This week I had the great pleasure of attending, in person, a wonderful dinner hosted by the President of Keilor Rotary, David Whiting and his wife Marie, which was held at their home. After nearly a year of Zoom meetings, it was indeed a fantastic experience being able to join in the amazing fellowship that this club shares, as well as the diverse conversations – this surely is the essence of Rotary!
The first official meeting of the CEO Rotary Satellite Club of Southbank took place this morning, and once again, it was inspiring to see the enthusiasm of those in attendance, as they embark on this new Rotary initiative. The club discussed and agreed on its structure, vision and key areas of focus, and now has a good foundation on which to move forward with homelessness being chosen as the key issue on which efforts will be concentrated.
I’m delighted to advise that Australia Post has announced that we will have a special stamp this year for our centenary. There will be several ‘products’ including first day covers, stamp packs and inclusion in the annual collection. These will be ideal for collections, gifts, speaker thank you mementos, Rotary archives, memorabilia and more. Coming soon will also be a special coin that will feature the centenary of Rotary in Australia, and I will have more on this soon.
As you are aware, supporting the environment is now our seventh area of focus. Over the past several years, more than $18 million in Foundation global grant funding has gone towards environment-based projects. Now with this approved and added area of focus, grant applications for projects will be accepted from 1 July 2021. Clubs that take up environmental programs have compelling pathways to volunteering and new membership, bringing new energy and future leadership, as well as revitalising existing membership and member retention.
Next Tuesday is of course, Australia Day, and if you haven’t already done so, I again encourage you to book online for the free Rotary Zoom event being live streamed across Australia from 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm. Performances by Marina Prior, Mike Brady, Josh Piterman and John Foreman will support presentations on major R100 projects such as EndTrachoma, Rotary Safe Families, Australian Rotary Health and Give Every Child a Future. Bookings can be made via this link:
As long as grass continues to grow green, as long as water continues to flow downhill, so long Rotary will continue to worship its ideal, the ideal of service.
Applications for this year’s District Recognitions Awards must be submitted by close of business Friday 26 February 2021.
Project categories include the key service areas of Community, International, Vocational, Youth, Public Image & Communications, and Membership, to which has been added the new Rotary Area of Focus, Supporting the Environment. Innovation During COVID, a special category in this unusual pandemic-affected year, has also been added.
The concept of Rotary/Police Mentoring was initiated fifteen years ago by Rotary Central Melbourne, and is one of the longest running Victorian Police leadership programs. Whilst the program involves a range of training and development aspects for police, one important piece is assisting them to develop skills in working with community groups, particularly volunteers. Through pairing a Rotary club member appropriately experienced in senior leadership with a Police Officer of at least Senior Sergeant rank, they work together on a project of benefit to the local community over a twelve-month period.
Whilst COVID meant suspending projects commenced in late 2019, many have now been reactivated. During the twelve-month project period, the Police Officer will attend a number of Rotary meetings to update members on the project and its progress.
An example of one project being run by North Balwyn Rotary involves Acting Inspector Ashley Wigg of Victoria Police as mentee, and club member, Russell Cooper, a retired Water Authority CEO, as mentor. The project chosen by Inspector Wigg focuses on reducing road traffic injuries at Greythorn Strip Shopping Precinct.
At all shopping centres there are interactions between pedestrians and cars traversing the main thoroughfare; cars moving into and out of parking bays; and, cars travelling along the main road. Greythorn shopping centre is, however, unique within Boroondara. It has two lanes of traffic flow in both directions along Doncaster Road; cars are parked diagonally to the curb; cars are reversed from parks directly into the inside lane of traffic and often the drivers do not see approaching vehicles in this inside lane; the speed limit in this shopping centre is 60km/hr and is often exceeded; and, drivers sometimes illegally cross over the solid centre line to take an empty park on the opposite side of the road. Anecdotal evidence suggests these are the factors that contribute to periodic collisions and near misses, involving both vehicles and pedestrians.
North Balwyn Rotary’s project will continue to include the collection of data on collision history, the number of near misses, and overall safety concerns. Each of these risk factors are assessed and analysed with an “options paper” drafted and presented to VicRoads, Boroondara Council and Victoria Police providing suggestions on possible actions to reduce the risk of collisions and injuries within the shopping precinct.
When you visit different Rotary clubs, it is clear that there are many ways to run a successful meeting. Below are points on what has made them successful.
Before the Meeting
You do need an agreed format, agenda or running sheet, and an Attendance Officer or Club Service Chair does need to know in advance who will be attending for catering and special diets. The Club President should also be aware of guests attending.
Appointing “minders” to make visitors feel comfortable and introduce them to others is worthwhile, and some clubs appoint greeters and desk people for a specified period, whilst others roster different people on for each meeting. These are opportunities for new members to get to know their colleagues.
You might consider displaying Rotary banners and flags as part of the meeting set-up.
At the Meeting
Some clubs commence meetings with the National Anthem, and a toast to the Queen, Rotary, another club or their own club. Some merely introduce the President who welcomes partners and guests. One club in our District starts meetings with a review of the Four-Way test. Longer-serving Rotarians interviewed for Networker have commented that they miss some of these formalities.
Achievements of the club and members should be recognised. Other considerations include: managing cliques who always sit together; summarising Board meeting outcomes and encouraging table discussions on club issues; ensuring good guest speakers including District office-bearers; holding “member behind the badge” presentations; asking Directors to provide updates of activities; having a plan for handling disruptive behavior; encouraging quieter members to ask questions / be heard; closing with a reminder of forthcoming Club events and the Rotary International theme; changing usual patterns from time-to-time to give meetings a lift; and collaborating with other clubs to discuss projects and key Rotary issues.
After the Meeting
This is a good opportunity for the Club Service Director and Club President to review possible meetings improvements. Asking/surveying members for their suggestions can often bring forward ideas, at the same time as engaging members.
Review your meetings procedures and see if you can make improvements!
Sam Pennisi joined Rotary Essendon North when it was chartered in 1976. Despite having a young family and working in real estate, he still found time to attend meetings, escaping the stress of 80-hour weeks. He inherited his high work ethic from his father who “just could not retire” and even though he is now in his 80s, is still working three days a week.
With a strong community mindset and being a past member of the Jaycees, Sam felt that Rotary would be good for him both personally and professionally. The Club had attracted members from various businesses around the area, many of whom were in their 30s and early 40s. Since then, the big change for the club has been the ageing of its members.
Sam believes that young people today use the long hours associated with work, having a young family and financial commitments as reasons they can’t join Rotary: “We had all of that,” he recalled. “During the year I became the second Club President, there was an addition to our own young family. Even so, there was still a commitment to help the local community.”
The inclusion of women was another change readily adopted by the club, and Sam feels that perhaps Rotary should look to recruit groups of people with similar interests, and age groups.
Sam has also seen how Rotary has relaxed formality. It used to be that only one classification discipline could be represented in membership, and, you had to be invited to join!
Projects of the club have included Christmas tree sales and sausage sizzles and together with other local Rotary clubs, they have introduced a successful Men’s Shed as well as holding an Australia Day breakfast.
Sam is an avid reader who admits to being reluctant to lend his books to friends. Biographies, sporting books and international politics are his key fields of interest.
Given we all strive for balance in our lives, it’s wonderful to see that Sam seems to have really achieved it.
Since the age of 12, Carol has volunteered at churches, schools and not-for-profit organisations. She really identifies with the energy and friendships that people show when they are “doing the right thing”. So, when she finally settled in Melbourne, joining Rotary was an easy decision, especially as she had grown up in a family where most of the men were Rotarians. She admitted being surprised when, in the 1980s, her Aunt was recognised with a Paul Harris Fellow, as she had not realised that women were able to join Rotary.
Originally from Chicago, Carol moved to Brisbane in 2007, Carol was a lecturer in Business Management at the University of Queensland, and completed a Doctorate in Philosophy. She then transferred to RMIT in 2019.
Having settled in Williamstown, Carol really enjoys sailing and plans to introduce this pastime to her two children. She has fallen in love with Melbourne as it is, in her words: “a world-class city with so much to offer.”
Carol is grateful for the way Australia has managed the COVID pandemic through mateship and cooperation, especially when compared to many countries that are suffering heavy infections and death rates.
Keen to contribute to club activities, Carol has a particular interest in the new environmental area of focus for Rotary.
Interestingly, Carol says that when she talks to people about Rotary, they do not think she is old enough to be a Rotarian, which she views as starkly demonstrating Rotary’s image challenges.
“Not everyone has grown up in a culture of service,” Carol said. “Rotary needs to share the service culture, and we need to develop programs where everyone can be involved and active.”
In 1839 a punt was the crossing from Melbourne Town to the fledgling village of Saltwater on the western bank of the Maribyrnong, then known as the Saltwater River. In 1848 the locality took the name Foots Cray after the village on the river Cray in south-east London (which resonates somewhat with Franco Cozzo’s “Foot-is-cray” memorable 1980s TV ads).
In 1859, the municipality of Footscray was officially proclaimed and became a working-class suburb with varied industries including quarrying, and particularly the noxious industries of slaughtering, rendering for tallow, tanneries, wool scouring and, as some would suggest, the Bulldogs football team.
The noxious industry has gone, the football team prospers and the Rotary Club of West Footscray, chartered on 23 January 1978, now proudly serves a younger, vibrant and ethnically varied community in a rapidly regenerating built environment.
Sporting clubs for young people have re-emerged, which delights President Warwick Burnham, who has a particular interest in those activities, and is actively promoting Rotary involvement including a possible satellite Club for younger people.
Secretary Gabrielle Morgan relates how the Club, with the usual teething hiccups, embraced Zoom technology for its regular meetings, which enabled a wider range of guest speakers; a wider range of participants, including past overseas exchange students and, in fact, has made it easier for some members to attend more regularly. Fellowship meetings such as trivia nights and discussion groups have all contributed greatly to the aim of “keeping the Club together”.
The primary International Service project is Donations in Kind, originally founded by West Footscray in 1988 by the late Fred Wright, who, on his return from his first International Service trip to the Solomon Islands, saw a need and set about establishing the DIK store. First located at the old drill hall on the corner of Gordon and Barkly Streets, Footscray, the DIK store has moved a number of times until settling in its current location at 400 Somerville Road, West Footscray.
Over the years many West Footscray members have volunteered at the store in various capacities and it is now under the committed stewardship of member Laurie Fisher. Since its foundation, some 217 containers and about AUD$11 million in goods have been shipped from the store. Today, DIK is a prime District program open to all Clubs for contributions both in kind and hands-on service in accepting, sorting, packing and despatching those donated goods.
Rotary West Footscray’s face-to-face fund-raising has been limited this last year, but the Christmas cakes and puddings sales have successfully continued and to universal jubilation, the Bunnings sausage sizzle has now re-commenced.
The Club centenary project is to provide a swing for disabled children in a local playground. The Club is currently in discussions with the council on gaining approval for the proposal. This is much-needed equipment to enable the disabled of all ages and abilities to enjoy the simple pleasure of having a swing in the park.
Since its inception in 1991, this Fellowship has undergone a number of changes including its name and scope.
Initially called The Rotarian Doctors Fellowship, it was started by a small group of Rotarian Doctors in the US and spearheaded by a Past District Governor who was able to produce a membership list of about 150 doctors in over 30 countries.
Over time, other doctors from different medical fields succeeded him as chairman of the Fellowship, and its direction changed. Further professional contacts and activities followed, including professional visits to hospitals in the areas where Rotary Conventions were held. The first newsletter was published in 1992 and Rotary International recognised the group in 1993 as Medicine/Health Vocational Fellowship.
As membership grew beyond 300 to include nurses, pharmacists and podiatrists, as well as different projects conducted at RI Conventions, friendship exchanges occurred between the US, UK and Turkey.
The name of the Fellowship also changed in 2002 to International Fellowship of Rotarian Physicians in order to redefine the activities of the Fellowship and include the hands-on efforts of its members. There was considerable expansion in the activities of the Fellowship over the years with the addition of the presentation of scientific aspects of Rotary programs and projects undertaken by membership, scientific meetings, scientific visits and collaboration with other organisations such as Rotary Doctor Bank of Great Britain and Ireland and Men’s Health Network, a US based NGO.
In 2009, with the emergence of Rotary Fellowships in Nursing, Plastic Surgery, Dental Volunteers etc., the name and scope changed, and the Fellowship was renamed the International Rotary Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals. Activities also focused on larger projects with more emphasis on impact, sustainability and Rotarian involvement, especially vocational expertise for service.
An active members’ Google group was established in 2007 and this continues to flourish as a resource for information and discussion among members.
The members of this Fellowship contribute their time, energy and interest to sustainable projects across the globe such as peace and conflict resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health basic education and literacy and economic and community development. They also enjoy friendship and sharing their knowledge and expertise with each other for the betterment of world health.
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This week I had the great pleasure of attending, in person, a wonderful dinner hosted by the President of Keilor Rotary, David Whiting and his wife Marie, which was held at their home. After nearly a year of Zoom meetings, it was indeed a fantastic experience being able to join in the amazing fellowship that this club shares, as well as the diverse conversations – this surely is the essence of Rotary!
I’m delighted to advise that Australia Post has announced that we will have a special stamp this year for our centenary. There will be several ‘products’ including first day covers, stamp packs and inclusion in the annual collection. These will be ideal for collections, gifts, speaker thank you mementos, Rotary archives, memorabilia and more. Coming soon will also be a special coin that will feature the centenary of Rotary in Australia, and I will have more on this soon.
As long as grass continues to grow green, as long as water continues to flow downhill, so long Rotary will continue to worship its ideal, the ideal of service.
Applications for this year’s District Recognitions Awards must be submitted by close of business Friday 26 February 2021. 
By Russell Cooper, Rotary North Balwyn
By Rowan McClean
Since the age of 12, Carol has volunteered at churches, schools and not-for-profit organisations. She really identifies with the energy and friendships that people show when they are “doing the right thing”. So, when she finally settled in Melbourne, joining Rotary was an easy decision, especially as she had grown up in a family where most of the men were Rotarians. She admitted being surprised when, in the 1980s, her Aunt was recognised with a Paul Harris Fellow, as she had not realised that women were able to join Rotary.
Since its inception in 1991, this Fellowship has undergone a number of changes including its name and scope.
Why not contact a local Secondary School and offer the experience of your members for career advice to senior students?
