The Vocational Tour of the Adelaide Oval was cancelled due to lack of numbers. There are many members away on exciting overseas trips. To compensate Murray and Brian organised a social lunch at the Marryatville Hotel.

The lunch was excellent and enjoyed by all. It was a fine gathering with members and partners. We always love a get together and catchup with partners.

Found on Jack Batty’s Instagram post. Jack is the local MP for the Bragg electorate in South Australia.

The mental health of farmers is also at a very low level as they try to save their stock with little or no money to buy hay. Rotary clubs within South Australia are doing what they can to raise money for Hay Bales.

The Rotary club of Burnside donated $5000 in February 2025 to purchase Hay Bales.
With a District grant and matching funds, we were able to donate more.
To date we have now donated $10000
At our BBQs we encouraged customers to donate to the cause. We have raised $407.90 to pay for more Hay Bales.
We encourage everyone to think about the Farmers and the crisis they face.

Scroll down to see earlier post on this topic dated 23rd March 2025

ROTARIANS STEP UP TO PROVIDE FIRE SHELTERS FOR BANDICOOTS

Last Wednesday, our club proudly hosted the 40th Annual Leadership in Conservation & Volunteer of the Parks Awards Night. It was a terrific evening, with rangers and volunteers from across the state gathering to celebrate and recognise the tireless work of all those nominated. My sincere thanks to everyone who attended—especially those who travelled from afar to be with us.

Filling out the big room at The Kensi, the event was very well attended—by members, friends, nominees and their supporters, and our valued guests from the Department for Environment and Water, who played a vital role in the night’s success.

It was both an honour and a privilege to welcome our distinguished guests for the evening:

•  Deputy Premier Hon. Dr. Susan Close MP, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water

•   Jack Batty MP, our local Member for Bragg and Shadow Minister for the Future Economy

•   District Governor Marie-Louise Lees (M-L)

It was exciting and inspiring to hear the stories of contribution and dedication from volunteers and rangers across South Australia—each one a true champion.

I was honoured to announce each of the nominees, and announce the winners for:

•  Leadership in Conservation: Dr. Shelley Paull (Marine Co-Ordinator, Eyre & Far-West Region)

•  Volunteer of the Parks: Dr. Peter Clements (Vice President, Natural History Society of SA / Wombats SA)

A big congratulations to our PDG Bob Cooper, who prepared and chaired the evening with his usual skill and passion. Well done to the entire committee for what was a very well-run and meaningful event. Nicky and I thoroughly enjoyed the night. I still can’t quite pronounce “Dhilba Guuranda-Innes”, but something tells me I’d best start practicing for next year!

Dawn Service April 25th 2025

Below: President Andrew, alongside Jack Batty MP and Rotarians Des, David, and Bob, attending the Dawn Service at the Rose Park Memorial to honour and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.

Following the official dignitaries, our own Bob Cooper had the honour of laying a wreath on behalf of the club—a moving tribute to the fallen.

The service was well attended and included song, prayer, and moments of quiet reflection. The names etched on the monument—young lives cut tragically short—serve as a lasting reminder of the cost of war and the enduring value of peace.

Guest speaker Ian McDonald Topic ‘A 4-year-old boy dreamed of flying’.

Ian gave an inspiring presentation on his dream to fly. His passion started as a 4-year-old and never waived. However, work and family took up his time plus the time and expense of learning to fly. Once he retired in his 60s, he found he had the time and money. He quickly embraced his desire to fly, and it lived up to all his expectations. The joy of flying was exhilarating, and he loved every minute.

In his old profession he was involved in teaching and once up in the air decided he would like to be a flying instructor. Once training was completed, he was taking on students with great enthusiasm.

Now that he was flying more, he decided it was time to buy a plane!

His dream now became a reality and his passion for flying only increased.

He continues to fly whenever possible and still has his love of aviation.

Ian brought home to his audience that a dream does not need to stay a dream. Having passion and desire can easily realise a dream.

His presentation was both inspiring and entertaining. The joy of doing what you really want to do is very powerful. After many questions it was time to thank Ian. Ken Cross presented Ian with a gift of a Rotary club of Burnside mug. These mugs are unique and made for the club by Bennetts Pottery in Magill. A once-off that can be treasured.

Thank you for a very uplifting presentation.

COMMUNITY WELLNESS HUB THURSDAY 17^TH April 2025.

Another great event with about 20 people attending.Guest speaker was Beth Walton with who had previously worked with the Bureau of Meteorology. Beth has a passion for the changes in Climate and explained it all clearly with the aid of graphs.

We are experiencing warmer weather and warmer seas. The warmer seas are creating havoc with hurricanes and algae.

Beth spoke about the role countries can play to reduce carbon emissions. However not all countries are on board. Once emissions are in the atmosphere, they stay at the same level even with strategies to reduce carbon emissions. Some Scandinavian countries are working with ways to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and direct it underground.

After many questions, the guests were able to enjoy a light lunch and continue to chat with friends and new acquaintances.

Unfortunately, there was no “Chair-exercise” Instructor this month but hopefully she will return next month.

Many thanks to the volunteers helping with the event, Ken, Ian, Helen, Trish, and Des.

                                                                                                           

Special thanks to Murray for organising the tour of parliament house with our excellent tour guide Jack Batty MP.

It was a fascinating tour and Jack provided us with the history of the old and the new Parliament Houses.  Jack was a wealth of knowledge and happy to take many questions.

We were taken on a tour of the various houses and chambers and what happens in each.

• House of Assembly. The speaker presides over the House of Assembly, which is composed of forty-seven members, each representing a separate electorate. Government is formed by the party commanding a majority in the House of Assembly. Bills are most often introduced into the House of Assembly, usually by the Government, but sometimes by the Opposition or a private member. The clauses of the Bills are debated by both Government and the Oppositions. As each member may ask up to 3 questions for each clause of a Bill, debates can go on for a long period of time, often well into the evening and early morning.
• Legislative Council: The Legislative Council is the Upper House of Parliament of South Australia, and acts as a House of Review. Comprises of members elected by proportional representation to represent the entire State. The Legislative Council reviews all the Bills which have been received from the House of Assembly, and those which are passed then go the Governor for “Royal Assent” before becoming law.
• There are many symbols taken from the English parliament (the Mace, the Black Rod, the “bloodlines”). Both Chambers are decorated in distinct colours: green for the House of Assembly (a nod to the grass on the Common in a village) and red (the colour of Lords’ Court robes) for the Legislative Council, again referencing the English Parliament House of Commons and House of Lords.

It was a truly informative tour and Jack provided extensive information and explanations.

Many thanks to Jack Batty MP for taking the time to explain the workings of Parliament House.

We concluded the day with lunch at the Strathmore Hotel.

Always a fun day on a Vocational Tour. Great to see both members and their partners.

Dr Rob Morrison had a dual career as an academic and science broadcaster and writer. He is currently a Professorial Fellow at Flinders University. He has written more than 40 books and co-written 13 more on science and natural history.
He has been the co-host of the national television program Curiosity Show, which ran for 18 years and was broadcast in 14 countries.
Dr Morrison gave a humorous overview of the joys of getting older. It was a fun presentations with lots of laughs.

Below, two slides from his presentation, advising of when to modify some activities.