ROTARIANS STEP UP TO PROVIDE FIRE SHELTERS FOR BANDICOOTS

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.

 On Monday we attended, at the invitation of the City of Burnside, to provide high quality sustenance to their Monday Mingle Community get together Event. We attended this same event last year, so this was a follow up but even though the weather was good, the numbers were not that for which everyone had hoped.

The City of Burnside provided a diversified number of entertainment events but did not draw the crowds. We had sales of $382.65 which was not bad, but as importantly, we received regular donations (with a bit of prompting) towards our Drought Relief initiative and collected $105.60, enough for another Hay Roll! This is on addition to the $111 we collected at the Neighbourhood Watch BBQ, so enough for 2 Rolls. A good day’s fun and a great effort from the team of John Caddy, Brian Wall, Ian Metcalf, and Des Munro. Our attendance was much appreciated by the staff at City of Burnside and further enhances our relationship, a great partnership.

A lovely sunny and pleasant day saw Des M, John R, Ken Cross and Ian Metcalfe staffing the BBQ trailer for what has become an annual fixture for us, the Linden Park Neighbourhood Watch annual community BBQ. an easy gig for us but well appreciated by Neighbourhood Watch. Over the course of the event around 40-50 patrons from around the Neighbourhood were served, and our local State and Federal members came to support the event, as did Mayor Anne Monceaux. We took the opportunity to hang out the “Giant Hay Bale” drought appeal shingles and accumulated $105.60 in donations, within a gnat’s whisker of another full bale! And community events such as these are a great opportunity to put, The Rotary Club of Burnside in the frame to attract prospective new members (just ask Margie 🙂 – several people were engaged by members and friends about coming along to a meeting and giving Rotary a try.

Photo courtesy of Anne Monceaux

Some 93% of South Australian crops failed last year and farmers are having a horrific time sourcing quality feed for their livestock. It’s not just the expense they are battling, it’s that there is precious little available for purchase locally.

Rotary has stepped up and, in partnership with Farmers Relief Agency, is purchasing 600kg bales of hay from Victoria, freighting it into SA and donating it to farmers in desperate need.

At a recent Rotary Club of Burnside’s Board meeting was highly productive, with an important outcome being the board’s commitment to contributing $5,000 to the Giant Hay Bale Appeal. Given the tough season for our local farmers, this initiative—originally led by our very own Bob Cooper for drought relief—raises funds to purchase hay bales for struggling farmers.

 At $110 per bale, which can feed around 20 cattle for a week, our contribution will go a long way in supporting not just the farmers but also our own food supply. My thanks to the board for their support, to PDG Bob Cooper for his dedication, and to RC Adelaide Central for spearheading this project.

A fantastic effort by our Fundraising team at Bunnings, raising over $1,200 on the day! In addition, the team raised $126.40 for the Drought Relief Appeal, which means we’re able to fund another bale of hay for farmers struggling through this dry season.

As many of you know, if farmers are not given the support they need, they will be forced to drastically reduce their livestock numbers. This is not just a farming issue – it’s a critical food security issue that will affect everyone, particularly the most vulnerable in our society. To that end, I have been actively reaching out to local businesses, members of state and federal parliament, and the wider community to raise awareness and support.

Once people understand the scale of the problem, they want to help. With PIRSA funding transport, every tax- deductible donation goes directly to purchasing hay bales – ensuring that every dollar makes an impact. A heartfelt thank you to all Rotarians and friends who have generously donated and helped spread the word.

Dr. Richard Bowyer of the Rotary Club of Burnside shared that Rotary, including our club, has received a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of Rotary’s invaluable support for the 2025 National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) Year 12 Program. This is a tremendous acknowledgment of Rotary’s long-standing commitment to youth development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The Rotary Club of Canberra played a pivotal role in founding the program’s predecessor, the National Science Summer School (NSSS), in 1984. Since then, Rotary’s partnership with NYSF has shaped the careers of thousands of young Australians, providing them with invaluable experiences and opportunities.

Dr. Bowyer will be meeting with the CEO of NYSF, Dr. Melanie Bagg GAICD, soon. Our club, through the dedicated efforts of David Dewar, Dr. Gerald Barker, Dr. Bowyer, and many Rotarians nationwide and years past, has been a strong advocate for this initiative—helping young people like Stuart Vass, our most recent local candidate, take meaningful steps towards their STEM careers.

Well done to everyone involved in making this a continued success!