Download the Club Bulletin for meetings 983 & 984 here.

Meeting 984: Service Above Self Awardee – Bevan Thulkanam

From Acting President Ian Coat:

I was honoured to stand in for President Kirsty in her absence at last Tuesday’s breakfast meeting. The echo around the room brought home the absence of members who are either off travelling our country or the world. We were almost able to cram into one table. Nevertheless, there was plenty of good fellowship to be had. We welcomed the return of Campbelltown’s Jeff Neale to our tight knit bunch that included guest speaker Bevan Thulkanam.

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RC Magill Sunrise sponsors the Service Above Self Award at The Norwood Morialta High School. Last year was the first time the award was presented. Bevan’s address underscored how worthy he was to receive this award. He spoke of his early years in South Africa surrounded by poverty and his enduring desire to help others. As a young person, Bevan already has the awareness and understanding of the importance and value of Community that normally takes people many more years to develop. In addition to Bevan involvement in the Student Representative Council (SRC) he also participated in the City of Campbelltown’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC). We congratulate Bevan for his efforts to date and look forward to hearing about his future endeavours. Bevan is in his first year of Health Sciences at Flinders University with the aim of becoming an Optometrist. He sees this occupation as a vehicle for helping the disadvantaged.

Meeting 983: Combined Services Dinner

From President Kirsty Stark:

In lieu of the previous week’s meeting, many of our club members attended the Campbelltown Council Combined Services Dinner. While enjoying a three-course meal, we had the opportunity to learn about the fantastic projects being undertaken by the other service clubs in the Campbelltown Council area, including Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary’s Inner Wheel.

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The guest speaker was Jenny Paradiso from SunTrix, a Solar Panel Business, situated in Graves Street Newton, that she founded with her husband David Hille in 2009. We had a few laughs from Jenny’s anecdotes about SunTrix’s humble beginnings, like Jenny working from a phone and baby at the kitchen table and continuing to take orders while in the post-natal ward. Jenny told us of the ups and downs that the business has been through over the years, and her philosophies around providing value and treating customers well. Right up there with the Customer Experience was that of their Employees, who now total 25. It was great to hear about the company’s success.

Mina’s Aquatic Challenges

Mina’s Channel Swim is still on hold. The poor weather has created a backlog of swimmers trying to swim the channel. The season will be closing soon, but Mina is still hopeful of getting a slot before the end. In the meantime, Mina and Bridget have decided to do the Scilly Swim Challenge http://www.scillyswimchallenge.co.uk that involves six swims totalling 15km and six walks totalling 10km.

Exchange Student Marie Hermanns’ Presentation to Norwood Club

Several members of our club attended Norwood Rotary’s meeting at the Kensington Hotel on Wednesday night. Kirsty, Sue, Licaria and guests Victoria and Daniel went to hear exchange student Marie Hermanns give a presentation about her home country of Germany.

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Marie was very well spoken and gave a great insight into Germany’s culture and history, as well as answering some difficult questions from the audience, including one about the integration of refugees into German society. Marie is looking forward to the next 11 months in Australia, and is happy to join Rotarians or friends for any activities or outings they think she might enjoy.

Download the Club Bulletin for meetings 983 & 984 here.