Blog

The first quarter of the financial year was a busy one for the community services with lots of Sunday events. We coordinated the distribution for Meals on Wheels with a number of recently inducted Rotarians. The next event is on 30th Dec – can you volunteer? 

Our club was also busy with graffiti clean-up for Graffiti Action Day 2012. 

We visited six nursing homes on Sunday Sept 2nd to wish the residents a happy Father’s Day, and gave each a nicely wrapped gift from Ryde Rotary. 

The second quarter will involve activities on every day of the week, and it will get busier as the number of projects increases, including the three Christmas projects. 

We are currently taking orders for the Christmas Puddings, Whisky Cakes and Biscuits. If you have not placed your order please do so ASAP.  

The second project is the Tree of Joy which will be placed in four different locations: Top Ryde City, Ryde Library, West Ryde Market Place and Eastwood Shopping Centre. Volunteers are needed to look after each tree.
 

The third project is Christmas gift wrapping at Top Ryde City during the ten days leading up to Christmas. We will once again have James Ruse Agricultural High School Interact Club students helping with this project. 

Have a wonderful time leading up to Christmas. 

Community Services Chair
Rotarian Nora Etmekdjian

Sunday the 9th of September broke to a beautiful morning. Deirdre and I collected drinks, hats, sun cream, and snacks and headed off to Kissing point Park to meet with the other members of the Ryde Rotary Dragon Boating team. 
Paul Burnett, our team manager for the day and Jenny were already there with Claire, our dragon boating coach for the day. The tent was up and the seats laid out, drinks in the esky, music, sun, friends, heaven! Paul and Claire attended to the registration formalities, whilst the team warmed up with a few exercises. We were called up to the starters assembly area, were we ready? You bet! 
Our first serious practice session was on the way out to the start line, we were like poetry in motion, smooth, sleek and lightning fast. The starter fired the gun and we were off, spray gushing off the bow as we lifted to a plane and powered down the 200m course. FIRST PLACE, YEA!
I won’t go into too much further detail, except to say that the competition in the next two races was somewhat superior. As a result we just missed out on a place in the finals. I have to say that some of our team didn’t seem too upset by this and were seen happily packing up their gear, having had a somewhat strenuous but enjoyable day.
Thanks to Paul Burnett for organising such a good day and to all the members of the team. Bring it on again next year!
Ron Thomson

At the recent Ryde Chamber of Commerce event, hosted by John Booth at The Weekly Times, Ryde Rotary President surprised Lorraine and Malcolm Cox with a Paul Harris Fellow award each.  Paul Harris Fellows are awarded to Rotarians and Non-Rotarians alike, who show outstanding commitment to community service.  Lorraine and Malcolm are ideal recipients, with all the charity and community work they do.

Lorraine and Malcolm's business, Ryde Furniture Freighters, has become very well known for helping those in need.  They cart furniture for charities and they donate large amounts of furniture left over from their clients' downsizing moves – all at their own expense.

Ryde Rotary has been at the receiving end of Lorraine and Malcolm's generosity, when they offered to cart a shipment of furniture bound for one of our international aid program destinations.

Tony Abboud from Ryde Rotary introduced President Allen Horrell to the Ryde Chamber crowd (a crowd which, for some reason, seemed to be padded out somewhat with a few Rotarians!).  President Allen commenced his presentation with an explanation of the Paul Harris Fellow award and its significance, not only as a recognition of great respect and honour, but that one aspect of the award is that Rotary donates $1000 to the Rotary Foundation on behalf of the recipient.  This evening, $2000 was donated and two very surprised recipients were asked to come up and receive their awards.  Malcolm and Lorraine are two of the nicest, humblest people you could meet and they certainly weren't ready for all the accolades and the attention.  There were more than one or two tears from the recipients and from the crowd as the emotion of such a public recognition of great community service unfolded.

Congratulations Lorraine and Malcolm, on all your amazing support and good work. 

Photo (L-R):  Malcolm Cox, The Weekly Times Editor John Booth (OAM), Lorraine Cox, Ryde Chamber President Tony Abboud, Ryde Rotary President Allen Horrell

A huge “THANK YOU” to all the Rotarians who sponsored me to do the MS Gong Ride. The total I sent in to MS Events was $1175, which will surely help to either provide care for sufferers, or enable a bit more research to find a cure.

AND to those who cast nasturtiums on my claims to have actually reached The Gong, here is a picture of me at the finish line, and another with my team-mates Patrick and Michael, after the ride. I think we look pretty chipper for a couple of Seniors. (Michael is not yet 40)

       

‘Til next year!
Martin A