President Peter Smith's Column

Last week   we welcomed Peter Wilson, who is the district representative (Vocational Service) for RESRA who gave us a good insight in the Rotary Emergency Service Recognition Awards project. We were also fortunate to have representatives from the local SES and the Ambulance Service in attendance so as to learn first hand of the award. Ian Johnson, our intrepid reporter, will report more fully elsewhere in the newsletter/website. The awards concept – on a separate night to our Police Officer of Year Awards night – will no doubt receive much consideration in the 2011-2012 year for possible implementation. Over to you Trevor! J

This week/tonight we are host the 2010 GSE outbound team, which went to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, earlier this year. The team was lead by PP David Ross (Parramatta City) and comprised:

Cate Robinson          (sponsored by Strathfield)

Shannon Tonkin        (Richmond)

Colin Wilkes                         (Springwood)

Suzanne Wright       (Central Blue Mountains)

About the program – a reminder of what the GSE is all about:

Rotary’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.

The Spring Fair – the Rotary BBQ - Sunday 24 October - what a wet day!

In fine and sunny weather last year Strathfield Council’s Spring Fair attracted over 15,000 visitors.

This year it rained all day – and at best estimate no more than 1,000 people braved the weather. And that probably included the stallholders! The poor weather failed to dampen the spirit of the hardier Rotarian’s – as evidenced by Rod McDougall’s photographs on the day (he can’t cook a sausage – but he does take a mean photograph!)

The Rotary BBQ did reasonably well despite the extremely poor conditions. However, we still have significant carry-over stock for our next BBQ - at the Carols in the Park on 11th December. Surplus food, which couldn’t be frozen, was donated to the Bill Crew’s Exodus Foundation.

My thanks to Bradley Ayres and his committee – they did a sterling, even a cheerful, job under very difficult conditions.

Cowboy logic: “Life is too short, ride your best horse first!”

President Pete