No Lyndon Grove meeting on 17th March - come to the District Conference instead.
The April 7th Dinner Meeting will a celebration of our 40th Anniversary - get ready for it !!!
Di Pearce carried out a ceremonial signing of her application for a Senior's Card.
Colin let us know that the 3rd March Dinner meeting will be a Welsh night - wives, spouses, partners all welcome. More detail will be forwarded by email shortly.
Malcolm asked us to reserve Saturday April 16th for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. More details next week.
Ian brought us up to date with the current state of play in the "Ice Fight" campaign. A new committee is being formed, so please see Ian if you want to participate.
Ros sent round a sheet asking for comments on our current dinner badges and whether we want to consider a change.
Then it was time for our guest speaker Mark McKinstry - the new CEO of Karingal (replacing Daryl Starkey).
The biggest challenge he faces is taking an already successful organisation into the future with a revised funding system. Previously funding was provided to organisations but with the introduction of the NDIS the funding is allocated to the individual who selects (within certain parameters) how the money is to be spent. Karingal therefore becomes one of a number of suppliers attracting "business" as best they can.
Go to the Karingal website to learn more about their history and operations - or ask Mark Seller who is on the Board. Note that Karingal includes their business operations (income/profit from which is fed back into their core disability services arm) of Barwarre Gardens Retirement village, Matchworks and so on.
Oh boy - I knew I was intentionally being a bit controversial last week but the reaction was magnificent !!!
It's obvious that we need to keep the bulletin going - every response said so.
What's not so clear is what place facebook and other social media offerings have in Rotary. The responses varied from - that's the way people communicate now so we need to be up with it" to "wouldn't touch facebook with a bargepole" How do we feel about using social media in Rotary?
As Pauline says in her response,
"Social Media is without doubt the way Rotary International, Districts and Clubs choose to communicate the Rotary message – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are all great tools to raise public awareness of the work of Rotary right across the Board. They are all public PR tools. There is no cheaper or easier way to let the public know about the work that we do and to invite them to join us. There has to be a plan – who are we trying to reach, what message are we trying to get across, how frequently should we post, how do we make sure that what we post gets into the Newsfeeds of the people we want to reach, which posts should be “boost” (pay for)?? We have a plan of goals and objectives for our Highton page, as does the District for its FB page."
I think Pauline's got it in one - surprise surprise !!!! But as she says we have to have a plan, and as many members as possible have to be taught how to access the various social media programmes which we use and to make best use of them.
Facebook still seems to be the most popular programme (or "app") although new ones are popping up (and sometimes disappearing) quite frequently. For instance, we've All heard of Facebook, Twitter, Messenger and maybe WhatsApp, but how about WeChat, Tweetie, Snapchat, Path, TimeHop, Groupme, Periscope, Meerkat, Yo, Highlight or Firechat ? And that's not even scratching the surface. No matter how many there are out there or which we use, in my opinion it's a no-brainer that we have to start communicating with our potential new young members in a way which is both accessible and relevant to them.
Have a look at the chart below. I know it's early days, but considering that the overall number of WPV cases reported in 2015 was 74 and the number at this time last year was 7, the number reported so far this year being 1 gives a lot of hope that we're really getting to grips with that last areas.
Polio this week as of 17 February 2016
Environmental surveillance is playing an increasingly important role in ensuring that the poliovirus is found, wherever it continues to circulate. Find out more about environmental surveillance through this series of photographs. http://www.polioeradication.org/Mediaroom/Photos/Photoessays.aspx#prettyPhoto[EnvironmentalSurveillance]/0/
There are nine weeks to go until the globally synchronized switch from the trivalent to bivalent oral polio vaccine, an important milestone in achieving a polio-free world.
The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own. - Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881, British Statesman and Prime Minister
In life you can never be too kind or too fair; everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. When you go through your day expressing kindness and courtesy to all you meet, you leave behind a feeling of warmth and good cheer, and you help alleviate the burdens everyone is struggling with. - Brian Tracy, American Trainer/Speaker/Author
Forget the resolutions. Forget control and discipline... too much work. Instead try experimenting. Go in search of something to fall in love with... something about yourself, your career, your spouse. - Dale Dauten, Nationally Syndicated Columnist and Author
February is Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution Month, but Rotary takes on the causes of conflict year-round, through projects that address poverty, inequality, and ethnic tension and improve access to education and resources.
Rotary also trains adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict more directly and aid refugees who have fled areas of conflict. Here are just a few examples of how Rotary members are building peace:
More than 70 percent of the 22,000 Sudanese people who have been displaced to Australia are under age 30. As they’ve struggled to build a Sudanese community in their new country, a Rotary Peace Fellow traveled from England to Australia to start a program that develops leadership skills through soccer and encourages young refugees to be active members of Australian society. Watch a video to learn more.
The Rotary World Peace Conference, the first of five Rotary presidential conferences planned for this year, was held 15-16 January in Ontario, California, USA. More than 150 leaders in the fields of peace, education, business, law, and health care led more than 100 breakout sessions and workshops. Topics ranged from how to achieve peace through education to combating human trafficking to the role the media has in eliminating conflict.
Visit the Rotary Service blog for tips, resources, and inspirational stories to help you plan club and district projects focused on peace and conflict resolution.
Work with Rotary’s service partners
Rotary partners with Peace Corps to enhance club and district service activities
Peace Corps, a U.S. federal agency, sends American citizens around the world to tackle pressing needs and promote international understanding. While abroad, Peace Corps volunteers support sustainable change by working with local stakeholders to improve communities.
Returned volunteers offer a wealth of service project knowledge and insights acquired from living abroad. They also often maintain strong relationships with their host communities and local partners, which may include Rotary and Rotaract clubs. By working with active and returned Peace Corps volunteers, Rotary can continue addressing our six areas of focus while enhancing goodwill, international understanding, and our capacity to address community concerns.
Rotary Friendship exchange sparks friendships and establishes international service partnerships
District 2241 (Romania and the Republic of Moldova) hosted Rotary members from District 5110 (parts of California and Oregon, USA), for a two-week service-oriented Rotary Friendship Exchange. During their visit, the host Rotarians showed the visitors their country and lifestyle. Most important, the two teams combined friendship and fun to serve the community by undertaking service activities together. The exchange fostered cultural awareness, built new friendships, and opened Rotarians up to new perspectives and ideas
R O M A C (Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children)
A Rotary Multi-District Program of Australia and New Zealand
Mission: To provide medical treatment for children from developing countries in the form of life-saving and/or dignity restoring surgery not accessible to them in their home countries.
Applications are invited for the position of CHAIR. See DOWNLOAD FILES on the District Website for further details.
It is my great pleasure to invite you to join me in Rome, Italy on 30 April as we celebrate the Jubilee of Rotarians, a special event hosted by Rotary District 2080 and the Vatican. His Holiness Pope Francis will celebrate a Jubilee mass at St. Peter’s Square, where we will have 8,000 seats reserved for Rotarians, as well as friends and family.
For more information, please visit the Jubilee of Rotarians website, which has been provided by our friends in District 2080. The registration deadline is 15 March.
This Jubilee, as established by Pope Francis, is a commitment to serve with joy and in peace across the world.
As you work hard to Be a Gift to the World, I do hope you will make the effort to be in Rome with as many members of your district as possible. I look forward to seeing you there.
Regards,
K.R. Ravindran
Rotary International President, 2015-16
Lots of birthdays at the beginning of this monthLLLLLL
Carol Nankervis is on the list for anirthday on 19th followed by Colin Hunt on 20th,
Carol and Bruce are also celebrating a wedding anniversary on 19th,
while Pat and Graham Blood are following that with one of their own on 20th
And that's pretty much it - not only for this Bulletin but for this month
A Mexican teen came up to the Mexican border riding his bicycle carrying two large bags on his shoulders. The officer stops him and says, “What’s in the bags?”
“Sand,” he answers.
The officer says, “We’ll just see about that." He takes the bags and rips them apart; he empties them out and finds nothing in them but sand. He detains the teen overnight and has the sand analyzed, only to discover that there is nothing but pure sand in the bags. The guard releases him, puts the sand into new bags, hefts them onto the lad’s shoulders, and lets him cross the border.
A day later, the same thing happens. The officer asks, “What have you got?”
“Sand,” says the youngster.
The officer does a thorough examination and discovers that the bags contain nothing but sand. He gives the sand back to him, and the young man crosses the border on his bicycle.
This sequence of events is repeated every day for three years.
One day, the teen doesn't show. Days pass and the officer never sees him. A month later, a messenger comes and hands the officer an invitation for a house warming.
When he gets to the address, he sees it's a large villa with a pool, and many guests celebrating. Inside he finds the teen, holding a glass of wine and enjoying his guests.
“Hey, Buddy,” says the officer , “It’s driving me crazy. How are you so rich when all you were carrying across the border was sand? Just between you and me, what were you smuggling?”
The youngster flashes a smile and says: "Bicycles.”
District 2241 (Romania and the Republic of Moldova) hosted Rotary members from District 5110 (parts of California and Oregon, USA), for a two-week service-oriented .jpg)
