Presidential Prattlings
How lovely to welcome PP Bill Mack and Sue from the Rotary Club of Chicago Lakes, Minnesota, who presented us with a lovely banner as a memento of their visit to Melbourne.
I’m sure they enjoyed Associate Professor Geoff Sussman’s talk on skin and wound healing: we all learned something, and wished he could continue for longer. When Geoff mentioned surgeons packing wounds, I had an olfactory flash-back to my student days, to the smell of BIPP, (Bismuth Iodoform and Paraffin Paste). Once experienced, never forgotten. Thanks Geoff for your instructive talk: where do you find the energy? I’m sure local sales of hand sanitizer and moisturising cream will increase this month.
I heard at the District Conference that PDG Jack Ings has joined the e-club of Melbourne, so I e-mailed him to rejoice.
He replied to my note:
Gordon,
Yes, I am in the Club but don't know much about it yet. This Sunday we are holding a Club Visioning seminar. So I hope to come away from that with a much better idea of how I can contribute. I am sorry I cannot go so far as attending Conferences but maybe in the future. Who knows? Nice to hear from you.
Regards
Jack
You can contact him at jack.ings@bigpond.com
Rotarians at Work: last week, about twenty Rotarians started preparing for the renovations at the Romana Centre (Servants Community Housing) Henry Drury, Ngaire and Ralph, and I all chipped away at the bathroom tiles, which Camberwell Rotarian Peter Allen had described as “falling off the walls”. Boy, were we suckered in! Nevertheless, we had lovely tea and lunch breaks to make up for our efforts.
Next work sessions for this Boroondara Cares project will be on Wednesday 26th, Thursday 27th March and Wednesday 2nd April: check with me to get on the roster. BYO tools and gloves.
Don’t feel bad if you can’t make to the Romana Centre to help: there are lots of opportunities to help at Donations-in-Kind at Footscray: Tuesdays and Thursdays, occasionally Saturdays. Can we organise another working bee?
Relay for Life: David Rush reports on his team’s efforts: members came along at various times during the day to do their laps as suited their other commitments, and so far have raised $1,375 for a skin cancer research project named after Neil Roberts. Andrew Donald holds the Club record for the most completed laps, so well done everybody!
The Board has adopted a Project Evaluation Policy, which describes how projects should be with community based non profit, arts, cultural, educational, recreational, volunteer, public service or Rotary approved social service organisations. Consideration cannot be given to those applications for projects which have a primary purpose to promote sponsorship of a specific religious, social, political or economic view.
The Board also adopted Conflict of Interest Guidelines for Directors, Trustees and Committee Members relating to Community Grants and International Grants Committees.
Details of these policies shall be circulated to all members, and are available from Secretary Brian Reid.
Next week's speaker is Robyn de Crespigny, who is coming from Sydney on a speaking tour. (Film maker, author etc.). She has spoken at other Rotary clubs... who say that she is excellent. Her biography is on the RCH website.
After Professor Geoff’s talk on our skin, I couldn’t resist closing with a quote from General Douglas MacArthur: “Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul.”