Thank you to John Cridland for being our guest speaker at Tuesday’s meeting. John is a fellow Rotarian (Rotary Club of Brisbane Centenary) and has been a member of the management committee at Sherwood Respite Service for over ten years. John spoke to members about the details of our club’s newest fundraising project for the Sherwood Respite Service (SRS). Due to cuts in Government funding, essential services offered by the SRS to those living in our community aged 65 years and over and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and over are under threat. These services enhance quality of life by promoting functional independence, social interaction (particularly for those living alone) and good health. In addition, they also provide opportunities to enhance self esteem and motivation. Our club will help the SRS raise funds for these services by being car park marshalls at the St Joseph College Playing Fields in Tennyson during this year’s soccer and rugby home games. The first home game is on Saturday 25^th April! If you are able to help on this day or at future home games please contact club president Ted Crowe.

Member Craig Clarke visits the Rotary Club of Greymouth while on holiday in New Zealand

Craig presents club banner to President Christine.

A big thank you to Hannah Olsen from Road Safety Education (RSE) for giving us some more information about the RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) program. The not for profit organisation is responsible for managing the RYDA program offered to Grade 11 students both here in Australia and New Zealand. The program has been voted as one of the best available to young drivers and has also been recognised for its contribution in reducing youth road trauma. 
With 250 young people aged 17-25 dying on roads in Australia each year and 20 times this number being seriously injured, RSE’s focus is to ensure that the program delivers evidence based information in an appropriate learning environment for students. The full day program covers topics such as hazards and distractions, speed and stopping, rights and responsibilities, personality tests and stories from crash survivors and those affected by youth road trauma. 

The 2014/2015 Rotary District 9630 Conference was held this weekend (March 13/14/15) in Toowoomba.The conference venue, The Empire Theatre, with it’s fully restored Art Deco features was a wonderful backdrop for the event.

The District Governors Black Tie Gala Dinner was a triumph.Starting with the presentation to PDG Des Lawson, the “Service Above Self” award. This award is a privilege, not only for Des but for District 9630 and Rotary in Australia.From the 1,200,000 Rotarians worldwide only 150 recipients are selected annually to receive this accolade.
Congratulations Des, pictured with our 2016/2017 Presidential Nominee, Craig Clarke and the secretary of Greater Springfield, Lachlan Clarke.  
After the presentation “The Phantom” came to town.

The conference committee and DG Phillip Charles had arranged for a cabaret consisting of pieces from “Phantom of the Opera” which were outstanding.
​​​​​​​

The Rotary Club of Brisbane Taylor Bridge was able to present this Shade and Weather Shelter awning to Sailability Graceville.Thanks must go to the members of the club and to all who assisted in raising the funds for our ongoing commitment to this fine organisation.

Members were honoured to have Georgia Newton, returning Rotary Youth Exchange student attend the meeting on Tuesday night. Georgia gave members an insight into the year she spent in Germany hosted by the Rotary Club of Bochlot. Highlights included the delicious German food, meeting other exchange students, the Europa tour and Germany tour organised by her Rotary District. Others included German lessons organised by her Rotary Club, her wonderful host families and her German home town of Bochlot. Hearing Georgia speak about her experience once again reinforced the value of such a program. The benefits both now and in the future for all involved are beyond measure and it’s a program that all Rotarians should be proud. Thank you once again to Georgia for her presentation! 

The club’s Inbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student from Belgium, Chloe Bury along with ROTEX and the other Inbound Students hosted todays annual “Tastes Of The World” luncheon.

The function is design mainly for the students that are applying to go on exchange in 2016.The prospective students have the opportunity to visit the displays manned by our current overseas students and ask questions.They then get to have a sampling of traditional foods from their countries.
The day is designed to help next years student to decide which destinations they wil list on their final applications.

Special thanks to last nights guest speaker, Dr John Arvier, the renowned Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon who spoke of his two recent tours into Africa with his Rotary Club (Brisbane High Rise).John presented on the work the team carried out and their trips to several schools.The highlight was a stop at the School of St Jude where several of their members sponsor individual students.

This week we received an email from The School of St Jude in Tanzania.
This is part of that email we received.
Parts of it could not be reproduced for privacy reasons.

President Ted Crowe has announced the completion of the agreement for our club to assist with Car Parking as marshalls at the home games of winter sports at the St Joseph;s College Sports Grounds in Vivian Street, Tennyson for The Gregory Terrace school.
We have responsibilities at 10 home games during the 2015 Winter Sports Calendar, which covers all of their home ground games.
We will require 4 people on each of our rostered games, from about 7.00am.
Our Home Game Roster is for;April 25th (Anzac Day) 12 noon start.May 2ndMay 16thMay 23rdJune 13thAugust 1stAugust 8thAugust 22ndAugust 29th andSeptember 12th.
President Ted will outline further information to the club very soon.