Helen Moore, DG Dr Michael Moore AM International President Holger and Susanne Knaack
Welcome to District 9705 and the new Rotary year.
This year the International President, Holger Knaack and his wife Susanne have selected the theme of “Rotary Opens Opportunities”. What could be more appropriate for District 9705?
Thanks to the hard work of the Transition Team over a number of years, the transition is running smoothly. The leadership of PDG Steve Hill and PDG George Weston has been exemplary. And to so many others who have pitched in contributing in areas such as Structure, Finance, Constitution, Club Development, Training, Foundation, Services, Youth, Public Image and more. We all owe a debt of gratitude for a job so well done.
I believe we can expect the larger District to open the sort of opportunities that Holger referred to in the launch of the theme. He sees Rotary not “just a club for people to join, but rather an invitation to endless opportunities.” He added “We believe that our acts of service, big and small, create opportunities for people who need our help,” and “everything we do opens another opportunity for someone, somewhere”.
Serendipity! So many of our Rotary and Rotaract Clubs are ‘doing good in the world’. Every club in our new District has projects that support people in need. Funds are raised across the District to support people locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The club bulletins across the District tell yet another good news story of the work that is going on. Nowhere is this more obvious that Rotary’s leadership in banishing polio from the world.
The real work of Rotary is only possible through our Foundation. The Rotary Foundation is the backbone of so much of what Rotarians have achieved. The Global and District Grants provide opportunities. And these opportunities have never been better as clubs across District 9705 now have the opportunity to learn about good ideas from others and to combine to ensure they are delivered.
District 9705 is well served by the volunteers who have agreed to serve on the Board, the Operations Committee and on a series of other committees and with other broader responsibilities. These colleagues were introduced at the District Virtual Changeover where I was able to express my gratitude at their willingness to take on these important roles. With their help, all Rotarians in District 9705 will be better placed “to do good in the world”.
The Operations Committee is a new concept that was introduced by the Transition Team. The intention is to separate strategic matters from operational matters. The District Governor Elect, Leo Farrelly, will be responsible for the Operations Committee that oversights much of the day to day work of Rotary Clubs within the District. The Operations Committee then reports through the DGE to the Board.
It's all about District 9705 as the new district gets a viewing in the Canberra media:
New governor gets bigger serve of Rotary (CityNews) - Former ACT health minister Dr Michael Moore is the incoming Rotary district governor of a new area encompassing Canberra.District 9705, which runs from Narromine to Hay, through to Eden and up the coast to Berry, is an amalgamation of district 9700 and 9710, and includes 83 Rotary Clubs and about 2300 members.
Mega new Rotary district "about the size of England" will include all Canberra clubs (Canberra Times)- Former ACT health minister Michael Moore has been appointed the inaugural district governor of a massive new merged Rotary district that covers all the clubs in the ACT as well as scores of others extending "from the outback to the ocean". "It's about the size of England," is how Dr Moore described District 9705, which officially comes into being on July 1. The new district is a merger between district 9710 - which includes all the Rotary clubs in the ACT as well as the South Coast, Southern Highlands and inland clubs from Bungendore to Batlow, Queanbeyan to Cooma - and district 9700 encompassing those further west, including Bathurst, Wagga Wagga and Young. Thehuge new 9705 district will now comprise 83 clubs and 2300 members.
DISTRICT 9710 - DISTRICT AWARDS 2020 Presented at District Changeover on 1 July 2020 Congratulations to all the Clubs and Members acknowledged below.
ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR
PDG Phil Armstrong – Rotary Club of Moruya
2020 has been a year of challenges that have tested everyone in our Community. Our District was particularly affected by the catastrophic bushfires, with over 1000 homes lost and many other community facilities completely wiped out. Districts 9700 and 9710 formed the combined Districts Bushfire Recovery Committee (DBRC). The DBRC required a dedicated and skilled leader and we found that leader in the form of PDG Phil Armstrong from the Rotary Club of Moruya. The work of the DBRC is long term as it continues to do good things for a devastated community.
Congratulations to all the Clubs and Members acknowledged below in part 2.
ROTARACTOR OF THE YEAR - William Koek – Southern Highlands Rotaract Club
William Koek is a very impressive ambassador for his age and for Rotaract. He is one of the founding members of the (relaunched) Southern Highlands Rotaract Club and is its inaugural President. He is an Ambassador for the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme and this experience has further enhanced his leadership and general life skills. William is the face of our future volunteers. We are in good hands.
DISTRICT 9700 AWARDS presented at the recent changeover.
Congratulations to all clubs and members acknowledged below.
THE DISTRICT GOVERNOR’S AWARD TO THE ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR
Awarded to the Rotarian in D9700 who in the opinion of the District Governor has during the year made the greatest contribution to the community through Rotary service.
Awarded to PP Jenny Jewell from Rotary Club of Parkes.
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. Image: Students from ACT, Peak Hill and Goulburn East.
Extract from Rotary Voices - Stories of service from around the world
Three steps to help beat the pandemic
If ever in our lifetime there was a defining moment of earth-shattering proportions – this is it.... What distinguishes defining moments in our history is not the nature of the crisis, but rather the quality of the decisions that we make. In the wake of the drastic measures taken by our political leaders to address the [COVID-19] outbreak we, as Rotar[ians], have had our own decisions to make. These decisions are guided by three simple principles.
The first one is that individual action has the greatest bearing on the disease, and this includes personal hygiene, social distancing, and other guidelines outlined by the World Health Organization. We must all take individual responsibility to stop the spread of coronavirus. The second is to support the government in its initiatives to flatten the curve as indeed it is the concerted effort by the private sector, public institutions, development organizations, and society as a whole that will stop this threat. Thirdly, it is in sharing messages of hope and reminding people that together we will prevail, and that the disruption in our lives is not only momentary but it is also a crucial part of continuity.
