Table of Contents
District Changeover Highlights
Welcome to the first 'all digital' District Governor's Newsletter in 9600. You'll notice that there are a number of links in images to articles, other sites, and other information, plus videos, posts, and audio all relating to Rotary, our District, Clubs, and Members. This format is to work with the new District website, which also hosts an array of information, links, and other news and views generated locally and globally.
As we prepare for merging our Districts next year, these communication methods give us practice to unite the vast territory we cover, recognise the many nationalities and languages represented, and celebrate Rotary in all its forms.
Thank you to all who participated in our virtual Changeover, for the production contribution and technical expertise, and for the wonderful support and wishes you've shared with me. While it's been said often recently, community leadership is challenging at the best of times, and none more so than during a pandemic, but I really feel your enthusiasm and engagement with service, and that we are really connected to strive toward our goals at this time.
I'm looking forward to embarking on club visits that incorporate the best of your projects, your enrichment of your community, and that represent your club identity. I know that I will enjoy a great adventure with each of you, and look forward to sharing it with others.
So as I go, I will be capturing images and videos and these will be uploaded for your viewing pleasure throughout 9600 - call it DGTV, if you will - offering a showcase of recordings and Rotarians as People of Action. In the meantime, please enjoy the videos of the exchange of Chain of Office and badges conducted remotely, in case you missed these at Changeover.
Until then, I look forward to meeting each of you, and in the meantime: stay safe, stay connected.
DG Neil (2020/21)
Launch of the Centenary of Rotary in Australia: 10 July
To book for the virtual event go to: https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=632367&
Club Changeovers: various dates
District Leadership Team Meetings:
3 August: Board & DCM, Zoom;
7 September: Board, North Lakes;
12 October: Board & DCM, North Lakes;
2 November: Board & DCM, North Lakes
District Presidents' virtual Meeting: last Friday of the month, 6.30pm - links will be sent ahead
The following article appeared in the Bribie Islander, 3rd July and has been extracted whole. All rights belong to The Bribie Islander and author Anne Matthews.
The Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors have both unanimously approved adding a new area of focus: supporting the environment.
More than $18 million in Foundation global grant funding has been allocated to environment-related projects over the past five years. Creating a distinct area of focus to support the environment will give Rotary members even more ways to bring about positive change in the world and increase our impact.
RI President Mark Maloney says that during his travels around the world as a Rotary senior leader he encountered many Rotary members and Rotaractors who advocated for the environment to be an area of focus.
“I believe strongly that our Rotary Foundation programs now have a valuable added dimension to our efforts,” says, Maloney.
Foundation Trustee Chair Gary C.K. Huang says that with the global population reaching near eight billion, protecting the environment is increasingly important.
“It is time for us to use our collective resources to invest in a smart and efficient way to protecting our environment,” says Huang. “We are qualified to take this initiative because we are a global group of problem solvers with diversified talents.”
In 1990-91, RI President Paulo V.C. Costa made the environment one of his primary causes, creating the Preserve Planet Earth subcommittee, which looked at ways clubs and members could conduct environmental initiatives.
“We have finally caught up to Costa [his vision],” says Past RI President Ian H.S. Riseley, chair of the Environmental Issues task force, which championed the new area of focus.
“As a lifelong environmentalist, I’m delighted that our great organization has recognized that the environment is a worthy and appropriate destination for our project activity,” says Riseley. “This is an exciting moment in Rotary history.”
Supporting the environment becomes Rotary's seventh area of focus, which are categories of service activities supported by global grants. It joins peacebuilding and conflict prevention; disease prevention and treatment; water, sanitation, and hygiene; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; and community economic development.
Grant applications for projects will be accepted beginning on 1 July 2021. Gifts and commitments from Rotarians and others will be sought to provide global grant support for the new area of focus.
More information about this new cause will be announced soon. (Original article linked here: environment becomes a new area of focus )
The ongoing evolution of Rotaract is redefining its place within Rotary. “It’s a new era,” says one enthusiastic Rotaractor
by Vanessa Glavinskas
Editor's Note: This story originally appeared in the May issue of The Rotarian magazine. Since publishing, Interota has been postponed to 2021. Learn more about next year's Interota.
At midnight on 30 June, hundreds of Rotaractors will ring in the new Rotary year together. They’ll also be celebrating Rotaract’s ongoing evolution, including the expansion of Rotary membership to include Rotaract clubs.
“It’s really exciting,” says Ignacio González, a member of the Rotaract Club of Oriente de Talca in Chile. Until recently, Rotaractors have been considered Rotary program participants. “Now,” says González, who serves on the Elevate Rotaract Task Force, “we are a part of Rotary. It’s a new era for Rotaract.”
Rotary programs include: Interact, Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, New Generations Service Exchange, Rotary Peace Fellowships, and Rotary Community Corps
Rotaract’s elevated status within the organization was approved by Rotary’s Council on Legislation in 2019 as part of an ongoing effort to make Rotary more appealing and welcoming to young professionals. “We keep telling Rotarians to find a way to bring in young people, when we have them already and we seem to forget them,” says 2018-19 Rotary President Barry Rassin. It was Rassin who formally proposed expanding the definition of Rotary membership to include both Rotary and Rotaract.
After the Council approved revising the RI Constitution and Bylaws to include Rotaract as a membership type, the Elevate Rotaract Task Force — made up of both Rotaractors and Rotarians — was formed and began surveying members to come up with policy recommendations for the transition. “We’re hearing from Rotaractors all over the world,” says David D. Stovall, RI treasurer and chair of the task force.
On the advice of the task force, the RI Board of Directors in October approved several changes to Rotaract — the most notable being the removal of Rotaract’s upper age limit. As of 1 July, members of Rotaract will no longer be required to leave their club when they turn 31. Clubs will still be able to set their own age limit, if they wish.
Rotaract clubs will be able to take advantage of products and services such as new leadership development resources from Toastmasters International, updated online goal-setting tools, and an improved online club administration experience.
Elyse Lin, a member of the Rotaract Club of Taipei Tin Harbour in Taiwan who is also on the task force, says the age limit was an obstacle for Rotaract members who wanted to stay involved with Rotary but either didn’t feel ready for a traditional Rotary club or found the expense of joining one out of reach. “Once those members leave, it’s very hard to get them back into the Rotary family,” Lin notes. Although some Rotaract alumni continue to participate in Rotaract events, she says, they often no longer feel like a true part of the organization. With the rules change, she predicts some recent alumni will rejoin Rotaract.
For the full article, click here.
Members 0f D9600 may recall the drought relief launched by the Rotary club of Mooloolaba in May 2015 in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Longreach. The district had been gutted by the then 3 year drought and the Longreach club was running a financial relief programme for the region in conjunction with other community groups. D9600 clubs responded most generously to the appeal over the next 2 years and of course readers will be aware that drought relief has been taken up nationally by Rotary and government but members may be interested in the attached round-up report from the past Secretary of the Longreach club as follows:
“Yes, part of our patch has had beneficial rain but the grim reality is that all of the Shires we support are still Drought Declared and the earliest we can hope for that situation to begin to change is at the end of this year/start of next year when the “Wet” is due. If it turns up and what it delivers will determine how we are placed heading in 2021.
Longreach Rotary has been involved in distributing both the RAWCS and Federal Government money across seven Shires. We work closely with the Western Queensland Drought Appeal and used their distribution system to send out prepaid debit cards. The money was welcome and paid bills for lots of people. The latest round of funding (maximum $3k per eligible recipient) is being distributed by St Vinnies and The Salvation Army (TSA) and relies on people applying for the funds. It ends on 30 June. Fortunately we have TSA Rural Chaplains based in Longreach and they have done a lot of work in helping people understand the application process and complete an application.
As a Club we are not in a financial position to support people at this level with the funds that are donated direct to us. Rather, we focus on helping individuals and communities with the “glue” i.e. the things that hold everything together. One example is every year we spend between $25k and $40k supporting sixteen communities on our patch put on their Christmas gathering. Support ranges from payments for food, to Club members travelling to communities to cook a meal. Volunteer burnout is particularly evident in our communities so by using donated funds we are able to take a bit of the pressure off. We have a Facebook page (Rotary Club of Longreach Club Facebook Page) and post news and photos of some of our work.
A recent positive for us is the arrival of a sprinkling of travellers. Money coming in from outside our region has played a big part in cushioning businesses and communities against the drought. Hopefully the tourist season will be long and strong enough to provide that support this year. We cut up and sell old gidgee fence posts for firewood as one of our major sources of Club income in these times. The majority is sold to visitors so our Club is hoping to pass last year’s total of just over 4 tonnes.
The club is acutely aware of the generous support we have received so far and are very mindful that we are not the only ones needing support. Having said that I have included bank details for our NEW Drought Account at the NAB should any Club wish to send us money to continue our work. We have been in the drought support business long enough now to know that what we do does make a difference.
Rotary Club of Longreach Drought Account: BSB 084-776; Account 36-288-0498
My phone is 0448180362 should anyone need more details about what we do and how we do it. Also we now meet at the Birdcage Hotel Wednesday 6:30pm for 7:00 and would welcome any visitors.
Again many thanks, Damian Arthur”
Most of you know that new District Governor Neil Black is from Kingaroy. And many of you know that the District Conference will be held there in March, 2021.
It will be a great, with the usual get-togethers, banquet, fantastic guest speakers, just like all conferences. And it will be friendly, with all the country hospitality the South Burnett offers.
Kingaroy is the hub, but the South Burnett Shire is located within 90 minutes of the Sunshine Coast and about two hours from Brisbane (depends on who is driving!)
It covers 8,382 square kilometres, has 32,186 residents, and is a peanut growing and wine producing region, with the beauty of the Bunya Mountains as a backdrop.
There is lots to see, and many places to go and altogether it is a nice place to have a holiday break! Over the coming months these vignettes will tell about wineries, fishing, golfing, the Rail Trail, pubs, hidden treasures. So much that you will want to incorporate the conference into a whole week of sightseeing!
Did you catch the Rotary International Virtual Convention? Kicking yourself that you didn't sign up in time? Did you miss a session, but would like to catch it up?
For any of the breakout sessions, featured presentations, and post-Convention sessions, these are available on Rotary.org, or simply click on the Rotary Connects the World image (following), and it will take you there.
Hot tip: there are still July Sessions to come.
Happy viewing, and see you in Taipei!
If you've missed the fanfare, but not the enthusiasm and want to know more about conference, enjoy the video below.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=209259146807063
And if you want to contribute in the lead up to the event, there are raffle tickets available at your club with sensational prizes, including a New Car! Just $2 a ticket, you'd be hard pressed to find better value for your investment in Rotary, and the community.
Because of the deferment and digital distribution of the Presidents-Elect Training, and with pandemic protections limiting gatherings, it was decided to postpone the annual District Training Assembly. This has allowed an enhanced, hopefully more informed, programme for all Rotarians to enjoy and become involved. As a result, we are pleased to host external speakers, as well as our own, recognised subject authorities.
We are delighted to welcome Professor Catherine Haslam, who's collaborative work was co-funded by Australian Rotary Health and focused on the benefits and critical nature of the psychological importance of groups, belonging, and serving the community. Professor Haslam will provide more information on G4H, or Groups For Health that reinforces the mental health enhancements available to those in service organisations, like Rotary.
Hilary Saxton, an accomplished speaker and motivator, will guide the audience to discover their unlocked potential as leaders by honing our senses to identify and draw in prospective service collaborators, thereby arming ourselves with more like-minded people who are driven to serve and support our interests, you know... members.
The event on Saturday 25th July, at Surfair Beach Hotel, Marcoola requires advanced bookings, and already over 50% of available tickets have been secured. Depending on the future venue changes with the relaxation of some restrictions, more tickets may be released, but at this stage we are limited, and will only be able to extend through Zoom, or YouTube video. To confirm your place, go to: bookings or email: lisa@geeksrgood.com.au, or phone: 0410 288 527. We can't wait to see you there.
In 2021, we have the opportunity to share in the celebration of a Centenary of Rotary in Australia and New Zealand and there is a diverse programme of activity in preparation. Among the features to mark the occasion are a number of service projects either culminating or initiating that define the service commitment in our region.
To communicate the national objective and progress, there is a working website providing information and ideas: rotary100downunder.com, an outline of the events planned, and how your club can be involved.
On Friday 10th July, the Governor General, His Excellency David Hurley and his wife, Mrs Linda Hurley will officially launch Rotary's Centenary year in Australia and you can be part of the event via Zoom. See above item 1 in District Calendar.
The Rotary 100 District Committee is comprised of Laura Iseppi, Kim Elston, Judy Xavier, and DG Neil, and will be the coordinators and points of contact with neighbouring Districts 9630 and 9640.
DG Neil says, "...this is an exciting time for Rotary in this region to focus our big ideas, and achieve those outcomes that might have been a little bit out of reach. In celebrating this historic occasion, we can find better ways to work together, and serve those communities in need."
If you and your club want to be part of the Baton Relay, or host a Centenary Celebration event, contact our District Committee, and for more information go to: https://www.r100baton.com. Each of us can get involved, and pass it forward.
District Contacts
Webmaster: Mark Williams: d96x0webmaster@gmail.com District Governor: dg2020-2021@hotmail.com District Directory: rotarydistrict9600@gmail.comDistrict Information
District Leadership Team Meetings: North Lakes Office Bookings: Ian HopeRegional office: Rotary International South Pacific and Philippines Office: RISPPO@rotary.org