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Greetings to Rotarians and friends of the Mornington Rotary Club. After a couple of weeks in the almost sunless Sunshine State, where over 30mm of rain fell daily in the first week of our holiday while reports from home told of glorious autumn weather, we arrived back in time for a huge deluge here. Everything looks so green and refreshed in this wonderful part of the world. President’s Report At our meeting last Wednesday, we had Rotarian Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Kellerman AO from the University of Newcastle School of Biomedical Sciences as a visitor. He had driven from Newcastle to, in his words, “pay homage to the club which had started Australian Rotary Health”. He presented us with a small banner from the Newcastle Rotary Club and talked briefly about the great work of ARH. I asked him if he were still working and he said, “Heavens no – I’m 96!” He had been a Rotarian for 40 years. I’ve since discovered that he’d topped every year of his medical class. It was a pleasure to have him as part of our meeting. Pam Hall Guest Speaker April 10th John Hall very kindly filled in at short notice to give a fascinating presentation on his recent participation in the 2024 Van Diemen's Land Circumnavigation (VDL-C) cruise. 2024 was the 16th VDL-C cruise staged by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and the 5-week cruise followed an anticlockwise route to Hobart, and as well as leisurely and sometimes challenging sailing, allowed crews time to appreciate the spectacular scenery, fish, explore ashore and occasionally shelter from inclement weather. It wasn't always this calm! As radio officer, John was relied upon to ensure that the cruise was as safe and enjoyable as possible for all participants. Twice-daily radio contact was required of all boats, to ensure that information about location, weather forecasts, forthcoming attractions, get-togethers was shared, and that all boats were safe. A number of spectacular sections of the trip were mentioned but John was particularly enthusiastic about the Macquarie Harbour and Gordon River days, which allowed time to appreciate the unique beauty of the Franklin and Gordon World Heritage areas that many fought so hard to preserve in the 80s. John's Statistics o Distance covered – during the circumnavigation~ 1200 nm
o Fuel consumption ~500 litres at average 2.3 l/nm (including battery charging)
o Time taken Hobart to Hobart ~ 5 weeks
o Total motoring Time ~ 220 hours
o Overnight passages – 3
o Sailing Time ~ 200 hours If a challenging 1000+ nautical mile boat trip around Tasmania appeals to your sense of adventure, then this event could be your big challenge in 2026! 
John and Pam Hall A donation to Rotary Health in John's name was made by the club to thank him for his time and presentation, as we do for all guest speakers. Our next guest speaker comes to us from Bust-a-Move, an oganisation that provides dance classes and a social hub for disabled people of all ages. Classes focus on using dance as a vehicle for social and emotional awareness and development. Come along on April 24 to hear all about it and follow the link for information and some great photos. https://www.bustamovedance.com.au/vision Environment - Rotary Environmental Sustainability Sustainable living is one of the key themes of Rotary's environment focus and the following event may help to make your home more environmentally sustainable by not overusing water and energy. The Mornpen Shire is hosting a Sustainable House Day 2024 at The Briars Eco Living Display Centre on Sunday, 21 April 2024 | 12:00 PM to 03:00 PM The Eco Living Display Centre is a retrofitted home that showcases a range of sustainable innovations, materials and products and volunteers will be available to answer all your questions and give guided tours. Quote: To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try. Rosa Parks, American Civil Rights activist. |
