From the President

Meeting 3309 had guest speaker Teresa Evans from Rotary Club of Golden Grove who was excited to share information about the First Responders App that is being developed. 

The App will deliver Emergency first responders with:

1. Contact numbers for veterinary and other experienced support in the local area for quick and professional advice
2. When to approach an animal and when to either hold back or retreat to stabilize a situation
3. Understanding when to move an animal or not, and the reasons behind the decision
4. Hot, warm, and cool working zones to prevent and minimize injury to the first responder and the animal
5. Safer assistance methodsby knowing how to work with veterinary or Emergency responders, such as the SES
6. Stress mechanisms of different species and how to understand them
7. How to approach certain species to minimize stress
8. Fight or flight triggers which cause animals to panic
9. Understanding what to do and when, which minimizes psychological regret at a later date
10. Knowing not to approach a horse straight on or from behind in the blind spot prevents frightening the animal
11. Understanding livestock behavior when attending bushfire-affected areas could prevent accidents and minimise stress on livestock
12. Understanding what a veterinarian is asking you to look for whilst they are talking you through retrieval
13. If the incident is a combined human /animal incident, knowing how to calm the animal preventing further injury to the human patient
14. Knowing that some animals will run straight back to a fire if their usual safe place is burning
15. Where to go for mental and emotional assistance with professionals who understand animal responder related trauma

[information from the website- https://www.rotarymgg.org.au/first-responder-mobile-app/ ]

Teresa also spoke about the exciting fundraising planned for First Responders Day on Wednesday, 28th October.

And what better way to raise funds than a Bunnings BBQ? 

Rotary clubs will be getting behind the BBQs at Bunnings stores, helping to raise funds to go towards building this amazing app.

A big thank you to Teresa for joining us and sharing how Rotary is supporting this fantastic initiative.

Want to learn more about the First Responder Mobile App?

https://www.rotarymgg.org.au/first-responder-mobile-app/

Members have had a couple of busy weeks fundraising – the first was feeding the crowds at Xavier College sports day. The second was the annual Gawler Car club swap meet. The groups sold sausages, hot dogs and chicken skewers, While we do lots of fundraising behind the scenes and Sausage sizzles might seem to be pigeon holing Rotary it has to be accepted that without these we cannot support many of the causes we do without them. 

Our Major event for the year is the Rotary Clubs of Gawler Village Fair on the 7th November, and this year will be the 50^th Fair we have hosted which is a huge milestone. POP the date in your diary!

Plans start the year before although September to November are the busiest time for the planning committee. Each year we take the feedback from the stallholders and assess whether we need to change anything. A noticeable change in recent years was the request to have more food options from commercial vendors. While we accept we haven’t got it perfectly correct the feedback overall has been positive. 

I will be putting updates in future bulletins so watch this space. 

REMINDER

When we meet at NIxon's, members and guests are required to pay Nixon's directly for their meal. This must be done by card prior to 6:30. Bob and Geoff will still look forward to seeing you at the attendance table to purchase your washers by cash or card and also to select your table number. 

Have you bought your tickets yet?? 

Remember you can help the club by supporting us in the current People First Lottery. Below you will find the flyer with our unique QR code. Please  follow this link to buy tickets remembering that every $2 ticket you buy and nominate the Rotary Club of Gawler we receive the full $2. There are some great prizes so jump online and grab some while you are thinking about it! (tickets are only available online and with a debit card).

You can also help raise funds by downloading the Drakes App and selecting Rotary Club of Gawler as your preferred charity. If you still have one of the old key rings they are still accepted. You are spending money anyway so its a great way to help without costing you any extra. 

Yours in Rotary Angela Moore 

President RCG 2026-27