The District lost two valued former Rotarians over Christmas.
Walter Leitjen passed away on December 10th. Walter began the Bowelscan (now Bowelcare) program in District in 1990 and was program chair for 24 years.
PP Allan Parsons, an honorary and charter member of RC Kariong/Somersby passed away on January 2nd.
Please let your Assistant Governor, the District Secretary, or the Governor know of any bereavements you would like published.
DG Ian's illuminations
Dear Rotary Colleagues,
Happy New Year to you all; I trust that the Christmas/New Year break was good to you. A great number of our Clubs delivered food hampers, put on community Christmas Carols, gathered gifts for the underprivileged and held Christmas parties for the elderly and other groups, all of which were very well received. Congratulations to you and thank you for bringing joy to others.
Congratulations also to all who sold Christmas trees and ran raffles - working hard right till the end of the year. Rotarians don't sit on their laurels however, as Clubs have already been meeting, holding markets and getting back into the swing of Service. The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment teams are hard at it with both of those programs held in January, and of course various plans for Australia Day celebrations and events are well and truly in train.
My Conference Committee are also hard at work with only ten weeks to go. I am pleased to be able to tell you that author and columnist Peter FitzSimons will be a keynote speaker and will talk to us about the peace heritage of Gallipoli - this will be a talk not to be missed. Most other sessions are now set and the team is looking at non-conference activities for those spouses and partners who don't wish to attend during the day.
Full registration of $350 gives you the lot, from Friday night Hunter Harvest dinner, through the Roaring 20s banquet to Sunday lunch and all conference sessions in between. Other packages cater for those who cannot make the whole weekend, but whatever your plans, please register soon if you have not done so. There is still accommodation available onsite and in the near vicinity, but don't leave it too late.
This second six months of the Rotary year is when most annual goals come to fruition, and I wish you every success with yours. Please do call on me and the District Team of AGs, Committee Chairs and others to help you achieve your aims. We are here to help you Light Up Rotary!
Australian Rotary Health has booked red carpet computer screens for the premiere of their new Australian Rotary Health Movie. The plot explores four inspiring people, supported by Australian Rotary Health, who are now changing their communities in various amazing ways…
Charity Screening of “Balibo” to raise funds for Oecussi water project
Epping Rotary is working with rotarian Judy Charnaud, E Club of Greater Sydney, to provide clean water to the families of Puno, a village in Oecusse, East Timor.
To raise funds for the project the Club has secured approval to show Robert Connolly’s award winning movie “Balibo” on 28 February.
“Balibo” is about the deaths of 6 Australian journalist arising from Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor in 1975, but it also sets the scene for nearly 25 years of suffering for the people of East Timor.
Rotarians and their friends can purchase tickets from the Rotary Club of Epping.
Rotary's 2013-14 Annual Report is now available online. See how Rotary members across the globe tackled some of the world's toughest challenges last year. Learn about our generous donors and dedicated partners, who strengthen our impact. And explore our financial reports to see why Rotary is an organization you can support with confidence.
As part of the ANZAC Centenary commemoration events being planned for 2015 Concord Repatriation General Hospital would like to create a respectful, elegant garden space in the grounds at the entrance to the hospital. This would make a huge impact on the wellbeing of people visiting their loved ones at “The Repat”. Waiting time is always tense and intolerable at times and somewhere pleasant will make such a difference.
At present there is a flagpole, a rose garden bed with a couple of plants and four very old seats.
The Rotary Club of Sydney Inner West is working with Concord Repat. General Hospital. So far they have three seats donated by different Rotary clubs but need the fourth seat and money to buy plants and plaques.
Registration is open for the next series of Rotary Leadership Institute courses.
Course 24 is on Saturday 16 May, Sunday 31 May & Saturday 20 June
Course 25 is on Sundays 21 June, 5 July & 19 July
Course 26 is on Saturdays 4 July, 1 August & 8 August
The three part program starts at 8:30 for 9:00am and finishes around 3:30 in the afternoon. Morning tea and lunch are provided.
The course is held at the District 9685 office in Thornleigh. Certificates will be presented when the full course has been completed.
The full cost of the course is $110 but this is currently being subsidised by district. So get in fast while this subsidy is still available as the three part course will only cost you or your club $55 at the moment.
If you are an incoming or current President, Club Officer, or Assistant Governor, or if you simply want to learn more about Rotary, join this course - in the first instance by emailng PDG David Rands on rli@rotarydistrict9685.org.au
linking Eastern Region Clubs in Districts; 9650, 9670, 9675, 9685, 9700, 9710
will be held in Tamworth
Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 February
You are welcome to join us for the next RAWCS Eastern region meeting to be held in Tamworth hosted by District 9650. If you have an interest in International service you should put these dates on your calendar.
As we commence the second half of this Rotary year it is perhaps timely to reflect on those who have not been as fortunate.
From my rough analysis there are about 200 International Projects of all sizes and varieties happening in clubs in our District 9685. And then another 80 odd RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service) projects.
There are many things we can do – and – guess what – it’s NOT ALL about money!! We all have the capacity to contribute!
We owe it to ourselves, our benefactors, our fellow members to use our time, energy and resources where they can have the most impact.
As you move into the second half of your Rotary year, ask yourself whether your club vision has the power to harness the energy and passions of your club members:
Will it motivate you to join (or remain a part of) this organization and continue to motivate you once you are there?
Does it provide an anchor point for the kinds of changes needed to keep your club vital and strong?
Does it describe a future that is more attractive than the present?
Does it challenge you?
Can you use it to develop a strategic action plan that you and fellow club members can act on?
Can it serve as a framework to keep decision making on track?
A genuine Tug O War competition, the 11th Australian Gnome Convention, Fairies in the Garden, first class musical entertainment, an amazing variety of delicious foods, and exciting new entertainment activities means that Glenbrook Park is the place to be for Blue Mountains and Penrith residents on Australia Day, 2015.
The ever popular Australian Gnome Convention (now in its 11th year) will again offer unique entertainment for holiday school students with another ‘Golden Gnome Search’ in Glenbrook Village shops – and a special competition for the real life ‘Best Dressed Gnome’ in attendance.
The Fellowship for Cruising Rotarians has just been approved by RI and is Facebook-based. However, Rotarians who are not into Facebook can also join and receive emails from time to time.
The Fellowship will be working to get cruise lines to formalise Rotary meetings on board, as well as provide Rotarians with a forum to share information and establish contact with other cruising Rotarians.
Australian Rotary Health inducts a new Board of Directors​
Australian Rotary Health (ARH) inducted a new Board of Directors at their Annual General Meeting in October. They also recognized the service of hard working individuals who served before them.
New Directors to join the ARH Board are PDG’s Graeme Davies (D9685), Colin Thorniley (D9455), Barbara Wheatcroft (D9500), Phil Armstrong (D9710) and Kevin Shadbolt (D9830).
Congratulations also went to PDG Jeff Crofts (D9550), elected ARH Chairman and PDG Russ O'Malley (D9600), Vice Chairman with remaining board members PDG’s Laurie Barber (D9650), Greg Ross (D9800) and Peter Williams (D9675).
Lower Blue Brings Christmas Joy to Senior Citizens
Some 120 senior citizens had an early taste of Christmas joy at Lower Blue Mountains Rotary’s ‘Young at Heart’ Christmas Party for seniors last weekend.
A cavalcade of member’s vehicles transports the special guests to and from the Emu Plains Sports and Recreation Club, where they are treated to a delicious three course Christmas dinner – sponsored by the Sports Club in partnership with Rotary.
Subaru has offered Rotarians of District 9685 fleet discount rates for the purchase of any new Subaru. Wherever you see the Subaru logo on the District website or in eNews, click on the image to follow the link to obtain a quote.
The Club News & Events site provides an avenue for Rotary & Rotaract clubs to contribute articles and news of interest to Rotarians in our District. Clubs are able to submit news about the club or its events on-line with a view to publication on the District website and in the District Governor’s eNews. Take a look and publish your stories there.If you prefer Facebook , don't forget to message us. Alternatively, simply send your copy in an email to editorial@rotarydistrict9685.org.au.
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Dear Rotary Colleagues,
We owe it to ourselves, our benefactors, our fellow members to use our time, energy and resources where they can have the most impact.
Some 120 senior citizens had an early taste of Christmas joy at Lower Blue Mountains Rotary’s ‘Young at Heart’ Christmas Party for seniors last weekend.
Rotary District 9685 is pleased to announce a new Global Grant Scholarship for $30,000.