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.
After a great team effort, the Conference Team presented the first virtual District Conference last weekend. The Conference was managed by District Governor, David Clark, and Conference Chair Frank Portelli and his team, along with the professional production crew, Barking Mouse. It was a big success with comments ranging from :
I’ve just finished watching the conference over two days. I loved it! So many inspirational speakers. I am hoping my club will show all of it over the year. Our first session is tomorrow night. I am now the proud owner of a brick for the hospital in Nepal, a regular donor and have purchased two of Dr Hodgson’s book, but I have been equally inspired by the amazing work of everyone. I also loved the ARH presentation. Well done DG Dave and team!
Excellent production, good and excellent speakers, nicely done. Congratulations on pulling off a good conference in difficult times DG David.
Great conference guys...well done! Makes me extra proud to be a Rotarian.
Please accept my congratulations (and pass them on to the whole team). The format you arrived at was excellent. Making the conference accessible in this way is the future. Of course, there is a need to get together and have the fellowship of others at some events, but I believe there is an important role for this kind of virtual conference that allows for “viewing on demand”. The material—or selected parts of it— can be shown to potential members and to the recalcitrant “I don’t do conferences” members in some clubs.
Thank you very much for a most enjoyable, informative and inspirational Conference.
Here are the links again if you missed it, or want to share with your Club members at future meetings. These speakers and their presentations ranged from compelling, to amazing to thought provoking, moving and inspirational.
This is a call-out for copies of Australian Geographic (not National Geographic, please.) These will be sent to children in remote communities who have no access to such magazines for various school activities for which materials are easy to find if you live in the city. Please email and let me know if you can join in with this project.
Bob Selinger
Aboriginal Support Programs Director
2. Australian Rotary Health Latest News
It’s our birthday and after a year of COVID-19 restrictions that cancelled many of our plans, we want to celebrate!
40 years ago, Australian Rotary Health (ARH) was established as a charitable fund by Rotarian PP Ian Scott and the Rotary Club of Mornington, Victoria, to research the mystery of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Since those early days, our work has continued to expand and has made an impact not only across the country, but also internationally. With the support of Rotary Clubs and Districts in Australia, we are so proud to be a part of creating better health for all Australians. Research and advancements in knowledge funded by ARH provide both preventative and curative solutions for a broad range of health conditions.
Since 2000, our research focus has been on mental health. In 2012, this focus narrowed to the Mental Health of Young Australians (Aged 0-25), and in 2013, projects focussing on the Prevention of Mental Illness were included. Programs such as Cool Kids and Mental Health First Aid are just a couple of examples of our funding leading to positive outcomes.
Lift the Lid on Mental Illness is our national campaign for mental health research and awareness, and every year on World Mental Health Day (October 10) we celebrate Hat Day to raise funds for vital research into mental health.
In just 40 years, we’ve achieved so much. We’re inviting you to help us mark this milestone year and invest in the future by supporting our work today.
Reminders
1. District Governor 2023-2024 Applications
Notice about the current selection process for the DG 2023-2024 has been sent to all. Just a reminder that the date for applications closing is coming up very soon.
Applications to PDG Susan close on 26th March by COB. Contact PDG Susan Wakefield OAM (0412 146 055; kirrigbm@bigpond.net.au) for application package.
Interviews will be held on Sunday, 11th April 2021.
2. PELD (President Elect Learning & Development) is planned for Saturday, March 20 at St Joseph’s Conference Centre, 33 Barina Downs Rd, Baulkham Hills (Norwest), commencing with check-in at 8.15am. If this is your role for next year, please get your registration in so we can ensure you have a seat! And remember to get your homework on the RI Learning Centre completed as well, to ensure that you do not miss out on anything!
3. DA (District Assembly) is planned as an online event again this year after the great success of the event in 2020. It will roll out over several weeks during April and May, for each group of your Club management team, commencing with the General Session on SundayApril 18th. Even though this is the training program for all incoming Boards of you Clubs, everyone is welcome to attend, however registration is essential. So, watch this space for details and be ready to join the fun!! More details will be published soon but here are the dates for your diaries. The District Assembly will occur over 4 non-consecutive Sundays, again, with some variations to the dates listed in the last eNewsletter. The dates are commencing Sunday April 18, thenSunday May 16, Sunday May 23, Sunday May 30.
PDG Kalma McLellan
4. Rotary Club of Terrigal Invites us to Hear PRIP Ravi Ravindran
President Mary Crammond (the Rotary Club of Terrigal) is exceedingly thrilled to announce that she has arranged for Ravi Ravindran (her hero from his articles in a Rotary Down Under) to speak on Zoom during Terrigal’s meeting on the 20th May. "We believe that we are really privileged to have Ravi talking to us. It would be sensational to have members from each club in our district to attend" Mary said.
The meeting is on Thursday, 20th May 2021. The Club meets at 6 for 6.30 dinner and Mary will be asking local Clubs Erina and Kincumber to join the meeting in person. The Zoom meeting will start at 7.00 when Ravi will join us and Mary has invited every Rotarian in our district to attend. More details will follow with information about the link, and any other final details about this evening.
Please RSVP to President Mary ASAP at marycrammond@gmail.com ASAP so that broadcasting or Zoom Meeting details can be prepared.
Distribution of RAWCS Gift Vouchers is being organised from late March for those devastated by the fires from 4 centres Dargan, Clarence, Rylstone and Running Stream! Thank you for the donations of propagations and of gardening books – if you have any more please let me know.
Red Centenary Bus
The bus is ready to go for all the events in the Sydney basin over Mar-Apr-May!
It makes a big statement for your event so contact us if you have an event to check availability on lskeegel@bigpond.com
Baton Walks
The batons are, ready as are communities throughout the Blue Mountains and Central Coast and The Hills. Join the fun in these locations and celebrate the trek of these centenary batons through our local suburbs! From Blackheath to Glenbrook; through all clubs in the Hills Shire, and along the Shipbuilders Heritage Walk at Kincumber.
Peace Poles
These are going in at schools and parks across the District, celebrating the push for peace across all nations and peoples under the Rotary banner.
Stamps and Coins
April sees the launch of Rotary Centenary stamps through Australia Post, as well as centenary coins - $5 for collectors and $1 for all Australians. Keep you eyes out for them!!
9675 Update
Formal events are planned for May 1 at the Royal Mint (the Charter Date of RC Sydney), and May 17 at UTS (the first meeting date of RC Sydney). There is also hope for the Rotary wheel on the Opera House sails, and the flag atop the Harbour Bridge.
Radio is a powerful way to spread your Club stories. If your Club has a project, local or overseas, which would interest the wider general public, discuss it with Rotary Matters presenter Ian Stuart who will be glad to help spread the word. Ian.stuart@optusnet.com.au 0416 138 860
The Rotary Club of Gosford City invites you to participate in an extraordinary event to raise precious funds to spread awareness and help prevent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth Suicide in Australia.
Connor Watson, a proud Gamilaroi man and 1st Grade NRL player with the Newcastle Knights is the ambassador for Cultural Choice Association Inc. and will join our dinner to speak about his experiences of cultural opportunities and the impact the ‘Boots for Brighter Futures’ initiative is having on indigenous kids who are at risk.
Harold Sharp is a past District Governor of Rotary in this local district. I am currently a member of the Rotary Club of Berowra and have previously been a member of the Rotary Club Pennant Hills.
When I first joined Rotary I attended a leadership day that Harold ran. It was the single most helpful and useful event I have been to in terms of training leaders for volunteer organisations. Harold has influenced hundreds of people who have come through Rotary and the other organisations he has worked with through throughout his life. He is a wonderful Australian. He currently Chairs Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC)
and came to see me about how ROMAC is helping bring children with medical needs from the Pacific to Australia for specialist operations.
Thanks Harold for the great work that you and Rotary continue to do.
Since July 2020 Pam Pritchard has been communicating with Lorinda Potter, Principal of Moree East Public School, where 86% of the students are Aboriginal. They discussed ways that Turramurra Rotary and District 9685 could support this disadvantaged school. Lorinda has achieved two excellent initiatives; a cafeteria where students have a hot sit down breakfast and lunch and an educational mural painted by a local Aboriginal artist. Pam was invited to the Official Opening, took up nineteen iPads on the flight and has thirty more to be freighted to Moree this week. Bob Selinger, District Aboriginal Support, inspired clubs to participate and John Hartley, Chatswood Roseville Club, arranged the donation of iPads from Abbotsleigh School.
Bob’s club, Chatswood Sunrise, has donated $500 to cover costs of covers, chargers etc. for the iPads.
The next stage of the project is to provide students with shade for their meals. They need market style umbrellas to extend the current shade area.
Assistant Governor, Johanna Johns is our District ShelterBox Representative. Recently, Johanna went on the Tassie Trek over Cradle Mountain. Here is her blog about the event.
Sanjaya Rajaram, a University of Sydney alumnus recognised with the World Food Prize was a world-renowned wheat breeder and scientist. One of the world’s leading food scientists, he died on February 17 from COVID-19 in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico. His work started when Rajaram arrived in Australia in 1965 to study for his PhD in plant breeding at the University of Sydney, on a scholarship provided by the Rotary Club of Narrabri.
In 2014 Rajaram was recognised with one of the highest honours in agriculture, the World Food Prize in recognition for benefiting the lives of hundreds of millions of people with the development of high yielding and disease-resistant wheat varieties grown on more than 58 million hectares throughout the world. His achievement increased global wheat production by more than 200 million tonnes during his lifetime.
Nobel peace prize laureate and ‘‘Father of the Green Revolution’’, Dr Norman Borlaug, called Dr Rajaram, ‘‘a scientist of great vision who made a significant contribution to the improvement of world wheat production, working for the benefit of hundreds of thousands of farmers in countries across the globe’’.
You can make a difference!!!. Its easy and quick. And will cost you nothing but a little time.
This is a local community project helping local people, we need help now.
Can your club make a donation? (any amount will help)
Can you distribute this plea/email to your members and ask them to distribute it to family and friends. If your club can donate please contact our treasurer (Terry) treasurer@copamensshed.org.au
Following our pre-Christmas wine offer which was a great success, I am delighted to advise that TYRRELL'S WINES have agreed to provide another selection of wines for ROMAC supporters and their friends.
My good friend, Bruce Tyrrell AM, Managing Director of Tyrrell’s Wines has selected some special wines from his cellar and is offering them to you at a great price with a generous percentage of sales supporting ROMAC's fundraising efforts.
This is another wonderful opportunity for you to enjoy some of Australia's premier wines and at the same time help ROMAC change the lives of sick children from our neighbouring islands in the Oceania region.
Many thanks for your ongoing support of ROMAC. Enjoy! PDG Harold Sharp OAM Chairman
PS: Please feel free to invite your family, friends and Rotary colleagues (and those who are not yet Rotarians) to participate in this offer.
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.
Monthly Theme for March
THE ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE COURSE 62
14th to 16th May, 2021
Face to Face
There is still time to register
for this Learning Opportunity. RLI60
recently concluded with great success and rave reviews. Don't miss out .
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