PP Barry Seach (Rotary Club of Carlingford) delivers the Welcome to Country at the Australia Day flag raising at the John Wearn Reserve, Carlingford as the opener to the combined Australia Day activities provided by the Rotary clubs of Carlingford, Beecroft and North Rocks. This was one of the many Rotary Club ceremonies that took place that day, which all went a long way towards meeting the Reflect Respect Celebrate motto of this Australia Day.
For those who ever thought that their goal was too far to stretch, I have two syllables of encouragement; ‘Bar-ty’ and ‘Ra-Fa’.
I was amazed at Ash Barty’s recovery from down 1:5 and on Sunday night turned the TV off when Nadal lost a game in the third set, thinking there was no Ash Barty success to happen here.
Like you, the next morning I couldn’t believe what I was reading on my iPad. “Nadal’s amazing win’. Surely it was an old story about another epic battle in past years.
But NO. How could he have overcome the youthful Medvedev, ten years his junior, who had hardly raised a sweat in the opening two hours?
So, we’re in February with 5 months to go and we still have 41% of the year to achieve our goals.
Yes, COVID has been an inhibiting factor, but I continued to be amazed at the resilience and flexibility of our members.
Australia Day was an example.
The National Australia Day Council were late in giving Rotary the go ahead for grants to enable clubs to plan and implement Australia Day events.
However small committees worked through the festive and holiday season and pulled off some stunning Australia Day activities where all were able to Reflect, Respect and Celebrate.
Tania and my observation on visiting six activities in the lower north shore and northwest was great interaction with the public and a respectful acknowledgment of our indigenous heritage that suggests a strong base upon which to move forward.
My involvement was very much on the periphery but acknowledge the sharing of knowledge from last year’s participants and will mention; Phil Isaacs (Upper Blue Mountains), Michele Ellery (Lower Blue Mountains) and Trudy Stevenson (Carlingford) who were of immense help to the newcomers in bringing them up to speed and sharing tips and contacts. I'm not yet fully across all clubs that took up the challenge, but I hear that the day was very successful, generated membership leads, donations and strong outreach into the community.
Announcements from the Governor General bring congratulations to Sue O’Neill OAM (Brisbane Water) and Berowra honorary member Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons on his elevation to AO to complement his AFSM.
We have hundreds of Rotarians in D9685 who should be recognised with an Australian Honour.
Our next milestone event is District Conference. Right now, the dilemma is to hold a face to face event March 18-19? There’s strong support to proceed given the venue requires; vaccination evidence, mask wearing, social distancing and is providing a 1500 seat auditorium for our Saturday sessions
Tell us how you feel – show us your support!
You can make your position count by registering for conference today.
There’s a full refund if we cancel and your registration will assist in our decision making.
Conference Keynote speaker Dr Daniel Nour, was named Young Australian of the Year 2022 and we also confirm Professor Veena Sahajwalla, 2022 NSW Australian of the Year on the program.
Membership took a hit at 31 December with 26 members leaving D9685. We are still up on 1 July 21 which is encouraging given the challenges of the pandemic and hopefully as we come out of isolation, we will see a significant boost in new members. Remember: if you don’t ask you don’t get.
Great Polio Train Ride23 February. On 31st January, it was decided that we will not undertake the train ride due to COVID restrictions, but feverish activity has started to morph this into a virtual event that will cover NSW. Conceptually every Rotarian will be encouraged to visit their local train station or even remote maybe disused stations, take a selfie and post to a website and make a polio donation through Raise for Rotary.
We seek your support as individual donors and for clubs suggest $1850 as $10 per station in the Sydney network.
I’m excited to report D9685 leads Australia in Rotary Foundation support this year and we are the #8 WORLDWIDE implementing Global Grants! However, in Polio giving we’re tracking a little behind last year, so February 23 is a great opportunity to boost our Polio contributions and put D9685 back in the #1 spot.
Given the uncertainty and the drop in numbers and the restrictions on meeting face to face, we might feel like we’re two sets down or facing 1:5 against, but just imagine you’re Rafa or Ash.
We can come back from the brink and finish 2021-22 on a high.
Over 1000 people were recognised on the Australia Day Honours List for their achievements spanning community service, science and research, industry, sport, and the arts, representing the strength and diversity of Australia. However, there are many more “unsung heroes” worthy of recognition in our communities.
Rotary provides a way for clubs and individual Rotarians to recognise people in the community by way of Paul Harris Fellow Recognition. Recipients receive a pin and a Certificate proclaiming them as a Paul Harris Fellow.
At the start of the Rotary year, I challenged every club to plan and host at least one practical and action-oriented Rotary Day of Service. The event should address a challenge your community is facing that fits into one or more of Rotary’s areas of focus and should bring together volunteers from within and outside of Rotary.
Rotary Days of Service can motivate Rotary, Rotaract, and Interact clubs to plan innovative and impactful projects. They can showcase your work as people of action and introduce prospective members to your club.
I’ve been inspired by your response so far, and I want to share with you just one project that has captured my imagination.
RAWCS has set up an appeal fund for donations to support the people of Tonga affected by the volcanic eruption and ensuing tsanami.
District 9685 is liaising with the Consul of Tonga and has approved $10,000 for supply of equipment to be agreed with the Tongan Government. The balance will be placed into the RAWCS Project account
We urge Clubs to also contribute to the RAWCS project. Should any of you wish to make a personal TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation, the following should help.
RAWCS Information page :-
Tonga Volcano Eruption and Tsunami Disaster - Rotary Australia Relief Fund (RARF)
https://directory.rawcs.com.au/42-2021-22 Summary: To provide funds for humanitarian programs to assist the people in Tonga recover from the volcano and tsunami disaster. Challenge: The effects of the Volcano and Tsunami on January 15th will be far-reaching, impacting the Tonga Community for months, possibly years to come. Communication remains problematic with international and inter-island call still no possible due to the damage to the undersea cable. Solution: Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) will be working with Rotary New Zealand World Community Service (RNZWCS) and Rotary Club of Nuku’alofa (Tonga) in providing aid and assistance to the affected communities’ and restoring their livelihoods. RAWCS has registered a Rotary Australia Relief Fund project to seek financial assistance from Rotary Clubs, the public and private sector. Donations to the RAWCS Relief Fund are tax deductible. Long term impact: The aim is to get Tonga back to normality as soon as possible so that they can look after their own communities again.
Sponsored by: RAWCS National
What happened in Tonga: (Click on the image below)
2. DISTRICT GOVERNOR 2024-25 INFORMATION
The role of District Governor is exciting and awe inspiring! And we are ready to consider our next applicants: Past Presidents of our Rotary Clubs are invited to consider applying for the role of District Governor 2024-25. Nominating District Governors must comply with RI Manual of Procedure, Article 16. Qualifications for District Governor Nominees includes: Read More
PDG Kalma McLellan
DG Nominating Committee Chair 2021-2022
3. 2022 NSW Youth Advisory Council (YAC)
We are pleased to advise that Zoë Robinson - Advocate for Children and Young People
has informed Paul Rogers that applications for the 2022 NSW Youth Advisory Council (YAC) are now open and will close on Sunday 13 March, 2022 at 11:59pm.
As our District Youth Protection Officer (DYPO) I encourage you to consider circulating to all our District Clubs and Youth Service Directors for them to encourage the wide distribution of this Notice seeking applicant’s to apply for this wonderful opportunity via the link below:
The December public release of THE DUKE had to be postponed to 31st March due to Covid however Rotary’s pre-release arrangement allows you to schedule events from 23rd Februaryonward*. Now’s the time to get busy!
THE DUKE is “a ridiculously charming British comedy” and “stranger-than-fiction true story” of a 60-year old taxi driver who held the government to ransom by stealing Goya’s priceless portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery.
We would encourage you to work closely with your local cinema to take full advantage of the pre-release period. You could even run multiple events if you like. Your cinema will handle all the logistics with the movie distributor, Transmission Films. To assist you in promoting the event, we’ve created a template that your club or district can use to create your own marketing materials:
It’s a PowerPoint file—simply replace the XXX’s with your club name and event details and:
save it as a PDF and arrange for your local printer to produce posters and handouts
save it as a graphics file and post it to your social media, website, newsletter, etc.
Let’s make this year’s Polio Movie Event a blockbuster—and End Polio Now!
5.Brand Center updates - January 2022 - See what’s new in Rotary’s Brand Center
We’re introducing new templates to make it easier for you to create official club logos and to customize ads, social media graphics, and brochures. You’ll find these templates in the Brand Center after 15 February 2022.
With these updated templates, you can:
Select Rotary images to use — or upload your own
Easily crop photos and images
Quickly add text and headlines
Choose options for printing on your own or by a professional
Timor-Leste Update - December 2021. Despite being the December newsletter, it is no less relevant, giving a concise picture of the work being undertaken in Timore-Leste. Read Here.
7. District 9685 Annual Conference 2022
The 2022 Rotary District 9685 Conference is planned to be a face to face event and you’re invited to join DGE Lindsay and Tania for an exciting event ‘Navigating Change’.
For the first time in three years Rotarians will come together to celebrate how we Serve to Change Lives. Members were surveyed and the feedback influenced the decision to meet closer to home, for one day only. Many sites were researched and conference sessions will be held at West HQ, Rooty Hill on Saturday 19 March 2022. It’s time to celebrate the amazing projects undertaken by your clubs, delivering life changing humanitarian service.
In response to questions and concerns raised by members worldwide, we are pleased to announce that the Rotary International Board of Directors has confirmed that the 2022 Rotary International Convention will be an in-person event 4-8 June in Houston, Texas, USA. We are excited to offer a special registration rate of US$495 through 28 February.
In addition, the Board has determined that all participants, including Rotary International preconvention participants, must either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) OR provide a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before their arrival at the convention. Check convention.rotary.org for updates as we continue to determine what safety protocols are necessary, based on the current CDC recommendations for safe gatherings. Don’t delay, because this special registration offer expires 28 February. You’ll have the opportunity to cancel for a full refund, minus a $50 per person administration fee, until 30 April.
Conference is an opportunity for your club to showcase your unique projects with a view to gaining support or expanding the scope of your project.
Most international Rotary programs started as an idea of one member, were taken on by a club and grew through District, Zones and internationally.
Think - RYLA, Shelterbox, Australian Rotary Health, ROMAC and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, etc.
In D9685 I think of - Shelterbag, School in Box, Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia, Tree of Joy, Graffiti Removal, Pride of Workmanship and many more. All grew from one idea.
"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:
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
Support for Homeless Women. The Hornsby Kuring gai Womens’ Shelter
THE MONTHLY THEME FOR FEBRUARY IS PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Congratulations to Rotary District 9685 Members Sue O'Neill OAM (RC of Brisbane Water), and Shane Fitzsimmons AO (Honorary Member of the RC of Berowra) for thir Honours awarded on Australia Day, 26th Janmuaruy, 2022.
THE ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE COURSE 67
25th to 27th FEBRUARY, 2022
On-line by Zoom
The next opportunity is RLI 67 which will be held on-line.
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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
"The Club Buzz" is where you will find some exciting 
