Burnie "Bend your backs fellows while I sit and watch!" Photo taken at the Romaine Primary School where a garden was being created by the club. Crash Simulation Demonstration drives home Road Accident reality to Cressy and Campbell Town High School students (photo courtesy of The Examiner) This photo was taken by DG James of a paddock on a property near Devon Hills in the Northern Midlands. The owner lost her son a few years ago and has created a range of letters that she moves around to create words of hope and inspiration. The current arrangement of letters sits very well with the Rotary Theme for 2012-2013 "Peace Through Service" Most year 10 students in Tasmania attend Rotary Youth Driving Awareness (RYDA) courses conducted around Tasmania. In the Northern Midlands, the road survival message was reinforced to Cressy and Campbell Town High School students by demonstrating to students the procedures the emergency services follow in attending serious road crashes and the judicial process that could follow. RC Longford President Linus Grant said his club approached police to get "the survival on the roads" message across to students. The exercise aimed to give students a strong and life-saving message about the consequences of road accidents.