Lions in August 2010

The last City of Devonport Lions meeting was this week and we concluded with a lecture on food handling and safety - see picture above! More on that later.

• Thank you for all Lions helping with Meals on Wheels, preparing lunch at Orana (above) and collecting for Cancer on Daffodil day in the Mall amongst the many activities this month.
• Don't forget theBoard meeting Tuesday 31st august jennies place 730pm.
• Carols by candlelight is still hoping to receive DCC funding of. $2500 for sound and lighting. We do not want to start charging the public to attend the event!
• Remember if you dont have Lion shirts or Lion caps, aprons, pins or banners do check out the Lions online shop: www.lionsclubsshop.com.au.
• We pass our condolences to friends and family of Bryan Smith who passed away last month. Bryan was  a member of the Lions Club of Kentish in District T1 Tasmania and was the Treasurer of Lions Australia. Bryan was one of the directors/owners of Paragon BDS, which he established in Sheffield in 1988. He will be missed by many.
• The Lions Club of Hadspen, South Esk, have produced a calender to raise funds to help prevent the Tasmanian Devil from being wiped out by the dreadful facial tumour disease. Funds will go directly to the Tasmanian Devil Island Project, who are establishing safe, disease free colonies for devils around Tasmania. Email to Cyril or telephone him on 03-63936453.

Bruce Harpley, the Environmental Health Officer from our Devonport council came in to give us a briefing on Food Handling. Below are some important notes:

• Aim to present food that tastes and looks good but also safe to eat. Comply with Tasmanian food act 2003 and Food Safety Standards 2001.
• The food handler is often the carrier, and can be responsible for food poisoning - The most common bacteria are; Salmonella, Listeria, E.coli O157, Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens. [Here] is a good list of common bacteria that cause food poisoning.
• Potentially hazardous foods include meat, poultry, fish, sandwiches, meat products, cream cakes and egg products and many more. Also of course shellfish, sushi,  and even cooked rice!

Aim to always store cold foods at or below 5 degrees Celcius, keep frozen food frozen, and hot food has to remain heated to at least 60 degrees Celcius. The biggest danger zone for food is 5-60 degrees Celcius. 

Some of the main causes of poisoning.include poor personal hygiene and illness of food handlers.
To prevent food poisoning it is important to

• Wash hands regularly, and even before putting gloves on! 
• Change gloves as often as you would wash hands; especially after handling money or raw meat chicken or fish.
• Dry goods such as sugar and flour needs to be stored 200mm off the floor in sealed containers.
• Thawing of frozen foods has to be in fridge on bottom shelf and not outside of the fridge! Can thaw in microwave if for immediate use.
• 'Cooking'  is not reached until the inside of the food is at least 70 degrees!

Lets hope that the Kentish Lions Club was aware of the above when  they prepared the meals for the Old Time Music Hall dinner!

August was a busy month for many of us. We were rewarded at the end of the month with the Old Time Music Hall in Sheffield,  Kentish Lions' Club main fund raiser of the year. See above picture!

Daffodil day in the Mall

Rea Loane in action for Daffodil day supporting the Cancer Council.

Caitlin goes to Ecuador!

That is right, Caitlin Crack is going to Ecuador with VESA. Caitlin came to speak to our club looking for financial support to help her fund her adventure to provide remote villages with fresh water, restore the local primary schools, teach English to primary school children and more. Ecuador is a Spanish speaking country located in Latin America nestled between Peru and Columbia and adjacent to the famous Galapagos Islands.

Caitlin is a Spreyton born and bred woman who enjoys making wedding cakes, playing netball and anything on skis. Has a part time job at Just Jeans and does relief office work at Reece High School. She completed a BA at the Cradle Coast Campus of the University of Tasmania in Burnie, majoring in History and Sociology. During her time at university she tutored and was involved in the PASS program and came out with many awards and much recognition such as Best First Year Student (First Year Aboriginal Studies and First Year English), and made the Dean's Roll of Excellence in 2007, 2008 and 2009 resulting in a Dean's Roll of Excellence with Honors.

Currently she is doing a Master of Teaching course and is currently gaining teaching experience in Ulverstone High School and soon will go to Devonport High (watch out students!).

Last March she stumbled upon the 16 day VESA Ecuador program and spontaneously signed up as a volunteer. Volunteers need to pay their own airfares and land content, but gain invaluable experience by fully immersing themselves in a foreign community, participating and helping at community level programs, and participating in adventures and  excitement that will give her a lifetime of memories.  She intends to teach English, dig trenches, fix schools, as well as hike in the Amazon, visit with witch doctors, see coffee plantations and whatever else she can fit in!

Her main dreads are the warnings about anacondas. We assured her that apart from the anacondas there is crime, civil unrest and a general threat of domestic terrorism, frequent violent protests,  and a high threat of terrorist and serious criminal activity in the provinces of Carchi, Orellana, Sucumbios and Napo.... but hey, Ecuador wouldn't be Ecuador without it! Let's support Caitlin and email her with your pledge [email]!

Exciting Meeting Notes

• Daffodil Day Thursday 26th of August: Lions will be collecting around the state. If you have a mother, father, sister, brother or best friend, there’s every chance your life will be touched by cancer. No matter who you are, Daffodil Day is for you. www.daffodilday.com.au.
• Safe Food Handling course after our next meeting! We often handle food in our Lion's activities, like manning the food caravan, doing BBQs at events, serving lunches at Orana... 
• Lions club membership fees due now! Can pay $50 this month and balance by Christmas. Remember we subsidise club membership fees by doing our Racegate Duties!
• Christmas Cake Alert! Start thinking about how many Lion Christmas Cakes you will need for your workplace or wherever you see fit to leave them. This Christmas we will not only sell cakes, we will also be trialling Fudge and Plum Pudding! Watch out for news on this website.
• Citizen of the Year! recognise individuals and organisations that have made a noteworthy contribution during the current year, and/or give an outstanding service over a number of years, to a local community over and above normal employment duties. Contact Lion Gary Beaton if you like to nominate someone.
• Carols by Candlelight committee meeting 19 August!
• Kentish Oldtime Music Hall: We have arranged tickets for members to attend the Friday night (27/8/10) performance in Sheffield.
• Kudos to Hos, Jeff and Phil and all others on the shed committee for organising the storage shed which has now been paid for! The Crown has agreed to officially allocated for our use and the new shed should be up by Christmas ready to store our gear!
• Orana: Sunday 22 August Lunch is served again to the elderly by the City of Devonport Lions! Make sure you have done your safe food handling course - see point above!