I would like to send the Club’s condolences to Rotarian Darryl for the passing of Kathy last week. I know all our members share with me that Kathy will be greatly missed, and I also know should a shoulder be required there are plenty of members willing to assist. The funeral will be at the Christ Church on Swanport Road Wednesday 5th at 11am.
Don’t forget that this Tuesday will be the Clubs 3,500th meeting and I am sure the night will be quite entertaining.
As I said at last weeks meeting, the Board went on a spending spree and I would like to inform you all where the money was allocated.
$5000 to Rotary Foundation
$1000 to Polio Plus
Purchase 2 Heart of Nation AED $6000
School of St Jude 2 students $1400 each
$500 Ruhrja Orphanage and the Batowa people
Also some time back the Club was given a $600 gift card from Bunnings and originally this was going to be used on environmental project with the Emu Wren. Since then with covid etc it was moved that the gift card be redirected to Calperum for their environmental projects.
The members may also like to know that the Citroen car club did some of their own fundraising to assist Food Bank. On their last order of business, they donated the sum of $4000 to Food Bank. What a marvellous gesture.
By the time you would have read this report we along with Mobilong club will have opened the Art Show and this year entries have been broken records with entries around100 more than the last years.
All the best and see you Tuesday night.
Breast Care Nursing Report
Annie Williams is a McGrath Breast Care Nurse working for Country Health Connect. On Tuesday night (28th March) she spoke to us of her professional career in nursing. Annie is currently working in the Murray Mallee region and until recently there has not been a service to clients suffering with lymphoedema.
This has meant that clients with lymphoedema or suspected lymphoedema need to travel to Adelaide for diagnosis and ongoing treatment. As there was a gap in the service, Annie has completed the Lymphoedema Therapist course. She now runs lymphoedema clinics for breast care clients, providing measurement, ordering and fitting of garments; Lymphoedema massage and education for self-care and self-massage. Local support for lymphoedema is necessary for trouble shooting and ongoing care as needed, providing a better service to our community. We do not have any private practitioners in our region to be able to refer to locally. Murray Bridge Country Health Connect are currently looking to commence a lymphoedema clinic in Murray Bridge for the local community, which will help all people with lymphoedema not just breast care clients.
Annie is looking for funding to purchase a SOZO machine for Murray Bridge. The SOZO helps to diagnose lymphoedema (pre-clinical) and assists in the ongoing management of clients with Lymphoedema.
Jim Cundy.
Mongolian Playground Next Steps
Synopsis: After agreeing to support a project to deliver 6 playgrounds and other essential materials to a childminding/kindergarten containing 500 plus kids under the age of 5 who are from impoverished families in Ulaanbaatar, the two Rotary Clubs in Murray Bridge set to work. Now read on.
Mobilong and Murray Bridge Rotary put it about that we needed an A4 sheet list of materials to put into a container purchased to transport the playgrounds. Rotarians, MB Businesses and Joe Public responded marvellously to the point that we took at least 3 ute loads of materials gifted to the project down to be packed.
On the 1st of April, at 8 am, 14 hardy souls turned up at the DIK shed to pack the playgrounds which Rotarians had carefully checked out and placed around the container a day or two previously. Jill, Joy and Rob set up an outside kitchen, and the rest (Stewart, Andrew, Simon, Jack, Warren, Roxanne, Wayne, Helen, Sharon, Sam, Elizabeth, Rob) set to work in an orderly fashion and packed that container in 3.5 hours. Some of the boys just packed away (Stewart’s skill “I have packed 200 containers” coming to the fore), boys and girls found nooks and crannies to stow stuff in before it was packed away, and boxes and boxes just seemed to vanish during the morning. Come midday, job done!!
What was extraordinary was the harmony mixed with good natured chiacking, where a dozen Rotarians from 3 Clubs (did I mention the help we received from Kidman Park Rotary?) beavered away in a manner where people stepped in without being directed, or who stopped what they were doing to assist where they could see a bottle neck evolving. In my experience it is rare for such a diverse group of this size to work in such an industrious and productive way.
And the food! Enough to feed a small army as is the country way, many thanks to Jill, Joy, Elizabeth, Bronwyn, and Roxanne, oodles of cakes, biscuits etc for morning tea and a BBQ courtesy of the Reddin’s Baby BBQ.
And then when we found we had more room in the container, the Rotary people from the Donations In Kind shed quickly found 148 doonas they had tucked away somewhere plus boxes and boxes of books, and bags and bags of soft toys and games! In they went. Doncha just love being a Rotarian?
Ugandan Orphanage
Dear Rotary, Last year I spent time in Ruhija, South-West Uganda. There I met a woman called Happy, who is Vice-Chairwoman of the local community and Director of an Orphanage School, which provides food and accommodation for all its students. I also spent time with the Batwa people, who live on the outskirts of Ruhija after being forcibly removed from the nearby forest when it was turned into a national park 30 or so years ago. For my birthday this year (today), I am doing a fundraiser for the orphanage and the Batwa people. Having communicated with Happy, the funds for the orphanage would go towards school supplies, food, clothes, and mattresses. When there I was struck that 3 kids needed to share the same bed, on hard metal frames with mattresses that were almost completely fallen apart. We shared lunch together, and the 30 or 40 children shared between them what would be lunch for one or two people in Australia. I have never met children so eager to learn, but quality food and sleep are important for learning so helping with this would help the children’s education.
At the beginning of the year, our students came together one afternoon and wrote letters to the sponsors who support their scholarships.
It’s always a happy and beautiful moment seeing our students sit quietly, write and decorate letters thanking you for your support and letting you know how their holiday was, what they expect this year and the new clubs, sports or subjects they will be doing this year.
Kindly find attached letters from the students whose academic scholarship you support. We hope you will enjoy reading them.
All at Rotary Club of Murray Bridge, thank you for your continued support of the academic scholarships, and for joining a hand in educating the future leaders of Tanzania.
If you wish to reply to any of the letters, please feel free to respond via this email address, and we will be happy to pass it on for you.
This year the Rotary International Convention is being held in melbourne from 26th - 31st May.
If you are keen to attend, please contact Robin LeGallez
Our annual District Conference to be somewhat different this year.
On 3rd June an EXPO will be held at Adelaide University Bonython Hall where we are invited to showcase projects, learn for other partnerships and listen to speakers.
This is a one day only Expo and will be free to all attendees.
Saturday evening is a celebration of the establishment of Rotary in SA, 100 years ago. The dinner will be held in the National Wine Centre. Individual registration or tables of 10 are encouraged.
If you would like to be a "Table Captain" please contact Robin LeGallez.
ROMAC News
Paul Harris Fellow Recognition
Drakes Tags
Our Club has received another "gift card" from Dakes in the amount of $125.00 through their Community Dollars programme. Thank you to all members who have shopped at Drakes and registered their barcode. Please keep on doing this as it helps pay for groceries bought for bbqs etc. Any members who havn't a Drakes tag please see me. The tags are not just for members, you can give them to friends and family. You can use them at any Drakes store in South Australia.
Jenny Alexander-Walters
Food Business Notification Number Rural City Of Murray Bridge
Trading Business Name: Rotary Club of Murray Bridge Food Business Notification Number: RCMB118 This business is now notified with the Rural City of Murray Bridge. If there are any changes to the food business notification details, such as a change in address or ownership, please ensure Council is notified with the appropriate form. While Council has a responsibility for the administration of the Food Act 2001 to ensure compliance with standards and food safety requirements, we consider our primary role is to provide support. We can provide advice and guidance on all Food Standards Code matters.
Object of Rotary
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
Rotary Work Shirts
Darryl Webb has arranged with Grandisons to supply Bisley Rotary work shirts in various configurations.
Please visit Grandisons and select your shirt which will then be embroided with our Club logo.
Pay for the shirt and retain your receipt.
Upon presentation of the receipt to Sam Cozens, you will be reimbursed $20 as a subsidy
What's happening on our Facebook page
John Scarvelis has been posting up a storm with some great content.
ged with Grandisons to supply Bisley Rotary work shirts in various configurations.
