Join Zoom Meeting info:

 

 

Meeting ID: 718 947 8380

Passcode: 106183

Guest Speaker - Geoff Owens – Firearms in Australia

• Recreational shooter for 35 yrs
• Keen hunter and member of 3 organisations
• Started as young boy (8) with his dad and family – not an uncommon
• 12 junior permit (sons have permit)
• 18 full licence
• Field and Game Australia – Clay target shooting environment (simulates hunting)
• Hunted through S Australia – feral goats and pigs
• Australian Deer Association – deer exploded over last 10 years no predator, population grown need culling
  • Training and mentoring of younger people
    • First Aid
    • Bush Craft
  • Work with Govt to control deer numbers in Vic
• On the increase may be due to Olympics – a lot in clay target area and a lot of ladies have taken up the sport in the last few years
• Shooting discipline, concentration and confidence and meet other young people
• Age and gender no barrier in shooting (one family 3 generations)
• $400m added to economy each year – employment, shooting clubs and community where hunters go
• 200,000 deer a year – less than half of population in Vic – if not through shooting clubs then Govt has to pay for professional shooters therefore work closely with Parks Vic regarding culling of the deer
• Mental health benefits – hunters and shooters are happy bunch – exercise and concentration is good for mental health.Meat harvested organic, cholesterol free and lean – health benefits
• Been a big part of Geoff’s life – good time spent with a lot of great people and fitness benefits

Chairperson Reports

• International Budget reduced by 30% from last year
• Also put all allocations into 2022 – more clarity about budget
• Preserve commitment
  • End Polio
  • Himalayan Foundation
  • Tenderfoot Schoo
  • Indian Toilet project

• Pulled back
• Year 12 Emerald Secondary School Care packages – sourcing to add to bags without having to incur a cost

• Welcome to Tracey Bannister
• Maintaining National Anthem and Invocation at start of the meeting – feeling might not be overly attractive to new members
• Dinner nights – pot luck who you get to host – on a rostered basis – October or so to be COVID safe
• Encourage members to attend a meeting on another club in pairs during a particular month – compare other clubs, learn from what they do and let them know what we do.

• KFRWT – sad to report we have decided to postpone the event until perhaps April 2022, in discussion with Puffing Billy Railway to reschedule.

 

News has probably reached you of the sad passing of Stuart (Stu) McDonald, Past President of the Rotary Club of Healesville last Saturday morning. Stu was well known in this District for his many fine attributes and contributions to Rotary during his 35-year career as a Rotarian.

 

But it was as ‘Mr Youth Exchange’ that most of us knew him. He was a passionate advocate, a tireless worker, and an extremely well informed and dedicated member of, not only D9810 Youth Exchange’s committee, but also Victorian, Australian and Rotary International YE committees and teams. All of us have had Stu visit our clubs at some time or another, to ensure that the YE students being hosted at our clubs were OK, and that all was well with them and their hosts. Most of us have been at the airport to welcome home or farewell YE students and Stu would always be there, no matter what the time of day or night, to also extend the hand of Rotary friendship and care. He was a role model of Service Above Self.

 

Our son Peter was a D9810 YE student to Germany over 20 years ago under Stu’s safe guidance and tutelage. Peter learned how well he had been prepared for his YE experience by the D9810 team and he owes a great debt to Stu and others for their time and expertise. As indeed, do countless other young people from our District and across the world. How fortunate we have all been to have known Stu and to have experienced his life’s example as he passionately epitomised the motto, ‘Serve to Change Lives.’

 

 

(PP Rotary Club of Healesville and key member of D9810 YE Committee, Victorian, Australian and Rotary International Youth Exchange committees for over 30 years)

 

Livestreamed on Thursday 26th August from 1.45pm to 2.45pm AEST.

The recording can be viewed for up to 90 days.

 

Login Page: https://www.oneroomstreaming.com/login

Email: info@heritagefunerals.com.au

Password: P5PF74

 

Instead of a floral tribute to Stu, it should be noted that his preferred charity was Australian Rotary Health. You might care to make a donation in his name by using one of the following links:

 

Australian bank transfer:

BSB: 112 879

Acct No: 065 433 595

Reference: McDonald

 

OR

make a memorial donation through the ARH website

 

Rotary is responding in so many ways to COVID around the world and it is easy to get myopic.  There are some great stories in the link below - happy reading!