In this first regular weekly edition of the Bulletin for 2023, President Andrew notes some forthcoming events, including the resumption of Club lunches on 7 February.President’s Post 31 January 2023
Welcome to the first weekly edition of the Bulletin for 2023. I hope it finds you well, relaxed and rejuvenated after the Club’s summer recess.
As Club activities get underway again, here’s a reminder of some events coming up in February.
Tour of Alma Doepel and Wattle
The Club’s social calendar for 2023 kicks off next Saturday, 4 February, with a with a joint tour with the Rota
ry Club of Balwyn of the tall ship Alma Doepel and the steamship Wattle which are undergoing restoration at North Wharf in Docklands. The visit includes a barbecue lunch and the cost is a very reasonable $25 per head.
ry Club of Balwyn of the tall ship Alma Doepel and the steamship Wattle which are undergoing restoration at North Wharf in Docklands. The visit includes a barbecue lunch and the cost is a very reasonable $25 per head.We have bookings for 14 members and friends and there is room for a few more. Don’t miss this opportunity to inspect the Alma Doepel in which the Club has invested $3,000 towards fitting out the cabins in which trainees, including trainees sponsored by our Club, will sleep when training voyages commence in 2024.
The deadline for booking is 11.00 am tomorrow, 1 February, via this link: https://www.trybooking.com/CFJQA
Don’t miss out!
First Club lunch
Our first Club lunch for 2023 w
ill be on Tuesday 7 February at Kooyong, when our speaker will be our newest member, Rebecca Tamusuza, who will tell us about the ‘Member Behind the Badge’.
ill be on Tuesday 7 February at Kooyong, when our speaker will be our newest member, Rebecca Tamusuza, who will tell us about the ‘Member Behind the Badge’.Rebecca comes from Uganda and identifies as a social entrepreneur and researcher. She is currently undertaking a Ph.D. at the University of Melbourne on what the social, political and economic dimensions of disability in Uganda's primary education reveal about the country's development and democracy. Rebecca is co-founder of the Ten Billion Hearts Foundation, which focuses on transferring skills to disadvantaged communities through building diverse partnerships - https://tenbillionheartsfoundation.org/our-founders/
It's bound to be an interesting talk and I look forward to seeing you there.
Fixers fixture
The Club’s Fixers will meet by Zoom on Monday, February 13 at 5.45 pm to discuss the topic ‘How can we encourage or force owners of new and existing buildings to respond adequately to our climate?’
Many buildings in Australia today are climatically unfit for service. For example, many houses and apartments, unlike older-style residences, are built with minimal eave or verandah protection from the sun which, combined with other design and materials deficiencies, results in over-reliance on heating and cooling systems.
Join the Fixers on the 13th and contribute your thoughts on how Australian buildings can be made more climate-friendly. If you are not on the current Fixer email list, please let me know and I’ll send you the Zoom link.
MHU Care Packs
Seven Club members gathered at the B&H warehouse in Notting Hill on Friday 20 January and packed over 200 care packs for the Alfred Hospital’s Mental Health unit.
My thanks to all those who attended. Here are some of the happy packers, and the indefatigable Julie Clark making room in the recycle bin for more cardboard boxes.
Taverners Raffle
It’s not too late to buy tickets in the Taverners Sporting Chance Raffle. Half the value of tickets sold by the Club will be paid to us and applied towards the Club’s trainee bunk on the Alma Doepel.
The Raffle closes at midnight (AEDT) on 28 February 2023.
Book reviews wanted
Recently read a book you thoroughly enjoyed? Share the pleasure it gave you by writing a short synopsis and review, and send it to the Bulletin editor for publication in the ‘Good Reads’ column.
Thought for the Week
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people are so full of doubts.
- Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872–1970) was a British philosopher, logician, essayist and social critic best known for his work in mathematical logic and analytic philosophy. Russell is recognized as one of the founders of modern analytic philosophy and his work invigorated the study of logic throughout the twentieth century. However, in the public mind, he was famous as much for his evangelical atheism as for his contributions to technical philosophy. After a life marked by controversy – including dismissals from both Trinity College, Cambridge, and City College, New York – Russell was awarded the Order of Merit in 1949 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. Noted also for his many spirited anti-nuclear protests and for his campaign against western involvement in the Vietnam War, Russell remained a prominent public figure until his death at the age of 97.