Australia District Governor’s Newsletter Issue 5 2nd February 2018 INSIDE THIS ISSUE It’s good to be enjoying a cool break after many Governor’s report 2 weeks of heat. Much needed for the start of school. New Kiwanians in January 3 We’ve just had over three weeks of high 30s with a few Rod Moore’s walk underwater 4 over 40s thrown in to change the monotony! A hot, dry KADCF Recognition Programs 5 heat, leaves scorched and flowers shrivelled. News about members 6 OAM honour for a Kiwanian 7 The local news last week featured a photo of a Latest club membership statistics 8 teenager holding a bottle of water for a koala thirstily drinking—just like this at right. Along the Murray River Recruiting new members 9 koalas were coming down from tree tops in search of Eye of the Tiger Year progress 10 water. One koala drank three bottles. A letter for all to read 11 Club Project: Glenelg & Reynella 12-13 In a book about the history of Numurkah and Project : Bendigo & Newcastle 14-15 district, just 30 mins drive north of here, one reads of Image and Impact Echuca-Moama 16 the terrible drought years and heat in 1902 with the Aussie clubs giving to KCF 17 Shepparton Furphy watercart being the salvation of the Australia District Convention 18 farmers. “In 1906 the thermometer stood 112 degrees (44.5 Celsius) for four days in a row. The heat killed ASPAC Convention & New Clubs 19 draught horses and birds fell dead everywhere.” Leadership of Australia District 20 Within 10 years of that, Liquid gold, in the form of irrigation water started to transform the region eventually creating the food bowl of Victoria. Fast forward to 2014. The Furphy family business, a progressive engineering enterprise, added amber gold to the repertoire. Furphy ale made from Victorian hops fermented in Shepparton Furphy’s stainless steel tanks and fermenters, brewed in Geelong at Little Creatures, is now doing well just as the ol’ water cart. Visit Dan Murphy’s! It was hibernation in the Hyde household during the heat. Aust Open Tennis and Test Cricket on TV has been punctuated with a spot of reading and Kiwanis time. We made a 2 hour trip south to Melbourne to take the grand-daughters to the play “Emily Brown and the Thing” and a 2 hour trip north to Albury to see the Archibald Prize exhibition. Replenishing the household necessities, water aerobics sessions and a bit of gardening, just about sums it up. This month’s newsletter features new Kiwanians, older Kiwanians and our service. Happy Kiwanis...ing in February Governor Jan “Kiwanis is a global organisation of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.” Page 2 February 2018 GOVERNOR’S REPORT Although we have been in the lazy, hazy days of summer the wheels of Kiwanis have been rolling on and well oiled. Who says Kiwanis is in holiday mode! Over Christmas, New Year and Australia Day, at the important club level we have had new members inducted, members honoured, new club activity in process, club service projects and fundraisers, many sausages sizzled and club projects forwarded for the Signature Project contest. See pages 12 to 15 A very special welcome to January’s new Kiwanians: Jodie McGrath (Beachside Newcastle 9/1/2018 Sponsor Jennifer Rumford), Tony Conti (Mooroopna 10/1/2018 Sponsor Garry Alexander), Stuart Officen, (Gawler 18/1/2018 Sponsor Monica Sholz) and Rod Moore (Newcastle 22/1/2018 Sponsor Annette Holmes). I hope you all have a fulfilling time with your club serving children and community and have fun. Well done to all sponsors. See next page 3 On a sad note it is with regret I mention the loss of two Kiwanians in the last month. The notices of the death of George Loch and Allan Stubbs are on page 17. I congratulate Peter Edgar of Cobram-Barooga Club for his 35 year Legion of Honour achievement presented on January 17th. See page 6 Likewise I congratulate Kiwanian Don Kilgour on being awarded the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the latest Australia Day honours for Service to the Community. More about this on page 7 At the District level a few people have been industriously working to organise the approaching Eye of the Tiger Mega Blitz as recounted in the previous newsletter. The activity will be located in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne led by the International Team of three with the District Board of Trustees members being trained and turned out on the beat. Toto Gonzales Chair of ASPAC is now unable to attend. As well as our Board team, Betty D’Amore and Steve Legg are also participating. Thanks to all who have made themselves available. District Eye of the Tiger Tony Gunn resides near the action so I am most appreciative of his local knowledge. He and I have been collaborating constantly in order to organise the event. Likewise, Lee Kuan Yong, ASPAC Eye of the Tiger, has also been regularly communicating with Tony and I. Getting ‘Bigger than Ben Hur” has been muttered a few times! Who said that? At the International Level a few of the District leaders are preparing for a trip to Kuala Lumpur for the Asia Pacific Education March 6-7th Conference followed by the Convention 8-11th. Those invited to the Education Conference are 2018-19 Governor, Secretary, Service Leadership Programs chair, Master Instructor/leadership Development Coordinator, The Formula District Coordinator/CFG district chair, Kiwanis Children’s Fund District chair and ambassador and District Public Relations Coordinator Thanks once again to clubs and District leaders working in your respective areas for “the onward and upward of Kiwanis Australia, serving the children of the world”. Jan Page 3 INSPIRATION New member of Newcastle Kiwanis New members Club sponsored by Annette Holmes 2017-18 Marie Martinelli Beachside Newcastle “I first heard of Rod when he was interviewed on ABC Newcastle last October. He was about to walk 3km underwater in Belmont Bay near Madeleine Said Brighton where we live to raise money for a Bali Street Kid orphanage. Lynette Riach Brisbane I thought "that guy is crazy" but he would make a good guest speaker! Trish Madsen Brisbane Tim Looker Glenelg I made contact with him later that week and he was more than happy to come and talk to us. I told him we would make a donation of $500 Mary Smith Glenelg towards his Bali orphanage. He was very pleased but said he would Kate Burrill Pacific Pines have come to our meeting anyway. He looked up our website and Sidney Cramp Pacific Pines Facebook page and when he arrived at the meeting said straight away that he wanted to join our club because of the work we do for kids. James Wilson Pacific Pines Needless to say I had a form ready! Patricia D’Silva Port Phillip The main reason for me telling you this is Rod is going to do another Maureen Caporella Prospect underwater walk - this time in Rose Bay Sydney. He was initially doing Rosalind Thompson Roseworthy-Hewett it to raise money for repairs to a church in Sydney but that was put on hold, however he is still going ahead on Wednesday 31st January and Steven Thompson Roseworthy-Hewett now doing it to raise awareness about KIWANIS. Not a great day to do Lisa Ladas Shepparton it being a weekday but I think Rod was already committed. Nadine Ngue Sydney He has been given a brand new guitar (worth $3,000) from Stuart Monk - Brian Post Glenelg to be raffled or sold for Kiwanis - and he plans to do an underwater walk Carina Post Glenelg in the Brisbane-Gold Coast region this year too.....plus a parachute jump in the Hunter Region too - so he is a passionate advocate for children in Lucia Carter Glenelg need. Trevor Williams Rostrevor-Campbelltown His friend is a journalist at Newcastle Herald (who did the attached story Anne Inde Rostrevor-Campbelltown in October). Scott has already interviewed Ken who gave him some Scott Futcher East Maitland history but also told him to check out the Kiwanis Australia website. Liz Brady East Maitland Hopefully the article will appear in the Sydney press as well.” Welcome to our new January members Annette Holmes District SLP Leader and member of Newcastle Kiwanis Jodie McGrath 9/1 Beachside-Newcastle Tony Conti 10/1 Mooroopna Stuart Officen 18/1 Gawler Rod Moore 22/1 Newcastle Lorraine Taylor 23/1 Shepparton Left: Newcastle members Ken Archer and Annette Holmes welcome Rod Moore. Read about Rod’s magnificent underwater walking endeavours next page. What an inspiring story all round. Inspiring that Annette was pro-active in inviting Rod to a meeting as guest speaker and pro- active in having a membership proposal form ready! CONGRATULATIONS and GREAT WORK Page 4 INSPIRATION & IMPACT Rod Moore's Lake walk 2017 WHEN Rod Moore walked 3km across the bottom of Lake Macquarie to raise money for charity in 1987, his biggest concerns were decompression complications, deep mud on the lake bed and dangerous soft spots. On Friday, October 13, 2017 Mr Moore will attempt the feat again, but this time he, and the lake, are 30 years older. And a lot has changed. “Lake Macquarie 30 years ago was heavily commercially fished, so there wasn’t many sharks in there,” he said. “Now it’s full of sharks, it’s alive.” Things have changed for Mr Moore too. He was run over by a speedboat in Swansea Channel 19 years ago.