Dear Everyone,
Well here we are again in Lockdown and we can only hope that this situation will be short-lived. As a consequence, next Tuesday’s meeting will be via Zoom and the link is provided below, and will also be emailed with the agenda.
At last Tuesday night’s meeting, during Ian Ash’s presentation on the vibrancy of our Club and if it could become more vibrant, the issue of Club communications arose. I was surprised to learn of dissatisfaction on this account, as this year we have striven to really inform our members of the Club’s activities. We have aimed to inform you via this weekly newsletter, our Facebook and Website, during our weekly meetings when directors, anyone and I make announcements, and especially at the monthly Club Assembly when all Chairs deliver very comprehensive reports. On top of this, Secretary Shalini sends a précis of the monthly Board meeting minutes to every member. I do not know what else we can do, so will you please contact me via phone or email with your suggestions?
The District Training Assembly Workshops have been taking place all week and finish on Sunday, and it is very pleasing that at least 8 members have been taking advantage of the offerings. I found the Foundation session to be very informative.
The Project Management session, that Lorna and I attended, was conducted by Pat Armstrong and Rotaractor Clare Caulfield. It was similar to the presentation that Pat delivered to our Club when a guest speaker last year, and both speakers drew our attention to the excellent materials that have been prepared to take those planning projects through the necessary steps. They also referred to some wonderful projects by way of illustration, such as the D9810 Tree Project, Light Up Timor Through Enterprise and the East Timor Roofing Company.
On Thursday night, Tina and I attended the Earlyact workshop, the aim of which was to stimulate interest and offer support in the establishment of Earlyact Clubs within the District. DGE Daryl Moran and Kathy Monley were the presenters, and it was a pity that there were so few attendees as it was a most interesting and inspiring session. Primary school children have so much potential to become outstanding citizens when given the opportunity, as the examples that Daryl and Kathy provided bore out. The establishment of an Earlyact Club at Emerald Primary School is only a matter of time I believe.
In “Open Doors” that we received on Monday, District Governor Alma encouraged us to view RI Director Elect Jessie Harman’s address at the Multi-District Conference Virtual Victoria on “The Future of Rotary” and The Next 100 Years. Developments occurring within Rotary include:
- Women continue to join in increasing numbers, and they make up almost 30% in Australia and New Zealand. Women are taking on leadership roles too and half of the new RI Board will be women. They continue to bring enthusiasm, energy and capability.
- The new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement, to be more representative of our communities. Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion is about being true to the object of Rotary -think the Four Way Test.
- The rise of new types of Rotary Clubs; in addition to conventional clubs, there are E-Clubs, Passport Clubs, Alumni Clubs e.g. RYLA, Rotaract, Corporate Clubs e.g. the Bentley Car Co., and Cause-based Clubs e.g. the Rotary Club of End Trafficking. These clubs will make us attractive to a more diverse group of people.
- The introduction of the Environment as the 7th Area of Focus. This is one of the most pressing and challenging issues of our time. Foundation funds will be applied to these projects, and hopefully, this area will bring more supporters and potentially more members.
- A strategic focus on Innovation and Flexibility; the nature of volunteers and volunteering is changing, and we must take the opportunities to adapt to ensure we remain relevant and responsive in the future.
Jessie’s Call To Action is:
- Seek to diversify our Club’s membership; we will then gain a better understanding of our problems and solutions.
- Put our members at the heart. Deliver a Rotary experience that meets our needs, and make our Club fit our members and not our members fit our Club.
- Do whatever we can to make a positive difference in our communities; make Rotary meaningful, relevant and part of the solution.
- Be optimistic.
Under the heading Membership Inspiration 1, Alma also recommended viewing some short, animated videos; I did and recommend them to you, they are short, cute and their scripts make the points about membership concisely and well.
Thank you’s this week to:
- Jenny Wakefield for providing delicious treats to accompany tea and coffee at the R100 BBQ lunch.
- for providing lovely chocolate cupcakes for the same lunch.
- Gayle who joined our Club on the 30th of May 2000, making 21 wonderful years of membership and still going strong.
- Ian Ash for his presentation “The Lumpy Bed” and to he and Kris for setting up and packing up yet again.
- The Chairs and their Committees for the progress they are making with their work.
**This Tuesday night on the 1st of June, our guest speaker is Kristine Ash who has very kindly stepped into the breach and will do a presentation on wellness and ageing - something to look forward to as Kris’s presentations are always so well put together.
**Next week: on the 8th of June, our guest speaker is Dr. Dan from Monbulk, talking about croup, anaphylaxis, asthma and defibrillators. Invite your friends and family along to this night as I believe Dr. Dan is a great speaker.
**The following week: on the 15th of June, our guest speaker is Day Gowland who will be doing his “Behind The Badge”. You do not want to miss Day’s talk, as he has lived in many different places in his relatively short life, and has some unbelievable stories to tell about his work as a gardener.
Stay safe, stay home and stay Rotary Even Prouder.
Yours in Rotary,
Vicki.
