The Travellers are back - Make up at Wagin

Back: We are back from our Brisbane one week, Perth and Western Australia 2 weeks sojourn. I will write about this next time but below is the piece I wrote for our Rotary Bulletin.

MAKEUP AT WAGIN

On our recent trip to Western Australia we drove from what we believe is the fly capital of the world, Hyden, where we went to see the Wave Rock formation (not worth, in our view, the long drive) to the small town of Wagin (pronounced WA as in wagon and GIN as in the drink).

Wagin is a wool and wheat dominated community about 230 kilometres southeast of Perth with a population of just over 2000. It is the home of the Giant Ram and the Rotary Club of Wagin which boasts 21 members.

When travelling, we are always moving on, so a makeup is by chance. Only once before has it proved serendipitous - Manchester, Tennessee.

As we entered Wagin, Christine spotted a worse for wear sign that she thought read that a Rotary Meeting was to be held that night. So after finding the motel (where we asked about the meeting but she had never heard of Rotary!!) we drove back to the sign.

Sure enough - at the Town Hall meeting rooms, every Monday at 6.30 for 7pm.

So we went and enjoyed a very pleasant evening where we were made most welcome.

The speaker was a Rotarian from Perth who is involved with the Handicamp program (http://www.handicamp.org.au) which takes a person between 18 and 35 with a disability and buddies them up with a peer at a Camp. As she explained the outcome for both parties is tremendous and many ‘buddies’ return year after year.

Her husband, also a Rotarian, was there as well and they were to drive back to Perth that night. They are members of different clubs and she is a member of a Pilot Club that meets monthly. However, this has not been entirely satisfactory and they now meet twice monthly plus a projects only meeting from time to time. The DG’s have difficulty with the sheer size of the District which has recently been split. Also, with many people in the mining industry working 3 weeks on and 3 off, attendance can be variable and the ‘rules’ are adapted to suit local conditions.

As for the local Club; it was a big meeting – seventeen for dinner. Twelve members plus ourselves, the two Rotarian’s from Perth and a guest of a member.

They have a song book and a fellow chooses a song (Home on the Range was that night’s offering) which they sing at the start and finish with the National Anthem. No Sergeant – but instead by weekly rotation a Fines Person. The Secretary has been doing the job for 25 years and the Treasurer almost as long. They rotate everybody else through as President.

You will see the photo of the carved Fines Box where they put the money into. I saw it was padlocked - probably due to some past heritage - but I didn’t dare say that!!

As it happened they discussed the sign that we saw as a new one is in the pipe line with the Masons, RSL, Lions, etc and they were talking about getting an electronic version and asked our views. Interestingly even in a small town they have a graffiti problem.

Was I fined – yes?

They were at a loss to understand how we have so few members when we meet every Monday at 5.30 for SEX!!!

Cheeky sods.