Download the Club Bulletin for meeting 994 here.
From President Kirsty Stark:
At Tuesday’s meeting we had ‘Rapid Fire Presentations’ from three of our members about unique experiences they have had in their lives. First cab off the rank was Julie Carman, who spoke about the trip she took with husband Ian on the Trans-Siberian Railway in the 70s. This involved many interesting experiences, including being pulled onto a moving train when it took off from one of the stations along the way, and cooking dinner on the floor of the cabin with other tourists after most of the train restaurant’s stock was sold out of the window on the black market.
Next was Susan Gascoine, who was stuck in a traffic jam in Lyon France with husband Chris on Valentine’s Day, and – seeing no rhyme or reason to the way traffic was moving Susan decided to jump out and direct traffic. Not speaking French, she somehow managed to make herself understood with a series of hand gestures, clearing the traffic jam and then jumping back into the car to continue on the journey.
Finally, we heard from Mark Thompson, whose exciting story from the Vietnam War in Saigon War involved a highjacking on a plane with a bomb. Mark, a Military Policeman, was sent in to defuse the situation (pun intended) because the offender was an Aussie soldier who wanted a quick return to Oz. The highjacker could fool our American allies, but not ‘one of his own’. Mark sorted out (another intended pun) the situation with some straight talking, to find that the “bomb” was in fact a box of socks and jocks. Mark then escorted the man from the aircraft, and order was restored.
It was fantastic to hear some unknown stories from club members, and I hope we can enjoy more of these sessions in future!
We also welcomed Tyler, who we sponsored as a RYLA student several years ago. Tyler has been heavily involved in Rotary youth programs since, and dropped in to let us know about the plans for RYPEN in the coming year. They are increasing their intake of students from 45 to 90, so it will be a fantastic program, and one that Magill Sunrise is proud to support. Great to see you again, Tyler!
Weekly Challenge:
After last week’s wine challenge, I’ve instigated a food challenge this week. Send through a photo of a meal you enjoy during the week, and we’ll show them off at next week’s meeting.