As we come to the time of year when festivities abound, there have been several highly successful events over the past week in our District including the International Men’s Day Virtual ‘Happy As Larry’ Lunch jointly hosted by Rotary Brighton North and Rotary Melbourne. Well-known comedian and actor Shane Jacobson entertained the audience, along with Rotary District 9810’s “Toilet Warrior”, Rotarian Mark Balla. My congratulations go to both clubs and in particular, Presidents Peter Killey and Marion MacLeod on not only delivering a fantastic event, but also the very important messages on men’s health.
Also held this past week was Rotary Central Melbourne’s 28th Annual Paul Harris Breakfast, which was combined with District 9800’s Business Leaders Breakfast at which Ian Wishart, CEO, Fred Hollows Foundation, spoke on eliminating Trachoma. This event was very well attended and highlighted the powerful results that Rotarians are able to achieve when working together to eliminate disease. We are so capable of making a difference!
District 9800’s Annual General Meeting was held last Monday with Past District Governor Grant Hocking providing a wonderful report on his year’s activities despite COVID-19. The meeting went extremely well with a strong attendance and I congratulate PDG Grant on his amazing year.
Last week Sunday we had another fantastic and uplifting Rotary in Harmony event focused on Celtic music. Incredibly talented musicians, including our own Sue Foley with her band Bhan Tre, along with Damien Leith and Maria Forde, provided wonderful entertainment. Our final Rotary in Harmony event for the year will be held on Sunday 13th December and will feature Christmas carols.
On Saturday, 5th December we have our final Morning Tea with the DG for 2020. We have some great surprises lined up, so do book.
RI President Holger Knaack has this week advised of an important update regarding Rotary Youth Exchange. At the November Board meeting the difficult, but necessary decision was taken to suspend both short-term and long-term Rotary Youth Exchange through 30 June 2021. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board continues to significantly limit or suspend all Rotary activities that require travel or in-person meetings. Whilst disappointing, many districts around the world are creating virtual exchanges. If you would like to know more about creating your own, or participating in, virtual exchanges, you can join a webinar on 22 January 2021.
Have a great week everyone—Rotary is a powerhouse for making a difference!
The Rotary Club of Essendon and Caroline Chisholm Society have had a long-term and successful partnership since 2007. Over those years Rotary Essendon has assisted the Society to provide support to mothers and families in need with food and warm clothing, access to safe and stable accommodation and other support services. This support has helped those families to live in a safe and nurturing environment. Rotary Essendon has sourced and provided many valuable items over this time, such as a car, computers, clothing and other necessities.
Established in 1969, the Caroline Chisholm Society is a non-denominational charitable organisation that provides a range of programs for families in need, including counselling, housing, material aid and in-home family support. Caroline Chisholm, the Society’s namesake, was a 19th-century English humanitarian, well known for her support of immigrant female and family welfare in Australia.
Rotary Essendon made a successful application for a Rotary Foundation District Local Grant to support the Society. With COVID-19 pandemic causing an increased demand for the services provided by the Society, the grant has provided funding for warm winter clothing for newborns and children aged 2-6 years. The Club was able to source good quality clothing, taking advantage of store specials from Target, Woolworths and Best and Less, which enabled the purchase of additional items with the available funds. The grant also meant basic food items could be purchased from Boundys IGA, Essendon. The Society has been able to distribute the food and clothing to clients experiencing hardship and requiring support, and in some cases, clothing items have now been recycled and passed on to other siblings, babies, or young children.
This is another example of ‘Rotary Opening Opportunities’ through The Rotary Foundation, District 9800 and Rotary Essendon assisting Caroline Chisholm Society provide much needed support to the community. The gratitude expressed by the Society has been overwhelming.
As a Rotarian, the chances are you will either put your hand up to run a project or be part of a project management team. Whether it’s a major project or organising a BBQ, success means you need skills and abilities that include being a tactical problem solver and getting on well with people. Putting together projects can be fun and, when successful, extremely satisfying.
The following tips may help when planning larger, more complex projects:
Importance. Make sure there is a demonstrable need for the project and, before you do all the work involved in detailed planning, confirm that your Club Board is likely to find it attractive to support.
Know your audience. Who are the beneficiaries and what you are trying to achieve with your project? Understand their needs and wants and how best to engage with them.
Don’t go it alone. If you are putting together a big project, it’s important that you have help. Know your strengths and weaknesses in organising projects and try to get help from Rotarians who can offer additional skills.
Listen. Listen to your team, recognise individual strengths and organise your team members in a way most likely to achieve success. The more good people you can get on your side from the beginning of the project, the more likely it will be successful. You should also find out if your Club or other Rotary Clubs in your cluster or the District have conducted similar projects and ask them what they learned. Listening helps you to avoid mistakes and to build cooperative relationships.
Be a problem solver. Sometimes it’s tempting to rush into an exciting project before analysing all the relevant critical factors. See how much problem-solving you can do up front to contribute to the project and your team. Assess the risks that might occur and the likelihood of them occurring, and then develop strategies in case they do occur. Constantly monitor progress and amend plans when necessary. Planning is not a blueprint, but should be flexible, especially when complex environments are involved.
Be an effective team player. Being a team player means asking for help when you need it, and respecting the views of others. Don’t wait too long to let others know that you suspect a problem is brewing. Identify the problem and its potential implications and seek immediate input from your team. Treat people the way you’d like to be treated—with respect and a sense of humanity.
Win club support. When you have your plan in place with tasks, timing, responsibilities and costs, especially for successful implementation, prepare a Feasibility Assessment or Business Case for your Board for adoption and funding. Then, if appropriate, submit the paperwork needed to apply for Rotary Foundation funding
Rotary has thousands of successful projects running throughout the world right now. Do your Project Planning well and join them! Good luck.
Noel Lucas was 15 years of age when he joined the Rochester Swimming Pool Building Committee, signalling the start of his long commitment to community service.
Working as a skilled metalworker in the century-old family farm machinery business, Blacksmith & Coachbuilders was only part of Noel’s day. He was also president of the local Young Farmers Club until he reached the compulsory retirement age of 25, after which he was invited to become a foundation member of the Rochester Lions Club.
However, it was Lion’s great loss and Rotary’s great gain that in 1969, the Rotary Club of Rochester inducted Noel to join his charter member father-in-law.
Since then, Noel has been Club President; chaired most Service Committees; worked hands-on in numerous Club projects; and, is a multiple PHF recipient. In 1974, he was recruited as Secretary for the District 278 Conference held in Dallas Brooks Hall in 1977. (Historical note: D278 became D980(0) in 1987.)
Noel’s most memorable Rotary project was in 2005 when he was leader of a Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) team rebuilding a school at Balibarin East Timor. This led to membership of other friendship groups, along with regular visits every second year for two months to Ainaro to assist his wife Robyn, a teacher, with English classes, as well as enjoy Timorese village life.
Other achievements that Noel modestly mentions include 21 years as a member of the Rochester and Elmore District Health Service Board; 11 years in the CMF (Citizen Military Forces); and, being awarded Rochester Citizen of the Year in 1992.
Since retiring as a plant operator in the water and wastewater industry, Noel has indulged in his hobby of movie making, spending time on Outback properties supporting Volunteers for Isolated Students Education.
Whilst Rotary has undergone many changes, Noel believes the most significant positive change has been the inclusion of women and that overall, “the basic foundations of Rotary and its ideals remain strong.”
Noel is grateful for having good health for making life a memorable journey, and to his family for their unfailing support.
Vas has been living in Werribee since 2009 and feels very connected to his community. He has volunteered with various organisations such as the Smith Family, delivering gifts to children at Christmas, and through Red Cross, visiting and connecting with residents at aged care facilities.
With 13-year old twins, one of whom has Down syndrome, Vas has been particularly impressed with the services provided to his family by Gateways, a not-for-profit organisation that provides a range of support services for both children and adults with disabilities.
These experiences led to Vas wanting to become more involved with a volunteer organisation in his community. Lockdown gave him the opportunity to research organisations that he would consider joining. Rotary resonated because of its variety of projects and hands-on initiatives. In particular, because Vas is a cyclist himself, he was very impressed with Phil Purdy’s ‘Ride for Cancer’ project, in which Phil and others cycled from Sydney to Melbourne to raise funds for Rotary Ovarian Cancer Awareness (RoCan) and to build a wellness centre in Werribee. After attending a few Rotary Werribee meetings and admiring the passion within the club, he could see himself becoming a member. He was subsequently inducted on 28th August this year, and is already active on the Club’s Environmental Committee.
A Software Developer, Vas, like so many others, has been working from home since March. He is glad to see COVID restrictions being lifted so that he can enjoy his own cycling pursuits.
Vas believes the biggest challenge for Rotary is the need to appeal to a younger audience and attract them to become members so that the future of the Club and Rotary is ensured.
There is a 50-meter-long black wall on the corner of Murrumbeena Road and Railway Parade, Murrumbeena. Currently, it is littered with graffiti. But, the members of Rotary Caulfield in collaboration with well-known Artist and Author, Anthony Breslin, are about to change that and provide an inspiring visual gift to the community.
The plan is to cover the wall with over 75 panels that will showcase the original paintings and words from Anthony Breslin’s children’s book, Brezania, and feature the story of “Big Frog” along with a vast array of other crazy characters from the book.
The name "Murrumbeena" derives from the Aboriginal word "mirambeena", affectionately interpreted as meaning "land of frogs". The suburb officially adopted by the name when the railway station opened in 1879.
This wonderful visual project will act as a message for children and adults to follow their dreams, and will be a lasting gift to the Murrumbeena Community from Anthony Breslin and the Rotary Club of Caulfield in celebration of Rotary’s one hundred years in Australia and New Zealand.
Anthony is undertaking this artwork on a pro bono basis with assistance from a group of artist friends. However, funds were needed to cover the cost of materials and equipment. With COVID presenting difficulties for traditional fundraising methods, Rotary Caulfield decided on what was to prove a successful crowdfunding solution by establishing the site: https://au.gofundme.com/f/murrumbeena-wall-art
Included in the mural will be plaques with the names of all the people who have donated to this amazing community project.
The mural will help make Murrumbeena a place to visit and is intended to lift spirits after challenging times.
“What’s a Passport Club?” This is a question that many Rotarians would most likely ask and it was certainly a challenge your correspondent faced when asked to write about the Melbourne Passport Club for Networker.
The Club’s story began in 2018 when ardent Rotarian Jenny Foster was encouraged by friends in Rotary, as well as past and present District Governors to activate a new style of Rotary club that would have a world-wide membership and measure club health by participation rather than attendance.
Jenny, who is currently the Club’s President-elect, as well as District Chair of International Service, somewhat expressively enthuses:
“Imagine a place where Rotarians and friends can come together to do projects that will create lasting change for people that find themselves disadvantaged, at risk or simply needing a hand to make a difference in their communities.
“Imagine a place that brings these people together to connect with others from all Rotary Clubs and Districts in person and/or online from wherever in the world to change people’s lives for the better! Here in Melbourne we are fortunate to have that place!”
Donations in Kind (DIK) is that place and Jenny describes it is a “hive of activity where we see many people getting together to not only work on their own projects but also supporting others to achieve their dreams.”
Logically, DIK was seen as the ideal base for a club that has, in Jenny’s words, “a global focus and thrives on connections and action.”
And so, it was on 15th November 2019 that it became the venue where then-District Governor Grant Hocking inducted President Maria Hicks OAM and 40 charter members.
Recruited by word-of-mouth and strong family connections, many were new Rotarians aged between 24 and 81 years, not all resident in Australia, but motivated by wanting to help alleviate “need”.
Monthly meetings are held on Zoom in real time, or by recording the meetings for those members in different time zones—it might be described as a hybrid e-Club on steroids perhaps?
Whilst the Club has little fund-raising capacity, it does reach out to partner with other clubs that may have the funds and expertise to help bring to fruition those projects that align with Rotary’s areas of focus.
Whilst in its early days, having been established in April this year, the Rotary Fellowship of Gin already has more than 600 members worldwide dedicated to promoting gin as an opportunity for fellowship.
All varieties of gin start life as a neutral spirit, which can be made from grain, wheat, barley or even rice, grapes, corn or beetroot. From the base distillation of the spirit the vital ingredient that provides its flavor is the juniper berry. Other spices are added to create a unique taste and style.
Gin originated as medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe, including Belgium (formerly Flanders), the Netherlands and Southern France. Spices such as anise, caraway, coriander, etc., were also added. For a period during the 18th century in England, gin was very cheap and as a consequence, it became the ruin of many poor people with associated tragic deaths. British officers in India in the early 19th century took to adding a mixture of water, sugar, lime and gin to quinine in order to make taking quinine more palatable, and thus gin and tonic was born.
Gin has had a resurgence in popularity in recent years, and with it, there has developed an enormous range of types, flavors and brands. Currently, the UK produces the most gin in the world. However, Australia has increased its production of gin considerably as new artisan distilleries appear, creating interesting types of gin with the addition of unique Australian botanical flavors.
The Fellowship of Gin utilises social media to keep in touch with its members and to reach out to other Rotarians who may wish to join. The Fellowship is also keen to support Rotary projects such as clean water and ending polio through fundraising at social activities.
Has your club recorded its goals for this year in Rotary Club Central for giving to the Annual Fund, the Polio Plus Fund and for personal giving? It's easy! Experience around Australia shows that clubs that set goals nearly always achieve them.
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As we come to the time of year when festivities abound, there have been several highly successful events over the past week in our District including the International Men’s Day Virtual ‘Happy As Larry’ Lunch jointly hosted by Rotary Brighton North and Rotary Melbourne. Well-known comedian and actor Shane Jacobson entertained the audience, along with Rotary District 9810’s “Toilet Warrior”, Rotarian Mark Balla. My congratulations go to both clubs and in particular, Presidents Peter Killey and Marion MacLeod on not only delivering a fantastic event, but also the very important messages on men’s health.
Love is mightier than hate. Give it one-half the advertising that hate has had, and there will be no more war.
The Rotary Club of Essendon and Caroline Chisholm Society have had a long-term and successful partnership since 2007. Over those years Rotary Essendon has assisted the Society to provide support to mothers and families in need with food and warm clothing, access to safe and stable accommodation and other support services. This support has helped those families to live in a safe and nurturing environment. Rotary Essendon has sourced and provided many valuable items over this time, such as a car, computers, clothing and other necessities.
As a Rotarian, the chances are you will either put your hand up to run a project or be part of a project management team. Whether it’s a major project or organising a BBQ, success means you need skills and abilities that include being a tactical problem solver and getting on well with people. Putting together projects can be fun and, when successful, extremely satisfying.
By Henry Drury
By Jaqui O’Donohoe
By Rotary Club of Caulfield
y Helena Wimpole
Has your club recorded its goals for this year in Rotary Club Central for giving to the Annual Fund, the Polio Plus Fund and for personal giving? It's easy! Experience around Australia shows that clubs that set goals nearly always achieve them.
