The conference was held at The National Convention Centre, Canberra located within the city centre. 400 Rotarians and spouses attended from across Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands. The conference recently opened to anyone in Rotary in the Oceania region.
There was a distinct level of additional energy and enthusiasm with the representation of a younger cohort. The conference was jointly chaired and both had equal representation on topics covered. A quote that reinforces the importance of this partnership is ‘What we do today will determine if Rotary is here in the future’. The impact Rotaractors in Oceania and globally augurs well for the future of Rotary. A relatively new development I was unaware of is that it is now possible to have dual membership, that is, be a member of both a Rotary club and a Rotaract club - something I will consider pursuing.
2022 Rotary Zone 8 Conference
It was always going to be hard to resist attending the Rotary and Rotaract Zone 8 Conference in Canberra on 28-30 October 2022 with the opportunity to combine a visit to see my two grandchildren while there.
The conference was held at The National Convention Centre, Canberra located within the city centre. 400 Rotarians and spouses attended from across Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands. The conference recently opened to anyone in Rotary in the Oceania region.
There were a number of impressive keynote speakers as well as breakout sessions for further discussions in smaller groups. A showcase of Rotary flagship projects and action groups was also held in a central common area where meals were served. Below are some of the memorable speakers of the conference:
- Peter Mercer, Head of Research of Research and Development Diversity Works, NZ. This young man is an expert on the concept of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and community organisations. He cleverly used the metaphor of a cake to illustrate the importance of all the various ingredients representing diversity, in achieving a great cake. He also explained to understand equity is to understand how the design, structure and processes of an organisation can create barriers that may inadvertently lead to individuals being excluded. He maintained that true collaboration is when we are fully inclusive. Finally, he emphasised the importance of identifying the ‘in’ and ‘out’ crowds where natural affinity with one another may create exclusion of others and to take steps to integrate them.
- Michelle Tanner, Committee member and Champion of Rotary Give Every Child A Future gave an overview of the progress of vaccinating 100,000 South Pacific Island children as part of Rotary centenary project. An impressive humanitarian achievement.
- Jenny Chung, Chief of Staff at Humanix provided an insight on event trends post the pandemic and its role as a ticketing platform that continues to support non-profit organisations.
- A breakout session on Acknowledgement of First Nation Peoples: Reconciliation in Practice was facilitated by Joelle Low from Reconciliation Australia, Nicholas Egan, President of the Adelaide City Rotaract Club and Professor James Smith from the Rotary Club of Darwin Sunrise and the current Peace Scholar Chair for District 9560. Both clubs have successfully implemented Reconciliation Actions Plans and shared the process they undertook as well as the challenges and successes.
- Rotary’s response to the crisis in Ukraine was presented by John Hewko by live video. John is the General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation. While working in Ukraine in the early 1990s, John assisted (as a lawyer) the working group that prepared the initial draft of the new Ukrainian post-Soviet constitution and was a charter member of the first Rotary club in Kyiv. He outlined the Rotary’s spectacular financial support in emergency response amounting to $15 million, of which $12 million has been distributed as part of 359 grants for medical and community support. An estimated $20 million in kind has also been donated by clubs and districts. There are 62 Rotary clubs in Ukraine and its membership has increased over the course of the war to 1,200 members.
It is the first time this conference was a joint partnership between Rotaract and Rotary. To acknowledge this the theme of the conference was ‘Better Together’. There was a distinct level of additional energy and enthusiasm with the representation of a younger cohort. The conference was jointly chaired and both had equal representation on topics covered. A quote that reinforces the importance of this partnership is ‘What we do today will determine if Rotary is here in the future’. The impact Rotaractors in Oceania and globally augurs well for the future of Rotary. A relatively new development I was unaware of is that it is now possible to have dual membership, that is, be a member of both a Rotary club and a Rotaract club - something I will consider pursuing.
