Charlie Hili posted on March 24, 2010 08:34
Fifteen weary Rotarians and their partners returned from last weekend’s District Conference in Forster suitably impressed. All the hype and expectation came to fruition when DG Paul Reid delivered on his promise of presenting “The Greatest Show on Earth”. The 350 plus Rotarians including RI representative, Robert Crabtree, remained riveted to their seats by Key Note speakers of the highest order. Some speakers like Zoe Ross and Rob himself got straight to business while others like David Lamotte and Fred Watson minced some humour in getting their respective messages across. Gemma Sisia, founder of “The St Jude School” in Tanzania showed what persistence and determination can achieve when a country girl makes up her mind to make a difference in the world. Gemma has not only succeeded with her goal, but has created an educational revelation which is unrivalled anywhere in Tanzania, maybe the world. We all came away humbled by this young woman who has achieved so much in such a short time. Dinner on the Saturday night was “Party Night”. Everyone to a tee donned their Circus best. Our club was resplendent in face paint which made us look more like pussy cats than the ferocious felines we were supposed to be. I think there was a mistake with my face as I looked like “The Joker” from The Batman movie rather than something that belonged in a three ringed circus. Oh well, back to the drawing board next year, which incidentally will be held in Bathurst and will carry a Rock n Roll theme. All those Elvis fans better book now. Our weekend ended with being entertained by comedian, Anh Do. The man is seriously funny while poking fun at himself and his Vietnamese culture. The major prize of the weekend went to Ted Mlynarz, who out of 350 people managed to get food into his mouth first on every occasion it was served. That’s one hell of an accomplishment.
Tonight our club had a seafood night with prospective members as our guests. Frans showed us a DVD on how a little Dutch boy saved Holland by plugging a leaking dyke with his finger. One of our guests was suitably impressed enough to request admission to our club. With any luck, we may have a further two new members within the next few weeks.
This weekend, our club is holding what can only be termed, “The real deal”. Our very own “Circus Extravaganza” will be staged over four days with more than 14,000 children expected through the turnstiles. Max and debutant Peter Houghton will have their hands full spinning fairy floss and keeping up with the Pluto Pups, so if you can lend a hand, contact Gary Halliday who will eagerly add you to the menu, err circus roster.
Next week, PDG Bill Little is our special guest. Bill is one of those guys whose actions speak larger than words. Bill not only heads our District’s “Village Aid Programme”, he also visits The Philippines on a regular basis getting nitty gritty with the various building programmes he oversees. Bill will certainly entertain us with his anecdotes of past experiences.