As the saying goes, “time flies when you’re having fun” and Tania and I have had a load of fun these last 12 months interacting with 67 clubs, 1700 Rotarians and 40 Rotaractors in District 9685.
There have been many positives this year as clubs initially navigated the pandemic and continued to grow membership and deliver programs into their communities.
Membership has enjoyed a modest increase. Of course, June 30 presents challenges but I know there are members about to be inducted, so with a little luck we could finish in positive territory for the first time since D9685 came into existence.
Ken Lyons 50 years in Rotary
I would like to recognise and congratulate Past President Ken Lyons (pictured left) from Rotary Club of Windsor, who celebrates 50 years of membership and service to Rotary on 2nd June 2022.
Well done Ken!
RAWCS
Through RAWCS the district has 60 projects in over 23 countries plus 18 in Australia, the largest participation by far, of any district in Australia. In addition, our RAWCS District Representative, Jan Pryor was recently awarded the Len Avard Medal for services to RAWCS. The RAWCS Greater Sydney Flood Appeal has seen extraordinary generosity from members and clubs, near and far. This appeal is now closed, with over $135,000 donated. Add The Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Grant and assisted by a discounted Woolworths gift card, we have delivered $174,000 worth of assistance to those impacted by the floods along the Hawkesbury River system. Thank you donors, and to the clubs and members and other local organisations who helped deliver this financial support.
The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund
Only 2 clubs 1 club to go for 100% D9685 support!
District Rotary Foundation Chair, David Dean has a separate report below, and whilst we have a critical four weeks left until June 30, members and clubs have been very generous in their giving to the Annual Fund and Polio this year which will in turn fund our district’s Grants in 2024 – 25.
Club’s achievement through District and Global Grants has delivered over $1.7 million of humanitarian projects. A 14:1 return on investment.
Western Sydney, Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA)
Last weekend we attended a very exciting MUNA at Kingswood High School.
29 senior high school teams represented a diverse array of countries and debated many contentious and thought-provoking resolutions covering international challenges.
The ultimate winners, representing Saudi Arabia was The Kings School (pic) and the judges had a challenging time separating the teams.
Thank you to convener Drew Fitzpatrick and the many members of Lower Blue Mountains Rotary who provided support across the weekend covering a myriad of tasks.
MUNA Sydney will occur June 18 – 19 and I encourage anyone with an interest in our future leaders to attend for some part of the day, to experience the calibre of our students.
Social Media: @Lindsay May Rotary DG 2021-22
Thank you to ALL Rotarians, Rotaractors and Clubs for documenting our photographic journey and sharing your projects and passion for Serving to Change Lives.
Pictures tell 1000 words….and...Rotarians have much to say!
Tania and I have enjoyed every minute of every visit and taken great pride in your achievements. Zoom turned out to be a wonderful medium for the DG visits, as we appreciated engaging with Rotarians and Rotaractors online.
The successes of District 9685 this past year is directly attributable to the dedicated Rotarians and Rotaractors serving on all levels. The support from the district team has been outstanding and they have worked around the limitations of the pandemic and where possible, produced programs, sometimes with a short lead time.
Extraordinary humanitarian projects have been delivered locally and overseas. Projects that change and save lives. We need to take every opportunity to get our story out in the community so the public know more about what Rotary achieves and this will influence like-minded people to join us.
To convince prospective members to join, we need to have vibrant clubs that are welcoming to all and respect their diverse opinions. To achieve this, clubs need to have an active succession plan where members with some Rotary experience are prepared to offer their services for leadership positions. My observation is clubs that struggle to elect new presidents and directors, need to rejuvenate.
I ask all members, especially those of recent years, to look upon the opportunity to serve as a club leader as being a way of building your skill sets that will better equip you in your vocation, community, family life and in Rotary. Now is the time to Imagine what you can achieve when you take on club and district leadership roles.
As you did with Conference, I seek your support to attend District Changeover on Saturday July 2, at Hornsby RSL. Book Here Let’s celebrate your remarkable achievements in 2021-22.
On behalf of Tania and myself, thank you to everyone who has made 2021–22 the most rewarding year of our Rotary careers.
All Rotarians in District 9685 should feel proud of their contributions to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund this year. Despite the continuing turmoil of the pandemic, the clubs in our District are on track to exceed the goals you set at the beginning of the year for contributions to our Polio Fund and to the Annual Fund (our “Seed Bank”). Thank you!
The Annual Fund serves as a Seed Bank to set aside funds now for use in three years’ time. This year, we have been using funds our District Rotarians contributed in 2018-19. Your combined contributions that year have been used to provide grants of over $A240,000 for 34 District Grant projects and over 16 Global Grant projects in over a dozen countries that have attracted over $A1.5 million in additional funding!
As we prepare for the start of DGE Mina Howard’s year in July, we know that we will have access to over $A200,000 for District and Global Grants, thanks to the contributions our club members made to the Annual Fund back in 2019-20. Did you know that the contributions we make this year through June will be available for District and Global Grants during DG Nominee Niranjan Deodhar’s term as our District Governor in 2024-25? As of 31 May, the funds available for 2024-25 will be about $A140,000 for District and Global Grants, partly due to the conservative goals that clubs set at the beginning of the year. In past years, many of our clubs were able to contribute over two-times their initial goal, and I hope that your club will consider supporting our Annual Fund further during June. Only donations to the Annual Fund SHARE program serve as our seed bank for future projects.
Here are some tips on how to make your donation:
Individual Rotarian (and non-Rotarian) Donations. The simplest way is to donate online for yourself of multiple club members by using your credit or debit card. Just click here.
Club Contributions (from Community Fundraising) should be transferred to The Rotary Foundation BSB: 332 084 Account:100345225. Please be sure to include the key part of your Club name, skipping the “Rotary Club of …” in the bank reference, and please send an email to risppo@rotary.org to let them know that your contribution is coming.
Club Contributions (for Groups of Individual Members) can be made by EFT using the Multiple Donor Form, and transferring the funds to The Australian Rotary Foundation Trust BSB 332-084 Account 551038195. Please send the form to risppo@rotary.org when you deposit the funds into the account so that each member will receive a tax-deductible receipt for their donations.
We have special recognition programs for individuals and for clubs who donate to the Annual Fund to thank you for your support of this vital program. I look forward to the celebration events that will recognise your contributions in the new Rotary year.
Jan Pryor was awarded the RAWCS Len Avard Shield on the weekend. This is a prestigious annual award for RAWCS Eastern Region (6 Districts in NSW and ACT). It is for an outstanding Rotarian making a significant contribution with RAWCS. Jan was presented with the award from RAWCS Eastern Region chairman Brian Coffey (pictured with Jan). Click HEREto view the citation.
We are all very proud of the contribution Jan makes and pleased she has received this recognition. Congratulations, Jan.
2.A Trek to Remember
My friend Carlene Martin and I raised $10,000 for ShelterBox. An amazing experience never to be repeated!!😛 I’d like to thank all of those Rotarians who contributed to the cause.
The Larapinta starts at the Old Telegraph Station just outside Alice Springs and runs through the West McDonnell Ranges ending at Mt Sonder (which is where the picture has been taken). We started at 2.45am and hiked uphill for 8 kms to see the sunrise.
An extremely difficult walk all round. The whole trail is 232Kms but we did about 70kms over 5 days.
Cheers, DGE Mina Howard
Congratulations, DGE Mina, for the achievement in completing 70 kms, plus a fantastic find raising effort.
3. RAWCS - Sydney Area Flood Relief Project Nearing Completion
Our District RAWCS project to provide relief in the Sydney area to flood-affected people is now in the final implementation phase, distributing the last Woolworths/Big W vouchers. Thanks to the generous contributions from 18 Rotary clubs and over 30 individuals in our District and beyond, we have been able to provide $130,000 in much-needed immediate support to over 250 people.
District Governor Lindsay May would like to thank the club leaders and their colleagues handling the distribution of the vouchers for their help: John Chapman – Rotary Club of Windsor; Zoe Bellamy – Rotary Club of The Ponds; Max Pittolo – Rotary Club of Kariong/Somersby; Paul Rogers – Rotary Club of Kurrajong North Richmond; and Haran Ramachandran – Rotary Club of The Hills Kellyville. Their efforts in working with the local communities to find those in need and provide the vouchers has made a real difference in people’s lives! DG Lindsay May also extends his thanks to his Deputy Project Manager, David Dean, for his work with Woolworths to obtain the gift cards.
Here's some of the feedback we’ve already received from flood-affected people in area communities:
Pitt Town: “Thank you so much. I’m speechless. That is so kind of you and all involved. If there is any way I can give back to the community please let me know.”
Lower Portland: “This will really help coming into winter and with our baby due in 4 weeks’ time. All your work and by Rotary are greatly appreciated by us. Thank you.”
Windsor: “Oh my goodness thank you so much!!! That will help us immensely and has given me a little boost up that I desperately needed today. Please pass on my gratitude to all involved Thank you.”
Ebenezer: “Thank you, made my day after a horrendous week with immune-compromised hubby being knocked sideways after 5 skin cancer removals and a cough from hell keeping him up every night.”
4. RAWCS Photo Competition - Opportunity to promote your project and win some funds for your project.
How?
Submit the best 3 photos from the project – action photos to tell the story of the project illustrating an activity in the 2021-22 year.
When submitting - specify, the project number and description e.g. [23-2009-10 food garden] or [45-2020-21 wheelchair] etc
Each photo selected and used in the RAWCS Annual Report receives additional funds for your project. Winning entries will receive funds for your project
Our approach enables this; our materials educate communities on the link between plant selection and nutrition, focusing on highly nutritious local food plants, which has seen malnutrition reduce by as much as 95%.
Zimbabwe has some significant challenges in this area:
§ 12.6% of infants have low weight at birth
§ Only 41.9% of infants aged 0 to 5 months are exclusively breastfed.
§ 23.5% of children under 5 years of age live with stunted growth.
§ 2.9% of children under 5 years of age are living with malnutrition (wasted).
We’ve had multiple, on-going requests for our educational materials for Zimbabwe and it’s because of that that we reach out to you today. Any help you can provide will make us one step closer to improving children’s lives.
(Food Plant Solutions now incorporating Learn Grow, is a registered RAWCS project providing DGR status. Please contact us for details.)
Food Plant Solutions operates in accordance with Rotary International Policy but is not an agency of, or controlled by Rotary International
6. Volunteer for Deadly Futures program
We are currently looking for people with experience with young people and/or tutoring to assist on our Deadly Futures program. Deadly Futures is a school suspension program delivered three days per week (Mon, Tues, Thurs 10am-2pm) in Marrickville. Deadly Futures offers fun, creative, educational, and cultural activities for Aboriginal young people who have been suspended, at risk of suspension or disengaged from school. This is a new program which will be delivered during the school term to high school students, particularly those who are involved or at risk of involvement with the justice and/or child projection system/s.
Deadly Connections is seeking tutors who would be eager to assist First Nations youth with basic tutoring to re-engage them with school. Groups are small with a maximum of 6 participants and 2 other Deadly Connections staff members will be facilitating the program. We're currently looking for people to volunteer on a weekly basis either Monday, Tuesday or Thursday from 10am to 2pm. A valid WWCC is essential and interviews will be arranged. Please get back to me if you are interested and have availability to assist or let me know if you have any questions.
Leia Kefalianos
Deadly Connections Community & Justice Services Limited
18004USMOB
Enmore Park, cnr Enmore Rd and Victoria Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204 PO Box 6166 Marrickville South NSW 2204
The end of the year is approaching at an alarming rate. Let's all celebrate the end of another somewhat unusal year due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. The Changeover will be celebrating the achievements of DG Lindsay May and all Clubs in our District, and welcoming incoming DG Mina Howard and her teams.
This will be another fantastic Rotary event to be held at Hornsby RSL - another sign of normality returning. The date is Saturday, 2nd July 2022. Commencement time 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm.
2. Environment Action Weekend 4th and 5th June
A Calendar of events is planned for preparation for the Environment Action Weekend 4th and 5th June. Click on the image to the left for a larger version.
"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:
*
MUNA
*
The Rotary Club of Terrigal - "Elvis" Benefit Night
*
Bruce de Graaf - 600 Blood Donations
*
The Rotary Club of North Sydney - Fireworks Night
*
The Rotary Club of North Ryde - Uluru Statement from the Heart
*
Australian Rotary Health and DG's partners Project 2022-2023
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
With your help, the Rotary Foundation has been able to do great things and has transformed countless lives! Click on the video below to see what your generous donation has achieved.
If you are interested in leaving a Bequest to the Foundation, please complete the Codicil - click on LINK to download.
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 MONTHLY THEME FOR JUNE IS ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS MONTH
THE ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE COURSE 69
3rd to 5th JUNE, 2022
On-line by Zoom
This is the next opportunity to attend RLI and will be held on-line.
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
Ken Lyons 50 years in Rotary
Social Media: @Lindsay May Rotary DG 2021-22
A Trek to Remember
"The Club Buzz" is where you will find some exciting 
