Our last meeting was dedicated to learning all about food safety. Our instructor was Gavin Bucket (not pronounced Bouquet) who delivered a Food Safety for Dummies course which focused on making everyone aware of the risks associated with food hygiene.

Some of the messages included:

• Bacteria is a micro-organism. There are a diverse variety of bacteria but only a small number are harmful.
• Bacteria can be spread to humans through other humans, animals, soil or water.
• You can't always tell if the food you are preparing or eating has been contaminated with food poisoning bacteria.
• That's why food storage, personal hygiene, preparation and transportation of food is so important. If the food is contaminated, you cannot always tell.
• Bacteria flourishes under the following conditions:
  • Moisture
  • Air
  • Time
  • Temperature
• Some of the main causes of food poisoning are:
  • Food prepared too far in advance
  • Cooling food too slowly
  • Not reheating food to high enough temperature
  • Cooked food contaminated with bacteria
  • Under cooking
  • Inadequate thawing
  • Cross-contamination
  • Storing hot food below 60 degrees
  • Infected food handlers
  • Using left-overs
• The most potentially hazardous food groups are:
  • Products high in protein e.g. raw/cooked meat
  • Seafood e.g. raw/cooked fish or shelfish
  • Poultry e.g. raw/cooked chicken, duck
  • Dairy products e.g. milk, cream cheese, ice-cream
  • Eggs e.g. raw eggs, cooked eggs in salads
  • Carbohydrates e.g. rice, pasta
• To minimise the risk of introducing bacteria to food, you should:
  • Always wash your hands and use gloves
  • Wear appropriate clothing
  • Have clean linen and laundry

Pictured above are Phil Purdy, Denis O'Brien and Lexie Smith who were preparing for the ROCAN bike ride to the District conference in Warrnambool. The group of riders and support crew set off last Saturday morning. They are now 5 days into the ride with only 2 days left before they reach their destination. At last report, they were in Halls Gap on Wednesday evening and everyone was still in one piece.

Click here to see some great photos of the ride.

Footy is back!

And we would love to have you on board for the footy tipping comp. The cost to join is only $50 and you could win a heap at the end of the season if you are a smart (or lucky) tipster.

Click here to register in the Werribee Rotary competition. If you have any problems signing in, give President Ross a call.

But you need to be quick because the first game starts next Thursday night (22nd March).

The Chief Operating Officer of our Community Committee, Jason Daddy, is desperately seeking your support to assist at one of two BBQ's on Sunday 25th March.

The first one is a breakfast at the Relay for Life event in Hoppers Lane. The hours of operation will be 6-9am and five people will be required for this.

Then the travelling BBQ show moves across the road to feed the masses at the Mercy Hospital's Easter Fair which runs from 11am to 3pm. We will need a couple of shifts for this one.

So, if you would like to help out, and make use of your newly-acquired food-handling skills, please send Jason an email or contact him on 0422 793 400.

BUNNINGS BBQ

There will also be another Bunnings BBQ on Saturday 31st March. This will be a major fundraiser for us so your help for a few hours would be greatly appreciated. Please advise Jason if you would like to assist.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE....

There will be a Food Truck/Music Festival in Werribee on Saturday 24th March. Our caravan will be used and manned by other people but Jason Daddy is asking for someone to be a club representative in the van. The event runs from 1pm to 10pm so Jason suggests that we have 5 people who oversee proceedings for 2 hours each. Give him a call if you can help. Note that net profits from the day will come back to the club.

You only have a few days left to place your order for hot cross buns from Adrian Burt's Baker's Delight store in Hoppers Crossing.

Werribee Rotary will make $2.00 from every pack of 6 sold. This is a chance for us to raise some much-needed funds for the club and, at the same time, to enjoy the taste of the fresh buns.

Click here to download the order form. Send it to your family , friends & children.

Don't forget, the forms need to be back by Tuesday meeting on 20/3/2018 at the latest.

Adrian will bring the buns to our club meeting on Tuesday 27/03/2018 for pickup.

Here's a picture of a few of our privileged members enjoying each others company in the Grand Ballroom at Government House. They were part of a group of 700 Rotarians invited by the Governor, Linda Dessau, to meet and hear Ian Riseley, our current RI President.

One would assume that the free beer, wine, canapes and fresh scones would have soothed their somewhat awkward appearance in formal attire. It's been a while since we've seen these guys in a suit and tie.

Since its opening, the Fit4Use store has gone from strength to strength. Their current hours of operation are Mon-Sat 10-4pm

The Rotary Club of Flemington is looking to extend these hours. Their options are:

• Thurs and Friday, 4-8pm

• Sunday, 10-4pm

Their preference is Sunday with a 50:50 sales split between Flemington and Werribee.

Two people will be required on each shift.

We are looking for any members, partners or Friends of Rotary who are interested in helping out as a volunteer.

We will also require a coordinator to manage the volunteers on an ongoing basis. This coordinator will be the main liaison between the Flemington and Werribee Rotary clubs.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or taking on the coordinator role, please contact Ross Conley by Friday 23^rd March.

The Rotary Club of Albert Park is marking the centenary of the Rotary Foundation by organising an evening of fun and celebration on the large ferris wheel, the Melbourne Star, at Docklands. ‘Star Carnivale’ will commence at 5.30 pm on 22 April and they are asking for your support for this unique event.
 
Seats on the Melbourne Star are $35 per person and, if a club buys a whole ‘pod’, $400 will be donated to the Foundation in our club’s name.  A pod holds 20 people.  Hampers are available should attendees wish to pre-order online. Drinks are at $6 per glass for wine, beer and cider and $3 for soft drinks on the night.  The ‘flight’ takes around 35 minutes. 
 
The Star will be lit up in Rotary colours for the evening. There will also be an international speaker, Astro Physicist Rachel Livermore, who will update us on the ‘Galaxy’. There will also be music and a few Star Wars characters for photo opportunities.

President Ross is asking for your support of this event as a way of us repaying the favour to Albert Park for contributing to our Ugandan water project. Please let Ross know if you would like to go.

Click here to see a flyer of the event.

Click here to visit the Rotary Club of Albert Park's website.

Rotary International President Ian Riseley has set down the challenge to Rotary clubs around the world to plant one tree for each member during this Rotary year.

Our Community Committee is planning to do better than that. In conjunction with Wyndham Council, we will be having a working bee on Sunday 29th April to plant one tree for each year of membership in our club. The total number of years of membership is 750 (give or take a few years), so we will be planting 750 trees in a spot along the Werribee River. And we will need all hands on deck to get the job. 

For now, mark the date in your calendar and stay tuned for more details.

• The 40th Weerama Festival is on Sunday 18th March. The organisers are seeking volunteers for the following tasks:

  • Parade Marshalls (8:30am - 12:30pm)

  • Set up (7am - 10am)

  • Pack down (4pm - 6pm)

  • Clean up (4pm - 5pm)

  • Litter management (11am - 1pm and 1pm - 3pm)

  • Management of specific areas (10am - 4pm)

  • Distribute surveys (10am - 1pm and 1pm - 3pm)

  • Stall assistance (7am - 10am)

If you would like to get involved, please send an email to info@weerama.org.au.