1. THIS IS THE REALLY GOOD NEWS.... As a result of COVID restrictions reigning during 2020, District costs have been reduced. As a consequence, District Governor David Clark has announced that there will no charge at all for our Rotarians to attend the District Conference in 2021. Previously it had been announced that each Club would be asked to contribute $5 per member for all to attend. This cost is now cancelled. We still encourage everyone to register for the Conference so that all registrants can receive the links for the Conference sessions. Spend the time remaining on planning how your Club will view the sessions - individually, small groups, larger groups in a meeting venue. We are also still pursuing a Conference Dinner on Saturday, 13th March, 2021, however, venue booking is still uncertain. Everyone will be kept fully informed about any new announcements or clarifications and the program. The link for Registration is HERE. The link for the Conference website is HERE. |  |
 | 2. Rotary International has recently announced the certifying of the Rotaract Club of Pennant Hills – Cherrybrook ! The current Rotaract club president, Jason Terry, has also been registered in the RI database for this newly registered Club. Congratulations to Jason and his team who have worked so hard to bring this to fruition. |
3. A reminder about the 3-5 minute video for the District Conference in 2021. There are only two restrictions about the video.
Other than that, it is a video about your Club and what it has been doing in recent times, no specification. That could be from this Rotary year or the last, or possibly older if relevant. Too old would be obvious to the viewers and the Conference attendees. The emphasis should be on the most recent activities, particularly the ingenuity of your members in coping with COVID. The reason that there is this flexibility is due to the nature of the last 11 months and the impact that has had on all of our activities. Good luck. |  |
4. DGN Mina Howard is currently District 9685 Vocational Service Chair and was contacted by Maria Muzaaki from District 9211 (Uganda and Tanzania) for an article for their magazine equivalent called The Wave. They don’t have a Vocational Director. Following the referral to Mina by John Fenessy, Mina sent her 3 of the Vocational newsletters sent out in the last few months. Maria put together the attached article and added her name to it! Mina was asked for a photo, so the article will be in the January or February publication. Needless to say, Mina is feeling quite chuffed. Congratulations, Mina. |  |
| 5. We wish DGE Lindsay May, and any other District 9685 Rotarians who are competing in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, our best wishes, and lots of luck. Sail safely. |  |
 | 6. The Bo Childrens' Hospital in Sirerra Leone is a project of the Rotary Club of Turramurra. The last few months have been a testing time for people everywhere. In June Bo Children's Hospital was lent to the government for use as a Covid 19 treatment centre so that COVID cases could be isolated from the rest of the community. Fortunately, Sierra Leone has not had many COVID cases so a treatment centre is no longer needed. We are delighted to announce that from December 1st Bo Children’s Hospital will start caring for children again. |
