As I write my report this morning from sunny downtown Ipswich, Queensland, where the summer temperatures rival Penrith in a heat wave, I reflect on the ‘utopian’ mid twenty temperature of our Meeting last Monday lunchtime at the Union Hotel.
Yes, great to see a good turnout, and receive a fascinating presentation from our Guest Speaker, Brad Anderson, from ‘Orange Sky’. What a fantastic job those people do in supporting the homeless with their clothes washing and showering (with their specially adapted mobile vans), but more importantly, supplying someone to talk too. These sort of things we all just take for granted, but the homeless. Our Club is a great supporter of Orange Sky, they were one of the recipients at our last Giving Night in December 2020.
And now Great News!! The Bunnings BBQ is back scheduled for the 13th, and 27th February, so we hastily have to adapt our plans, and make changes. ‘Skate Board King’ Bruce is our ‘eyes and ears’ on all things Bunnings BBQ, so we wish him well with his move up north, and we hope we can cope without him on Saturdays and Sundays. I know we will reorganise our efforts and while Bruce is still able to position the trailer etc, we need to take over the set and supply purchases issues. Yes, please, we need new volunteers to assist!! Please, if you can spare some time on a Saturday, please join us for a lot of fun running the Bunnings BBQ Sausage Sizzle at Artarmon Bunnings. Contact me or any of our members! Remember, this is one of our main fund raisers, and we need funds to enable us to give back to those in need in our community. Be part of it!!
And with the BBQ on the 13th February, we have moved our ‘Social Night’ for all members and their friends, to the 20th February, to be held at Sue and Angelo’s place at Beacon Hill, Italian cuisine. Full details to follow next week.
Michael McQueen is a Sydney-based social researcher, professional speaker and bestselling author. In 2004 he founded a training consultancy called The Nexgen Group. ...
Michael McQueen is a multi-award winning speaker, trend forecaster and bestselling author of 8 books.
With clients including KPMG, Pepsi and Cisco, he has helped some of the world’s most successful brands navigate disruption and maintain momentum.
In addition to featuring regularly as a commentator on TV and radio, Michael is a familiar face on the international conference circuit having shared the stage with the likes of Bill Gates, Dr. John Maxwell and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Michael has spoken to over 500,000 people across 5 continents since 2004, and is known for his engaging, entertaining and practical conference presentations.
Having been recently named Australia’s Keynote Speaker of theYear, Michael was inducted into the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame.
“Michael is an informed and engaging speaker with a powerful message and practical advice.” CANON
The Rotary Club of Crows Nest is privileged to have Michael as a member and we highly recommend you to join our Zoom Meeting to enjoy and benefit from, what Michael has to say.
Note: Next meeting (8th Feb) will be via Zoom at 12.30pm Monday.
Click on this Link!. Please click on this meeting link five minutes before the Meeting.
We are trialing having alternative meetings LIVE & Zoom.
Last Meeting Monday 1st February 2021 - Presentation by Brad Anderson from 'Orange Sky'
Brad mentioned that there are 116,000 homeless people in Australia recorded in the 2016 Census. Orange Sky have 31 vehicles in Australia and 2 in New Zealand, and these are based in every major city and some in Regional areas. Each vehicle is helping to positively connect to our friends in need through free laundry, showers and conversation.
What we do; we have a simple formula; we provide a platform for every day Australians tp connect through a regular laundry and shower service. The focus is on creating a safe, positive and supportive environment for people who are too often ignored or who feel disconnected from the community. Our volunteers are not social workers or experts on homelessness, they are empathetic listeners and great conversationalists.
The reality is, if you are homeless, you’ve got a bag of belongings, and what ever cash you do have left, you’ll need to put towards food to survive, so if you found yourself with a few dollars left in your pocket, would you actually spend it on washing and drying your clothes? How high of a priority could that be, when you’re cold, hungry, scared, and you don’t know where you’ll be from one minute to the next?
During the lockdown in March 2020, Orange Sky closed for only 5 weeks and the homeless was accommodated in hotels.
Orange Sky is seeking volunteers, please go to their website by clicking on this link - Orange Sky.
International Toast:
PP Philip toasted the Rotary Club of Patong, Thailand
News:
- For the next few weeks, we will be trailing the concept of every 2nd meeting on Zoom, with a LIVE meeting at the UNION hotel.
- Sue confirmed that the first D_Cafe deferred to March 24th. If you have a "client" for the D_Cafe, please let Sue know.
This week Sue is confirming the volunteers list from our club. Training is still 10am-1pm Wednesday Feb 3rd.
- BBQs at Bunnings are still suspended until further notice. Howard has drafted 2 BBQ teams which will cover 2 BBQ days for a month. Latest & updated instructions will be circulated to the team captains, as Bruce will no longer be available on weekends. This will be finalised at the board meeting on Wednesday 3rd.
- $100 Bunnings Vouchers available from Cyril at Lunch on Monday.
- A soon to be released newsletter to volunteers at the Crows Nest Community Centre will include expressions of interest for joining the Crows Nest Rotary Club.
- Local MP, Felicity Wilson, is looking for applications for grants for "seniors" project. Sue to see if the D_Cafe project could ask.
- Federal MP, Trent Zimmerman also has grants available for local community projects. Ideas to the board members ASAP, please.
