May is Youth Service month. Sometimes a chance connection leads to an amazing result, and we had this fulfilled on Wednesday night.A young Harry (nicknamed Barney in true Australian fashion) Schooley was a Rotary Youth Exchange student hosted by our Club in 1963 and in 2021 reached out and contacted us, offering a set of photographs from his year in Australia (that's him in the middle of the photo).
Secretary Fabienne and I realized there was so much wonderful Club history here that it deserved a wider exposure to members, so we suggested a Zoom presentation at a weekly meeting - in spite of the time zone difference given Harry lives in a suburb of Buffalo, NY. Not to mention the complexities of a hybrid Zoom meeting where Harry's presentation should be visible and audible to the members in Conochie Hall as well as for the Zoomers at home.
In spite of a 4:30am start for Harry, and a couple of nervous breakdowns on my behalf running the Zoom meeting, technically the presentation went off well. We had Jeevan, Jim, Sparkey Clarkey as well as Ian Feder in Sydney and Conochie Hall full of members - it was one of our higher attendances for a weekly meeting. And Harry did not disappoint: his combination of the most amazing collection of photos with his laconic delivery held the audience spellbound, the only interruption being oohs and aahs at the images of 60 year old Camberwell and Melbourne (quaint cars, uncluttered skylines), as well as Sydney (just laying the foundations of the Opera House), Perth and the outback. He made us laugh describing how Doug Jennings in Central Queensland allowed Harry to take the controls of the property's aeroplane, even inviting him to land it!
Harry clearly was an excellent ambassador for the United States, and just as clearly benefited hugely from his experience in Australia. He had high praise for his host families and Camberwell members, many of whom were recognized and remembered fondly by our senior members. Subsequent to his Australian experience, Harry married his childhood sweetheart, went on to a lifetime career in education, and is (I would like to think) the man he is because of Rotary and the Youth Exchange program. Thank you Harry for a truly memorable presentation.
Speaking of history, and following on from our outstanding Rotary Centenary dinner as well as Harry's presentation, we as a Club have 2/3 of a century of history. I would like to see all Club records and physical items of historical significance collected, digitized and presented (and preserved) on our new website. I would also like to record oral histories of all senior members and retired members, and once again have them preserved on the website. If anyone is interested in taking on this role please contact me.
The Art Show Committee is now in top gear, with their right foot flat to the floor. To make the Show a success requires the whole club to assist by volunteering over the period 5 July (Bump In) to 20 July (Bump Out), so please keep these dates clear - there will be a Roster circulated soon so you can see what roles you are able to volunteer for, on what days and at which times. And to the 25 Club members who do not yet have their WWC (Working with Children) Card - please take the 5 minutes to apply on line, then a quick visit to your local Post Office for a photo and you're done! It's not only required for the Art Show, it's now a District requirement, and to not have a WWC card may leave the Club financially liable in the case of an insurance claim.
The Rotary Victoria Virtual Multi-District Conference was held last weekend, and included a physical Showcase of Projects at the Hyatt Essendon Fields on there Saturday. The Showcase of Projects was amazing, the dedication of members impressive. And to top the day off, the Rotary Club of Camberwell was awarded one of only two District Recognition Awards in the area of Community Service - and it went to our Rotary Outreach Myeloma Program, which is also a Rotary Centenary program. I proudly accepted the Award on behalf of Peter Allen, Adrian Campbell and the ROMP Committee, and we should all be very proud of this group and what they have achieved.
That's it from me, have a great week in Rotary!
