Wow what a festival. The weather was great, the crowds came out in their droves, the festival grounds looked spectacular, the new attractions gave the festival a whole new feel, the music on all the stages was great, the fireworks were spectacular and could be seen from the City, and everyone seemed to have fun. In the words of one of our stallholders "Thank you for a marvellous! funfilled! excellent! Event. We have been to many events but this one tops it all! Thank you!” I have also received congratulations and thanks from many including our festival partners Nillumbik Council through the Mayor, Peter Clarke, the Eltham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI), and the Member for Eltham, Vicki Ward.
Thank you really doesn’t do justice to all the hours and hours of hard work put in by Eltham Rotarians who put aside the whole weekend and literally worked from dawn to dusk to make sure the festival ran smoothly and with scarcely a hitch. We can be justly proud as a Club of our organisational skills, creativity, resourcefulness and attention to detail which ensured that the community enjoyed a family friendly, safe and productive festival. A huge thank you must go to the Festival Committee, led by Jill Ramsay, whose members have worked for months to put the festival together. Thank you Jill, Ann, Dave, Dale, Paul, Lou, Mike E, Mike W and John O, Ken and Mike M and Andrew S. What a crew.
Particular appreciation also goes to Andrew Stanley. I don’t think Andrew ever sleeps - he was in the park setting up before we arrived and was still packing up after we left. Andrew organised all the programs on the Main Stage as well as the roving performers and he even grabbed the microphone for the fireworks spectacular on Saturday evening. Thanks must also go to all of our wonderful sponsors and I urge you to look at the list below and support the people who support us.
In other news, I had a call on Friday from Member for Jaga Jaga, Jenny Macklin, to confirm that our joint application with Nillumbik Shire for funding for a shade sail at Eltham Lower Park has been successful.
Best wishes to Gordon who has been unwell and has had a short spell in hospital. We hope to see you back on your feet and back at Rotary very soon Gordon. There is no change to report on the condition of Macca who remains in Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Cheers, President Judy
Lower Eltham Park BBQ 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
You are responsible for finding a replacement if you are unable to do your rostered duty and to notify Lyn Truran ljtruran@bigpond.com
After an amazing effort by all members of the Eltham Rotary Club at our very successful festival we can sit back and enjoy our speakers this week, Cecile Menard and Donna Parker, from 'Only Just' a not-for-profit fair trade shop in Eltham. Cecile and Donna will be presenting to members Only Just's aim, which is to help communities in the developing world to trade out of poverty by offering them a retail outlet for their handcrafted products.
Only Just offers buyers a story that will motivate people to think about - the people who made the particular products. It is run by a large volunteer base with only two part-time paid staff members.
To help understand what Only Just does, they have extended an invitation to all Rotary members to visit their shop in the Coles shopping centre either before or after (or both), this week's meeting. This will provide a more meaningful context to what Only Just is about and will allow us to ask questions about specific products or producers and the impact their work has in the many developing countries from where stock is sourced.
Cecile and Donna hope that the products they offer and their stories will motivate people to think about the people who made them. The clothes, jewelry, toys and accessories that Only Just sells are smart, modern and, above all, ethically made. The products come from all over the world and selling them to Australian customers means that the artisans who make them can live with dignity. They benefit from steady employment, they can save money, and they can send their children to school. These are small measures that break the cycle of poverty.
“When Only Just was founded 7 years ago the aim was for it to become a community driven project so we called for volunteers who could give as much of their time and expertise as they wanted.” The board of Only Just is also made up of volunteers.
New venue. And a New year. And... with your help, a New start for Rotary Membership in 2018.
We are offering a bottle of Moët to the first person whose introduction to the Rotary Club of Eltham results in a New member signing up. Margaret and Kaye and the Membership team wish to thank everyone for their efforts this year and look forward to your support next year.
On behalf of the Eltham Evening VIEW Club, I would like to extend a thank you to both you, Paul Kelly and all at the Rotary Club. The ladies who worked on the BBQ on Sunday had an excellent day. The trailer is just so well organised and the day runs so smoothly - we were all very impressed.
Thank you for staying with us during the day - always nice to know you have a back up if something should go pear shaped and Paul was an excellent help in the morning with the trailer and set up arrangements. Both of you couldn't have done more to ensure that our day was successful.
Our members would also like to say thank you for offering the BBQ to our Club. On behalf of our four "Learning for Life" Students (The Smith Family), we raised $926 on the day which was excellent for us. We are such a small club but because we sponsor four students - we always appreciate being given opportunities to raise the necessary funds to meet our financial obligations.
Again, thank you - and it was very nice to meet you.
Congratulations. The winners were Paul Gardner and Margaret Lane. Gunner grabbed 2nd & 3rd in the second sweep. Means he shares the same spoils so his shout next Thursday! Cup Day is always a winning day for everyone.
2017 - 2018 Board
President
Judy Sharp
President Elect
Jill Ramsay
Rotary Foundation
Kevin Hadingham
Secretary
Ann Lynch
Aquabox
Dale Atkins
Treasurer
Lou Bolzonello
Membership
Margaret Lane (interim)
Immediate Past President
Kevin Hadingham
Public Relations
Sally Squires
Community Service
Alan McCleary
Club Administration
Jill Ramsay
Youth Service
Ken Paynter
Club Service and Program
Alison Cooper
International Service
Rob Kilcullen
2017 Festival
Jill Ramsay
PAST PRESIDENTS The Rotary Club Of Eltham Chartered 19th April 1973, District 9790
Geoff Dreverman 73-74: Neville Emerson 74-75: Bruce Holland 75-76: Bob McLellan 76-77:
Doug Blaikie 77-78: Les Clarke 78-79: Keith Kelley 79-80: John Smibert 80-81: Paul Gardner 81-82:
Chris Parenthoine 82-83: Arthur Trainor 83-84: Merv Günter 84-85: John Maltha 85-86: Graeme Beyer 86-87:
Mike Ramsay 87-88: Terry Boocock 88-89: Ken Ferguson 89-90: Bill Penna 90-91: John Jacobson 91-92:
Jim Nairn 92-93: Nigel Bell 93-94: David Bowen 94-95: Ian Thomas 95-96: Vic Vela 96-97: Gabor Tamas 97-98:
Gordon Birch 98-99: Gary Reid 99-00: Mike Irwin 00-01: John Lewis 01-02: Brian Weyman 02- 03:
Graeme Hardiman 03-04: Alan Anderson 04-05: Chris Chapple 05-06: Max Lee 06-07: Ross McDonald 07-08:
David Flint 08-09: Tony Wason 09-10: Michael Englefield 10-11: Rob Kilcullen 11-12: Mike Wetzler 12-13:
Ken Paynter 13-14: Con Proussalis 14-15: David McFarlane 15-16
