Secretaries Announcements

The apologies were:

Wendy Davis, Jo Kwok, PDG Dale Hoy & PP Julie Avery.

 

 

Stuart McIntyre

 

 

$15,000 donation for Victorian Bushfire Recovery

At the 5 March meeting, Members approved a $15,000 donation for Victorian Bushfire Recovery. Community Services Director, Stuart McIntyre advised that funds would be used to supply fencing and other supplies to community recovery organisations including the voluntary organisation BlazeAid.

 

Urapuntja Health Service Opportunity Shop

- donation of goods

Stuart also indicated that a group of Rotary District 9800 Clubs are funding the transport of donated goods to the Urapuntja Health Service Opportunity Shop at an Aboriginal community located about 270 km northeast of Alice Springs. The shop is operated by the local community, and proceeds will be used in their local community. Their requested goods will be sourced from Rotary DIK. The project will cost about $10,000  including a donation of $2,000 from RCB, who will coordinate the project. 

 

Rob Pinchbeck

 

 

Rob spoke about the Brighton Classic Car Show which was coming up on Sunday 22 March at Firbank Grammar. He said the weather will be perfect and 111 plus cars were expected to be on show. 

Editors Note: There were actually 150 cars on display and it was a great event.

 

David Smyth

 

 

David spoke about an upcoming event which will be a Jazz Night at the Sandringham Club on Wednesday 6 May. We will be combining with the Brighton North Rotary and should be a great night with

3 singers presenting the songs of the Sinatra & Ella Fitzgerald era

and lots more. 

There will be more information to come with booking details 

 

Speaker Presentation

Scott McKay - Sunshine Harvester

 

 

Scott spoke about the H.V. McKay Sunshine Harvester, patented in 1885, which was the world's first commercially viable combine harvester revolutionising global agriculture by combining stripping, threshing, and winnowing in one machine. Developed by Hugh Victor McKay who was Scott's great grandfather, it enabled efficient wheat harvesting, leading to the massive Sunshine Harvester Works in Victoria, Australia. 

Hugh Victor McKay was raised near Drummartin in country Victoria. His parents were Irish immigrants who had arrived in Victoria in 1852. His father had been a stonemason and then a miner before becoming a farmer around the end of 1865. Having attended primary school and receiving additional education from his brother Nathaniel, Hugh Victor returned to the family farm at 13. In 1883 he read about the Californian Combine Harvester and was inspired to build a prototype stripper-harvester with his brother John and his father. The Sunshine Harvester was patented on 24 March 1885, commercialised and built under contract in Melbourne and Bendigo. It revolutionised wheat harvesting and was subsequently sold around the world. Scott spoke in more detail on this subject and if you wish to know more

about the McKay family and the Sunshine Harvester

go to https://www.hvmckaytrust.org.au/about

Scott also spoke about the effect of the fires in Longwood near Euroa which destroyed a lot of his property at Habbies Howe Farm.

 

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