what’s been happening in the club this last fortnight (1/8 -13/8):
• Big reminder for the fundraising dinner on the 15/9/22 – Guest speaker is Brad Tucker.
Register by using this button
-
Regionalisation
-
I’ve uploaded the president’s info pack on the web site: Go here to have a read, I think it’s quite comprehensive about what we know so far
-
I’ve been accepted to participate in the “comm/tech working group" for the regionalisation pilot project
-
I’m working with Warrick to find a way to get ALL members to participate in the vote for our club
-
Remember we will give our answer to the project team in Sept
• The bulletin – as I mentioned at the last meeting, I’m putting out the call to members for a volunteer to look after the bulleting for Oct, Nov and Dec, while our current editor Robert is overseas.
please help your club get these missives out to all members an friends!
-
Now, a reminder – have you been having a browse of our facebook pages? That’s right pages plural.
You can also see these pages via our website here
-
I’ve been working on putting together a procedures manual for our club, so we should end up with a one stop shop to find out how to do things in our club(such as how to induct new members!) and how to look after youth protection! So far I have (from sources such as district, International, and our own members)
What other items would you like to see in the manual? Drop me an email with your ideas.
• We have a bit more information on the booth situation at next year’s International Conference in Melbourne. Remember that Hall and Canberra Clubs have asked us to participate in a booth to promote the work ACT clubs are doing around Peace? The Bell and Poles are obvious candidates.
The pricing apparently has three tiers: commercial rates for non- rotary entities; a nominal fee for rotary entities that want a bit of space, and a ‘no-fee’ option. We don’t yet know precisely what this means, but it’s edging closer to viability than away from it. I’ve asked Michael Rabey (who’ll work with Chris Gray) to look at artwork for some pull-up banners that can be used for the conference and then for all manner of events afterwards promoting the Bell and the poles. Then we work with Ross the treasurer to find out how we fund this.
• Word from District is that the district directory will be out soon. We’ve received a ‘hurry up’ from district to make sure our contact details are up-to-date, so now’s the time to get in to Club runner and make sure your contact info is correct! - here are a few screen shots to remind you how to do it.
If you have trouble logging on, contact me or Warrick to help you out.
That’s it for now.
Andrea
NOTES ABOUT OUR PEACE PROJECT
Some images from the recent ceremony for Hiroshima and Nagasaki 6 August 2022 at the Canberra Rotary Peace Bell. Paper cranes folded by students from Mawson primary, Torrens Primary, Majura Primary, St Vincent’s primary and St John Vianney Primary.
Michael Rabey
OUR CLUB MEETINGS
This Week's Meeting (18th of August, 12.15 for 12.30 pm, Commonwealth Club)
The Latvian Ambassador, Margers Krams, will be joining us and speaking on the topic of the Baltics, EU and NATO: a realistic appraisal of world threats
Duty Roster: August 2022
|
Date:
|
August 18th
|
August 25th
|
|
Venue:
|
Commonwealth Club
|
Commonwealth Club
|
|
Door:
|
Ross B
|
Ross B
|
|
Welcome & Opening the Meeting:
|
Stephen M
|
Juris J
|
|
Toast to Rotary at Work:
|
Russell D
|
Peter D.
|
|
Thank Speaker and Write Notes
|
Bill A
|
Sue L
|
If Unable To Attend On A Day You Are Rostered, Please Organise A Replacement.
Last Week's Meeting (August 11th)
Peter Taylor from the ANU Fenner School gave us an interesting presentation titled Reinterpreting a bit of Cape York History: Denial and its consequences. His co-author, Nicole Huxley, a Gudjula woman from North Queensland, sent her apologies. Both Peter and Nicole have a personal connection to this 1872 expedition, with great grandparents who participated.
Through a combination of oral history and written accounts, Peter and Nicole have provided a different perspective of this expedition. Nicole’s great, great grandfather was Jerry the Indigenous guide on the expedition and Peter’s great grandfather was the appointed geologist on the expedition.
William Hann’s Northern Expedition set off on 26 June 1872 from Mount Surprise, a pastoral station west of Townsville, to determine the mineral and agricultural potential of Cape York Peninsula. Using documentary and oral histories, Peter and Nicole were able to put a very different perspective on the public account of this expedition.
It was plagued by disharmony and there was later strong criticism of the leadership and its failure to provide any meaningful analysis of the findings – despite important botanical, paleontological and geological findings!
The role Jerry, the Indigenous guide and translator played was also downplayed. The most significant impact the expedition was what followed. This was the rapid destruction of Indigenous nations across Cape York, following the expansion of mining and grazing.
While massacres and murders were common place in North Queensland, the expedition played a role in accelerating these conflicts. The legacy of the denial and silences of these conflicts prevails to this day and still impacts on the Girramay and Gudjala people of North Queensland (not to mention other groups on Cape York Peninsula).
This presentation was based on a 2021 paper published in the Historic Records of Australian Science journal A re-examination of William Hann’s Northern Expedition of 1872 to Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, written by Peter Taylor and Nicole Huxley which can be found here: https://www.publish.csiro.au/HR/HR20014
NOTE from the TREASURER
The annual dues have been set at $360.00 again for this year. You will receive your invoice in your inbox during the week. Payment is preferred by deposit to our bank account (saves Credit card fees).
If anyone has any questions please contact me.
Treasurer Ross
NOTABLE DATES
National and International Days This Week
Aug 15 Republic of Congo Independence Day; India Independence Day; Liechtenstein National Day
Aug 17 Gabon National Day; Indonesia Proclamation of Independence
Aug 19 Afghanistan Independence Day; World Humanitarian Day
Aug 20 Hungary Day of the Foundation of the State of Hungary & St. Stephen's Day
Aug 21 International Day of Remembrance & Tribute to Victims of Terrorism
Anniversaries of Historical Events This Week
15 Aug (1620) The Mayflower set sail to America from Southampton with 102 Pilgrims aboard
16 Aug (1896) Gold discovered at Bonanza Creek, Klondike, in the Yukon
17 Aug (1945) Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declared the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) independent from the Netherlands
18 Aug (1201) The city of Riga, Latvia, was founded
19 Aug (1897) Dmitri Mendeleev made a solo ascent by balloon to 3.5km above Klin, Russia, to observe a solar eclipse
20 Aug (1908) America's Great White Fleet arrived in Sydney and was greeted with a tremendous welcome. 221 America sailors deserted to remain in Australia
21 Aug (1842) the city of Hobart was founded
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
The Gas Bill - - A TRUE STORY!!!.
A man living in Kandos (near Mudgee in NSW, Australia) received a bill for his as yet unused gas line stating that He owed $0.00.....that's right.... $0.00. He ignored it and threw it away.
In April he received another bill...and threw that one away too.
The following month the gas company sent him a very nasty note stating that they were going to cancel his gas line if he didn't send them $0.00 by return mail. He called them, talked to them, and they said it was a computer error and they would take care of it.
The following month he decided that it was about time that he tried out the troublesome gas line figuring that if there was usage on the account it would put an end to this ridiculous predicament.
However, when he went to use the gas, it had been cut off. He called the gas company who apologised for the computer error once again and said that they would take care of it.
Then two days later he got a bill for $0.00 stating that payment was now overdue. Assuming that having spoken to them the previous day the latest bill was yet another mistake, he ignored it, trusting that the company would be as good as their word and sort the problem out.
The next month he got a bill for $0.00. This bill also stated that he had 10 days to pay his account or the company would have to take steps to recover the debt of $0.00.
Finally, giving in, he thought he would beat the gas company at their own game and mailed them a cheque for $0.00. The computer duly processed his account and returned a statement to the effect that he now owed the gas company nothing at all.
A week later, the manager of the Mudgee branch of the Westpac Banking Corporation called our hapless friend and asked him what he was doing writing cheque for $0.00. After a lengthy explanation the bank manager replied that the $0.00 cheque had caused their cheque processing software to fail. The bank could therefore not process ANY cheques they had received from ANY of their customers that day because the cheque for $0.00 had caused the computer to crash.
The following month the man received a letter from the gas company claiming that his cheque had bounced and that he now owed them $0.00 and unless he sent a cheque by return mail for the outstanding debt then they would take immediate steps to recover the debt.
At this point, the man decided to file a debt harassment claim against the gas company. It took him nearly two hours to convince the clerks at the local courthouse that he was not joking. They subsequently helped him in the drafting of statements which were considered substantive evidence of the aggravation and difficulties he had been forced to endure during this debacle.
The matter was heard in the Magistrate's Court in Mudgee and the outcome was this. The gas company was ordered to:
[1] Immediately rectify their computerised accounts system or show cause, within 10 days, why the matter should not be referred to a higher court for consideration under Company Law.
[2] Pay the bank dishonour fees incurred by the man.
[3] Pay the bank dishonour fees incurred by all the Westpac clients whose cheques had been bounced on the day our friend's had been processed.
[4] Pay the claimant's court costs.
[5] Pay the claimant a total of $1,500 per month for the 5 month period from March to July inclusive as compensation for the aggravation they had caused their client to suffer.
And all this over $0.00.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This story can also be viewed on the ABC News website.
Eric Carmody
