2019-20 Template (Jun 11, 2020)

Our 22nd meeting of this Rotary year was online only via Zoom with 23 members and 7 guests attending. If you missed it check it out at https://youtu.be/Jho6eRK58FA.

See and hear our invited guests from Rotary Club of London, meet NYSF candidate Gaby Booth and hear from Rotary Peace Scholar, Chiaki Takenouchi, speaking about 'Responding to Survivors of Violence".

I welcome all members, your partners and guests and Rotarians from other clubs to join us at our next Gold Coast Rotary Club meeting this Thursday, 18 June online at 7.15pm giving you time to have dinner before you join us and chat with others online. Our Chair Catherine Palin-Brinkworth will start the meeting at 7.30pm. To join this meeting click on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3190833239

We will hear from Mark Urquhart, our Member Behind The Badge and from Chairs and Director’s on proposed club activities. Members will have an opportunity to ask questions and opportunity to chat with fellow members 15 minutes before the meeting and 15 minutes after.

This will be my last as President. I will hand over to President Elect Melissa Neilsen for the 2020/21 Rotary year for her first meeting as our President on Thursday, July 2. The Changeover Dinner is likely to be in early August, date to be confirmed. Club members are keen to return to our dinner meetings at the Southport Golf Club and as soon as we can be accommodated we will advise.

Invoices for 2020/21 membership dues have been sent out. We would appreciate prompt payment and offer a $50 per member discount for invoices paid by 30 June 2020.

Please contact the Club Treasurer if you would prefer to split your payment into 2 instalments.

Note: All club members must have a current Blue Card for working with children. Do not forget to send details of your Blue Card (Number and Expiry Date) to Sue Foskett (sue@suefoskettrealestate.com) Link to form is attached to Bulletin.

Throughout the year we recognise the anniversaries on the month that current active members were inducted and celebrate the number of years they have continuously achieved Rotary Service Above Self. Thursday evening we will acknowledge and congratulate the following members who joined us in the month of June

Karim Gawor, Tammi Mayfield and Luciane Sperling– 1 year

Kate Kimmorley – 21 years

Kevin Stapleton – 36 years

Club Admin Chair Mark Urquhart will email you as a reminder with the link to this meeting closer to this event. If you need any assistance to join us for this please call me on 0421 915 818 or email me at johnstonerowan@gmail.com and we will make sure that you have the opportunity to connect with us. Guests of members and other Club Rotarians are welcome to join us. I look forward to catching up.

Rowan Johnstone

President 2019/20

Gold Coast Rotary

johnstonerowan@gmail.com

Botanical Bazaar 4 October 2020

We have a new date for Botanical Bazaar - 4 October 2020, which is the Queen's Birthday long weekend. Our key note speakers are available, our exhibiters and food vans are keen and it would be great way to celebrate Spring, assuming COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed.

The latest Queensland program for relaxation of restrictions does not yet include evens of our size but we are developing plans on how to manage social distancing and hygiene. Please mark your diaries as we will need plenty of volunteers to manage physical distancing and hygiene.

In the meantime, many of our wonderful guest speakers have agreed to speak on our virtual gardening Zoom meetings. Gardening Australia's Jerry Coleby-Williams was our first presenter on the topic of Seed Saving. Almost 50 registered for the event and about 35 participated.

Phil Dudman, horticultural editor for the Gardening Australia Magazine and Costa Georgiadis, host of ABC TV's Gardening Australia drew an even larger audience with 93 registrants and last Tuesday evening, we welcomed Sophie Thompson also from Gardening Australia talking about Gardening for Health and Wellbeing.

On Tuesday 23 June our speaker will be Jac Semmler, talking on the topic 'Creating Beautiful Gardens in Australian Backyards'. Jac is the ornamental expert at The Diggers Club and was previously their Seed Manager. She is a horticulturist and educator with an infectious passion for plants and a focus on trialling plants and combinations for the Australian setting.Register now at Trybooking

Planting signs not Plants

5 club members braved the showery weather to install the latest set of interpretive signs that our club funded for the Botanical Gardens. These signs allow visitors to learn more about the 'World of Trees' - mostly mature trees in the collection and not necessarily native to SE Queensland.

Walking around the Gardens, as thousands have been doing during COVID-19 lock downs, Gold Coast Rotary is well acknowledged on large and small signs we have funded over the last 6 years. If you have been for a walk around the Gardens then it is worth a visit, if only to see our signs such as those that edcuate about Indigenous Plant Uses.