Venue: Castello's Cucina
Guest Speaker: Dean Jamieson
Guests: John Smith, Marie Rothe, Phil Andrews
Attendance: 29 members and 4 guests
Welcome
Brenton Judge read the invocation prepared by the Prez - it had a number of elements including the aussie spirit, peace, the role of Rotary in improving understanding and striving to make a difference.
President John welcomed our guests and thanked all the volunteers who helped with the McLaren Vale Hospital equipment uplift last Thursday..........see later note. A range of announcements followed, including: the Rotary Women's Breakfast on 6 March; the Rotary District Conference in Loxton on 15-17 March; an invite from RC Murray Bridge to join them in their 70th birthday celebration on 9 March; hosting of exchange visitors from India on 8 - 18 March; and the forthcoming RC Somerton Park packing of supplies at Foodbank. Rotary has its own version of Mad March!
He had received a letter of appreciation from Unley Salvos for the 3 baskets of donated Christmas toiletries by our club.
Guest Speaker: Dean Jamieson - Memoirs of a Cowboy
Paul Duke introduced Dean who had written a book entitled "They called me Lightning" covering his experiences working in the outback of SA. Dean was born in 1940 and left home at 14 to pursue a 'cowboy' career influenced by the westerns out of the USA. His first trip was to Adminga Station [in SA near the NT border] via the Ghan. He found the outback harsh and unforgiving unlike the many 'romantic' images flowing from America.
Dean explained that he got off the Ghan in the middle of nowhere at 3am expecting someone to be there to transport him to the station...........the pick-up did not arrive until the second day. First lesson!
He decided to write a book about his years in the outback for his daughter who is 47yo and suffers from fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva [FOP] which is a disease suffered by only 18 people in Australia and about 900 across the globe. It involves unconstrained bone growth and is cruel. His book took 4 years to write and just as long to edit....starting with a print run of 50 copies and continuing to grow thereafter, with retail cost of $30. Profits from the book sales go to research on FOP.
After his underwhelming greeting on arrival at Adminga, Dean was eased into his role as a ringer. He had informed the owner that he could ride a horse and was taken to the local stockyard to display his skills...or lack thereof. It took him 1 year to learn how to ride well and another 2 years to be able to break in horses. In that area the brumbies are ugly and bad tempered. The station would loan him out to other contractors and he spent some years rounding up brumbies on the Birdsville track for a factory in Melbourne producing pet food.
There were many memorable moments. He recalled being taken to tend a poorly performing bore 30 miles from the station and was left there for a week to sort it out. He was petrified of the isolation, even more so when he saw strange moving lights in the sky (Aboriginals call them Min Min lights] and he spent all night at the top of the windmill. . The editor can confirm that the lights exist as he and Beverley experienced travelling back from Uluru to Alice Springs late one evening.
Another memorable moment happened when he went to the pub with his station mates at the age of 17. Despite the minimum age for drinking in a pub being 21 at that time, the publican was happy to serve him pints. After lying
drunk as a skunk on the floor, the publican urged him to 'get up lightning' and so the name struck throughout his career. At one time he was working away from the station for several days with a group including aborigines. When the steaks ran out several went hunting but all they could nab was an awful tasting goanna. Ruby the cook and smartest of the aboriginal trackers found some better tasting witchety grubs....much more palatable. Scurvy was a real problem due to lack of fresh fruit, and boils got to be very painful in the saddle.
Dean is proud of the accolades bestowed by Peter Goers and other commentators for the quality of his book. He urges everyone to write down their stories to enable others to appreciate their experiences, as he has done for his daughter. She works from home and is married with 2 children - unfortunately the FOP has now spread to her mouth. Dean urged the purchase of his book to assist with the FOP research.
President John showed an amusing video produced by EDS of the 'Wild West' with cowboys herding cats rather than sheep or cattle.......the editor remained non-plussed as to what was being advertised but enjoyed the futility of it.
Dean was applauded for his address.
SPOTS
With Jerry away it was expected that there would be less spotting.....wrong!
Christina Way is looking for our club to assist a group of Post-Polio Syndrome sufferers. She quoted the case of one such lady of 81 who was struggling to gain support through aged care. Others are having problems with NDIS, also due to a lack of understanding. Victoria is the only State in Australia with a special care facility. We can help by sponsoring a morning tea, but more needs to be done. She is keen to have Michael Jackson (not The MJ) address us. It was suggested she work with the Jerry and the Community Service Committee - Australian Rotary Health may also be able to assist.
David Middleton provided a glowing tribute to Lowitja O'Donohue...a remarkable woman who did so much for her aboriginal community. She reflected that being part of the stolen generation gave opportunities which may otherwise have passed her by, but failure by the authorities to tell her mother that she was still alive touched her deeply for 30 years. David mentioned the incident when she was nursing at the Lyell McEwen Hospital and all the nurses (except Lowitja, because she was aboriginal) were presented to the Queen during her visit in 1953. She walked the world stage with dignity and always resolutely pushed forward in a calm and positive manner.
Garry Taylor talked about the Community Quiz at the Fullarton Park Centre on Saturday 29 June. We need 10-12 tables of ten, prizes for the raffle and a bottle of wine for the wine wall. Proceeds to go to a youth project.
Brendan Kenny announced that ROMAC is now bringing patients into SA after the hiatus with Covid. A young 8yo (Stanrick) from Solomon Islands has had an operation on his back at the Women's and Children's Hospital to relieve his spina bifida. After staying at the wonderful Ronald McDonald House he and his Mum are now with Brendan and Bronwyn for this week and another Rotary Family next week while he recovers. It is great to witness the joy.
Finale
In future, the editor is going to remove the raffle tickets bought by Virginia and Greg from the draw - they did it again!
Guest speaker Dean and Rachel were also winners.
The meeting closed a tad late at 8.01pm after a story by the Prez which was only awarded 5.5 out of 10.
Moving McLaren Vale Hospital equipment to RARE
An intrepid group of volunteers from both McLaren Vale and Unley Rotary Clubs met at 9am on Feb 1st to help clear the hospital equipment and transport it to Rotary Australia Repurposing Equipment’s RARE warehouse at Edinburgh (formerly Donations in Kind).
The volunteers were Janet Rice and Briony Casburn from McLaren Vale; Paul Duke, Valerie Bonython Graham Ey, Christina Way, Ross Burton and Jerry Casburn from Unley all ably assisted by Dave Cockshell (Recent OAM) from the Rotary Club of Gawler Light and manager of the RARE warehouse. We had three cage trailers of varying sizes and the truck hired by Dave Cockshell. Ross Burton to be mentioned in dispatches for adding a wound to his arm when crushed between a hospital bed and the side of a caged trailer.
The Board of the hospital, which is now closed, donated all equipment to RARE to be distributed to countries via Rotary projects. The inventory included 9 electrically controlled beds with accessories and mattresses, 2 Recliners, 16 bedside cabinets, 50+ chairs, 60+pillows, a number of pictures which went to the Unley Thrift shop, various tall cabinets and numerous boxes of medical stock (bandages, et al). All vehicles were brimming when we left the hospital, gone midday. All of the gear was transported to Edinburgh and unloaded at the warehouse for RARE, plus the Thrift shop, the latter by Christina who later drove to Edinburgh.
A great effort by all and their achievements should be applauded.
Jerry Casburn
The Rogues Gallery
Photos from the McLaren Vale Hospital Up-lift ------ choose your own captions
Rotary International News
Rotary projects around the globe - February 2024
By Brad Webber
United States
Rotary clubs in the ski resort towns of Park City, Utah, and Breckenridge, Colorado, have a friendly rivalry for the longest “shot ski” — a ski affixed to shot glasses that people raise together to down whiskey at the same time. In October, the Rotary Club of Park City Sunrise recaptured the crown as 1,363 people lined a street to drink rye whiskey (or apple cider) in unison from hundreds of shot skis held end to end. The event raised more than $43,000 for grants to assist community organizations, club member Connie Nelson says. She concedes that she and fellow club member Mike Luers were inspired by the Colorado club during a “reconnaissance” tour of successful winter resorts. “Their main street was closed for a festival. I looked at Mike and he looked at me and we said, ‘We can beat that,’” she says. The festive affair is “branding for our Rotary club,” Nelson adds. “We not only sell out but we have people on a waiting list to try to get on the line. It’s not just to sample the alcohol. It’s about the getting together, the unique community sharing.”
Honduras
Nearly 40 percent of adolescents are not in secondary school in Honduras, where educational achievement scores are low. The Rotary clubs of Tegucigalpa Sur and Peterborough, Ontario, teamed up to address the issue. In 2018 the clubs, which have collaborated on projects before, constructed a teacher training center in the municipality of Lepaterique and supplied books and other learning materials. Most recently, the clubs partnered with a nonprofit organization and the country’s Ministry of Education to provide literacy training to primary school teachers. “Sixteen-hour workshops are being held on a rotating basis with 160 teachers” representing 62 schools, says Marie Press, a member of the Peterborough club. “The feedback has been incredibly positive.”
England
For its centennial project, the Rotary Club of Halifax built a scenic overlook above the town on an ancient road and footpath known as the Magna Via. Illustrated panels identify landmarks such as Wainhouse Tower, Borough Market, Square Church spire, the Halifax gibbet (a replica of the 16th century precursor to the guillotine), and the Town Hall, designed by Sir Charles Barry, architect of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. QR codes link to descriptions of the landmarks on the club website. “The views are magnificent and span the horizon,” says Ken Robertshaw, a past governor of District 1040. The $25,000 project, dedicated in late June, was funded by sponsoring businesses and individual donors, including Robertshaw, who contributed in honor of his late wife, Pauline. The Town Council agreed to maintain the overlook. “Given the history of the site, it seemed like an appropriate place for us to build something that celebrates the rich heritage of the town,” Robertshaw says.
Sri Lanka
All the world’s a stage for young Sri Lankan thespians who, with their Rotarian supporters, take their Shakespeare seriously. For nearly five decades, tens of thousands of them have participated in the All Island Inter-School Shakespeare Drama Competition. Known as the “Shakes,” last year’s contest, held in September and organized by the Rotary Club of Colombo North and the Colombo YMCA, included more than 1,000 students. The ensembles performed 30-minute scenes that organizers chose from eight plays. “They are judged mainly on acting, and marks are also allocated for direction, teamwork, and effects,” Club President Lasika Jayamaha says. Rotaractors assisted with front of house and backstage roles. “The competition has been a springboard for thousands of young people across the island” to careers in acting, directing, and media, Jayamaha says. Adding to the shine, the coveted rotating trophy is a silver bust of Shakespeare that was a gift from the mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of the Bard.
Senegal
The Rotary Clubs of Dakar-Soleil and West Chester, Pennsylvania, celebrated a milestone last year in their project to drill for water in three villages in Senegal. Despite delays during the pandemic and “several difficult months searching for water on the part of the construction company,” productive boreholes were drilled in July and August in the southeastern Kédougou region, reports Samuel Lowry, a member of the Rotary Club of Greater Huntsville, Alabama, who assisted with the project. Three of five planned pumps are now in use providing potable water, Lowry says. A $130,000 global grant supported the project. Funds were also raised online during the pandemic. A project Facebook page yielded contributions as well as comments like “How can we get one of these where we are?”
Coffee Chat at Impressa, Unley Shopping Centre
10.30 am on the first Friday of the month is good for a chat with Rotary friends and a caffeine fix - Next one is Friday 1 March 2024
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 13 February 2024 6 for 6.30pm Castello's Cucina
Guest Speaker: Aasya Owais NYSF and Helen Glenville Second Chance
Greetings Team: John Kikkert & Dennis Liddle
Tuesday 20 February 2024 6 for 6.30pm Castello's Cucina
Guest Speaker: Reno Elms - Salvos Emergency Services
Greetings Team: John Kikkert & Dennis Liddle
Apologies and Meeting Enquiries to: Secretary Greg McLeod on 0417 811 838 or email to secretary@unleyrotary.org.au
Venue Set-up Enquiries to: Bulletin Editor Stephen Baker on 0403 687 015
Saturday Thrift Shop Roster
Early Shift: 10.00am to 1.00pm Late Shift: 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Week 1: 3 February 2024
Early: Jerry Casburn & Haydn Baillie | Late: Robyn Carnachan & Leonie Kewen
Week 2: 10 February 2024
Early: Greg Mcleod & Wendy Andrews | Late: Virginia Cossid & Vera-Ann Stacy
Week 3: 17 February 2024
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Vera Holt & Rhonda Hoare
Week 4: 24 February 2024
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Jason Booth & Vera-Ann Stacy
Week 5:
Early: Bob Mullins & Wendy Andrews | Late: Virginia Cossid & Paul Duke
Rotarians, who are unable to attend as rostered, please arrange a swap or as a very last resort contact: Vivienne Wood 0408 819 630; e-mail: vwood@ozemail.com.au
Mitre 10 and Bunnings Barbeques
The Mitre 10 BBQs are the first and third Saturdays of each month. Morning shift 8.30am - 12 noon; afternoon shift 12.00 - 3.30pm, then clean-up.....next one is on 17 February.
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
Morning shift: 8.00am – 12.30pm | Afternoon shift: 12.30 – 5pm
We have been allocated the last Monday of each month.....next one is 25 March
The Tale End.....
Some more ancient history
The reporter was pressing the old gent on his 100th birthday to reveal the secret for his long life.
"Two reasons," said the centenarian, "The first is my habit of drinking 2 whiskies each day."
"And what was the second?" asked the reporter.
" Cancelling by booking on the Titanic", the oldie replied.
This one is for Robyn
The Elderly Citizens Club has a community bus and each Sunday they go for a mystery tour. To make it interesting, the oldies dob 50c into a sweep to guess the destination of the mystery tour.
Bert the bus driver has won it three times in a row.
