Venue: Castello's Cucina, Living Choice
Guest Speaker: Dick Cuttle
Guests: Corina Cuttle plus Rob's assistants Eucabeth Mokaya and Caroline Palacios
Attendance: 22 members and 4 guests
Opening
Paul Duke spoke about the Rotary principle of Service above Self and introduced President John.
John Peacham welcomed everyone. He spoke about the importance of the meeting next Tuesday on the Regionalisation of Rotary and on our own club Strategic Plan. Discussion is important prior to voting about reorganisation and how we want our club to be seen.
Another urgent matter for the club is the lack of a President Elect which person needs to be in place before the training in December.
John is looking for a volunteer not asking us to nominate someone.
Guest Speaker: Dick Cuttle - BlazeAid
Dick Cuttle is a member of Rotary Onkaparinga in Lobethal. He has been volunteering for many years in fire affected areas. Dick acknowledged the support and work of Jerry Casburn providing fantastic support through RAWCS.
In 2009, due to the fire on Kevin Blackwood’s farm in the Adelaide Hills, all fences were burnt. He worked as a teacher. A few friends put caravans in a paddock, there was shearers’ shed accommodation, Brown Hill Creek club got involved. and fence repair got underway.
With the Kilmore fire, Rotary provided accommodation and linkage. Kevin Roberts' Morialta Rotary started looking further afield and advertised for more people and hard to find equipment.
Mclaren Vale and other Rotary clubs assisted and donations were made of tradie trailers and hand tools. “We dug holes by hand and BlazeAid was formed.” Uniting Church supplied a trailer and 2 operators to clear fences and put in some posts.
We stayed in Victoria for 2 years and Kevin’s area grew. BlazeAid had a protocol. Start at 7.30 am, briefed every day, and a Board was set up.
Many volunteers were from urban areas and had never worked on a farm. This was the also the case for the Melbourne and Cudlee Creek fires. In Victoria the work was hard for Rotarians, digging holes with the aid of a tractor and post hole digger. The rolls of mesh weighed 100kgs and were not easy to transport and roll out from the tradie trailers… they started to think about easier ways.
BlazeAid started to attract more finance and Rotary provided good funding through RAWCS at $30,000 a time.
Differences between Rotary and BlazeAid were that BlazeAid could only stay involved for a set period of time and had to be invited in by a Council or Shire that paid for the venue, kitchen, accommodation and office which cost a minimum of $10,000.
Rotary was much more flexible at Kinglake , Eden Valley and Sampson Flat. Rotarians didn’t have to start at 7.30 am or work 5 days a week.
Our Rotary District Program over two and a half years earned Victorian and SA awards.
In Eden Valley Rotary runs its own program 10 people work 2 days a week and have volunteered for 80 days over 2 years, from a club of about 19 people.
Rotarians are more experienced at fencing and tend to complete the awkward fences with corners and on uneven ground. BlazeAid had 100 volunteers per day at Cudlee Creek in 2020, most were unskilled.
The program was closed by Covid. On restarting there were some jobs shared, less volunteers, more knowledge and experience and more money, food and much more wine.
Friendships developed between BlazeAid and Rotary volunteers. When BlazeAid was planning to close, their volunteers were invited to join Rotary which provided insurance, local knowledge, some funding and a base at the old Woollen Mills. 35 said yes and an agreement was signed.
It was on November 16 in SA that BlazeAid started under the Rotary Banner. It is currently preparing for the next fire, and is a stakeholder in the State Emergency Services, helping to design a new fencing trailer.
This new group is working better than the two individual groups. Better to have one fencing program.
In response to questions, Dick said wood and steel posts were hard to obtain.
Some farmers are able to pay back BlazeAid for some of their expenses, but in his experience, insurance never covered everything that was lost eg shelter belts now needed fencing.
Dick was warmly applauded for his speech.
SPOTS
Paul Duke - Geoff Hill is in Calvary Hospital after surgery, is doing well and may be discharged tomorrow.
Christina Way
- Message from Virginia in the Philippines. Her brother died and her relatives in the USA are coming over for the funeral.
- Stamps Bob Mullins is helping Christina and any money will be donated to the club, so please give her any stamps that you have.
Brenton Judge
Invoices for dues are being sent out, please pay as soon as possible. Please check if you have paid when receiving more than one invoice.
Finale
Ross won the filthy lucre and needy Greg won the chocolates.
The meeting finished benignly (again) at 7.47pm...still on a roll.
Editor's note - Many thanks Judy for the meeting script.
The Gallery
On Monday Stephen attended a Government House reception for National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) students, their parents and sponsors. We are sponsoring Aasya Owais seen below with Her Excellency. the Governor......all the students are in the composite.
How many people were needed to put up a bed at Calperum. With Patsy's supervision it took 4 as you can see.....without her supervision they may have needed the gardener!
Rotary International News
Rotary statement on the conflict in Israel and Gaza
Recognizing there has been protracted suffering in the long history of conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza, Rotary International urges all parties to seek avenues to peace.
At the same time, we unequivocally condemn the horrific attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians and are appalled at the number of people who have been injured, killed, and kidnapped.
As the war between Israel and Hamas intensifies, we remain deeply concerned about the potential for further escalation as well as the loss of life and the humanitarian crisis that is occurring in Gaza. We denounce the violence against innocent civilians and support upholding international humanitarian law.
Peacebuilding is both a cornerstone of Rotary’s mission and one of our areas of focus. At our core, Rotary is a common ground for people to come together – across nationalities and religions, cultures and histories – and connect around their shared belief in a better tomorrow. That connection is what humanizes us in times of conflict and builds a foundation for lasting peace.
Rotary remains committed to working with our members, partners, and communities to find long-term, sustainable solutions that support peace and development in the region and elsewhere.
– 13 Oct 2023
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 3 November 2023
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 24 October 6 for 6.30pm Castello’s Cucina
Event - Workshop Regionalisation Decision and Strategic Plan
Greetings Team: Valerie Bonython & Virginia Cossid
Tuesday 31 October 6 for 6.30pm Castello’s Cucina
Guest Speaker - James Barger-bos The joy of self-managed super funds
Greetings Team: Jerry Casburn & Chris Davis
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: 4 November 2023
Early: Jerry Casburn & (Haydn Baillie) | Late: Valerie Bonython (Robyn Carnachan) & Leonie Kewen
Week 2: 11 November 2023
Early: Greg Mcleod & Wendy Andrews | Late: Virginia Cossid & Vera-Ann Stacy
Week 3: 21 October 2023
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Vera Holt & (Rhonda Hoare)
Week 4: 28 October 2023
Early: Stephen Baker + Kate Porter & 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 Saturday 21 October 2023.
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 Monday 30 October 2023.
The Tale End.....
Another true story
A sales rep, an administration clerk and the manager are walking to a lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a genie comes out.
The genie says, "I will give each of you just one wish."
"Me first, Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be on the open sea, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world." Puff! She's gone.
"Me next, Me next!" says the sales rep. " I want to be on Hamilton Island, relaxing on a beautiful beech with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of pina coladas, and the love of my life." Puff! He's gone.
"Ok, you're up", says the genie to the manager.
The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."
Moral of the story - Always let your boss have the first say.
Editor's moral of the story - Hopeless manager
The very best management
Getting it right
An old woman was asked, "At your age what would you prefer, Parkinsons or Alzheimers?"
The wise one said, " Definitely Parkinsons - Better to spill half my wine that to forget where I put the bottle."
