Presidential Ponderings
With only three more meetings to go P2 (David R) was warmly welcomed by all present after kneeling before the power that be...
This day in history:
1926 : the birth of Norma Jeane Mortenson otherwise known as Marilyn Monroe, making her 100 years old this week (1st June). She passed away in 1962 at the tender age of 36.
1992 : The Australian High Court overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius in its landmark 1992 Mabo v Queensland (No 2) decision. The Court ruled that this doctrine, which treated Australia as "nobody's land" prior to British settlement, was not applicable and that Indigenous native title rights had survived British colonisation.
...and the Four Way Test for today is "Is it fair to all concerned?"
Directors' Reports and Member Announcements
David R:
- Ruby Changeover 27 June - list circulating - please book via this link https://www.trybooking.com/DMESB
- Sunday 28 June - Piney Lakes Tree Planting - contact Kelly for further details.
- 19 June - Club Forum, please bring along your ideas and suggestions for the club's future as we enter into a new Rotary year.
- Geoff Thomas former guest speaker on many occasions passed away this week.
Garrick:
- News from Makinlay who is alternating between skiing in the snowy mountains in Andorra and basking on 33 degree beaches! Lots of photos if anyone interested.
Gerry:
- Holding tickets for the 'Sister Act' play at the Old Mill Theatre on 15 July. Scroll down to Events page for more details.
Guest Speaker : Gerry McGann - "The remarkable life of Sir Ernest Shackleton"
Gerry gave a very interesting presentation
on the life of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Gerry is well
known for his nautical pursuits, as a very experienced competitive sailor and
rower. As a keen maritime historian, he has previously entertained us with the
tale of The Catalpa Escape and rowing the Swan River In the Wake of
Captain Stirling.
Gerry explored the life and leadership of Sir Ernest
Shackleton, highlighting his early career, major Antarctic expeditions,
personal flaws, and enduring legacy. He emphasized Shackleton’s exceptional
leadership during the Nimrod (1907–1909) and Endurance
(1914–1916) expeditions, his humane and inclusive approach to team management,
and his resourcefulness under extreme conditions.
He also candidly addressed Shackleton’s weaknesses—poor
financial management, impulsive planning, and marital infidelity—while
underscoring how modern institutions like Harvard and Oxford study his
leadership.
Shackleton left school at 16 to go to sea, repeatedly rounding
Cape Horn as a deckhand in harsh, wet, and cold conditions, which he relished. He
grew up with seven sisters and often told them hero-centric stories, indicating
a flair for narrative and self-presentation.
Scott’s 1901 Expedition
In 1901, Robert Falcon Scott led a new Antarctic expedition.
Shackleton, among the younger members, joined Scott and four others in an
attempt on the South Pole, which failed due to scurvy and malnutrition. British
“man-hauling” practices used 300–400 kg sledges pulled by men with harnesses,
exacerbating strain and risk.
Shackleton suffered severe health issues (likely cardiac failure
and malnutrition), was medically evacuated on the last ship before the ice
closed, leaving Scott in Antarctica for another ten months.
Interlude on Land
Upon returning, Shackleton briefly became a speaking-tour hero due
to unique firsthand knowledge of Antarctic conditions. Scott later publicly
criticized him as a “weakling” who had to be pulled on the sled, abruptly
ending Shackleton’s speaking success.
He briefly worked as a journalist and ran unsuccessfully for
Parliament. In 1904 he married Emily Dorman
(overcoming her father’s skepticism)
Nimrod Expedition (1907-1909)
Leadership style in the hut - contrasted with Scott’s rigid
officer-men division, Shackleton fostered inclusivity: no internal barriers, shared duties (even shoveling
coal and cleaning toilets), a modern, egalitarian approach within a
hierarchical context.
The journey to the South Pole would end in failure. After two and
a half months hauling, Shackleton decided to turn back 94 miles short due to
dwindling food and the risk of missing the ship, ordering an unprecedented 20
miles/day to return. They arrived with one day to spare -
all men survived. Shackleton was knighted on return in 1909.
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first to reach
the South Pole in 1911, beating Scott. News later revealed Scott’s tragic death
with his team.
Endurance Expedition (1914-1916)
In 1914, as Europe grew tense,
Shackleton secured an
exceptional
polar ship (Endurance).
Endurance became trapped in heavy ice for ten months.
Frank
Hurley’s daring photography created iconic images, later cementing the expedition's fame. Hurley became a notable wartime photographer.
The ice
crushed and sank Endurance. The crew lived on ice floes for about 5 months
attempting hauling lifeboats. This was abandoned due to their weight.
Upon ice
breakup, Shackleton led the crew about 400 miles to Elephant Island, landing on
a tiny beach.
22 men remained while Shackleton and four others modified a 22-foot boat and
set out for South Georgia (about 1,400 miles) across notoriously hostile seas.
This has been described as perhaps the “World’s Most
Famous Sea Voyage”. It took four rescue attempts before all 22 men were
evacuated without loss of life.
Final
Expedition and Death
The 1920 expedition was fully financed
by a wealthy friend. The objectives were vague and the venture resembled a
reunion of old comrades.
Shackleton refused thorough heart
examinations after his early Antarctic health crises. He died in South Georgia
at age 47 and is buried there.
Major universities (Harvard,
Cambridge, Oxford) teach Shackleton-based leadership courses. Harvard’s
framing: “Shackleton has been called the greatest leader who’s ever come on
God’s earth”.
Contemporary Sir Raymond
Priestly said: “For scientific leadership, give me Scott, For swift and efficient travel, Amundsen. But when you are in a hopeless situation, when there appears to be
no way out, get on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”
Gerry’s full PowerPoint presentation can be viewed at:
millpointrotaryclub.org.au>members only (password)> this link>Guest Speaker
Presentations>McGANN Gerry – Ernest Shackleton
Crime and Fine-ishment
- Gorby - 11 wins (?) so $1 for each win please!
- Eagles supporters - if there are any left (LOL)
- Dockers supporters - if you're brave enough to admit it (LOL x 2)
- Alison - Arsenal was robbed! (Shame)
- Mike C - Top Division Tottenham (at last!)
- Storm Damage sufferers (Insurance up to date?)
- Brian Adams - mix up of Presidents? AND the win on the gee-gees...(some guys have all the luck!)
- Brian (Maverick) Johnson - Welcome home, $1 for every week you were away (we missed you!)
- Lydia - in the pink! (a little ray of colour)
- Mark Jones - welcome guest but cough up (no bike rides for a while)
- Garrick - the haircut that should never have been (speechless)
- Eunice - where have you been? (we've been here!)
- Lyn M - Wrong beanie (obviously not designer!)
- Jill M - anyone who is later than Margaret M deserves to be fined (that'll teach you!)
- Sriyani - lovely to have you join us after defecting from Nedlands (their loss, our gain!)
- Gerry - stand-in for Swan River Wreck (I think that was an insult)
- Owen fined himself for getting Sriyani's name wrong (as he should!).
Winner of Heads and Tails
Wayne the Elder copped it again and coveted the grog, gratefully supplied by Margaret and Lyn Metcalf.Attendance
38 attendees in all, including visiting Rotaria Jill Mathwin, ex-member Mark Jones and new member Sriyani De Souza.
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