The F Words
This month we focus on the two F words. 
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.
Read More... for the various fellowships
The Rotary Fellowships page on our website states:
The Rotary Fellowships
- 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
- 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.
The list of Current Fellowships (contact details on the webpage) include:
4 X 4 Vehicles, Amateur Radio, Antique Automobiles, Authors and Writers, Beer, Bird Watching, Bowling, Canoeing, Caravanning, Chess, Computer Users, Cooking, Convention Goers, Corporate Social Responsibility, Cricket, Cruising, Curling, Cycling, Doll Lovers, Draughts, E-Clubs, Editors and Publishers, Educators, Environment, Esperanto, Ethics, Fishing, Flying, Genealogy, Go, Golf, Health Professionals, Home Exchange, Honorary Consuls, Horseback Riding, Internet, Italian Culture, Jazz, Latin Culture, Lawyers, .png)
Magicians, Magna Graecia, Marathon Running, Military Veterans, Motorcycling, Music, Old and Rare Books, Past District Governors, Photographers, Police and Law Enforcement, Pre-Colombian Civilizations, Quilters and Fibre Artists, Railroads, Recreational Vehicles, Rotary Global History, Rotary Heritage and History, Rotary Means Business, Rotary on Pins, 
Rotary on Stamps, Rowing, Russian Culture, Scouting, Scuba Diving, Shooting Sports, Singles, Skiing, Social Networks, Table Tennis, Tennis, Total Quality Management, Travel and Hosting, Wellness and Fitness, Whisk(e)y, Wine Appreciation, and Yachting