I’m pleased to announce D9685 has been granted a Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Grant of US$25,000 (AU$34,500) to provide prompt relief to people in D9685 in urgent need as a result of the current flooding. Rotary Clubs with members in the Windsor area (Windsor and The Ponds) are already planning to distribute Bunnings and Woolworths Gift Cards to impacted families.
This Disaster Grant is very welcome, but it won’t go very far in meeting the needs of people in the area.
Clubs in D9685 have asked how they can support people in our local area mainly centred along the Nepean and Hawkesbury River system.
RAWCS has now approved our application for a District 9685 Rotary Australia Benevolent Society project to raise funds for flood victims in our local area.
Flood Relief for Families in the Sydney Region of NSW (RABS)Project 53-2021-22 is now open to support from clubs and receive tax deductible donations from Rotarians and the public.
The QR Code below will take you to the Donate page for this project.
The D9685 Grants committee will work with clubs in the impacted areas as a panel to determine how relief will be urgently distributed and managed.
Tonga Water Purifiers - following a request from her Majesty the Queen of Tonga and in cooperation with the Rotary Assistant Governor in Nukualofa, D9685 contributed $10,000 towards this request. The Brisbane supplier had five devices available so with the help of clubs that had raised funds for Tonga, we increased our purchase to $14,250 (Charity price) which saw five filters sent to Tonga and these arrived on March 3 (see picture at left).
Thank you for the additional financial support from the Rotary Clubs of; Mosman, Macquarie Park, Northbridge, Lower Blue Mountains and Lane Cove.
For more details and information, please click HERE
It’s been a busy few weeks, not to mention preparation for Conference.
Tania and I are looking forward to catching up with 270 of you on Friday night and over 370 members and guests on Saturday at West HQ.
The Rotary Foundation has just approved a Disaster Response Grant of US$25,000 (AU$34,500) to provide relief to people in D9685 who are in need because of the recent flooding.
We plan to supply clubs in the Windsor area with gift cards from Woolworths and Bunnings to distribute to those in need. These cards will be only available for essentials and cannot be used for liquor, tobacco, or cash.
In recent weeks, two other Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Grants have been provided in northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland, and another one has been made to the District in Tonga.
Districts in Europe are also receiving Disaster Fund grants to support refugees fleeing the conflict in the Ukraine.
These grants have been made available by the generosity of Rotarians like us around the world who made contributions to The Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Fund.
Please consider donating to enable The Rotary Foundation to be ready to help with future disasters. To donate, click here, or scan the QR Code above.
You will have received recently two emails about fund raising and the local flooding situation in the areaas within District 9685. There are so many causes pulling at our purse strings, let alone heart strings, at the moment. But, think of the hardships being experienced by people near us within our District, within our State, within Australia and within the world beyond. Tragedy beyond belief.As much as possible and within our means, we need to help. Check out the emails from DG Lindsay May, and the District Rotary Foundation Chair, David Dean.
3. District 9685 DG Nominations – OPEN NOW!
It is time to think about the future leadership of our great District!
Nominations opened on Feb 6 for Past Club Presidents interested in taking on the role of leading our District in 2024-25. Please click here to see the Information Packfor further details.
Applications close Mar 30.
Interviews will be conducted on Sunday April 10.
If you qualify and would like further details, or if you know the ideal candidate, contact PDG Kalma 0417 696 156 kalmamclellan@optusnet.com.au
PDG Kalma McLellan
DG Nominating Committee Chair 2021-2022
4. Rotary delivers new blankets to the disaster flood relief centre at North Richmond Anglican Church for local flood victims
D9685 COTA (Board) approved an immediate release of funds to assist flood evacuees in the Windsor area.
DGE Mina Howard with Larry Howard & Paul Rogers purchased and delivered much needed warm blankets during the disaster at North Richmond. Lora Stopic, President of Central Blue Mountains also donated 6 beautiful blankets and helped DGE Mina Howard in Big W and Kmart to purchase the blankets and load up the car. This reponse was immediate for those affected in the flooded Hawkesbury-Nepean area, and of all of the news about us at the moment, this was a good news story. Thank to those Rotarians involved.
See the Floods Statistics for the Hawkesbury-Nepean flooding HERE
5. ClubRunner App
Did you know Clubrunner has an App for your phone?
Install the Clubrunner App and you can have access to our club members and other clubs in District 9685.
This App makes phone calls, text or email easily sent directly the the Clubrunner App. Technology apps are designed to help us and this one should be a valuable one for Rotarians
... to have all incoming Board members for 2022-2023 listed in ClubRunner. This is important for two reasons - information for the upcoming District Assembly, and information for the District Directory. The deadlines for this information, if not already supplied, has now become urgent.
7. Police Officer of the Year 2021 - Click on the image below to view a larger version.
Guest Speaker Marie Gerrard: Marie is a former scientist with the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference laboratories eventually moving to the Doherty Institute in Parkville, Victoria. She was the High Security Scientist and was very involved with the WHO Committee on biosafety and containment. Her focus was on viruses—their origin, mutations and transmission.
Marie has a Bachelor Degree in Medical Science from RMIT, a postgraduate degree in Immunology at Monash University and also studied for a Masters Degree in Development Studies at Deakin University. As well as infectious diseases she has had a long interest in Human Rights and Development.
She is a member of the Rotary Club of Southern Mitchell, District 9790 and is currently the International Service Chair.
We look forward to hearing from Marie about her work and about the threat to humans from viruses, especially in light of the recent SARS COVID-19 pandemic {and don’t forget Swine Flu, Bird Flu, Zika virus, Ebola virus etc}.
9. Health & Education Equipment Repurposing Activity (HEERA) An activity of Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd (RAWCS) – Eastern Region
HEERA, previously known as Donations in Kind (DIK) – Eastern Region, assists Australian Rotary Clubs and other charitable humanitarian organisations by accessing useable, redundant health and educational equipment and consumables. The activity only accepts equipment that is clean and in good working order, and the medical consumables must be within date with a minimum ‘use by date’ or ‘end of life’ of 6 months. The facility is a distribution centre and provides advice and assistance to sort, package and transport these items to communities in need locally, nationally and internationally. The goods are sourced from a network of government and private health and educational institutions throughout NSW as well as suppliers and private individuals.
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST - Two Positions with HEERA LOCATION: Castle Hill NSW. As of 30th June 2023, the following two positions for HEERA Eastern Region will be vacant. There is an opportunity for the successful candidate to commence earlier if desired.
As Chair of Rotary Foundation Australia (RFA), I’d like to let you know about a new opportunity to attract significant funding for large projects that your club would like to pursue—whether in your community, elsewhere in Australia or internationally.
Click on the image on the left to view a short video from the Rotary Foundation Australia
To view all of this important message, click HERE.
11. An Advertisement from the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society for your information
The commemoration of ANZAC Day is always a reminder of the extraordinary achievements of our proud forebears - 104 years ago. The Ku-ring-gai Historical Society has produced a multiple award winning four-volume series, "Rallying the Troops: a World War I Commemoration". Originally created to record the war stories of the men and women associated with Ku-ring-gai, our research revealed that they came from more than 80 towns and villages throughout New South Wales; from all over Australia; as well as from New Zealand, the UK, Europe and as far afield as Russia. "Rallying The Troops" commemorates these brave souls who defended our nation, with each chapter containing examples of their personal involvement. AS A SPECIAL FOR ANZAC DAY WE ARE OFFERING THESE WONDERFUL BOOKS AT REDUCED PRICES. All details can be found in a one-page PDF flyer which you can download from https://www.khs.org.au/pdfs/Rallying-The-Troops-Anzac-Day-Special-Offer.pdf Would you please be so kind as to let any of your District's Rotary clubs know about this offer? If you would like more information, do feel free to reply to webmaster@khs.org.au and I'll be very pleased to answer any questions you may have. There is also more information on our Rallying The Troops page, www.khs.org.au/rallying-the-troops Thank you and kind regards, Ralph Davis Committee / Webmaster, Ku-ring-gai Historical Society This project has been supported by grants from Ku-ring-gai Council and the Federal Government
"The Club Buzz" is where you will find some exciting and relevant programs or events happening in our Clubs and in District 9685.
Just Look HEREfor the latest activities and news. In almost every case, the headings or whole item are linked to either a larger copy of the document, or more information. So just click on the headings or item in the Club Buzz pages. To view the Club Buzz Design Guidelines for Clubs to provide information for Club Buzz, click HERE.
In this edition of Club Buzz, you will find news about:
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The Rotary Club of Springwood - Flood Appeal Success
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The Rotary Club of Belrose - Community Easter Egg Hunt
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The Rotary Club of Epping - 60th Anniversary
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The Rotary Club of Hornsby District - Flood Appeal
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The Rotary Club of Upper Northern Beaches - Inaugural Art Exhibition
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The Rotary Club of Upper Northern Beaches - Charity Golf Day
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The Rotary Club of Gosford City - Conversation With Dianne O'Brien
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The Rotary Club of Ku-ring-gai, St Ives, Turramurra and Wahroonga - The Bobbo
Radio is a powerful way to spread your Club stories. If your Club has a project, local or overseas, which would interest the wider general public, discuss it with Rotary Matters presenter Ian Stuart who will be glad to help spread the word. Ian.stuart@optusnet.com.au 0416 138 860
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District eNews is reviewed weekly for publication on Thursday at least every two weeks. Content provided and all rights reserved by Rotary International District 9685 Inc
Tonga Water Purifiers - following a request from her Majesty the Queen of Tonga and in cooperation with the Rotary Assistant Governor in Nukualofa, D9685 contributed $10,000 towards this request. The Brisbane supplier had five devices available so with the help of clubs that had raised funds for Tonga, we increased our purchase to $14,250 (Charity price) which saw five filters sent to Tonga and these arrived on March 3 (see picture at left).
"The Club Buzz" is where you will find some exciting 
