International Women's Day Who knew? On International Women's Day we found out a couple of things. (i) That Alex Rotary became the home of Rotarians who resigned from another Rotary club in protest against them refusing membership to women and (ii) there's also an international mens day. So on Wednesday President Skye reminded us that we have a female Rotary International President and women are playing a much larger role in Rotary, and in our little patch of teh world Alex Rotary doing our bit and fast approaching 50% female membership. who - hoo. On that note, we welcome new corporate member Tanya Frazer from IFYS. A certain scribe couldn't let International Women's Day pass without noting that Rotary founder, Pau Harris, married hi Scottish bride in early 1900's and in a very romantic gesture, built a home for her and named in Comely Bank after Jeanne's home district in Edinburgh. Chairman Bob and President Skye in relaxed mode. Women in Rotary started as Melbourne initiative, but as you can see from their website have gone international with many countries now part of the program .. ..and from an earlier edition of Rotary Down Under ... Homelessness on the coast: A Noosa Daybreak Project makes a difference and gets a thank you from The Salvo's From the latest Noosa Daybreak newsletter....well done folks... The Salvation Army Homeless Fund Project Update;  A homeless couple, had been sleeping in parks and under bridges in the Sunshine Coast area. Whilst sleeping under a bridge, they got bitten by spiders and a snake, and the couple faced a range of vulnerabilities. The Department of Housing granted temporary emergency hotel accommodation, but this didn’t last for long, and ‘they no longer met the eligibility for this program’. The Salvation Army Homeless First Response Team stepped in; the couple were granted urgent accommodation, for a week of respite and safe haven, to allow them to connect with various agencies, and apply for private rental accommodation, ie to self-fund hotel accommodation from their next payday. This couple are extremely grateful for our help! Their health has dramatically improved with short-term, stable accommodation. Plus, they gained quality time with their daughters in a safe environment, and time to plan the next steps in their lives and avoid the risk of sleeping rough again. “Thank you Noosa Daybreak Rotary, for bringing hope to this situation!” Matt G (Salvation Army) Turkey earthquake - The media has moved on but Rotary keeps giving Regular readers will recall that your club made a donation to Shelterbox to provide temporary accommodation to folks affected by the Turkey earthquake. Here's an update.  Imagine fleeing a war zone only to be hit again by an earthquake. That’s what happened on 6 February 2023 when a series of powerful earthquakes ravaged northern Syria and Türkiye (formerly Turkey).
The region where the earthquakes struck is home to significant numbers of Syrian refugees and internally displaced people. In northwest Syria many buildings were already damaged by years of civil war, and that’s where some of the worst damage has been reported.
17th February 2023; Crucial supplies from the international disaster relief charity ShelterBox have arrived in Türkiye and Syria to help people affected by the devastating earthquakes that have claimed more than 40,000 lives across the two countries. “Our tents have arrived in Türkiye on free flights by Turkish Airlines from Panama – where we had stock pre-positioned. We strategically pre-position aid all over the world to help get crucial supplies to disaster affected communities as quickly as we can.
“A truck of aid, carrying thermal blankets has crossed the border into Syria and has reached our local partner, Bahar, who will be distributing our aid. We’re expecting more trucks of our aid to arrive in northern Syria in the coming days and weeks, containing more vital supplies.” 
Club Fundraising A valiant attempt by member Steve to get a Car Boot Sale project up has hit a bit of a setback, so its on teh back burner till end of year. Meanwhile we're pushing along with the Solstice Swim preparations, and will soon have the online registration desk up and running and be looking for sponsors and volunteers for the fundraising through sponsors, prize donations, etc. A certain scribe has been busy with event and grant applications, so fingers crossed for a positive outcome. Also we've been honing on on where we can really make a difference in saving preventable deaths, and learn to swim and community education around suf awareness and being safe in the water will feature strongly as our beneficiaries of the swim. Meanwhile here are a few pics to whet your appetite... This classic photo epitomises what the swim is all about. This lady has just driven up from NSW to take part in the swim and her mate was there to get her out of the water and across the finish line...Missing part of my leg? ..no problem!!. What a woman.  We'll also be having a Zumba community and swimmer show and warm up with a stage at Buhk park. Here's an earlier one with our mate Gary as cheerleader. .the start does get a bit serious....nobody wants to be last... Pride of Workmanship It's getting close, and we have an amazing line of of employees... |
