Rotary International President's  message 

This year, each of us has an opportunity to extend the gift of membership to others who can benefit from Rotary and help us increase our impact. Each One, Bring One!

Neville's message 

Olympic Update

Well, Peter Bol came to our club in 2019 and told us he wanted to get to represent Australia in 2020 and win the gold medal in the 800m. Well, he got close he made the final and just tried to lead all the way and finished 4th which is an amazing level.

Now in 2 days' time we have Jemima Montag who spoke to us last December participate in the 20km walk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv1pdNQW0FE

I really recommend you all watch the event. It is at 5.30 pm this Friday.

I actually emailed all 14 Rotary clubs in Sapporo where the event will be to see if they could line the course and support her but Covid is not helping.

This is a response I got today.

 

Dear, Mr.Neville,

Thank you very much for your email.

Im sorry it took a long time to translate.

First, congratulations on your close acquaintances participating in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

We would like to go to the course to support Jemima, but unfortunately, the citizens of Sapporo are also influenced by Covid. We cannot support her along the road.

Therefore, on the day of the event, we will be half Japanese and half Australian, and we will support her from the bottom of my heart on TV.

We also wish you all the best in your club.

Ganbare!(Go for it!) Jemima!  Ganbare!(Go for it!) Australia!

Regards,

Motoharu Sato            Yoshifumi Uchida

President                     Secretary

Sapporo Morning Rotary Club

Stewart McSweyn is in the 1500m Semi tomorrow night at 9.10pm. Only about a month ago he was running times about 6 seconds faster than the qualifying times so he should qualify for the final and put up a good showing in it.

For a bit of Olympic history I mention 2 icons of distance running in Emile Zatopek and Ron Clarke. Zatopek won the 5000m in 1952 at London and then went to Melbourne in 1956 and won the 5000m and the 10000m. The marathon was on the last day and though he had never run one still went in it and won it. At those games a 19-year-old Ron Clarke lit the Olympic Flame to open the games.  Though he never won a gold medal in 1965 he competed 18 times for 12 world records. The time he ran in Finland in July 1965 was still 4 seconds faster than was just run this week in Tokyo to win the Gold Medal.

A year later in 1966, Emil Zatopek was so impressed with Ron Clarke that he invited him to run in Prague. At the end of the event, he took Clarke to the airport, took him past the guards, right up the steps of the plane, before warmly shaking his hand and pressing a tiny package into his palm, and whispering a few words. The plane door closed on him and Clarke was more than passing nervous. What on earth had Zatopek just given him? Was it drugs? Was it contraband? Was it some sort of message or something he had to take to the free world? Microfilm maybe? Clarke sat in his seat, perspiring a little. He determined that under no circumstances would he open the small package until he was back on the ground in London, at least on friendly, familiar territory, where he would be able to cope with whatever it was. But somewhere over the English Channel, he could resist no longer. He fished the package out of his pocket and opened the little box inside. It gleamed back at him. It was an Olympic gold medal, the very same that Zatopek had won in the 10,000m at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. It was even newly inscribed, To Ron Clarke, July 19, 1966, with Zatopek's final words on the plane steps coming to him, "Not out of friendship, but because you deserve it".

Today -  Board  Meeting detail 

Time: Aug 5, 2021 07:00 PM Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
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Meeting ID: 876 2726 9359

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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