District 9685 Official Visit Address
Rotarians and Friends
Tonight’s address is entitled “The letter ‘C’.”
That may be an unexpected title but I trust the reason for it will become clear by the end.
“The Letter ‘C’ ”is in three parts. In the first part I will explain some matters relating directly to District 9685 and in particular our District culture.
Secondly throughout the address I will ask you to complete some tasks.
Thirdly I will outline some significant events, developments and influences, if you like some mega-trends. These trends are impacting now or very shortly will impact in a very positive way on Rotary.
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Lyn and I would like to thank all District 9685 Rotarians for affording us the opportunity to serve as your District Governor and DG Partner. We regard it as an absolute privilege and I can assure you we are thoroughly enjoying this unique experience.
So will you be next? Will you be the District Governor to follow DGE Ian and DGN Gina?
Nominations for Club Representatives on the District Governor Nomination Sub-Committee have already been called. When nominations for District Governor are called later this year, I invite you to put yourself forward.
If you feel that you can’t at this particular point in time, then think about a Rotarian you would recommend. A Rotarian you would like to have as your District Governor. The person must be a Past President but does not have to be a member of your club. Let the Rotarian know that you would like him or her to be your District Governor and offer your support.
This is the first task tonight. Either make the decision to nominate for DG or encourage another person to do so. At District Changeover I invited all Rotarians to help write the District 9685 story. Here is an opportunity for you to greatly influence that story.
The second task is to register for both our one day “Come Alive” District Conference to be held on 23 February 2014 and the International Convention to be held on 1 – 4 June 2014.
If we have 50% registration across the District by 15 December 2013 we stand to receive a solid return on the seeding money we have provided over the past few years.
So it is important to attend to this task sooner rather than later.
I also urge also you to consider volunteering or home hosting.
There is no better way to experience the inter-nationality, the power and magic of Rotary than by involvement in an International Convention.
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By now you are all aware of Rotary International President Ron Burton’s theme for 2013-14, Engage Rotary Change Lives. Ron and Jetta are delightful people and if they were to walk into this room tonight they would immediately engage with everyone.
When he talks about Engage Rotary however President Ron is referring to the transition from being a member of a Rotary club to becoming a Rotarian. He refers to it as your Rotary Moment; a moment of both discovery and commitment. It is the point at which you experience and appreciate the power and the magic of Rotary.
And when you truly “Engage Rotary” you will “Change Lives” whatever project you take on.
And as Ron stresses, the life that will change the most is your own.
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In many respects Ron’s theme is really a goal.
We also have a number of District goals for 2013-14.
The first is about the successful transition to District 9685 through the creation of an inclusive District and Club Culture. A culture that is based on Rotary’s core values and emphasises the District role to support and strengthen clubs.
An organisation’s culture can be simply stated as “the way we do things around here”. It underpins who we are, what we do and how we go about doing what we do.
Almost 18 months ago I called together a group of Rotarians from D9680 and 9690. I called the group the Key Team and asked them to identify features of their preferred culture for the new District 9685.
The Key Team was deliberately diverse and we had no idea of what might be decided or if we would be able to come to any agreement at all.
The outcome was amazing. Within 30 minutes the group had identified the key features of the culture they wanted to see as the foundation of our new District.
Along with inclusiveness and an emphasis on Rotary’s core values
- They wanted to see an end to the District /Club divide.
- Relationships and respect were seen as important
- We talked about a culture of listening to each other
- Of helping others achieve their humanitarian dreams.
- Cooperation was seen as important.
- We talked about a culture that meant conflict was resolved in an appropriate and timely manner.
- A culture that promoted change and innovation as a normal part of development.
- At the same time a culture that promoted continuity and perseverance to accomplish a mission.
- The Key Team spoke of being proud to be a Rotarian and of Club meetings, activities and projects that were creative, vibrant, well run and fun.
- They spoke of connecting with key groups in our communities.
- Openness and transparency were implied.
- They wanted Rotarians who were keen to make a difference and discover and share the exciting world of Rotary beyond the Club. To use Ron’s words, Change Lives.
Well it is going to take more than 30 minutes to achieve all these aspects of our District Culture but it is what we are setting out to establish.
It is what drives us as Rotarians in District 9685 and hopefully underpins what we do in our Clubs and communities.
To achieve this, the culture has to be embraced and supported by all Rotarians.
It was at the Key Team meetings we got the idea for the Meet the Mayor program.
I now want to consider a distinguishing feature of our “from the mountains to the sea” District.
That is its natural beauty!
Our logo designed by Ross Lambert (Rotary Club of Ku ring gai) includes the majestic Hawkesbury River. The whole of the Hawkesbury Valley is ours!
Comparing the Hawkesbury with the Mississippi and the Rhine, the novelist Anthony Trollope said “- - - the headlands are higher, and the turns and the manoeuvres of the course which the waters have made for themselves are grander, and to me more enchanting than those of either the European or American river.”
We should regard the Hawkesbury that connects the south west of our District to the north east with the confluence of many a creek or river along its route as the perfect metaphor for the world of Rotary today.
As the Nepean becomes the Hawkesbury and is joined by Glenbrook Creek, Cattai Creek, the Colo River and so on, the creeks and rivers become one and the one becomes more powerful. At its mouth is the inspiring beauty and grandeur of Broken Bay flanked to the south by Pittwater and to the north by Brisbane Water.
The tributaries and waterways represent a number of events, developments and influences that are impacting or very shortly will impact on Rotary.
Just as with the Hawkesbury the confluence of these trends will make a stronger Rotary.
So what these trends?
To be a co-host District for the Rotary International Convention is amazing good fortune. During the first week of June 2014 the eyes of Sydney will be on Rotary.
How will Rotarians and clubs respond? What an opportunity to invite as your guest a non-Rotarian work colleague or family member to experience the internationality of Rotary and see first-hand what we do. Or to extend the Rotary hand of friendship and host an overseas visitor or perhaps more appropriately a Rotarian from regional NSW.
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This year a major impact is the new Grants structure of The Rotary Foundation. It changes the way we do business and increases opportunities both locally and internationally for Rotarians to “do good in the world”. The significantly increased funding available for District Grants is already over-subscribed. That is a good place to be. Our first Global Grant for 2013-14 has been lodged. The six Areas of Focus will ensure the work of Rotary remains relevant in today’s world making for a stronger Rotary.
Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) also have funding changes that create more opportunities both locally and internationally.
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To do the work of Rotary we obviously need members. All Districts in Zone 8 (Australia) have made a commitment to the National Membership Plan. The goal is for a 3% net increase in membership this Rotary year and likewise for the next two years, to reach a total membership if 1.3 million Rotarians.
Ideally this increase will target a growth of younger members.
Remember the first president of the first Rotary Club was 35 years old.
I set a task at the last Presidents’ Meeting for club members to determine ways to make their clubs more appealing to and accommodating of potential younger Rotarians.
We can’t change the way we look but we can change what we think, do and say. We can do away with Rotary’s version of the chorus in a Greek tragedy which chants, “You can’t do that it is not the Rotary way” or “We did that 15 years ago and it didn’t work”.
We can encourage young Rotarians’ involvement.
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Another influence will be the outcome of the RI funding of our first national PR campaign, “Conversations into Action”. This campaign is targeted at Rotarians as well as non-Rotarians and designed to tackle the cry that people do not know about Rotary or what Rotary does.
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The Peace Scholarship program is a trend that will continue to build.
I believe it will become one of the richest jewels in Rotary’s crown.
I attended the Rotary Peace Action Group breakout at Lisbon. The group includes many Peace Scholar alumni. They genuinely believe their vision is achievable. Their grand vision is on the arm band I am wearing, “Imagine a World Beyond War Built by Rotarians”.
Significantly they also have detailed plans based on the best research to realise their vision.
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Polio eradication naturally is one of the major waterways of our metaphor. Despite what is currently happening in the Horn of Africa, the world is still on track to finish the job of the global eradication of polio by 2018 – the End Game Strategy.
When that happens, the eyes of the world will be on Rotary because no other organisation will have made such mammoth achievement. Many worthy people will be attracted to such an organisation and we need to ensure our clubs are ready.
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Another development that will impact on Clubs is the new RI Website. This will be launched in 26 August.
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The final influence I will mention is potentially the most significant.
The RI Committee on Enhancement of the Rotary Brand under the leadership of PRIP Bill Boyd has been working on developing an understanding of and ways to promote the Rotary Brand.
The Committee’s work is a most exciting story. Tonight suffice to say that the research and analysis the Committee has undertaken shows that Rotary is not just a Service Club and it is more than a humanitarian organisation.
Rotary they say is in a category of one.
There are many reasons for this conclusion but the main one is the majority of Rotary’s work is local community service projects.
How does that make us a category of one?
Well there are 34,000 clubs world-wide just like those here tonight.
That means we do Community service on a global scale and that make us unique.
Bill Boyd’s committee will provide us with the words, ideas and concepts that better let us tell the story and give a clear message who we are and what we do.
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What does all I have said about mega trends mean?
It means the work we do in our clubs will be strengthened by these trends through better promotion of club projects and raising the visibility and profile of each local Rotary club.
It means there never has been a better time to be a Rotarian than right now. And the best is yet to come.
It means we should be extremely proud to be a Rotarian
It means we will increasingly have the means for all of us to tell the Rotary story with confidence and to invite others to join us and experience the joy of helping others. To Engage Rotary, Save Lives.
Thank you
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