It’s April and we have just 84 days to go until the end of this Rotary year.
Where has the time gone?
March has been a huge month and I thank those who made the District Conference such a success both at an organisational level but especially those who decided it was time to come together and celebrate the achievements of our clubs and Rotary.
Over 260 attended on Friday evening and were enthralled by Dr Daniel Nour, 2022 Young Australian of the Year. Tania and I have been so impressed by this young man that we are committed to assisting him to extend the services provided by Street Side Medics. I was overwhelmed by the number of Club Presidents who spoke to me afterwards and offered support of their club with the intention of securing an additional van. I am in the process of collating all the positive feedback and will advise shortly of a next step. And how good was Krissie Webb as MC? This is what the changing face of Rotary looks like.
On Saturday over 370 delegates heard from 24 presenters and gained tremendous insight into the benefits from Rotary initiated projects and also affirmed that what they were doing within their clubs and across the district are each helping in many ways to make our community stronger and better. The majority of speakers have a close Rotary affinity. See Conference comments.
My thanks to Conference Chair Bob Kaye-Smith and compere and production chair Geoff Brennan and many others who work so hard to pull together in six weeks what had been parked for a year due to COVID uncertainty.
Over the years I have heard conference attendees returned to their club in the following week and say, “the conference was fantastic you should have been there.” However, essentially, they are talking to a wasted audience because the opportunity is gone.
Make a commitment now to attend district conference in Cowra, 17 to 19 March 2023. Conference has never disappointed and the best way to boost your enthusiasm for Rotary is by meeting with like-minded Rotarians at district conference.
March also saw the passing of long-term member Ian Salmon (Turramurra 2002) a very much hands-on Rotarian and Arch Klumph Society member. Ian a true gentleman was proactive in implementing health-related projects in Southeast Asia. He supported these financially and with action.
Sadly, we also lost PDG Ted (Big Ted) Atkinson (Dural) after a prolonged illness. Big Ted was the first Big Ted, long before TV’s Big Ted. A Rotarian since 1969 he was District Governor 91 – 92 and involved in so many Rotary activities, it is a vast list. He was a trailblazer for Australian Rotary Health. Please click on the links to read more about these Rotary legends.
Flood relief: the past few months have been tragic for people in northern New South Wales and Queensland and also along the Hawkesbury River.
District Rotary Foundation Chair, David Dean moved very quickly and applied for a TRF Disaster Response Grant that was approved within 72 hours. Check out David’s report (Latest News, No. 1) on the distribution of funds from the TRF Grant.
In addition, Manly club through a street collection, provided $5,000 of gift cards that were distributed via Kurrajong North Richmond club through a number of churches in the Windsor Richmond area.
The distribution of cards is complex and can only go to individuals and a system required to ensure equitable distribution. Thank you to those clubs and members who worked so quickly and so diligently to provide this relief through Rotary.
In addition, a RAWCS (RABS) flood fund was set up specifically for people affected in the greater Sydney area. Today some $75,000 has been donated and these funds will soon be converted to gift cards and more people in our area assisted. Every dollar is being matched by a generous donor.
It has been very pleasing to see the way in which Rotarians moved so quickly to set up these appeals and to distribute funds where needed and with a sense of urgency.
This Rotary Year: Now that clubs are meeting regularly, it’s high time to review your Strategic Plan and goals for the year. Membership is modestly up on 1 July 2021, but we know that June 30 leads to an annual cleanout. With three months to plan it’s time to re-engage with those member prospects and encourage them to join your clubs. Likewise, time to review individual and Club giving to the Rotary Foundation and let’s blow the Centurion numbers sky-high. I like to see 1000 by year end. We are currently at 440 but I know that regular giving will see a surge at year end.
At conference you heard from Neil McWhannell and the launch of our Bequest program which generated much interest and action. Already a number have signed up to be members of the Bequest Society by making a provision in their will for US $10,000. If you think about it, it’s probably less than 0.5% of most properties in District 9685 and will allow the Rotary Foundation to fund humanitarian programs long after we have departed.
Regarding departures, please note that the 2021 – 22 Rotary train leaves the station on June 30, 2022. Until then our presidential theme is Serve to Change Lives and our RI President is Shekhar Mehta.
On July 1, 2022, we welcome a new RI president with a new theme. But until then all theme collateral is embargoed. It has been released so that district teams-elect and club officers-elect can plan, and those teams should most certainly be meeting on a regular basis, so they hit the new year running.
Take it from me, come this time next year you might not even have seen the year flash by.
As Tania and I recover from COVID with a clean bill of health, and a cough, we look forward to engaging with your clubs as you reach out into your community. Please invite us and we will do all we can to support you.
For club changeover please get your invitations in early and DGE Mina, DGN Christine and I will do our best to attend your event. By May 1 we should have an additional member of the G train, District Governor Nominee Designate also available.
Thank you again to all district and club officers who have managed change through this difficult year and hopefully we can now set our sights on getting back to normal and serving to change lives.
As you know, the Rotary year runs from July to June, so we are now into the final quarter of DG Lindsay’s year. We are well on track to meet many of Lindsay’s goals for The Rotary Foundation. Clubs have met over 75% of their giving goals to the Annual Fund, which provides the Seed Bank for future District Governors. Thank you to the 31% of Rotarians in our District who have already made their contributions to the Annual Fund to achieve this level of support.
Imagine what will be possible when every Rotarian in our District contributes just $100 to The Rotary Foundation!
Thanks to the 37 continuing members of the Paul Harris Society who have already committed $US 1000 or more to The Rotary Foundation this financial year, and thanks to those of you who have taken up PP Neil McWhannell’s suggestion at the District Conference to adjust your Wills to leave a bequest to The Rotary Foundation.
If you haven’t made your contribution yet, there are many ways to direct your support of The Rotary Foundation to specific causes. Here are four suggestions as you plan your giving at club and individual levels in the last quarter of this financial year:
Support the Annual Fund. Your club and individual contributions to the Annual Fund are used for District and Global Grants, as well as for Trustee programs, such as Peace Scholars. Our hope is that every club member contributes at least $100 to the Annual Fund to become a Centurion member each year.
Support Polio Plus. The battle against polio is being won despite the turmoil of the pandemic and war. Our continuing support is essential, and every dollar donated is matched by two dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Support the Disaster Response Fund. This fund, created in 2019, provides emergency support to districts around the world when disaster strikes. Our District has already received three of these grants – for bushfires, the pandemic, and for flood relief. The priority now is to donate funds to assist Ukrainian refugees as they seek shelter around the world. Your donations through 30 April 2022 will qualify to support these humanitarian efforts.
Make a Global Grant Directed Gift. Recently the Australian arm of The Rotary Foundation announced a new program to “Supercharge” your project. This program encourages companies and individuals (but not Rotary Clubs) to donate $50,000 or more to assist with Global Grant projects here in Australia or overseas. These donations are fully tax deductible and can be directed to be used by our District in specific areas of interest.
Please contact me or any member of the District Rotary Foundation Committee for more information on any of our programs.
In early March, District 9685 received a Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Grant of $34,500 to assist flood victims in the Greater Sydney area. Thanks to the hard work of Rotarians in the Rotary Clubs of The Ponds, Windsor, Kariong/Somersby, Northern Beaches, Richmond, and The Hills/Kellyville, we have already distributed assistance to 144 people. This has taken the form of Woolworths or Bunnings vouchers worth $250 each.
If you get your calculator out and multiply the number of vouchers by the dollar value, you should see that the assistance amounts to $36,000 instead of $34,500. Thanks to the efforts of Rotary Club of Richmond’s President, Tim Bickford, who works at Woolworths, we were able to qualify for a 5% discount on the Woolworths vouchers to stretch the assistance further.
Our District also received approval from RAWCS to launch a separate project to provide additional Flood Relief for Families in the Sydney Region of NSW (RABS)This project is well on the way to raising our goal of $100,000, with generous tax-deductible contributions from Rotarians, Rotary Clubs, and members of the public. To donate, please click here. 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 over the next few weeks. Please contact David Dean, District Foundation Chair, directly to let him know of the flood-related needs in your area.
2. RAWCS Travel
ALL travel by RAWCS Project Volunteer Teams remains suspended until further notice. The advice from the RAWCS Executive issued in June 2020 remains current.
Please note the following entries on the RAWCS website.
It was a very difficult decision to postpone BOBBO 2022 considering the hundreds, possibly thousands, of hours that have gone into preparations. It is disappointing for everyone but in the end the riders’ safety became the main priority as these continued rain events had caused havoc to the roads including multiple potholes, land slips etc. Unfortunately, the charities we support will be affected in the short term as they rely on these significant cash donations. On Thursday night, in consultation with police and others, the decision was made to postpone the event for the safety of all concerned and to minimize the expenses that would have needed to be paid out. Harold was our man on the job and he had many duties including cancelling food which had been preordered. Derek, Tim Wilson and John Waterhouse also set about notifying our volunteers. John Steel was also very involved in unwinding this event. We sincerely thank them for their efforts as the Bobbo backroom boys. We also acknowledge and thank all the Rotarians, Friends of Rotary and volunteers who answered the call and stepped up. Thank you so much. To minimize repeating all the tasks in September, the volunteers have been asked to keep their yellow marshal bags (which included hi-viz vests, instructions, bottles of water, muesli bars etc). The riders will be issued new numbers if necessary and many other aspects of sponsorship etc can be carried forward. (From President Lyndall's Report in the RC of St Ives newsletter, dated 23rd March 2022)
4.ShelterBox Aid Arrives in Ukraine
Thanks to your generous donations, the first shipments of ShelterBox aid have arrived in Ukraine. Thousands of our mattresses have arrived in Ukraine, they will be distributed to collective centres in Lviv this week, offering people somewhere to sleep and keep warm at night. Bales of thermal blankets, pallets of Shelter Kits, solar lights and other essential items are on their way.
But our work doesn't stop there. We also have a team working in Moldova, where many people are fleeing from Ukraine. The team have been visiting collective centres and working to understand what people need.
Your continuing support is helping us reach people who urgently need shelter and support - both within Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. Watch our latest video update from Martin in Moldova. WATCH NOW 📽
5. DISTRICT 9685 YOUTH EXCHANGE IS BACK!!!!!!
The District Youth Exchange Committee is over the moon to announce that our program is back on track. All be it looking a little different than before the pandemic.
We hope to send out our first 6 students in January 2023 to Japan, Chile and Brazil. We will receive students from these countries in January 2023. Outbounds to Europe will not occur until January 2024.
European Inbounds will be welcomed into our district from July 2023. We are obliged to accept students from Europe in exchange for the Outbounds we sent in 2020.
Please be assured we and Rotary International will be monitoring the situation in Europe very carefully. Rotary International reacted quickly to the COVID threat around the world to ensure the safety of all Youth Exchange participants and will do so again if necessary.
On a more local matter, we are looking for Coordinators for the Central Coast and would love to talk with any Rotarian on the Coast interested in being involved in this exciting program of Rotary. Now is the time to join the committee as we work toward building up the program. Please reach out to Co-Chairs John and Susan Wakefield for more information.
6. WWS14 explores the role of water, sanitation, and hygiene in stopping the transmission of infectious disease, including Polio.
Register now for WASH-RAG's hybrid event - scheduled for time zones around the world, and in person in Houston.
Meet Rotary's Dr. Tunji Funsho - Keynote Speaker.
’s.0 not often an entire continent eradicates a disease, but on Aug. 25, 2020, that happened when Nigeria was declared polio-free, clearing the virus from its last redoubt in all of Africa. The person who did more than any other to drive polio to continent-wide extinction was Dr. Tunji Funsho, a former cardiologist and now the chair of Rotary International’s polio-eradication program in Nigeria.
7. Timor Leste News
View the latest uplifting report for Rotarian Libby Bleakley about theSentru Formasaun Ba Juventude. Click HERE.
8. World Immunisation Week - Join with Rotary to promote the power of vaccines to protect children and save lives
During World Immunization Week, 24-30 April, let’s advocate for polio eradication and the importance of vaccines to the health and well-being of our communities. We need to continue vaccinating children against polio, because as long as the poliovirus circulates anywhere, it is a threat everywhere.
You can support Rotary’s by:
Using the World Immunization Week Toolkitfor graphics and sample posts to share on social media with the hashtags #EndPolio and #VaccinesWork.
Donating to PolioPlus to help Rotary and our partners deliver polio vaccines to vulnerable children. Or start an online fundraiser using Raise for Rotary and share it with your friends, colleagues, and family members. All contributions will be matched 2-to-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
9. Last Friday, 1st April was the 85th Anniversary of PCYC NSW In 1937 the Commissioner of Police William Mackay who was a member of Sydney Rotary, wanted to get boys off the streets around the Sydney docks area. Kids were coming into contact with the police for the wrong reason, and the Commissioner wanted to have a safe haven for the kids to interact with the police in a non-confrontational way. In partnership with Rotary, the police opened a boy's youth centre in Woolloomooloo originally known as the Police Rotary Boys Club. Later that year the police included other boy's clubs under the umbrella of the Federation of Police Boys Clubs. This led to the modern day PCYC. Last week there was an 85th anniversary celebration at the Auburn PCYC that included the Police Commissioner Karen Webb APM; below is a link to a short video put out by the NSW Police media to mark the occassion. This past Friday 1st April at 11am, all 66 PCYC clubs around NSW had a cake cutting ceremony. Watch the story HERE.
Peter Kirkwood
10. Webinar - Increasing our Ability to Adapt. People of action are inventive, entrepreneurial, and resilient. We know what we stand for and why it matters. We’re driven by a sense of optimism — a belief that we are and will continue to be essential to our communities, to the world, and to humanity.
To create a solid foundation for innovation, sustainability, and growth, we need to seek new opportunities, embrace creative ideas, and take strategic risks. This kind of evolution can be difficult. But it’s essential if we want to create more paths to leadership, welcome new voices, and simplify how we get things done. Let’s stay true to ourselves and stay ahead of change in our next 117 years.
Join us for the fourth webinar in our Engaging Members + Delivering Value series, Increasing our Ability to Adapt. Register now for one of the sessions using the hyperlinks—this is also where you can learn about the speakers and submit your questions. A recording will be available to everyone who registers.
REGISTER NOW: Wednesday, 27 April 18:00 (UTC-5). (ie. Thursday, 28th April, 9.00am, AEST). Interpretation will be offered in Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin. REGISTER NOW: Thursday, 28 April 11:00 (UTC-5). (ie. Friday, 29th April, 2.00am, AEST). This is a replay with live Q&A. Interpretation will be offered in French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
"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:
*
The Rotary Club of Hornsby District - Charity Auction
*
The Rotary Club of Belrose - Community Easter Egg Hunt
*
The Rotary Club of North Ryde - Fun Run
*
The Rotary Club of Upper Blue Mountains Sunrise - Medlow Music in the Park
*
The Rotary Club of Belrose - Thank You
*
The Rotary Club of Wyong Tuggerah - Central Coast Brickfest
*
The Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills - Giant Book Sale
*
The Rotary Club of Gosford North - 50th Anniversary Dinner
*
The Rotary Club of Woy Woy - Opera in the Arboretum
In Rotary, a lot is mentioned about having good Public Image (PI) to enhance the Rotary brand to the general public.
PI if you’re unaware of it is the very fine art of managing communications not only between an organisation and the public but also between ourselves. Whether the news is good or bad, people will always have something to say about you, your business perhaps and even your Rotary club. So how can social media improve your clubs public image efforts?
Social media allows you to engage in the conversations taking place about your club as they happen. Social media also creates the opportunity to change the conversation, increase the awareness of Rotary’s brand, and improve your search engine optimization (SEO). That basically means the more your club is active on social media the more hits and searches you will come up on in Google, the more potential members will actually find you.
Understanding social media relations is an important part of your PI effort. The audiences your club is trying to reach or influence are spending time on and being influenced by social media, this is where the conversation is happening and Rotary and especially your club needs to be at the forefront of it. Good social media PI participation means also connecting with and engaging with influential people who can help to promote a positive brand image for Rotary. Think about engaging your local member of Parliament for example on social media and see if they can help promote your club and members with a friendly shout out on their own social media accounts. It is also important to identify and empower positive Rotary brand ambassadors from your own club or district to help “sell” the good Rotary public image.
Building positive relationships with your clubs fans and followers helps dispel any negative brand attention and accentuate what’s positive about Rotary and the things Rotarians are doing in the world. But here is the kicker, social media is already over saturated with content so you must have something interesting to communicate to your audience. So keep it fun, friendly and informative and it will work well for your clubs public image.
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
It’s been two years since we have come together and celebrated all of Rotary’s accomplishments. Don’t miss the chance to reconnect with friends, explore innovative ways to make a lasting impact in your community, and attend fascinating breakout sessions and events at the 2022 Rotary International Convention.
Arrive early to attend the Rotary Presidential Conference Houston: Serve to Bring Peace, 3-4 June. This event showcases Rotary’s seven Areas of Focus and how each supports and contributes to more peaceful and resilient societies. It will inspire members to engage with Rotary’s many peacebuilding programs and initiatives and continue to build peace across the globe. Register here today while space is still available.
While we’re excited to gather in-person again, we also want to assure you that we’ll be following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirements on COVID-19 and implementing other safety measures. Please visit convention.rotary.org for more information about the convention safety protocols.
to let us know of any bereavements you would like published.
You may also inform your Assistant Governor, the District Secretary, or the Governor. Remember to also update your club's member database on the District website.
THE ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE COURSE 68
13th to 15th MAY, 2022
Face to Face
at
Level 1, 25/1 Maitland Place, Norwest NSW 2153
The next opportunity is RLI 68 which will be held face to face at the RDU Property at Norwest.
You are receiving this email as a member or friend of one of the Rotary Clubs within Rotary International District 9685. If, for any reason, you do not want to receive communications of this nature, please unsubscribe by un-checking the box in the 'Privacy' tab of your member profile on the District website, or by selecting the 'unsubscribe' link at the foot of this newsletter.
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
It is disappointing for everyone but in the end the riders’ safety became the main priority as these continued rain events had caused havoc to the roads including multiple potholes, land slips etc. Unfortunately, the charities we support will be affected in the short term as they rely on these significant cash donations. 
People of action are inventive, entrepreneurial, and resilient. We know what we stand for and why it matters. We’re driven by a sense of optimism — a belief that we are and will continue to be essential to our communities, to the world, and to humanity. 
"The Club Buzz" is where you will find some exciting 
