No time to enjoy the sunshine! A busy time in Rotary, with a number of Australia Day events, club visits, Diversity Equity and Inclusion workshop on Sexuality and Gender, our District Conference in Albury site visit, and the RAWCS Morning Tea. Not to mention the exciting news that Michael Lapina is our District Governor Nominee Designate (District Governor for 2024-25). Congratulations Michael.
Hello Everyone,
I have greatly enjoyed the opportunities recently to connect with Rotarians and experience some of the wonderful events which have been organised already this year.
A very warm (and later in the day hot) Australia Day dawned with a sunrise ceremony overlooking Port Philip Bay at Sandi Point organised by Rotary Yarraville’s Acknowledgment Day Event, starting with Welcome to Country by Emma Mildenhall (Picture below) representing the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and she welcomed everyone to Country in her tribe’s native language, her tribe being Wurundjeri and language being Woi-wurrung. More details in the next edition of the Networker. Later in the morning, the club hosted a community event supported by the National Australia Day Council focused on the day being one of reflection, respect, and celebration of all of the community.
I moved from there to the Great Australia Day Swim https://greataustraliadayswim.com.au/ organised by Rotary Brighton. What an event!! Thousand plus swimmers, 140 volunteers, strong community involvement and raising $40,000 plus for Rotary causes.
From there I went on to Rotary Camberwell’s celebration at Victoria Park in Kew which focused on Australia Day being a great opportunity for us to reflect and show our gratitude for the support of our local First Responders and community groups, and their families, during this pandemic.
I would like to acknowledge all the clubs that participated in Australia. You went above and beyond in organising your events over the December/January period which is usually our time to take a break from volunteering for Rotary, but instead you arranged some wonderful events. Thank you to all who helped to make their events happen. This issue of Networker has a special tribute to each of you.
As a special mention, I would like to acknowledge the following Rotarians who received Australia Day Honours: Kerry Anderson OAM (Rotary Castlemaine) and Alan Finkel AC (Rotary Melbourne), and Sharann Johnson AM (Rotary Melbourne) Please click on the links to read about their well deserved honours.
My visits to clubs continued with attendance last Tuesday at Rotary Melton, an active community-focused club.
I also attended the online Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) workshop on Gender and Sexuality. A very informative and engaging workshop was held on Saturday 5th February. Facilitated by John Wall from the DEI Committee, an informative presentation on “Words, Words, Words” from Sav Emmett Wolfe led to some great discussions. Sav is a bisexual transgender male and was able to present from his own experiences. Sav walked us through the different identities behind LGBTIQA+ and also pronouns. Key points from Sav’s presentation:
- Yes we get it wrong – but learn how to fail politely. Say sorry and move on.
- All you need to do is respect new identities, you don't need to understand them.
- Trying is key - most people will appreciate the effort and are not expecting perfection.
We then had a panel discussion led by Raelene (a work colleague of Sav’s) with Sav’s mum Celia and his other “mum” Bridy who talked about growing up with Sav and how they learned from his experience. It was an insight into how a family grows and adapts to changing gender identities. The personal stories and lived experiences were very informative. The workshop was recorded and will be linked to our District Learning Centre next week.
The District Conference Organising Committee is working very hard to lock in details for our Conference in Albury. We have two speakers confirmed Ron Finkel speaking about a wonderful Australian-inspired international initiative the Rozana project https://projectrozana.org/ ( established by Ron in 2013) touching the lives of thousands of people in Israel and Palestine. Secondly, Noor Shah Kamawal an Honorary Member of Rotary Carlton and long-time friend of the Club, has now successfully migrated to Australia with his wife and 7 children after the Taliban assumed control in his birth country. Noor Shah has an amazing story to tell. More information to follow.
Registrations are increasing and I urge everyone to register now and receive the Early Bird discount that closes at 11:59pm on Wednesday 23rd February. A video to inspire you to book https://youtu.be/_OreUIf3ySY.Bookings can be made at: https://www.trybooking.com/BWKQC Refer to the District website for more details https://rotarydistrict9800.org.au/sitepage/district-conference-albury-2022
Finally, on Saturday (19th February) we held our 'Morning Tea with the DG', as a different format to last year’s events, showcasing RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service). RAWCS is quintessentially Australian, and it helps deliver humanitarian projects worldwide, focused on Rotary Foundation’s seven areas of focus. One key message from the Morning Tea event, once a club registers a project with RAWCS, the club can focus on the project with administration done by RAWCS. The RAWCS platform offers a Rotary Club tax-deductibility of contributions, full low-cost administration, effective auditing, a platform for crowdfunding, coordination of overseas volunteers when needed on a project as well as efficient and timely reporting.
We showcased six RAWCS projects from Rotary Clubs in Districts 9780, 9790, 9800,9810, 9820 in Victoria, and 9830 from Tasmania, highlighting the breadth of activities undertaken and how Rotary Clubs can showcase their own projects using the RAWCS platform. A recording of this wonderful opportunity can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/QDg4S6PYCs0
Have a great week everyone as we acknowledge and celebrate Rotary's 117th Birthday this coming Wednesday, the 23rd February.
Regards,
Dale
Dale Hoy
District Governor 2021-22
