7 Dec. 2020
The President's Report
What a year it has been for all and now Xmas is almost upon us.
Forget the past and join fellow Club members for our Christmas Dinner at the Peace Bell this Thursday evening ( 5.30 - 8.00pm ) to celebrate the festive season. Full catering , just bring a chair and something cold to drink (with bubbles ). Cost will be $35 per head and we ask that you pay in advance to be fair to Ross. He does not want to spend his evening collecting money. As a matter of interest the actual cost per head is $42.50 but the Club is donating $7.50 per member ( it is your money). Looking forward to seeing as many as possible on the evening.
- President Eric
Community Service
Liz Scrivener has resigned from the position of Director of Community Service due to ill health. I have agreed to take over this role until the end of June 2021. I will no doubt be supported by the existing committee and thank you to Ron Rabey for already providing me with an update on activities.
St John’s Church Present and Hamper Appeal. Last Friday Marcel and I loaded up the truck to deliver the presents and food items kindly donated by our members to St John’s in Reid. They were thrilled by the significant amount of items and also the range of items. They explained that they have already completely re-filled the present room twice so it is nice to get a new influx of items. They thanked Rotary and our club. I tried to take a photo that would do it justice but I could only show the top rows.
Orange Sky. While we were delivering the presents the OrangeSky van drove up and began setting up. The church volunteers said that it was incredibly popular and that they have only just re-started after shutting down during Covid-19.
I recently emailed some information out to members about the Orange Sky service in Canberra. Eric has asked me to provide some more information so that we can assess whether any of our members would like to become volunteers for this service. Please contact Sharon Green if you are interested in pursuing this volunteer opportunity and see the "Further Information" section below.
Zonta Says No to violence against women and children. We invite you to attend the event at the Canberra Rotary Peace Bell, 7 to 9 am this Thursday, Dec.10th.
Zonta International holds a worldwide event every year focused on stopping violence against women and children. The Zonta Club of Canberra Breakfast (ZCCB) holds several events in the ACT to highlight the Zonta Say No campaign which is linked to the United Nations Goal No 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
This year ZCCB is holding displays of orange flowers in both the Civic and Dickson libraries for the 16 days. The displays also identify the first name and age of all the women and children that have died through violence in the last year. The Malcolm Fraser Bridge will be lit in orange at night until 10 December. Their final event is a joint ZCCB and Rotary Burley Griffin ringing of the Canberra Rotary Peace Bell on the morning of 10 December 2020. Participants ring the bell and say the first name and age of each of the women who have died from family and domestic violence through the last year. They also ring the peace bell once for all the children, once for indigenous women, once for all the men and once for all New Zealanders who have died through violence in the last year. As of 10 Nov 2020, 41 women died as a result of violence across Australia in 2020 and others have been impacted.
- Sharon Green
Membership
Over the past few months we have had three new membership applications accepted. We are still working though the behind the scenes administration but I do hope that we will shortly be in a position to formally induct Francis Ogbonnaya, Aguil de’ Chut Deng and Sheba Arop.
In addition to this we have several other interested parties. It is wonderful to see new people taking an interest in what Rotary does and willing to put their hands up to do some work for others - “service above self”, in conjunction with the members of our club.
Work continues apace on our new Club Brochure that we hope to have ready for publication by the end of January 2021.
And, finally a reminder to all members, please connect with your fellow members either through attending some meetings, in face or Zoom, or attending one of the functions. . Only by connecting with each other will we learn more about each other’s strengths and attributes and be able to leverage from this to do better in the world. Thanks,
- Sharon Green
Upcoming Events
• Dec. 10th - Zonta Club “Says No to Violence” on Human Rights Day (Peace Bell, 7-9am)
• Dec. 10th - Christmas Party (Peace Bell, Nara Park 5:30 - 8:30 pm)
• Dec. 16th - Hay Memorial High School Awards Night via ZOOM
• Dec. 17th - Mawonga Fundraising Dinner with Fred Smith at the Commonwealth Club
• Mar. 26-28 - Rotary Aussie Peace Walk 2021
Interesting Facts
Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast ?
Because in earlier times it used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host . Both men would drink simultaneously . When a guest trusted his host , he would only touch or clink the host's glass with his own.
- Eric Carmody
Further Information
Orange Sky. If you missed the original email please look at the services provided on their website: www.orangesky.org There has been consistent feedback from our members about how they want to do something active in the community. Well, this can be your chance.
“Over the past few years, Canberra has built up a thriving volunteer community that provides support to our friends doing it tough. A team of 73 people spend time on shift each week/fortnight and provide our friends with free laundry, warm showers and genuine conversation. Volunteers have built up some incredible relationships with friends whose lives have been impacted by a positive connection.”
There are 10 shifts per week throughout Canberra and Queanbeyan, including Saturdays and Sundays. To become a volunteer you need to complete an online application and then undergo an “Orangetation. Most people volunteer a couple of hours per fortnight. Could you find the time to do that ?
“Volunteers have one of the most important jobs at Orange Sky – to connect with our friends through genuine and non-judgemental conversation. It might sound simple, but we’ve seen first-hand how a positive connection can impact a person’s life. In the hour that it takes to do a load of laundry, we sit down on our six orange chairs and have a chat – it’s a simple opportunity for every day Australians to connect. You can help to make a difference by volunteering a few hours of your time each fortnight.”
“ We require all of our volunteers to sign up online and then attend an Orangetation session, where you learn about all things Orange Sky! After you attend the Orangetation and complete the Volunteer Contract, you then head out on a trial shift with experienced volunteers.”
