We wish to acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners of this land
– the Aboriginal people past and present.
It is upon their ancestral lands where we are today.
As we share our knowledge, Rotary practices and ideas, through this newsletter and all of our activities, may we also pay respect to the knowledge embedded forever within the Aboriginal Custodianship of Country.
Just a reminder that we are asking every Club to prepare a 3 to 5 minute video or PowerPoint about what you have been achieving during 2020. The videos are due to the Communications Director by the end of January. The finalists will be featured at the District Virtual Conference in March 2021 and the two winners will be awarded a PHF to give to someone of their choice. This is a bit of fun, a bit of a promotional opportunity for your Club and should be an enjoyable challenge for all. Please send either your video if it is less than 20 Mb, or a link to your video to the Communications Director, Marilyn Kenney, HERE. Alternatively, your video can be sent on a USB to Marilyn at her personal address (you will need to ask for it), or the Post Office address for District 9685 (PO Box143 Pennant Hills, 1715)
2. ROTARY PEACE FELLOWSHIPS
Applications for the 2022-2023 Rotary Peace Fellowship open in February, and close at the end of May. As soon as entries are formally open, why not advertise in the local press for candidates and then form a committee to interview and assess candidates for submission to District. Full details are on the website https://my.rotary.org/en/peace-fellowship-application and please feel free to pass this information on to individuals you believe may be interested in applying. Please note that families of Rotarians are not eligible to apply.
3. REGISTERING FOR THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE, 2021
Registering for the District Conference can be done here:
More information is now available on the following two links. Remember, the Conference is now being fully paid for by the District. There is no cost to members or Clubs. Time to organise how your Club members are going to view the broadcasts (individually; or small groups - organise catering; or in club groups at a venue - organise venue and catering)
Finding out more information about the Conference can be found at the District Website HERE
4. A YOUNG TALENTED SPEAKER AS RECOMMENDED BY PDG PAM PRITCHARD
William Chan, Global Grant Scholar 2015, is an excellent speaker and is very happy to speak to clubs. He was on the short list for NSW Young Australian of the Year and for Young Entrepreneur of the Year so he is very talented. His email address is : hywilliamchan@outlook.com
5. TED TALKS FOR YOUNGER ROTARIANS
Melanie Lewis is our District's Environmental Officer to support the 7th Area of Focus developed in 2020. Melanie has been working hard on policies and activities related to her portfolio, amongst her other Rotary roles and responsibilities. Melanie has also launched a TED
Circles under my Club (RSIN) that will allow a small forum for people within our District extended family and friends to join a monthly discussion on pertinent topics within the TED domain. See flyer below.
You are welcome to attend and share. It will be primarily to service the more progressive, younger Rotarian (with an ES slant) hopefully with some of my learned academics injecting some wisdom into the discussion as well, on occasion, but would love some senior Rotarians
to get into it too.
For a slightly larger version of this flyer, click on "Read More"
Rotarians are People of Action - we share a strong sense of purpose
As People of Action, we understand that fulfilling our vision requires a plan.
This is Rotary’s plan for the next five years: to increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt.
By helping to realize the goals of this plan, you ensure a stronger and even more effective future for Rotary—a tremendous legacy. Our plan is rooted in our tried-and-true values and builds on the remarkable capabilities and spirit of Rotarians.
As a Rotarian please consider your IMPACT, how you REACH out to others, what you do to ensure ENGAGEMENT and how entrepreneurial you are at ADAPTING … these are the four priorities of Rotary.
Click on the photo to see the new Rotary International Strategic Plan.
Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group
2020 has been challenging for so many. Some of us have had personal challenges and all of our Rotary Clubs have had challenges in meeting together and fundraising for their planned projects. For the Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group, we have had more opportunities to speak to clubs all around the world by Zoom. I personally have enjoyed meeting so many committed Rotarians in clubs this year and to hear of the many programs they are involved in. It reassured me that Rotary is still offering opportunities for us all. But when I open my email each day and read statistics like the Word Bank estimates "That an additional 38 to 150 million people will fall into poverty this year”, I am inclined to be overwhelmed. However, I know we CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE to that statistic if every Rotary Club started one garden in a school, a hospital, or a community garden and encouraged their community to grow their own food. It only has to be a couple of pots to start with, or a tub, or small garden bed. The Brief Garden Guides we have prepared for many clubs around the world have been great starts for this process. They don’t only explain how to grow these plants but why these plants are good for you and how your body uses the nutrients in them.
We have increasing requests for these guides, and clubs and individuals have received them with open arms. The downside of course, is that we continue to have an urgent need for funds - we have many request we cannot meet because of the funding situation. Our one part-time employee, Karalyn, cannot keep up with the requests, and her skills in this area are better than most! SO, could you please share this with your clubs? If they have only a few dollars left undistributed this year, we would be very thankful to receive it and would use it wisely.
The committee continues to look for a corporate sponsor to support our projects. If you know of anyone we could speak to we would be delighted to be referred to them. For clubs who have not already heard our presentation, please pass on my details to them, so we can tell our story. We are good at Zoom meetings too!
Best wishes for the second half of this year when Rotary continues to Open Opportunities.
PDG Pam Pritchard has kept in touch with Ms Lorinda Potter, Principal of Moree East Public School, where 86% of the students are aboriginal. Lorinda had to put a hold on plans to start a cafeteria because of COVID but has now worked out how to manage food distribution safely. The Principal has also had an aboriginal artist paint an outline for a beautiful teaching mural on the path to the school where children can make their mark and learn their stories. It has become part of the ‘Moree Arts Trail’. There will be a Grand Opening on the 12th March for the cafeteria and the mural.
Rotary marks 100 years of Australian & NZ service in 2021 up to and including March of this year. We have a proud history to celebrate. And it is a time to launch special new projects, energise new action, attract new members and leverage with community partners in something special. Just click on the picture below.
Please note that advance orders are now being received for the soon to be published ‘Humanity in Action – Celebrating 100 years of Rotary Clubs in Australia and its Near Island Neighbours’.
This is a 400 page hard cover book to mark the centenary of Rotary in Australia. Numbers are limited and pre orders should be addressed to PDG Harry Durey – hdurey@bigpond.com – telephone 0407 005 910. Cost is $25 plus postage.
It might seem like a small thing, but a logo that isn’t used properly can create confusion and mistrust. We always want to use Rotary’s logos consistently and properly to maintain a global Rotary brand that members, donors, and the public can trust. Over the next year, we plan to talk much more about branding. In the first of a series of Rotary Voices blog posts on this topic, Rotary’s brand specialist, Liz Thiam, explains why clubs should use the Rotary logo correctly in their communities and how they can do that.
to let us know of any bereavements you would like published.
You may also inform your Assistant Governor, the District Secretary, or the Governor. Remember to also update your club's member database on the District website.
The 2021 Rotary International Convention will be here soon — and it’s going to be an unforgettable experience. Taking place 12-16 June in Taipei, Taiwan, the convention will offer fantastic entertainment, motivational speakers, inspirational sessions, and uplifting energy. Enjoy all of it with old friends and new ones.
We hope you’ll join us in Taipei to Feel the Energy. Don’t forget to invite your friends — download the promotional kit and share our official video about Taipei on your social networks.
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