Welcome to the new Rotary Year. It’s hard to believe I’m already almost a month into the role and I’m loving it. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the amazing year we have just had lead by now Immediate Past District/Vice Governor (my brother from another mother/twin) Michael Lapiña as he energetically spread the Magic of Rotary.As some of you may be aware I have spent the bulk of July attending Changeovers and have only recently started the club visits (thanks Altona & Melton Valley) and looking forward to getting to see everyone in our district and all it has to offer. If you have an event or project you would like me to take part in please get in contact with District Secretary Marjorie.gerlinger@rotary9800.org and depending on my commitments she can advise you whether or not I can attend.
In the coming year we will build on the work from last year where we reimagined belonging and worked to ensure that all members felt a sense of belonging and now we need to work on creating belonging to ensure if there was a deficit it can be adjusted to ensure our members feel as they belong and more importantly are seen by those in the community as having a sense of belonging.
With our Presidential Message of “Unite for Good” we will also focus on the power of collaboration not only within our clubs but also between clubs and with other groups. To assist with this every club will be contacted by Maryanne Decleva who will seek to confirm what projects your club is involved both here and overseas and also what fundraising you do. With this information we are seeking to create pages on our website to highlight major fundraising events by category such as “Art Shows” or “Golf Days” and also help clubs connect with other clubs already in countries overseas to increase the impact.
So as I continue to settle in to the year I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible so when I’m at your club feel free to say "hello!"
Unite for Good
Peter Shepheard