What an amazing time to be involved with Rotary. In this newsletter is a rundown on the Rotary Emergency Services Community Awards (RESCA). With the bushfires, drought, pandemic and the day to day work of Emergency Services Personnel, it is brilliant that their work can be acknowledged. Under the leadership of PDG Steve Hill this acknowledgement is not only for Emergency Services workers in the current State of NSW and the ACT but are now being celebrated nationally.
It is just one aspect of the many issues being taken on by Rotarians to “do good in the world”. With so many club visits, either virtually or face to face, I am learning more and more about the contribution of so many people. In the towns where I see Rotary Parks, when I learn about international projects for clean water and sanitation, support for education or improving environment, I am blown away by the generosity and commitment of so many Rotarians. Ordinary people in one sense – extraordinary in another.
A small matter of business. The Annual General Meeting of 9705 at 10.00 am on the 15th November will incorporate the final AGMs of 9700 and 9710. This will allow closure of the finances and acceptance of the audited statements of the past districts.
It was sad to lose the Rotaract Club of Yass but not so sad to see the merger of the three Rotary clubs in Goulburn. Thanks go to Caleb and his colleagues of the Yass Rotaract, who managed the club for so long, and were forced to make such a hard decision. I look forward to working with the newly chartered Goulburn Rotary Club.
The Zone 8 Conference was an excellent opportunity to understand where Rotary is going with particularly interesting presentations by RI President Holger Knack, Past International President Ian Risley and Rotary International Director Jessie Harman. There were many others. I was particularly taken with the presentation by Michael McGovern that explored the contribution of Rotary towards ridding the world of Polio.
I want to conclude by thanking so many clubs for the warm welcome that I have received and the way that they have continued Rotary business despite the huge challenges of the last eight months. For those clubs and Rotarians I have not yet met, or have not yet met face to face, Helen and I are looking forward to doing so in the next few months.
These are just a few of the opportunities opening through Rotary.
uesday October 13th at 5:30pm, via Zoom videoconferencing, Barbara Mifsud, will be giving a talk entitled Global Perspective on Membership as a guest speaker at the District 9705 Membership Seminar Series. 
raiser again this year. 