Presidential overview of the 2024 BulldustNBack
President Kelly gave a brief overview of the weekend's BulldustNBack event, highlighting some of the escapades which occurred.
"You have probably heard that this year’s event went very well. We got everyone home safe and sound, if not a little overweight, and the feedback from participants was generally pretty positive concerning the 1200 km route and key things like meals and accommodation. A lot of work went into the route selection and our service providers in each overnight location were very supportive and great to work with. We were also blessed with great weather.
This year’s group was a lively bunch of new and previous participants with some great theme ideas for their vehicles and teams and who threw themselves into our evening sessions with enthusiasm. You will be pleased to know that Melva and Pete Stevens’ boys, Justin and Christian, jumped into the event wholeheartedly from the start to the finish and were great contributors to the upbeat vibe over the 4 days. Their costume for our Olympics theme night as the "Jamaican Bob Sled Team" was the winner for the night and was typical of their sense of fun.
We have compiled an excellent photo gallery on the google drive for your viewing pleasure.
As of this morning the fundraising tally is $74,297 with accounts closing on the 31 of this month so we hope to see the figure increase over that time.
In addition we have received $6,485 from the silent auction; $370 was raised through various fines that were liberally dished out at every opportunity; $580 from fun stops and $250 from street donations.
This year we had participants who made a significant effort to be here - John Mansfield and his son-in-law Frog (Geoff) travelled from Newcastle. Mike Bakker, currently working on a project in Batam in Indonesia, brought along his team Johan and Craig, newly arrived from South Africa. It was their first visit to Australia let alone WA – from airport straight to BNB. They are probably still in shock!
To achieve a successful event we have had a lot of support along the way as well as during the event itself.
The BNB committee consisted of Coordinator Wayne the Elder, Alison, Veronica, David Rowell dealing with risk, Lyn, Rick, Charlie B and myself. Work started early in the new year and ramped up as the year progressed.
We have received great support from the club for the final briefing with Sana, Robynne Dwyer, Margaret Metcalf, Joy Burnett and Alison providing a great selection of finger foods.
A fantastic lunch was provided on the first day at Konnongorring thanks again to Robynne and Scott, Marg Metcalf, and Joy.
Every evening Mandy, Joy and Marg prepared and set out the excellent choice of finger food for our Sundowners.
Jenny and Brad McLean helped in delivering lunch and providing shade for the lunch stop at the John Forrest Lookout on day two.
For a variety of reasons planning this year’s event was challenging but when it came down to the wire everything seemed to come together like a well oiled machine.
During the event we had Garrick as Mobile Coordinator (this is the dog’s body job – because you have to pick up the unexpected - it was allocated to him when he missed a meeting!) ably supported by his son Blake and long suffering bother in law Travis. He did an excellent job, as coordinator and MC.
Charlie B and Lyn as SWEEP had their hands full with keeping the participants on track with a couple of notable re-offenders who had trouble discerning their right from left and the various point of the compass.
Rick and I in the SCOUT vehicle desperately tried to keep in front of the heavy footed in the fleet as we confirmed the route and adjusted as necessary.
Veronica chased photos and stories in her inimitable style – so we have a great record of the event.
Alison as usual made sure everything came together in a smooth fashion despite the occasional wobbles along the way.
Raelene was both Medic and participant this year. Thankfully there were no injuries/health issues and the George Team contributed their own piece of drama to the story and recovered magnificently. I'll leave Raelene to tell the story.
We had the usual mix of vehicle dramas, with one not making the first 10km. Our mechanics certainly earned their keep with a sterling job keeping the fleet on the road and were worth their weight in gold.
I would like to briefly comment on the contribution of some individuals:
Wayne the Elder. Despite the intent of taking a big step
back from his considerable commitment in previous years, Wayne filled the role
of planning coordinator during the year and beavered away consistently in the
background with the route selection process, production of route notes and
identification of activities for fun stops on-route and supported logistical
and other requirement during the event where we were light on. He has put in a bit effort.
Alison, as usual, provided incomparable support to the planning team and participants in ensuring all our administrative matters were efficiently and effectively dealt with and trouble-shooting where necessary. Can you believe it - Alison performed this role while overseas for three months and didn’t miss a beat - I have trouble sorting myself out day-to-day. Alison provided great support during the event.
I want to especially highlight the contribution of Charlie B this year. He was actively involved in route survey devoting considerable time and the use of his vehicle on many occasions. He provided excellent input into planning with measured and practical advice and was responsible for seeking out donations and organising the silent auction and also our arrangements with High Wycombe Primary School. And of course with Lyn fulfilled the role of Sweep which can often be tinged with just a little bit of stress!
True to form, Veronica has compiled an excellent photo gallery on the Google drive for your viewing pleasure so you can immerse yourself in the event to your heart's content."
President Kelly then called up Joy Burnett and Margaret Metcalf who were presented with a gift of appreciation of Lavender and a cup cake to acknowledge their considerable contribution to the event this
year.
Mandy Sneeuwjagt could not be present but a similar gift will be delivered to her.
As Robynne was not present, Kelly presented her gift to Scott and warned him not to eat the cupcake!
Kelly then asked Charlie B to come forward.
“Charlie I think we would have struggled significantly this year without your help. We’ve really appreciated your input and enjoyed the time together spent conducting our surveys and wrestling with the logistics. It has been a pleasure working with you.
On behalf of RCMP I would like to present you with this Certificate of appreciation for your highly valued contribution to BNB this year.”
The Rotary Club of Wongan Hills provided lunch on Saturday of the event. For a small club but they pulled out all the stops with a magnificent spread. The club, through Bill Boekman, had organised
messages advising of the event on electronic notice boards leading into and in Wongan Hills townsite and arranged for all vehicles to be parked outside the Community Centre. President Lyn Hood welcomed the participants to town and wished the event every success.
In closing President Kelly thanked those club members who joined us at Dalwallinu and at Northam for Ocktoberfest, and thanked everyone who contributed to the success of this year’s event.
Directors' Reports and Member Announcements
Brian J : Always in need of leads for good speakers - please put your thinking hats on for someone who will enter into the Christmas spirit for our last meeting of the year.
Lorrie G : On behalf of Gorby, a vocational visit to the Ostomy Association is planned for 14 November with possible lunch afterwards at the Queens Hotel.
Jawaria Mahmood – Staying Safe Online
Jawaria Mahmood is an academic in cyber space. Originally from Pakistan, she has a technical background, which she has utilised to highlight opportunities and inspire young students to consider STEM careers. This has resulted in work with Engineers Australia and Edith Cowan University to support coding and robotics education.
Jawaria is the Founder of Tech Aware which has developed specialized programs focused on empowering communities to protect themselves online.
For her breadth of community contribution, Jawaria was recognised in the 2023 Community Citizen of the Year Awards by the City of Gosnells. She has also been chosen as a participant for Auspire’s 2023 Multicultural Leadership Program.
In introducing Jawaria, Host Diana Goh also informed us of her recent nomination in People’s Choice of “Women in Technology in WA”.
Jawaria’s presentation covered practical tips and strategies to safeguard your digital
presence:
- Online banking
- Shopping & money transfer
- Accessing myGov and ServiceWA apps securely
- Creating strong passwords and PINs
- Identifying and verifying potential scams
- How to Access resources to support ongoing online safety.
Common terminology used in Cybersecurity to define threats:
- Cybersafety/Cyberthreat
- Phishing normally an email trying to steal information or money (click here….)
- Smishing a fraud attempt done via an SMS (ATO etc…)
- Vishing when you get a random phone call (car crash?, we’re here to help…)
- Hacking when someone is able to get access to your data or system
- Ransomeware a type of software to access your device and data
Anything that you didn’t initiate is a high likelihood that it is an attempt from an evil threat actor.
Jawaria gave some examples of scam emails and common signs to help identify them. There might be a suspicious URL or email address, “urgent action needed”, offer of winning something or come from someone you are not a customer of.
It’s always a good idea to stop and think before acting on it.
There are some very good best practices for Cyber hygiene:
- Creating strong passwords and PINS (and tips for remembering….)
- Multi Factor Authentication (a code to your phone after entering password)
- Look closely at URLs (website address)
- Keeping your operating systems and Apps up to date
- Training and awareness
Jawaria suggested creating a pass phrase rather than pass word. Change it around slightly or substitute numbers for letters then remove the spaces. A similar technique of using a word to create and remember a PIN by using the numbers on your phone keypad...
Jawaria then addressed some of the risks and special considerations online.
- Inappropriate and extreme content – there are ways to report it and protect yourself online.
- Online predators – parents should avoid posting photos online of their children getting awards….school logos on their jackets.
- Cyberbullying – ways to report
- Taking care of your privacy and security – don’t mention you are going on a holiday.
- Be careful of your screentime and addiction.
- Financial risks – clicking on links and not really knowing about the website…replicas.
- Social and emotional risks.
Some common scams/threats:
How do you identify them?
There are ways to report scams and cyberthreats. A couple useful links are:
Australian Signals Directorate – www.cyber.gov.au
ScamWatch – www.scamwatch.gov.au
In closing, Jawaria reminded members that the App myGovID will shortly be changing to myID. You don’t need to do anything…
Attendance
30 attendees in all, including guest speaker and visitors Margaret Metcalf and Charlie Burnett.
