Thursday Rotary with the Mundingburrans

Getting into a Rotary meeting happens quick in Australia. After 32 hours of aircraft and airport, I arrived in Townsville 9 February 2006 at 5:50 p.m. By 6:10 p.m. that Thursday, I was already in my first Rotary meeting in Australia (sorry pictures for this first meeting are N/A). By the next Friday, I was invited to go with 8 others to the next town over, Ingham, to hear Rotarian Tom Henderson (Cornwall, U.K.) speak about his program "SHELTER BOXES." The journey was through fields and fields of sugarcane, backdropped by waterfalls and green hill-mountain type things. When we arrived, we were edified on the disaster-relief kits known as "Shelter Boxes." These are large, green plastic containers filled with survival-related periphinalia, including tents, saws, hammers, big-screen TVs (well, not the latter for you residents of N.O.). Each one has a number, so that donors can track where their boxes have been sent. This program is funded 48% by Rotary. Tom's presentation stressed the recent work done by shelter box in post-earthquake remote regions of Pakistan [For more information on a great organisation to donate to, visit: http://www.shelterbox.org/]. Below is a photo of Tom and an Ingham sugar cane farmer, Vince, who likes ways of 'osteopathic' farming:
Here is the city hall in Ingham. Note the distinct Aussie architecture.

You are probably all wondering how I get to the Rotary meetings...well, Fred and Janet Gillham (South Africa, England, respectively) usually pick me up and drop me off. Fred will be Mundingburra's president soon. In one of the meetings, I sat at the table with district govenor Peter Kaye (Australian) and Ron Degenhart (Ameristralian). Peter's first remark to me was, "Oh, do you like being in part of the Empire," to which I replied, "We are all M.B.E.'s (Members of the British Empire)." You see, Peter thought that I was from the U.K. (England), but later was informed that I was just from Louisiana. Anyway, back to the story... Ron's daughter had just returned from Paris (France) where she performed for Moulin Rouge. We are photographed below (with Fred):

The Rotary club is a hoot. President Bob (seated) usually keeps the meeting pretty humerous:
Sometimes, Andrew de Boulay (yes, there are Boulays in Australia) provides the laughs:
Sometimes it's Bill Kenedy supplying the laughs:
Or maybe it's some dude that is in the administration of the Cowboys ALF team:
Jan Johnson, my great host counselor, is very passionate about what she has to say:
Akiko, a Japanese YEP student, is being said goodbye to:

Peter Gilby and Jan:
Rush to the tables:
Everone seated:

That's my Sponsor Rotary Club!!!