ANZAC DAY BREAKFAST
Queanbeyan Rotary was asked by Legacy to cook bacon and eggs for breakfast on Anzac Day at Walsh's Hotel in Queanbeyan. Naturally, we found a few people crazy enough to be available at 4am!! So, eight of us were there to help with the setting up, food prep, cooking, and then serving. Fortunately, we brought along an extra bbq - it takes a long time to cook breakfast for 350 people!
This was the first time we'd been involved in this activity and we weren't quite sure what to expect once the doors opened. It turned out to be quite a rush once the Dawn Service had concluded - it seemed as though nearly everyone who had turned out that morning was hungry and now wanted to come in out of the cold!
It was quite a challenge to cook the bacon and eggs fast enough to keep the serving line moving, but we were up to the challenge. We definitely came away with a few ideas on how we might speed things up for next year, both the cooking and the flow of people along the serving tables.
Past Projects and Events
Men’s Health Education Rural Van (MHERV)
On 8 and 9 March 2024, our Club hosted the Van and the accompanying Registered Nurse, Jennifer, on their visit to Queanbeyan. On the two days of the MHERV visit, the van was located in the Riverside Plaza North carpark, where the Red Cross Blood Bus usually parks.
The van travels around rural areas in NSW, stopping usually for a couple of days in each location, for around 8 months of the year. Whilst men are the key target in the rural areas, women are also very welcome.
The RN provided free checks of blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels; and also a quick chat about general health. A 10 minute visit could save you two trips to the doctor and a trip to the Pathology as well, not to mention a lot of money!!
For our visit this year, we had more than 70 people visit the RN over the one and a half days, with several having very disturbing results, some requiring immediate medical assistance.
For more information, check out this link.
QBN ROTARY DONATES DREAM CRICKET KITS
In February 2024, our club donated two kits to the Queanbeyan Public School. These kits will help students with special needs to participate in modified and adaptive cricket-themed activities.
Dream Cricket Australia was started more than 15 years ago and now operates in six States.
For more information, check out the Dream Cricket web site.
QBN ROTARY FEEDS OUR NEW AUSTRALIANS!
Our club was the main food vendor for the QPRC Australia Day Celebrations in January 2024. We started serving at around 4pm, and things were very quiet until the ceremonies concluded a bit after 6pm, and wow, were we busy after that! Lots of hungry people to be fed, and we rose to the challenge. Everyone was very patient, even those standing in the very long lines, which we really appreciated.
We finished serving just before 9pm, which was when the fireworks began - they were amazing!
The QPRC web site still has some information, if required.
QBN CAROLS AND XMAS PARTY IN THE PARK
- 16th December 2023
Queanbeyan Park 3pm - 9pm
Last year, the QPRC hosted the party and carols in the Park, and we provided the BBQ.
That meant steak sandwiches, bacon and egg rolls, and of course, sausage sangas! We also had cans of soft drink and water for sale, so as usual, dinner was provided for a very reasonable price.
For more information, check out the QPRC web site.
QPRC BBQ TO SUPPORT BASKETBALL COMPETITION
- 18th January 2024
Railway Park 3pm - 7pm
The QPRC provided the food and drinks, and we cooked and served them. It was a great event, with lots of kids getting lots of fun exercise and enjoying the competition.
We were very pleased to be able to help with cooking and serving the food.
JERRABOMBERRA HIGH SCHOOL END-OF-YEAR BBQ
- 15th December 2023
Jerrabomberra High School
Last year, our club was asked to provide a BBQ BBQ Lunch for this event, at the School.
It was a very successful day, feeding lots of hungry people!
TERRY CAMPESE FOUNDATION GOLF COMPETITION
- 8th December 2023 QUEANBEYAN GOLF COURSE
Last year, our club was asked to provide a BBQ Breakfast and then a BBQ Lunch for this event, at the Golf Course.
It was a very successful day, lots of money raised for a good cause!
DIGNITY PACKS
In December 2023, our Club has partnered with Blooms the Chemist to produce 50 Dignity Packs for people in need - mainly women, but also some men. These packs include items such as shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste and toothbrush, body wash, face wipes, moisturiser, sanitary pads, deodorant, brush, etc.
The packs have been produced, with 14 provided to Nurturing Womanhood, and the remainder handed over in early December to the Louisa Domestic Violence Service.
QUEANBEYAN SHOW
Every year, our Club has manned the gates at the Queanbeyan Show, for the Queanbeyan Show Society. This is one of our biggest jobs, and November 2023 saw us manning three gates for two days, well over 200 hours of effort!
The 2023 Show was a huge success, even though there was a bit of rain very late on the first day. Our club is really looking forward to the 2024 Show.
See here for link to the Show.
ANDREA'S OUR DISTRICT GOVERNOR!
Andrea Grosvenor (a long-serving member of our club) took over the role in July 2023, proudly supported by her family. The District 9705 Conference was held right here in Queanbeyan in October 2023 and was a rousing success, so overall, it's going to be an extremely busy year for Andrea!
FLORIADE GNOMES
Every year at Floriade, Rotary Club of Murrumbidgee Canberra runs the Gnomes project at Floriade. Our Club takes on “ownership” of a weekend, and we were there from 9:30am to 5:30pm on the 23rd & 24th September 2023, selling gnomes and helping people of all ages to get their wonderful creations ready to take home.
Photo: Doug, Graham, Rod and Andrew
See here for a link to 2023 Floriade.
STEM/NAIDOC AT QUEANBEYAN HIGH SCHOOL – Community Service
“Soaring with STEM – For our Elders”. This program was held at the Queanbeyan High School for three days from 29th August 2023. 2,100+ students from Years 5, 6, 7, and 8 across 18 schools who undertook 20+ workshops covering Traditional and Modern Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
This Program was a huge undertaking, and naturally, all of these people had to be fed! That’s where we come in! Our Club helped in cooking sausages and onions daily, as did quite a few other helpers. It was a joint effort, with the QHS Parents & Friends, and others also cooking on other BBQs. It was a massive undertaking to feed more than 2,000 people in less than an hour every day!
Science Technology Engineering Mathematics
BBQ AT THE BICENTENNIAL HALL PRIOR TO THE SHOWING OF "THE LAST DAUGHTER"
Our Club was asked by QPRC to cook for the ticket-holders for this event in August 2023. We cooked steaks, rissoles, sausages, and onions for around 500 people. We think perhaps only around 200 or so actually came and had some of the food, because there was a lot left over! That said, many of those were repeat customers, who very much enjoyed the food.
However, it did not go to waste – we put in a call to St Benedict's Community Center, who said they’d be very pleased to have any hot or cold leftover food. So, we carefully packed up the remaining food and took it all over to them. We were told it would all be gone in a matter of 2 days!!
BBQ FOR THE LEGACY TORCH RELAY IN QUEANBEYAN
Legacy turned 100 in 2023 and celebrated by sending their torch around the world. The torch came to Queanbeyan on 9th August, and wound it’s way around all the schools, finishing at Legacy Village on Bungendore Road, where afternoon tea was served.
Our Club provided sausage sandwiches from around 11am until 3pm. We donated to Legacy the cost of the food we purchased for the day, as well as our services for the event.
The map is available here.
QPRC XMAS IN JULY
Once again, our Club presented our famous BBQ at the Queanbeyan Showgrounds on Saturday 8th July 2023. We sold steak sandwiches, bacon and egg rolls, sausage sandwiches (or a sausage on a stick), and soft drinks. We were next to the grandstand this year.
This year was unfortunately very cold and windy, and at around 11am for half an hour, also very wet! Our location was right next to the stage, so we were entertained by the music and dancers, who were very brave that day!
Photo: Kristin, Andrea, Wendy & Rod
BBQ TO SUPPORT THE ANNUAL NAIDOC WEEK IN QUEANBEYAN
In July 2023, our Club provided the services and cooked sausages, rissoles and onions for around 500 people. It was a very good turnout, at the Queanbeyan Park, with reasonably nice winter weather to help things along.
POTS FOR GROWING ABILITIES
Late 2022, our club had some cleaning up to do at our shed, which is located on Council land. The clean-up was of thousands of seedling pots, which needed sorting and transporting to new homes.
After some enquiries, we established that some local Scout Groups could use some, so some of their Leaders came and gave us a hand cleaning and sorting and took away quite a few.
Then, over two subsequent sessions, we sorted, stacked, and delivered two trailer loads to Growing Abilities Nursery in Goulburn. Doug the Nursery Manager was most appreciative of the tubes/pots which were delivered by Andrew, one of our very capable members.
Growing Abilities has a contract with a local Landcare group to produce over 3,000 seedlings, so the pots will be put to very good use.
BBQ TO SUPPORT THE FIT FOR LIFE PROGRAM AT THE RAIDERS HOME GROUND
Late in 2022, our club cooked a BBQ for about 50 students at the Raiders Home ground in Canberra, after they were treated to a training session with a number of the Raider’s Team members. Boy, were those kids hungry afterwards!!
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