Author: RCOB

A HUGE thankyou to the BWMCA & Andrew & his Team for organizing such an amazing Christmas event for our community. So much work involved, but so much joy, fellowship & goodwill.

Thankyou to all who purchased our burgers. The unprecedented numbers meant it was a real struggle trying to keep up & we thank you for your patience. To those who missed out, our apologies.

We had all hands on deck for this event, & then early rising the next day for a Bunnings BBQ. Hard work but plenty of fun & a real financial boost to the coffers enabling us to continue to support other worthwhile causes.

Now…full steam ahead for Australia Day!

Recently 4 of our members hooked up their caravans & headed west to contribute to the Rotary District Flood Support & @followersBlazeAid project by providing much-needed manpower to help repair the fencing, clean the facilities & feed the hungry workers.

Ken, Liz, Malcolm & Sarah didn’t hesitate to put their hands up when the call for help came through from Pay 4 a Panel – Gidgee Smith Flood Support – & Rotary. The Club rallied behind the projects raising funds through a Bunnings BBQ.

The boys entertained us at Friday’s meeting with a very interesting presentation about their adventure (someone should have told them they can take the flynets off now).

This project was a great example of the ability of even small Rotary clubs to contribute in a meaningful way where they perceive a need. We are very proud of our members & their willingness to put ‘Service Above Self’.

Last week the Buderim Private Hospital Auxiliary ladies (& one token gent) took advantage of our Bunnings BBQ Community Assist program. We had a great day working with them & getting to know some of their members.

We welcomed 3 of those members to our meeting on Friday to tell us more about their organization & the great work they do for our local community.

Since 1983 the auxiliary has been working to enhance the care & comfort of patients & staff at BPH. Through their fund-raising efforts they are able to purchase items such as blanket warmers, pedestal fans, twin feeding couch for SCN & a recliner chair for palliative care. They are able to provide bursaries for supplementary education for staff to enhance specialist areas of care.
The other side is their actual presence in the hospital where twice a week they look after patients’ flowers & offer a friendly face & a quick chat. Their sewing group makes Buddy Bears with smiley faces and bright bow ties to help many a child get through an unfamiliar, and maybe scary time. This year they made their 1000th bear!
The Auxiliary also make and compile emergency packs of basic essentials for those patients “caught short” when they arrive in a hurry, as well as making items for maternity when required – peanut pillows, flannel hearts etc.

Buderim Rotary was proud to present this very valuable, local Buderim organization proceeds from our combined effort at Monday’s Bunnings BBQ.

Local groups who are unable to take advantage of the very generous Bunnings BBQ community support facility can go to our website & complete the application form for support from our Club.

We’ve mentioned previously how proud we are to be able to support Story Dogs, a marvellous program designed to assist young primary school children with their literacy.

A simple concept whereby the interaction with a calm (& very cute) dog, & a nonjudgmental, accepting, patient adult, away from any peer group pressure, provides an atmosphere where a child can develop their reading & focus skills.

Our Story Dog, Coco, is certainly cute, & we enjoy having Suzie Warwick, the regional coordinator for Story Dogs, come to our meeting to fill us in on how the program is progressing.

What a great event for Buderim Rotary’s Handover Dinner last night. Outgoing President, Ken Grant, recapped on another successful year serving our local #BuderimCommunity & providing support for worthwhile causes both nationally & internationally. It has been a great year & our Club is very appreciative of Ken’s hard work & leadership.

Incoming President, Joan Jackson, has big shoes to fill, but our Club has no doubt that fill them she will. She has excelled at the previous Board positions she has held, & there’s no doubt her Presidency will reflect this same professional work ethic. We’re all looking forward to a year under her leadership.

Each year the Les Day award is presented to an outstanding Rotarian within our Club. Les was a past member who exemplified dedicated, selfless, Rotarian ethics & to receive this award is an honor indeed. Last night the award was presented to Malcolm Dean, & all agreed it would be hard to find a more worthy recipient. Malcolm has been a member for only a short time, but his tireless, dedicated, organized work ethic has contributed immeasurably to the Club’s ability to work for our community. He has stepped into roles seamlessly & epitomizes the Rotary ethos of #ServiceAboveSelf. Congratulations Malcolm!

Rotary Club of Buderim is well known for ‘Working For Our Community’, however, what is often not as widely recognized is the contributions the Club has made over the years to support communities overseas, whether it be for disaster recovery, or ongoing humanitarian aid. One such project we have been involved in for many years is the supply of water filtration devices to communities where the prevalence of waterborne disease is devastating. Local man, Mark Stitt, was at the helm of this project in Fiji, organizing for the water filtration devices, as well as other much-needed goods, to get to those areas where they are needed, often not an easy feat.

In honour of Mark’s dedication to this cause, our Club was proud to present him with a very well-deserved Paul Harris Fellow Award.

During his travels in Fiji in 2012, Mark became aware of the shocking effects of water contamination in regional Fiji. At the time, a child a week was dying from waterborne disease in the South Pacific region, prompting him to start a project where hundreds of water filtration devices were supplied to schools and communities, along with much-needed educational supplies.

Through Mark’s efforts, schools have been able to remain open, children who treasure education have been able to thrive, & hundreds of lives have been saved by ensuring access to clean, disease-free drinking water.

Truly a worthy recipient of an award recognizing devotion to humanitarian causes. Congratulations Mark Stitt!

Rotarians appreciate the significance of the awarding of a Paul Harris Fellow award. The recipients are people who have given selflessly of themselves for the betterment of their communities, their country and the world. These people are often working quietly in the background of their communities with little fanfare or accolades. Rotary Club of Buderim proudly bestowed this award on a very worthy Buderim local at our last meeting.

Judith Bidstrop has been driving cancer patients from Bloomhill to their medical appointments for 18 years. Those of us that tackle the local traffic, & traffic between here & Brisbane know that this can be no mean feat.
On Sundays Judith helps at the Cotton Tree Markets, & she has been organizing the Brisbane Lions Sunshine Coast Supporters Group bus to The Gabba for over 10 years.
Additionally, Judith organizes the Buderim Heart Foundation walking group, & for many years has been involved with the Rotary Bowel Screening Program.

Congratulations Judith, well deserved!

It would be easy to presume that President Ken Grant must be in training for the upcoming Olympics (his 3 mornings a week at the Buderim Men’s Shed gym would stand him in good stead), but he’s actually just thanking Friday’s Guest Speaker for a wonderfully, entertaining presentation.

#rotaryclubofbuderim members were privileged to welcome A/Prof. (Adj), Craig Allingham EMBA, APAM, MACP, FSMA as our Guest Speaker at Friday’s meeting. We asked Craig to tell us about his experience as a 4-time Australian Olympic Team Physiotherapist from the Seoul Games in 1988 to Sydney 2000.

Craig worked variously with our Baseball, Rowing, Women’s Basketball, Track Cycling, Wrestling, Kayaking & more, & presented behind-the-scenes insights into the ‘engine room’ of the Olympic Games, from the preparations, to the trackside, lakeside, courtside, matside work to the celebrations & aftermath.

The hidden support personnel are there to ensure the athletes have their best shot at achieving their dream on the particular day. No medals for support crew, but lots of satisfaction.

A big thankyou to Craig for a wonderful presentation.

Thanks to the generosity of our Locals, we have been able to not only make a substantial donation to the Rotary Flood Support appeal and the Pay 4 a Panel – Gidgee Smith Flood Support – flood appeal, but also to send labour to help repair the fences & feed the workers.

Ken Grant, Liz Begg, Malcolm James Dean & Sarah have done us proud. Far from a holiday, they have worked tirelessly along side the amazing BlazeAid volunteers clearing debris from fences, cooking & serving, cleaning the kitchen & toilets, & battling the flies etc. All necessary jobs that need to be done to help get our Farmers back on their feet.

They have worked hard & done us proud. Thankyou guys!

Buderim Scouts are the first local group to avail themselves of our new Bunnings BBQ Community Support program. Having to provide just 2 helpers per shift while Buderim Rotary supplied the experienced members & supplies, made this viable for their club.

It was a busy day & no doubt Buderim Scouts will be extremely pleased when the profits from the day hits their bank account.

The Rotary Club of Buderim is proud to be able to support this great club.

Local clubs can apply for assistance through our Bunnings BBQ Community Support program by completing the online application form.