Sunriser June 13, 2021 (Jun 12, 2021)

Jan 06, 2022

Alison Wood

Ocean Ambassadors

Jan 13, 2022

A. Ockeloen B. Campbell

Defibrillators in Action

Jan 20, 2022

Isobel Mackenzie

Seniors Advocate

Jan 27, 2022

Murray Lott

Project Amigo Update

View entire list

MEETING START UP

Ian Bourhill
You are the greeter for the meeting on Dec 16

Greeters Coming Up:

Dec 16 Ian Bourhill

Dec 23 Christmas Party

Jan 6 Brian Brackman

Jan 13 Benno Bucher

Jan 20 Wayne Connorton

As greeter please arrive by 6:45 AM, slap on the Greeter's Badge and welcome members and guests in a safe manner. Please note that as greeter you are also called upon to present the morning's invocation.

If you are unable to make this assignment please arrange for a replacement and let Paul Arcand know.

Announcemnts

The meeting limped to a start with a rather anemic version of O Canada that was rescued by the greeter's invocation.

Our writer-in-residence David Anderson came up with:

In times of Covid it was tougher to be

A member of the Tsawwassen Rotary

More that a year of meetings by Zoom

Missing the camaraderie of being in the same room

But together we persisted in our Rotary tasks

Gathering outside and donning our masks

Together we managed to place the lights

So the trees on the hill again brightened the nights

The Easter egg scramble was left on the skids

But the Bunny still sugared up the kids

Member and others marked off the date

So the drive-in injections turned out to be great

The Shred-a-Thon raised plenty pf money

Virtual New Years was occasionally funny

Together as Rotarians we answered the call

And the passing year wasn't so bad after all

Visiting Rotarians:

Joan and Terry Toone (Victoria)

Tanya Hall (Sunshine Coast)

Guests

Liesa Schaefer

Jeff Young

Special Occasions:

No birthdays or anniversaries this week

National Pastry Day (Dec 9)

Youth News Edwin Lee

Pleased to announce that the committee has selected an out-going exchange student for next year. This means that we should be planning for an in-coming one as well which in turn means that host families will be required

Also a reminder that we will also have to update our criminal records checks. This can be done on-line in a rather quick and painless way

Meridian Fund Raising Tom Smith

This one is easy. Gift cards are being offered in denominations of $50 or $100 and the club receives a 30% kickback. Please contact Tom to participate.

Diefenbaker Now Turned On Leslie

Thank you to all who made the great event a big hit with the community. It does not end there as we still need people to go out to maintain with the replacement of some faulty lights

District Conference Prince George May 20-22

Coming up

Dec 16 7:15 AM- Meeting and Zoom

Tanya Hawke Communications Director

Fraser and Vancouver Port Authority

Dec 23 Social Committee's Christmas Zoom Party

Happy Dollars

Laura Dixon $5 for being happy to be able to join the meeting in spite of being under the weather thanks to Zoom

Past president Laureen $5 for Joan's presentation of pandemics through the years and a reminder that her 106 year old mother lived through them all ; Spanish Flu, Smallpox, Polio and Covid

Jako K $5 to celebrate National Pastry day by downing a breakfast donut

Joan Hansen $5 sad for having missed last week's big show in the park

Graham Mallett for the fun experienced by his grandchildren who met with Santa on Sunday

Rick Lewall $2 sad for missing the event but a happy $3 for meeting up with his grandchildren on the Island

Paul Arcand $5 for receiving his booster shot and for the Diefenbaker party

Leslie $5 for the school's first responders who also joined in to help at the Gift of Light

Programme

Project Amigo

Interrupted

Elly Contreras

Gail McEwan introduced Elly

Set.......Mars!

Andrzej Stewart

NASA Johnson Space Centre

Rick Lewall introduced aerospace engineer and spacecraft operator for several NASA missions Andrzej Stewart. Having worked in several missions he is now in training as an Orion Navigator in the upcoming Artemis mission. He aspires to be an astronaut and has been in training in a two week asteroid mission simulation followed by taking part in the HI-SEAS IV project as chief training officer in the year long Mars simulation.

Armed with a series of photos Andrejz was able to take us on a journey to view our planet earth from different spots in the universe. From just outside the atmosphere the Johnson Space Centre and surrounding buildings are clearly visible. From further out the globe comes into view with the continents defined and finally the "blue marble" that shows the earth from the moon's Apollo mission. However, from Mars the earth is much smaller just showing up as a mere speck in the universe. We have put a robot on Mars but to put people on Mars will require a long voyage of over a year. To that end the space programme has to study the journey's effect on the astronauts' mental and physical health.

Any type of isolated experience that is caused by remoteness, a hostile environment, difficulty of exit, and general discomfort creates a mental strain on the participants. This is made even more challenging when the grouping is artificially composed of specialized individuals who are forced to work together. Andrzej served for two weeks as the flight controller along with a scientist, engineer and a doctor in this first simulation. This led to his next more demanding task of being the chief engineering officer of HI-SEAS IV, a year long Mars mission simulation situated in Hawaii. Here with four other international specialists the crew had to manage their tasks according to their areas of expertise and had to learn how to work together.

While they were living in this simulated spacecraft they were subjects of study themselves by mission control in being measured and surveyed continually. One of the more challenging aspects was in communication. Although sound moves at the speed of light the distance to Mars means that it takes 22 minutes to send and another 22 minutes to receive a voice message. As well, the crew was completely isolated: if something broke they had to fix it which often meant meant putting on the bulky space suit. They were fed unattractive-looking food that was dehydrated and vacuum packed. Astronauts also had to learn how to deal with down time from watching movies, learning a language, reading books. With the unchanging environment there was a tendency to lose track of time so markers had to be overly celebrated. During the entire year they knew that they were the focus of being intensely studied by the controllers at mission control.

The members of our rapt audience then peppered Andrzej with a number of questions one of which was his view of the recent billionaires paying their way to enter into space. His take; any act that helps further the exploration of space activity is welcomed. Blake Cowan, a pilot himself, thanked Andrzej not only for his outstanding presentation but for his courage and dedication to the advancement of human achievement.

Sergeant at Arms

Sergeant Benno assigned but two fines:

To the "Voice from the Sky" for displaying an Avatar with a fake background

To Garry Shearer also for another virtual offence-ghosting himself

Benno ended the meeting with a limerick

"Some managed to crawl out of bed,

Most of us even fixed our head

We were happy to add two new members

As everyone from last week remembers

It's easier to give birth than to raise the dead"

ATTENDANCE 42