Please ensure that you respond promptly to the invitation to our next meeting,
Our Last Meeting
Venue: Damien on Fisher
Guest Speaker: Kate Clements
Visiting Rotarians: John Holds (Whyalla)
Guests: Aine Stirling, Glen Clements
Attendance: 26 Members and 4 Guests
President Heather’s Announcement
Tidbits were provided of the combined District conference last weekend:
- a visit by new Premier Steven Marshall
- the committee preparing for the amalgamation of the two districts provided a road map and is seeking response from members
- DG Bob Cooper announced that the Purple House (dialysis) project being progressed by Jerry will now receive a global grant.
Mavis has been in hospital with pneumonia.
Guest Speaker: Kate Clements - A Flight Against The Odds
Jerry Casburn introduced Kate and did not ruin the story (as chairs often do) by providing too much information about the honeymoon journey she took with her husband from Scotland to Australia in a weeny plane in 1968. Kate has documented this remarkable adventure in a book 'A Flight Against All Odds, Scotland - Australia 1968'.
Kate (Kathleen Wright) and George were married in 1967 and set their hearts on emigrating to Australia as part of the 10 pound attraction scheme and to get away from the UK Government. George became mad keen on flying himself and his bride into oz. They chose a Beagle terrier single engine, 4 cylinder, wooden propped plane with a cruising speed of 70 nautical miles/hour (185 kmph for the younger generation) and a distance capacity of 250 nautical miles. George had never flown before so he took a crash course of 44 hours training. The plane had no navigational aids so Kate learnt how to read maps, to use the slide rule and compass settings.
Their plane Charlie Golf (GASCG) which had numerous restrictions like not travelling at night or in difficult weather conditions (pilot's licence and plane on visual only) took off from Edinburgh on 19 June 1968. One of the main concerns was landing on foreign unwelcoming air strips. To get extra mileage for flyovers of difficult territory a 4 gallon container of avgas was employed to fill the belly tank by opening the plane door, unscrewing the tank cap and feeding in the extra fuel when the tank emptied. Excellent for aeration.
Their first dilemma was in France where heavy head winds delayed arrival until after nightfall....Kate had to go out on the wing tip to stabilise the plane......and the French were not amused; part of the penalty was being forced to take off into these same head winds at an unsuitable time and they barely made it. Flying low over Israel was a challenge....their plane was of a type used for spy missions and the Israelis often downed them. Libya was at war with Israel. Kate took over flying when George became sick coming into Beirut. Problems were experienced in Damascus in getting approval to take off....and so they just did. A bad landing in Jordan wrecked the rear wheel.
But India was the worst. Air traffic control in Calcutta was unhelpful and when they landed they were treated like spies with their camera and photographs seized. Thence through Bangladesh, to Burma (where foreigners were being ejected), through Malaysia to Singapore where the plane failed its airworthiness check....strange really. Three weeks later they took off for Indonesia and struck trouble with authorities in Waingapu, and had to pay a large bribe to exit from Timor. The big moment was when they left Dili; there was nothing but open sea on the way to Darwin. Against orders they landed in Darwin and meandered down to Parafield Airport. For 4 months and 12,531 nautical miles they had blundered across Europe and Asia to get to the promised land. Kate and George parted ways.......the old adage that living through difficult times binds you closer together is not always true.
What a remarkable journey of sheer madness, grit and bravery!
Kate was thanked by acclamation.
Spots
Jerry Casburn:
- exhorted members to slot money into his coin stacker to help the club achieve Centurion status.
- is hosting Rotarians from NZ and needs 4 more people on 1-8 May for a houseboat cruise to replace those that can no longer make it.
Trevor McGuirk: Asked members to support a Group 6 dinner at the Edinburgh Hotel on Wednesday 8 August in lieu of our normal meeting; this is to replace the combined Christmas breakfast.
Bob Mullins was serenaded badly by the Unley Rotary choir for his about to be achieved 4 score years.
Bob deserved better.
Stephen Baker reminded vocational committee members of an impending meeting, unsuccessfully tried to ascertain who had flogged the balls from the squares machine, and went hunting for RYPEN applications.
The Finale with happiness
Jerry won the infernal squares and expressed pleasure at the allocation of a $US153,000 Rotary global grant for renal dialysis for the Kokatha people......part of Purple Heart. Judi had a brilliant time with Operation Flinders on the weekend and her arms have lengthened after the abseiling....sad news however that her daughter and grandchildren are heading for Qld. Graham was pleased that the NZ cricket team bowled out the Poms for a paltry score. Little mention was made of the Australian ball tampering efforts....would have ruined a perfectly good evening.
The meeting closed at 7.56pm.....maybe we could have used these extra 4 minutes on Kate's epic journey.
The Rotary 9520 & 9500 Conference in the Barossa...................
14 intrepid Unley members and mates travelled to the Barossa to experience the first joint conference since the District was split in 1978.
There was something for everyone following the opening by our Governor His Excellency Hieu Van Le and with The Twins....DG Bob Cooper (aka Danny D) of 9520 and DG Peter Schaefer of 9500 (aka Arnold S)......pushing/puffing the Rotary End Polio Now ute across the stage. The speakers kept us informed and entertained:
- Jerry loved the way his NZ friend Stuart Heal urged members to get a grip on change to revitalise Rotary.
- Professor Tanya Monro propelled us through the NYSF scientific connection and suitably impressed President Heather who as a teenager secretly craved to be an exciting scientist....atom crunching as distinct from number crunching
- Dr Jennifer took Christopher Pyne's spot (he was called to Canberra to prevent submarines entering the nation's capital) and spoke of the health challenges facing indigenous people and opportunities for Rotary involvement.
- Sophie Thomson entranced Valerie and Graham Ey with the promise of happiness in the garden and elsewhere......and Jerry and Briony were seen taking notes.
- Tim Moore urged more effective communication between Rotary, its members and the public.
- Dr Peter Sutherland and Michael Aish talked about early prostate intervention and sadly informed those that were at risk (like over 20% of the male audience) that one finger digital salutes were now replaced with more reliable scans.
- Tim Cooper delighted all dedicated Coopers drinkers (editor is one) on how they are preforming and innovating in a competitive beer market.
- Dr Phil Griffin and Marie Dorrington took us on a journey to Bhutan with Interplast......needs to be put on the bucket list.
- D'Arcy Lunn a world adventurer like our Trevor M extolled the value of Peace Scholarships.
- Susan Totty from the US spoke about the current exchange with District 7570 and the connection of her group with aussies and our wildlife........some of us thought that it would be good if Donald T was peed on by a koala.
- Michael Greenslade outlined recent overseas initiatives with Shelterbox deliveries from Australia.
- Kevin Webb delighted foodies telling us all about the remarkable recovery of Spring Gully, for which we are all grateful.............particularly Maria.
- Dave Tuzewski tipped a bucket of clean water over Shelter Box.
- D'Arcy Walsh hit/pushed the key buttons on the forthcoming amalgamation of our districts
- Heidi Wolff and PDG John Campbell chatted about Rotaract activities in SA over the last 40 years.
- Dr Michael Sawyer talked about mental challenges facing 25% of our children which Wendy appreciated, and Leonie was right in cinq with Dr Cindy Malloy's neurosurgical exploits at the Women's and Children's Hospital
- Margaret Lehmann to the relief of Patsy and Graham convinced us that the Barossa is more than wine.
Bling dominated the Saturday night dinner in the Tanunda Show pavilion where we consumed former display items, namely beef and chook. All the Unley ladies made an effort to zing it up whereas the men were stylishly slack. The Flaming Sambuccas had the crowd pumping (but for some, hobbling would be more accurate). Graeme Kewen reported the local golf course as being difficult.......glasses and a new coach are recommended.
In the Showcase we had Jerry selling Rotary Foundation and Trevor selling his Peru project. The clear winner of all Showcase presentations was McWORK.....see below.
Next year (before the amalgamation) the 9520 District Conference will be held in Broken Hill...... Mad Max here we come!.
Rotary News
Rotaract is 50 years old
50 years ago, the first Rotaract club was formed in North Carolina USA to give young adults a place to connect and take action for the betterment of others. Today there are 251,000 Rotaractors, in 10,904 clubs across 184 countries doing a power of good. Visit the rotary.org website to read about Rotaract experiences and the shaping of leadership from around the globe.
Rotary Upcoming Events
April 20-22: RYPEN Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment [ages 14-17]
May 1 - Joint meeting with Prospect Rotary Club
May 15 - Vocational Visit to Flinders Vision
May 29 - The Great Debate (debacle) with Hyde Park
Our Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 3 April 2018 6 for 6.30pm at Damien on Fisher
Guest Speaker: Michelle Hocking Royal Adelaide Show
Chair: Bob Mullins| Set-up, Welcome & Attendance: David Payne & John Russell
Tuesday 10 April 2018 6 for 6.30pm at Damien on Fisher
Guest Speaker: Maya Todd Global Health Group
Chair: Valerie Bonython| Set-up, Welcome & Attendance: David Payne & John Russell
Usual Meeting Venue: Damien on Fisher, 123 Fisher Street, Fullarton SA 5063.
Ensure that a response is given to each meeting invitation.
Apologies to: Stephen Baker by e-mail sandbbaker@internode.on.net or 0403 687 015
Meeting Enquiries to: Secretary Greg McLeod on 0417 811 838 or email to unley.secretary@rotaryclub.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: 7 April 2018
Early: David Middleton & Jerry Casburn | Late: Robyn Carnachan & Rachel Harding
Week 2: 14 April 2018
Early: Jerry Casburn & Chad Leader | Late: Wendy Andrews & Heather Kilsby
Week 3: 21 April 2018
Early: Nathan White & Vera Holt | Late: Pam Trimmer & Ken Haines
Week 4: 24 March 2018
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Rhonda Hoare & Sheila Evans
Week 5: 31 March 2018 (Easter so may not happen)
Early: Bob Mullins & David Pisoni | Late: Jerry Casburn & Reno Elms
Rotarians, who are unable to attend as rostered, please arrange a swap or as a very last resort contact:
Pam Trimmer (T) 8293 2612; (M) 0415 238 333; e-mail: pamela.trimmer@bigpond.com
Bunnings Mile End Barbeque
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
Next Date: Monday 30 April
Morning shift: 8.00am – 12.30pm | Afternoon shift: 12.30 – 5pm
The next Mitre 10 BBQ will be on Saturday 7 April
The Tale End
Getting it at the right price
A farmer drove to a neighbor's farmhouse and knocked at the door.
A boy, about 9, opened the door.
"Is your dad or mom home?" said the farmer.
"No, they went to town."
"How about your brother, Howard Is he here?"
“No, he went with Mom and Dad.”
The farmer stood there for a few minutes, shifting from one foot to the other,
mumbling to himself, when the young boy says,
"I know where all the tools are, if you want to borrow one, or I can give Dad a message."
"Well," said the farmer uncomfortably. "No, I really want to talk to your Dad,
about your brother Howard getting my daughter Suzy pregnant."
The boy thought for a moment, then says, "You'll have to talk to my Dad about that.
I know he charges $500 for the bulls and $150 for the pigs,
but I have no idea how much he charges for Howard."
MEDICAL EXAM
WHEN STUDENTS TOOK THE ENTRANCE EXAM FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL, THEY WERE PERPLEXED BY THIS QUESTION…………...
"REARRANGE THE LETTERS P-N-E-S-I TO SPELL OUT THE PART OF THE HUMAN BODY THAT IS MOST USEFUL WHEN ERECT."
THOSE WHO SPELLED “SPINE" BECAME DOCTORS.
THE REST ARE IN VARIOUS PARLIAMENTS AROUND THE WORLD !!
