Author: RCOB

After the hard work of the Book & Puzzle Sale, the Buderim Rotary ladies were looking forward to their monthly dining out.

This month we enjoyed a wonderful night at Thai Frenzy Buderim. The food was great, the wine good, & judging by the laughter, a great night was had by all.

One of the very important benefits of Rotary membership is the friendships formed. Like-minded people who share the desire to make a difference in their community & the world. It’s a walk-up start for very enjoyable companionship & lots of great times.

We were honored to have Mark Ellis from Maroochydore Neighborhood Centre as our guest speaker at this week’s meeting. We ‘re all aware of the increasing severity of the homeless situation, however, Mark’s harrowing stories and statistics were shocking.

We were proud to be able to present Mark with the proceeds from our recent Book & Puzzle Sale. These funds will go towards the centre’s emergency accommodation program, which, in conjunction with the Maroochy Sleepbus, enables those suffering homelessness to access clean, warm, safe sleep. Mark emphasized that lack of sleep is one of the biggest contributing factors to the mental health of the homeless.

Today’s meeting was one with a difference as we headed off to The Sunshine Brewery to get an insight into the art of making delicious craft beers. Why is it not surprising that we had a very good turn-out for the day? Even the die-hard red wine connoisseurs were tempted by the array of local beverages.

Thankyou to The Waterfront Hotel, where we headed after our educational tour, for catering to us at short notice. Good food, good company and a wonderful afternoon was had by all.

Unable to meet this week at our usual venue at The Buderim Tavern, the club made the most of the superb weather and enjoyed a picnic in the park.

Club Service Director, Joan Jackson, organized a hearty Subway lunch, complimented by coffee from the Coffee Club, and we were happy campers!

Rotary Handover events are always auspicious occasions where clubs reflect on the year past and welcome in the new year, and the new Executive, with renewed enthusiasm and vigor. On Thursday evening, The Rotary Club of Buderim did just that.

Members and guests gathered at the Mercure Hotel Kawana for a delicious meal and the usual highly enjoyable fellowship. Although the occasion is treated with the respect and formality it deserves, there was certainly no shortage of the light-hearted camaraderie the Rotary Club of Buderim is known for.

Out-going President Lynne Phillips highlighted the achievements of a year which presented unprecedented challenges, many of which will be ongoing for quite some time. She proudly presented the ‘Paul Harris Fellow’ award to David Johnston for his ongoing dedication and hard work. Paul Tanner was awarded with the ‘Les Day Award’ for Rotarian of The Year. Both David and Paul are dedicated Rotarians whose contributions to the Buderim club and Rotary in general, are worthy of the accolades.

Incoming President Ros Cheales spoke with enthusiasm of rising to the challenge, adapting to the changes, and moving forward as an effective club making a difference in our community and globally.

The Rotary Club of Buderim in conjunction with Rotary International District 9600 recently sourced and distributed a quantity of hand sanitizer. The bottles have been provided to a number of organizations whose primary function is to cater for those members of society in need of assistance due to poverty, homelessness, etc.

While most of us were bemoaning the lack of hand sanitizer on supermarket shelves, many in our community could not afford to purchase it if it was available. Thanks to District 9600 our club was able to obtain bottles which were gratefully received by local organizations.

Our Leaders of The Future

 Earlyact is a school-wide service club for primary school students, overseen by Years 5/6, and sponsored by a local Rotary Club. The purpose of Earlyact programs is to engage students in character building activities, to prepare them for leadership roles and to identify and carry out meaningful projects which benefit their school, local and international communities.On Tuesday the Rotary Club of Buderim was privileged to see the program in action at Murgon State School. A great bunch of kids developing leadership & entrepreneurial skills while showing compassion for those less fortunate. The students worked hard to raise a considerable sum of money to contribute towards the Rotary Lifestraws project. Buderim Rotary Club members were able to demonstrate how the filtration system works, and how much of a difference it makes in many communities.

A huge “THANKYOU” to Murgon State School Earlyact club and the school community.

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The Rotary Club of Buderim recently welcomed Cheryl Ryan from 123 Travel to speak to them about a project of which she is particularly passionate, and which is proudly supported by Rotary. 

The Seven Women Project in Nepal was started by Melbourne Rotarian Stephanie Woollard who will be speaking about the project at The Buderim Tavern Function Room in honour of International Women’s Day. 123 Travel and Buderim Rotary are encouraging locals to support the event and learn more about this truly inspirational woman and how she has changed the lives of Nepalese women living in poverty.

Stephanie Woollard began Seven Women at just 22 years of age after meeting seven disabled women working in a tin shed in Kathmandu. These seven women were struggling to make a living in the face of harsh discrimination. With her last $200, Steph paid for a trainer to teach the women how to produce products for sale locally and abroad – and Seven Women was born. 

Since 2006, Steph has built up the Seven Women team and launched an Australian arm for fundraising and a sales channel for the expanding operation in Nepal.  Twelve years after her meeting in a tin shed that started it all, over 5,000 women have been educated, trained and employed by Seven Women. 

Stephanie is a member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne, and a proud recipient of a Rotary Peace Fellow award and the Rotary International Responsible Business Award presented at the United Nations in New York in 2016. 

This week we were lucky enough to have Richard Brooking from the Beulah Community join us at our weekly meeting to tell us more about a very exciting local project.

The Green House is situated in part of Buderim Forest Nature Refuge on the North West slopes of Buderim. The 9 ha property is owned by Beulah Community Limited which is a public charity and deductible gift recipient. The charity supports volunteers interested in local social justice projects and has community gatherings, revegitation and landcare projects and supports Indigenous Reconciliation.

The Community is hoping to develop the area and the Green House, to improve public access to the forest by opening up walking trails from the Village through to The Green House; provide a venue for art exhibitions for young, emerging artists; hold culinary events such as ‘long-table’ dinners.

We wish the Richard and the Community all the best in their project.