The Orange Chapter of the Rotarian Wine Appreciation Fellowship was formed in 2014 following the Rotary International Conference held in Sydney that year. Since that time, apart from the COVID years, they have tried to meet at least twice a year and support local wineries while learning more about the agronomic development of the crop plus sampling the produce and evaluating its qualities.
Orange has become known as a premium cool climate wine region with a wide variety of wine varieties. It is particularly suited to cool climate Chardonnay. Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. There are now over 50 wineries in the area. Some of the best known are Philip Shaw, Ross Hill, Printhie and Rowlee.
Our latest visit was to Colmar which features wines associated with the Alsace Region of France.
They have tried to make our winery visits affordable, keeping the cost to around $40 including a wine tasting and light food to accompany the wine. They also have asked local wineries to donate a half dozen bottles of wine for a raffle with the proceeds going to local Rotary projects or charities including the Rotary Foundation.
Over the years the attendees have gained an appreciation of the development of the wine industry in the Orange Area from its beginnings in the 1980’s to where it is now as a leading premium cool climate wine producing region in the country.
The most recent event was held at the Colmar Estate Vineyard. It commenced under a different title in 1991 with planting completed in 2000. It was purchased by Bill and Jane Shrapnel in 2013 and renamed Colmar with their affection for and love of the wines in the Alsace Region of France. They specialise in Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and light sparkling wines which are produced by their winemaker Will Rickard-Bell who specialises in small batches of high quality premium cool climate wines.
The Orange Chapter of the Rotarian Wine Appreciation Fellowship
Oberon as we know it, is a small village in the Blue Mountains with the Rotary Club of Oberon having seven members! This last weekend the king of the fairies Oberon and his spouse Titania ruled the village! The Rotary Club staged its first Shakespearean Festival with huge success! The troupe “Come you Spirits are a very professional group from Sydney.
Thursday saw the troupe of these Shakespearean players, stage a performance at the Aged Care home before also going to the local high school.
Friday night at the Malachi Gilmore Hall saw a nearly sold-out crowd dining and being entertained by both Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.
But that’s not all……Saturday evening at the Oberon Common the Rotary Club put on a Free sausage BBQ and drinks before a free performance of a Midsummer Nights Dream. Rotary Volunteers also arrived from Orange Daybreak, Bathurst and Bathurst Daybreak to assist with the evenings preparations and serving the good sized crowd! It was a warm barmy night in an exceptional setting and the locals came out in force to experience this! A wonderful performance received a long ovation particularly when the troupe stated they would be back next year! This festival is aimed at becoming an annual event!
So keep a weekend free about next mid-March and be prepared to book your accommodation and enjoy the hospitality from this amazing Rotary Club.
I feel very lucky as this Rotary year I have been given the honour of being your District Governor and being here to celebrate with you 120 years of Rotary – a milestone that reminds us of the remarkable power of service, fellowship and leadership.
We not only celebrate the history of this incredible organisation but also recognise the immense value each Rotary member brings to their community and the world at large.
Celebrating the 120th anniversary of Rotary were Clubs from Narrandera, Cootamundra, Leeton, Junee, Wollundry, South Wagga, Kooringal, E-Club of Brindabella, Wagga Sunrise and Wagga Wagga
The cake was cut by PDG’s George Weston, John Egan, Gary Roberts alongside DG Rob Uhl and Bill Crowe who was recognised for his service and 38 years in Rotary
In 1905, Paul Harris and three friends met in Chicago with a vision to form lasting friendships and serve their community. From that small meeting, Rotary has grown into a global force for good, with more than 1.4 million members in over 46,000 clubs worldwide. Over the past 120 years, Rotary members have led initiatives that changed lives – eradicating polio, bringing clean water to communities, promoting peace, and supporting education.
However, Rotary’s success is not measured by numbers or achievements alone – its measured by the people behind every act of service. It’s measured by each of you.
It’s measured by the Rotarian who sees a need in their neighbourhood and takes action. By the volunteer who spends countless hours raising funds for life-changing projects. By the leader who inspires others to believe in the power of service. and by the friend who simply listens and offers support when its needed most.
Each Rotary member is a spark that lights the flame of change. Together, those sparks create a bright and enduring beacon of hope in our world. Your dedication, compassion, and relentless pursuit of a better tomorrow embody the very spirit of Rotary.
As we celebrate 120 years, let us look forward with renewed energy and purpose. There is still work to be done, communities to uplift, and lives to transform. But with each of you by our side we are unstoppable.
So, today, we honour the past, celebrate the present and commit to the future. Let’s continue living Rotary’s motto: Service Above Self. Because the world needs Rotarians like you - now more than ever.
I was able at both Orange and Wagga, to celebrate this occasion by having clubs come together, enjoy the camaraderie of each other and cut a cake! It also was an opportunity to celebrate some Rotarians who have demonstrated the Rotary motto of Service Above Self: Roslyn Cousins, John McKenzie and William (Bill) Crowe.
I thank each of you for your dedication, your service and your unwavering commitment to making a difference.
Happy 120th anniversary Rotary!
Governor Rob
DG Rob cuts the Rotary cake with PDG Bernie Huxtable and John Brennen
For Rotary SAFE Families - Building a Culture of Peace
Dear Rotary Leader, Rotarian, and Peace Builder.
The Rotary Districts & Clubs Joint International Online Mega Meeting invites you to the Rotary SAFE Families Mega Meeting with Pat Merryweather-Arges and wonderful Guest Speakers.
PAT MERRYWEATHER-ARGES
Past Rotary International Vice President 2023-2024
Patron Rotary SAFE Families - Building a Culture of Peace 2025
MOO BAULCH, OAM
Chair Our Watch
Director of Primary Prevention at Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre in Sydney
External advisor to the Commonwealth Bank’s Next Chapter financial abuse response.
DISTRICT GOVERNOR 9800 MICHAEL LAPINA
Rotary SAFE Families was established to help stop all forms of family violence by addressing its underlying causes. It has evolved into an international peace program with valuable resources and tools including short films, Guide for Prevention of Family Abuse available in 9 languages to inform Rotarians and Peace builders on how to prevent family violence Stopping Abuse in Families Everywhere.
Become a Rotary Special Representative for Rotary SAFE Families. Your active participation will give you the opportunity to become informed and represented to build a Rotary SAFE Families Zone in your District, Club or Community. We must take responsibility and help prevent family violence and abuse for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
This Mega-Meeting will bring together top Rotary International Leaders, District Governors, Rotary International Representatives to the United Nations, Club Presidents, Rotarians, Friends of Rotary, Social Workers, Global Peace Ambassadors, Humanitarians, SAFE Families Advocates, Peace Builders from around the world.
FRIDAY 7 MARCH 2025
Australia: 11.00 AM (AEDT)
New Zealand: 1.00 PM (NZDT)
India New Delhi: 5.30 AM (IST)
Tokyo, Japan: 9.00 AM (JST)
THURSDAY 6 MARCH 2025
Illinois, USA: 6.00 PM (CST)
Toronto Canada: 7.00 PM (EST)
Los Angeles, USA: 4.00 PM (PST)
Buenos Aires, Argentina: 9.00 PM (GMT-3)
Please note that this meeting will be open 15 minutes before for friendship exchange and interaction.
We look forward to sharing fellowship and seeing you in the meeting.
Wagga became the first Rotary International Peace City 32 years ago.
Dignitaries from Council, the elder of Wiradjuri Aunty Dot and members of Rotary and Rotaract came together at this special annual ceremony at the Victory Memorial Gardens on what is also Rotary World Understanding and Peace Day.
Many other worthy local community champions were recognised for their contributions to the Wagga Community with each local Rotary and Rotaract Club presenting Community Service Awards.
District Governor Rob Uhl presented the Helen and Peter Walsh awards to the selected community groups. All so deserving of this honour.
Captains of the local High schools also gave inspiring speeches as to the initiatives their schools were undertaking towards peace – a theme throu7ghout was being pro active against bullying in their schools.
Congratulations to the combined Rotary Clubs of wagga for organising this important function, particularly to the Rotary Club of South Wagga who hosted this year’s event. Emily Bosco also did an amazing job as Master of Ceremonies.
Aunty Dot and Uncle Hewitt Whymann were announced as the recipients of this year’s City of Wagga Peace Award.
Presentation of the Amie St Clair Memorial Trust Award
After a wait of around three months, Ali Reid made it to Wollundry Rotary for her Induction.
Previously Ali attended as a guest speaker last year, on the STARRTS program - Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors.
Darren Wallace has nominated Ali, and spoke of her qualities and aptitude as a prospective member. In her acceptance speech, Ali told us that her father had been the President of Hay Rotary Club at some time.
The Rotary Club of Murrumbidgee Canberra has extended an invitation to attend their meeting on Wednesday, 12 February 2025 to hear from their guest speaker, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko.
Rotary’s commitment to “Service Above Self” extends beyond immediate community needs to investing in the next generation of leaders. Rotary Youth programs, including Interact, Earlyact, Rotaract, Rotary Program of Enrichment 9RYPEN) and rotary Leadership Awards (RYLA) and Rotary Youth Exchange, are essential for fostering leadership, service and global understanding. Here’s why EVERY Rotary club should actively plan and support these programs:
1.Building Future Leaders
Youth programs provide young people with opportunities to develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. By engaging with Rotary students gain mentorship from experienced professionals, helping them grow into responsible, service-minded leaders.
2.Strengthening Community Ties
When Rotary clubs invest in youth, they create a bridge between generations, fostering a sense of belonging and civic responsibility. Youth programs bring fresh energy and ideas, strengthening the club’s engagement with schools, families, and local organisations.
3.Expanding Rotary’s Reach and Impact
Supporting youth initiatives helps Rotary maintain its relevance and expand its membership. Many young people who participate in Interact or Rotaract go on to becoming Rotarians, ensuring the long-term sustainability of clubs worldwide.
4.Promoting Service and Volunteerism
Youth programs introduce young people to the joy of service. Whether through local community projects or international exchanges, these programs encourage a lifelong commitment to helping others, reinforcing Rotary’s mission.
5.Encouraging Global Understanding
Programs like Rotary Youth Exchange expose students to different cultures, fostering international goodwill and peace. By supporting these programs, Rotary Clubs contribute to a more connected and understanding world.
6.How Clubs Can Get Involved
Sponsor an Earlyact, Interact or Rotaract Club
Provide scholarships for RYLA Participants
Host or sponsor a Rotary Exchange student
Involve young people in club projects and mentorship programs
Collaborate with schools and community organisations to reach more youth.
Investing in youth is investing in the future of Rotary and the communities it serves. By planning and supporting Rotary Youth Programs, clubs ensure their legacy of service continues for generations to come.
Let’s inspire, mentor and empower the leaders of tomorrow – because the future of Rotary starts with youth of today.
WHY ROTARY CLUBS SHOULD SUPPORT ROTARY YOUTH PROGRAMS
The start of a New Year offers a perfect opportunity for Rotary clubs and members to embrace new beginnings, set fresh goals, and make an even greater impact. Here are some ideas to inspire your Rotary initiatives for the New Year.
Reflect and Set Goals
Host a vision-setting meeting to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and challenges.
Identify areas where your club can expand its outreach, improve engagement, or tacklenew projects.
New Membership Drives
Use the New Year to launch a membership campaign.
Organise an open house or community event to attract prospective members.
Emphasise Rotary’s values of fellowship and service to inspire others.
Foster Collaboration
Strengthen partnerships with local organisations, businesses or other Service clubs.
Plan joint initiatives to maximise your Club’s reach and resources.
Invest in Leadership Development
Offer training and mentorship programs for club members.
Encourage younger members or newer Rotarians to take on leadership roles.
Build Rotary Awareness
Enhance your club’s social media presence to share stories of impact.
Organise public awareness campaignsto highlight Rotary’s global and local contributions.
There are also many more areas to consider: engaging in Rotary’s youth programs, focusing on our seven areas of focus, celebrating our Achievements etc.
By starting the year with renewed energy and purpose, Rotary Club’s can strengthen their impact and continue to make a positive difference in the community and beyond.
Happy New Year to you all and wishing a successful 2025
The Rotary Club of Orange had a very special gathering this week to celebrate and honour two extraordinary individuals who each have dedicated 50 years of service to
Rotary and to their communities. It’s hard for us mere mortals to grasp such a milestone! Kerry Rawson and Chris Gryllis are a testament to not only their incredible
commitment to the ideals of Rotary but to the lives they have touched and the difference they have made to their communities over the past five decades.
Rotary is built on the foundation of service above self, and they have embodied that principle every step of the way. Whether it was through organising Impactful projects, mentoring new members, leading initiatives, or simply lending a hand
wherever it was needed, both these Rotarians have shown us what true dedication and service look like.
Their contributions have strengthened their club and inspired a generation of Rotarians to follow in their footsteps. Through their work countless lives have been changed, communities uplifted and opportunities created for those who otherwise
may have gone without.
Chris was born on the Greek island of Patmos in April 1 1944. Chris with his brothers came to Orange in 1952 They worked together to establish several successful businesses before Chris branched into Real Estate. Chris joined Rotary in October 1971.
Chris, (a Paul Harris Fellow) in his 50 years of Rotary has held a number of positions in the Club including President 1977-78. Entwined in his Rotary commitments Chris served for 27 years as an Orange City Councillor including being Deputy Mayor.
Kerry is a life long resident of Orange being both born there and educated at Orange High, Kerry opened Regency Jewellers in 1968 now having multiple shop fronts in the Central West employing over 70 people.
Kerry also has held many positions in the Club including that of President. Kerry has also given 20years of service to Lifeline
These Awards are a Vocational Service initiative OF THE Rotary Districts. Currently NSW, ACT and Victoria participate but are looking that next year Tasmania and Queensland will participate.
In keeping with Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self” , the Awards acknowledge and celebrate selfless Community Service of Emergency Services personnel while supporting an important Rotary initiative: Australian Rotary Health PhD Research Scholarship into mental health in Emergency Service Personnel. Whole in dividual services have specific internal Awards, The emergency Services Community Awards, is the only platform in which emergency Services personnel are recognised by their community. The Awards are open to all Emergency services personnel, both paid and volunteer capacity.
In Canberra yesterday the winners of each state and territory came together for the announcement of the National Winners.
The winners were:
Gary Luxford – Fire Rescue Victoria. Gary is recognised as an esteemed volunteer with 56 years of service at the Tooradin Country Fire Authority (CFA).
Beginning his journey at 18 years he has held pivotal roles including Captain of the Warneet Fire Brigade for a decade and Group Captain of the Cranbourne Fire Brigade for another 10 yeas His commitment extended to rebuilding communities post disaster, notably after the Bunyip/Garfield fires, where he assisted with debris clearance and reconstruction efforts. Beyond firefighting, Gary’s impact spans diverse community roles – he is a Justice of the Peace, overseeing the Cranbourne Signing Centre, and has been a devoted Rotarian for 26 years serving as Club President twice. His initiatives include innovative fund raising projects like a scrap metal program benefiting local causes.
Sashi Vagadia – Victoria PolicaSashi serves as a Sergeant in the public Order response team within Victoria Police, overseeing operations and supporting team members across the state.
With a background in the UK Metropolitan Police as a Detective Inspector, Sahi joined the Victoria Police in 2017, bringing with him a commitment to community service and mental health advocacy. He established the “Baton Challenge” iniative at the Victoria Police Academy, raising over $10,000 for Victorian Police Legacy and enhancing awareness among recruits. Sashi volunteers extensively, notably organising the Lara RSL 24hr 96kim Kokoda Memorial Challenge raising $50,000 for Soldier On and increasing RSL membership significantly. He also supports the Victoria Police Legacy children’s Retreat and serves as an Ambassador for VPL.
Sashi’s dedication extends to promoting mental health and well being within the Police force, fostering a supportive environment through initiatives like “Canines and Coffee” with Police veterans Victoria. His selfless contributions exemplify his commitment to community, membership, and leadership in Victoria Police.
Our commendations also go to the judges as all finalists (seven of them) all have demonstrated the commitment to Service Above Self and would have had a very hard job deciding the two winners.
See above a new Rotary poster developed by RC Aurora Gungahlin, that clearly sets out the benefits of Rotary membership in an innovative way.
The poster can now be seen at Gungahlin Place Light Rail stop
While the poster is currently branded for RC Aurora Gungahlin , if you would like to use the poster for your own club, please contact me at kylo@pcug.org.au and I will provide you with the Canva link for you to make the relevant adjustments for your club.
Rotary Club of Aurora Gungahlin - New Marketing Poster
A group of Rotarians and community members from Wagga Wagga are making a difference to people's lives in Cambodia. In Phnom Penh members of the group are sponsoring students to enable them to get an education, in Siem Reap the group are helping to construct a house for a struggling family. The group have recently returned from Cambodia.
For two years now the Rotary Club of Nowra have been combining with Shoalhaven High School, Bunnings and the PCYC to run a Youth Life Skills program. The program runs for 4 weeks and during this time students learn skills which will help them in their future lives and improve their self-esteem.
On the 20th October a group of Rotary leaders from NSW South Coast and southern Highlands got together at the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens. The day long workshop was to plan projects that the Group could work on together which would have a greater impact in the communities they serve.
Batemans Bay,Bega,Berry,Bowral-Mittagong,Gerringong Sunrise,Merrimbula,Milton-Ulladulla,Moruya,Moss Vale,Narooma,Nowra,Pambula,Regionalisation,South East NSW Rotary Community Groups,workshop
Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd. (RAWCS) was formed to enable Australian Rotarians, Rotary Districts and Rotary Clubs to assist communities and individuals through humanitarian aid projects. In our Community Group we have three RAWCS projects currently operating. One of these is the Eyes for Africa project established by the Rotary Club of Milton-Ulladulla.
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ROTARY CLUB OF GINNINDERRA – FEEDBACK ON ROTARY FIT FOR PURPOSE TRAINING
The weekend CLUB TRANSFORMATION WORKSHOP held in Sydney on 12th & 13th October 2024 was for the delegates from 85 Rotary/Rotaract clubs in Rotary South Pacific - with approximately 100 delegates attending. All states in Australia, New Zealand, PNG and the South Pacific islands were represented. There were as many women as men delegates, presenters and Coaches.
Six clubs from District 9705 were represented - Ginninderra (2 delegates), Gungahlin (1), Jerrabomberra (2), Bathurst (2), Orange (1) & Griffith Avanti (2) with Robert Shore as Team Coach.
Each Club had submitted a "Fit for Purpose" data survey result and club age & gender profile beforehand.
The focus of the workshop was retention and recruitment of members in each club, to reverse the decline in membership throughout Rotary South Pacific. No consideration was given to other measures such as new clubs, amalgamations or joint management.
Key messages were that Club experience matters most - become vital and "irresistible" - through meeting enjoyment + leadership + meaningful service + connection/fellowship + growth opportunities.
People join for a cause: not a club.
Outcomes are much more important than process.
Local causes, community and other engagement should be a focus of activities.
Membership growth and retention is every member's job - including letting people and the community know what we have to offer.
Recruitment is essential: to counter unavoidable losses.
People under 50 are time poor, often financially stressed and need value for time spent. More likely to volunteer for a cause rather than join an organisation.
Outcomes from the workshop have included a Membership Engagement and Growth Analysis based on the survey data, a model Club Action Plan for all clubs, and a Club Fitness Plan Worksheet specifically for our Club.
Each club is to develop these further towards achieving significant membership growth by mid 2026.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM ROTARY SOUTH PACIFIC
Representatives from 84 clubs in Rotary South Pacific region recently attended the Fit for Purpose Club Transformation Workshop, an intensive two-day event tailored to equip clubs with the membership knowledge they need to flourish.
Now you can access the learnings from the day to help your own club prosper!
ROTARY CLUB OF GINNINDERRA – FEEDBACK ON ROTARY FIT FOR PURPOSE TRAINING
The weekend CLUB TRANSFORMATION WORKSHOP held in Sydney on 12th & 13th October 2024 was for the delegates from 85 Rotary/Rotaract clubs in Rotary South Pacific - with approximately 100 delegates attending. All states in Australia, New Zealand, PNG and the South Pacific islands were represented. There were as many women as men delegates, presenters and Coaches.
Six clubs from District 9705 were represented - Ginninderra (2 delegates), Gungahlin (1), Jerrabomberra (2), Bathurst (2), Orange (1) & Griffith Avanti (2) with Robert Shore as Team Coach.
Each Club had submitted a "Fit for Purpose" data survey result and club age & gender profile beforehand.
The focus of the workshop was retention and recruitment of members in each club, to reverse the decline in membership throughout Rotary South Pacific. No consideration was given to other measures such as new clubs, amalgamations or joint management.
Key messages were that Club experience matters most - become vital and "irresistible" - through meeting enjoyment + leadership + meaningful service + connection/fellowship + growth opportunities.
People join for a cause: not a club.
Outcomes are much more important than process.
Local causes, community and other engagement should be a focus of activities.
Membership growth and retention is every member's job - including letting people and the community know what we have to offer.
Recruitment is essential: to counter unavoidable losses.
People under 50 are time poor, often financially stressed and need value for time spent. More likely to volunteer for a cause rather than join an organisation.
Outcomes from the workshop have included a Membership Engagement and Growth Analysis based on the survey data, a model Club Action Plan for all clubs, and a Club Fitness Plan Worksheet specifically for our Club.
Each club is to develop these further towards achieving significant membership growth by mid 2026.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM ROTARY SOUTH PACIFIC
Representatives from 84 clubs in Rotary South Pacific region recently attended the Fit for Purpose Club Transformation Workshop, an intensive two-day event tailored to equip clubs with the membership knowledge they need to flourish.
Now you can access the learnings from the day to help your own club prosper!
Well, October disappeared quickly! So much going on and the culmination of course, was our District Conference held in the Southern Highlands. The District Peace pole was opened and dedicated on Friday afternoon and situated right outside of the Wingecarribee Shire Council Chambers. This was followed by a Civic Reception put on by the Council.
From the feedback that both myself and Conference Chair, Judy Ford has received we can report that it was a resounding success!
Comments received:
I had lost my Rotary mojo but your Conference has inspired me again – Thank you!
This conference opened my eyes to the Internationality of Rotary and that we as Rotarians are most definitely a part of this family and we CAN make a difference!
Congratulations on putting together such a fantastic conference! I felt really privileged to be a small part of it, and yet again inspired by all of the amazing work done by Rotarians.
I’ve put up a short post on both X and LinkedIn that you can find at:
It is a transformational 7 day residential program, that offers a unique opportunity for participants to develop and enhance skills in effective leadership.
Sessions take multiple forms, including outdoor recreation, team coordination and planning tasks, as well as opportunities for personal reflection.
Many participants who attend RYLA express an interest in joining their local Rotary or Rotaract clubs. Others demonstrate a newfound appreciation for Rotary and its initiatives that they share with others.
RYLA provides an opportunity for young people to get involved in Rotary or other volunteer organisations that create a lasting benefit for your local community.
HERE’S WHAT PAST PARTICIPANTS SAY ABOUT RYLA
“Attending RYLA was a game-changer! It is more than just a leadership program; it’s a catalyst for personal growth and lasting connections. From honing communication skills to activities of self-discovery, the workshops and activities provided a perfect blend of theory and practice to equip me with a plethora of practical leadership skills.”
“RYLA was a transformative experience, fostering not just leadership skills but a supportive community. The mentors’ dedication and guidance were invaluable. The diverse activities and genuine connections formed made it a truly heartwarming journey.”
SUGGESTIONS OF WHERE TO FIND POTENTIAL RYLA PARTICIPANTS
Rotaract Club members
Previous participants in Rotary Youth Programs (eg. Youth Exchange, RYPEN, public speaking, NYSF)
TAFE/Educational facilities
Community organisations
Various workplaces
Sporting clubs, musical clubs, hobby groups
Community leaders
Organisations your club has supported
Young Ambulance, Fire Fighting and Police officers or volunteers at local stations.
At a Special Council Meeting held on Tuesday 8 October 2024, the newly-elected Leeton Shire Council was officially sworn in, and our Rotary Community Group Leader George Weston was elected Mayor.
The fastest way to create a basic hyperlink in a Microsoft 365 document is to press ENTER or the SPACEBAR after you type the address of an existing webpage, such as http://www.contoso.com. Microsoft 365 automatically converts the address into a link.
In addition to webpages, you can create links to existing or new files on your computer, to email addresses, and to specific locations in a document. You can also edit the address, display text, and font style or color of a hyperlink
Wagga Wagga Rotary President John Heazlewood made a presentation to Gordon Saggers of a gift to mark of his long and distinguished service with our Club. Gordon was away last week when he passed the milestone of 50 years as a member of this Club.
Len Goodman AO -22 December 1932 – 10 July 2024 Past District Governor, Rotary International District 9710 (1995-96)
Leonard James Goodman AO, was born in Gladstone, Queensland, on 22nd December 1932. Late of Kangara Waters Retirement Village in Canberra. Len passed away peacefully at Clare Holland House on the 10th July 2024.
Beloved husband and soul mate of Joyce for almost 69 years; Father of Gail and Wayne; Father-in-law to John and Kathleen; grandfather to Emily and Dan; Melissa and Andy; Hannah and James; Tara; James and Cynthia; Liam and Tash. Great grandfather to Frederick. Brother to Daphne (decd); Josie and Ian (decd),Lesley and Jim; Peter and Jan.
Len was a Man of Vision and someone who defied the medical odds for many years.
Len Attended The Southport School in the 1940s. After leaving school, Len undertook an apprenticeship as an electrician, before doing six months National Service with the RAAF; he continued his RAAF service for six more years. At this stage in life Len met his soul mate, Joyce, and they married on 1st October 1955. Their children, Gail and Wayne soon followed.
Member Bob Willis is home from hospital and taking his time to recover, you can give Bob a call for a chat as he does enjoy a quick chat.
A follow-up conversation with Felicity at Kurrajong Catering re the cost of individually packaged sandwiches. Felicity indicated the cost will be $7.00 and this could consist of a single filling of a mixed filling sandwich (half & half) plus a $10 delivery Fee for the full order of sandwiches. I will now pass this to the Meeting and Reception Committee for follow-up with members regarding ordering and pre-payment.
Beer, soft drinks (Coke & Lemon Lime & Bitters), red & white wine is now available $4 per beer and $4 per wine, soft drinks $3 each. This is an honor system, payment will be card or cash as there will be an EFTPOS machine available.
It was noted that David Benn may need to pay for the extra-large glass 😊😊
Phil Burgess has agreed to stand in for myself for the next four meetings.
As we had pre booked Freeroam Theatre to speak. Jai and Tash were introduced by John Mason. Jai and Tash presented a comprehensive overview of their Wagga based incorporated not for profit Theatre company, from their humble begins of wanting to develop and provide live theatre in the local area to presenting innovative and exciting productions. It was fantastic to listen to their enthusiasm and passion for theatre. They spoke about the history and their future direction both Jai and Tash showed a clear understanding of the reality of running an artistic business and the importance they place on fund raising and grant writing. Freeroam have made a request for Rotary to become a financial supporter as they have an application sitting with Projects at present for a small grant. I do encourage members to check out their website, social media and possibly make a big effort to attend one of their
Applications for District Grants for the 24-25 Rotary Year are now open. Forms can be downloaded from the Home Page Download Files on the right of the Home Page.
DG Andrea Grosvenor; DGE Rob Uhl; Treasurer Rosemary Everett; Secretary Jane Whitten; Area Governor Rep (Areas 1-3) Jennifer Newton; Area Governor Rep (Areas 4-6) Haseena Tweddle; District Rotaract Representative Libby O’Brien
1.
Welcome
DG Andrea Grosvenor
2.
Agreement
To record the meeting – all in favour - Carried
3.
Apologies
IPDG Geraldine Rurenga; DGN Robert Shore
4.
Conflict of Interest
Nil noted
5.
Acceptance of Minutes from Previous Meeting (25/09/2023)
Moved: Rob Uhl Sec: Jen Newton Carried
Jane to ensure that the minutes uploaded on the web site and will check with John McKenzie. Rosemary would like the financial statements uploaded on the web site, apart from disbursements as they contain names.
Business Arising
Nil Noted
6.
Finance Report
Statement of income and expenditure for the period 1 July - 19 November 2023 Balance Sheet as at 19 November2023
Receivables as at 19 November 2023
Statement of Dedicated District Funds for the period 1July - 19 November 2023
Statement of Disbursements for the period 16 September - 19 November 2023
Acceptance by the Board Moved: Rosemary Everett; Sec Rob Uhl; Carried
The budget for the District Conference 2024 be approved.
Jane will assist Judy to upload the registrations on to ClubRunner.
Moved: Haseena Tweddle; Sec Jen Newton. Carried
The Board notes its financial statements for the period of 1 July to 19 November for the Vulnerable Youth Project.
Moved: Rosemary Everett; Sec: Rob Uhl; Carried
The Youth Exchange Accounts be approved.
Moved: Rosemary Everett; Seconded: Rob Uhl; Carried
Addit: RYLA 20 people booked in; We need to get 43 to break even. Numbers need to be into the venue before 13th December.
Motion: Approval that the District underwrite up to $29k if we don’t get the numbers.
Moved: Rosemary Everett; Sec: Rob Uhl Carried
7.
Indigenous Marathon Foundation Warrior Proposal
RECOMMENDATION
That the Board agrees to changing the focus of the Indigenous Health Grants Program to support the IMF Warrior program, providing that the IHGPC provides the following draft documents for the
Board’s approval:
• Aims and Objectives of the District’s proposed involvement in the program be amended to be used for supporting the Warrior Program.
• Guidelines for the expenditure of funds from the District account through the program
• A revised Memorandum of Cooperation with the Indigenous Marathon Foundation setting out the roles and responsibilities of the parties in the implementation and operation of the program.
Moved: Andrea; Sec Haseena Carried
8.
Future Meeting Dates
29th January 2024
25th March 2024
20th May 2024.
9.
Reports
Operations Committee – Rob Uhl
Dr Stephen Utick - Team Leader Environment
Ian Whoolahan – Insurance Officer
Regionalisation – Brief update.
Planning meeting for PETS and District Learning and Development was successful.
Area Governors are working with clubs well.
DV Launch progressing well.
Communities (for Regionalisation) were to be named in November but has been postponed to February/March.
DG – Andrea Grosvenor
Brief update on activities
Area Governors please remind your Presidents that they are required to attend the AGM on Sunday.
Congratulations in advance re the DV Launch – Many Clubs are doing many different things.
DGE - Rob Uhl
As Tabled
DGN – Robert Shore
As tabled
AG (areas 1-3) - Jennifer Newton
As Tabled
AG (areas 4-6) – Haseena Tweddle
As presented
Rotaract – Libby O’Brien
As Tabled
10.
Other Business
Jane to get list of Presidents, Secretaries and Treasurers to Rosemary before the end of the year.
Join with RYLA participants and fellow Rotarians to enjoy an evening of dinner and live discussion with the exciting RYLARIANS about the life changing experiences they are involved in.
Dinner will be held at Warrambui Retreat & Conference Centre 322 Greenwood Road, Murrumbateman NSW 2582 on Monday January 8th at 6.00 for 6.30 PM. Cost is $40 per head.
The worsening problem of Domestic and Family Violence in Australia
In 2023, more than 58 women/children died through domestic and family violence in Australia.
Along with that terrible record:
1 in 5 women (22%) has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.
1 in 2 women (53%) has experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime.
In most incidents of workplace sexual harassment, the harasser was male.
Women are at increased risk of experiencing violence from an intimate partner during pregnancy.
1 in 4 women are hospitalised due to domestic violence and sexualising violence abuse by intimate partners.
Hospitalisations due to spouse or intimate partners is 6 times higher for women than men.
Domestic Violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and children.
On average one women is murdered by her current or former partner.
In 2021-22, 5,606 women, an average of 15 women a day, were hospitalised due to family and domestic violence.
73% of women are abused by cyber violence.
Rotary clubs across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands are conducting a campaign to Say NO to Domestic and Family Violence and YES to Respectful Relationships. Rotary clubs in NSW are in partnership with the New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF) and Rotary clubs in the ACT will be working with ACT Policing and engaged agencies dealing with the consequences of domestic and family violence.
The objectives of the national Rotary campaign are to:
1. Raise awareness,
2. Educate youth,
3. Support agencies that assist victims of Domestic & Family Violence,
Once again this month we celebrate the importance of The Rotary Foundation and its support of the many important facets of our Rotary Programs both here in Australia, but also overseas.
Our D9705 Centurion Program is established in order for members and other individuals to make a personal contribution to the work of our Foundation in an ongoing way.
By setting up a regular debit from your nominated bank account, you can make your donation to the Australian Rotary Foundation Trust and gain Tax Deductibility for your contribution. I have set up my birthday as the recurring date for my own donation, that way I can readily remember when it is occurring, and I get a thank you from the Foundation for my gift. You can set it up however you want. Just do it.
You can do this simply by completing the attached Individual Centurion Donation form, or clubs can collect and forward donations from their members at the same time using the Club MultiDonor form. If you have other versions of these forms from the past - dispose of them. The deposit details on these current forms (October 2022) are correct. Donations sent using old forms will not go through, and will not be credited against the donor.
These forms are attached to this email, but can also be downloaded from the D9705 website through the Foundation Tab or member downloads. Please share these with your club members.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact PDG Ian Tooke, District 9705 Centurion Program Co-Ordinator by email or phone.
RC Group 4 of our District is an eclectic assortment of Rotary Clubs. While the bulk of the Clubs (Ginninderra, Gungahlin, Belconnen, Aurora Gungahlin, and Canberra University Rotaract) are in the northern suburbs of Canberra, the remainder are in rural or semi-rural communities. With no more than 110 kilometres between Clubs, the Area is possibly the smallest in District 9705 but holds a great diversity of Rotarians. While the northern Canberra Clubs mainly consist of public servants, military personnel and retirees from the armed forces and the public service, Clubs like Yass, Crookwell, and Goulburn have farmers, business owners, accountants and politicians comprising their membership. Each of the Area 4 Clubs contribute magnificently to their local community, to the Rotary Foundation and by participating in overseas service projects. Most of the Area 4 Clubs work together with Clubs both within our District and in adjoining Districts.
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A pilot agreed by Rotary International (RI) in February 2019
In July 2022 every Rotarian was sent an e-mail by Rotary International (RI) which said, inter alia:
‘ … For the past three years a group of Rotarians and Rotaractors have been working on a pilot project to consider how we can enhance Rotary and Rotaract and ensure we remain relevant for the future while also addressing some of the challenges we have been facing for a while.
Zone 8 … (is) now one of two regional pilots in the Rotary world looking to explore, develop and test new ways of operating.
The Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise is once again, facilitating the National Model United Nations Assembly in the Senate Chamber of the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD, or old Parliament House), from 12 – 13 August 2023.
The objective of a Rotary MUNA in Australia is to involve secondary school students in a hands-on experience of a UN-style conference and through that experience to increase the students’ sense of international understanding and goodwill, one of the primary goals of Rotary International. Rotary believes that it is through our youth that hopefully we can look forward to increased world peace. All students participating in the Assembly are encouraged to dress in the national costume of the country they are representing for the Assembly deliberations.
MUNA was first introduced to Rotary in Australia at Lake Cargelligo, NSW in 1980 and the concept was then passed on to the Forbes Rotary Club in 1984. Since then, MUNA has spread throughout most districts of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. In 1989, the then President of Rotary International, Royce Abbey placed MUNA on the World Youth Activities Committee Agenda for Rotary and similar sessions are now held in many countries.
A great PETS and Learning and Development weekend was held in Orange last weekend. Nearly 250 Club teams and other interested Rotarians came to together to improve their Rotary knowledge and to get the latest advice of how to build and maintain effective Clubs
Neville Thompson OAM was born: 8 June1930 and died 3 February 2023 - Aged 92 Years
He was sponsored into Rotary Club of Temora by Gordon McGeorge PHF and PP and was inducted on 14th June, 1976. His classification was Agriculture – Beef Farming. Neville served as President 1979/1980. Neville was the son of former member of our club, Past President the late Eric Thompson who served as President 1954/1955. When Neville became president in 1979/1980 he created club history by becoming the first Rotarian in our Club to be inducted as President and son of a former President.
Post-Covid visit to Sentru Formasaun Ba Juventude – Timor Learning Centre
Rob Uhl from the Rotary E-Club of Brindabella and Mary Brell from the Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak in District 9705 recently joined Libby Bleakley from the Rotary Club of Blackheath on her post-Covid return to Sentru Formasaun Ba Juventude – Timor Learning Centre. Many other clubs in our District contribute via the Centre's Rotary Australia World Community Service fund.
A full report from Libby Bleakley is included below.
Indigenous Australians have disproportionally poor health outcomes caused by many lifestyle-related chronic diseases. With your help, we aim to make a difference.
RYLA 2023 is a challenging 7 day residential program for young people aged 18 to 30 that provides a unique opportunity for motivated individuals to be introduced to concepts of effective leadership.
The program lasts from Saturday 7 January to Friday 13 January 2023 at Warrambui Retreat and Conference Centre at 322 Greenwood Road, Murrumbateman NSW 2582
There is a dinner on Monday 9 January 2023 commencing 6.00 for 6.30 pm open to all Rotarians and Rotaractors. This is a great opportunity to meet RYLArians, have a great meal and find out all about RYLA. If your club is sponsoring a RYLArian this is also a great way to show them some support during the week (please note that RYLArians themselves do not need to register for the dinner).
To register for this dinner, please click THIS LINK and complete the details. The cost is $35 per person which includes a main, dessert and two drink tokens.
All those involved in organising RYLA 2023 look forward to seeing you at the dinner.
During the recent Annual Conference, Reconciliation, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion were the themes around much of the conversations, talks, projects and entertainment. One key element of the Reconciliation journey is the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart.
This short 4 minute video expresses the Statement by Mr Thomas Mayor at a recent Rotary dinner in Melbourne. It is worth the 4 minutes!
Break-out workshops with fellow Rotarians based on your specific interest from the areas of: emerging leadership, peace and reconciliation in our communities, leading
environmental action, leading service projects in your community, and building diversity in our clubs.
Dr. Richard Agnew the oldest Australian and first Canberran to have climbed the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, in a feat known as the Seven Summits.
Join us for a fabulous evening to celebrate the end of the year and launch our new Rotary 9705 Indigenous Health Grants program in collaboration with the Indigenous Marathon Foundation.
You’ll enjoy champagne on arrival and savour a delicious three-course meal in excellent company with the backing of live entertainment. There will be two bottles of wine on each table and a delightful gift from our friends at Guylian for every guest.
There will be raffle prizes throughout the evening and an Indigenous art auction. All proceeds from the evening will help improve Indigenous health.
Rotary International has committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion and has stated that:
As a global network that strives to build a world where people unite and take action and has to create lasting change, Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, colour, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
District D9705 strongly endorses this statement and notes that the respectful treatment of all members – as well as of all others with whom Rotarians connect - is essential to furthering goodwill and cooperation. Whatever our condition, we cannot expect respect ourselves if we fail to give it to others.
D9705 promotes DEIRotary - Respect in relation to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Note that there is a special price during the time of the Houston Convention of $425US, which will go up by $50US after June 9th and the registration involves using your MyRotary log in.
If you are unaware of your MyRotary login details, your Club Secretary should be able to help you by providing your RI number, which is used to set up your MyRotary login. You can also find your RI number in your personal profile in the District ClubRunner database.
On the 2 June 2022, the Queen's Jubilee Beacon was lit at Regatta Point by the Prime Minister, Mr Anthony Albanese. Beacons were lit in every Commonwealth capital city at 9pm local time. The Rotary District and the Rotary Club of Canberra have been involved with this project since January but with the recent election there was a delay somewhat in overall final planning for this event. Our engagement was with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
DG Leo and RC Canberra President Sandra Turner were invited to the event and Rotary was invited to assist in the Beacon Lighting ceremony and Sandra played a prominent role in handing the lighted torch to the PM who in turn lit the beacon. We were both honoured to be representing all Rotarians in Australia on this significant event.
Emily Nabakooza is a Ugandan Rotary Peace Fellow. Emily gained her Masters in Peace Studies degree just three years ago at the University of Queensland. She returned to her home city of Kampala Uganda and founded her Assisi Centre for Social Justice and Peace. The website www.acesjp.org explains the Centre’s mission and current projects.
Peter Frueh held a wide range of executive roles with Telstra and Hewlett Packard before retiring in 2006, when he joined the Rotary Club of Balwyn and was President in 2011-12.
Peter has three adult children and one grandson. His wife Anne is also a Rotarian, currently President of Balwyn.
After serving in several District positions he was District Governor of District 9800 in 2017-18. He is currently a Zone 8 Assistant Rotary Coordinator. Peter’s passion in Rotary is enhancing and being part of high performance teams. This reflects his vocational experience and its application to enhancing Rotary club, District and Zone performance in the positive, collegial, volunteer environment that Rotary provides. Since the Rotary International Board approved a petition to form a Regional Organisation in January 2019, Peter has been CoChair of the project with PDG Ingrid Waugh from District 9920 in Auckland, New Zealand.
A promotional item for could be:
Find out what Rotary International is planning to enhance club support and reduce volunteer effort and cost. The CoChair of the Regionalisation project for Zone 8 Peter Frueh will explain how Rotary and Rotaract can be enhanced in Australia, New Zealand and the 14 Pacific Islands that make up Zone 8.
The focus is on streamlining communications, avoiding duplication within the 23 Districts and having properly trained and skilled volunteers and staff directly supporting clubs.
Peter Frueh held a wide range of executive roles with Telstra and Hewlett Packard before retiring in 2006, when he joined the Rotary Club of Balwyn and was President in 2011-12.
Peter has three adult children and one grandson. His wife Anne is also a Rotarian, currently President of Balwyn.
The following is an open letter to District 9705 Rotarians and Rotaractors from Gary Davis, the President of the Rotary Club of Woden Daybreak.
Hi Rotarians and Rotaractors
With the footy season starting in the next few weeks, the Rotary Club of Woden DAYBREAK would like to announce our NRL and AFL footy tipping competitions, that you, your friends and family may wish to participate in.
Firstly, there is an important difference to these tipping competitions compared to other competitions you may be involved in.
No one receives an individual monetary gain from being a good tipper.
In each of the competitions, the six top tipsters in that competition over the regular season (not including the finals) will each earn 10% of the funds raised through that competition for their nominated Rotary clubs.
The remaining 40% will go to the Rotary Club of Woden DAYBREAK for developing, running and administering the competition.
It costs $20 to join either the NRL or AFL tipping competitions and double that if you want to join both competitions.
As an added bonus, I will personally fund a small trophy for the tipster with the highest score in the NRL competition and the tipster with the highest score in the AFL competition and then present the trophies at a District Conference or other suitable event.
Peter Frueh held a wide range of executive roles with Telstra and Hewlett Packard before retiring in 2006, when he joined the Rotary Club of Balwyn and was President in 2011-12.
Peter has three adult children and one grandson. His wife Anne is also a Rotarian, currently President of Balwyn.
After serving in several District positions he was District Governor of District 9800 in 2017-18. He is currently a Zone 8 Assistant Rotary Coordinator. Peter’s passion in Rotary is enhancing and being part of high performance teams. This reflects his vocational experience and its application to enhancing Rotary club, District and Zone performance in the positive, collegial, volunteer environment that Rotary provides. Since the Rotary International Board approved a petition to form a Regional Organisation in January 2019, Peter has been CoChair of the project with PDG Ingrid Waugh from District 9920 in Auckland, New Zealand.
David Brawn has been a member of Rotary for over 22 years, joining the Rotary Club of Sydney CBD in 1999 and becoming its President in 2003/4. He became the District Governor of the then D.9750 (now D.9675) in 2010/11.
He gained a BSc in Physics and Maths from London University in 1966 and then a Master’s degree in Business Studies from the London Business School in 1968. Subsequently, after retirement and as an external student at Murdoch University, David gained a graduate diploma and a master’s degree in environmental science.
David had a career in companies including the Rank Organisation, Xerox and Telstra in marketing, strategic planning, and business management roles.
In March 2021, then DG Michael Moore asked David to establish a District Team to assist clubs to embrace the new Area of Rotary Focus called “Protecting the Environment” and to help clubs initiate worthwhile and satisfying environmental projects.
David’s District Team has 15 Rotarians located around the District including 8 Past Presidents and 2 current Presidents and members of the team are called Environmental Envoys.
David will report on the achievements of the District Environmental Envoy programme over the last year.
Regionalisation of Rotary
PDG Peter Freuh
Peter Frueh held a wide range of executive roles with Telstra and Hewlett Packard before retiring in 2006, when he joined the Rotary Club of Balwyn and was President in 2011-12.
Peter has three adult children and one grandson. His wife Anne is also a Rotarian, currently President of Balwyn.
After serving in several District positions he was District Governor of District 9800 in 2017-18. He is currently a Zone 8 Assistant Rotary Coordinator. Peter’s passion in Rotary is enhancing and being part of high performance teams. This reflects his vocational experience and its application to enhancing Rotary club, District and Zone performance in the positive, collegial, volunteer environment that Rotary provides. Since the Rotary International Board approved a petition to form a Regional Organisation in January 2019, Peter has been CoChair of the project with PDG Ingrid Waugh from District 9920 in Auckland, New Zealand.
A promotional item for could be:
Find out what Rotary International is planning to enhance club support and reduce volunteer effort and cost. The CoChair of the Regionalisation project for Zone 8 Peter Frueh will explain how Rotary and Rotaract can be enhanced in Australia, New Zealand and the 14 Pacific Islands that make up Zone 8.
The focus is on streamlining communications, avoiding duplication within the 23 Districts and having properly trained and skilled volunteers and staff directly supporting clubs.
Pictured is President, James O’Shea, accepting the ‘Volunteer Group of the Year Award’ from Ambassador Peter Cousens AM at the Oberon Australia Day Awards Ceremony. The award is a recognition of the work that Rotary does in the Oberon local community and epitomises Rotary's motto “Service Above Self’. Congratulations to all 2022 Award recipients.
The Australia Day Multicultural Project instigated by the Rotary Club of Parkes is very fitting of the Australia Day theme – reflect, respect and celebrate.
The interviews with people from Poland, Cambodia, Brazil, Holland, Peru and Nigeria really show that a regional town accept and embrace people from all over the world in order for them to live an enjoyable and peaceful life in the Parkes community.
This project also very much embraces the current objectives f Rotary in many ways:
Two President Elect Training Seminars (PETS) are offered in 2022. They are identical seminars and President Elects can choose which one best suits them. One will be held in Cowra on the 19th and 20th February and the other on Cooma on the 5th and 6th March. It is mandatory for all President Elects to attend PETS.
Few people have seen more remote places and wild animals than Dr Chadden Hunter. From the Sahara desert to the Antarctic ice cap, Chadden has not only braved the elements but returned with award-winning footage and death-defying stories.
Originally from north Queensland, Chadden grew up surrounded by rainforest and coral reef, an immersion in nature that inspired his life journey. He studied marine biology on the Great Barrier Reef and his passion for wildlife took him on a wild ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ adventure to study gelada baboons in the remote war-torn mountains of Ethiopia for his PhD. While dodging armed bandits and surviving brain parasites he learnt the local language and realised he wanted to communicate with a greater audience.
After having to postpone their annual formal changeover earlier in the year, The Rotary Club of Griffith Avanti recently held their long-awaited induction of three members as well as the induction of the board for 2021-22. We welcomed Tracey Vitucci, Sandra Agresta and Sophie Sun into the club.
While Tracey and Sandra are returning to the club after an absence due to work commitments , Sophie is a new recruit. All three have a dynamic, positive, can-do attitude which will be a valuable addition to our community projects.
While the main source of income for the Club’s community donations remains the collection of used lead-acid batteries, the members are also involved in numerous projects throughout the district to enhance our local community, whether it is working on the community garden patch, picking produce for Foodbank, planting trees, delivering meals on wheels and assisting other organisations to name a few.
Sadly we have lost three of our Rotary family in the past few weeks. Geoff McLean from the Rotary e-Club of Brindabella on the 8th October; Rodney Jory from the RC Ginninderra on the 15th October, and Margaret Perkin from the RC Coolamon on the 28th September.
Thank you for being a part of Rod's amazing life. He made the most of his time down here. His favourite thing was going for a seafood lunch on a Wednesday. Rod spent his time with the kids attempting impossible puzzles, sitting out in the sun with our dog Francis on his lap, picnics, staring out at the ocean. He loved telling us stories - a fantastic story teller and also enjoyed reading a good book in the sunshine.
Jasmine, Kelvin and the Butler-Woollard family.
Geoff McLean passed away on Friday 8th October 2021. He will be missed by his wife Cheryl and son Tristan as well as his Rotary family. Geoff joined Moss Vale Rotary in 2001 and served as President, Secretary, Treasurer and Rotary Foundation. Geoff was then a charter member of Rotary E-Club, serving as President and Secretary as website administrator. He also held the role of District Chair of the Communications, Public Relations and Public Image committee. Geoff, you will be sadly missed....Rest in Peace
Marg Perkin was loved and respected by all who knew Marg since 3rd of August 2004. Marg involved herself in all of our projects and never shied from volunteering to help our community. Marg also got involved in helping those who needed her expertise in South Africa and, in particular, Hout Bay near Cape Town. Marg also used her talents to help enrich the lives of disadvantaged children in Cambodia. Marg was also a volunteer in India with Dr. Alok Sharma and his Darkness to Light projects. To Garth and Huw and all of your family and friends of Marg we extend our sincerest condolences. We will miss your happy smiling face, Marg.
It is with great sadness that I advise that we have lost one of our valuable members this week. Geoff McLean passed away on Friday 8th October 2021. He will be missed by his wife Cheryl and son Tristan as well as his Rotary family. Geoff joined Moss Vale Rotary in 2001 and during the time in that club served as President, Secretary, Treasurer and Rotary Foundation. Geoff transferred to our Rotary E-Club as a charter member, also serving as President and Secretary. He more recently has held the role as District Chair of the Communications, Public Relations and Public Image committee, and held the club role of Web site administrator. He built for our club a new web site of which we are all very proud. Geoff, you will be sadly missed....Rest in Peace
Adam's letter below is self explanatory. Congratulations and well done to all who gave of their time and resources at this critical time. You certainly lived the Serve to Change Lives theme for this Rotary year. And I must add another thank you to all the Clubs and Rotarians who donated to the RABS appeal. And a special mention to the RC Canberra for their donation to the Helping Hands project from the JC Olsen Trust.
Leo Farrelly, DG9705
Dear Presidents and Secretaries of the ACT
Please forgive an open letter this time!
Covid lockdown brought many challenges but it also brought empathy and generosity. A great example of that empathy and generosity was the response of Garry Malhotra and his team in providing food to those who needed it, the project known as Helping Hands. And we, as Rotarians across the ACT, played our part in that.
There is this last week to go.
The provision of daily cooked food will cease with the end of lockdown – on Friday 15 October life goes back to the new normal. The Rotary roster of drivers closes at that point, our District’s response ceases at that point. We close the charitable RABS account. Looking back, we helped make a difference: some 80 people put in 1400 or so hours volunteer effort to deliver across the ACT (and into Yass) … and so far over $23,000 in financial support from clubs, individuals, the JC Olsen Trust and Hands Across Canberra.
On Tuesday, 21 September 2021 at 12:30 pm, the Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin and Rotary District 9705 conducted a successful virtual celebration of the International Day of Peace. To see and hear Leo give a strong support in a powerful Presentation click on the image above.
The event was held as a Zoom Webinar and there were approximately 180 registrations. Despite some early technical problems, the event was a successful reflection of the dedication of Rotarians, non-Rotarians,our government, our military and our diplomats around the world.
One of those diplomats is Fred Smith, and you are encouraged to hear his story and listen to him sing in another article Just below this article.
Canberra Burley Griffin Rotary partnered with the United Nations Information Centre for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific to organise this very special event.
Congratulations to the District's newest Rotary Club. After more than 5 years of development, the Rotary Club of Canberra Sundowners was chartered on the 20th August 2021 and from here on in are a Rotary Club in their own right.
Canberra Sundowners was developed as a satellite club of Canberra Sunrise and the two have done a magnificent job in getting the new Club off the ground.
Canberra Sundowners has focussed on being on being a great grass roots community service group making a very real difference in their community, with their most recent project assisting vulnerable Canberrans in need through support to the Community Service#1 food pantry.
If you have a similar passion to help make the world a better place, step by step, please reach out and check us out.
Congratulations Rotary Club of Canberra Sundowners
The COVID-19 Taskforce of the Rotary Foundation, has made the following recommendations made for the engagement of Rotarians in combatting COVID-19.
Five suggested areas of engagement for Rotarians:
Community education
Share information from local and regional health authorities and support their efforts.
Contact your local health department to determine where assistance is most needed.
Equitable distribution
Connect with local health departments/agencies (including WHO and UNICEF where applicable) to advocate for and support their efforts to ensure all communities receive equal access to the vaccine.
Combat misinformation
Disseminate accurate, fact-based information (as provided by local health agencies).
Advocate by spreading the word that #vaccineswork. Use Rotary’s work on polio eradication as a key example.
Invite a medical professional or local health department official to speak virtually at a club meeting.
Engage with local media (e.g. letters to the editor) in support of local efforts.
Stop the spread of COVID-19
Continue to engage in projects supporting mask-wearing, social distancing, proper hygiene practices, and donation of PPE.
Lead by example (wear masks and practice social distancing at all times) and share images online that reflect these behaviours.
Encourage vaccination
Get vaccinated as soon as your country’s system permits and share your experience online.
Rotary Foundation COVID-19 Taskforce Recommendations
The Rotary clubs of ACT Emergency Services Community Awards enable the Community to publicly say ‘thank you’ and to acknowledge our emergency services personnel. On Friday 30th July 2021, two unsung heroes were formally recognised.
In keeping with Rotary’s motto of ‘Service Above Self’, the Awards acknowledge and celebrate selfless Community Service of ACT Emergency Services Personnel while supporting an important Rotary initiative: Australian Rotary Health PhD Research Scholarship into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Emergency Service Personnel.
Anyone can nominate and recognise emergency services personnel for ‘Service Above Self’ in their communities.
2021 AWARDEES
This year’s winners of the ACT Emergency Services Community Awards are Rohan Scott and Christopher Puschak
Before assuming the position of Chief Officer at the ACT Rural Fire Services, Rohan Scott spent 20+ years as a volunteer Firefighter and held several leadership appointments, including Captain. He led a team of 400 people through the 2020 Black Summer Fire Season and played a crucial role in maintaining their health, wellbeing, and morale throughout the strenuous period.
Chris Puschak has been involved with the emergency services over the past 24 years and is currently working as Treasurer of the Hall Volunteer Rural Fire Brigade while also being an active volunteer Firefighter. He played a vital role in the 2019 fire season where he defended regions of Nerriga, Adaminaby, Tumut, and Orroral Valley. Here, he volunteered to do additional shifts and also stayed back to support the wellbeing of his crew, some of whom had limited operational experience.
Rotary Clubs of ACT Emergency Services Community Awards
Rotary Club of Yenda had a great changeover on Monday 26th July at the Yenda Diggers Club. It was a great night and PP Peter Chilvers handed over the reins to the new presidet, Bob Turner, who introduced his new board.
Left to right we have Kevin Farrell, John Badocco, Allan Gyles, Max Baker, Bob Turner, Ross Blake, Brian Edwards, Graeme Bamford, Past President Peter Chilvers and Dave Watson. Squatting in front: Louis Toscan and Denis Murphy.
I was born, raised and educated in Tumbarumba. I left Tumbarumba in 1963 and went to Sydney to start a career with the Post Master Generals Department (PMG). I completed a five-year training course in telecommunications.
I worked throughout NSW in the area of telecommunications for a total of 35 years. At this point, a major restructure of the Communications Industry at this time saw Telecom partly sold off along with the entry of new players into the industry. As a result of this restructure my position was made redundant.
At this time my wife and I returned to Tumbarumba, purchased some rural land and opened a retail business in the town. We operated this business for 10 years before my wife became seriously ill. I nursed my wife for 2 years before she died.
I sold all property at Tumbarumba and moved to Wagga Wagga, and now reside with my new partner in a retirement villiage in Wagga. I joined Wollundry RC in 2018, have been Secretary for the 20-21 year, and will be Secretary and President elect for 21-22 year. Hence my appearance here today for training.
Jennifer had a great fall but thankfully recovered.
Past District Governor (PDG) Jennifer Scott lives in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. She lives with her husband PDG Ian Scott. Fancy having two PDGs in the family?
Jennifer, amongst other things, is a keen bushwalker. She is also a well known community contributor and participant in many Rotary activities.
Unfortunately, Jennifer had some severe health problems in recent years. However, she fought through these and came out of it with renewed energy. Much of this was due to her inner determination and fitness regime.
Earlier in 2021, she was completing one of her regular walks in the Blue Mountains when she slipped and fell into a canyon, many metres below. Fortunately, she was rescued by emergency personnel. Amazingly enough, she came out of the situation relatively unscathed. Everyone was surprised about this outcome.
She had planned to participate in the Rotary Peace Walk in Canberra in April 2021.
Jennifer not only made it to the Peace Walk but completed a Marathon walk (42.2km) on Saturday and backed up with a 12k walk on the Sunday.
Since then, she has participated in a 100km walk (May 2021) to celebrate 100 years of Rotary in Australia.
Hail the pocket rocket (Jennifer is extremely petite in stature but a giant in determination).
This is your invitation to the 9705 District Changeover to be held in Young NSW at the Young Services Club on Saturday evening June 26th 6:00pm for 6:30pm.
Current District Governor Dr Michael Moore AM PhD will pass the torch to Incoming District Governor Leo Farrelly.
The address of the Young Services Club is 46 Cloete Street, Young. Hope to see you there.
Incoming board members and new members are invited to the 2021 Club Development Seminar training day. This seminar was previously known as the District Assembly and has been the annually scheduled training of incoming club board members in preparation for their year. The new 2021-22 theme is in the banner above.
This Years training is vital to all our club board members. We are holding the training in two different locations to reduce travel times. The Schedule for the day’s training is:
TIME SESSION Facilitator
9 to 11 Welcome 2021-22 Theme, DG and DGE Guest speaker
11 to 11:30 Morning Tea
A Breakout sessions
11:30 to 1:00 Presidents and AG’s Leo Farrelly
Secretaries Paul Murray
Treasurers Rosemary Everett
Foundation John Mckenzie
Service Projects Michael Milston
Communications/PR Public Image J Egan/ A Gordon
New Rotarians Stephen Hill
1:00 to 2:00 Lunch
B Breakout sessions
2:00 to 3:30 Goals and Planning Leo Farrelly
Understanding Diversity, equity & inclusion A Guimelli/E Bell
Youth George Weston
Membership Judy Ford
3:30 to 4:00 Afternoon Tea
4:00 to 5:00 Youth Protection, Open Forum, Open Discussion on the 2021-2022 Budget
You are invited to attend DisTec21. DisTec21 is District 9705 Technology Training Seminar in Young on May 30th 2021. The day starts at 10 am and goes till 4 pm. The address is Young Shire Council, 189 Boorowa Street, Young. Morning tea and lunch are included.
The training is targeted at club Presidents and Secretaries, however all Rotarians are welcomed. There is a very limited number of places available. 50 Rotarians is the maximum we can train. So if you wish to participate in the training you must register first. You are advised to register as soon as possible.
We will provide training in beginning, intermediate and advanced ClubRunner. In addition to this and perhaps more important, we will be training in the creation and development of news and stories...the basic building blocks of a newsletter, booklet, bulletin, web page, web story and directories. The Rotarians from DisTec19's produced the stories for theDisTec Dispatch which is avaliable for your review. We will be refining and building upon this publication.
Special Bond Between Parkes NSW and NT Community Through Rotary Project
Parkes is not just the home to the Elvis Festival, but also where school students and Rotary are helping to make a difference. See the story in the Local Parkes Pheonix
For those Rotarians and Partners who are visiting Bathurst for the District Conference on 20 and 21 March, some of you may be interested in going on a tour of Bathurst with a knowledgeable guide.
Area Governor Doug Kinlyside has been in touch with Ian Redpath of Bathurst Tours. He has only limited capacity for the weekend due to many other prebooked tours.
However, Ian agreed that he will do his best to arrange some tours on the Saturday morning/ Saturday Afternoon of 20 March or even Sunday Morning if there is enough interest.
Latest RAM Newsletter now filled with all the stories and progress made by Rotarians supporting this great effort. Be part of the movement to eradicate Malaria along with Polio. Please share the newsletter within the Club and with friends.
Wollundry Rotary in Wagga Wagga is an active club that is accustomed to managing challenges. After having meetings for six weeks using Zoom, the members thought it was safe to go back to face to face meetings. Their normal meeting place as closed so they met in a local pub.
After a number of recurrences of the virus, the pub said there were too many members to stay within the rules and they could no longer meet there. So they went back to Zoom sessions… with a minor change.
They had a smaller group (within the allowed limits) meet in a member’s pub with their tablets and drinks (see photo below)
A number of members zoomed in from their holiday locations
Another group zoomed in from one members home and
The rest of the members zoomed in from wherever they were and
one group of 3 members joined the meeting from 4,000 feet in a member's private aircraft (see photo at right)
In spite of the fact that we are enduring the worst virus in current history, Rotarians are adopting technologies that maintain Rotary friendships.
Widely recognised public speaker Michael McQueen was the sole presenter at a webinar organised by the District 9705 Membership Committee Co- Chairs Mary Brell and Judy Ford. It was an excellent presentation and can be viewed by clicking on the photo of Michael on your right or clicking here.
The Centenary of Rotary in Australia is fast approaching. The 21st April 2021 is the date when the first Club opened in Melbourne 100 years ago. The Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin is on a mission to see 100 Peace Poles donated by Rotary Club’s to 100 schools around Australia to celebrate this milestone. This project sets up an ongoing relationship between the club’s and the school’s plus sends a most valuable message of peace to all students and staff of the school.
Wednesday evening July 1st 2020 saw the birth of the new Rotary District 9705 and a new Governor Michael Moore AM. It was a festive occasion with all the presenters smartly dressed and the event was of such prominence that it was broadcast live on Zoom. At the time of publication of this article there wasn't a known copy of a video of the event, however PDG John Glassford was kind enough to forward the editor screen dumps of each speaker. Click on the video below to view those images.
HOMELAND STORY is a remarkable MUST SEE story of cross-cultural cooperation in the development of Donydji, an Indigenous Homeland in Arnhem Land. The Rotary Club of Melbourne not only feature in the film along with the Vietnam Vets who worked with the young men of Donydji, it is thanks to their financial support that this film exists. The film charts the Donydji community's transition from nomadic life to the digital age, from the 1960s to the present day, and the work of genetic anthropologist and Vietnam Veteran, Dr Neville White. (More details below.)
EndTrachoma by 2020 has been given the exclusive opportunity to hold screenings around Australia, to not only benefit our project but also to help the Donydji community and enlighten as many as possible about our Indigenous Australians. We have held many online screenings with more screenings to come; during NAIDOC week we are screening the film as follows - and as seen on the poster
Next Sessions: Nightly from Sunday 8 to Friday 13 November 2020 - Come join us. And we are extremely fortunate to have a special guest join us each evening: Dr Neville White, and Producers Glenda Hambly or David Rapsey, for the post film Q&A session
Trybookings:https://www.trybooking.com/BMDKH only $10 per screening (funds to assist the Rotary supported Donydji Community to fund Joanne to finish her teaching qualification. You will meet Joanne in the film.)
Join us on Zoom from the comfort of your lounge-room to watch this remarkable film.
As scientists work to find a vaccine for the new coronavirus, we can do our part to keep our communities healthy by helping Rotary not only spread the word about the importance of vaccinations during World Immunization Week, 24-30 April, but also make our annual financial contribution - remember every dollar you donate the End Polio campaign receives $3. This will pay for one vaccination.
Many of us have missed our Rotary gatherings, and perhaps saved some meal costs, why not donate to the End Polio fund the sum you have saved from not attending your Rotary breakfast, lunch or dinner in the last few weeks and more than likely the next 4-8 weeks. Just click herehttps://www.endpolio.org/donate
Unfortunately, the Coronavirus pandemic has grown at such a pace that the world has been forced to cancel most public events where this virus can spread. The District Governor has cancelled the 9700 District Conference for the benefit and safety of all those attending.
Also the scheduled District Technology Training (DisTec20) in Young on April 19, 2020 has been cancelled.
The District 9710 Clubrunner Training scheduled for the first week in April has been cancelled. However, the 9710 ClubRunner Training will be held as an online video training session on Tuesday April 14, 15 and 16 at 7:30 pm. Register online here or click on the Rotary District 9705 menu screen.
D 9705 District Assembly scheduled for Saturday May 9 has been cancelled.
District Changeover for D 9705 has also been cancelled.
Rotary Youth Exchange has been suspended meaning no inbound or outbound students for the forseeeable future.
Are you interested in being involved in a volunteer training and mentoring opportunity supporting paramedics and health workers in the Dhading District of Nepal?
If you are a health professional and working in any of the following sectors
Training capacity in any health field
Women’s Health –particularly Cervical cancer screening, Prolapse uterus
During the Griffith DisCon19 we were inundated with stamps from far and wide. There were collections and stamp albums, someone even included their love letters inside the envelopes! (No we didn't read them, and suggested they might like to keep the contents ). And since then people are continuing to collect their used stamps which can be sold to dealers, with all funds going to the End Trachoma program.
YOU CAN HELP PREPARE THE STAMPS YOU SAVE. We have included a special guide to help prepare the stamps for sale.
At the District 9700 Changeover last weekend in Orange, the outgoing Governor John Glassford and the incoming Governor John McKenzie reset the dress code to a new high. Time will tell if this fashion statement has legs. Photo provided courtesy of DGE Michael Moore AM
Ian Langford and Ray williams from Bowral- Mittagong
Martyn and Patricia Witton from Merimbula
Ann Higginson and Doug Bell from Junee
Toni Hopkinson from Yass was at Distec19
Somasundera Bhaskarn (Bass)
Phil Nokes in front with Wayne and Helen Lewis getting help from DGE John McKenzie
Rob Forrester from Woden Daybreak attended DisTec19.
Thank You Rotaract Helpers
Thanks to Rotaract and Clare Lawlor for organising helpers. Here she is with PDG Ian Tooke
Rotaract helpers were busy. From the left Milena Dun chats with Elisa Sweet while Deagan Newell helps Therese Newell and Helen Pitt and Georgie Spora helps Ken Engsmyr.
Rotaract helper Jacob Howard is chating with Ian Langford from Bowral-Mittagong
On sunday 28 April, 40 Rotarians from districts 9700 and 9710 attended Distech 19 in Young Town Hall. Participants were instructed on how to better use ClubRunner to promote their club.
Distech 19 participants Deidre Tome sunrise RC and Phillip Tome Kooringal RC
I am reflecting on being on the stage in this Young Town Hall at my Year 6 Graduation from Young North Public School in 1965. The hall looks really nice now, but a lot smaller. Just realizing how much technology has changed since 1965!
Trachoma is really an ancient disease with records describing it in ancient Egyptian texts and ancient Chinese writings. It is unclear when trachoma first reached Australia.
Hugh Taylor writes in his book 'Trachoma': "One obvious suggestion is that the European migrants who came to Australia in the 1800s brought trachoma with them from Europe ... others have said that trachoma was introduced to Aboriginal people in northern Australia by Malay traders, and elsewhere by Afghan and Chinese labourers, who also came to Australia in the 19th century."
Professor Taylor continues: "Two interesting studies have suggested the presence of trachoma before European colonisation of Australia. 1 A study of Aboriginal skulls dating back 14 000 years show abnormal changes ... interpreted to indicate the presence of trachoma in ancient Aboriginal remains. And 2 In the 1950s and 1960s, extensive efforts were made to remove the remaining family groups of nomadic Aboriginal people from the Western Desert ... believed never to have had previous direct contact with Europeans had their eyes examined; half showed signs of trachoma."
HEALTH workers and social mobilisers who will be vaccinating every child and delivering life-saving messages to communities will now be recognised by vests donated by Rotary International (RI), reports the PNG Post Courier Online.
The report continues: 'District governor of Rotary International in PNG Wendy Protheroe said 10,000 jointly badged vests will be distributed to all health workers during the second phase which has been planned for this year.
“Rotary International has pledged and is supporting you as well in terms of being proactive and making sure we reach every child to get vaccinated.
What a great response from Rotarians at the recent Griffith D9700 Conference
We were inundated with stamps from far and wide. There were collections and stamp albums, someone even included their love letters inside the envelopes! (No we didn't read them, and suggested they might like to keep the contents )
Thanks to AG Elaine, these stamps will be taken to our contact in Melbourne who will prepare the stamps for sale.
YOU CAN HELP PREPARE THE STAMPS YOU SAVE. We have included a special guide to help prepare the stamps for sale.
Unfortunately Rtn Carrol, who did all this sorting and preparation out of love, has had to 'give up' that job due to family bereavement. We hope to have some good news about a replacement for Carrol, and will inform all Rotarians if and when it eventuates.
Thank you for helping to stamp out Trachoma, one lick at a time!
DG John Glassford is leading the PARADE through the district with local riders and Maggie the iron lung. Here are his latest reports:
March 5, 2019 - Leeton
Leeton RC put on a BBQ for the people of Leeton. Thanks Leeton love your BBQ trailer. Bob then welcomed Maggie to Narrandera at the Tourist Information office, we met some dignitaries from Narrandera Shire Council. Two cyclists and Bob then followed Maggie into Narrandera where they and Maggie went up and down the main street. Some collections were made and Narrandera Rotary Club made a donation to the Polio Plus PARADE. Thank you all.
Now I hope to get some photos from Narrandera soon. Had a call from a Rotarian in Cowra today saying that they are well organised with cyclists. Maggie is a super attraction and is the reason we are doing this so that no one ever has to live in one of these contraptions ever again.
In Wagga tomorrow 10.00am for a Mayoral reception and ride down Baylis Street should be fun. Back in Wagga at the Market Place on Thursday then Coolamon and so on.
DGJG
The Parade Has Begun
Maggie The Iron Lung from the Griffith City Council Pioneer Park has started a journey of 1,600 kms around our Rotary D9700. Maggie left from Griffith Monday morning to all the cities, towns and villages in our District that have a Rotary presence. Due to logistics, we may have to miss a leg or two. However the route and dates have not changed.
We have 4 tap and Go terminals working to collect money for the END POLIO NOW program.
Maggie is in working order thanks to Ross Grillo from the Griffith Rotary Club. Ross has done a wonderful job with Maggie and I am sure that Maggie will open many eyes as we take her around the district.
Our sincere thanks to Ross and the Griffith Rotary clubs for getting us this far on our journey culminating in the Griffith 2019 Conference from March 29-31st.
I encourage all district Rotarians and friends to support our PARADE cyclists. Come and greet Maggie when she arrives at your community and support an excellent cause.
That strange sound you hear around the District is Rotarians and friends tearing off the postage stamp on that envelop recently received.
And what a great way to help End Trachoma, by bringing these stamps to our DisCon19 in Griffith at the end of the month.
A number of people are downsizing and this is the opportunity to ask the children if they want their 40 year old stamp collection (could be a wonderful collectors item for their children!). If they are not interested then bring it to the DisCon19 as well.
Rotarian Carrol, who manages this collection, not only deals with the average stamp, but also has links into the Stamp industry where she gets realistic prices for the valuable stamps!
The photo at your right looks like something out of a High Adventure magazine....and it is. Youth Exchange is a high adventure. The photo is of our Exchange Student Jackson Wykes sponsored by the Rotary Club of Coolamon.
The Gazette is a compilation of articles written by our D9700 exchange students currently abroad. They return home in early January 2019, so not long to go.
The Gumtree Gazette is shared with the students, their parents, sponsoring clubs, sponsor counsellor, District YE Committee, District Governor and District Secretary. It is intended that it be shared with members of the student's sponsor club and District Board.
Please enjoy reading about the exploits of our students and their reflections of the year just been.
Are you aiming to enlist a corporation or business to support Rotary's drive to end polio? Whether you're targeting the local, regional, or national level, the best way to begin is to identify a key contact and simply ask.
Aziz Memon, chair of the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee, did just that. In 2010, he approached Zohair Mehmood, director of external affairs at Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan, asking that the company consider sponsoring billboards across the country to promote polio eradication during National Immunization Days. The company agreed to the request as part of its corporate social responsibility program, and went on to sponsor ads in the Pakistan End Polio Now newsletter.
But the new partners both had something bigger in mind. "In 2012, the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee and Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding to raise awareness about polio [and to] facilitate activities related to a clean environment, better sanitation conditions, water conservation, improved education in schools, and other community-based initiatives," says committee project manager Asher Ali.
Work soon began on a reverse-osmosis water filtration plant in Malir Town in Karachi, Sindh, which opened in January, giving 20,000 people access to safe water.
"Clean drinking water is a dire need in areas where the poliovirus exists due to poor sanitation and hygiene," says Ali. "[The plant] was installed at one of our permanent immunization centers."
Creating a corporate partnership to help end polio is all about building relationships, notes John Burt, a member of the Rotary Club of Orange, California, USA. In 2008, he invited Tim Mead, vice president of communications for the Anaheim Angels Major League Baseball club to speak to members of the Orange club. After the talk, Burt and fellow club member Michael Abdalla, a 2005-07 Rotary Foundation trustee, met with Mead, who then arranged for the two Rotarians to meet with Angels Executive Vice President John Carpino.
"John agreed to give us 50 percent off the [ticket] list price if we sold 500 tickets," says Burt. "We also sold over 600 Angels commemorative caps embroidered with 'End Polio Now'."
Since 2009, that formula has helped Rotary members in District 5320 generate more than $117,000 for polio eradication through annual Angels-Rotary Night to End Polio Now fundraisers. Over 5,000 Rotarians have attended the events, and the district has also provided public service announcements that are aired during TV broadcasts of Angels games.
In addition to establishing key contacts with the team, Burt says that enlisting support from the district governor, appointing Rotarian planning and ticket sales coordinators, and promoting the event to Rotary club presidents all have helped ensure success.
"Orange Rotarians have also sponsored 186 needy kids from the Orangewood Children's Home and Big Brothers Big Sisters," says Burt. "Each kid receives a club-level ticket, an Angels cap, food, and an opportunity to attend Angels batting practice. Many of these kids have never attended a Major League Baseball game before."
ABC RN Breakfast host Fran Kelly, in introducing her guest Ophthalmologist professor Hugh Taylor, said "Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander children start their lives with excellent eyesight compared with the rest of the Australian community. But ...
By the time Indigenous children reach the age of 14 they begin to be afflicted by preventable illnesses that see their eyesight deteriorate to the point where they are six times more likely to suffer from blindness and impaired vision compared to the national average."
Health officials say they are confident trachoma is on track to be eliminated in Australia — the only developed nation where it still exists as a public health problem — within the next two years.
Click the logo to listen to Fran Kelly's interview withProf Hugh Taylor (Ophthalmologist, University of Melbourne), broadcast Monday 19 November 2018.
And check out the District web site for a link to this interview, other stories and for information ways to donate and resources for your use in the Rotary Club and your community.
RI President Barry Rassin had a great meeting with the President of Portugal. “A remarkable leader.”
Barry Rassin
President 2018-19
November 2018
One early June, more than 30 years ago, I had a business trip scheduled to Las Vegas. I had been a Rotarian for about six years, and I thought of myself as an active member: I attended every meeting, I’d served as club secretary, I knew everyone in my club. But for me, Rotary was very much a community organization. It connected me to Nassau and perhaps even to the Bahamas — but no farther.
I had never given much thought to Rotary beyond the Bahamas, and it had never crossed my mind to travel to a Rotary convention. But that spring, I realized that my trip to Las Vegas would coincide with the Rotary International Convention and thought, why not? I sent in my registration and paid my fees, never suspecting that the experience would change my life.
When I walked through the doors of that convention, I was stunned. It was one thing to know that I was part of a global organization with over a million members around the world. It was something else altogether to stand there in the middle of it. I went to every general session, looked in at every booth at the House of Friendship, and learned about projects that I hadn’t even known you could do in Rotary. That convention didn’t just open my eyes. It opened my mind. It inspired me to completely change the way I saw Rotary, what Rotary could do for me, and what I could do through Rotary. That inspiration has stayed with me ever since — and is renewed every year, at every Rotary convention.
In June 2019, Rotarians from all over the world will converge in Hamburg to Capture the Moment at the 110th Rotary International Convention. Many, like me, will have been coming to conventions for years; many others will be coming for the first time. Whether they’re looking to connect with old friends, to find inspiration for a new Rotary year, or simply to see what Rotary is all about, each of them will find their own moment in Hamburg.
Hamburg is a port city that connects Germany to the world and that has been an economic and cultural hub for centuries. It’s a wonderful place to visit — to stroll the shores of the city’s lake, take a boat trip on the Elbe River, dine out, hear great music, and explore fascinating museums. It’s also the ideal place to kick off a European vacation.
If you’re a regular convention goer, you absolutely won’t want to miss out on the friendship and inspiration you’ll find in Hamburg. And if you’ve never been to a convention, please consider this my personal invitation. Register at riconvention.org by 15 December for the best rate — and let this convention Be the Inspiration for your Rotary journey.
St. Pauli HAMBURG
Home to the world-renowned Reeperbahn entertainment district, chances are high you'll find your new favourite watering hole right here. Such as Zwicks below:
PARKES Rotary Club celebrated its Changeover last week with some very generous donations to local charities.
Outgoing President Peter Thompson has had a fantastic year highlighted by the evening’s presentations. “The Club has worked extremely well this year and our focus on reducing costs of our inputs has resulted in more disposable income enabling us to be a bit more generous this year,” Peter said. The major recipient this year was a donation to Western Care Lodge in Orange for assistance in refurbishing some of the rooms.
The 2018 District Conference in Leeton from the 4th to 6th of May was, as George and Carol suggested, a highlight of the Rotary year. Rotarians from across the district came to Leeton in numbers not seen in several years. Registered attendees topped 250.
There were several outstanding speakers such as Sarah Brown from the Purple House, His Excellency Abel Guterres, Timor-Leste Ambassador to Australia, Peter Wilkins, retired Sports Commentator with the ABC and Brendan Farrell – Burrumbuttock Hay Run founder. To view a photo album of the conference, click here.
Congratulations to Leeton and the District - for Excellent Attendance and a Great Conference
Cheryl Deguara -Rotary Club of St Marys (District 9675)
Cheryl Deguara has been a Rotarian for over 19 years having served on the District Public Relations Committee as Chair and District Secretary, Assistant Governor, part of the District Training Committee and District New Generation Chair. Cheryl is a Past President and has been awarded PHFs by both her clubs and her District as well as awarded the Australian Rotary Health’s Golden Microscope and ARH Companion.
RYLAApplications are now being called for from Rotary Clubs
RYLA is part of Rotary’s commitment to the youth of Australia. It shows respect and concern for young citizens and encourages and recognises the high qualities of many young people who are showing leadership in an array of work, education, community and sporting areas.
RYLA - Rotary Youth Leadership in Action - is about leadership, learning and laughter; it is about co-operation, consideration, communication and confidence. It is for people aged 18-28, who have demonstrated leadership, intelligence and compassion within their local community.
The theme will be Developing your Leadership Potential, based on an Australian Leadership Capability Framework, and includes an array of top class speakers in an interactive adult learning environment.
You can play a part in our future by canvassing employers in your community to select potential leaders to attend this Conference. Following is more info about the Program ...
Applications are now open for High School students year 9 -10.
D9700 eagerly awaits the return of the 2017 outbound students in Januray. To hear their stories and see how they have changed and matured in the past year, their will be a Youth Exchange Debriefing day in Young on Sunday 4th February 2018. This day is the highlight of the year for Rotary Youth Exchange.
Greetings to all District 9700 Rotarians and their families.
I have completed my DG club visits and I would like to congratulate all the clubs and members on their outstanding programs and accomplishments. It was inspiring to meet with all of you and gain an insight into all the wonderful work that is being done.
This newsletter is filled wiith the latest indformation on the upcoming Redistricting with 9710, nominations for the first District Governor of the new district in 2020-21, the new Area Governors positions and great stories of the achievements of District 9700 Rotarians.
Carol and I would like to wish all of you the best of the holiday season and a healthy and happy 2018.
On November 12, 2017 the inaugural District Technology Training Day was held in the Young town hall. Forty-five Rotarians registered for the training and the overall assessment average of the speakers by the attendees was 4 stars out of 5.
District Governor George Weston officially welcomed everyone in a pre-recorded Zoom message. George won over the group by his willingness to allow his out-takes to be included in his welcome. The group loved them and it was a great start to the day.
District Governor Elect John Glassford, welcomed everyone and gave an overview of the day. He thanked the speakers on the day, the help of the Young Rotary Club and all those present for supporting this inaugural event. The day was John’s idea, so he was well pleased with the turnout.
Special thanks need to be made to Paul Galloway and Sureway Employment and Training for donating Flash drives to all participants. See donated drive at right.
Below are some of the comments received from the end of the day feedback forms:
A great event to be continued.
Clubrunner, Word Press very interesting. Very interested to learn Zoom and Social Media. Lots of info to practise at home
Fabulous, informative and interesting day. Well planned and implemented. Congrats!
Very informative in all regards. Well planned. It was wonderful to not have endure a sausage sizzle lunch!
Thank you for allowing us to have Inter District sharing. Hands on excellent.
Well done ALL!
The day was pleasurable and informative.
Enjoyed all activities. Would like a bit more time on GIMP. Great meeting new and old Rotarians. Well done, great day. Very well present. Congratulations.
At Club Changeover time, the usual list of proceedings includes a Toast to Rotary International (RI). It can be a simple 'Please stand to toast RI' through to a detailed explanation about RI.
During my attendance at different Changeovers this year, I was impressed with the effort many Rotarians put into their toast. One that seemed to encapsulate what many said was delivered by Rtn Greg Madden of Bathurst East.
Greg has allowed its publication - see the download on the home page or click this link.
Get up and Go’ is the theme for ‘Rotary Fitness’ is a new initiative that we think should be considered by all clubs because it offers nothing but benefits for Rotarians, for the growth of clubs, for the community and for the health of all Australians.
The idea is very easy to implement at the club level.
All that is required is for a group of club members to regularly get involved in some form of fitness activity. Rotarians are encouraged to think about their health and for clubs to add a simple, regular weekly health related activity to their calendar; such as a group walk, a bike ride, game of golf, etc. – whatever activity your club supports the most.
Rotary Club of Orange members had a great day in July at the Donations in Kind (DIK) warehouse at Minchinbury. DIK is a recycling and reuse program run by Rotary providing donated items to countries in need of goods for health and education. Their work involves collection, sorting, packing, dispatch and distribution logistics.
For ten years DIK has used a warehouse owned by the Salvation Army, rent free, which has been a great partnership for Rotary. The Salvation Army now needs the space back. Rotarians had a smashing time breaking down old tables, collapsing cardboard boxes, packing up the kitchen and moving pallets for pick up and general tidying up.
Last year, when Kate visited the Solomon Islands to work with Bathurst Rotary Club members in the construction of a toilet block at an outlying School at Nazareth, there was a call out for children’s books to take to the school.
A few months later, I learned that Carcoar School was revamping their library and many of the outdated, duplicated and damaged books would be culled. I asked Beryl and Kate could they use the books, but apparently, it would be extremely difficult to transport the books to the location unless the books were carried in personal luggage .
Irene Jones then suggested she could contact Roberta Porter, who was the DG of the District 9500 (which includes Thursday Island) during Irene’s year as DG, to explore options for the use of the books in remote areas of northern Australia. Irene was referred to Romina Fuji, the President of the Rotary Club of Thursday Island.
Barry will be RI President to D9700 District Govenor Elect John Glassford Barry Rassin, of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2018-19. He will be declared the president-elect on 1 September if no challenging candidates have been suggested.
As president, Rassin aims to strengthen our public image and our use of digital tools to maximize Rotary’s reach. “Those who know what good Rotary clubs do will want to be a part of it, and we must find new models for membership that allow all interested in our mission to participate,” he says. “With Rotary more in the public eye, we will attract more individuals who want to be part of and support a membership organization that accomplishes so much good around the world.”
Rassin earned an MBA in health and hospital administration from the University of Florida and is the first fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in the Bahamas. He recently retired after 37 years as president of Doctors Hospital Health System, where he continues to serve as an adviser. He is a lifetime member of the American Hospital Association and has served on several boards, including the Quality Council of the Bahamas, Health Education Council, and Employer’s Confederation.
Christmas in July was also the 1st event that Lucia Bohnsack, Coolamon's Rotary exchange student, attended since arriving here on the weekend.
Lucia introduced herself, telling us it feels like she has come to a large town; her home town has a population of 300 people! Lucia has been shopping for school uniforms, something that is a bit different as she doesn't have to wear a uniform at home.
Lucia presented the club with a banner from her host club in Germany, the Rotary Club of Einbeck Northheim, which Paul was happy to accept.
Cancer patients and their carers from across Western NSW travel to Orange for radiation or chemotherapy treatment. If they have to travel more than 100 km, which of course many do, then they have the opportunity to stay in the comfort of the Western Care Lodge.
This facility is located in the grounds of the Orange Hospital and is funded by the generosity of the regional communities, especially Rotary Clubs from across this District.
DG George had the opportunity to have a look through the Lodge on 9 August as the Rotary Club of Orange was doing some publicity for their donation of some garden furniture for the Lodge’s barbecue area. The furniture made by the Orange Woodworkers Association and was funded by the raffle of a quilt donated by Julie Walsh of Dubbo in appreciation of her stay in the Lodge.
Dr Luc Mulimbalimba- Masururu (known as Dr Luc) is Medical Director of Mission in Health Care and Development (MHCD) (www.mhcdafrica.org), which aims to provide health care and poverty reduction services to the most vulnerable, including Congo’s Pygmies.
MHCD has multiple projects, ranging from an epilepsy centre, schools, a training centre for traditional midwives, birthing kit distribution, an orphanage, and a radio station that mobilizes the community on primary health care, peace and reconciliation.
Wagga Rescue Squad's Tim Lidden named 2017 Rotary volunteer officer of the year at a gala award event in Sydney.
Nominated by South Wagga Rotary Club.
LOCAL HERO: Rotary volunteer officer of the year Tim Lidden (centre) with Police Minister Tony Grant, Rotary's Dot Hennessy and NSW Governor David Hurley in Sydney.
Tim Lidden remembers the moment he realised that volunteering in Wagga was for him.
“I was 18 and my uncle at the time was with the VRA (Volunteer Rescue Association) and he needed help on the river for the local Gumi race,” Mr Lidden said.
Mark will be RI President to D9700 District Governor Nominee John McKenzie
Mark Daniel Maloney, of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, USAlstin is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2019-20. He will be declared the president-nominee on 1 October if no challenging candidates have been suggested.
“The clubs are where Rotary happens,” says Maloney, an attorney. He aims to support and strengthen clubs at the community level, preserve Rotary’s culture as a service-oriented membership organization, and test new regional approaches for growth.
“With the eradication of polio, recognition for Rotary will be great and the opportunities will be many,” he says. “We have the potential to become the global powerhouse for doing good.”
Effective Rotary Club and District meetings can be interesting as well as being business-like and fun - - - all at the same time.
In 2004 PRID John Thorne was prompted to write a small booklet on essential protocol, hints and etiquette in Rotary. It was published by Rotary Down Under and was quite well received.
Four editions were published and all were distributed at a low cost. It has now been decided to produce a new edition entirely and make it available through Kindle.
You can get a copy by going to the Kindle Store or App Shop and search for 'Rotary Manners'.
Being a Rotarian has many privileges, not the least of which is being able to lead our communities through the service work of our Rotary clubs. In District 9700 we share a variety of common causes based on the reality of being a rural District. We also have a sense of identity with the wider world through our Annual support of The Rotary Foundation which sponsors many projects across this globe of ours, including many that we as a District continue to contribute towards.
The Centurion Club was introduced into our District by PDG Peter Walsh in 2000 as a means of encouraging Rotarians to go beyond the support they give through their clubs, by opening up a means by which we can contribute at a personal level to the work of The Rotary Foundation. While recognising that we cannot always give every year, Centurion members are encouraged to give as they can, with a minimum of Aus$100.00 which is tax deductible.
On the 15th of July last the Rotary Club of Forbes celebrated its 70th Changeover with the induction of Ross Williams as our President for 2017/18, the forty or so members, visiting Rotarians and guests enjoyed a cosy and relaxed atmosphere with a more than adequate 2 course meal supplied by Ashcroft’s Catering this was in spite of the minus temperature outside.
Our special guest was Past District Governor Bernie Huxtable and his wife Collina who commented on our excellent choice of venue which was the revamped Garema hall, Garema is of course Ross’s home town.
Hello, my name is George and my team and I are here to help you. I am looking forward to meeting and working with you all in the next twelve months.
My focus areas will be:
Clubs, support and growth
Youth, using Rotary to give them the best opportunities
Foundation, Rotary’s own charity.
The Directory has been sent to all of you and it is easy to use, with links to all information you may need in the future. Please take the time to learn how to use it. It won’t take long. I must thank Paul Murray for his hard work in producing this document. This is a huge job that takes months of work. Thank you Paul.
In the coming newsletters, I would like to feature stories from clubs and their activities and successes. I would like to feature 4 clubs each month. If your club would like to have a story in the District Newsletter, please send a prepared story with photos to District Secretary, Marilyn Roberts, robwag2@bigpond.com. The story should be no longer than an A4 page, with no more than two photos.
I have commenced by DG visits and Carol and I have enjoyed the welcome and hospitality from the clubs. We are looking forward to the next few month visiting all clubs in the district.
As the sun sets on the 2016-2017 Rotary Year, it is time to present my closing comments. (And this will be my last QN, you'll be pleased to know!)
People rightly ask, "Have you enjoyed your year?" And the answer is "YES!"
I have been honoured to be your Governor for the last 12 months, and both Ann and I have enjoyed the camaraderie shared and great work witnessed across all our Rotary Clubs, Rotarians and friends.
For me, there have been some stand-out achievements - many clubs embracing the need to connect with their Aboriginal Community; most clubs attended the District Conference; we will end the year with as many Rotarians as we started; we have negotiated a satisfactory outcome for the future District localities; your fundraising efforts will see many tens of thousands of children vaccinated against Polio; so many great projects being delivered at home, in the district, nationally and overseas; strong support for disasters at home and abroad; and our solid participation in and organisational skills in presenting our raft of youth programs.
The thing that has most impressed me over the year, is the great commitment Rotarians make in pursuit of the projects, services, and activities that they work on tirelessly, voluntarily, and for the good of others. This selflessness is endearing and made me so proud to be working with Rotarians like you towards our motto, Service above Self. You can read further on my assessment of our performance in Quick News #25.
As we transition into the new year, to be ably led by Governor George Weston, we need to remind ourselves of the 4-Way Test, to think about what type of Rotary would we like our children, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren to be part of, and to serve humanity and make a difference.
Ann and I thank you for your support, and look forward to meeting you again when we are next in your community, or at functions, or our paths cross. We have enjoyed sharing the journey with you, and wish you well for the coming year.
This edition of Quick News is to update you on the End Polio campaign and your part in its progress.
In the early stages of our Rotary Year, Ann and I asked that you help to vaccinate the millions of children who need it, and especially in the three countries where there have been new cases of the polio-virus - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
To help raise this awareness I made a New Year's Resolution to not cut my hair or beard until we had raised our target of $US26,500, being $US26.50 per District Rotarian (in real AU$ this is $35,000 or $35 per Rotarian). This target would attract $2 for every $1 (we raised) from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation resulting in a total of $US79,500, sufficient to vaccinate almost 40,000 children! Congratulations to Rotary Club of Bathurst Daybreak for their District winning contribution to the campaign.
Well YOU made it! At close of business today, the total District Club contributions to End Polio was $US27,011.36. Add to this the District donated a further $US14,826 from the District Funds received from previous years' Foundation contributions. That makes a total of $US41,837, add the Gates Foundation 2 for 1, and the total from our district is worth over $US125,500 or almost 63,000 vaccinated children - that is Rotary Serving Humanity.
Of course the need to continue funding Polio vaccination for all new born children will be around for at least three years after the last case is recorded. So please keep up your support.
If you want to check additional information on Polio click on the Read More...
At the recent District Changeover, I was pleased to be able to provide a number of Awards to individuals and Clubs where they have met the criteria for the various awards. The Awards are listed with the winning Rotary Clubs in the Read More ... section, so please visit to see the full list.
The Rotarian of the Year was awarded to Sue Gordon of the Rotary Club of Young - Sue's commitment to Serving Humanity, through Rotary and her many pursuits, embodies the key values of being a Rotarian, and she is well deserving of the Award of 2016-17 District 9700 Rotarian of the Year.
The Outstanding Rotarian of the Year Award for Contribution to Rotary International was awarded to Bruce Duffy of the Rotary Club of South Wagga Wagga The central feature in Bruce’s commitment to Rotary and to Serving Humanity is his inspirational leadership style, his shrewd negotiation, and enthusiasm.
The other awards include for Membership Growth, End Polio and Rotary Foundation Contributions, and contributions to Australian Rotary Health.
Check out the winners by clicking on Read More ...
In this Quick News I wanted to share with you my assessment of our District 2016-17 performance against our targets for this Rotary year. In summary, I believe we scored very well on three key Strategies and targets. In these results the % is an assessment of how well we did against the set targets, and they are:
Develop leaders capable of serving Rotary at the Club, District and International levels 80%
Improve the organisational and operational performance of the District 90%
Apply Rotary’s five Avenues of Service - Club, Vocational, Community, International and Youth Programs 85%
But on the other three key Strategies we either scrapped over or under-performed.
Support Clubs to increase and sustain the District membership base 30%
Focus and increase educational, vocational and humanitarian service through The Rotary Foundation 35%
Use the activities of local Rotarians to increase awareness of Rotary 50%
If you want to check the individual targets and my assessment click on the Read More...
In this Quick News I wanted to share with you the District Board decisions at the end of this Rotary year. Your board considered a number of items and I have picked out the main ones, being
approval to work on a Vocational Training Team project to focus on Indigenous communities,
selection of reps for the Council on Legislation,
some changes to the District Conference funding,
donation to The Rotary Foundation and managing our District Foundation Project grants, and
There are only 45 weeks until the District 09700 Conference in Leeton!
Be sure that you and your Club have booked your accommodation early to avoid disappointment.
There are a number of great accommodation options in Leeton. The link to the Accommodation - Motels, Hotels, Self contained apartments, and even camping - are all covered in this ACCOMMODATION LISTING
Rebecca Tolstoy - is an avid Rotarian (RC of Perth) and loves all things Rotary. Being part of Rotary made her realise her Path of Hope would do “more good” in the world if it became a Rotary project joint venturing with Salvation Army. She has more than 20 years of professional and executive experience divided equally between the hospitality industry and the accountancy profession. As Chairman, Co-Founder and Director of the Path of Hope Foundation (The Foundation is a charitable joint venture established between Rotary & Salvation Army), Rebecca provides strategic vision and facilitates the formal collaboration between Rotary and The Salvation Army. Path of Hope offers assistance and resources to women vulnerable to, or currently experiencing, domestic violence. In 2014, the Foundation was the only State recipient of a Significant Achievement Award from Rotary International for its efforts to support disadvantaged women and children.
To whet your appetite already confirmed Keynote speakers includ
Donald Trump - is an avid Rotarian (RC of Perth) and loves all things Rotary. Being part of Rotary made her realise her Path of Hope would do “more good” in the world if it became a Rotary project joint venturing with Salvation Army. She has more than 20 years of professional and executive experience divided equally between the hospitality industry and the accountancy profession. As Chairman, Co-Founder and Director of the Path of Hope Foundation (The Foundation is a charitable joint venture established between Rotary & Salvation Army), Rebecca provides strategic vision and facilitates the formal collaboration between Rotary and The Salvation Army. Path of Hope offers assistance and resources to women vulnerable to, or currently experiencing, domestic violence. In 2014, the Foundation was the only State recipient of a Significant Achievement Award from Rotary International for its efforts to support disadvantaged women and children.
“...it takes a while to get your head around the poverty, but the thing that strikes you is how happy the Cambodians are and their gratitude for the smallest assistance..." Rtn Travis Downie 2016.
Congratulations to the Rotarians of Wollundry Wagga Wagga for their work serving humanity in very poor localities of Cambodia. This project demonstrates how commitment + Dedication and Hard work x use of grants + RAWCS = improved facilities + housing + education. A Winning Formula.
Over the last 5 years the community of Wagga Wagga, led by members of Wagga-based charity, HELP Cambodia (a not for profit registered ACNC charity established in 2015 fundraising and supporting various poor communities in Cambodia), have funded the building of a number of schools, housing blocks and medical centres in impoverished communities of Cambodia.
One of those communities is in Steung Mean Chey village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh where the Development for Community Centre (DCC) has been established by the work of one man, Bophal Choun, following his dream of providing supplementary education and community support to families in his community. Bophal currently supports over 90 students at the DCC with a much greater number of children being turned away due to lack of space and resources.
The current focus, managed by the Rotary Club of Wollundry Wagga Wagga through their sponsored RAWCS project is to build a new school/community centre, fund the running of the centre in the short term and ultimately help the DCC become self sustaining. Construction of the new centre commenced in early April. To donate to this RAWCS project click here.
Read More of the story about this great project...
Here is the latest information from Shelterbox on the current flooding in Sri Lanka. As they don’t yet have a clear picture of the aid required, the best assistance is by making donations to ShelterBox Solutions. That way the donations can be used to provide exactly the types of aid required.
What ShelterBox is doing
It is assessing the need to respond to mudslides and flooding in Sri Lanka.
They are flying in to assist the Sri Lankan Government led relief efforts, work with partner charities and local Rotary Clubs, and to make urgent plans to help local families and communities recover.
Their work responding in Sri Lanka last year means they have the best possible experience in how to level and drain sites on the island, and they’ll be working with partners and the Sri Lanka government to share their expertise.
Now don’t get all thingy with me, and yes it has been a great year enjoying your company and watching you making a difference Serving Humanity, so I don’t want to spoil it! These words I heard regularly during our visits and were often part of the “What is Rotary?” response. And these words got me thinking about why they are so important in our lives, in all aspects – professional, family, personal – and have a strong bearing on how we project ourselves to the world.
FUN and FELLOWSHIP
FUN is a state of being where the quantity of happiness is greater than the quality of sadness – this is my definition. It invokes descriptions of pleasure, enjoyment, amusement, and entertainment, and whatever your own feelings might include. By its nature FUN requires interaction – be it with yourself, an external activity, or some random event. And did you know that “a critical mass of research has provided what might be the most basic and irrefutable argument in favour of happiness: Happiness and good health go hand-in-hand. Indeed, scientific studies have been finding that happiness can make our hearts healthier, our immune systems stronger, and our lives longer.” [Six Ways Happiness Is Good for Your Health, by Kira M. Newman, July 28, 2015, in http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_ways_happiness_is_good_for_your_health ]
The argument goes: if you have fun, are happy when interacting, and interacting with people who positively stimulate you, then this is a state of being you might choose to experience over and over again (so that is why golfers keep playing!). This regular commitment to each other, to interaction and to enjoyment of others company, might be loosely called FELLOWSHIP.
The FELLOWSHIP then provides a positive and often fun context for doing things. I have come to understand that while we as Rotarians are keen to raise funds for great and important causes, it is the fun we have doing it that ensures we go back and do it the next time, and the next.
Now if the Rotary experience is not enough and you want to expand your horizons, the ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS program provides a huge selection of interests in which like-minded Rotarians can immerse themselves! These groups help expand skills, foster vocational development, and enhance the Rotary experience by exploring interests while developing connections around the world.
Are you involved in a Rotary Fellowship?
“Rotary Fellowships offer Rotarians the opportunity to make friends with others in Rotary who share a common vocation, hobby or recreational interest.” Why not promote the activities and aims of your fellowship to Rotarians across our District, contact Joanne McRae, D9700 Membership Sustainability Director, to ensure your fellowship is included in 2017-18 promotions.
Did you know? The International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians, Australian Chapter is hosting an International Ride in November 2017. This 14-day ride includes visiting Bathurst and Orange in early November. The tour includes international and local riders, winding through NSW, South Australia and Victoria. Join for a day, or for the whole trip: http://www.ifmr.org/chapter/Australia.html
--oo00oo--
As this is my final ‘Conversation” during my Governorship, I think it appropriate that Fellowship is the theme for June. I am sharing this ‘changeover’ period with each Club leader, this period of renewal, this period of reflection on the fun and fellowship that has and hopefully will continue to underpin our service, our fundraising, our image in the community, and our dedication to Serving Humanity.
The list of such Fellowship interests ends this conversation. So before I leave you with these 75 Fellowships, Ann and I would like thank you for your kindness and generosity during this Rotary Year. We will see some of you at your changeover, but we will also miss some of you as, unfortunately, it turns out that the powers of being a District Governor do extend to being in two places at once!
Thank you for Serving Humanity, and I expect you will have an even better year of fun and fellowship, as you Make a Difference with Governor George and Carol.
Rotary Fellowships consist of members who share a common interest in recreational activities, sports, hobbies, or professions. These groups help expand skills, foster vocational development, and enhance the Rotary experience by exploring interests while developing connections around the world.
OVERVIEW
Help participants make lasting friendships outside their own club, district, or country
Advance Rotary’s public image and identity
Serve as an incentive for joining Rotary and for maintaining active membership
ORGANIZATION
Function independently of Rotary International by establishing their own rules, dues requirements, and administrative structure.
Are open to Rotarians, their family members, as well as participants and alumni of all Rotary and Foundation programs.
STARTING A NEW FELLOWSHIP
If your recreational or vocational interest isn’t represented by Rotary’s current Fellowships, contact rotaryfellowships@rotary.org for information about starting a new group.
Our District is grateful for the support of ARH when they supported Talyor-Jai McAlister when she presented at our Conference in March. Those of you who were present will recall the very moving story she told. Now is the time for us to consider how we can help Improve the Health of all Australians. You may be able to become a Friend or Companion of Australian Rotary Health ...
After the recent Cyclone and bush fires, I got a call from President Ken Harris of the Rotary Club of Cowra. "Is Rotary arranging for any assistance to go to the communities left desparate following the effects of fire and flood?" I advised Ken that there were a few RAWCS projects set up.
But Ken's Rotarians wanted to get in and do something immediately and directly - as it used to be! Well, some phone calls later and with the partnership of the Rotary Club of Lismore, Cowra donated $2,000 worth of sporting equipment to Lismore South Public School (the school lost much of theirs in the flood).
Great effort Rotary Club of Cowra!
Photo shows Kylie Organ relieving Assistant Principal, Brian Wheatley, DGN Terry Brown, President Neil Woods, Ron Weir and James Coveney from Intersport Lismore, Students from class 4/5 are Elijah, Sam, Abi-Gail, and Abbey
News from the District Board At its meeting on Saturday 28 April the board agreed to :
Contribute $7,500 as budgeted, from the District Disaster Support Reserve fund, to the following RAWCS project appeals, in the amounts stated •Project 55-2016-17 Central West NSW Bushfire Disaster Relief (RABS) - $2,000 •Project 60-2016-17 Rotary Fire Appeal Pappinbarra NSW (RABS) - $2,000 •Project 66-2016-17 Cyclone Debbie Rotary Appeal Northern Region Districts (RABS) - $3,500
Transfer $US14,826 from the District Designated Fund (the balance of your donations over previous years made available to the District to use in supporting Rotary projects) to the Polio Plus program
Congratulate the Wagga Wagga Wollundry Rotary Club and the chair and committee on the receipt of the Global Grant for the special economic development project for Pig and Fish farming in the Congo.
Adopt three new policies: a the Youth Protection Policy and Procedure Manual b the Anti-fraud, Larceny and Corruption Policy, and c the Emergency & Critical Incident Policy and Procedure
Ask and advise all Clubs of the need to adopt the Youth Protection Policy and, appoint verification officers and register with Office of Children’s Guardian of NSW; and advise all D9700 Youth Committees of the Youth Protection Policy, the need for all committee members to sign CL4
Ratify the appointment of President Joanne McRae (Orange Daybreak) as membership director to take over from Russell Martin who requested leave of absence until end June 2017.
And of course we hear about all the great work being done by Clubs in serving the community - locally and nationally and internationally - and we discuss the proposed redistricting, and the health of our Clubs and the District.
The corporate membership might work like this: XZY Accounting wants its two junior partners - Sally and Ahmed - to experience Rotary and serve the community. If the Club has corporate membership it will allow Sally and Ahmed to attend Club dinners/ breakfasts /lunches on, say, at least one of them every month, and a service activity also every two months. They (or their firm) would need, as a minimum, to pay two RI dues in the names of Sally and Ahmed. The Club may decide to charge only the equivalent of one club fee for both, and a full District (including the Insurance) fee for each, or whatever the club decided. Note that the District would require a fee for each RI member in the Club.
If your club is interested, there are some good resources on My Rotary website. I suggest you look at the following:
In summary, the club needs to decide to introduce the new type of membership (in this case corporate membership) and develop its own policies on dues, attendance, and service expectations, and then change its bylaws. Rotary International will count these people in the club membership and will consider them active members if they pay RI dues.
Note that corporate membership does not mean that a business is a member of Rotary.
The National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) Expressions of interest/ applications close at the end of May. SO NOW IS THE TIME TO SEEK OUT SUITABLE Year 11 STUDENTS.
NYSF provides about ten students from our Rotary District who have an enthusiasm for a career in science, engineering or technology with a two-week science odyssey in Canberra in January prior to Year 12. Some 280 like-minded students are selected from Rotary Districts all over Australia and overseas to come together for this science program.This is a hands-on experience in which science comes to life and students learn leadership and communication skills and start networking for their future careers.
Selection is made following an interview of each student by the District Committee.
Cost: Program fee for a student to attend the NYSF in 2017 is $3,097. Covers all travel, accommodation and meals while attending the Program. May be your Rotary Club is able to assist with a contribution towards this fee.
Why should Rotary have as a major area of focus, Saving Mothers & Children?
UNICEF gives some very pertinent statistics:
In 2015, it is estimated that about 800 girls and women died every day as a result of pregnancy and child birth-related complications. Maternal deaths are now increasingly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, where high fertility rates combine with inadequate access to quality antenatal care and skilled attendance at birth to substantially elevate the risk of death in this region.
Antenatal care and skilled health attendance at delivery are essential for eliminating every preventable maternal death. The world, as a whole, has improved access to these services, with 71 per cent of women delivering with the support of a skilled birth attendant in 2014, compared to 59 per cent in 1990. This progress has not been fast enough.
What is more, very substantial disparities exist in levels of access to services, with poorer, less educated women receiving unacceptably low levels of access to services.
Women in the richest quintile are almost three times as likely to deliver with a skilled health attendant as those in the poorest quintile. This disparity has not changed in 15 years. Little progress has been made in closing the gap in antenatal care between urban and rural women.
While the world has achieved impressive reductions in mortality of children aged under five since 1990, the survival of newborns (young infants in the first month of life) has lagged behind. It is estimated that in 2015, about 1 million newborns died, equivalent to 2,740 per day. A child born in 2015 was approximately 500 times more likely to die on the first day of life that at one month of age. The high burden of still births is also an increasingly recognized problem, with 2.6 million estimated still births in 2015.
We have just learnt that in March, we saw the incredible scale of the polio eradication program on full display, when an astounding 116 million children in 13 countries across Africa received polio drops over the span of just four days. On International Women’s Day on March 8, Rotarians recognised how critical women are in delivering these vaccines around the globe.
And then one of the largest synchronised vaccination campaigns in Africa took place on 25-28 March, aiming to reach 116 million children with polio vaccines. Close to 200,000 health workers worked tirelessly over the four days to vaccinate children in 13 countries across Central and West Africa. The campaign is part of an urgent effort to stop polio on the continent following the outbreak in Nigeria in 2016.
On a local note, District Rotarians and Clubs have made a great contribution to our district target of $26,500, with over $17,000 contributed to date. As my facial growth continues I ask you to make your payments to the Rotary Foundation's End Polio fund NOW so that the funds you have raised can be put to great use purchasing vaccines for these campaigns.
The Rotary Polio Survivors and Associates Rotarian Action Group (RAG) will be in touch soon. This RAG has the following objectives:
Support in any way possible, the Rotary Polio Plus program to eradicate polio throughout the world
Share their polio expertise by collaborating with clubs and districts on service projects
Form associations with individuals, organizations and institutions already engaged in assisting polio survivors
Engage Rotarians in a world-wide project to collect the personal stories of polio
Assure the history and heritage of contribution by Rotarians to the eradication of polio is understood by the public
If you can get involved please do, share your story, or if not then just ignore it. In this 100th anniversary year of the Rotary Foundation, The Rotary Polio Survivors and Associates RAG want to be sure to reach out to clubs so you know they are here, and to help promote and recognize your engagement with polio eradication in ways other than fundraising.
Rotary Fellowships are very friendly, independent, social groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to extend your Rotary friends around the world.
One such example is the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians, or as it is more commonly known “IFFR”, which, says Mike McFarlane (President and Australian Chair) "has been facilitating promoting Rotary and aviation as an opportunity for fellowship and service all around the world for some 52 years."
The goal of IFFR is to achieve a better understanding of Aviation among non-flying Rotarians and others, through appropriate Rotary Club programs, planned flying events known as Fly-Ins and flying activities.
If you are interested, Read More to find out about the upcoming fly-in in our District...
Last year the Rotary Club of Orange Calare made the decision to wind-up its activities and a number of Rotarians transferred to other Clubs while a solid core worked towards establishing a Rotary Community Corp in central NSW.
The Rotary Club of Orange North agreed to be the sponsor Rotary Club, and in late 2016 the Certificate of Organisation was received. Using funds transferred to the RCC from the old Rotary Club, and generating interest in their own fund-raising projects, the Corp called "Roundabout Central West", recently made donations to the RSPCA and to the Orange Premi-babes Association.
We welcome to District 9700 in Wiradjuri country 7 Rotarians on Fellowship Exchange.
It has been great to catch up with AG Dennis (soon to be DG!!) & Jill Stevens (Accountancy), PP Mike & Maureen Nethaway (Aerospace Management) and PP John & Christine Hollis (Education) - all from the RC of Yeovil, and PP Dot Cretney (Housing Management) of the RC of Frome, both in Somerset, England.
Whilst here the English team are visiting Orange (hosted by RC of Orange Daybreak), then going to to Leeton and finally Narrandera.
This is an experience of two of our District Rotarians, who asked that we warn others.
Remember, our contact details are publicly available and we should, as the Rotarians involved in this interchange did, exercise care and caution when dealing with something not expected - use the phone to check!
In this scam, the name of the Club member ZZZZ is known to the other Club Member XXXX, but ZZZZ's email is not the one used by the Club. Click the Read More to see how the email flow went...
A vacancy exists for two couples to attend a Rotary Friendship Exchange from District 9700 to Vancouver, Canada.
The team will visit Vancouver in early September 2017 with a return visit in November. This is a wonderful opportunity to not only visit Canada and the US but gives an opportunity for further travel in the area before and after the visit.
If you are interested or wish to know more please contact John Willing, District Friendship Exchange Chair on 0418 223 007. Presumably first in, first served!
The DisCon17 team are pleased to reveal more details of secured Keynote Speakers for the ColourCity Conference. This "Conference Chatter" includes, as well as information on two keynote speakers, the registration process, and the Conference Program.
If you have been living under a rock for the last few months, and you haven't registered PLEASE do so ASAP so that we can complete our planning for your enjoyment! NOTE: even if you are attending only and not eating (or bringing your own snacks and dinner, etc ) you need to register so we can provide you with the Conference package and name identifier.
To see the Program click here or on the image to the right
When you register think about the Conference Dinner - the THEME is Colour - as you might expect. Dig out that colourful dress, shirt, pants suit, kaftan, muumuu, leggings, hat, scarf, etc and wear it with pride as we celebrate the 100th year of Foundation and the diversity of our great district. The program is looking 'very fun' (as they say) with plenty of opportunity for fellowship, food, fun and frolicking to local muso!
This will be great way to unwind after Day 1 of the Conference. Hope you can come. Just tick the box on the Rego form for Saturday evening Dinner.
Keynote Speaker line-up
To whet your appetite already confirmed Keynote speakers include: Taylor-Jai McAlister: Holder of an Australian Rotary Health Indigenous Health Scholarship at Macquarie Uni, Taylor-Jai is a proud Aboriginal woman from Nyngan, NSW. She aspires to become a Clinical Psychologist who is able to support the Indigenous community in relation to mental health and well-being. She is particularly passionate about working not only with her community, but also the deaf community, of which there is an over representation of Indigenous people.
Deaf people have high rates of mental illness resulting in suicide, so it is imperative that mental health services are more accessible for this demographic. There is also a cultural barrier that exists for Indigenous deaf people who are trying to access mental health services, and as an Aboriginal woman, Taylor-Jai believes that she will be able to connect more people to these services due to her Indigenous heritage and future fluency of Auslan. In January 2017, she attended RYLA. "It was one of the most interesting experiences I have had so far, as I learned a lot about myself and how I interact with other people" reports Taylor-Jai.
Gerry Georgatos: Has remained constant as a social justice and human rights campaigner despite changing professions again and again and foraying into various experiences. Gerry’s own human rights and social justice work was inspired by his parents’ tireless contributions to the Greek community and in positively responding to the racial and cultural divides that were the profound experiences of his parents and his own.
These days Gerry Georgatos is a university-based and freelance researcher and academic however his professional work, as always, continues to be indelibly intertwined with human rights and social justice causes. He is the convener of Humanitarian Programs at the Institute of Social Justice and Human Rights. And in recent years he has dedicated himself to suicide prevention – a leading cause of death. Gerry Georgatos has been responsible for pushing onto the national landscape the extensiveness of the suicide crises among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Gerry has been asked to speak on Racism (and Rotary's role in forging tolerance). Check his websitehttp://www.gerrygeorgatos.com.au/
Rotary Club of Griffith Rotarian, Keith McWilliam, was honoured by his Club when he recently received recognition for 60 years service to the community as a Rotarian.[Seen here, second left, with President Don Best (left), Sam Catanzariti (second right) and Mick Plos (right)]
This would make him one of the longest serving Rotary volunteers in Australia. He joined Rotary aged 32 following in his father’s footsteps, who joined a few years earlier. And 8 years later he became president in 1965. Among the awards are an appreciation award for his 60-years of service to the District and a Paul Harris Fellow recognition.
Great work Keith, and thank you again on behalf of all District Rotarians, and Rotary International, for Serving Humanity over all those years - you provide a great model of service to us all.
Read more of Keith's story as reported in the Area News ....
RYLAApplications are now being called for from Rotary Clubs
RYLA is part of Rotary’s commitment to the youth of Australia. It shows respect and concern for young citizens and encourages and recognises the high qualities of many young people who are showing leadership in an array of work, education, community and sporting areas.
Leadership, Learning, Laughter, Cooperation, Communication, Resilience, Compassion, Confidence, Friendships, Potential, Kick start, Teamwork, Valuing diversity, Understanding, Direction, Personal Development, Strengths and Fun are just some of the words used by past participants to describe what RYLA is about. The website is at http://rotary9700.org.au/Page/ryla
You can play a part in our future by canvassing employers in your community to select potential leaders to attend this Conference. Following is more info about the Program ...
Our focus in February, as Rotarians, is to reflect on the broad and somewhat gigantic theme of Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution.
Initially the mind seems to be drawn to images of war, destruction, anger, weapons, refugees, winners and losers, and inhuman treatment of people. And of course this is perfectly correct. The difficulty of these mind images is the enormity of it all, and hence the seemingly impossible task of being able to address it, let alone find and work towards a solution.
I have therefore tried to refocus my attention to small cases of potential conflict or where peace has prevailed. I find this easier to manage! The following is an explanation /definition of Peace from Dr R.J. Rummel, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawaii:
"Peace, then is determined by a process of adjustment between what people, groups, or states want, can, and will do. Peace is based on a consequent balance of powers and involves a corresponding structure of expectations and patterns of cooperation. Moreover, peace may become unstable when an increasing gap develops between expectations and power, and may collapse into conflict, violence, or war."[https://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/TJP.CHAP10.HTM]
Who would have guessed that 'expectations' would be a key factor! And peace is determined by, in lay terms, people's understanding of each other. There are many areas where we see the 'peace broken' - in personal relationships (family and domestic violence), workplace conflict, harassment and bullying, gang warfare, and so on.
This started me thinking about the things we Rotarians do to encourage and sustain peace. Early in February we welcomed back to Australia 4 mature students who had just returned from 12 months overseas - Mitch from Forbes, Tayla from Wagga Wagga, Elijah from Leeton (remember we did a story on Elijah some months ago) and Bailey from Blayney. They were part of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Some Rotarians have argued that this program is just an overseas holiday for the children of wealthy families; however I learnt that many parents have to forgo considerably in order to pay for their child to have this opportunity of a lifetime.
What does this have to do with Peace?
The Exchange Students (both inbound, we have 6 in the district currently, and outbound) are often recognised by their blazers with the many pins and mementos received during their stay away from home. And I realised that this program is an expression of the Focus area of Peace. OK, I hear you say, prove it!
The Aussie students offer a window to our world and present this to all they meet, as do the inbound students. In essence they are helping to build positive expectations about their countries with their peers, these relationships are also positive.
And the proof? Well each student has many badges, each badge could represent an interaction with a person, a club, a series of people, and each of those people will tell their friends and family about the student and so the positive relationship and expectation is shared very widely. It will be remembered for years, recalled often, annual if not more frequent communication will ensue. This has all the makings of a strong international Peace and conflict prevention strategy! No wonder it is so successful.
Welcome home Mitch, Tayla, Elijah and Bailey; and we hope Anne, Clara, Hellena, Willis, Mathilda and Victor are enjoying their time with us!
What great news, and a big thanks to all Clubs and Rotarians and their families and friends for supporting our End Polio campaign.
Since opening the challenge, my hair proceeded to grow as has the fund. I reported that we were $3,200 into our $26K target. WELL, GUESS WHAT??
The fundraising is growing quicker than my hair - you have collectively contributed almost $10,500! that is over three times the starting level. And I know there are more than half the Clubs yet to contribute.
I thought you might like to see how ugly I'm getting - no you don't have to agree so readily
As this month's theme comes to a conclusion I wanted to demonstrate how Rotarians prove their vocational adaptation to the tasks and projects at hand. Now, I know that most clubs have such examples, so concentrating on this one will be understandable.
In overseas support projects, sustainability requires that the majority of the hands-on work is done by locals. The skill brought to this is through the Rotarian's project management skills. In this instance, the Rotarian has never referred to himself as a Project Manager, yet this is what he has been doing in his career over the last 40 years, first as a pool builder, then an auctioneer, followed by his role as facilities manager, and then more recently as a farmer.
The Rotary Club has recently undertaken this international construction project (a first for some time, I understand, having strong commitment to health projects) and there is a definite 'buzz' around. Now he doesn't know I'm writing this and he's the type of Rotarian who chooses to never blow their own trumpet. So what has he done?
He made a preliminary visit to Timor Leste to determine what projects might be suitable and achievable. The chosen project was to construct a Rotary Pre-School in Tutuala, on the eastern tip of Timor Leste. He then organised a network of locals including Rotary contacts, government officials and village community leaders. He liaised with a local Tutuala builder and determined means of transferring funds. On return to his home city, put together a fund raising scheme involving Rotarians purchasing young cattle and then fattening them on his property (at no cost to the cattle owners) with the increase in value being donated to the project.
He has been back to Tutuala twice to check progress, and the upcoming trip (with a dentist who has done voluntary dental work in Timor Leste and been providing moral and physical support on 2 of the previous trips) and another Rotarian will be to hand the building over to the local community.
Thank you Paul Galloway, President Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga, for your vocational service in Serving Humanity.
I recently had the pleasure to visit a renewal dinner with Oberon Rotary and to recognise the contribution of two citizens for their Vocational Excellence and service to the community.
This was a Club initiative to showcase Rotary's promotion of this Avenue of Service. I particularly wanted to report on awardee Wayne Barker, a master Butcher (his motto is the title of this post!) of well over 30 years. Not only has Wayne taken on many apprentices, he has also provided support for schools, Rotary and many local fundraising events.
The story told by visiting ex-Oberon High principal, Ken Barwick, left the dinner guests without a dry eye. Ken told the story of how Wayne, selflessly and thinking of his community, asked Ken, over many years, to give him the youth who are least likely to succeed at school, who are struggling, who are least likely to get a job or do further training. Wayne would give them work experience! And most of these students discovered the realities of work, the discipline needed and the effort required. Wayne's lessons were fair and 'slackers' were cut loose. Ken said there wouldn't be many young people who didn't benefit from Wayne's support and encouragement. Wayne turned around many young lives.
Well done Wayne, your service above self is inspirational! And congratulations Oberon Rotary for using January to recognise your inspirational community members.
2017-18 RI President Ian H.S. Riseley announces his presidential theme,
Rotary: Making a Difference
Rotary International reporter Ryan Hyland said "Rotary International President-elect Ian H.S. Riseley made the case on Monday that protecting the environment and curbing climate change are essential to Rotary’s goal of sustainable service.
Riseley, a member of the Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria, Australia, unveiled the 2017-18 presidential theme, Rotary: Making a Difference, to incoming district governors at Rotary’s International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA."
So you always wanted to visit Timor, well RAM Volunteer trips to Timor are now being planned!
We have just received the following information about the planning of several team trips to assist the Rotary Club of Dili Lafaek in implementing a “Healthy Villages” project in Timor Leste in April 2017 - including the well known "Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM)" program. Recently the Dili Lafeak Rotary Club has commenced working with a village in Dili and another in Liquica so they are developing some practical experience.
Rtn David Pearson, National Manager, Rotarians Against Malaria, writes:
"RAM is also supporting the distribution of Long Lasting Insecticidal bed nets in the Oecusse enclave (the bit of Timor Leste that is surrounded by Indonesia’s Nusa Tengrra Timor province) and we have been invited to assist with volunteers on this project which is scheduled to take place in January and February 2017.
This is fairly late notice and if there is any interest in participating then we will need to find a Team Leader with some Timor experience; however if any of you are interested in this possibility please get back to me and we will see what can be arranged."
This the first of a number of 2017 D9700 Conference (called DisCon17) updates that the Conference Team will be sending to you over the next few months. We will have links to this information on the web as well. This initial "Conference Chatter" is a bit lengthy as it covers the dates, some event items, some keynote speakers, prices, registration process, and your DisCon17 contacts.
Please Note: Registrations are now open for Rotary District 9700 Conference to be held from Friday 17, Saturday 18 and Sunday 19, March 2017, at the Orange Civic Centre and Theatre.
DisCon17 will be an opportunity for Rotarians and the general public to experience great ideas, exceptional speakers and learn about amazing projects from near and far.
The exciting program includes, by popular demand! an informal event on Friday evening followed by a day and a half of entertaining, informative and inspiring sessions covering Community Development, Serving Humanity and Inspirational Youth.
Keynote Speaker line-up
To whet your appetite already confirmed Keynote speakers include:
Gemma Sisia – whose School of St Jude has received, and continues to receive, great support from Rotarians around the world. We have asked Gemma to address The Importance of Education in Tackling Poverty. We understand that she may be travelling with one of her recent School graduates. So a great opportunity to learn about and get an update on one of the world’s greatest success stories!
Alice Mabin – Al is a special young person, demonstrating great inspiration, and was recognised as the BEFA 2015 Asia Pacific Female Entrepreneur of The Year and Australia's #1 Rural Lifestyle Photographer. Not only is she a self-published author and photographer of the Australian and International best seller 'The Drover', Alice has published the Australian best seller "The Driver – Australia and New Zealand on the back of a truck". Al was born and bred on the land. Be inspired by her passion capturing images that represent the grass roots of rural Australia. Al has been asked to share her secrets with us by addressing the question: What Inspires You to Do What You Do and How Has This Impacted on Your Social Conscience?
PRICES
We have been aware of the difficulty Rotarians are having in remaining solvent in these challenging times, and that your financial commitment to attend the conference will be substantial – food, accommodation, and travel. So this year we have kept the prices as low as practical, and will utilise the funds you commit to the District for the Conference. You are only paying for the meals and refreshments you consume, so it is your choice.
We hope you recognise the value at a max of $130 per head unless you are the Past District Governor and then I hope you will be joining us for Lunch on the Friday.
REMEMBER: As advised earlier there are many events happening in Orange the weekend of the conference so I urge you to book your accommodation now. Check out the DisCon17 webpage for links
REGISTRATION
It is easy to Register on line, just follow these steps:
Record the amount you will need to pay, you will receive an acknowledgement email of the registration
Note the Direct Debit account details for DisCon17 and pay the amount owing, putting your name in the Reference box on your bank’s EFT
Send to Graham Denney, by email that you have completed the transaction.
If you have decided not to use the internet banking, please send a cheque for the total amount owing to Graham Denney, identifying your name as written on the registration form.
If you absolutely cannot complete the online registration, then ask your Club Secretary to print off the registration form for you, complete it and send with your cheque to Graham Denney – we hope this will only be a last resort as Graham must enter every manual registration!
Breaking News:
We have just learnt that Elvis Ukato, from Kanga in the mountains of PNG (see story below), has made a full recovery from his bowel surgery in Port Moresby and will be on his way home this Thursday (8 December 2016) morning. The operation has been successful to provide him with a working anus and his life expectancy is now as high as any other child.
The Story as reported on 22 October 2016: This story, told on our recent Governor's Club Visit, is as much about a little boy as it is about a Rotarian not only serving humanity, but also providing service above self. I wanted to share it with you ...
"So I am on my way down the mountain in PNG, being escorted by Jessie, the Principal of Kanga Primary School which my RAWCS Project “Teachers Assist Kokoda” had helped equip some years ago. Out of the blue Jessie starts telling me about this little almost 2 year old boy in the village. He was born with no anus. His mother didn’t realise something was wrong until his stomach began to bloat.
Emergency surgery resulted in him having a stoma hole (no equipment or money for bags, etc). She tells me he is now needing to push his faeces out by manipulating the intestines – during this process, part of the stomach comes out and he has to push it back in. She has promised to ask her Australian friends, me and the team, if they can help.
I am gob-smacked! Medical help I have never tried to provide. I am not a nurse or a doctor. I train teachers. But, of course, as Rotarians do, I say, “I’ll do my best for you!” at the time thinking that the likelihood of me being able to make a difference are pretty slim. What happens next? Is there any help available? ...
Our District Governor for this year in Pakistan (D3272) is DG Mir Arif Ali.
And he has some very good news that demonstrates the high regard in which Rotary is held. Mir says:
"Greetings from District 3272 Pakistan.
This commemorative Postage Stamp was issued by the Pakistan Postal Services as a tribute to celebrate and recognize the services rendered by The Rotary Foundation to humanity at large for the last 100 years.
This indeed is a milestone and an unprecedented honour for the Rotary Foundation which ... has received "SOVEREIGN RECOGNITION" from a country no less than the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
This Commemorative Stamp has the huge potential for Building the Public Image of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation as it travels across the world showcasing ROTARY SERVING HUMANITY."
The stamp design is by a Rotarian of the Rotary Club of Lahore Model Town. And the designer is Rtn Mahru Arif Ali, who also happens to be Mir's wife!
Our best wishes go to our brothers and sisters in Pakistan
The International Fellowship of Rotarian Educators is one of Rotary International's newest fellowships. This Fellowship is dedicated to promoting quality education (both public and private) as well as other types of training and development such as Continuing Education, Further Education, Adult Education, Lifelong Learning and other forms of instruction as an opportunity for fellowship.
The website address is www.rotarianeducators.org and you can see from the website that you do not have to be an educator or work in the field of education to be a member - just have a passion for, or an interest in, education.
Membership is very reasonable - for one year $US20, three years $US50, or a lifetime membership for $US100!! Why wait? Check out the website, join and you will be helping your Club towards their Citation from RI President John.
Now here is a Rotarian Fellowship that may interest you
More than 1,000 tourists and survivors stranded by landslides have been evacuated from the small seaside town of Kaikoura since the quake struck on Monday.
About 450 were taken by the New Zealand navy's multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury 150 kilometres south to Christchurch, the South Island's largest city.
Most tourists had continued their journeys, but about 130 people were being housed temporarily in Canterbury University's student halls.
RAWCS National has established an Appeal [Project number 32-2016/17]and funds donated will be forwarded to the New Zealand equivalent - Rotary New Zealand World Community Service - for funding support projects where they are most needed. Please consider assisting the communities in need by donating to the RAWCS Project at https://disasters.rawcs.com.au
The Rotary Friendship Exchange program gives Rotarians and their families the opportunity to experience other cultures firsthand, by participating in reciprocal visits with Rotarians from other countries and their families. Read the latest newsletter by the D9700 Chair PP John Willing for all the news, future exchanges and lots more.
As it turned out there were two Rotary Australia World Community Service teams in different parts of Nepal - one providing mental health training and the other training in the reconstruction process.
And where do expats often meet up? At the embassy of course. The teams were from South Wagga and Orange Daybreak.
Interestingly they were joined by two Nepali recipients of D9700 Paul Harris Fellowship recognitions. Seen in these photos are Suresh Singh and Prakash Aryal PHF, South Wagga Rotarians Laurie Myers, Geoff Mackney, and Brian Roy, with Daybreak's Lynette Bullen (District Trainer).
Rotary’s crowdfunding platform emphasizes partnerships over dollars.
Recently the Rotary Service Newsletter, that because the funding just wasn’t there, Suzette Ramdanie-Linton was almost ready to give up on a local clean water project that her Rotary Club of Montego Bay Sunrise had initiated in St James, Jamaica. Then, her district governor, Paul Brown, encouraged her to promote the project on Rotary Ideas.
Two weeks after she put a project description and photos on Rotary’s crowdsourcing platform, she received an email from Naude Dreyer, a member of the Rotary Club of Central Cayman Islands. Dreyer was looking specifically for water projects in Jamaica. “It was a perfect find for us,” he says. “Rotary Ideas is a really cool site and a great way to fundraise.”
Rotary Ideas helps clubs seeking volunteers, partnerships, in-kind donations, funding, and connections with one another. More than 1,220 projects have been posted on the platform since it launched in August 2013. Rotary Ideas emphasizes partnerships over dollars. The two Caribbean clubs are now collaborating on another project, to provide dictionaries to third graders in St James.
What, crowdfunding is a Rotary thing?!! Not Rotary!
In 2015, the Orange Daybreak Rotary Club piloted a program to offer year 12 graduates an experience of service as an alternative to the traditional schoolies, often of over-indulgence.
Through a competitive selection process 15 candidates were selected.
The Rotary Club provided three Rotarians as leaders with one older youth as a sort of ‘older sister’, and all the team undertook team building, fundraising and service projects during the 11 months leading to the experience in Nepal.
This essay, by Georgia Nonnenmacher who wrote it for the ABC ‘Heywire’ competition [http://www.abc.net.au/heywire/], tells her amazing story …
The wind had teeth up here.
It whistled around the tiny figures darting around after the tattered soccer ball. It ruffled the impossibly thin wind cheater of our tour guide in front of me. It bit through my leggings, which were near threadbare from the past three weeks of hand scrubbing them in a dry sack with cold water and a bar of soap because the detergent was running low and might be necessary if any members of the group suddenly got infected by fleas (the likelihood of the scenario is higher than you might expect). It wasn’t only the wind, however, that had set me on edge. The air was charged with something else – something raw, something organic, something I couldn’t put my finger on.
I was not to know when I first clapped eyes on the place, but this was to be the sight of my greatest catharsis in my nineteen years of life.
Fancy two emails in one day - why aren't I out mowing??
For those Rotarians (you know who you are) who like numbers: Last Rotary year we lost a net 73 Rotarians.So far this year we started with 1,066 Rotarians and by the end of September we have a net increase of 8! So let's welcome all those new Rotarians and make sure their experience of Rotary is deep, meaningful and filled with FUN!
In this Education and Literacy month, the Coolamon Rotarians have demonstrated both a commitment to literacy and community development by supporting a project initiated by Rtn Myfanwy Collette. With the production of the only Community Newsletter - the Coolamon Community Chronicle - Rotarians are partnering with other local organisations to share local news, community information, stories and services.
And what better way to provide this service than with the local high school students who have prepared a whole issue. The Rotarians collect advertising and the Shire Council collects info, allows use of the Library for production, and distributes the Chronicle. This is a great example of a number of Rotary values and focus areas coming together to serve humanity.
The Chronicle is definitely meeting a need; after only two issues a Library patron said: "Its about time, it should have happened a long time ago!" For more details contact Myfanway on collette.1@bigpond.com
I realise that I should not be parochial, however I was pleased to notice that while Ann and I have been visiting all you wonderful Rotarians, it seems our own club, Orange Daybreak, has been celebrating Basic Education and Literacy month.
In their Bulletin - The Canobolas - President Jo, early in the month, made this excellent comment in her message: During Literacy Month, I encourage all members to consider the privilege reading and literacy bring to our lives. Our education provides a basis for us to learn about, understand and influence our communities and our world. The gift of education, and the privilege of learning is not a global standard, and one of the reasons Rotary works towards remove barriers to education and literacy across the world.
Then the next week I see that while the DG is away they have celebrated the Month with a dress up theme, at breakfast mind you! Rotarians were challenged to come as their favourite literary character or icon. Any other Clubs have similar celebrations?
Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM) is now calling for expressions of interest to join teams going to Timor Leste Are you up to the challenge of Serving Humanity in this very important disease prevention exercise?
The RAM National Manager, Dave Pearson advised that:
* the first team could leave as early as the last week in October to be in country during the weekend of 29th Oct and 5th November
* the main focus of the mission will be to assist the new Rotary Club of Dili Lafaek to implement the "Healthy Villages" program in Timor Leste
* commencing with two villages, the program will include educational presentations to the locals, walk-arounds of the villages to identify issues and
*plan corrective actions, including the construction of concrete block waste storage/disposal units
The Funtastic Christmas Party Grab your friends and workmates and make this your 2016 Christmas Party
Featuring the sensational Sydney party band - MAD COW (brought to you by Heifer Station Wines).
ALL PROCEEDS TO Orange and District Early Education Program (ODEEP)
Tickets $75 (includes 2 course meal) Available from 31st July 2016 at Orange Ex-Services Club; RAFFLES, PRIZES AND FUN. PROUDLY SPONSORED BY NAB
Brought to you by the Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak
The 3rd annual Gears and Beers community cycle challenge, conceived and run by the Rotary Club of Wollundry Wagga Wagga
Will be held on Sunday, 2nd October 2016. Wagga Wagga is well known as an active community and we are proud to provide an event that promotes health, fitness and fun to all ages.
Our focus is on community participation; mums, dads, children, current cycle enthusiasts, beginners and business challenge participants.
Ever wanted to Ride a Harley?
Your current desire to ride a Harley eating away at you? With this raffle you have a DECENT chance of winning... With only 450 tickets available you have the best chance ever of realising your dream. AND you know what is better? YOU will be helping kids with learning disabilities to have a better go at life.
Tickets are just $100 each and available by filling in the form at Orange Daybreak website
You are invited for a week of cricket in Wagga Wagga, NSW for the Bi Annual International Fellowship of Cricketing Rotarians (IFCR) Australian Festival.
The Festival will be held at the Bolton Park Sportsground Complex, which has four cricket ovals and is located in the centre of Wagga Wagga. Robertson Oval is the premier oval and home to the Wagga Wagga and District Cricket Association. Download the program
Can your community or project use some Desks and Chairs in Good Condition?
This quickie is only useful to you if your answer is YES! If so, read on...
Trish Davies of Junee Rotary says: "A private high school in Wagga is about to receive a load of new desks and chairs and they need to get rid of the old ones [probably much more modern than the photo!!], which are in really good nick. We thought we had it covered with a RAWCS Project from Melbourne, but our transport arrangement has fallen through. It seems a shame for it all to go to the tip, and that is what is about to happen if we don’t grab it. The new furniture arrives in about 3 weeks, so a quick response would be needed."
If you or someone in your community is interested (even in a few items perhaps) contact Trish in the first instance at trish_davies@bigpond.com or someone you might know from the Rotary Club of Junee.
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free” - Frederick Douglass
Rotarians and Friends, September is a month when we can think about the reasons why we give such emphasis to basic education and literacy in our work serving humanity. Sometimes, what we think of as self-evident truths, require a review to ensure we have sound reasoning and therefore our efforts can help bring about change.
Now you may have an education background, and then again you may find the following very interesting. Did you know that:
“The brain is the only organ that is not fully formed at birth. During the first three years, trillions of connections between brain cells are being made. A child’s relationships and experiences during the early years greatly influence how their brain grows” [Zero to Three, in its booklet titled ‘Getting Ready for School Begins at Birth’].
So these very early months and years are most important for learning. Many of us in the developed world take learning for granted, but in fact it was not always so. Over the generations parents have been encouraged to read to their child, sing with them and play. But how does an illiterate parent read to their child? And how does the family in poverty afford a book or an education?
And of course there are many other influences; these have been summarized by the Victorian Government in their publication – ‘Making the most of childhood: the importance of the early years’ 2010 – as follows…
The Murrumbidgee Rotary Club is looking to partner with local Wagga hotels to collect opened soaps left by travellers. Rotary collects waste soap from these hotels and sends them to a Soap Aid (www.soapaid.org) central processing plant, where they re-process the discarded soaps and turn them back into new, useful bars of soap that will help save lives. FACT: By the simple act of a child washing their hands with a bar of soap, we could potentially reduce the number of diarrhoea cases by over 40 per cent.
PP Jenny Lovekin is going to develop this project this year, contact Jenny at lovekinjenny13@gmail.com for more details.
Here we experience Rotary Serving Humanity - one of many examples Ann and I have noticed on our visits. In a community declared by the UN as the poorest nation on earth, with over 45% of children under 5 years, underweight; and 70% unemployment. This RAWCS project, managed by Blackheath Rotary Club, is building a gymnasium and supporting staffing in partnership with the Dili Rotaract Club. If you wish to find out more about the project contact PP Mike Holloway, Cowra Rotary at holloways@belmore2.net
The Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga present each mother of a new-born child with a book to encourage them to read to their child. Studies have shown that the vocabulary in children’s books is three times richer than daily conversation.
Research quoted says “Books help build a child’s imagination, thinking, talking and listening skills. Children also get to explore colours, shapes and patterns in books, have fun pointing and patting pages, learn to turn pages and listen to sounds and rhythms of words, apart from enhancing useful bonding between parents and the child." If you are looking for an easy but hugely beneficial project give this some thought.
The Good News is that we celebrate 100 years of The Rotary Foundation 'Doing Good in the World' in 2016-2017, and you can be part of this massive event. Rotary international has created a wonderful, engaging video clip that will enthrall you. Did you know that the Foundation has spent over $3 billion on health, disease prevention, peace, child and maternal health, sanitation and much more. You can watch the video online
August is a time when we reflect on our ability to share the great benefits of being a Rotarian. Rotarians say that they enjoy being one because they participate in networking which leads to friendship and fellowship, a sharing of common values about helping and supporting those in need, and the personal and professional development that comes through community leadership, advocacy, and project planning and management. Have you shared your respect for Rotary by inviting a respected friend/colleague to recognise their leadership skills/potential as a Rotarian?
Now Rotarians realise they cannot do it all by themselves, they come together into the local Rotary Club where the many differently skilled Rotarians can achieve incredible things. And Rotarians, while they achieve many goals, are not immune to the ageing process! In fact many Rotarians are getting older - who would believe it
So like all great organisms and organisations Rotary is in a constant state of renewal. When Rotary was conceived in 1905 by some businessmen and professionals there was no internet, in fact there was only just electricity, the car was a steam one not battery powered, and there was no TV, let alone YouTube.
In the Central and Southern NSW District 9700 Rotarians have numbered around 1200+, all doing great local and international service, raising funds and putting in the hard yards. And now Rotary is going through a period of renewal, club traditions are changing, the focus on service is replacing attendance, networking continues to be a major social cohesion for Rotarians.
Well it so happens that in April this year our very own Past District Governor Irene Jones represented our District at the "Rotary Council on Legislation". And I know you are keen to know what it all means! Well there is 5 minute presentation that you won't find as riveting as Fast & Furious, nor as engaging as Downton Abbey, but it will inform you of the impact these changes will have on our Rotary Clubs. Go on, I know you want to, have a look at the video.
Recently the ABC local radio interviewed the District Governor Michael Milston just following his changeover.
Interested in listening to this interview? Then you can on-line. Michael talks about his reasons for joining Rotary, the work Rotary does, and even responds in about 25 words to the "What is Rotary?" question! Click here for the audio
Whenever John Germ saw a need in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, he engineered a solution. He'll bring the same can-do attitude to the office of RI president. Why not meet John, read more ...
The District 9700 Changeover Dinner was held in Orange on Saturday June 25th, and District Governor Michael Milston (front row 5th from the left) is pictured with his board and assistant governors.
Hello Rotarians and web visitors
I extend my appreciation to all those who could attend our district Changeover on Saturday 25 June, and I especially want to thank my Rotary Club for their hosting and for their attendance. Of course they mostly came along for the induction of Orange Daybreak's President Joanne McRae! And to Jo and outgoing President Graeme I also thank you for a great night.
This year we have a meaningful and descriptive theme "Rotary Serving Humanity". We have a strong tradition in our District (for new comers to Rotary and to this site, our 'District' covers about 25 population centres in Wiradjuri country spanning the country from Oberon to Lake Cargelligo and Molong to Henty) of service and this can only strengthen over time.
As Governor of the District and with our Leadership team (many of whom are in the photo above) Ann and I will be visiting each Rotarian's club for breakfast, lunch or dinner over the period July to October. So I look forward to meeting you all, hearing about your plans for the future and learning how our team can assist in your endeavours.
The Wagga Wagga Club conducted a public speaking competition for primary students from Sturt Public School recently. Past District Governor Gary Roberts and Marilyn had the pleasure of attending and witnessed some very clever young people speaking. They were all given the same topic which was “Be a Gift to the World”.
This will be my last newsletter as District Governor and I wish to make a few comments prior to inclusion of this month’s business.
Marilyn and I have enjoyed this past year immensely and feel privileged to have been able to represent Rotary. At this time we thank all those members who have made our year memorable and granted us the honour of leading the district. We will leave the job happy, tired and inspired by the members and clubs who dedicate themselves to continue in Service Above Self.
RI President Ravi asked us to be a Gift to the World and I have tried to keep this in perspective thought the year. I wanted from the beginning at PETS to include our partners in the president’s year ahead and take every opportunity to recognise and acknowledge our partners' support. I have been thrilled to see this theme resonate around the district as clubs and individuals sought to apply their talents to this purpose. Numerous clubs have taken up the challenge and made awards to partners and community leaders deserving of recognition.
The changeover for the District Executive and Induction of Michael Milston will be held in Orange on Saturday June 25 in conjunction with the Orange Daybreak Club.
This annual event is an important event in the district, just like your club changeovers as we see a new leadership team installed.
Marilyn and I wish Michael and Ann all the very best and good wishes for the coming year.
The Rotary Village Corps, which is now called Rotary Community Corps, started at the beginning of 1986-87 and is now found in 89 different countries, mostly in Asia and Central America. There are now 8,684 RCCs with 199,732 members who actively assist their sponsor Rotary clubs in doing Rotary work that the Rotarians themselves would have difficulty doing. It is truly our first “Partner in Service.” It bears the Rotary name, and from the very first its constitution included women members, in anticipation of the admission of women in Rotary. The board adopted RVC despite opposition by those who ridiculed it as a poor man’s Rotary club, and by those who believed it would not be acceptable in the West, where it would have no use.
June is designated as “Rotary Fellowships Month” by the RI Board to recognize the importance of international fellowship and good will among Rotarians with similar recreational interests, vocations, and health and medical issue-oriented interests, to promote increased participation in fellowships and increase understanding of this program. The RI Board encourages fellowships groups to highlight activities through projects, activities, and events in celebration of “Rotary Fellowships Month” in June.
The club will meet 1st Tuesday of Month (Internet) and information regarding Rotary International and Club information will be posted each Sunday.
A number of e-club members are already involved with diverse national and international humanitarian projects.
If you feel meeting online as a choice compared to a regular meeting each week and would like the flexibility of meeting at a time that suits you an E-Club may be just what you are looking for.
The club now seeking new members with an interest in “Service Above Self”.
Contact: John Roberson johnroberson@bigpond.com 0407 940 014 and become a charter member of this new and exciting venture.
The Royce Abbey Award and the Royce and Jean Abbey Vocational Training Team Programme (“the Scholarship”) were established in recognition of Royce Abbey’s contribution to Rotary as an inspirational Rotary member and leader since 1954 and his role as President of Rotary International in 1988-89.
Royce and Jean Abbey Scholarship
The earnings of the Fund are used for Humanitarian programmes and in particular to fund individuals and teams from the Asia Pacific Region to undertake practical training in Australia in the areas of food production, forestry, agriculture, environmental research and community development.
Thank you to all the wonderful people who passed on congratulations and positive comments about the District Conference. I have published below just one letter of praise which reflects many of the comments received.
Letter from Miles Hedge:
Cazzie & I attended the 2016 D9700 District Conference held in Wagga Wagga last weekend. It was disappointing that I was the only representative of the Blayney club. It was a very good way to spend the weekend and it was a great conference, well planned with excellent speakers and superb entertainment. Both Cazzie and I both learnt a lot about Rotary and how to be more effective in delivering the right results to make Rotary remain and grow as the exemplary organisation that it is. The line up of speakers was first class by any standards and the video address by PRIP Kaylan Banerjee was truly outstanding. PRIP Bill Boyd (and his wife Lorna) also attended which I thought was a masterstroke and he was a pure joy to listen to, with a very good message. Garry Browne AM, the CEO of Stuart Alexander, and a PDG of the Sydney Rotary club, addressed us on getting business people to join Rotary. I found his presentation truly inspirational in addressing the way to marry Rotary’s needs with that of business. Charles Tarbay, who owns Century 21 gave an interesting address even though his joke was as old and tired as Methuselah and not one even I would have dared to tell. The Saturday night entertainment were the Beatnix who were exceptional as performers (we met an autistic man who attended and he thought he saw the real thing!). The idea of doing away with the formal dinner also turned out to be a masterstroke. Whilst it was disappointing that more Rotary members (or clubs) did not attend the DC at the end of the day they missed what was truly an exceptional conference and learning experience. I was very pleased that we attended and the Wagga Wagga members who attended were very accommodating and friendly.
There is a huge gap in the life expectancy between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians. This is an unacceptable situation and for $2500 we can do something about it. Australian Rotary Health partners with Rotary Clubs to offer scholarships to indigenous medical students who are studying to become medical professionals. These scholarships often mean the difference between pass and fail for these students. Sometimes they get little support from their family and struggle to carry on. Even so, these scholarships are only offered to second year students who have proven that they can pass the first year of studies.
One of the most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics in the world is the…Rotary 4-Way Test. The 4-Way Test was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932. Taylor drew up a 24-word code of ethics for all his employees to follow in their business and professional lives which was subsequently adopted by Rotary in 1943, and has since been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways.
The four-way test of the things we think, say, or do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOOD WILL and better FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster: Firstsly - The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service Secondly - High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society. Thirdly - The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life. Fourthly - The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide, who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
The club will meet 1st Tuesday of Month (Internet) and information regarding Rotary International and Club information will be posted each Sunday.
A number of e-club members are already involved with diverse national and international humanitarian projects.
If you feel meeting online as a choice compared to a regular meeting each week and would like the flexibility of meeting at a time that suits you an E-Club may be just what you are looking for.
The club now seeking new members with an interest in “Service Above Self”
Contact: John Roberson johnroberson@bigpond.com 0407 940 014 and become a charter member of this new and exciting venture.
District Conference was held in Wagga Wagga and was once again highly successful, with great fellowship and fun.
We were honoured to have Past Rotary International President Bill Boyd from New Zealand, as the RI President’s representative and all those who attended would agree is a wonderful speaker. Bill spoke on a number of subjects but his reminiscing of experiences as RI President and Rotarians who have had an influence on his life were inspiring, how we all can have an effect on someone else.
David Gilbey was the Master of Ceremonies and in completing that job he very capably incorporated poetry, humour and the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespear's death.
The link between Rotary and youth for all our Clubs is amazing. Every club that I have visited engages with our Youth Programmes in some way or another, whether it be Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA), Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment (RYPEN), Rotary Youth Driving Award, Rotaract, Interact, District Scholarships, Rotary International Youth Exchanges, Peer Support Programmes in schools, Cure Kids, Life Education vans, Literacy Programmes in schools, and many others.
Awarded to a Rotarian who in the opinion of the DG has made the greatest contribution to the work of RI locally or internationally. Paul Murray
Paul has made a huge contribution to the district over many years assisting District Governors with their IT knowledge, directories, IT advice. Paul is the Chair of the IT Committee. Paul is the Webmaster of D9700 and is responsible for the publication of the District Newsletter.
Paul has worked on many District Conferences in the IT area and spends hours on speakers presentations.
Paul is the Executive Secretary of D700 and is well deserving of this award.
District Conference was held in Wagga Wagga and was once again highly successful, with great fellowship and fun.
We were honoured to have Past Rotary International President Bill Boyd from New Zealand, as the RI President’s representative and all those who attended would agree is a wonderful speaker. Bill spoke on a number of subjects but his reminiscing of experiences as RI President and Rotarians who have had an influence on his life were inspiring, how we all can have an effect on someone else.
David Gilbey was the Master of Ceremonies and in completing that job he very capably incorporated poetry, humour and the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespear's death.
District 9700 has been successfully using the District Version of ClubRunner for around 5 years. Several clubs in the district are using the Club Version of ClubRunner and several more clubs are considering signing up to the Club Version.
Because of the growing number of ClubRunner users, there has been some discussion about forming a District 9700 ClubRunner Club Version Users Group. If your club is currently using the Club Version or you are thinking about using it, and you are interested in being a part of the users group, then please send an email to Paul Murray paul@paulmurray.com.au
Is your Club Using the Club Version of ClubRunner?
The inaugural meeting of the Wagga Wagga Rotaract Club was held recently at the Victoria Hotel. Thanks to District Rotaract Chair William Wood and rebound exchange students Courtney Smith we are now underway. Watch this space for further announcements and meeting arrangements.
Report from Clivia Frieden, Rotary Club of Orange.
The Rotary Club of Orange, NSW, in partnership with its community is revelling in the success of the 2016 Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Festival held in February.
The District Governor’s from all Australian Districts have agreed to contribute to a single RAWCS project to aid Fiji following the recent Cyclone. The district will be making a contribution to this appeal and we urge all clubs and individuals to make donations to this appeal.
Marilyn and I will be embarking on a mini tour of the district in March and April and would like to meet as many Rotarians and Partners as possible to update you on the progress in the district and our various programs. Clubs are achieving some amazing things across the district in our communities and internationally.
I have listed below the dates of our club visits, it is not practical to visit all clubs again so I have arranged a schedule to have joint meetings with adjacent clubs. If your club is not listed for a visit please try and attend an adjoining club for our visit as we want to give everyone the chance to meet us and for us to get to know you.
Join thousands of Rotarians in Korea 28 May--1 June at the Rotary Convention. Register before 31 March for extra savings. After you register, be sure to sign up for a memorable host committee event: the Welcome Festival, a night at the symphony, or an evening of contemporary ballet. Connect with old friends and make new ones, and be a part of the best that Rotary has to offer.
OPEN LETTER TO ROTARY CLUB PRESIDENTS SEEKING SUPPORT TO THE PEOPLE OF FIJI
Dear Club President
Cyclone Winston, the strongest cyclone ever to make landfall on Fiji
Some 120,000 people are estimated to need urgent humanitarian shelter assistance following Cyclone Winston, the strongest cyclone ever to make landfall on Fiji. As a result of strong winds and multiple tsunami-like storm surges, which hit Fiji on February 20, 2016, up to 90% of structures have been destroyed in the hardest hit areas and shelter is an immediate priority.
You can now view the photos from RYPEN by clicking here.
Thank you all so much for your ongoing support of RYPEN. We had a fantastic group of young people who blew us away with their kindness and inclusiveness.
Your efforts in encouraging and sponsoring students to attend RYPEN are what makes it all work - and for that we are very grateful.
This year we will be contacting you earlier than in previous years as we are introducing a
RYPEN Team Leader program, where we will recruit 6 special ex-Rypennians as leaders to
help us take RYPEN to the next level.
Cheers Darren Wallace, RYPEN Committee (District 9700)
This is an important month on the Rotary calendar, Rotarians across the globe support water projects to improve the health and wellbeing of people in less fortunate countries than ours.
PRIP Bill Boyd who will be speaking at our District Conference is the head of WASRAG (Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group). Take the opportunity to talk with Bill about projects underway or ideas you may have.
The Burrumbuttock to Queensland Hay-Run is on again and is promising to be bigger than ever. Rotary clubs throughout NSW are sponsoring fuel and providing catering and support.
I was told recently that it took 90 minutes for the passage of the convoy past a given point. A massive effort from our farming communities, help where you can.
You can now view the photos from RYPEN by clicking here.
Thank you all so much for your ongoing support of RYPEN. We had a fantastic group of young people who blew us away with their kindness and inclusiveness.
Your efforts in encouraging and sponsoring students to attend RYPEN are what makes it all work - and for that we are very grateful.
This year we will be contacting you earlier than in previous years as we are introducing a
RYPEN Team Leader program, where we will recruit 6 special ex-Rypennians as leaders to
The Burrumbuttock to Queensland Hay-Run is on again and is promising to be bigger than ever. Rotary clubs throughout NSW are sponsoring fuel and providing catering and support.
I was told recently that it took 90 minutes for the passage of the convoy past a given point. A massive effort from our farming communities, help where you can.
District Governor 2018-19 Nominations close March 30th, 2016.
If you would like to experience the best year of Rotary in your life, now is the time to think about putting your hand up for District Governor 2018-19. The task is demanding and will take up some of your time, however, it is challenging, interesting and above all rewarding. I thoroughly recommend the task to you. Contact Gary Roberts on robwag2@bigpond.com for more information. Enquiries will be confidential.
The District Conference will be held in Wagga Wagga April 22 to 24 and will be a wonderful event to inspire you all and potential new members.
This conference will bring together the leading speakers in Rotary in the world along with a host of other top class presenters.
Past Rotary International President’s Bill Boyd wil be representing current RI President K.R. Ravindran.
Steve Killalea of the Institute of Peace and Economics will discuss Positive Peace, what makes a community peaceful. He is receiving traction around the world with the release of the Global Peace Index in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin and Geneva. He is a truly inspiring man with a new view of peace.
Sarah Yahya is a refugee from the Middle East crisis, she is the 2015 Premier’s Multicultural Youth Winner, 2015 Young Citizen of the Year and an advocate for refugee rights and young people, especially girls. She is a past RYLARIAN and will bring to us a different perspective on the current crisis facing the world.
Fran Raymond is a past Rotary Exchange Student and daughter of the late Allan Raymond, a Rotarian from Orange. Fran is now the Chief Operating Officer for the Australian Reinsurance Pool. Her story from being a young person crossing the world to her current role evidences the value of our youth programs.
Garry Browne is CEO of Stuart Alexander & Company, Marketer and Distributor of well-known confectionary, food and beverage brands.
Friday night has been left for “Club Night” so you can come to Wagga Wagga and enjoy fellowship of your club members. Saturday night we will “Rock the Town” with a concert by the Beatnix, a world class Beatles tribute band.
Your one off registration fee covers all tea breaks and 2 lunches as well as the concert, this is great value when you look at the individual cost points, the Beatnix Concert alone usually retails for $75.
The "9700 Together" District Conference was held in Wagga Wagga this last weekend (April 22 to 24) and was heralded as a great success. The district was honoured having Past Rotary International President Bill Boyd representing current RI President K.R. Ravindran. See photos of the conference below and you can click here to see a slideshow of photos taken by John Egan.
Dg Gary Roberts opened the conference.
Master of Ceremonies David Gilbey congratulated everyone for joining in celebrating Rotary and the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare's death.
New banners featuring the new Rotary brand have been made available to all clubs There are 6. one for each AG group and the idea is that each club in the District will now have a ready made Banner which they can use to advertise Rotary at their functions. They come with eyelets and ropes to make it easy to attach them to poles or structures. They will make a big difference to the Face of Rotary. All clubs will have access to them through their AG.
It is with pleasure that I announce the appointments of two Assistant Governors.
Miles Hedge is replacing Craig Ronan in Group 6, Craig was unable to fit the role in with his work commitments. Thank you Craig for your endeavours to bring Rotary to your region
Group 6 Clubs: Bathurst, Bathurst Daybreak, Bathurst East, Blayney & Oberon
Mick Horth has replaced Mick Doyle in Group 2, as Mick has had to resign for health concerns. I would like to thank Mick for his attention to his role as assistant Governor and wish him good health.
Group 2 Clubs: Orange, Orange Calare, Orange Daybreak, Orange North & Molong.
Rotary Down Under has an interview with Marilyn Roberts in the month's RDU here.
The response has been wonderful and many partners of Rotarian and non-Rotarians have shown enthusiasm with quilts already being received, and many more are working on their quilts. I am hoping to collect 100 quilts for sale. If you would like to donate a quilt, or know of anyone who may be interested in donating a quilt to my project, please contact Marilyn on robwag2@bigpond.com.
If you have not booked a bed in Wagga Wagga April 22 to 24 you had better do so quickly. This year the Conference Committee headed by Michael Knight will bring to the District the best Rotary gathering you will ever experience outside an International Convention.
You can register online or download a form and send it in.
We will have not one but TWO Past RI Presidents presenting during the Conference along with a stellar line up of great presenters and time for celebration.
PRIP Bill Boyd will be the RI President's Representative and will address the Conference on the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group. Bill is one of the best presenters in Rotary and passionate about clean water and sanitation saving lives around the world.
PRIP Kalyan Banerjee will be our special guest and will speak on Peace. For those who attended the RI Convention in Bangkok you will remember his address to the Convention, it was the most lucid and inspiring address Marilyn and I have ever heard. I have requested him to bring his wonderful understanding of peace and how we all may contribute to a peaceful world.
Friday Night will be “Club Night” you are free to celebrate as a club. Saturday night we will rock the town with a Beatles concert in the Civic Theatre, following a choice of a home hosted meal or out on the town as you please.
Make sure you put the dates in your diary and make arrangements to be in Wagga Wagga for Conference 2016 TOGETHER. A full program will be released shortly but make sure you have reservations as it is a long weekend and Wagga Wagga will be busy.
January is Vocational Service Month, Vocational Service is the basis of Rotary. Serving your community through your vocation forms a basic tenement of Rotary. This link is often overlooked and I would like to encourage you all to look to this link between Business and Rotary to reinvigorate your business communities by ensuring they understand the benefits to the community and their businesses of strong Rotary Clubs in every community. I will be dedicating the Saturday afternoon at District Conference to presentations and discussion on the value added by Rotary to a community. I invite you all to come, hear some great speakers and bring your business leaders to hear how their business and the community benefit from this collaboration.
The Drought in Northern NSW and Outback Queensland has been in the news of late with the “Hay Runners” from Burrumbuttock making news. What a wonderful way for our farmers and rural communities to show their support in time of need.
With every New Year comes hope and good intentions, and as we start again to “Be a Gift to the World” let us all make a resolution to do something to make the world a better place to live in. “Doing Good in the World” is the motto of the Rotary Foundation and Rotary has many ways in which you can fulfill such a resolution and make your community and the worldwide community a safer, more prosperous and happier place to live and bring up your children.
Marilyn and I will be travelling to the USA in mid-January to mid-February to visit our daughter Heidi and her family who is living in Boston. I will remain in touch by email and I am sure the Directors will be able to help with any queries you may have.
The cost of attending the Convention if registered before 31st March 2016 is now $375. After that date the cost will be $440. A number of Rotarians from this District 9700 have registered and booked their travel. More are in the process of planning their visit to South Korea. The Convention is a great celebration of all the great work being done around the world by Rotary. Every Rotarian should do at least one convention. This will be closest one for a few years.
The E-Club for District 9700 is on target to charter, new members are required to fulfil the minimum number required. The E-Club can help them be members of this District and they can contribute to many projects locally and around the world.
For those who are interested in poetry the Rotary Club of Orange have organized a number of functions for the Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Festival 17–21 February 2016. Details below.
PETS will be held in Young on the weekend of February 27 and 28. DGE Michael and his team have prepared a training program to ensure all 2016-17 Presidents are prepared for the job ahead.
Managing Director of North Parkes Mines Stefanie Loader has been awarded a prestigious Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship at a special ceremony at the mine. The presentation was made in front of most of the mine executive team who were let in on the secret the day before. Stefanie was noticeably shocked and said that she was incredibly honoured to receive such a prestigious award. Stefanie was awarded her Fellowship not just because of great success in her vocation but also for the fantastic contribution North Parkes Mines has made to the community of Parkes over a very long time.
Club Directors Training will this year return to Grenfell on April 10. All club Directors should attend this training to ensure you are prepared to fulfil your role. A club is only able to achieve what its directors are capable of delivering and directing, it is up to you to see you are prepared for your role.
In December 2015, 15 Year 12 graduates from high schools in Orange returned from Nepal. They were part of an inaugural program undertaken by the Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak and lead by Rtns Mary Brell, John Willing and Michelle Duncan. The young adults, selected in late 2014, spent their final year at school working together to raise the funds for the trip, improving their fitness and completing their HSC!. This is a story by on Schoolie, Mia Hull, written on her return to Australia.
You drive up a long, windy trail; through the dust they call ‘Nepali Powder’. You’re on the shore of a wild jungle which gently laps at the roadside. To your left, there is Maidi village and there men are sacrificing goats in the river – it is after all a Tuesday so it’s what’s expected. Now you’re out of the car, walking to a school with the people you’ve spent a whole year fundraising with. You’ve only really spent two weeks together but you’d safely call them your family. There are drums beating in the distance and anticipation pulsing around the group. You don’t receive a warm welcome but a fiery hot one. There is red tikka on your face; the colour is as loud as the songs that surround you. Your arms are full of flowers and the weight of all the flowers around your neck pushes their spurs into your skin. You don’t care – you’re filled with so much emotion that you’ve begun to dance.
This is a very drawn out description to begin an article, but it’s difficult to show people exactly what our schoolies trip was like, it is really an experience that you have to embark on yourself in order to empathise with me.
I had the pleasure of attending the final briefing for our outbound exchange students last weekend. These very brave young people are about to embark on a year abroad and I am sure will be great ambassadors for Rotary and Australia. We send with them our best wishes.
Your YE Committee have put in many long hours in coordinating and training our Outbound and Inbound students. The host clubs are to be congratulated for giving these young people the opportunity of a lifetime. If you have some free time or taking a short trip give some thought to taking one of our Inbound students, you will benefit from the experience just as they will. I must thank Chairman George Weston for his hard work over the past year and welcome Judith Hall as incoming Chairman. I also thank the whole committee for their tireless and consistent hard work to ensure the success and safety for the exchange students. Your work is greatly appreciated.
Kooringal Rotary Club held this year’s sporting challenge at the Beckwith Street Tennis Courts and attended by a number of guests and members of other service clubs.
Rotarians from Wollundry and Murrumbidgee RCs attended as well as members of South Wagga Lions and South Wagga Apex clubs.
Exchange student Jess attended with her host family- Alissa Brabin, Derek Keir and Jess’s host sister Ebony Keir.
Formed into mixed teams, those attending rotated through a variety of activities testing their accuracy and skill as well as luck.
South Wagga Apex catered on the evening.
Well done Kooringal RC for encouraging interclub activity.
November saw the Rotary Club of Narrandera celebrate their 70th Birthday and Marilyn and I attend the celebrations. It was a wonderful evening and the club and its’ members and partners had made a great effort in researching and displaying their history. The Friendship Exchange members were there and their singing made it such a special evening Thankyou Narrandera for including us in your celebration. 70 years is a marvelous effort and to think that Narrandera will have benefited tremendously from Rotary working in their community. Well done to you all.
70th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION – Narrandera Rotary Club
The District is keen to develop Rotaract as a means of engagement with young people. An informal social night and information session was held at the Black Swan Hotel in Wagga Wagga on Friday December 11.
If you know of any young people, employees, relatives or friends 18 to 30 years of age looking for an interest, community minded and just looking for fun then please contact:
Geoff Hamilton, President of Wollundry Rotary
email: geoff@twosheds.com.au
It is with great excitement I announce that the online donation feature of The Centurion is now available. I have made my $100 contribution to Foundation and found it quite easy. I would like to thank PDG John Egan for his persistence in bringing this to fruition. A job well done.
To make your contribution and become a Centurion just click here.
Marilyn and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year in both your personal lives and in Rotary. Enjoy this time with your families and reflect on how lucky we are to be in such a safe and happy country. We have much to be grateful for.
We are now 5 months into this Rotary year and rapidly approaching the Festive Season.
This is also an opportune time to review just where we are in our plans for this Rotary year and what is left on our goal sheet for us to achieve.
I am very pleased to advise that we are well on our way to achieving some of our gaols from the strategic plan and my personal goals for my DG year. I would like to thank all those clubs who have supported Marilyn’s Partners Program with donations to the Foundation and recognition of the significant role our partners play in supporting Rotary. This Foundation Area of Maternal and Child Health needs our continued support and I am hopeful of a major announcement in the New Year to support the work of the Foundation from our District.
Clubs and individuals can still show support for Marilyn’s Partners Program as we have a whole half year left to give to Foundation and recognise deserving people in our clubs and the community.
It was one of my goals to promote the acknowledgement and recognition of our partners, and I am pleased to say quite a few clubs have honoured deserving partners or community partners with Paul Harris recognition.
On a personal note, Marilyn and I will be travelling to Boston USA in January and will return middle February. We will be visiting our daughter Heidi and her family. Yes, we are going from the hottest month in Australia to the coldest month in USA, but we both love a challenge. I will be contactable at all times by email and my mobile will also be operational. Should you have any queries, my Board of Directors I am sure will be able to assist you.
The Annual Foundation Dinner moved to Wagga Wagga this year and was a resounding success once again. We heard wonderful presentations from Bruce Allen the Manager of the Foundation office in Parramatta, and Professor Elaine Dietsch on her amazing work in the Congo with maternal health and education. I heard many positive comments.
Elaine was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow recognition to acknowledge her work in creating a better future for people of the world.
It is through our many Humanitarian projects that we create a more peaceful world where conflict becomes less where the basics of life are provided.
Awards were given to the Rotary Clubs of Orange Calare, Orange North, Murrumbidgee, Wollundry, Wagga Wagga, Kooringal, Young and Bathurst Daybreak.
Well done to those clubs and all clubs that support Rotary Foundation.
IPDG David Kennedy presented PDG Ian Simpson with an award and PDG Fred Loneragan became a Paul Harris Society Member.
THANKYOU TO ROTARY CLUB OF WAGGA WAGGA FOR HOSTING THIS EVENT
The establishment of an e-Club is now well progressed with them meeting on-line on two occasions. They are currently considering a name, meeting format and potential executive along with many other decisions regarding the clubs future. This is a most exciting development for the District as it will provide the opportunity for many people to join Rotary who find regular attendance at meetings difficult and also open the way for those across the world to join.
The e-Club is currently recruiting members and requests you consider recommending potential members who would make good Rotarians but for one reason or another have been unable to join. Contact John Roberson for further information.
Once again MUNA did not run in the District this year, a great shame as this wonderful program for young people originated in this district and has gone around the world.
Students meet together and hold a Mock United Nations Assembly and debate world events. This gives them a greater understanding of the world we live in and the road to peace.
What better way for your club to engage with young people and provide an opportunity to guide the lives of the next generation of leaders. We need a club to pick this program up and run with it, it is not a huge task it just requires a little leg work and someone willing to help young people.
The 2016 District Conference is shaping up to be a great event not to be missed. We have confirmed all our Keynote Speakers and promise you an amazing experience and great entertainment.
Promotion for the Conference will commence shortly and registration will be available on line. Lookout for our flyer with program details and keep April 22 -24 free for the best Rotary experience you will ever see in D9700.
The Beatnix
Unfortunately, The Delltones have cancelled all Australian performances next year. However, the good news is we have booked Australia’s leading tribute band, The Beatnix for a great concert featuring all The Beatles great hits. We were disappointed with the cancellation, however, The Beatnix are an exceptional and well respected band who perform throughout Australia.
Please note you will need to book accommodation early as this is the Anzac weekend.
I spoke about “Making Your Club The Place To Be” at each of my visits and asked you to look at your club and ask:
Why you joined?
Why you stay?
Would other people in your community see being a member of your club as desirable?
It is only through reinventing ourselves and being relevant to our community we will attract new members. Work to make being a member of Rotary an attraction, engage your members to retain those already members and participate in projects that excite and enthuse the people you want to attract to Rotary.
December is Disease Prevention and Treatment Month on the revised Rotary Calendar. This is one of the Foundations Areas of Focus and one in which many of us would be aware of the numerous projects around the world supported by clubs and the Foundation.
I urge you all to look at your role in promoting improved health at home and abroad and supporting these vital programs that contribute not only to healthy communities but peaceful communities.
DECEMBER IS DISEASE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT MONTH
This great youth program for year 9 & 10 students was once again hosted by the Wollundry club in Wagga Wagga. As usual the weekend was a huge success with 65 students from across the District participating. This program helps students find their way in the world and help them make new friends for life. They develop confidence and self-esteem in a non-discriminatory environment.
Wollundry have successfully conducted this program for our District for 10 years and have enjoyed the task and are willing to go on next year, however believe that it should be shared around the district and have requested I find another club to come on board with a view to taking the lead role. This I think is only fair and I am disappointed that another club has not jumped at the opportunity to take on a successful youth program. We can’t go on saying we are great at youth training and development if we are not willing to roll up our sleeves and get involved. Where do you think our new members are going to come from if we have no engagement with young people and their parents?
Wollundry Rotary Club are to be congratulated on their commitment to our youth.
Report from Henty RC Bulletin: Henty participants were Hayden, Madeline, Nessa and Emily.
The girls and Hayden had a great time with motivational speakers and team building activities. They were also involved in a drama workshop, mini Olympics, and had speakers from Youth Exchange and NRMA. They agreed RYPEN was beneficial, the best thing was food, and the worst was that it was not long enough.
Marilyn and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year in both your personal lives and in Rotary. Enjoy this time with your families and reflect on how lucky we are to be in such a safe and happy country. We have much to be grateful for.
We are now 5 months into this Rotary year and rapidly approaching the Festive Season.
This is also an opportune time to review just where we are in our plans for this Rotary year and what is left on our goal sheet for us to achieve.
I am very pleased to advise that we are well on our way to achieving some of our gaols from the strategic plan and my personal goals for my DG year. I would like to thank all those clubs who have supported Marilyn’s Partners Program with donations to the Foundation and recognition of the significant role our partners play in supporting Rotary. This Foundation Area of Maternal and Child Health needs our continued support and I am hopeful of a major announcement in the New Year to support the work of the Foundation from our District.
Clubs and individuals can still show support for Marilyn’s Partners Program as we have a whole half year left to give to Foundation and recognise deserving people in our clubs and the community.
It was one of my goals to promote the acknowledgement and recognition of our partners, and I am pleased to say quite a few clubs have honoured deserving partners or community partners with Paul Harris recognition.
On a personal note, Marilyn and I will be travelling to Boston USA in January and will return middle February. We will be visiting our daughter Heidi and her family. Yes, we are going from the hottest month in Australia to the coldest month in USA, but we both love a challenge. I will be contactable at all times by email and my mobile will also be operational. Should you have any queries, my Board of Directors I am sure will be able to assist you.
The Annual Foundation Dinner moved to Wagga Wagga this year and was a resounding success once again. We heard wonderful presentations from Bruce Allen the Manager of the Foundation office in Parramatta, and Professor Elaine Dietsch on her amazing work in the Congo with maternal health and education. I heard many positive comments.
Elaine was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow recognition to acknowledge her work in creating a better future for people of the world.
It is through our many Humanitarian projects that we create a more peaceful world where conflict becomes less where the basics of life are provided.
Awards were given to the Rotary Clubs of Orange Calare, Orange North, Murrumbidgee, Wollundry, Wagga Wagga, Kooringal, Young and Bathurst Daybreak.
Well done to those clubs and all clubs that support Rotary Foundation.
IPDG David Kennedy presented PDG Ian Simpson with an award and PDG Fred Loneragan became a Paul Harris Society Member.
THANKYOU TO ROTARY CLUB OF WAGGA WAGGA FOR HOSTING THIS EVENT
The District Foundation Dinner is being held in Wagga Wagga on Thursday November 12 and I urge you to attend and bring your fellow Rotarians and partners to this gala night.
Professor Elaine Dietsch will tell us of her work in the Congo since 2004 and how this work in Maternal and Child Health, one of the Foundations Areas of Focus, is helping rebuild communities in this troubled land. Elaine works with Dr Luic who many of you will have heard in Cowra at the District Conference.
We will present District Foundation awards to clubs and RI Foundation Manager, Bruce Allen from the RI office in Parramatta will tell us his Rotary story.
The program will be entertaining and inspiring, I am looking forward to a great night. The Wagga Wagga Club is hosting the night at the Country Club, the cost is $25 per head and can be booked by depositing to the clubs bank. The District Committee has asked that all clubs attending inform Mary Ann Kelly (0448 230 753) know your numbers and forward payment as a lump sum to Wagga Club before Friday 6 November (Service Account No BSB 640000, A/C 603308516). Please clearly identify which club the payment has come from). This is so we can let the caterer know the numbers and to also avoid congestion at the door when you arrive, as it is anticipated that there will be well over 200 attendees.
I am Robert Meyer member of Umina Beach Rotary Club and currently hold the position of Promotional officer for the Rotary Fellowship, namely the Recreational Vehicle Fellowship of Rotarians Australia (RVFR). At our last AGM held in Bathurst last week.
RVFR is a Rotary fellowship of like minded Rotarians travelling in Caravans & Motorhomes, sharing and enjoying all this wonderful country has to offer.
At the AGM I was asked, how to make Rotarians aware of the many advantages of joining a Rotary fellowship.
As I see it, the first step in achieving this goal will be to ask our current RVFR members to help to spread the word. The most effective way would be to attend their district conference, then display paraphernalia on the RVFR fellowship in the hall of friendship.
To start the procedure, I am making contact with District Governors and making them aware, that our members will be contacting them in relation to a displaying information on the RVFR in the hall of friendship. Hopefully a kind word from the District Governors will make any fee that maybe minuscule.
Yours in Rotary
Rob Meyer
RVFR Promotional Officer
Member Umina Beach Rotary
rob@robertmeyer.com.au
04 2963 2200 Mobile
Please note, early bird registration for convention close December 15, bookings for this tour must have deposit paid by December 11 2015. This is a great opportunity to attend Rotary’s premier event at a reasonable cost.
At the RI Convention you will experience many world class speakers and experience fellowship with Rotarians from around the world. The house of friendship displays projects of many Rotary Clubs from far and wide and is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about these projects and the meet the people responsible. It is always great to learn firsthand just what Rotary does in the world. Many participants regard these conventions at the best Rotary experience they have enjoyed. Everyone needs to do a Rotary Convention. Please consider this holiday package below.
November is Foundation Month, one of our most important months on the Rotary calendar.
The Rotary Foundation is “Our Charity” and should be our first choice when giving because it is the medium through which we “Do Good in the World”.
In our clubs across the District I ask you to consider making club and personal contributions to Foundation during November to support the great work of eradicating Polio and such wonderful projects as our recent Global Grant project in Nepal.
Please note, early bird registration for convention close December 15, bookings for this tour must have deposit paid by December 11 2015. This is a great opportunity to attend Rotary’s premier event at a reasonable cost.
At the RI Convention you will experience many world class speakers and experience fellowship with Rotarians from around the world. The house of friendship displays projects of many Rotary Clubs from far and wide and is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about these projects and the meet the people responsible. It is always great to learn firsthand just what Rotary does in the world. Many participants regard these conventions at the best Rotary experience they have enjoyed. Everyone needs to do a Rotary Convention. Please consider this holiday package below.
In early October, the Wollundry Rotary Club held its second Gears and Beers Festival in WaggaWagga. This event was a great success with some 750 bike riders taking part and around 4,000 people attending the festival. Congratulations on another wonderful community event and a great opportunity to showcase Rotary at work. The Wollundry Club commissioned banners highlighting this was a Rotary organised event, and members of Wagga clubs manned an information booth with handouts detailing Rotary activities. We thank everyone for their assistance.
BANNERS FOR PUBLIC IMAGE
The District Board has now determined to assist clubs with purchase of banners for use at such events, and will be looking at printed material to assist clubs in promoting Rotary at all events we organise. If we present a vital and enthusiastic image and engage our communities, they will want to join us on the journey. Contact PDG John Egan for further details.
Hats Off to Rotary Clubs!
When it comes to shining a light on mental illness in Australia, Rotary Clubs have done it again. Thank you to all the Clubs across the nation who hosted a Hat Day event, and invited their local community to get involved as well.
Hundreds of Australian Rotary Clubs held fundraisers big and small. Some collected donations & sold merchandise at train stations, organised a Mental Health & Wellbeing Community Fair, worked with local organisations to collect donations at their receptions, as well as trivia nights, novelty auctions, hat competitions or passing the hat around at a partner’s night – thank you for your vital support of mental health research.
One of our Hat Day Ambassadors, Dr Happy aka Dr Tim Sharp, the Chief Happiness Officer at The Happiness Institute, shared happiness challenges and tips from his new ‘Happiness At Work’ Book on a “Dr Happy Roadshow”. Functions were held in Sydney, Melbourne & Hobart. An event on Hat Day (Friday October 9) included a speech from the NSW Minister for Mental Health, The Honourable Pru Goward, who endorsed Hat Day and the work of Australian Rotary Clubs in leading mental health research in Australia.
Proceeds will support initiatives such as the implementation of national suicide prevention strategies, the development of web & phone-based programs to reduce symptoms of mental illness & improve resilience, developing new medication treatments for schizophrenia, resources for loved ones caring for someone with a mental illness and many more.
Donations to Hat Day are currently being tallied – there are too many to count. 100% of funds will go directly to vital mental health research projects around Australia through Australian Rotary Health. Projects aim to find preventions, treatments and cures for a range of debilitating mental illnesses.
Thank you to everyone who got involved in Hat Day 2015. For more information or to donate, visit www.hatday.com.au.
The Presidents Forum in Young this month was an outstanding success with many Presidents, some Presidents Elect, and other future leaders present.
District Training Chairman PDG John Egan and his team organised an entertaining and informative program with plenty of time for discussion. Thankyou John and team, all the presenters and Marilyn and Maria Egan for your assistance.
We have received numerous positive comments from those attending as well as an indication that the material presented was helpful and able to be immediately implemented. One club reporting they have used the information learnt on that day to solve problems in their club.
The club visits are now finished and what a wonderful time Gary and I have experienced. We thank every club for the welcome and warmth you have shown us. We have seen many successful projects taken on by Rotary and know that the communities are benefiting by having Rotary in their community.
Most of you will have heard my passionate plea for the women in Africa and around the world who suffer and die while trying to create life. Your support of this program in this area of focus has been very encouraging and together we can make a difference to these families. We are all so lucky to enjoy our families and nurture our children and watch them grow into wonderful contributing adults and then watch them become parents and see them nurture their own families. Let’s help Rotary Foundation give this opportunity to others around the world.
Gary and I have had the pleasure of bestowing the following PHF awards.
Elizabeth and Bob Russ awarded by Blayney Rotary Club
Bob Russ a member of Blayney Rotary Club, is well respected for his endeavours and commitment to Rotary over many years and his wife Elizabeth has been a wonderful support to Bob and to Blayney Rotary Club. Her work behind the scenes is exemplary and the award was well deserved. These two awardees are truly “quiet achievers”. Russ received a sapphire pin and Elizabeth a PHF.
Jan Copeland awarded by Bathurst East Rotary Club
Jan Copeland is the widow of PDG Ray Copeland who served Rotary District 9700 in 1993-94. I was particularly thrilled to award Jan her PHF pin as Jan was secretary for her husband in his DG year and Jan was recognised for her service to Rotary at that time as well as the many years that have followed. A beautiful lady who understands the value of Rotary in the community.
Helen Pitt awarded by Forbes Rotary Club
Unfortunately. I don’t have a photo of Helen receiving her award. Helen Pitt is a member of Forbes Ipomea Rotary Club and has contributed greatly to her community. Helen works for the Education Department and is passionate about Education in rural and remote areas. Another quiet
achiever who was overwhelmed with her PHF.
Dr Vaughan awarded by Rotary Club of Orange Calare
Dr Vaughan is a Gynaecologist and Obstetrician for the Central West Region. He commenced practice in Orange 1991 with Dr Knox travelling the region to towns such as Young, Cowra, Boorowa, Mudgee, Lithgow, Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Forbes, Parkes and many more. Dr Vaughan has worked an estimated average of over 14 hrs a day, has been treasurer of the Orange Medical Association for 23 years, Chaired the Dudley Private Hospital Management Committee, attempted to set up a Karitane Cottage service in Orange, is currently head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of Orange Health Services. His award as a PHF fits so well with one of the primary areas of Rotary being Maternal and Child Health and my partners program for 2016-17. Well-deserved R Vaughan
Carolyn Rice OAM awarded by Rotary Club of Parkes
Exert from Parkes Newspaper
Carolyn is not a Rotarian but this award can be presented by Rotary to any citizen considered to be of outstanding merit. Carolyn’s achievements are manifold; Quota District Governor1998-2000, Quota International President 2005 -06,Community Human Rights Award 2005, Order of Australia Medal 2005, Member Rural Health Council 15 years, Rural Women’s Association – State Level and many other activities.
To say that she was shocked is an understatement, and she was still shaking her head when the District Governor and Marilyn jointly presented the award. Nevertheless, she composed herself in time to thank Rotary and to explain that she does what she does because she loves it.
A Paul Harris Fellowship is given by Rotary Clubs and for each one, the club gives $1000US to the Rotary Foundation to continue its great humanitarian work around the world.
Gayle Murphy awarded by Rotary Club of Narrandera
Gayle Murphy became a Paul Harris Fellow for her major contribution in the area of health.
Lorraine Gawne who just celebrated her 80th birthday was awarded a community service award.
Thank you to all the clubs who have presented cheques to me and to those clubs who have promised to support my partners program. I will be following up with you during the year and will be report my progress through this newsletter. I have been notified of a number of awards in the coming months. All the above stories were reported in the local press which is great PR of Rotary.
DGN George Weston was this week recognised for 20 years of service to Local Government.
In Sydney @ 2015 Local Government Dinner held at Rosehill Racecourse on Tuesday night George was presented with OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD FOR 20 years in Local Government.
George is currently Deputy Mayor of Leeton, a position he has held for some time, as well as his many Rotary duties as DGN, Chair of the District Youth Exchange Committee and Assistant Governor for his group he also runs Weston and Weston with his brother Lionel.
Truly a deserving recognition of a dedicated Rotarian and humanitarian. Well done George.
The Temora Club have been actively promoting Road Safety in the district by partnering with the Temora Shire Council to encourage people to drive with their headlights on at all times.
Driving with your headlights on makes you more obvious to other road users and thus reduces the likelihood of accidents. This a great opportunity to help your community and have Rotary seen to be working in your town. I congratulate the Temora Club and commend this project to other clubs in the district.
This is not a Rotary project but certainly a worthy cause our rural clubs may be interested in supporting. It concerns bringing hope to those Aussies who are doing it “real tough” to show that their farming peers feel for them and have empathy for their situation. Something that I felt rural Rotary clubs like ours could get involved with as “Service Above Self”. 100 semi-trailers loaded with hay would be one small way to bring hope to these farmers. It may not go far towards feeding animals, but will help them with their mental state of mind.
There are two major results from this drought, now in its 4th year in Queensland, and they are: 1. The Black Dog and suicide
2. Bank foreclosures.
This just in from the ABC please take your time to read it.
Outback homelessness: Farmers left without homes and jobs as drought sees bank evictions soar
Here is one Aussie project that deserves our support. I doubt that the RC of Sydney, Australia's second oldest club, and probably the most respected RC in Australia would be involved if it was not fair dinkum. The Rotary Club of Sydney is collecting the money needed to supply fuel for the trucks and farmers are donating hay.
“All I asked was for one of our farmer members to give Brendan Farrell a call to find out for themselves if and how we could or should become involved his # is 0439322605”
The club visits are now finished and what a wonderful time Gary and I have experienced. We thank every club for the welcome and warmth you have shown us. We have seen many successful projects taken on by Rotary and know that the communities are benefiting by having Rotary in their community.
Most of you will have heard my passionate plea for the women in Africa and around the world who suffer and die while trying to create life. Your support of this program in this area of focus has been very encouraging and together we can make a difference to these families. We are all so lucky to enjoy our families and nurture our children and watch them grow into wonderful contributing adults and then watch them become parents and see them nurture their own families. Let’s help Rotary Foundation give this opportunity to others around the world.
Gary and I have had the pleasure of bestowing the following PHF awards.
Elizabeth and Bob Russ awarded by Blayney Rotary Club
Bob Russ a member of Blayney Rotary Club, is well respected for his endeavours and commitment to Rotary over many years and his wife Elizabeth has been a wonderful support to Bob and to Blayney Rotary Club. Her work behind the scenes is exemplary and the award was well deserved. These two awardees are truly “quiet achievers”. Russ received a sapphire pin and Elizabeth a PHF.
Jan Copeland awarded by Bathurst East Rotary Club
Jan Copeland is the widow of PDG Ray Copeland who served Rotary District 9700 in 1993-94. I was particularly thrilled to award Jan her PHF pin as Jan was secretary for her husband in his DG year and Jan was recognised for her service to Rotary at that time as well as the many years that have followed. A beautiful lady who understands the value of Rotary in the community.
Helen Pitt awarded by Forbes Rotary Club
Unfortunately. I don’t have a photo of Helen receiving her award. Helen Pitt is a member of Forbes Ipomea Rotary Club and has contributed greatly to her community. Helen works for the Education Department and is passionate about Education in rural and remote areas. Another quiet
achiever who was overwhelmed with her PHF.
Dr Vaughan awarded by Rotary Club of Orange Calare
Dr Vaughan is a Gynaecologist and Obstetrician for the Central West Region. He commenced practice in Orange 1991 with Dr Knox travelling the region to towns such as Young, Cowra, Boorowa, Mudgee, Lithgow, Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Forbes, Parkes and many more. Dr Vaughan has worked an estimated average of over 14 hrs a day, has been treasurer of the Orange Medical Association for 23 years, Chaired the Dudley Private Hospital Management Committee, attempted to set up a Karitane Cottage service in Orange, is currently head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of Orange Health Services. His award as a PHF fits so well with one of the primary areas of Rotary being Maternal and Child Health and my partners program for 2016-17. Well-deserved R Vaughan
Carolyn Rice OAM awarded by Rotary Club of Parkes
Exert from Parkes Newspaper
Carolyn is not a Rotarian but this award can be presented by Rotary to any citizen considered to be of outstanding merit. Carolyn’s achievements are manifold; Quota District Governor1998-2000, Quota International President 2005 -06,Community Human Rights Award 2005, Order of Australia Medal 2005, Member Rural Health Council 15 years, Rural Women’s Association – State Level and many other activities.
To say that she was shocked is an understatement, and she was still shaking her head when the District Governor and Marilyn jointly presented the award. Nevertheless, she composed herself in time to thank Rotary and to explain that she does what she does because she loves it.
A Paul Harris Fellowship is given by Rotary Clubs and for each one, the club gives $1000US to the Rotary Foundation to continue its great humanitarian work around the world.
Gayle Murphy awarded by Rotary Club of Narrandera
Gayle Murphy became a Paul Harris Fellow for her major contribution in the area of health.
Lorraine Gawne who just celebrated her 80th birthday was awarded a community service award.
Thank you to all the clubs who have presented cheques to me and to those clubs who have promised to support my partners program. I will be following up with you during the year and will be report my progress through this newsletter. I have been notified of a number of awards in the coming months. All the above stories were reported in the local press which is great PR of Rotary.
October is Economic and Community Development Month. This one of the Foundations Six Areas of Focus and probably the one most likely to apply to many of our projects. In October Rotary places a focus on the capacity building of our many humanitarian projects abroad but also on the impact we can have in our own communities.
I would also like to draw your attention to World Polio Day on October 24.In the words of RI President Ravi, “We need your voice to raise awareness, to raise funds and to keep the momentum going”. I recently sent a message to all club presidents indicating the possibility the Australian Government was likely to cut funding for Polio eradication. You may recall, the then Prime Minister Tony Abbott, at the Sydney RI Convention, promised $100 million over 5 years to End Polio. It is now proposed to reduce this funding and potentially cause the Polio Eradication target to be threatened.
After our many years of hard work this would be a tragedy. In my message I asked on behalf of the District Board and the children of the world that you, as ordinary members petition your local members of parliament and stress our concern and deep disappointment should this proceed. Please ensure that this message is raised at club level and the letter enclosed with the message, is circulated as widely as possible and that as many people as we can, to ensure parliament know how we feel.
November is approaching rapidly and is an important month in Rotary as it is Foundation Month. On Thursday November 12 the District Foundation Dinner will be held in Wagga Wagga, the guest speaker will be Professor Elaine Dietsch. I urge you all to attend this wonderful celebration of Rotary. Please see the article below for the details.
As part of the Partner’s program, a number of partners and I have been discussing the possibility of holding a Quilt Sale at the District Conference in Wagga Wagga in April 2016. I have many interested participants and have decided to go ahead with the project.
Participants will create a quilt made from their “stash”. For those who don’t know what a stash is, it’s the fabric they have sitting in their cupboards that will one day make a quilt.
Participants will donate that quilt to the partner’s program quilt sale in Wagga Wagga.
Size:
The quilts are to be:
Minimum size: 1.20cm x 120cm
Maximum size: 1.50cm x1.50cm
Price:
The smaller quilt will be priced at $100
The larger quilt will be priced at $150
These prices barely reflect the cost of the material, and do not reflect the hours of the quilters in creating these beautiful quilts. A handmade quilt for $100- $150 is a bargain. My aim to have 100 quilts for sale. Please offer the opportunity to fellow quilters who may be interested.
Rotary Foundation - Maternal and Child Health will be the recipient of the funds raised from this quilt sale.
If the quilts are not all sold at the Wagga Wagga Conference, I will arrange to have sales within the District at difference towns. Again if any quilts are not sold they will be given the various charities around the district for use or fundraising or given to Nursing homes, respite centres etc.
If you require more information or wish to be involved, or donate a quilt please contact any of the coordinators below.
For those of you who have made enquiries as to what is happening regarding the Rotary International Convention in Korea. I have made contact with a travel agent who is presently creating a packaged travel deal for D9700. I have asked for an itinerary regarding a tour of some of the highlights of Seoul and Sth Korea, as well as accommodation and flights to Seoul to attend the convention.
If you are interested contact me and I will make sure you receive the details once the agent finalized tour package. These arrangements are in early stages and will I publish information as it come to hand.
Most of you will have heard my passionate plea for the women in Africa and around the world who suffer and die while trying to create life. Your support of this program in this area of focus has been very encouraging and together we can make a difference to these families. We are all so lucky to enjoy our families and nurture our children and watch them grow into wonderful contributing adults and then watch them become parents and see them nurture their own families. Let’s help Rotary Foundation give this opportunity to others around the world.
Gary and I have had the pleasure of bestowing the following PHF awards.
Robert Bowcher from South Wagga Rotary Club
Robert has worked for two years to try and secure a Prostate Specialist Nurse for the MLHD Area, again through persistent lobbying of Politicians well supported by our local media. He has been working very closely with some high profile people to try and convince Government that a Prostate Specialist Nurse is critical to rural areas like ours. Thanks to Robert and his many supporters Prostate Cancer sufferers in the Wagga area will benefit from the support of a Prostate Cancer Specialist nurse in the very near future.
Trevor Bedggood from Henty Rotary Club
Trevor has tirelessly supported Henty Rotary Club in many varied activities. He is the partner of Rotarian Noelene and together they work hard to support Rotary and their town. Trevor was surprised and amazed that he should be award such an honour and I am thrilled that Henty chose Trevor as I am aware of just what a “quiet achiever” he is .
Jan Roberts from Wollundry Rotary Club
The Club chose to award a PHF to Jan Roberts who is prominent in helping women in crisis. President Geoff listed off the accomplishments and involvement of this amazing lady, which include tireless work in supporting women in violent and threatening situations. She has been on the Committee of Wagga Women's Health Centre for more than 35 yrs, and is currently vice president. She has been involved with Sister Housing, and Linden Place which supports the victims of child sexual assault.
Jan is truly an outstanding community person, well chosen to receive a Paul Harris Fellow.
Paul Cox from Rotary Club of Orange Calare
Gary and I had the pleasure of witnessing the awarding of another PHF to Paul Cox, Paul is an energetic and tireless worker for Rotary and his recent efforts for the Ice Forums has been outstanding. Well done Paul, and to Judy as well who was presented with flowers for her support to Paul in his endeavours.
Thank you to all the clubs who have presented cheques to me and to those clubs who have promised to support my partners program. I will be following up with you during the year and will be report my progress through this newsletter.
Rotarian John Short was awarded the Arthur Roeder Memorial Trophy for his great work over the past five years in organising Rotary’s BowelScan programme. John orders the kits and distributes them to the cooperating outlets in Parkes, Peak Hill and Trundle and as a result over 200 tests are done each year.
Dorelle Grady was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship for her marvellous community work. Dorelle who is a “Friend of Rotary” has assisted Parkes Rotary Club with many projects over the past five or six years. She is a most willing helper with everything the club is involved with. She is also well known in the community for her willingness to help anyone including keeping her back lane immaculate.
By now, you will have all received the District Directory for 2015-16 or can access this via your club secretary. It is an electronic file, not a printed book, but you can print it in full or just the parts you require. The data in the Directory is derived from the District Website. If your contact details are incorrect on this site you will not receive a correct entry in the directory and we cannot communicate with you. This new Directory will bring the district into the 21st century and integrate our district website with the directory. Please embrace this change and you will benefit from this initiative with a little application and overcoming your fears. This directory will offer much more than we have been able to in the past. It will contain all the features you want in a directory, contact details of all Rotarians in the district, club executives, meeting times and places, the District Leadership Team and much more.
District Changeover and most club changeovers will be completed by now. The District Changeover was held in Wagga Wagga and was a great celebration of Rotary with 200 people attending.
I would like to bring a renewed enthusiasm to Rotary and our communities and “Doing Good In The World”. We need to seek out ways of serving our communities that resonate with potential Rotarians and “Make Our Clubs, The Place To Be”.
All our actions in providing community facilities, events and humanitarian aid add to our advancement of peace. Eradicating polio, providing safe drinking water, supporting the fight against domestic violence, creating awareness of the Peace Communities Program, training teachers in Nepal and many other initiatives all make our world a more peaceful place to live.
We often hail our youth programs as our flagship events, but we rarely accord them the praise and resources they deserve. We need to promote these programs to our youth and to the public and engage the youth of our communities and ensure they see the value of “Service Above Self”.
Paul Harris embraced the concept of business networking through fellowship. We appear to have lost the path as we seem to see them as two separate spheres of enterprise. I want to encourage you to engage with your business communities unashamedly and see they understand the benefits of good corporate citizenship to their company and community at large.
I have created an additional position on the District Board titled Director for Public Image because we need to overcome the secret society mentality and make our clubs “The Place to Be”. I have appointed PDG John Egan to this position, John will be looking to see what we are doing and how we can tell the world about the wonderful achievements of Rotary and expanding the use of Social Media as a way of communicating this to the world.
I urge you to join us on this great adventure and become a “Gift To the World”
Regards Gary
This year Graffiti Removal Day will be held on Sunday 18 October 2015. To help make Graffiti Removal Day bigger and better we need your support to once again be a Co-ordinator for your local area. If you are available to assist again this year, please call Gay or Sam from our friendly support team on 1300 665 310 or email us at info@graffitiremovalday.org.au
At District Changeover I requested all guests to write on a post it note their Gift To The World. I was amazed at the responses and have created a “Gift Wall” in my Rotary office at home. I find them inspirational, gifts included, love, time, enthusiasm leadership, New Rotarians, New Clubs.
Marilyn and I will be visiting every club in the district in the next three months. The dates were published following PETS and again at Club Directors Training and should be known to all Presidents Elect. The dates are also on the District Webpage and Directory.
2015-16 District Governor Gary Roberts congratulates Immediate Past District Governor David Kennedy at the District Changeover Dinner on Saturday evening June 27th. Click here to view additional photos of the evening, compliments of John Egan.
Wagga Wagga Mayor Rod Kendall congratulates incoming District Governor Gary Roberts.
I would like to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU.
Thank You for the opportunity to represent the District as your Governor and for the new friends and acquaintances I have been fortunate enough to have made while travelling in the District and beyond.
We are blessed in District 9700 to have the depth of Rotary experience and knowledge to provide willing mentors and advisors for this and other roles and I will look forward to thanking those who have offered me that support and knowledge base.
We have achieved much in this last year and the whole District is able to share I that sense of pride that I certainly feel.
Rotary Fellowships Month - June is designated as “Rotary Fellowships Month” by the RI Board to recognize the importance of international fellowship and good will among Rotarians with similar recreational interests, vocations, and health and medical issue-oriented interests, to promote increased participation in fellowships and increase understanding of this program. The RI Board encourages fellowships groups to highlight activities through projects, activities, and events in celebration of “Rotary Fellowships Month” in June.
“Fellowship is wonderful; it illuminates life’s pathway, spreads good cheer, and is worth high price.”
Jeff McGreggor spoke to the Orange Daybreak Club about the Australian Federal Police when he was the Guest Speaker. The Australian Federal Police was created as a result of the Hilton bombing in 1975. In 1979 the AFP was formed as a combination of the ACT Police, The Commonwealth Police and the drugs section of the Customs Agency. The AFP Act gave control to the relevant Federal Minister. Over the years priorities have changed between drugs, terrorism and other areas.
Having joined the ACT police at age 19, Jeff joined the AFP in 1979 and over the years has served in many areas of the AFP. The AFP has officers in 17 countries where it has a small number of officers, between 2 and 4, working with the relevant country’s police on drug and other projects. Jeff has served in a number of overseas theatres - Cyprus, East Timor, Solomon Islands, and PNG. In Cyprus he was part of the UN force along with officers from Ireland acting as peace keepers in the buffer zone between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. His tour of duty was in 1998 and 1999. In 1999 he was district commander in East Timor where the incidents of horrific violence overshadowed a beautiful country. Initially the involvement was of the Australian military, followed by UN forces and then the AFP with about 110 officers both male and female. During this secondment, Jeff lived in a fairly hostile situation and conditions were very basic – a tent on the floor within a house with necessary mozzie nets etc. – drop toilet and buckets for water! Jeff’s times in PNG and the Solomons were more of an aid mission working to improve the local police forces. After retirement Jeff has become involved in rural life – farming at Mullion Creek.
During the month the Parkes Rotary Club invited John Sarkissian from the Parkes Radio Telescope to be their Guest Speaker. John provided the members with some very interesting facts and updates on what is happening in the world of astronomy. Such as:
He has been working at the telescope for the past 19 yrs. after only coming for a 11 month contract
Parkes is one of the worlds greatest research instruments and has been in operation for 54 yrs. but was only designed for a 20 yr. life
After a number of upgrades the scope is now 10,000 times more sensitive than when it was originally built
Radio telescopes receive radio signals that are feed into computers due to the fact the signals are very very weak. There is a new international project being proposed to create the largest radio telescope which will cover an area of 1 million sq. metres of surface area. And will cost approx.. $3 billion to build.
The 20 countries are involved in the project and it has just recently been announced that the project is to be split between S. Africa and Australia. But this is causing a massive increase in construction costs and now the project is looking shaky with regards to actually being built.
Did You Know?
Island of Jersey became the 60th peace community on 8 May 2015.
The Rotary Club of Jersey has been working toward the recognition of The Island of Jersey as a Rotary Peace Community since 2012. It is the first Rotary Peace Community to be declared in the British Isles.
This is Julie Masters, Teacher Special Unit, Kooringal Public School. Julies was accompanied by Kooringal Public School principal Sally Davidson, as she outlined the school’s project –construction of a sensory playground for students with disabilities.
"The Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga is not convinced that books are finished. The club has recently run its 13th Annual Book Fair, over two days, with overall receipts totaling around $48,000.This year: 23 pallets held more than 1300 boxes of books for transport - in excess of 40,000 books, apart from CDs, DVDs, sheet music and more. The event has now raised close to $350,000 for the club’s community activities. It’s a huge physical exercise, with members and volunteers collecting and sorting through the year; while help comes from Apex members, Charles Sturt University Veterinary Students, partners and volunteers at the time of uplift and hall set-up. Local firms assist with transport & bag supply, while the local media help bring in the crowd - around 2000 over the weekend. It’s a real community event, with the books, of course, donated throughout the year by local residents and the receipts going back to the community – what a great cycle!"
In November our District will host a reciprocal team from District 2380 in Sweden where a team from this District visited last August. Hosting clubs for this exchange will include Orange, Wagga Wagga & Leeton whose members were part of that team. Another host club will be needed. Also in November we have the offer to send a team to District 4740 Brazil. This would be a fascinating place to visit and nominations to join this team are now being sort. Please be in touch if you are at all interested.
District 3010 in India is very keen to exchange with this District. Having travelled to India ourselves on a Friendship Exchange we can vouch for the great experience this was in the safety & comfort of Rotarians and their families.
In many Rotary clubs, it is customary to open weekly meetings with an appropriate invocation or blessing. Usually such invocations are offered without reference to specific religious denominations or faiths.
Rotary policy recognizes that throughout the world Rotarians represent many religious beliefs, ideas and creeds. The religious beliefs of each member are fully respected, and nothing in Rotary is intended to prevent each individual from being faithful to such convictions.
At international assemblies and conventions, it is traditional for a silent invocation to be given. In respect for all religious beliefs and in the spirit of tolerance for a wide variety of personal faiths, all persons are invited to seek divine guidance and peace "each in his own way." It is an inspiring experience to join with thousands of Rotarians in an international "silent prayer" or act of personal devotion.
Usually all Rotary International board and committee meetings begin with a few moments of silent meditation. In this period of silence, Rotary demonstrates respect for the beliefs of all members, who represent the religions of the world.
Since each Rotary club is autonomous, the practice of presenting a prayer or invocation at club meetings is left entirely to the traditions and customs of the individual club, with the understanding that these meeting rituals always be conducted in a manner that will respect the religious convictions and faiths of all members.
Having said that most will also know my attitude towards maintaining the secular aspect of our wonderful organisation and I find the practice by the RI leadership of using a few moments silent meditation as quite forward thinking and something that all Clubs could think about using.
Being in Nepal at the time of the earthquake has provided Orange Daybreak Rotarian and recent winner of the RI Service Above Self Award, Mary Brell, with further motivation to provide constructive assistance to the villagers in the Maidi region.
Over the last 4 years through a Global Grant and RAWCS project Mary and her team have achieved real change within the education and health areas of focus.
Through the outstanding generosity of a number of our Districts Clubs I have seen both cash donations and Shelter Box and Disaster Aid contributions made.
With the approval of your District Board we have also been able to donate $2,500 each to Shelter Box and Disaster Aid to assist both these appeals.
A further $5000 donation has been made through a RAWCS project to assist the reconstruction of educational and health facilities in the Maidi village region of Nepal. It has been this area that our District grant concentrated on over the last few years and our continued assistance seem imperative.
It’s that time of year when we all start to think about the transition from one management group to the next and that includes yours truly.
Quite a few Clubs have been kind enough to already forward to me an invitation to attend their changeover.
It would be terrific to receive the rest so that I can respond in a timely manner. Send to davidkennedy9700@gmail.com Thanks
In the case that I cannot personally attend arrangements have been made for a past officer of RI (PDG) to attend on behalf of myself and Rotary International.
District 9700 Mt Kenya Rotary climbing team conducts Anzac Day Ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Landing which happened on the 25th April 1915.
Over seven days they passed through five different climatic zones, with amazing views across the endless grassy plains of East Africa and Mount Kenya’s amazing topography.The Climb was supported by Coolamon and Wagga Wagga Sunrise Rotary Clubs. Funds raised will allow Rotary to continue its work in Kenya and South Africa, as well as to support Legacy Australia.
Could it be only 23 years ago? David Benn, Colin Butt, Rick Priest, John Smith, Ken Cook and Jack Morgan of Kooringal Rotary about to go to Manus Island.
David Benn introduced Ken Cook, Rick Priest & John Smith and their journey, taken along with Colin Butt and Jack Morgan of Kooringal Rotary, twenty-three years ago.
They went to Manus Island to complete a school building which had been started by other Rotarians and required the final securing of the building to act as a girls' dormitory.
Their voyage was from another era almost; fireworks in baggage and photo's of a group of younger men who struck a similarity with those we know but who seemed in some cases only half the men we know now.
DISASTER AID AUSTRALIA - WE'RE ON THE GROUND IN VANUATU
And, working alongside local Rotarians and others, we will be there for the long haul, helping rebuild communities ... and lives
Disaster Aid International (Australia) has deployed DARTs (Disaster Aid Response Team members) Dianne Holland (Australia) and Wayne Beaumier (USA) to Vanuatu. They arrived on Thursday 26 March. Their initial assessment - working within the communities, and with other aid organisations - they confirmed the priority was for clean, safe water. That is confirmed in reports by the UN agency OCHA: "110,000 need clean safe drinking water".
So, we have already distributed (to two communities) a number of Sawyer filters (provided by Wayne), each sufficient to keep a large family supplied with clean water for the immediate term.
A chance remark from a nine year old boy has led to Henty Rotary Club undertaking its biggest project ever.
The lad asked Rotarian Graham Booth one day, "Why hasn’t Henty got a skate park like other towns?” Graham broached the matter at a Rotary meeting and the upshot was that the club decided to investigate the possibility of building one. A committee was formed from Rotarians and interested local citizens.
The local Council agreed to set aside an area of land in the town’s Memorial Park so the club kicked the fund raising off with a donation of $1,000, to which a further $10,000 was later added. Pledges of a further $35,000 were given by a number of various local organisations and Club Treasurer Noelene Bedggood set about applying for a $150,000 grant from the N.S.W. ClubGRANTS programme.
Fundraising continued with raffles, etc. and in March this year the committee was delighted to receive word that its application had been approved.
Local young people and members of the committee met with the contractor and plans have been drawn up. With a budget of approximately $200,000, work is expected to proceed almost immediately with a projected opening date of late November.
Photos - Member for Albury, Greg Aplin announced the successful grant.
If you thought splurging $10 in a pokie was a gamble, Rowell Flores has news for you.
His brother Rex consigned to 'organ death row', Rowell took the ultimate punt last year, making a mercy dash to Australia from the Philippines to forego a kidney. It was a gesture borne out of love but made possible by a Rotary Club in far flung Wagga.
The transplant was a success and Rex is relishing his second chance at life, and he's acutely aware it wouldn't have happened without the compassion - and cash - of Rotary.
Of course it's just one of many philanthropic deeds done by Rotary clubs in Wagga each year. We should never forget the valuable role our service clubs play, filling in gaps left by government and other institutions. They are guided not by publicity or power but by a simple humanity.
A popular bumper sticker reads, "Don't take your organs to heaven - heaven knows we need them here." Heaven knows we need our service clubs too.
Peter Keith PHF gave an overview of the rapidly changing scene in General Practice over the last fifty years and the last ten years in particular. In that time, there were many complex and continuing challenges facing the Family GP.
From 1973-1979, Peter worked as a medical missionary doctor in Tanzania and then for 32 years, as an older style family GP in a large Christian-based group practice in Wagga from 1981- 2014.
Medical work in Tanzania was totally different to Australian general practice - much more basic, and incredibly challenging. He personally carried out 64 Caesarean section operations using spinal anaesthetic as well as a few emergency operations for which he was not trained. He trained village health workers and lived through major cholera and meningitis epidemics.
The Rotary Club of Griffith Avanti's Annual Charity Ball was again held this year on Easter Thursday as the opening event to Griffith's 2015 La Festa Celebrations. Held in conjunction with McWilliam's Wines as the major sponsor, the ball was held for the third time.
From left: Club members Bob Campbell, Brett Stonestreet, (back) Bruno Musitano, Peter Sparks (member) and Pat Calabria
Colonel Pat Thome was bom in Calcutta India where his father was a Major in the British military in India. Pat completed 27 years of distinguished service with the military. On moving to Australia, the family operated a rural property at Springdale.
Pat has carried out considerable research into ANZAC and on Gallipoli, and in particular the involvement of soldiers from Springdale, Temora and Ariah Park during WW1. As this year is the 100th Anniversary of ANZAC, this presentation was particularly relevant. Pat included readings directly from letters sent home from Gallipoli by local soldiers. These gave a vivid and different perspective on the conditions that they endured, and of their love and consideration of their families back in Australia.
As with many communities in Australia at that time, Springdale, Temora, and Ariah Park paid a big sacrifice in the losses of young men from their communities.
One interesting fact that Pat related to us was that at the Treaty of Versailles, New Guinea was to be handed over to Japan. Fortunately the Australian Prime Minister at the time was able to prevent this happening. Just imagine the implications for Australia during WW 2 if this had happened.
Colin Lamrock introduced Lachlan Campbell speaking on NYSF
"The National Youth Science Forum 'NYSF' is an annual program that selects students all across Australia and other parts of the World. Selected students go to a university in Australia and spend twelve days attending many science-related activities. These activities include lab visits, formal dinners and presentations from scientists who are leading researchers in this field. Rotary is a founding partner of the NYSF and an active part of each individual session.
The NYSF is a great opportunity for students and it is only from organisations like Rotary, that they are able to have this opportunity." 'The pain of discipline, is not as painful, as the pain of regret...'
Forbes Rotary member Chris Finkel will fly out to Kenya in just a few days to climb Africa’s second highest mountain, Mt Kenya.
Mr Finkel, former president of Rotary Forbes, will join eleven other Rotarians from Australia and New Zealand in climbing Mt Kenya, which is 4,985 metres, or 17,000 feet, in height.
The team plan to reach the Mt Kenya peak at dawn on the 100th anniversary of the allied Gallipoli landings - Anzac Day, April 25.
There the Rotary team will meet teams from the AIF, the Kenyan Army and hopefully a Turkish Army team and join them in the traditional Anzac Day dawn service.
Kooringal Club organised the Annual Wagga Peace Day Ceremony
The Combined Rotary Clubs of WaggaWagga continue to recognise the anniversary of the day WaggaWagga became Rotary’s Frist Peace City by holding a Peace Day Ceremony on the Sunday closest to 23 February.
Organised by Kooringal Rotary, this year’s ceremony was held in the Victory Memorial Gardens before a crowd of about 125 Rotarians, guests and members of the public.
A Welcome to Country was provided by Aunty Isabel Reid while the Civic Welcome was given by Councillor Kerry Pascoe. Federal Member for Riverina, Michael McCormack read the Declaration of Peace. The Credo of the Peace Communities Program was read by PDG Ray King who asked those present to make the promise with him. Everyone then read the Prayer of St Francis. Presentation of School Awards by Member for WaggaWagga Daryl Maguire followed. Each of the local secondary schools gave short oral presentation informing the crowd what community service was being carried out in their schools locally and globally.
Then the WaggaWagga City Council Peace Award was presented to the nominee selected by Council. Each of the Rotary clubs then presented an award for community service to their nominees.
To conclude, the prestigious Helen and Peter Walsh Memorial Peace Community Award was presented by District Governor.
Photos taken and provided by Brian Roy, South Wagga Wagga Rotary and Dennis Bishop and Ted Wolfe of Kooringal Rotary
This year awards were made at the District Conference to Heather Cameron nominated by Orange Daybreak Club and Alok Sharma, sponsored by Wagga Wagga Club. They are pictured below receiving their award from DG David Kennedy.
Alok Sharma
Heather Cameron
Each year Rotary District 9700 awards a small number of Vocational Excellence Awards. These awards are presented to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding levels of achievement in their vocation and whose achievements have contributed at a local, national or global level. The awardee must also have displayed a commitment to high ethical standards and have contributed significantly to the advancement of their profession. This is the fifth year that Rotary has presented the Vocational Excellence Awards in this district. In the past three years there have been nine outstanding individuals from all corners of the District who have received this prestigious award.
Lauren Slater spoke at Wagga Wollundry Rotary about RYLA.
Lauren began her presentation by saying that RYLA is a youth programme that she is very passionate about. She said that when she attended RYLA, it was a week that changed her life. She went on to join Rotary and wanted to make a difference.
It is a program that is for young people, 18 to 28. It is a week long programme, very intensive, very tiring, but very rewarding. It is a combination of speakers, day trips and physical activities.
This year RYLA will be held April 13th to April 18th. It is the last year for some time that it will be held in Wagga.
RYLA is about leadership, fun, teamwork and community. RYLA is a good opportunity to recruit young people into Rotary. It encourages participants to get involved in knowing people. She spoke about the anthem for the week as being written to the tune of “I am, You are, we are Australians!” By the end of the week, they are singing it in their sleep! Some of RYLA’s favourite speakers are John Egan and Mark Hillis. She spoke of Charles Hardy from Century 21 Realty who flew in from Sydney and has spoken at the last 17 RYLA functions. He is one of the most inspiring speakers that RYLA has heard. The week also included one day at Kapooka Army Base.
Wagga Murrumbidgee welcomed Abbeyfield Australia which is a national not-for-profit community housing provider and the peak body representing 26 independent Abbeyfield Societies in towns and suburb across Australia.
Abbeyfield Australia currently provides three types of affordable accommodation:
assisted independent living for adults with mild intellectual disabilities
'low care' (Hostel) aged care accommodation
assisted independent living for those aged 55+.
What is an Abbeyfield House?
Ten residents share a spacious purpose built house.
The houses are integrated into the streetscape and are non-institutional in design and operation.
Every resident has a private and comfortable bedroom sitter (with ensuite).
A guest room is available for visiting family and friends.
The house has a fully furnished lounge room, dining room, and laundry. Residents furnish their private bedrooms and ensuite.
Nutritious midday and evening meals are prepared daily (weekdays) by a live-in house keeper. Breakfast provisions are also provided. (A single meal is served on Saturdays and Sundays, and provisions for provided for other meals.)
Every Abbeyfield House has a 'live–in' professional housekeeper. The housekeeper keeps the common areas of the house spic and span, does the shopping and cooks superb meals! An Abbeyfield Housekeepers is a valued employee but their role does not include being a maid or butler to residents.
Residents must maintain and clean their own private room / ensuite and do their own laundry.
Residents must abide by House rules centered on respect for other residents and the house. Residents are encouraged to participate in house life and sometimes assist with minor house keeping chores.
Every Abbeyfield house or hostel is managed by a legally incorporated Association overseen by a local community Committee of Management. It is a local solution to a local need and exists because of our wonderful Abbeyfield volunteers and much community support.
An Abbeyfield House is designed to help people stay independent and active in their community, whilst providing some day to day living support.
Wagga Kooringal Club received a cheque from Member for Wagga, Daryl Maguire for $ 53,741 after Ray King made yet another successful application for funding to the Dept of Education & Communities’ Community Building Partnership Program. The unusual sum of money received was determined by the total funds available shared equally by the no. of successful applicants. This money will towards the Club’s Major Project – Sunflower House.
President Greg Guttler receives the cheque from Daryl Maguire for the club’s major project watched by Fundraising co-ordinator, Richard Pottie (left) and (on right) PDG Ray King and Phillip Tome.
Orange Daybreak had a number of interesting Guest Speakers during February – notes from some of their speakers follow:
Ajmer Singh Gill was born in Singapore, raised in Malaysia, studied in England and worked in Malaysia before coming to Australia in 1981. He worked as an educator in such diverse places as Tennant Creek, Darwin and Western Sydney before coming to Orange to be closer to his daughter and her family. Ajmer is a practising Sikh. Sikhism is a way of life; a disciplined mode of life coupled with a belief in the unity of one God, the equality of all mankind, faith in the Guru's word and love for all. The stepping stone for a Sikh is to accept the one God and worship Him with one’s tongue, mind and actions. It is a peaceful faith which strongly believes in fairness to all i.e. upholding human rights and justice to all. Sikhs believe religion should be practised by living in the world and coping with life’s everyday problems.
Ajmer is currently the President of The National Sikh Council of Australia, an umbrella body of Sikh organisations (incorporated associations e.g. Sikh Youth of Australia). It represents the needs of the Sikh community in Australia, unites Sikhs around Australia, in prayer and service to humanity and enables them to be better members of the Australian Society. The Australian Sikh population is around 75,000 with the majority living in NSW.
Challenges & Issues being addressed by the Council include:
Wearing the Kirpan, a ceremonial dagger worn by baptised Sikhs, in public.
Wearing a Turban. There is a need for the wider Australian community to be more aware and tolerant and not discriminate against someone wearing a Turban and not assume that they might be a terrorist.
Ajmer is passionate about the work of the National Sikh Council, interfaith relations and gender equity. In 2005 he received the NSW Community Relations Commission Award for Community Service
On 4th February, Kath Logan gave a presentation to Orange Daybreak about facilitative mediation, focusing on family dispute resolution and land access mediation. Her dispute resolution background is professional and academic. In addition to managing stakeholder relations and disputes in the mining, CSG and infrastructure industries for ten years, she has completed two Masters degrees in dispute resolution. She is also a nationally accredited mediator and an Attorney General accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. She works from the premise that dispute damages reputations and relationships, wastes money and time. In the country, people have to pull together.
Agreements that work let people work together productively, and spend their time and money on the people they love and the things they love doing. So mediation is an excellent option for country families and businesses in dispute.
The presentation focused on three main areas: 1. General mediation - principles and process 2. Family Dispute Resolution - process, protecting the rights of the child in every instance, Parenting Plans, effects of separation and divorce on children, ways that adults can protect children in high conflict families. 3. Landholder mediation for land access (mining, gas and infrastructure). Both parties have opposing needs and interests - making an agreement requires both parties to understand one another better. This is easier to do with the help of a third party.
Her talk wrapped up with five takeaway points that anyone can use to manage conflict effectively: 1. We are more similar than different 2. Listen 3. What are their needs and interests? 4. Separate people from problems 5. Hard on problems and soft on people For more information on mediation, visit Kath’s website www.kathlogan.com.au
The Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga Sunrise recently organised the first Police Officer of the Year awards for the Wagga Wagga Local Area Command.
This was an opportunity for members of the public to acknowledge outstanding acts of courtesy, kindness, understanding, compassion, courage, and devotion to duty by any member, uniform, plain clothes, office staff or volunteer of the NSW Police Force operating in the Wagga Wagga Local Area Command.
Superintendent Bob Noble strongly supported the awards and Wagga Sunrise Club received 75 nominations for 53 officers from Lockhart, Coolamon, Junee, Temora and Wagga Wagga.
Six individuals were formally recognised at the presentation dinner at the Wagga RSL Club which drew a crowd of 140.
District Governor, David Kennedy attended the evening.
President of Wagga Sunrise Club, Jo Wilson, made the major award to Constable Madonna Reardon who worked in the domestic violence unit. Ms Reardon will progress to the state awards later in the year.
LAC executive officer, Kristy-Lee Holmes, Senior Constable Mathew Owen, Senior Constable Brad Hallam , Constable Brayden Sharrock and volunteer Ray Pelletier were also recognised.
The evening was compared by PP Darren Verus and was well supported by sponsors, Rotarians and the Police Force.
TheAugust Newsletter for Rotary Australia World Community Service, eastern region - the Rover - is now available for a good read. You can access the newsletter by visiting http://www.rawcseastern.org.au/ and on the left hand side of the home page scroll down to the link. Items covered include:
¤ RAWCS project volunteers now register online
¤ Pink Umbrella Foundation Grants
¤ Donations In Kind provides humanitarian aid through provision of donated goods
¤ Making Smiles Possible Project
And our District's John Roberson is the Eastern Region Chair, well done John.
Gary C.K. Huang never imagined he would become Rotary International's president when he joined in 1976, but now that he is in office, he hopes to increase membership to 1.3 million by the end of his term.
"It's simple. The more members we have, the more people we can help. A stronger membership base will result in stronger communities," says Huang, who on 1 July became Rotary's first Chinese president.
August is Membership Month, which means it’s time to celebrate your Rotary club, your members, and the good you do in your community and around the world.
There are many ways to join in the celebration, but here are a few activities to get you started:
Say it loud, say it proud! Let everyone in your social network know that you are a proud member by changing your Twitter and Facebook profile picture to the I’m a Proud Member of, I’m a Proud Rotaractor, or I’m a Proud Interactor graphic. Copy and save the graphic as your profile picture for August.
Watch and share. Download RI President Gary C.K. Huang’s video on membership from Rotary’s Vimeo page. Watch it at your next meeting or club event to highlight the vital role membership plays in maintaining a strong and active club.
We Are Rotary. Using the hashtag #WeAreRotary, post photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Vine of your club members at work in your community or abroad to show how Rotary makes a positive impact in the world.
It’s Now or Never. Join us on August 13 at 10:00 Chicago time (UTC-5) (this happens to be 1am on Thursday 14th for NSW) for our Membership: It’s Now or Never webinar. It will feature international membership expert Nikki Walker discussing innovative ways of thinking about membership.
Making a difference. Rotary clubs are known for the high-impact service projects they undertake locally and globally. Share stories about your service projects and how they improve lives on Rotary Showcase. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see what Rotary members around the world are doing to celebrate Membership Month.
What does Rotary mean to you? Rotary members have pushed polio to the brink of eradication, delivered clean water to those in need, improved their local communities, provided scholarships to the next generation of peacemakers, and continued to do good in the world.
Apart from being Membership Month July has marked the beginning of my year as your District Governor and it is also the beginning of the period of official visits to all the 40 clubs spread throughout our District.
At the time of writing this newsletter I have already had the pleasure of visiting nine (9) clubs and attending a similar number of changeovers. The opportunity to make new friends and renew acquaintance is outstanding and certainly one of the major benefits that can be taken from this role. During my visits I have the opportunity to outline the Districts Goals for the 2014-15 year and to encourage and assist clubs in embracing the vision of inducting new Rotarians and increasing the giving to the Rotary Foundation.
It is through our collective giving around the world and from outside donors that The RotaryFoundation is able to financially support programs such as Polio Plus and have results such as South East Asia being declared polio free – the rest of the world will follow!
Another initiative being discussed with individuals at Clubs is the PaulHarris Society which allows individuals to become a member of an exclusive group that determine to donate $1000 each year when able to the Foundation. As coordinator of this program I would encourage those interested in further details to contact me direct on davidkennedy9700@gmail.com.
PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE.!
We as Rotarians achieve great things with our local and international programs but are not the best at telling our own story. I would therefore encourage you to have a look at our facebook page
at Rotary District 9700. This will give your Club an opportunity to let more people know what great programs you are conducting and maybe glean ideas from others.
Well here it is July 2014. It only seemed moments ago that someone suggested that I should apply for this role of DG for District 9700 back in early 2012. I can guarantee that time flies when you’re having so much fun!!
My year started with Blayney arranging a well organised changeover at their sensational new Community Centre with up to 150 people in attendance.
Congratulations to our new Board for the next year and thank you to PDG Geoff and Bettye for their guidance and friendship over the last couple of years leading up to changeover.
Since then I have had the pleasure of attending many Changeovers in our District and the official club visits due to start in July and wish all in-coming Presidents for the 2014-15 year the best in achieving their Club and personal goals.
Our theme as announced by RI President, Gary C.K. Huang is to “Light Up Rotary”. President Gary went onto say "Light Up Rotary is our theme, but it is more than our theme. It is how we live in Rotary, how we think in Rotary, how we feel, how we work," Huang said. "It is how we make a difference — every day, in every club, every district, and every country where we serve."
Within District 9700 we have set a small number of primary goals that we are asking each and every Rotarian to help us achieve during the 2014/15 year.
These are:-
Increase the number of Rotarians in our District by 5%
Promote the works of RI and increase the annual giving to the Rotary Foundation by individuals eg Paul Harris Society
Extend the number and type of Clubs within the District
Encouraged by the ideals of President Gary I will extend to you all the challenge to help me “Light Up Rotary”. How you choose to do this is up to you but it must start with all Rotarians accepting the role of leadership to promote Rotary, to build stronger Clubs, to build a stronger Foundation or simply ask someone to join.
2014-15 District 9700 Governor David Kennedy is pictured with Immediate Past District Governor Geoff Tancred at the District Changeover in Blayney. More photos are available, thanks to PDG John Egan, by clicking here or clicking on the Photo Albums.
The 2014-15 District 9700 Board.
L to R: Back Row. PDG Geoff Tancred, Alan Sharp, Alex Krucza, Jill Funnell, PDG Ian Simpson, Peter Gissing, Russ Martin, PDG Ian Tooke.
Front Row: DGN Michael Milston, Mick Doyle, Tony Sinclair, Sue Gordon, Miles Hedge, DG David Kennedy, PDG Fred Loneragan, DGE Gary Roberts.
Immediate Past District Governor Geoff Tancred and Bettye
The 2014 Rotary International Convention in Sydney was something exceptional. The plenary sessions were outstanding...especially the opening and closing sessions. The above photo is of the Master of Ceremonies on the huge stage with elevated screens in AllPhones Arena at Olympic Park.
Click the above screen for a short video of the District 9700 dinner cruise Vivid show, Human Nature and Polio speakers.
District 9700 Rotarians were well represented. Photos and additional stories are available in the Photo Album titled 2014 Rotary Sydney Convention.
In April this year our District 9700 Community Development team led by the Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak (RCOD) continued their work in the high Himalayas. On this, our fourth trip to Nepal one of the highlights was Ambassador Glenn White’s visit to Maidi a day’s journey from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
Ambassador White and District Governor 9700 Geoff Tancred officially opened the community hall and the literacy platform, built to encourage English literacy skills throughout the village.
(Pictured are Kendra and Morgan who, as part of the tour team, went swimming with the elephants in Chitwan National Park)
Read more of the adventures of the tour team, the Training Team and the future opportunities for assistance and development in the June Newsletter (or see Downloads on left of web page)
It has been announced that Michael Milston (Orange Daybreak) will be the District Governor for the 2016-17 Rotary year. Michael is a Past President, Paul Harris Fellow (Saphire) and currently is the District Secretary. He also serves on the IT, Training and District Conference Committees.
He is married to Ann Dib and has a classification of Local Government Administration. Congratulations Michael.
It was a very successful district Conference in Orange. Official representatives of the RI President were Kamal and Sonal Sanghvi,
from the Rotary Club of Dhanbad in District 3250 in India.
Over the last couple of years we have made a concerted effort to increase membership. A lot of Clubs have become more focused on membership as they realise the challenges ahead for their Clubs if they don't start to do something now for the future.
Membership has to be an ongoing plan and strategy for us as an organisation; it has to become part of our DNA. We need Rotarians from across the District to not only talk about membership at every opportunity but also to be constantly identifying potential Rotarians in their towns and localities.
Let's be enthusiastic about getting new members, start asking people to your Rotary Club today. Let them get involved with Rotary as you have; so they too can Engage Rotary and Change Lives.
Now is the time to make your decision regarding attending the Rotary International Convention. This will be the easiest, cheapest Rotary International Convention you will have the opportunity to attend. Travel wise it is only a few hours away and I guarantee you will enjoy every moment.
The District 9700 Presidents Elect Training Seminar (PETS) was held in Young on the weekend of Feb 21-23. The training was organised by DGE David Kennedy and the district training team led by Mary Brell, Michael Milston and Julie Fleming.
The weekend was well attended, well planned and well executed with 2014-15 Assistant Governors and District Board members key presenters. To download some of the Presentations click on the above menu tabs Admin, then Training, then PETS. To view a photo album of the weekend click here.
The month of October is Vocational Services Month, and what better way to spend the month than to learn about the new program under Vocational Training Teams! Here is a link to help you Empower others by participating in a Vocational Training Team
Source: Donald McNeil, SMH News Review 24-25 August 2013 The global effort to eradicate Polio is facing serious set backs in two continents.
The virus is surging in Somalia and the Horn of Africa, largely free of cases for several years. And a new outbreak has begun in a part of Pakistan that a warlord declared off-limits to vaccinators 14 months ago.
The African outbreak began in May with two cases, one in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital and the other in the huge Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya where Somalis have fled to escape from the internal conflict. Now there are 121 cases in the region; last year there were only 232 cases in the world.
The new Pakistan outbreak is in North Waziristan, near the frontier with Afghanistan. Before this outbreak, Pakistan had seen only 24 cases this year, about as many as it had in the same point in 2012.
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Although only three children have contacted polio since the warlord ban on vaccination programs, even one case shows that the virus remains in the area and could spread. The Pakistan outbreak is particularly frustrating, because vaccination programs had been going steadily forward towards eradication.
Dr Elias Durry, emergency coordinator for polio eradication in Pakistan for the World Health Organisation (WHO), says the equation is simple.
Where you can immunise against polio, the virus goes away. Where you cannot immunise children, the virus gets in.
These new outbreaks may delay the recently announced $5.5 billion plan to eradicate polio by 2018.
Photo: Our regular contributions all help to End Polio Now
Source: RI Regional Information Bulletin, August 2013 There are more cases of polio this year-to-date than there were last year-to-date, but this is entirely due to an outbreak in the Horn of Africa, an area previously polio free.
As at August 7th, there were only 67 cases in endemic countries (106 last year) but cases in non-endemic countries have risen to 110 from a zero figure last year.
Details of recent polio cases:
Country
2013 (7 Aug 2013)
2012 (8 Aug 2012)
Pakistan
21
23
Afghanistan
3
13
Nigeria
42
62
Somalia
100
0
Kenya
10
0
TOTAL
177
111
As was proved in Tajikistan three years ago, outbreaks of this nature are brought under control quickly with vaccination programs and the main emphasis still rests with the endemic countries where success is slowly being achieved.
The good news is that the last case of polio paralysis in Afghanistan was on June 6th, more than two months ago.
Pakistan is also looking good with the last case there being July 3rd. Nigeria is still a key prevalent area but the last case was July 14th and they are still below the YTD figure of last year.
Posted by Ian Simpson, Rotary Foundation Director Rotarians need to combine to finish the job of eradicating polio in our world by 2018.
The administration of oral vaccine to protect against polio costs around $1 a child and a $1000 contribution to Polio vaccinates 1000 children for lifetime immunity.
The history of poliomyelitis (polio or infantile paralysis) infections extends into prehistory. Although major polio epidemics were unknown before the 20th century, the disease has caused paralysis, misery and death for much of human history.
Many readers would remember their early school days when some classmates with residual polio paralysis wore callipers on their legs to compensate for lost function. And the iron lung, which saved many thousands of lives during the polio epidemics, was one of the features of ‘side-show ally’ on the local show circuit.
The cost of ending polio is around one billion dollars a year and while Rotary does not have to foot the entire bill, we certainly have to play our part.
Indian “MasterChef” Ajoy Joshi visited Wagga Wagga for the fourth time to cook a feast of Indian delights for 300 lucky Guests at the Mater Dei School Hall last Saturday.
This generous, renowned, Chef delighted his guests with some of the most popular dishes from his Restaurant at St Leonards, Nilgiris, for the Darkness to Light Project which is the dream of Dr Alok Sharma, a member of the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga. This project is all about restoring sight to the poorest people in India and supporting Vision Impaired young people in the Riverina.
With generous support from local businesses and a packed hall of guests, approximately $30,000 was raised from the fourth Fund Raising Dinner which Ajoy has prepared for Wagga Wagga residents. This will be spent restoring the sight of approximately 300 Indians by operating to remove their cataracts and supplying glasses to hundreds more.
An adjunct to the Darkness to Light Project, which commenced in 2005, is the Riverina component where young, Vision Impaired people in the Riverina are supported in a variety of ways to achieve their full life’s potential.
RI President Ron Burton is asking Rotarians to emphasize Rotary's unique commitment to vocational service by leveraging professional opportunities to Engage Rotary, Change Lives. Through vocational service initiatives, we can engage Rotary in our workplace. And by combining professional expertise and service, we can have a positive impact on local and international communities. Here are just a few ideas for activities your club can undertake:
Start a career counselling or vocational training program and invite non-Rotarian community members to attend.
Organise a discussion or workshop on workplace ethics and invite local non-Rotarian business leaders to attend.
Sponsor a career day in which club members bring young people to their places of business to inform them about career opportunities.
Nominate a member of your community for the District 9700 Vocational Service Excellence Award (nominations close with Peter Gissing on 31 October).
Completing one of these activities can help your club qualify for the 2013-2014 Presidential Citation.
SHARE YOUR CLUB SERVICE PROJECT
We would like to hear from Clubs telling us what they have done. Please include a summary (approx. 150 words), a couple of photos and contact details, and forward to DG Geoff at gjt@bigpond.net.au
Many thanks
DGGeoff Tancred
Engage Rotary, Change Lives Through Vocational Service
"I would like to thank the President and Club Members of all those Clubs we have visited so far for supporting my Partner's Program. The child that is helped through your generosity will be eternally thankful to you all.
Thank you once again.
Bettye Tancred"
For those who may not have read the article in last months Newsletter, it is repeated below:
ROMAC has been chosen by Bettye Tancred as her Partner's Program for 2013-14.
Bettye will be raffling a magnificent Patchwork Quilt (see photo at right) kindly donated by Maria Banks wife of Len Banks who is President of the Rotary Club of Orange.
Tickets will be distributed to Clubs at the time of DG Geoff's visit. Bettye and Geoff hope you will support this great Rotary Program.
Mt Lindsay has been a work in progress for the past 30 years. It commands the most specular view of Orange, which encompasses the town and Mt Canobolas. The park has been used to publicise the great work of the four Rotary Clubs of Orange. Past members of Rotary have plaques mounted in a special remberance wall. At least once a year members attend a function at the Park to celebrate the work of our past members.
Remberance service at Mt Lindsay
The Yeti and his Orange North work team at Mt Lindsay
Over the years aspects of the park have become dated and overgrown. The Daybreak Rotary Club of Orange spent time and effort on the steps that lead from the park down to the March St entrance. Orange North has erected a wall to separate the parking area from the main section of the park. Last month Orange North began a clean-up of the overgrown walkway from the Rotary Wheel to the steps. With the help and cooperation of the Orange City Council we hope to construct an all-weather path from Anzac Park to the Rotary Park. This would enable visitors to gain some exercise while they check out the view from Mt Lindsay. Eventually we want to create an all-weather shelter and BBQ area.
For most of the year the park is underutilised. This needs to change to help reduce the amount of vanalisism. With some physical improvement we may be able to increase the usage of the park and hence reduce the incidence of vandalism. It is a beautiful park which should be made more useful to the community, especially those people with mobility concerns.
The cooperation of the Orange City Council, and the four Rotary Clubs of Orange will be essential to the future development of the park. The Council has agreed to donate the gravel for the pathway, and we hope to have this completed in the next few months.
Michael Horth
Last Wednesday the 31st of July Wollundry Rotary and Wagga Wagga Rotary Club again combined to present a DreamCricket session for children with disabilities. All the Rotarians padded up for another highly enjoyable and rewarding day.
55 students along with around 30 staff from four different schools had another great day this time in the Tolland Public School assembly hall. Rick McCarthy from the Bradman Institute organised the day with a series of activities culminating in a game of modified rules cricket.
Wollundry donated to both Tolland and Willans Hill Schools a $400 kit of cricket equipment and each student received a DreamCricket cap. With the cooperation of Wagga Rotary Club, it was a day that provided the very best of what Rotary in action in our community does so well. There was also a front page photo in the Riverina Leader.
The Friendship Exchange Program is an International exchange program for Rotarians and Rotary couples that provide participants with the opportunity to experience other cultures by staying in the homes of Rotarians, visiting their clubs and participating in the lifestyle/activities of their communities. The goals of the exchange are to advance international understanding and peace through visits across borders, as well as promote interclub relationships, fellowships and service projects. The Rotarians participating gain the opportunity to make long lasting friendships while exploring different areas of the world.
Friendship Exchange in District 9700 is well and truly alive.
A team has just arrived home from District 6200 in Louisiana USA . The hospitality shown by the Rotarians in Louisiana was amazing and from all accounts a wonderful time was had by all. The team from Louisiana will arrive in our District in October and Narrandera, Forbes, Orange and Boorowa clubs are busy arranging for their visit.
John Glassford from the Rotary Club of Coolamon is creating a new proposed RAG (Rotarian Action Group) for endangered species. There are 5 Rotarians from 5 different countries… USA, South Africa, India, The Philippines and Australia establishing the group. Their logo is at the right.
John would like to invite members from D9700 to join this Facebook page. The idea is to get expressions of interest in becoming a member of the RAG for Endangered Species and then go to RI for approval of this RAG.
To join the proposed RAG, any Rotarian on Facebook can go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/EndangeredSpeciesRAG/ and when they get there, click on “Join Group”. But that will be for Rotarians, Rotaractors, and family members of Rotarians, and the Group is for those that are interested in becoming Charter members of the RAG. This will be temporary membership roster until such time as they have a website.
If you are not on Facebook just email John Glassford and he will put you on their new web site as soon as they have a domain name approved. It will be from this web site that they will drive the action group for endangered species.
Something different but something that Rotary is doing and we are supporting the RC of Kenton-on-Sea in South Africa with their Save Our Rhino project which they are launching in Lisbon. Save Our Rhino (Warning gruesome).
The District 9700 Conference in Leeton has concluded and was a huge success. DG Greg Brown thanked all the conference committee (blue shirts) and presented a large bouquet of flowers to Chairperson Ruth Wade for her exceptional efforts.
Some of the conference speakers included the Hon Tim Fischer AC(see photo above), Kim Saville from the school of St Jude, Tanzania, author and former UN peace keeper Matina Jewel, Dr James Masson from Interplast, Huy Nguyen – Founder of “Enable Development” and Jake Spear - Director of soon to be released documentary movie "Leeton – The Formative Years". The conference concluded with a Declaration of Leeton as a Peace Community in Rotary Park. Click here for first photos.
President Murray Paterson, Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak (RCOD), says "This newsletter, the second in our Orange Daybreak International Newsletter Series, details the 2013 project, where we stay, what we will be doing. It also talks about our lunch with the inspiring Gemma Sisia."
The Community Development and Training Project aims to benefit the lives of remote villagers in the Dhading District in central Nepal. The villagers have requested training in teaching, building, and health.
The team composed of 16 people (members and friends of RCOD) will be training 60 teachers from Maidi-Amarain in the Dhading District a day’s journey from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
THE messages of last September's Rotary Peace Communities International Conference are set to live on through a new book put together by conference Secretary Ray King. Holding the new publication is District Governor Greg Brown.
The D5690 Group Study Exchange (GSE) team from Kansas arrived in Orange on 25 March 2013. They had a full program of activities including vocational and cultural visits and were being hosted by 7 Clubs as they make their way through the District to the finale at the District Conference in Leeton. The Team comprises
The 23rd of March is set to be the date for the 2013 Riverina BMW, Wagga Wagga Food & Wine Festival
Sit back, relax and enjoy the days entertainment presented live on stage and via the big screen TV. With entertainers to keep the whole family amused, you will be able to put your feet up while the kids play happily. For a list of entertainment at the 2013 Riverina BMW, Wagga Wagga Food & Wine Festival , please visit the Entertainment page.
In 2012 we had over 50 stallholders representing a fantastic range of food and wines from throughout the region and beyond. Our stall numbers were up by 20% and the crowd was still firm at over 5000 people for the one day event.
Over 190 Year 10 students from 7 schools from Orange, Molong and Bathurst competed in the Science and Engineering Challenge at Orange in March 2013. The event is run by the University of Newcastle and was organised by the 4 combined Rotary Clubs of Orange with generous sponsorship from Byrnecut, a national mining company with operations locally.
“The Challenge is a great activity to spark a greater interest in science and technology among students and get Rotarians and the community involved.” said organiser President Michael Horth (Rotary Club of Orange North).
There is still time to book accomodations for the April 19-21 Disrtrict Conference in Leeton.
The Riverina Motel (6953 2955) advises that they still have about 8 rooms available for the conference weekend and the Heritage Motor Inn (6953 4100) has 2 rooms which can be released. Contact the motels directly to reserve your room.
Accommodation still available for District Conference in Leeton
Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak President Murray Paterson recently launched an important tool for awareness about Rotary and the work of Rotarians. Called the Nepal Friendship Project Community Development and Training Project Newsletter, it contains stories about the Nepal Project and other projects undertaken by the Daybreak members. Murray takes up the story...
Assistant Governors for 2013-14 participated in learning and development in Young on Saturday-Sunday 9-10 February 2013, led by Learnign and Development Coordinator, Mary Brell. Each of the 6 Groups of Clubs in D9700 were represented.
The Assistant Governors for DGE Geoff Tancred's year
are keen to work with their Presidents-elect to ensure that the year is both well planned and that Clubs are provided with support and resources to achieve their goals.
The following is a letter to all Rotarians in D9700 from PDG Fred Loneragan and PP John Glassford
"Many many thanks for the ongoing support for our projects in Africa through our World AIDS Day Lunch Bag money.
We are still getting envelopes being sent in and so far we have raised around $8,000, which included a donation of $2,000 from the RC of Warrandyte-Donvale in Victoria. Warrandyte have supported us in the past and have a champion in the club who has ties to Africa...
The guest speaker at the Tuesday Dec 11th Wollundry Rotary club meeting was Jeffrey Bleich, American Ambassador to Australia. Mr Bleich and his wife Rebecca came to Wagga Wagga as guests of the Australian American Association and were hosted by Paul and Carolyn Murray.
As a "recovering lawyer" Mr Bleich made some very interesting comments on law and how it related to society, suggesting that the more laws there were the less free the society in which we live.
The Rotary Foundation does enormous work throughout the World , making the lives of others much better. With Water Projects, Micro Loans, Education , Health projects and much more, we are able to give people like you and me the things we take for granted.
The Centurion Club is a voluntary group which donates $100 per year to the Foundation. With that tiny $2 per week, the Foundation is able to change lives, and to make the living conditions of thousands just that much better. It is less than a cup of coffee, it is the same as a newspaper, it is even less than a Mars Bar! Yet what it can achieve is immeasurable. Join now. Click here for the form.
The votes are in and the Peace Conference was a winner. Click on the Peace Conf Photos link at the right to see Greg Conkeys photos, and read on to read reviews of the conference below.
“The hardworking members of Rotary in Wagga are to be congratulated on staging this conference in our city. Events such as this don't just happen — they take many hours of planning and preparation with many Rotarians working "behind the scenes" to make sure the three-day conference was a success. World peace is a work in progress, and perhaps the steps undertaken in Wagga at the weekend may prove to have been the beginning of achieving that goal." The Daily Advertiser Editorial of September 24th
More reviews follow ...
Early this month the D9700 Training Team, under the leadership of District Trainer Mary Brell, met in Young to plan the next 12 month's training. "The key elements of the training will be the November Presidents Forum, followed by Presidents-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) in February 2013 and the Assembly in May 2013" Mary said.
"District Governor Greg Brown and Governor-elect Geoff Tancred are also keen to provide training for existing and future Assistant Governors, to help them provide the important supportive role for the Governor over our large district" added Mary.
The Training Team members who met in Young included a number of well known Rotarians and a few new faces for the team. Mary welcomed Lynette Bullen to the team, and PDG Ian Simpson has agreed to help with the program. Previous Trainer, Michael Milston, is continuing to lend a hand, while Team members Peter Gissing and Janis Glasson were joined by Webmaster Paul Murray. "There are a number of other Team members in the District who will be called upon to help as the programs for the next 12 months are developed" added Mary.
Eric Kronborg passed away last Friday at the Remembrance Village, Wagga Wagga aged 84 years.
Eric joined Rotary at Hay, where he farmed “Romani” near Boorooban. In 1980 Eric and his late wife, Heather, moved to Forbes where Eric continued his Rotary career and in 1983-84 was the District Governor for Rotary District 970, as it was called then.
During Eric’s year as District Governor he was responsible for Chartering two new Rotary Clubs in D970. Prior to becoming the District Governor Eric led a GSE Team to Sweden. Our current District Governor, Greg Brown, was a member of that GSE Team in 1979.
Eric had three daughters and one son, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Eric was farewelled from St John’s Church, Wagga Wagga on Wednesday, 5th September, 2012.
A farewell dinner for the GSE team traveling to Kansas in September was held at the home of Paul and Judy Cox in Orange. Almost 50 guests enjoyed a dinner prepared by Judy and the members and wives of the Rotary Club of Orange Calare. Special guests included DG Greg Brown and Lyn, PDG and GSE Chair Neal Fogarty and Barbara and AG John McKenzie and Fayah.
The Team Leader is Paul Cox (Orange Calare) with Team Members Josh Devitt (sponsored by Forbes), Angela Maynard (Bathurst Daybreak), Tim Watts (Parkes), Chantelle Montgomery (Wagga Wagga) and Kym Crawford (Wagga Wagga Kooringal).
One of the main benefits of Rotary's public relations efforts is enhanced membership development. Educating the public about what Rotary is and what it accomplishes helps to generate interest among prospective members. Very often, a local news article about Rotary is followed by a spike in membership queries. PDG Subhash Saraf, Rotary Leadership Institute
Read the rest of this article ...
Fellow Rotarians Thanks to the generous donations of Rotary Clubs and other donors, since 2009 Aquabox , a project of the Rotary Club of Eltham and a District 9790 Project, has prepared and distributed over 1100 Aquaboxes capable of producing almost 5.2 million litres of clean water to disasters victims in our region. The water is critical to the survival of the victims who are extremely vulnerable to water born diseases such as cholera.
Participate in and support the Rotary Club of Narrandera, Photography Exhibition 16-19 August 2012, Plaza Hall, Bolton Street, Narrandera Entry details follow ...
The District 9700 Changeover Dinner was held in Leeton on Saturday June 30th. The evening saw 2011-12 Disctict Governor Ian Simpson turn over the reigns to 2012-13 District Governor Greg Brown. (See photo at right)
The Leeton Rotary club hosted the evening with their club changeover conducted first followed by the District Changeover. 2011-12 President Anthony Morton inducted 2012-13 Presdient Peter Draper.
See the District Changeover Photo Album (right panel of screen) for photos of the evening.
There are three main aspects to this District 9700 Project being coordinated by Bathurst and Orange Daybreak Rotary Clubs:
Maintenance of the Bal Mandir Naxal Children’s Home for 250 children to the age of 18 in Kathmandu (a Rotary – Mitrataa Partnership);
Teacher Training Program to enhance the skills of Nepalese teachers through running week long workshops for 60 teachers in April 2012, including 20 teachers from remote Mountain areas of Nepal; and
Health professionals enhancing children’s disease prevention and treatment through education of house mothers’ in Dental and First Aid care.
Teacher training team & interpreters take a break in the village
A number of Rotary Clubs throughout District 9700 have donated funds and provided or promised working parties to support this RAWCS project.
This was an exciting, fantastic and at times overwhelming experience summarised by the following statements from some of those involved:
A belief that this ‘cause’ will make a difference through the opportunity to use my professional skills to help others.
To work with Rotary on an International project that is very worthwhile.
Absolutely daunting on the first day; Whatever I expected it was more than I expected; By the second day absolutely impressed by the sense of hope, engagement, care and responsiveness of the children and houseparents (at the orphanage)
Eight successful Dream Cricket clinics have been held in the District this year in Bathurst, Orange, Parkes, Cootamundra and Young. According to District Coordinator John Hamblin, around 400 children have enjoyed participating in the clinics that are supported by local High School students.
Dream Cricket provides primary school students who have a disability with an exciting and fun time through their participation in a game of cricket.
Gala Days are planned for Orange, Cootamundra, Wagga Wagga and Griffith in term 4 this year. Congratulations to all those Rotarians who have participated in Dream Cricket. Its a truly wonderful project and brings joy to manßy children.
Congratulations to John Glassford of Coolamon Rotary, placed in the 2012 Rotary Photo Contest. Noted photographer and 2012 judge, Harry Benson says, “This close-up of a gorilla, intently gazing at a twig as if reading a thermometer, is amusing and catches your eye. It is a quiet moment in time that will not happen again”.
Blayney Rotary Club has been moving its meeting venues to visit the villages in the Blayney Shire, and having already celebrated with dinners in Neville and Millthorpe, it was time to go back and learn some more of the history in the village of Carcoar.
Photo: Back (L> R) Blayney President Alex Kruczaj, Stephen Wright, Bill Burdett,
Anton Franze
Front (L>R) Sean Duong, Margie Adams, Lee-Anne Rigney
The Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak (RCOD) is organising an exhibition on the evening of Friday, 14 and all day Saturday, 15 September 2012, at Orange Function Centre, Eyles St, Orange.
The aim of this exhibition is to raise awareness of testicular and prostate cancer issues in an educational or humorous way. Creative works can be made in any medium and can involve men’s underwear, shorts, daks, codpieces, male anatomy or anything else that relates to male-only cancers.
The Rotary World President Kalyan Banerjee visited District 9700 from May 21st to Mat 23rd . He discussed community and international projects involving local Rotarians during his visit.
Peace communities were a feature when President Banerjee, in association with Mayor Ken Keith, dedicated Parkes as the latest Rotary Peace Community.
The Rotary World President and his wife Binota also visited the Rotary Peace monument in Wagga Wagga during his visit to recognise the world wide initiation of the Rotary Peace Communities project by the Rotary Clubs of Wagga Wagga in 1992. Since Wagga Wagga became the first, Peace Communities have been established across Australia and in many countries throughout the world. Wagga Wagga will host the 2nd International Peace Communities Conference in September 2012.
President of the Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak, Murray Paterson, reports:
"The 2013 Team has returned Maidi and Dhola Areas, of the Dhading District, Nepal - mostly intact! Dr David Watkins is sporting a “moon boot”, a consequence of stepping out at night without torchlight!
The rest of the Team showed they were seasoned travellers. David is also of course an inveterate and veteran world traveller himself! But he will always take a torch now on his way to the … well you know!!
A successful training program was again conducted in the Amarawati Secondary School in the Dhading District, Nepal. This time the training scope was increased – not just teaching but building, health and mental health as well.
Congratulations to all the intrepid travellers and to all our colleagues in Nepal – a job well done."
Over 190 Year 10 students from 7 schools from Orange, Molong and Bathurst competed in the Science and Engineering Challenge at Orange. The event is run by the University of Newcastle and was organised by the 4 combined Rotary Clubs of Orange with generous sponsorship from Byrnecut, a national mining company with operations locally.
The Science and Engineering Challenge (the Challenge) is a set of fun and competitive activities involving principles of science, engineering and technology. The concept is to immediately engage students with a minimum of introduction and theory. Students explore scientific principles for themselves rather than being guided to a predetermined answer. The activities required the students to work in teams to design and build a hovercraft, a Mars rover, a catapult, an earthquake proof building, a balloon powered car, a dish telescope and design a power distribution system. In all activities points were allocated for accuracy and ability of the devices to withstand various testing. The finale was the testing of the bridge constructed from balsa wood to withstand an increasingly loaded trolley to pass over without collapsing.
“The Challenge is a great activity to spark a greater interest in science and technology among students and get Rotarians and the community involved.” said organiser President Michael Horth (Rotary Club of Orange North).
Over 400 Rotarians and partners from 37 Clubs attended the 2012 District Conference in Young. The numbers attending sessions were around 300 Saturday and 250 Sunday – a wonderful turnout.
“Take a Chance on RYLA” is the Theme calling young adults to invest in a week that may change their life at the 2012 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.
Hosted by Parkes Rotary and with the experience of Colin Offner to guide the planning, RYLA will be held from Monday, 16th to Saturday, 21st April 2012.
The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a program that seeks to provide 18 to 28 year olds with an opportunity to develop their skills and character while exposing them to Rotary’s values of Service, High ethical standards and Peace.
A team led by Ken Engsmyr has developed a RYLA Information Package that was released to Clubs at the Presidents Forum.
This contains a message to Employers and an invitation to potential Rylarians to ‘Take a Chance’.
Here’s a question for you .... What do Cowra Rotary and Club No 1, Chicago have in common?
The 1st Rotary Community Service Project was the building of a ‘COMFORT STATION’ in Chicago, by the members of Rotary Club No 1 and opened in 1907.
104 years later, visitors and Cowra residents alike will now benefit from the building of a new amenities block at the historically significant Europa Park, located at the towns eastern gateway entrance.
Cowra Rotary has shown great foresight in taking on the task of developing Europa Park as the Centennial year of Rotary (2004) project and progressively adding to its facilities.
The park commemorates 17,000 migrants from 27 European Nations who passed through the Cowra Migrant Centre between 1948 and 1955.
The commemorative park is a tribute to their courage, resolve and invaluable contributions to Cowra and Australia. Europa Park will ultimately be a lasting tribute to the-on-going partnership between Cowra Rotary, the Shire Council and the people of Cowra who support Rotary with its community projects.
Photo above : Now open declared by Cowra Mayor Bill West (left), DG Ian Simpson & President Harry Howard
A year after the Kerang (Vic) Floods, the rebuilding of the children’s playground flattened by floodwaters at the Lake Meran Recreational & Community Facility is almost completed.
Our District contributed $30,000 to the Rebuilding Project from contributions by 32 Clubs in the Appeal following the devastating Queensland and Victorian floods early in 2011.
PP Sharon Champion from Kerang Rotary Club said the reconstruction has been a partnership between the Lake Meran Foreshore committee working closely with Rotary and the Shire Council.
“Kerang Rotary undertook some of the restoration work with new equipment installed and ready to use by Christmas.
“The entire recreation area was also refenced to give a new and welcoming image.
“Community involvement in the project has helped rebuild the mental health of everyone involved as it provided a common goal and a sense of purpose working together to rebuild a community resource that will continue to be used and shared by families for years.
“We sincerely thank District 9700 for supporting our community and us."
The aim was to have 100 District Centurions ‘join-up’ in the first 100 days of this Rotary year - by Monday, 10th October 2011 which is the10th day of 10th month. 161 District Rotarians and Friends of Rotary joined in the challenge from 32 of the 40 Clubs. Thanks to Club Coordinators and everyone who joined the District Centurions to make this a success.
In our District, the Centurion Program was the idea of the late PDG Peter Walsh of Wagga Wagga Rotary Club and keeps alive his initiative for our support to The Rotary Foundation. Donations to the D9700 Centurion program are a personal contribution of AUD $100 to The Australian Rotary Foundation Trust.
Anyone can join the District 9700 Centurion movement. Donations made through the Trust are tax deductible and count towards personal Paul Harris Fellow recognition. When Centurion contributions are submitted through District Centurion Chair PDG John Egan, a Tax Receipt is issued by the Trust and mailed direct to the contributor.
The spring series of RYDA was held recently in Orange and Wagga.
Around 1000 Year 11 students attended from the local and surrounding High Schools and were hosted by the combined Orange Rotary Clubs and the Clubs in Henty and Wagga. The Orange RYDA Theme this year is “Be alive at 25”. The focus was on practical tips and exercises that brought home the practical reality of driving a motor vehicle.
Some of the bumper sticker slogans that the students developed fitted the scene perfectly. “Use your head – Plan ahead” and “Be a hero – Stay on zero” were good examples. RYDA will be conducted at a number of locations throughout the District early next year.
There are two timeless images of Bangkok, Thailand – the City of Angels in the Land of a Thousand Smiles.
One is the temples and the other the canals and floating markets. Join the D9700 crew attending the RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, from 6-9 May 2012. Bookings can be made on-line and Marilyn Roberts (AG Gary Roberts wife) has put together an easy to follow ‘How to Register for the Bangkok Rotary Convention 2012 for 1st Timers’.
Further information is available in the October edition of Rotary Down Under – out now.
Past Rotary International Vice President 2023-2024
Chair Our Watch
a perfect opportunity for Rotary clubs and members to embrace new beginnings, set fresh goals, and make an even greater impact. Here are some ideas to inspire your Rotary initiatives for the New Year.
disappeared quickly! So much going on and the culmination of course, was our District Conference held in the Southern Highlands. The District Peace pole was opened and dedicated on Friday afternoon and situated right outside of the Wingecarribee Shire Council Chambers. This was followed by a Civic Reception put on by the Council.
fastest way to create a basic hyperlink in a Microsoft 365 document is to press ENTER or the SPACEBAR after you type the address of an existing webpage, such as http://www.contoso.com. Microsoft 365 automatically converts the address into a link.
Wagga Rotary President John Heazlewood made a presentation to Gordon Saggers of a gift to mark of his long and distinguished service with our Club. Gordon was away last week when he passed the milestone of 50 years as a member of this Club. 
Hello World
During the recent Annual Conference, Reconciliation, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion were the themes around much of the conversations, talks, projects and entertainment. One key element of the Reconciliation journey is the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart. 
ned her Masters in Peace Studies degree just three years ago at the University of Queensland. She returned to her home city of Kampala Uganda and founded her Assisi Centre for Social Justice and Peace. The website 
a Rotarian, currently President of Balwyn.
unity and epitomises Rotary's motto “Service Above Self’. Congratulations to all 2022 Award recipients.
After having to postpone their annual formal changeover earlier in the year, The Rotary Club of Griffith Avanti recently held their long-awaited induction of three members as well as the induction of the board for 2021-22. We welcomed Tracey Vitucci, Sandra Agresta and Sophie Sun into the club.
Geoff McLean passed away on Friday 8th October 2021. He will be missed by his wife Cheryl and son Tristan as well as his Rotary family. 
Marg Perkin was loved and respected by all who knew Marg since 3rd of August 2004. Marg involved herself in all of our projects and never shied from volunteering to help our community. Marg also got involved in helping those who needed her expertise in South Africa and, in particular, Hout Bay near Cape Town. Marg also used her talents to help enrich the lives of disadvantaged children in Cambodia. Marg was also a volunteer in India with Dr. Alok Sharma and his Darkness to Light projects.
It is with great sadness that I advise that we have lost one of our valuable members this week. Geoff McLean passed away on Friday 8th October 2021. He will be missed by his wife Cheryl and son Tristan as well as his Rotary family. 
Rotary Club of Yenda had a great changeover on Monday 26th July at the Yenda Diggers Club. It was a great night and PP Peter Chilvers handed over the reins to the new presidet, Bob Turner, who introduced his new board.
on to the 9705 District Changeover to be held in Young NSW at the Young Services Club on Saturday evening June 26th 6:00pm for 6:30pm.
). And since then people are continuing to collect their used stamps which can be sold to dealers, with all funds going to the End Trachoma program.
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Trachoma is really an ancient disease with records describing it in ancient Egyptian texts and ancient Chinese writings. It is unclear when trachoma first reached Australia.
HEALTH workers and social mobilisers who will be vaccinating every child and delivering life-saving messages to communities will now be recognised by vests donated by Rotary International (RI),
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The photo is of our Exchange Student Jackson Wykes sponsored by the Rotary Club of Coolamon. 
Click the logo to listen to Fran Kelly's interview with.jpg)
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Cheryl Deguara -Rotary Club of St Marys (District 9675)
RYLA
Greetings to all District 9700 Rotarians and their families. 
At Club Changeover time, the usual list of proceedings includes a 
Get up and Go’ is the theme for ‘Rotary Fitness’ is a new initiative that we think should be considered by all clubs because it offers nothing but benefits for Rotarians, for the growth of clubs, for the community and for the health of all Australians. 
Rotary Club of Orange members had a great day in July at the Donations in Kind (DIK) warehouse at Minchinbury. DIK is a recycling and reuse program run by Rotary providing donated items to countries in need of goods for health and education. Their work involves collection, sorting, packing, dispatch and distribution logistics.
Last year, when Kate visited the Solomon Islands to work with Bathurst Rotary Club members in the construction of a toilet block at an outlying School at Nazareth, there was a call out for children’s books to take to the school.
Barry will be RI President to D9700 District Govenor Elect John Glassford 
Christmas in July was also the 1st event that Lucia Bohnsack, Coolamon's Rotary exchange student, attended since arriving here on the weekend. 
Dr Luc Mulimbalimba- Masururu (known as Dr Luc) is Medical Director of Mission in Health Care and Development (MHCD) (www.mhcdafrica.org), which aims to provide health care and poverty reduction services to the most vulnerable, including Congo’s Pygmies.
Mark will be RI President to D9700 District Governor Nominee John McKenzie 
Being a Rotarian has many privileges, not the least of which is being able to lead our communities through the service work of our Rotary clubs. In District 9700 we share a variety of common causes based on the reality of being a rural District. We also have a sense of identity with the wider world through our Annual support of The Rotary Foundation which sponsors many projects across this globe of ours, including many that we as a District continue to contribute towards.
On the 15th of July last the Rotary Club of Forbes celebrated its 70th Changeover with the induction of Ross Williams as our President for 2017/18, the forty or so members, visiting Rotarians and guests enjoyed a cosy and relaxed atmosphere with a more than adequate 2 course meal supplied by Ashcroft’s Catering this was in spite of the minus temperature outside.
As the sun sets on the 2016-2017 Rotary Year, it is time to present my closing comments. 
The Rotarian of the Year was awarded to Sue Gordon of the Rotary Club of Young - Sue's commitment to Serving Humanity, through Rotary and her many pursuits, embodies the key values of being a Rotarian, and she is well deserving of the Award of 2016-17 District 9700 Rotarian of the Year.
In this Quick News I wanted to share with you my assessment of our District 2016-17 performance against our targets for this Rotary year. In summary, I believe we scored very well on three key Strategies and targets. In these results the % is an assessment of how well we did against the set targets, and they are:
But on the other three key Strategies we either scrapped over or under-performed. 
In this Quick News I wanted to share with you the District Board decisions at the end of this Rotary year. Your board considered a number of items and I have picked out the main ones, being 
One of those communities is in Steung Mean Chey village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh where the Development for Community Centre (DCC) has been established by the work of one man, Bophal Choun, following his dream of providing supplementary education and community support to families in his community. Bophal currently supports over 90 students at the DCC with a much greater number of children being turned away due to lack of space and resources.
Here is the latest information from Shelterbox on the current flooding in Sri Lanka. As they don’t yet have a clear picture of the aid required, 
FUN 
Did you know? The International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians, Australian Chapter is hosting an International Ride in November 2017. This 14-day ride includes visiting Bathurst and Orange in early November. The tour includes international and local riders, winding through NSW, South Australia and Victoria. Join for a day, or for the whole trip: 
Contribute $7,500 as budgeted, from the District Disaster Support Reserve fund, to the following RAWCS project appeals, in the amounts stated
Congratulate the Wagga Wagga Wollundry Rotary Club and the chair and committee on the receipt of the Global Grant for the special economic development project for Pig and Fish farming in the Congo.
Ask and advise all Clubs of the need to adopt the Youth Protection Policy and, appoint verification officers and register with Office of Children’s Guardian of NSW; and advise all D9700 Youth Committees of the Youth Protection Policy, the need for all committee members to sign CL4
Example:
The National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) Expressions of interest/ applications 
Why should Rotary have as a major area of focus, Saving Mothers & Children?
Antenatal care and skilled health attendance at delivery are essential for eliminating every preventable maternal death. The world, as a whole, has improved access to these services, with 71 per cent of women delivering with the support of a skilled birth attendant in 2014, compared to 59 per cent in 1990. This progress has not been fast enough.
If you can get involved please do, share your story, or if not then just ignore it. In this 100th anniversary year of the Rotary Foundation, The Rotary Polio Survivors and Associates RAG want to be sure to reach out to clubs so you know they are here, and to help promote and recognize your engagement with polio eradication in ways other than fundraising.
Rotary Fellowships are very friendly, independent, social groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to extend your Rotary friends around the world.
The goal of IFFR is to achieve a better understanding of Aviation among non-flying Rotarians and others, through appropriate Rotary Club programs, planned flying events known as Fly-Ins and flying activities.
Last year the Rotary Club of Orange Calare made the decision to wind-up its activities and a number of Rotarians transferred to other Clubs while a solid core worked towards establishing a Rotary Community Corp in central NSW.
We welcome to District 9700 in Wiradjuri country 7 Rotarians on Fellowship Exchange. 
) you need to register so we can provide you with the Conference package and name identifier. 
Our focus in February, as Rotarians, is to reflect on the broad and somewhat gigantic theme of Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution.
This started me thinking about the things we Rotarians do to encourage and sustain peace. Early in February we welcomed back to Australia 4 mature students who had just returned from 12 months overseas - Mitch from Forbes, Tayla from Wagga Wagga, Elijah from Leeton (remember we did a story on Elijah some months ago) and Bailey from Blayney. They were part of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Some Rotarians have argued that this program is just an overseas holiday for the children of wealthy families; however I learnt that many parents have to forgo considerably in order to pay for their child to have this opportunity of a lifetime.
What great news, and a big thanks to all Clubs and Rotarians and their families and friends for supporting our End Polio campaign.
In overseas support projects, sustainability requires that the majority of the hands-on work is done by locals. The skill brought to this is through the Rotarian's project management skills. In this instance, the Rotarian has never referred to himself as a Project Manager, yet this is what he has been doing in his career over the last 40 years, first as a pool builder, then an auctioneer, followed by his role as facilities manager, and then more recently as a farmer.
He made a preliminary visit to Timor Leste to determine what projects might be suitable and achievable. The chosen project was to construct a Rotary Pre-School in Tutuala, on the eastern tip of Timor Leste. He then organised a network of locals including Rotary contacts, government officials and village community leaders. He liaised with a local Tutuala builder and determined means of transferring funds. On return to his home city, put together a fund raising scheme involving Rotarians purchasing young cattle and then fattening them on his property (at no cost to the cattle owners) with the increase in value being donated to the project.
He has been back to Tutuala twice to check progress, and the upcoming trip (with a dentist who has done voluntary dental work in Timor Leste and been providing moral and physical support on 2 of the previous trips) and another Rotarian will be to hand the building over to the local community.
This was a Club initiative to showcase Rotary's promotion of this Avenue of Service. I particularly wanted to report on awardee Wayne Barker, a master Butcher (his motto is the title of this post!) of well over 30 years. Not only has Wayne taken on many apprentices, he has also provided support for schools, Rotary and many local fundraising events..jpg)
We have just received the following information about the planning of several team trips to assist the Rotary Club of Dili Lafaek in implementing a “Healthy Villages” project in Timor Leste in April 2017 - including the well known "Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM)" program. Recently the Dili Lafeak Rotary Club has commenced working with a village in Dili and another in Liquica so they are developing some practical experience.
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Gemma Sisia – whose School of St Jude has received, and continues to receive, great support from Rotarians around the world. We have asked Gemma to address The Importance of Education in Tackling Poverty. We understand that she may be travelling with one of her recent School graduates. So a great opportunity to learn about and get an update on one of the world’s greatest success stories!
Alice Mabin – Al is a special young person, demonstrating great inspiration, and was recognised as the BEFA 2015 Asia Pacific Female Entrepreneur of The Year and Australia's #1 Rural Lifestyle Photographer. Not only is she a self-published author and photographer of the Australian and International best seller 'The Drover', Alice has published the Australian best seller "The Driver – Australia and New Zealand on the back of a truck". Al was born and bred on the land. Be inspired by her passion capturing images that represent the grass roots of rural Australia. Al has been asked to share her secrets with us by addressing the question: What Inspires You to Do What You Do and How Has This Impacted on Your Social Conscience?
"So I am on my way down the mountain in PNG, being escorted by Jessie, the Principal of Kanga Primary School which my RAWCS Project “Teachers Assist Kokoda” had helped equip some years ago. Out of the blue Jessie starts telling me about this little almost 2 year old boy in the village. He was born with no anus. His mother didn’t realise something was wrong until his stomach began to bloat.
lowship is dedicated to promoting quality education (both public and private) as well as other types of training and development such as Continuing Education, Further Education, Adult Education, Lifelong Learning and other forms of instruction as an opportunity for fellowship.
More than 1,000 tourists and survivors stranded by landslides have been evacuated from the small seaside town of Kaikoura since the quake struck on Monday.
As it turned out there were two Rotary Australia World Community Service teams in different parts of Nepal - one providing mental health training and the other training in the reconstruction process.
In 2015, the Orange Daybreak Rotary Club piloted a program to offer year 12 graduates an experience of service as an alternative to the traditional schoolies, often of over-indulgence.
Grab your friends and workmates and make this your 2016 Christmas Party
Will be held on Sunday, 2nd October 2016. Wagga Wagga is well known as an active community and we are proud to provide an event that promotes health, fitness and fun to all ages.
You are invited for a week of cricket in Wagga Wagga
This quickie is only useful to you if your answer is YES! If so, read on...
Rotarians and Friends, September is a month when we can think about the reasons why we give such emphasis to basic education and literacy in our work serving humanity. Sometimes, what we think of as self-evident truths, require a review to ensure we have sound reasoning and therefore our efforts can help bring about change.
Here we experience Rotary Serving Humanity - one of many examples Ann and I have noticed on our visits. In a community declared by the UN as the poorest nation on earth, with over 45% of children under 5 years, underweight; and 70% unemployment. This RAWCS project, managed by Blackheath Rotary Club, is building a gymnasium and supporting staffing in partnership with the Dili Rotaract Club. If you wish to find out more about the project contact PP Mike Holloway, Cowra Rotary at 
The Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga present each mother of a new-born child with a book to encourage them to read to their child. Studies have shown that the vocabulary in children’s books is three times richer than daily conversation.
The Good News is that we celebrate 100 years of The Rotary Foundation 'Doing Good in the World' in 2016-2017, and you can be part of this massive event. Rotary international has created a wonderful, engaging video clip that will enthrall you.
Well it so happens that in April this year our very own Past District Governor Irene Jones represented our District at the "Rotary Council on Legislation". And I know you are keen to know what it all means! Well there is 5 minute presentation that you won't find as riveting as Fast & Furious, nor as engaging as Downton Abbey, but it will inform you of the impact these changes will have on our Rotary Clubs. Go on, I know you want to, have a look at the 
Recently the ABC local radio interviewed the District Governor Michael Milston just following his changeover.
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Whenever John Germ saw a need in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, he engineered a solution. He'll bring the same can-do attitude to the office of RI president. Why not meet John, 
ition in our District (for new comers to Rotary and to this site, our 'District' covers about 25 population centres in Wiradjuri country spanning the country from Oberon to Lake Cargelligo and Molong to Henty) of service and this can only strengthen over time.
agga Wagga Club conducted a public speaking competition for primary students from Sturt Public School recently. Past District Governor Gary Roberts and Marilyn had the pleasure of attending and witnessed some very clever young people speaking. They were all given the same topic which was “Be a Gift to the World”.
vely assist their sponsor Rotary clubs in doing Rotary work that the Rotarians themselves would have difficulty doing. It is truly our first “Partner in Service.” It bears the Rotary name, and from the very first its constitution included women members, in anticipation of the admission of women in Rotary. The board adopted RVC despite opposition by those who ridiculed it as a poor man’s Rotary club, and by those who believed it would not be acceptable in the West, where it would have no use. 
Australian Rotary Health partners with Rotary Clubs to offer scholarships to indigenous medical students who are studying to become medical professionals. These scholarships often mean the difference between pass and fail for these students. Sometimes they get little support from their family and struggle to carry on. Even so, these scholarships are only offered to second year students who have proven that they can pass the first year of studies. 
District 9700 has been successfully using the District Version of ClubRunner for around 5 years. Several clubs in the district are using the Club Version of ClubRunner and several more clubs are considering signing up to the Club Version. 
SHELTER BOX
The District Conference will be held in Wagga Wagga April 22 to 24 and will be a wonderful event to inspire you all and potential new members. 
Now you can join or continue contributing to the Rotary Foundation Centurion Club from your desktop.
The cost of attending the Convention if registered before 31st March 2016 is now $375. After that date the cost will be $440. A number of Rotarians from this District 9700 have registered and booked their travel. More are in the process of planning their visit to South Korea. The Convention is a great celebration of all the great work being done around the world by Rotary. Every Rotarian should do at least one convention. This will be closest one for a few years. 
PETS will be held in Young on the weekend of February 27 and 28. DGE Michael and his team have prepared a training program to ensure all 2016-17 Presidents are prepared for the job ahead.
Managing Director of North Parkes Mines Stefanie Loader has been awarded a prestigious Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship at a special ceremony at the mine. The presentation was made in front of most of the mine executive team who were let in on the secret the day before. Stefanie was noticeably shocked and said that she was incredibly honoured to receive such a prestigious award. Stefanie was awarded her Fellowship not just because of great success in her vocation but also for the fantastic contribution North Parkes Mines has made to the community of Parkes over a very long time.
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Unfortunately, The Delltones have cancelled all Australian performances next year. However, the good news is we have booked Australia’s leading tribute band, The Beatnix for a great concert featuring all The Beatles great hits. We were disappointed with the cancellation, however, The Beatnix are an exceptional and well respected band who perform throughout Australia. 
The District Foundation Dinner is being held in Wagga Wagga on Thursday November 12 and I urge you to attend and bring your fellow Rotarians and partners to this gala night.
Trevor Bedggood from Henty Rotary Club
Jan Roberts from Wollundry Rotary Club
Paul Cox from Rotary Club of Orange Calare
By now, you will have all received the District Directory for 2015-16 or can access this via your club secretary. It is an electronic file, not a printed book, but you can print it in full or just the parts you require. The data in the Directory is derived from the District Website. If your contact details are incorrect on this site you will not receive a correct entry in the directory and we cannot communicate with you. This new Directory will bring the district into the 21st century and integrate our district website with the directory. Please embrace this change and you will benefit from this initiative with a little application and overcoming your fears. This directory will offer much more than we have been able to in the past. It will contain all the features you want in a directory, contact details of all Rotarians in the district, club executives, meeting times and places, the District Leadership Team and much more. 
District Changeover and most club changeovers will be completed by now. The District Changeover was held in Wagga Wagga and was a great celebration of Rotary with 200 people attending. 
I would like to bring a renewed enthusiasm to Rotary and our communities and “Doing Good In The World”. We need to seek out ways of serving our communities that resonate with potential Rotarians and “Make Our Clubs, The Place To Be”.
This year Graffiti Removal Day will be held on Sunday 18 October 2015. To help make Graffiti Removal Day bigger and better we need your support to once again be a Co-ordinator for your local area. If you are available to assist again this year, please call Gay or Sam from our friendly support team on 1300 665 310 or email us at 
I would like to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU.
Rotary Fellowships Month - June is designated as “Rotary Fellowships Month” by the RI Board to recognize the importance of international fellowship and good will among Rotarians with similar recreational interests, vocations, and health and medical issue-oriented interests, to promote increased participation in fellowships and increase understanding of this program. The RI Board encourages fellowships groups to highlight activities through projects, activities, and events in celebration of “Rotary Fellowships Month” in June.
This is Julie Masters, Teacher Special Unit, Kooringal Public School. Julies was accompanied by Kooringal Public School principal Sally Davidson, as she outlined the school’s project –construction of a sensory playground for students with disabilities. 
In November our District will host a reciprocal team from District 2380 in Sweden where a team from this District visited last August. Hosting clubs for this exchange will include Orange, Wagga Wagga & Leeton whose members were part of that team. Another host club will be needed. Also in November we have the offer to send a team to District 4740 Brazil. This would be a fascinating place to visit and nominations to join this team are now being sort. Please be in touch if you are at all interested. 
Being in Nepal at the time of the earthquake has provided Orange Daybreak Rotarian and recent winner of the RI Service Above Self Award, Mary Brell, with further motivation to provide constructive assistance to the villagers in the Maidi region.
Past District Governor and 2014-15 District Coordinator, Henry Gardiner attended the recent Probus Annual Conference held in Forbes.
Peter Keith PHF gave an overview of the rapidly changing scene in General Practice over the last fifty years and the last ten years in particular. In that time, there were many complex and continuing challenges facing the Family GP.
Colonel Pat Thome was bom in Calcutta India where his father was a Major in the British military in India. Pat completed 27 years of distinguished service with the military. On moving to Australia, the family operated a rural property at Springdale.
Colin Lamrock introduced Lachlan Campbell speaking on NYSF
Forbes Rotary member Chris Finkel will fly out to Kenya in just a few days to climb Africa’s second highest mountain, Mt Kenya.
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Lauren Slater spoke at Wagga 
On 4th February, Kath Logan gave a presentation to Orange Daybreak about facilitative mediation, focusing on family dispute resolution and land access mediation. Her dispute resolution background is professional and academic. In addition to managing stakeholder relations and disputes in the mining, CSG and infrastructure industries for ten years, she has completed two Masters degrees in dispute resolution. She is also a nationally accredited mediator and an Attorney General accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. She works from the premise that dispute damages reputations and relationships, wastes money and time. In the country, people have to pull together.
Well here it is July 2014. It only seemed moments ago that someone suggested that I should apply for this role of DG for District 9700 back in early 2012. I can guarantee that time flies when you’re having so much fun!!
The month of October is Vocational Services Month, and what better way to spend the month than to learn about the new program under Vocational Training Teams! Here is a link to help you Empower others by participating in a 
RI President Ron Burton is asking Rotarians to emphasize Rotary's unique commitment to vocational service by leveraging professional opportunities to Engage Rotary, Change Lives. Through vocational service initiatives, we can engage Rotary in our workplace. And by combining professional expertise and service, we can have a positive impact on local and international communities. Here are just a few ideas for activities your club can undertake:
There are 5 Rotarians from 5 different countries… USA, South Africa, India, The Philippines and Australia establishing the group. Their logo is at the right.
President Murray Paterson, Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak (RCOD), says "This newsletter, the second in our Orange Daybreak International Newsletter Series, details the 2013 project, where we stay, what we will be doing. It also talks about our lunch with the inspiring Gemma Sisia."
Assistant Governors for 2013-14 participated in learning and development in Young on Saturday-Sunday 9-10 February 2013, led by Learnign and Development Coordinator, Mary Brell
The guest speaker at the Tuesday Dec 11th Wollundry Rotary club meeting was Jeffrey Bleich, American Ambassador to Australia. Mr Bleich and his wife Rebecca came to Wagga Wagga as guests of the Australian American Association and were hosted by Paul and Carolyn Murray.
Early this month the D9700 Training Team, under the leadership of District Trainer Mary Brell, met in Young to plan the next 12 month's training. "The key elements of the training will be the November Presidents Forum, followed by Presidents-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) in February 2013 and the Assembly in May 2013" Mary said. 
A farewell dinner for the GSE team traveling to Kansas in September was held at the home of Paul and Judy Cox in Orange. Almost 50 guests enjoyed a dinner prepared by Judy and the members and wives of the Rotary Club of Orange Calare. Special guests included DG Greg Brown and Lyn, PDG and GSE Chair Neal Fogarty and Barbara and AG John McKenzie and Fayah.
Fellow Rotarians
The District 9700 Changeover Dinner was held in Leeton on Saturday June 30th. The evening saw 2011-12 Disctict Governor Ian Simpson turn over the reigns to 2012-13 District Governor Greg Brown. (See photo at right) 
and international projects involving local Rotarians during his visit.
President of the Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak, Murray Paterson, reports:
Over 400 Rotarians and partners from 37 Clubs attended the 2012 District Conference in Young. The numbers attending sessions were around 300 Saturday and 250 Sunday – a wonderful turnout.
The 2012 Rotary Program for Enrichment (RYPEN) was an outstanding success with 59 Year 9 students attending the Borambola weekend.
Here’s a question for you .... What do Cowra Rotary and Club No 1, Chicago have in common?
The aim was to have 100 District Centurions ‘join-up’ in the first 100 days of this Rotary year - by Monday, 10th October 2011 which is the10th day of 10th month. 161 District Rotarians and Friends of Rotary joined in the challenge from 32 of the 40 Clubs. Thanks to Club Coordinators and everyone who joined the District Centurions to make this a success.
