Our Activities

Monday, 21 March 2016

Roster & Program

Tuesday, 15 March 2016

15th March Meeting - Howard Montgomery - Bunnings

Chair

Gerry

International Toast
by Norm to RC Oriskany Falls, part of the District 7150 Rotary Clubs of Central NY. Their Club is 100 years old this year. A major activity is collecting atlasses and periodicals for distribution in third world countries. (no truth to the rumour that periodicals rejected by third world countries are redistributed to Australian doctors’ waiting rooms)

Guests
Howard Montgomery
Alan Gillespie, ex RC Brisbane
Linda Feltman

Makeups
RYDA

Apologies
Pam, Stewart, Mark, Ian, Peter and maybe someone else

President’s Address
President Judy welcomed our guests,

23rd March will be a big day with a Bunnings BBQ and RYDA
District Conference is coming up and there is a call out for people to host international delegates.

There is a farewell gathering for ex DG Trevor, & Robyn Taylor, who are moving from Beerwah to the Gold Coast

Congratulations to Lyn Roberts for 28 years in Rotary starting at RC Bribie Island in 1988, and to Ron Strong for 15 years.Chris was given a new badge and classification of Environmental Management

Induction
Judy and Helen were then pleased to induct Linda Feltman into the Rotary Club of Caloundra.

Linda grew up on a cattle station near Rockhampton with her high flying father a MLA. The rest of her family - husband Ray and children Josie & Trent are all actual high flyers with QANTAS. Linda is starting with McGrath Real Estate.

The line of handbags grows

Three Minutes on Rotary
Gerry gave an outline of ROMAC (Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children) which is an amazing Aus/NZ project running for 25 years. Even more amazingly, Gerry managed to do a blog on the subject (see below)

Speaker
John introduced Howard who is well known to us all as the Community Liaison Officer for Caloundra Bunnings.

Howard came to Australia at 17, returned to the UK and worked on cruise ships, then returned to Aus to work for engineering companies Email/Westinghouse, GC and HPM Industries. Fast forward to 2006 and he came back from Dubai to work as a builder and certifier in Adelaide. Looking for a simpler life, he came to the Coast for “a couple of months” but 18 months later he was approached by Bunnings.

Bunnings/Westfarmers is the number seven company in Australia with a $60b turnover. Enterprises under the umbrella were listed including Coles & Target. They just spent $750m to buy the 260 store Homebase hardware chain in the UK.

With origins in the 19th century milling timber, Bunnings began in1914 in WA
1952 - went public
1980s and 90s - acquisitions
1993 - moved east
1994 - bought out by Westfarmers - “Big Box” hardware introduced.

Now the largest private employer in Australia. All employees are shareholders. It is “gender diversified” with 57% women. Howard says he “loves to be controlled by women” (but he may not have seen Helen checking her bag for a handy whip). Bunnings now has 290 locations in Australia.

Marketing focusses on “lowest prices, greatest range & best service”. Expect to see another 20 stores in the next three years including Nambour, Beerwah & Kawana.

The “sausage sizzles” earn $45m annually and Bunnings makes $7m in donations. ($7m & $1m in Qld)

Gerry thanked Howard for the most informative talk

Directors
Gordon - 104 players for the Golf Day - “wear green”

Points for the shorts Gerry, but we don't think that's a regulation Rotary badge

Deborah spoke on the Cubby House raffle by the Men’s Shed for STEMM and appealed for volunteers. Drawn 16th April

Sergeant Heidi, in her first appearance in the role, struck fear into the hearts of many a Rotarian. (maybe Gerry wasn’t so bad after all)

Now smile everyone - that means you too Pauline

That's better

Late news from Burrum Heads via Alf

Burrum Heads Champs

Friday, 11 March 2016

ROMAC is the acronym for

“Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children”
and is a combined Australia and New Zealand Multi District Rotary initiative and has been in operation for over 25 years.

ROMAC was commenced out of the actions of a single Rotarian, when a member of the Rotary Club of Kangaroo Flat in Victoria, visited Lambasa in Fiji with a group of Australian surgeons and saw the need for Australian help.

Mission Statement:

To provide specialist treatment for children, from developing countries, in the form of life saving and/or dignity restoring surgery not accessible to them in their home country

Objectives

Provide hope and restore dignity to transform a child’s life
Provide the best possible surgical and medical expertise
Engage Rotary and the community at all levels to fund and support the ROMAC cause
To maintain and improve the quality of the management process and ensure high quality governance of the ROMAC program

ROMAC is quite a rare not-for-profit humanitarian organisation being run entirely with volunteers – no paid staff, no leased offices and so minimal fixed costs. We can proudly state that every dollar donated goes to Giving Life and our small expenses are recovered from our investments.

What do clubs do?

Children are flown in with an adult usually a relative -often not able to speak English and often never been to a big airport, nor flown on a plane and often never seen an escalator or lift. are met at airports such as Darwin, and other major airports- assisted through Customs & Immigration, transferred to domestic flights, hosted overnight if no connecting flight are immediately available, met at the other end & hosted sometimes for months by Rotarians or members of ethnic community.

The child is admitted to a hospital in various cities in Australia and New Zealand including regional Hospitals such as Wagga- which often gives free or at least discounted facilities, and operations done by volunteer surgeons .

At end of treatment child and parent returned to their country. Put on planes- assisted through Immigration and Customs . Depending on treatment may have to make repeat trips.

For more on Romac visit their website.

Website: www.romac.org.au