What an extremely busy time October has been. I have certainly clocked up lots of kilometres over the past few weeks. Last week Larry and I, along with over 600 other Rotarians attended the Zone 8 Conference in Canberra. The theme was ‘Better Together’ celebrating both Rotary and Rotaract working together to grow Rotary. There were some wonderful speakers, lots of catching up with friends after three years of not being able to get together and learning so much about where we can go from here. The DGNs and DGEs completed some valuable training and my DG class met each other face to face for the first time. We spent a day discussing all sorts of topics and sharing ideas.
I attended breakout sessions on Reconciliation, presented by Reconciliation Australia (https://www.reconciliation.org.au), Adelaide Rotaract and Darwin Sunrise Rotary and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), two areas that are topical and can be addressed at club level. It was great to hear from RIPE Gordon McInally, Foundation Representative from USA Larry Lundstrom and the Global Grants manager from Evanston, Steve Sundstrom. They gave us a valuable insight into the workings of our organisation and provided lots of encouragement to continue our good work.
A big congratulations goes to Maddie Govender, from Hills Rotaract who was named Rotaractor of the Year. We also received the award for the district raising the most funds in 2021-22 for The Rotary Foundation. We are awesome.
At the pre-conference district leaders received an update on Regionalisation buoyed by that over-whelming ‘yes’ vote from our clubs throughout the zone. The next step is to prepare a budget for the RI Board to be presented in January. We were given an overview of how we will be moving into the pilot study. It was very similar to the plan that has been around for all of us to see over the last three years. It is now down to the ‘how to’ over the next eight months when the pilot will begin. Look for updates as we move forward.
While the Regionalisation Pilot Study will not directly impact on clubs it is timely for us to take a good look at how we are travelling. Regionalisation is looking to make Rotary more relevant and diverse, have a louder voice in our region, work together rather than in isolation, have a greater impact through bigger projects and provide more opportunities for leadership positions. We are working towards creating an organisation of choice within our communities. How can we parallel this at club level?
Most of us are suffering from declining membership, but why? There are clubs in our district who are growing, who have diverse membership, who partner with other community groups and who use their hard-earned funds to lead impactful Rotary projects. They work closely with their neighbouring clubs to increase their impact and strengthen their ability to deliver. All of their members are engaged and have a voice in a safe and comfortable place. Their boards consult and communicate and provide members with opportunities to lead by changing positions regularly.
Our members join to make a difference and we need to provide that experience. However, while it’s important to meet the needs of our members we have to expect something in return. I recently attended a club where two people were being inducted. In the induction speech the president made it quite clear that they would be expected to volunteer regularly and use their vocational skills to contribute to the club. It’s time to re-energise those members who have become disengaged for whatever reason and get them working!
Last month I gave you four questions to ask your members at meetings to inject a bit of fun and increase Rotary knowledge at the same time. Here are four more:
1. What are our Five Avenues of Service?
2. What are our five values?
3. What does DEI stand for and what does it mean for our clubs?
4. Who is our District Child Protection Officer?
And try asking someone each week to summarise an interesting article out of the RDU magazine.
Thank you all for the work you are doing and enjoy the journey and enjoy Rotary!
New Disaster Response Grant Approved for District 9685 – For Ukrainian Refugees!
Did you know that The Rotary Foundation received over $US 15 million in donations to the Disaster Response Fund specifically to provide humanitarian assistance in Ukraine and for Ukrainian refugees?
Tina Latham and the Rotary Club of Kincumber have been working with the Ukrainian community in the Sydney area to assist hundreds of women and children who are sheltering here while the war rages in their homeland. We applied for a Disaster Response Grant to assist these refugees 10 days ago, and it has already been approved in the amount of $US 25,000. This will provide funds for food and clothing to assist about 100 families.
The Disaster Response Fund is just one of the many ways we as Rotarians can help others through The Rotary Foundation. Our donations to this fund are made available to any District in the world dealing with the immediate needs resulting from a disaster in their area on a first-come, first-served basis. Please consider donating to this fund if you want your donation to be used as soon as possible.
The Annual Fund (SHARE) program of The Rotary Foundation is a unique program that returns a portion of our donations to our District for use in District and Global grants. Currently, the program allows 45% of the money we donate to be managed by our District in the third year following the donation. Our donations made this year should be available in the 2025/2026 Rotary year. By pooling the donations from Rotarians and Clubs throughout our District, we enable an amazing array of projects to be carried out here in Australia and in many countries around the world. The remaining 55% of the money we donate is used to carry out the work of The Rotary Foundation as well as to fund programs such as the Rotary Peace Fellowships and Programs of Scale, as well as to supplement our District’s Global Grant projects.
The Foundation’s flagship program, of course, is Polio-Plus, aiming for the eradication of polio worldwide. Every dollar you donate to this Rotary Foundation program is tripled by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
If you have any questions about The Rotary Foundation, please contact your club’s Foundation Director, or give me a call!
Being asked to Imagine Rotary can seem like a big, heady exercise, but the most important element of it is something quite small, even personal.
Not too long ago, Rotary members were expected to perform our acts of service quietly. I understood and appreciated the thought behind that — humility is a wonderful trait, and we should continue to nurture it in other ways.
But keeping Rotary to ourselves has a cost. and by sharing our Rotary moments, we are being generous with others and giving them an opportunity to understand the impact of Rotary.
It brings to mind that wonderful aphorism: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
So how do we make people feel Rotary? The best way is to share our Rotary moments. We have all had them — when the ordinary collides with intention to create something extraordinary.
Some people have those Rotary moments the first time they go to a meeting. For others, it can take years, before seeing the joy in the eyes of someone we serve. Or perhaps in hearing from another member something that hit close to home.
As Nick and I share this journey, we are amazed at the work you are performing and the lives that are transforming. Throughout the year, I’m going to share with you the sights and the stories that made those tours meaningful for us.
I hope you can do the same in your corner of Rotary. It can be something you share in meetings or on social media. For the most savvy and ambitious, it could be an event you publicize with local media. Even sharing your stories with friends has impact.
We need ambassadors for Rotary’s message and our dreams for a better world. The best ambassadors are you. The more you share stories — and share them from the heart — the more you encourage others to partner with us, to join us, and to stay.
To give you just one small example, in the months ahead, I will be turning over this column to Rotary members who will share their personal stories as they relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our organization. It’s important that we hear these stories directly from the people who experienced them as a way of feeling the importance of DEI for the future of Rotary.
In everything we do, what people feel about Rotary will shape our future. I can only imagine what you will inspire through the stories you’ll tell.
Our District Conference is being held from 17th to 19th March 2023 in Cowra. See the information towards the end of the newsletter.
The Rotary International Convention will be held from 27th to 31st May 2023. See the information for the Convention towards the end of the newsletter.
The early bird deadlines are creeping up very close. If you haven't registered yet, you should try to beat those deadlines. Both of these conferences will be be well worth attending.
2.The Rotary Foundation Shield
District 9685 Clubs and Rotarian donors were recognised at the Canberra Zone 8 Conference for extraordinary generosity to The Rotary Foundation. This is only the second time D9685 has been so acknowledged.
In 2021-22, combined contributions of US$558,438 were donated to the; Annual Fund, Polio, Global Grants, Disaster Response and Directed Gifts. This represents about AU$834,000 and the largest contribution of all 22 districts in Australia and New Zealand.
Annual Fund drives our District and Global Grant funding.
Polio giving immunised 387,000 children and D9685 is the second biggest implementer of Global Grants in the world due to the humanitarian work and donations of clubs, your District Foundation committee and very generous members of our district.
Pictured: PDG Lindsay May OAM (centre)on behalf of 9685 receiving The Rotary Foundation Shield from PDG Peter Garnett, Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Zone 8, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and RI Director Jessie Harman.
3. Mental Health First Aid project
The Rotary Club of Central Blue Mountains has a Mental Health First Aid project running where fully accredited Mental Health First Aid Instructors, both Rotarians and community members, deliver Mental Health First Aid courses to community volunteers, community organisations and members of the public at cost or free.
1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental health problem in any given year. That means that every person is likely to know someone who is experiencing a mental health problem, whether that is a family member, a friend or colleague. In fact, mental illness is now said to affect every Australian either directly or indirectly. We need more mental health literacy and support skills in the community to help support more Australians experiencing mental health problems and troubled times. This is where Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training can help, and we can build resilience in our community. MHFA courses are held over two days, which can be concurrent or separated by a week, and on week or weekend days. We conduct the Standard course, for people dealing with adults, and the Youth course, for people dealing with 12-18 year olds.
The next course is a Standard course, a free one courtesy of Wentworth Healthcare, at the Richmond Club on 17 and 24 November. Please email ian@scottadr.com to register (see flyer).
If you would like a course scheduled for your club/community, please email Ian Scott.
4. Ride The Train for Polio
The Train to End Polio was a great success on Monday, 24th October. Mark and David Anderson had a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g day that day, but managed to get to all Railway stations in the Metropolitan area collecting the donations to End Polio Now.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to a fun morning at Emu Plains Station on the day. Mark Anderson reported an early start and plenty of generous contributions. It was so good to see Springwood and Nepean Clubs join Lower Blue Mountains for this special event.There would be many similar stories to that of Emu Plains station, but you can see the photos of the group welcoming the train at that station by clicking on the image to the right.
5. The Rotary International President Elect (RIPE) Luncheon, Monday 31st October
Last week has been an amazingly full week for Rotarians. One of the activities was the Luncheon at NSW Parliament House on Monday.
RIPE Gordon McInally and wife Heather were in Sydney for one day only, following the Zone 8 Conference in Canberra, before flying to Lima, Peru for the South American Zone Conference.
Gordon generously altered his journey, via Sydney to meet Rotarians who rarely have the chance to catch up with an RI President or President Elect. The Luncheon was held on Monday October 31, 2022 in the Strangers Dining Room at NSW Parliament House This was a one off opportunity to meet RIPE Gordon in Sydney and hear about his thoughts for Rotary in the years ahead.
The Luncheon event was an outstanding success. RIPE Gordon gave an inspirational presentation, and all who attended the event were extremely glad that they had done so.
We look forward to his year as the Rotary International President in 2023-2024
A Coup for Ian Stuart (Rotary Matters - RC of Turramurra)
Following the Luncheon at the NSW Parliament house in Sydney, Ian was able to record an interview with Gordon McInally. Attached is a five minute interview which Ian did on Monday afternoon with Gordon McInally following his address at NSW Parliament House. In the interview he explains why he joined Rotary, why he applied to become international president, the preparation for the role, his main areas of Rotary focus, the need to support the Rotary Foundation and how he will judge the outcome of his term as Rotary International President.Click HERE to hear the interview between The Rotary International President Elect Gordon McInally and our Rotary Matters Presenter Ian Stuart.
Rotary Award for Excellence in Service to Humanity by a Non-Rotarian presented by Rotary International President Elect Gordon McInally to Janelle Dodd
At the 2014 RI Sydney Convention, Janelle Dodd was first introduced to Days for Girls. This program sees volunteers create reusable menstrual products to be distributed to women and girls in developing countries.
Janelle, wife of PDG John Dodd (Ryde) leads groups of volunteers who come together in working bees that have so far produced 10,000 kits delivered worldwide. This equals 3 million days women and girls have attended school or work and contributes to local economies.
Conjointly an education program for men and women improves maternal and infant health, providing a sustainable solution to assist females to manage menstruation and better for the environment. When an enterprise is established in country, it supports local economies whilst allowing women and girls to manage their menstrual cycle with dignity.
This award is limited to 150 annually and in 2021-22 less than 50 were awarded globally.
Janelle Dodd was presented with her crystal and badge by RIPE Gordon McInally at a lunch at NSW Parliament House on Monday 31 October in front of 118 Rotarians and guests from districts 9675, 9685, WA and NZ.
From the Rotary Club of South Queensferry Edinburgh, McInally and his wife Heather were in Sydney for one day following the Canberra Zone 8 Conference as part of a three month world tour including; Brazil, USA, Pakistan and Australia and now in Peru. He is a wonderful raconteur and Gordon and Heather managed to meet with almost all attending the lunch and will be a very popular Rotary world leader. Gordon McInally will be RI President 1 July 2023.
The whole event was superbly organised and choreographed by PDG Lindsay May OAM, in conjunction with a small District 9685 team including DG Mina Howard, and a small team from District 9685, inluding DG 9675 Dr Janice Hall. The MC was our very own Geoff Brennan (RC of Ryde)
6. ROMAC IS SEEKING HELPERS
Rotary Australian Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) will be sponsoring two children in the near future for medical treatment. Part of the role of ROMAC is to support the child and parent/guardian while they are here in Australia in addition to their medical treatment. One is being operated on at Westmead Hospital, and the other is being operated on at Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick. Roles of the helpers can include - meeting the child and family member at the airport; escorting them to their accommodation; taking them to appointments for medical assessments; taking the parent/guardian shopping for essentials (food, clothes, etc); ensuring they are taken to the airport on their departure. This is such a rewarding role and if you would ber able to help, please contact PDG Harold Sharp at harold.gina@bigpond.com.
7. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - National Flood Relief Appeal Distribution
(To view the full document for the Media Release, please click HERE.)
Australian Rotary charity, RAWCS, today announced the creation of a national Flood Relief Appeal for people impacted by the current floods in the Eastern States. Australians impacted by the recent floods will be the beneficiaries of money raised by the Flood Appeal and will be able to liaise with their local Rotary Club to let us know what they need. The fundraising campaign was launched today to support communities in need after yet another disaster impacting Australians.
“The money raised from the Appeal will go directly and quickly to support those impacted, providing essential items and financial support which Disaster relief and Insurance claims won’t cover,” said Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd CEO Andrew Woodward.
“The number of disasters Australians have endured in the last few years in addition to the pandemic
have been significant and left a lot of people in very difficult financial positions,” Mr Woodward said.National and international partnerships have greatly assisted RAWCS in building stronger and better resourced projects. By partnering with the Australian Government’s National Recovery and Resilience Agency, RAWCS has brought drought support to 13,000 families and engaged 138 communities, through the Drought Community Outreach Project, strongly supported by local Rotary Clubs.
Mr Woodward said that he expects the flood relief appeal money to help people with the things that insurance or disaster relief funds cannot replace. Whether it be helping farmers build new fences or providing food and clothing to those that have lost everything, the money raised will be crucial in helping families get back on their feet as soon as possible.
Tax Deductible Donations to the appeal can be made on the Rotary Australia World Community Service website at https://rawcs.org.au
Andrew Woodward is available for interviews and photographs.
New items appearing in recent newsletters are the Photo Boards. Usually these have been in the Club Buzz section. This week we have two special ones for recernt events. This is the first and features only photos from the Zone 8 Conference held in Canberra from 28th to 30th October. To view, click HERE.
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
Rethinking Waste...the Pursuit of Positive Change
Exploring Hidden Sydney And The Train Ride To End Polio.
Reduced (early bird) registration fees are in place until 15 December 2022. There is still plenty of accommodation available and some great rates so lock them in now.
There is much to do in Melbourne in addition to the convention.
Our district currently has 86 members and partners registered and increasing. You can bet these people will be the “movers and shakers” in Rotary of the future.
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. As the charitable arm of Rotary International, we tap into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into our priorities, such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Foundation grants empower Rotarians to approach challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact.
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 MONTHLY THEME FOR NOVEMBER IS ROTARY FOUNDATION MONTH
THE ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE COURSE 73
24th to 26th FEBRUARY 2023
by Zoom
The next opportunity is RLI 73 which will be held on-line.
Raising funds for Australian Rotary Health - The club hiking stick challenge.
DG Mina’s partner Larry is throwing out a challenge to all clubs. He wants you to design a hiking stick and bring it along to the Cowra Conference,
17-19 May2023.
The sticks can be decorated using any design or method limited only by your imagination.
The attendees will be asked to vote for their favourite stick by putting in a minimum of a dollar donation per vote.
The stick that raises the most money will win a PHF for their club to award to an outstanding member of their community.
All entries must be available for sale to attendees.
The club whose stick sells for the most money will also be eligible for a prize.
All proceeds will be donated to Australian Rotary Health.
Restrictions:
One entry per club.
So get cracking and see what you can come up with!
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5. The Rotary International President Elect (RIPE) Luncheon, Monday 31st October 
Rotary Award for Excellence in Service to Humanity by a Non-Rotarian presented by Rotary International President Elect Gordon McInally to Janelle Dodd
"The Club Buzz" is where you will find some exciting and relevant programs or events happening in our Clubs and in District 9685. 
