HAPPYYYY!!!!

HAPPYYYY!!!!Awesome morning when I finaly bought m...: HAPPYYYY!!!! Awesome morning when I finaly bought my Soundwave tickets! Now I only have to wait six mounts..  I'm so exited! Me and Jes...

Just back from 2 weeks in Timor Leste

HI folks

Just back from 2 weeks in Timor Leste - the first week I was Paul's guide to get a bit of an overview of the country, do some meet and greet re sanitation projects, building etc etc, as well as dental discussions along the way.

The 2nd week with Blanche and Wayne, who are up in the hills this week with Sr Filomena (moras barak according to Sr Fil), and a great young fella from Liquica, Tino the dental nurse. B will have more info in her report.

But how did I miss this???!! Did others know about Daryl's OAM awarded in jan this year?

Lucky timing - in my first week Daryl was presented with his award at the Aust Embassy on the Thurs night, with a party at Nautilus on the Friday night which Paul and I attended, representing the various Rotary (and Lions) dental teams. A fantastic and happy night.

Below: the young ones are 2 of his kids, April and Adam who were immensely proud of their dad. April gave a warm and funny run down of Daryl as a dad and hard worker in Australia before departing for TL.

Daryl was of course modest, self deprecating, enlightening and inclusive in his speech. Brilliant, congratulations and extremely well deserved.

Sandra Meihubers

It's Melbourne Cup time! Get your tickets to win!!

Visit us at Dee Why Square, Howard Ave, Dee Why throughout October to get your tickets or contact us at the Rotary Club of Dee Why Warringah www.RotaryDeeWhyWarringah.com.au

Come on Sydney -- We need you!

Have you booked your table for the Mates Helping Mates Disaster Relief event at Lizottes Sydney on the 13th March?

With less than 2 weeks to go -- now is the time!

Go to www.sydney.lizottes.com.au/live

Heaven Knows

Went to Lizotte’s again tonight, god I love this place.

Rick Price was playing. I last saw him at the Rock Lilly many years ago. He was awesome then and he hasn’t lost it.

What a great show and, by the way everyone sang along, they were all fans. He played some originals, eg: ‘Heaven Knows’ and some new songs. I really liked the new ones he performed and purchased his new CD ‘Rick Price revisited’. Rick even signed it for me. I love the fact you can get up close and personal with the entertainers.

I took along two friends who didn’t know Ricks history or songs and they loved the show.

It’s countdown to our Flood Benefit lunch on 13th March, with the talent lined up for the day it will be epic. Get your tickets now guys, there are limited seats. Just ring Lizotte’s on 9984 9933.

Can’t wait.

Mates Helping Mates Flood Relief Benefit. Book NOW!

(click to view larger image)

Blown away

Jo askes ‘Do you love Lizotte’s as much as we do?’

Jo has been to Lizotte' a few times and raves about it.

As you know Brian Lizotte is putting on a Benefit to raise funds for the Rotary Flood Appeal on 13 March. So Jo and I visited Brian this afternoon to go over some of the detail. It’s going to be an awesome event with some top entertainers.

Anyway I decided to check out a show. The Flood were performing, so we organised to have dinner and take in the show.

I have got to tell you I was blown away. I have not enjoyed a live show so much in ages.

The acoustics at this venue are great and the sound man, Sid, has to be congratulated, as the mix and the sound were spot on. You could actually hear every word they sang and the guitars rocked. The drummer was pretty cool too.

I tell you this is 'entertainment centre' quality performances right here on our doorstep. Who needs to go to town with this venue and value for money right under our nose. No parking hassles, no long drive home. Just enjoy.

I loved the way the band interacted with the audience on an intimate level.

You have got to check this place out and make sure you tell all your friends.

This place rocks!

for the "Cost of a Case"

Read the full article in The Manly Daily

The Rotary clubs of Brookvale and Dee Why-Warringah have joined forces for the “Cost of a Case” campaign to raise money for those who have been affected by the floods.

As part of the fundraiser, revellers are encouraged to cut down on alcohol over the Australia Day holiday and donate what they 

would usually spend on a case of beer.

Dee Why-Warringah president Christine McCormack said all donations made to Rotary would go directly to the flood victims and would not be tied up in administration.

“A member of the community came to us about it,” she said of the campaign. “I think we will get quite a few people to take part because Australia Day isn’t on a weekend this year.”

* To make a donation visit www.rotarydeewhywarringah.com.au

The real horror of the flood

The boys arrived in Bellbowrie this morning and were sent out to some jobs, however, things seemed to be in hand, tradesmen had arrived and the horses are now fine so our ‘R-Team’ ended up on a farm at Fernvale, owned by David Strong and three generations of his extended family. Fernvale is inland approx 50km up the Brisbane Valley Highway from Bellbowrie.

When the flood came to their area the Brisbane River rose some 21 meters. Increasing it from a normal 50 meters wide to over 3 kms wide.

The family were lucky to get out with their lives as predictions had them safe. They came close to loosing a sister-in-law when she tried to save the family horse. Sadly the horse was swept away and died.

Forty of their cattle were washed away. They found twenty-one as far as 50km away.

Three of our team have spent the afternoon stripping the farm tools, drying and getting them working. Don has been knocking an inside wall out that was soaked.

Reading this email turned my stomach and sent shivers through me. I can’t begin to imagine the horror of those moments for this family. I’m so glad Don and the boys are there to give them a hand.

They can build, repair and render first aid

The 'R -Team' have been hard at work at EmbroidMe Milton over the last couple of days. Yesterday they demolished the remaining timber and gyprock walls, did some cleaning, started work on the power problems and rebuilt some shelving. 

EmbroidMe Milton, Queensland.  22.01.11

EmbroidMe Milton, Queensland. 22.01.11

Michael said that this work will greatly expedite the process of returning the shop/warehouse to a usable state.  Repairs are moving along - but supplies are still difficult to get and some repairs are not able to be complete until the legalities of insurance etc is sorted out; hopefully this will be clearer over the next few days.  Michael says "it feels like a bad dream" ... "It's frustrating but at least there has been some progress these last few days".  There is still a massive job ahead! 

Milton, Queensland. 22.01.11

Like all good 'tradies', Don managed cut himself on the finger.  Luckily our Rotary Flood Relief Team are a talented bunch; yes, they can build, repair and render first aid - well done troops!

A cut finger wont slow Don down.  Mark to the rescue.

After a hard days work the team played a few games of pool and today had a sleep-in 'til 7am!  Today they've headed to Moggill to help rescue horses.

Day one at EmbroidMe Milton

The sun is shining and it is a glorious day.

Don and the boys were up at 5am, their host, Michael rose somewhat later, possibly as a result of the boys assisting him in commiserating over several bottles of red.

I scoffed saying ‘that wasn’t very nice.’

In saying so, a thought occurred to me. Maybe that is just what he needed. Jo was feeling he needed a big hug and I suppose this is the male equivalent of that.  At least it would have relieved the stress for a while.

They shared a platter of fresh fruit, brought up from Sydney, then headed off to Milton.

A huge amount had already been cleared in the days after the flood. All cleaning had basically been done. There were a lot of destroyed walks and fittings pulled out. Don and the boys finished the dismantling and cleaned up as far as they could.

Geoff made a start on wiring but can't achieve a lot, as the electrical wholesaler is not open and he needs extra supplies. Frustrating.

Mark, Peter and Don will move to Bellbowrie shortly. They have been asked to help outat an equestrian centre that is a real mess. I have reports Bellbowrie are now seeing some tradesmen to work on the housing.

‘There is not much evidence of the flood, as such, in Milton. A huge clean up has been underway.There's no smell and it's a fine day.’ Don says.'I have to stop and consider the enormity of the job ahead. We’re in a block of 20 or so business that have been virtually wiped out and have to start afresh. Multiply that by thousands and thousands. It's mind-boggling.'

Our Flood Relief Team arrive in Queensland

Well our volunteers have arrived in Queensland. Met with Michael from EmbroidMe and as Aussie's do organized a BBQ with the food they took.

"Very lucky we arrived with all food and we supplied, prepared and cooked a tasty BBQ. All good," Don Says.

They will start work on the shop tomorrow.

Don said "around Grafton was the most obvious flood effected area. The smells were awful. Made the mistake of opening the windows. Yuk!

Tradies ready to rebuild

They've packed their tool belts, sunscreen and eskies and are ready for a week of hard yakka.

Four blokes from the northern beaches will today begin their first day of work helping to rebuild the Brisbane CBD after weeks of heavy rain and floods. As volunteers with Rotary, the men have been matched with an embroidery business in Milton and will spend the next week helping to refurbish it.

Team leader Don Rosenfeldt, a full time tour operator, said his group consisted of an engineer, an electrician and a retired elevator installer.

“Geoff Butler, our electrician, is going to be very popular,” he said.  “His services are going to be invaluable. We are going to have to keep his presence fairly quiet.”

The group, that also includes Peter Hussey and Mark Schmidt, left for Queensland yesterday in two utility trucks packed with supplies and donations.

The team will stay at the home of their new mate Michael Crowley, who owns EmbroidMe Milton; the business they will help rebuild.

EmbroidMe in Milton, Queensland under water in the worst floods in Australia's History

“The guy we are helping has a home with a few spare beds.  So we are going to bunk in with him.” said Mr Rosenfeldt

Read more on this story in the Manly Daily here

Rotary Flood Relief Tradesman's Challenge

Ross Bell Electrical Services Pty Ltd has kicked off a tradesman challenge by donating $500.00 to the Rotary Flood Appeal and challenges all tradesmen to take his lead.

Don Rosenfeldt of Australian Eco Adventures is offering a healthy percentage of their profit to the Rotary Flood Appeal for anyone booking an Australian outback tour within the next 2 months and mentioning Rotary. website here

Donations of tools, a vac, buckets, hoses, brooms and much more are flooding in, excuse the pun, for our Flood Relief Team to take with them to Bellbowrie. A huge thank you to the members of BNI for your generous donations.  BNI is the largest business networking organization in the world. Who offer members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most importantly, business referrals. They meet at the Builders Club on Wednesday mornings.

Want to challenge a Tradie?  

Email us and we'll post your challenge here.

Donate online

For the cost of a case

Lyndal says "My local bottle shop sells a case of XXXX for $48.00. How about instead of buying a case for ourselves this Australia Day, we give that money to the Flood Appeal?

Lets try for 1000 pledges. Invite everyone you know

Donate securely online.  

Or make your donation on Australia Day.  Look for the Rotary Dee Why Warringah Flood Relief Team at the Strand at Dee Why Beach on Australia Day.  

Bellbowrie we hear you!

The Rotary Flood Relief will provide Humanitarian Aid for the worst natural disaster in Australian history! Our community has answered the call.

The people of Bellbowrie and Moggill are calling themselves the forgotten ones. Neville Marsh, who is coordinating the recovery in Bellbowrie said that there are about 90 houses totalled by the flood. "There are only house frames left". Bellbowrie needs Builders, carpenters, any trades to do with building houses. 

A team of volunteers headed by Rotarian Don Rosenfeld are on their way north to Bellbowrie where the community is in great need. Through the generosity of the community including BNI the relief team will be well stocked with donations of buckets, brooms, vacs, tools and loads of electrical materials to begin repairs.

Further teams will be needed in the future, especially in Rural Areas. You do not need to be a Rotarian to join a team. The advantage of traveling with a Rotary Team is that you will be fully covered by Rotary Insurance and you will be working with locals and local Rotary Clubs. It’s a hands on down to earth experience.

If you're interested in joining a Rotary Flood Relief team contact us at brookvalebd@bigpond.com.au

Help us deliver Humanitarian Aid to those in desperate need. Donate now!

Donate securely online

A huge thank you to the members of BNI for your generous donations.  BNI is the largest business networking organisation in the world. BNI offer members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most importantly, business referrals.  They meet at the Builders Club at Dee Why on Wednesday mornings.

Update from Bellbowie

Speaking to Neville Marsh, who is coordinating the recovery in Bellbowrie, we have been told there are 90 houses totalled by the flood. "There are only house frames left. Some still have a roof," Neville said. "We are in need of Builders, carpenters, any trades to do with building houses. We have one property on acreage we will have to clean out and rebuild. It will be a big job."

If you are one of these trades and can help or have a company that can spare some of your tradesman please let us know. We will coordinate the teams and ensure all avenues are covered.

Rotary Volunteers head to Queensland

A team of volunteers headed by Rotarian Don Rosenfeld will leave shortly with the intention to assist with these two cases. More tradesmen are welcome to join this team.

Further teams will be needed in the future, especially in Rural Areas. You do not need to be a Rotarian to join a team. 

The advantage of traveling with a Rotary Team is you are fully covered by Rotary Insurance and you will be working with locals and local Rotary Clubs.  It’s a hands on down to earth experience.

The Rotary Club of Dee Why Warringah are donating a generator to Michael at EmbroidMe Milton which will be taken up by our team. The generator will be passed on to others in need when he has finished with it.  Our Electrician will be taking up a quantity of electrical equipment.

Business in Milton, Queensland devastated

Michael is still pretty frantic trying to work out exactly how to move forward. He would welcome support to get things cleaned up and repaired – and hopefully back to some level of business trading. He said that getting supplies for repair is really difficult. His electricity cannot be restored until the power switch board is replaced. It was completely submerged in flood water. This will be the case for many I suspect.

He can’t start his clean up until the insurance assessor arrives, hopefully today.

"Getting items in the local area is difficult. As you can imagine everything is in short supply due to damage or demand. So if tradesmen can pre-empt as much as possible in terms of supplies, that might help them get more done when they arrive,” Michael said. 'While electricity is being restored to some area’s it is very slow. Power generators would be helpful to many people.”

Michael is a family friend of Rotarian Jo Ragen. He is a small business owner of EmbroidMe Milton. Visit his web site at: EmbroidMe Milton 

Photo: EmbroidMe Milton, Queensland

Under water in the worst floods in Australia's History

Bellbowrie – the forgotten ones

The people of Bellbowrie and Moggill are calling themselves the forgotten ones.

Sadly this town is known for the bride lifted by helicopter to attend her wedding, covered by national television.

“We thought the helicopter was bringing food and water, we were stunned” a local said.

A couple in their 80’s who suffered in the 1974 floods lost their home under the water in this flood. They have found a caravan to live in at the moment.

“There are many people worse off than we are” they said when we inquired about assisting them. “Nobody is helping the town. People don’t understand how bad things are here.”

This couple in their 80's are relatives of Northern Beaches residence Ross & Maggie Bell, Cromer