Saturday, October 31, 2026

Bulletin #18 - 30 October 2026

Howdy Pardners...

President Wayne opened proceedings to the usual noisy welcome, noting it was great to see we had 11 guests today.

As he also observed, the 4WT “Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS” will be particularly applicable to four rowers on a 4,000Km+ journey – they will have no other choice!!

Today is UN International Translation Day.
 
Directors' Reports and Member Announcements

  • Michelle L : Message from Jean – the buffet next week will be in the room next door. We must finish by 8:45 due to set up for following event
  • Lorrie G : Thanks to every one for their support of Don and herself in OffTraq. They got away with no damage to their car 200+ bottles were collected during the event for their CFC fundraising. New member Eno was a Star during the event.
  • Wayne M  : 60 rounds of sandwiches were made up for OffTraq. Thanks to members who made and delivered the sandwiches $500 raised for our Charity Account.
  • Carole O : Ronald MacDonald Dinner cooking this Sunday, emaildetails sent. Still a couple of tickets left for the Old Mill Theatre play 18th November.
  • Gorby : Government house tour next Thursday 5th November, see email for details. Be there no later than 10:15 or risk being left behind. RYE student Felipe now with him & Sana, see email re help for activities. Suggested tour of Vinnies Highgate in February 2027.
  • Wayne D  : From DG Veronica, Mill Point got honourable mention for ARH donation. District has raised $4.7million for Australian Rotary Health since inception.
  •  Jenny McL : The Sewing Sisters (TSS)
    have been busy making small     backpacks for inclusion into shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child gifts to be sent to recipients overseas. They made and donated 177 backpacks which were packed up and added to the shoebox contents. Samaritan's Purse will be delivering these worldwide. 

  • Felipe has moved host families and is now living with our very own Gorby & Sana. We ask that you offer as much support as possible to assist them with Felipe. He recently attended a camp in Byford with his fellow exchange students and had an absolute ball!

    He is now training and playing futsal with games on Friday night or Saturday afternoon. Before he left Jeff and Heather he treated them to a home made meal of Sashimi. We will hear more from Felipe on 6th November at our meeting.


Guest Speaker - Blades of Oary - The World's Toughest Row  

Our guest speakers this week were Laura Lilley (L) and Micah Manger (R). 
Along will fellow crew members Cassis Gaff and Chelsea Tanner, they make up the rowing team “Blades of Oary”. 
 
They outlined their upcoming unsupported 4,800 km Atlantic Ocean crossing in the World’s Toughest Row, to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service WA and RUAH Community Services.

Their presentation detailed their intensive physical training, logistics, team dynamics, emergency protocols and fundraising milestones ahead of their 12th December race star.

None of the four ladies had ever rowed before. The friendship began eight years between Laura (Primary School teacher) and Micah (Helicopter crewperson), with Chelsea (Occupational Therapist) and Cassie (Retrieval Nurse) joining along the way. Their intense campaign preparation commenced three years ago, with logistical management, fundraising and physical/psychological training. After surpassing their initial fundraising milestone of $250,000 (currently at $256,000), they have raised their target to $500,000.
They have acquired a second-hand boat (nicknamed “Salty) from a previous UK team. Team members depart for the UK and will arrive in La Gomera on November 29, 2026, allowing two weeks for mandatory briefings and practice rows before the official race start on December 12, 2026.

The team will row in strict two-hours-on, two-hours-off shifts, consuming roughly 5,000 calories per person daily. Living quarters are minimalist, sleeping occurs in tight shifts inside the cabin and bathroom needs are managed using a bucket on deck—practiced during offshore trials at Rottnest Island.
In unsupported ocean rowing, emergency assistance relies on the nearest commercial shipping vessel, which rescues only the crew and leaves the boat behind.
By fortuitous coincidence, Rick & Mandy Sneeuwjagt’s guests, Kevin & Judy Robinson were able to relate the experiences of their daughter Grace’s experiences in the 2023-24 race. These included their boat being holed by a very determined marlin and being nearly run down by an unlit tanker at night!!
Supporters can track the crossing
Blades of Oary in real time using the Yellowbrick tracking app, to be installed on the boat in La Gomera, with live tracking links shared across the team’s social media channels. Donations can also be made via the QR code on the slide.
A PDF version of their presentation can be viewed at:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dTCy0S6-qwAMFRE2RCUdgDIZm8C3Ajcb&usp=drive_fs

Fines - Wayne Muller

  • Any Members not involved in OffTraq
  • Brian A Took e-bike for repairs, to find shop moved from Freo to Malaga
  • Everyone who didn’t wear a red T-shirt on World Polio Day
  • David T $1 for every meeting missed

Winner of Heads and Tails

Every winner's a grinner and Kelly Gillen certainly showed his pleasure at grabbing the grog today! 

Attendance

46 attendees in all, including guest speakers Micah and Laura from the Blades of Oary Team, and visitors Victoria Kong, Nimanshi Rasaharani, Bob Campbell, Penny Anderson, Don Gray, Katrina Duke, Kevin Robinson, Judy Robinson, Mandy Sneeuwagt, Rona McGann

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