Greetings from Chinchilla, Queensland (the watermelon capital of Australia). As well as a report on some activities of Chinchilla’s Rotary Club, there’s a report on last meeting’s presentation and information on the coming weekend’s Model United Nations Assembly, both kindly provided by Russell; there’s information on the stickers we’ve provided to Majura Primary School; and information on the next meeting, including the duty roster. A reminder: the Club will meet on Zoom this Thursday. And finally, a humorous take on looking for the silver lining in any situation.

 

Russell provided a detailed analysis of what could be the cheapest way to travel around Australia, by car/caravan, by small/medium car, or by flying/driving. Issues considered were the costs of fuel, caravan parks, hotels, maintenance, depreciation and airfares. The scenario considered was for six-week trips every year for five years going up through central NSW and Queensland to Cairns, then onto Darwin, Uluru and back down through Adelaide to Canberra. All these roads are sealed so a modern small to medium car could travel these roads safely.

 

The cheapest cost was the fly/drive option which covered the cost of the air travel, car hire in each destination and 3 star hotel accommodation. The next cheapest was driving a small or medium car around Australia and staying at 3 star hotels.  The most expensive option was buying a 19-foot caravan with shower, and toilet, and a medium sized four-wheel drive vehicle to pull the caravan. This was mostly due to the loss of capital that would need to be invested or borrowed for the 4-wheel drive and caravan plus the depreciation on these assets. The car/caravan option was 4.6 times more expensive than the fly/drive option over 5 years.

 

If you’d like copy of Russell’s presentation, please email him on russelldew1@gmail.com.

 

Melrose Primary School awards book prizes to students who exemplify the school values. These books are funded through our Club, as part of our values and citizenship partnership with the school. Last week I gave the School 200 stickers to put in books that are awarded as prizes. This will provide a lasting reminder of our contribution, and I hope generate goodwill towards our Club and Rotary for many years after the prizes are handed out.

 

Here's what the stickers look like:

The Rotary Centennial Park in Chinchilla is a neat, well-maintained area, with public toilets, a free electric barbecue, and a sheltered picnic table and benches. It also features a water wheel that turns all the time, commemorating Rotary International’s centenary in 2005. The Rotary Club of Chinchilla continues to take an active interest in the park: on this year’s International Tree Day (30 June), Club members planted a bottle tree in the park, publicising this on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064667110728).

 

The next Club meeting will be on Zoom. Our guest speaker will be Asmi Wood, Sub-Dean (Indigenous) in the ANU College of Law, who will speak in the Voice and Treaty proposals. As usual, Michael Rabey will kindly open the meeting link at noon to enable social interaction before the formal meeting starts at 12:30 pm. The link for the Zoom meeting is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82035457730.

 

If you are not able to perform your allocated duty, please arrange a replacement and advise Acting President Bill. Please advise Stephen of any planned absences to avoid being rostered on while away.