As Rotary Clubs and our District look forward to a period of Changeovers, it is a good time to reflect on how things have been and what the future holds.
The major challenge for District 9705 has been managing the merger of the previous two districts within the context of what nature has thrown at us in the form of drought, bushfires and COVID-19. I was delighted when told by a senior Rotary official that our District is seen as “a beacon of success” compared to the struggles and acrimonious issues faced by others in similar circumstances. This is something that all Rotarians in the District can rightfully be proud of.
Change is not easy. It is a credit to all of our clubs and Rotarians that the change has been managed with a minimum of fuss or antagonism. This has happened also at a time where many other changes are occurring within Rotary as we seek to attract new members, to be more inclusive, to archive some of the traditional practices and find new ways to “do good in the world”.
The success is largely thanks to good leadership. The work of PDGs Steve Hill and George Weston with strong follow up by their successors John Glassford, Margaret Hassall, John McKenzie and Peter Ford accounts for a significant part of the achievement. However, thanks also belongs to the sixty or so other Rotarians who played a significant part in the hard work around preparing the District in terms of a wide range of administrative issues.
The Board and Operations Committee of District 9705 is made up of Rotarians who were willing to put up their hands, roll up their sleeves and take on new challenges. One of the biggest tasks of the merger was sorting out the transition of the finances. The outstanding leadership and hard work of Rosemary Everett really deserves recognition. Those who took on the new role of Area Governors deserve congratulations and thanks as they worked to develop new systems and manage the change at the coal face. There are so many others who deserve thanks!
We are now one District and it is now time to build on our achievements. The “G-train” including Leo Farrelly, Geraldine Rurenga and Andrea Grosvenor, is already working together to ensure that improvements can be made across a period that goes beyond just one term of an individual District Governor. The opportunities are immense. The adoption of the seventh area of focus, for example, is an encouragement for all Rotarians to become more serious in efforts to “support the environment” without losing sight of the other six areas of focus.
There are so many Rotarians who have been welcoming and helpful, who have assisted with projects, supported the ideas of others, built the strong reputation of Rotary in Southern NSW and the ACT that it makes Helen and myself very proud to have been entrusted with our roles in the District. We both appreciate the warm welcome we have received from individual Rotarians wherever it is that we have been able to gather – first by Zoom and later in person.
Rotary allows us to play a role in building community. It is a role has been adopted so successfully by so many Rotarians. It is appropriate in this hundredth year of Rotary in Australia to say thanks to all of those who have gone before us and to look forward to the future with a positive outlook.
Michael
This months photos - First picture: Michel Nader. This picture was taken at Moruya with the three Eurobodalla Clubs celebrating one hundred years of Rotary. Michel was a Charter member of Moruya Club and has remained a member for 65 years. The certificate is a congratulatory letter from International President Holger Knaack
Second picture: RC Temore President Margaret Fritsch at the official DG visit to Temora
Third picture: Celebrating an unblemished Rotary attendance record of fifty years with Mal Ferguson at the 41st anniversary celebration of Weston Creek Club.
