President’s Report June 3, 2010

Our guest speaker at the last meeting was our wonderful Youth Exchange Student, Nicola von Hobe. Nici presented a very entertaining powerpoint presentation of the YEP ‘Rock to Reef’ Safari, finishing with a song that the students  made up to the tune of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” with slightly different words. they travelled by bus from Melbourne to Adelaide, then Naracoorte and Coober Pedy. Then on to Uluru, the Olgas and KIngs Canyon, Alice Springs and the School of the Air before flying off to Cairns for the reef part of the journey.  They got rained out in ‘sunny’ Queensland, but had a wonderful time in the Whitsundays, Airlie Beach, Byron Bay and then an 11 hour trip to Sydney so they could spend a day on the harbour. What a fantastic experience. The power of the Rotary Youth Exchange program is brought home to us time and time again, when we see the development of these already high achieving students who just seem to revel in everything that they can take in of the different culture that they live in for their year as Exchange students. If you have children or grandchildren then they need to be exposed to these great students. My 8 year old and 11 yeasr old grandchildren now can’t wait to go on Youth Exchange and I have been told that I am not allowed to leave Rotary until they have done their trips. Not that I was planning to anyway!

Please make sure that you put the date of Sunday 27th June in your diary as this date is not only the very important occasion of the induction of your new President 2010-2011, but Nici’s farewell.  She departs for Germany on Sunday 4th July and I would like to say that this day is compulsory attendance for all members – not the 4th July but the 27th. Mind you if you want to come to the airport for Nici’s farewell the flight leaves at 10 am – so brekky at the airport anyone???

There is one thing that Nici would really like to do before she departs these shores and that is a trip to the Dromana Drive-In.  If there is anybody willing to endure the cold of an evening at the Drive-In, please contact Nici at my place as she is very keen to experience a night at the Drive-In and I am not willing to endure this, even for Nici unless I really have to! ( I think Laura is going to take her)

This meeting will be my last as President of your club as I will be an apology for the next meeting. I thought I was being so clever booking the flight home from Darwin on Wednesday 16th until I discovered that it leaves at 1.00am on the 17th and doesn’t get in until 7.30 am to Melbourne, so I think I will be a little bit late for the meeting.

It may also be possible that I am an apology for our next meeting as my mother passed away at 6.30 am this morning and the funeral is at 3.00pm on Thursday 3rd June at Tobin Brothers Chapel at Mount Martha. Perhaps some of you will make it to the funeral, if so I will see you there.

Best Regards

President Judy