Castello's Cucina, 123 Fisher Street, Fullarton SA
President Ken Haines
NEXT TUESDAY WE ARE CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS INDULGENCE
HELP OUT AT THE CAROLS AT THE ROTUNDA ON SUNDAY
ROTARY SHIRTS AND OWN CHAIRS
Last Meeting
Venue: Castello's Cucina (formerly Damien on Fisher)
Guest Speaker: Melanie Tate
Guest: Bailee Phillips
Attendance: 25 members 2 guests
Opening
Valerie Bonython opened the meeting. President Ken welcomed everyone...Mitre 10 on Saturday was a good earner.
Guest Speaker: Melanie Tate - Puddle Jumpers
Melanie decided 10 years ago that she wanted to help society's most vulnerable children, particularly those who were no longer living with their birth parents, estimated to be 6,500 in SA. The three categories are those being looked after by family (particularly grand-parents) which is often a good solution, those in foster care (many unfortunately get moved too often with negative results), and those in residential care where they receive little emotional support. She mapped out a scheme on her kitchen table a decade ago and then sought financial support.
The name Puddle Jumpers emanated from the carefree and joyous nature of jumping up and down in puddles which we all did as kids.....but rarely experienced by many of these. Children also need solid role models.
Camps with a range of activities are held 10-12 times per year with one volunteer for each child. To remove barriers to participation the kids' requirements like toiletries, clothes, shoes and sunscreen are supplied. A 3-ton bus rolls into camp each time. Feedback from the children is often not about the activities but being with people who care. Recently Melanie introduced a camp for young mums - her youngest participant was 14yo with a 2yo child.
To help meet basic needs during Covid, a food relief program was set up in a backyard in Glandore. That morphed into a pop-up track visiting various sites around Adelaide. And now the Western Food Hub has been established on Port Road, open 7 days a week. This also has hot cooked meals, children's activities, shower and laundry facilities, and hairdressing. It caters for about 650 people each week. None of their customers have to prove that they are destitute to receive help. There is an army of 700 volunteers. There are 3 Op Shops, and a double decker gymnastics bus has been recently acquired to raise funds. PJ relies on fund raising, grants and donations to operate; there are no paid staff. Levels of activity are dependent on finance. The greatest expense for the camps is accommodation at around $5000. They are helped by food providers like Foodbank, Oz Harvest and Gepps Cross Markets, and with organisations like Treasure Boxes for nappies and children's clothing etc.
Melanie was warmly applauded for her inspirational efforts.
Spots
Valerie Bonython exhorted members to donate to Shelter Box. Calperum Station equipment is being moved to higher ground, and we can play a part in the post-flood restoration in a few months' time.
Trevor McGuirk informed that Fay is in the RAH. Here eye infection is very serious with the fungal disease likely to cause blindness. There were a range of complications getting Fay back to Adelaide from the Solomon Islands, and material was left behind in Delousu. Trevor has given flowers on behalf of the club. We wish her all the very best and our fingers are crossed.
Jerry Casburn announced that RC McLaren Vale had been donated 1kg tins of Nescafe coffee which they are selling for $20 for anyone interested.
Christina Way - Stamps Please!
Vivienne Wood has recast the Thrift Shop operating agenda. It will now close on the afternoon of Thursday 22 December and reopen on Monday 9 January 2023.
Stephen Baker asked that the 'able bodied' work crew be on deck by 3pm and everyone else by 5pm for the Carols at the Rotunda next Sunday,
Finale
Winners of the fabulous raffle included Geoff Hill, guests Melanie and Bailee, and Christina. Valerie told a very fishy story.
The meeting closed at 8.06pm. A glorious period of lolly bagging followed....see below.
The Gallery
A hazy snippet from the Young Friends of Rotary get-together on Sunday with RC St Peters in Stepney
And the lolly bagging.....it must be said that the quality control of our women members outshone their male counterparts
Rotary International News
Korean Rotary club gives visually-impaired a chance to ride
Shin Tae Byull, a member of the Rotary Club of Cheongju Dream, Chungcheongbug, Korea, adjust the helmet of his riding partner at the start of the 24-kilometer ride.
Early one morning in late October, members of the Rotary Club of Cheongju Dream, Korea, gathered with volunteers at Mushimcheon River Park, Cheongju, Korea. Excitement filled the air as visually-impaired individuals, young and old, arrived with social worker companions for a four-hour tandem bicycle ride.
Every year for the past five years, the club has hosted the ride for residents of Gwanghwawon, a group home for people with visual impairment. For many of the residents, it’s a rare chance to get outside their facility, as many of them also have other disabilities that require one-on-one care. The pandemic forced the 2021 ride to be delayed until this May. But the 2022 ride went ahead as usual in October.
Rotary members or other volunteers are paired with a visually-impaired resident. Rotary members or volunteers ride in the front seat and describe the landscape as they pedal past fields of silver grass, cosmos flowers swaying in the wind, sun sparkling off the river under a blue autumn sky. The riders are coached beforehand to go slow and take frequent stops. They take a break in the middle for lunch before the route turns back toward the river park.
Members of the Rotary Club of Cheongju Dream, volunteers, and residents of Gwanghwawon, a group home for people with visual impairment, gather at the Mushimcheon River Park in Cheongju, Korea, for the club’s annual tandem riding event.
During the pairing of riders, club member Min Ho Kim noted how his riding partner, Sang Min Lee, had also been his partner for the previous ride in May. “He is a good partner and good at riding a bicycle. Today will be a wonderful day!”
Jae Heung Kim, a social worker at Gwanghwawon, recalled how the initiative began five years ago when the group home asked the club to start a ride for their residents. Now, many of the residents look forward to the event every year.
A song competition was held after lunch. Everyone who sings receives a gift voucher. Won Jung Kim, who is known in the group home as a singer, was the first to grab the microphone and perform a familiar song, with everyone singing along. Another resident chose a K-pop song from one of their favorite bands.
The event showcases the club to the community, and serves as a recruitment opportunity. Seungho Shin, club secretary, who oversaw the preparations for this year’s ride, noted how the club received several membership queries afterward.
“It is natural that we feel great because we see how our friends at Gwanghwawon really enjoy it. Quite a few people joined the club after participating in riding as volunteers. Our members are all busy people, but no matter how busy we are, the bike riding will continue.”
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 February 2022
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 13 December 2022 6pm - 9pm La Scala Cafe (opposite Unley Shopping Centre)
Event; Christmas Get-Together......suitably clad
Attendance and welcome: Patsy Beckett & team
Tuesday 17 January 2023 we resume....perhaps with a picnic in the park.....details to follow
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
Early: Greg Mcleod & Wendy Andrews | Late: Virginia Cossid & Ging Tadiar
Week 3: 17 December 2022
Early: Jerry Casburn (David Middleton) & Nathan White | Late: Vera Holt & Rhonda Hoare
Week 4: 24 December 2022 Closed
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 Saturday 17 December 2022
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
We have been allocated the last Monday of each month.....next one is Monday 26 December (extra days include 24 December & 29 December 2022)
PUS Detmold Christmas BBQ on 23 December 2022
The Tale End.....
More vital advice
A man goes to the doctor, worried about his wife’s temper.
The doctor asks, “What’s the problem” The man says, “Doctor, I don’t know what to do. Every day my wife seems to lose her temper for no reason. It scares me.”
The doctor says, “I have a cure for that. When it seems that your wife is getting angry, just take a glass of water and start swishing it in your mouth. Just swish and swish but don’t swallow it until she
either leaves the room or calms down.”
Two weeks later, the man comes back to the doctor looking fresh and reborn. The man says, “Doctor, that was a brilliant idea! Every time my wife started losing it, I swished with water. I swished and
swished, and she calmed down! How does a glass of water do that”
The doctor says, “The water itself does nothing. It’s keeping your mouth shut that does the trick.”
Melanie decided 10 years ago that she wanted to help society's most vulnerable children, particularly those who were no longer living with their birth parents, estimated to be 6,500 in SA. The three categories are those being looked after by family (particularly grand-parents) which is often a good solution, those in foster care (many unfortunately get moved too often with negative results), and those in residential care where they receive little emotional support. She mapped out a scheme on her kitchen table a decade ago and then sought financial support.
Every year for the past five years, the club has hosted the ride for residents of Gwanghwawon, a group home for people with visual impairment. For many of the residents, it’s a rare chance to get outside their facility, as many of them also have other disabilities that require one-on-one care. The pandemic forced the 2021 ride to be delayed until this May. But the 2022 ride went ahead as usual in October.
