Presidents Report

Here are two extracts from   ​Bees | NSW Environment and Heritage

Help our Native Bees

Build a Bee Hotel

Bee populations around the world, including our native bees, are in decline.
The main reasons for this are widespread pesticide use, disease and habitat loss.
You can help save our bees:

• Grow bee-friendly plants in your garden.
• Keep a native beehive in your garden. Sydney Native Bees tells you how to get started.
• Provide nest sites for native bees to lay eggs – don’t clear all the dead wood from your trees, leave old hollows and bare ground in your garden.
• Let some herbs and vegetable plants go to flower.
• Avoid using poisons or pesticides.
• Install a bee hotel.
• Join the Wild Pollinator Count to help keep track of Sydney’s bees.
• Add a drinking area for bees. Bees can drown in deep water, so fill a bowl with marbles, stones or corks to make it easy for bees to get in and out. If you have a pond they can land on a lily pad.

---

Teddy bear bee

You can create a bee hotel from materials you might already have at home.
Natural materials like wood, bamboo, bricks and stone work well. Use untreated timber.
Different bees like to nest in different materials, in holes of different width and depth. Pile loose material together and drill different-sized holes into stumps or blocks of wood.
Look for a sheltered position about 1 metre off the ground, but not higher than 2 metres.
Face your bee hotel towards the north-east in a semi-shaded position so it’s not too hot.

Return to Bulletin

 

Changeover Report

​Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook – Changeover 25 June 2022
 
Call to order                                                  John Tchetchenian
John opened the dinner at 1pm and welcomed everyone.
 
 Welcome to Visitors and Guests           Keith Ball
Keith personally welcomed all member and visitors:

• DG Lindsay May
• Partner: Tania Mace
• DGE Mina Howard (Jul02)
• Past AG: Robert Erskine
• Mayor of Hornsby Shire: Hon. Philip Ruddock OA
• Deputy Mayor of Hills Shire: Mark Hodges
• Partner: Raylee Hodges
• Bev Day: Widow to PP Allyn Day (1991-92)
• Ann Turner: Widow to the Club’s Charter President Trevor Turner (1987-88)
• Pat Baseley: Widow to Past Member Stan Baseley (2022)
• Ali Chuah: Widow to Past Member Nick Chuah (2021)
• Ollie Chuah and Millie Chuah
• PP Barry Freeman
• PP Clive Denmark
• Partner: Jenny Denmark
• Sharpes:
  • Joanne Sharpe
  • Scott Fanker
  • Delores McIntyre
  • Marie Knight
• Craigs:
  • Aidan Craig
  • Amelia Craig
  • Alex Cefai
• Partners
• Helen, Gwen, Beverley, Barbara, Lynne, Joy, Desley, Margaret, Pamela, Lyn, Anne, Julianne, Rita, and Jill

 
 
Acknowledgement of Country                           Janelle Craig
Janelle acknowledged Country and also welcomed Charter members.
 
Toast to Rotary International                              PP Alan Paynter
Reply to RI Toast                                                    DG Lindsay May
Toast to Partners                                                     PP David Turnbull
Reply to Partners Toast                                        Anne Sharpe
President’s report                                                   Keith Ball
Covid19 had a significant impact on Club activities this past year.
The disappointment of IPP Rosemary was palpable, when she realised that we would not enjoy a Face-to-Face Changeover. After some 4 days, Rosemary had accepted the situation, and I was being harried, into organising a Zoom Changeover.
Indeed, the Club held Zoom meetings each Monday until November. We were well supported by John Caruana, who sourced several Guest Speakers of note. The most memorable, for me, was Sharon Eddington, a Rotary Peace Scholar, talking from Republic of Georgia.
Her situation reminded me of immediate post university times where some of my friends became Youth Officers. The scenario of ideals meeting hard realism was emotionally stressful and they gathered in cohorts for mutual support.
From November we needed to coordinate with Springfield House, as the facility was in high activity reducing the backlog of deferred weddings.
Early on we also started “Cheese & Crackers” Zoom meetings on Friday nights, to talk informally about life, et al, during the Covid19 shutdowns.
Fundraising Account
We did not hold our annual Trivia Night, and Garage Sale signature fundraising events. The Giant Book Sale was delayed by a month. Overall, we raised some $36K, and donated some $41K.
Member donations were outstanding. The Fundraising account received Centurion funds of $3,600, Flood Relief donations of $3,150, and “in lieu of flowers” for Stan of $900.
Foundation
Clearly, David’s periodic quiet talks:

• about the benefits of Foundation, and
• making the Foundation our “charity of choice”

were effective.
The Club is accredited with donations of US$8,805 to Foundation Annual Fund, and US$1,000 to Foundation Polio Plus.
Community
Cawas’ Tree of Joy team ran a most successful event collecting Christmas presents at both Cherrybrook Shopping Village, and Westleigh Shopping Village.

• The value of these Christmas presents would match or exceed the Club’s monetary donations.
• The Street Libraries Project was another success. Tony Makin toiled to produce four libraries and was part of the team installing them.
• Club donations to Flood Relief exceeded $10K.

International
At the start of the year, I suggested to Peter that NTA was not yet part of the Club psyche - I can no longer make this suggestion.
Peter’s promotion of NTA has been constant and fastidious.
Additionally, the Club joined forces with four other Clubs to hold a Fundraising Dinner. Several of our Club Members and Partners contributed time and effort to ensure a successful event. The dinner was enjoyed by all attending and raised $12K.
Membership
Club membership declined by one.
Alex Jugueta joined in August 2021. Bill Mann resigned to upgrade a country property. Stan Baseley left us to join God’s Printers Guild.
Carol’s “Bring a Friend” night was a success. We now have three, maybe four prospective members that may/will join in the new Rotary year.
Board
I commend the Board members, both individually and in concert, for their inputs into making the Club function and serve the communities we serve.
Next Year
Best wishes to Janelle, and her team. Her plans and fresh approach will ensure the Club’s continuing success.
District Governor’s address                                DG Lindsay May
Lindsay indicated that he he started the year on Zoom and finished in face to face meetings and talked about the Rotary donations to Ukraine and the Floods in Sydney and Northern NSW.  Lindsay also impressed the importance of Foundation and how we should encourage people to join Rotary to stop the decline in membership.
 
Presidential Awards:                                            Keith Ball
Allyn Day Award              - Tony Makin          
                           Trevor Turner Award     - George Chenouda
                           Olive Turnbull Award    - Glenda Coote
                            Special Awards: Certificate of Appreciation to Anne Sharpe and Harry Wilson
of SMS Waste
Honorary Membership  - Ali Chuah and Patricia Baseley
 
 Paul Harris Fellow Awards                                     Keith

• Douglas Lam
• Peter Stanton

 
Recognition of 2021/22 Board                             Keith
Secretary                                       Douglas Lam (absent)
Treasurer                                       Tony Coote (absent)
Foundation                                   David Turnbull
Membership                                Carol Russell
Fundraising                                   Max Henderson
Public Image                                 Neville Hansen
Community      Service               Cawas Sahukar (absent)
International Service                 Peter Stanton (absent)
Youth   Service                             Rosemary Clarke (absent)
Vocational Service                      Edwina Ruff
Club Service                                  Janelle Craig
 
 
Group photo of all awardees
Induction of 2022/23 President                         Keith/Janelle
President Elect, Janelle Craig you have been chosen by your fellow Rotarians to be President of the Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills & Cherrybrook for the ensuing year.
The appointment is not made lightly as it is the highest honour within the powers of the Club to bestow upon you, but it is made in recognition of your service to Rotary in general and to this Club in particular.
With the Presidency you are assuming new duties, new obligations, and new responsibilities, which will make severe demands upon your thoughts time and energy.
We are confident you will carry out your tasks with the same zeal you have always shown in Rotary, and you are assured of the utmost cooperation from every one of your members.
Rotary's Object, with its five avenues of service, will, I know, be your constant guide, and you will always be sustained by the fellowship and esteem of us all.
With this Collar, which bears the names of all the Presidents of this Club, including your own, I induct you as President of the Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills & Cherrybrook for the year 2022-23.
The pendant to the Collar is a Rotary Wheel with the word "President" inscribed. This is the badge of your office.
I also present you with your President's lapel pin and Badge.
On behalf of the members of your Club and all who are here today, I congratulate you and wish you a happy and rewarding year in office.
Guests and Fellow Rotarians, I present to you, your new President Janelle Craig.
 
New President’s address             President Janelle
When I first came to the Club around 6 years ago now I was given the nickname of ‘Buzz’. Why buzz I asked? That doesn’t relate to either my first or last name – what’s the story?? Well, I was told that’s because you’re always busy – Janelle you are busy like a bee. I’ve taken this nickname as a compliment because that observation is right – I am like a bee – always on the go, focused on the task at hand and trying to work hard to do a good job.
I think the bee analogy sits really well with me when I think of our Club because in many ways, we are also like bees with the Club being our hive.  The functionality of any hive/club relies on their members – individuals doing tasks allocated to them, whether that be nurse worker bees who assume the role of caring for the developing larvae/new members, or Builder worker bees who tend to the structure and infrastructure of the hive/club, or worker bees who are guards or foragers, ultimately they are pull together collectively for the overall health and wellbeing of the hive and the surrounding community and environment it serves. And like our bee counterparts, we don’t exist in isolation, rather we’re part of an extensive network that forms part of a larger ecosystem.        For these past 6 years I’ve happily flown along as a member of this wonderful hive as a worker bee, but this year I get to be elevated to Queen Bee. And that is indeed an absolute honour.
While I’ve been a director for the last four years, moving into the role of President has made me think about the Club in greater depth and from a much wider perspective than a single portfolio. In envisaging our future and the activities that will draw our attention, I’ve taken inspiration from the theme set by the incoming RI President Jennifer Jones, it being Imagine Rotary, in which Rotary Clubs globally are encouraged to dream big and use their abilities to turn those dreams into reality in order to make the world a better place. In some cases, this is not only about imagining, but also reimagining, by reflecting, adapting and retooling.
Invariably the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact not only on our health and wellbeing, but also in far reaching aspects of our lives, Rotary included. It impacted the way we held meetings, the activities we could and couldn’t undertake, and the fellowship that forms such an integral part of what binds us together as Rotarians. I think all of us learnt many significant lessons from this experience, and that, in moving forward into the new Rotary year, we can take these lessons, in fact we must take these lessons and truly imagine a big and bright future for our Club.
In my remarks as part of the Club’s 2022-23 Plans, I’ve encouraged that we apply this theme by focusing on 3 specific considerations:
Firstly, Reimagining Club Vitality - members, and their partners and families, are the linchpin that holds our Club together. Without active, happy and engaged members and partners our Club will fail to sustain and achieve its aims and potential. As such, its vital that we:

• Grow membership, and do so by embracing the equity and diversity principles of Rotary
• That we look after existing members ensuring relevancy of the Club in meeting their needs, promoting vibrancy in Club events, activities, and meetings, listening to what they members have to say through a membership survey, Club Forums and via participation in Club committees, fostering development of future leaders so that we spread the load and widen the knowledge and skills base of the Club, and importantly that we have fun and fellowship whilst making a difference 
• Equally valuing and respecting the partners who support our members is paramount – while we have a membership of 40 that number almost doubles as does our drive and energy when we add in our amazing partners, so it’s only natural that we encourage them to actively engage in Club events and committees.  To this end, the Partners Representative Team (PRT) has been reformed under the capable stewardship of Gwen Baxter, Margaret McGowan and Pamela Makin – and the beautiful flowers you see on your table today are the product of their creativity and flair – so well-done ladies.

Secondly, I believe we need to Imagine Building and Sustaining Relationships
If there’s one thing and one thing only that the pandemic served to reinforce it would have to be that we are indeed social creatures (like bees I may hasten to add) and that the power of relationships, friendship, and fellowship underlies so much of what drives humanity and drives our work in serving humanity.  This highlights the need for us to recognise the importance of relationships, partnerships and collaborative practice and provides opportunities for our Club to engage and work with:

• Local schools and community groups – further nurturing existing relationships and in other instances growing new relationships, for example with Scouts
• Local businesses – through sponsorships, vocational opportunities and the Pride of Workmanship Awards we have happening next week.
• Other clubs in our immediate geographic cluster as well as other clubs in the District
• Clubs beyond District 9685 like the Rotary Club of Coonabarabran – who’s represented today by our friend and colleague, of the famous lamb jumper fame, Marie Knight, by formalising a ‘sister’ relationship with their club
• International Rotary Clubs – for example via attendance and participation in the Rotary International Convention in Melbourne 2023
• International organisations and charities – such as the Nusa Tenggara Association (NTA)

 
Thirdly the theme Imagine Rotary challenges and encourages that we Imagine Addressing Vulnerabilities – the pandemic, together with recent natural disasters such as flooding in Sydney and Lismore, have shown that people both locally and internationally can be plunged into situations of adversity and vulnerability at short notice and due to causes beyond their control. This is where our Club does what it does best – stepping up to lend a hand. We thus seek to:

• Continue to support vulnerable local communities
• Continue to support vulnerable international communities through projects with NTA for example and via the Rotary Foundation
• Consider how best to support our local environment (the newest Rotary pillar) by activities such as Clean Up Australia and land care or recycling initiatives
• Ensure resources are available to enable Club projects and avenues of service

So, a big year ahead – a challenging year but equally an exciting year I think.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank

• the incoming 2022-23 Board, for sharing in this vision with me and being prepared to work hard to action these commitments. Namely,

 

• Tony Makin                                                  Secretary
• Neville Hansen                                            Club Services/President Elect     
• Colin Sharpe                                                 Community Services
• David Turnbull                                            Foundation     
• Carol Russell                                                Membership
• Keith Ball                                                       Public Image
• Edwina Ruff                                                  Vocational
• John Caruana                                               Fundraising
• Rosemary Clarke                                         Youth
• Tony Coote                                                   Treasurer
• Peter Stanton                                              International

 

• I’d also like to acknowledge Keith and the 2021-22 Board for without their prudent and steady leadership during the turbulence of COVID the Club would not be in the position it is to move forward with energy and enthusiasm.  
• And finally, to my beautiful children who centre my existence and keep me grounded, supported and much loved throughout all of life’s adventures.

Once again thank you for your support and the trust you’ve placed in me to guide the Club during 2022-23. Let’s have a remarkable year and dream big to imagine a better tomorrow for all those we serve.
District Governor Elect address          DGE Mina Howard
Mina explained the 2022-2023 Rotary Logo and the Convention in Melbourne on 22-23 May 2023.  Reminded all of the Cowra conference.  We must concentrate on membership as Rotary lost 25% of membership in last 10 years.  Mina wished President Janelle all the success in 2023.
Introduction of 2022/23 Board           President Janelle

• Tony Makin                                                 Secretary
• Neville Hansen                                           Club Services/President Elect     
• Colin Sharpe                                              Community Services
• David Turnbull                                            Foundation     
• Carol Russell                                             Membership
• Keith Ball                                                   Public Image
• Edwina Ruff                                              Vocational
• John Caruana                                           Fundraising
• Rosemary Clarke                                     Youth
• Tony Coote                                               Treasurer
• Peter Stanton                                           International

 
John T closed the meeting at 4pm
 
 
Day Reporter
Neville Hansen

Return to Bulletin

 

2022 Changeover Photos

Return to Bulletin

 

Pennant Hills High School Winter Fete

A Neville Email
​Hi Michelle & Leeanne,
You guys must be congratulated for the Carnival on Saturday night, what a great event and the number of people there was fantastic.
Please find attached a reconciliation of the Rotary BBQ.

Edwina the Spruiker

​We were very pleased with the event and the amount of the donation being forwarded to you.  We also, very much enjoyed ourselves.
Tony our Treasurer will transfer the money today so you should have it within the next 48 hours.
Can we please request a receipt and also advice on specific project/s that our funds will be used for?
 
We sold/vouchered over a thousand sausages and gave all the left-over sausages, bread and drinks to Chris for your cleanup BBQ on Sunday.
Would love to know your approx attendance and your final nett revenue when you work it all out.
All the best and hope to see you next year.
 
Once again, a great effort.

A Michelle Email
Oh thank you so much Neville, we were so glad and privileged to have your Rotary Club join us on this inaugural Penno High Winter Carnival.
We have had nothing but praise and congratulations on such a great community event and we are just so pleased that it went so well with really no incidents at all.
It was exactly how I imagined, and we have rough numbers in of about 4/5000 people, although I feel it was closer to 7000 ... (just my estimate)
I will have Peter (our P&C treasurer) & Jen (our Carnival Finance Team Leader) get back to you with money details and receipt.
We have many projects we would like to put our raised funds to and we are having a P&C meeting tomorrow night to celebrate and discuss this very thing.
We will be in touch and let you know very soon.
Thanks so much,

Return to Bulletin

 

Humour

Carnation contributed by Cawas

74 Years Ago.
This is PRICELESS .........
A little old lady from Geringong had worked in and around her family dairy farms since she was old enough to walk, with hours of hard work and little compensation. 
When canned Carnation Milk became available in grocery stores in the 1940s, she read an advertisement offering $5,000 for the best slogan.
The producers wanted a rhyme beginning with 'Carnation Milk is best of all.' 
She thought to herself, I know everything there is to know about milk and dairy farms. I can do this! She sent in her entry, and several weeks later, a black car pulled up in front of her house.

A large man got out, knocked on her door and said, "Ma'am, ... The president of Carnation milk absolutely LOVED your entry.....So much, in fact, that we are here to award you $1,000 even though we will not be able to use it for our advertisements!"
He did, however, have one printed up to hang on his office wall.

(Here it is:)

True story!

---

​50's..60's..70's....oldies   contributed by Neville

Return to Bulletin