DG Mitch - Wild about Rotary

Its now February 2018 and the publishing of our first edition of our District Bulletin of the new year and our opportunity to Go WILD About Rotary in 2018 !!
 
In this edition of our District Bulletin, once again masterfully put together by our Editor in Chief Adrienne Murray, I want to reflect on the last 6 months and see what we have achieved in our Rotary District and where we are heading for the next 6 months as we head towards the new Rotary Year.  District Governor Elect Marion Johnston will take over the District Governor chains and a Rotary ride of a lifetime leading our District for the 2018/19 Rotary Year - "Be the Inspiration!"
 
But FIRST a Big Announcement!!
It gives me the greatest of pleasure to advise that our Rotary District will host an amazing Rotarian and our great Aussie mate, Rotary International President Ian Riseley.
 
RI President Ian will be in New Zealand for our Presidents Elect training weekend at Waipuna Conference Centre, Auckland. Our District Presidents Elect will enjoy a great weekend of networking with Rotary peers, training, development and learning for their incoming role of Club President with the unique opportunity to hear from and experience first hand the inspirational leadership of our Rotary International President Ian Riseley.
 
 
Following this weekend we will host RI President Ian on Tuesday, 6th March here in Palmerston North for an afternoon of visiting the WildBase Recovery centre. This will be followed by an evening function hosted by the Rotary Club of Feilding, at the Feilding Convention Centre from 6pm. I would encourage Rotarian' s to respond to the invitation that PDG Ross Murray will be sending out to coordinate registrations on behalf of Rotary Club of Feilding President Ken Casey to be at this extra special Rotary event. RI President Ian will not only enlighten and challenge us in our Rotary world but will be presenting the Rotary Clubs of Stratford, Marton, Pahiatua and Hutt City with their commemorative certificates for 75 years of service in Rotary and to their communities. An evening for all Rotarian's, not to be missed!
 
Our Rotary year of Making A Difference in 2017/18 is whizzing by, with only 5 months to our District Changeover in Whanganui. Over the summer holiday break, where I had the opportunity to take time out from from the riggers of work, the challenges of leading our Rotary District, I had the pleasure of catching up with family and friends and having some Fiona and Mitchell time!!
 
It was also a great time to reflect on the last 6 months and our achievements of Rotary in our District and the challenges and actions for the next 6 months and beyond.
 
This Rotary year has seen our District deliver and experience these events in our first 6 months with;
  • Membership and Club Development workshops
  • 2nd National Membership Seminar
  • Rotary Zone 7B Governor Elects Training and Institute - Waipuna, Auckland
  • Rotary Membership and Club Development Forum, Melbourne, Australia
  • Rotary Club of Dannevirke 90th Anniversary celebration, Dannevirke
  • Rotary New Zealand World Community Service (RNZWCS) Board Meeting, Wellington
  • RLI - Rotary Learning and Information 101 workshops
  • 39 of 54 District Governor Club Visits 
  • Be a Gift - Youth Leadership Awards - Plimmerton and Porirua 
  • Team Billy fund raising evening, Rotary Club of Carterton
  • Visit to Shine Interact Club, Whanganui Girls College
  • Rotary Club of Whanganui - Club Membership evening
  • Rotary Friendship Exchange - Taiwan to New Zealand
  • Rotary Tree Planting, far exceeding the one tree per member 
  • District and Wellington Region Rotary Club Vocational Sponsorship of the "Work in Progress" Conference, St James Theatre
  • Two District Board meetings and District Finance Committee meetings
  • District Advisory Committee meeting, RNZAF Base Ohakea (PDG Tony Fryer's Birthday!)
  • ROZComm meetings and International Service national meetings
  • Rotary Australia New Zealand Student Exchange presentations and briefings for outbound's 2018
  • Rotary International Youth Exchange, Inbound and Outbound Student inductions, debriefs, Marae Weekend and presentations to Clubs
  • The passing of a number of Rotarian's, of note President Warren Carter, Rotary Club of Masterton South (accidentally) and Past RI Director and Past District Governor Neil Inkster (Masterton)
  • The implementation of the Interact Council for Interact Clubs and Club Development Strategies
  • The charter of the Interact Club of Waiopehu College, the charter of the Rotaract Club of Massey University, the charter of the Satellite Club of the Rotary Club of Stratford, the charter pf the Rotary Community Corp of Whanganui
  • Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) Silverstream Retreat, Upper Hutt
  • Premiere of the Polio historical biographical account movie "Breathe", Lighthouse Cinema, Petone
  • District Governor Elect Marion and Mike Johnston attendance at Rotary International Assembly, San Diego, USA in January 2018
 
The coming 6 months are amazing and there is much to look forward to and get involved with;
  • District Governor Club visits - 15 of 54 to enjoy!
  • National Rotary Leadership Institute - Facilitators Training, Wellington 17-18 Feb
  • Rotary International 113th birthday - 23 Feb 2018
  • President Elects Training - 2 March
  • South Pacific President Elect Training - 3-4 March
  • Rotary International President Ian Riseley visit to District 9940, Palmerston North
  • Rotary Clubs of Stratford, Marton, Pahiatua and Hutt City, celebrate 75 years of Service Above Self and Doing Good in the Community
  • Peace Building Conference, Sydney, Australia 17 March
  • Delivery of the Rotary Club of Masterton South Global Grant Project - Mobile Health Clinic for Rarotonga, Cook Islands
  • Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program delivered 
  • District 9940 Rotary Learning and Information program 201/301
  • Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN), Vertical Horizons, Inglewood, Taranaki
  • Rotary International Convention, Toronto, Canada 23-27 June 
  • The Brave Thinkers - NZ Business Week
and the best event to attend for ALL Rotarian's in our District ... RotaFEST 18 - A Festival of Rotary, 11-13 May 2018, Palmerston North !!
 
We have much to celebrate and look forward to in the coming months. Firstly the realisation of a Rotary Foundation Global Grant to see the Rotary Club of Masterton South deliver a key area of focus project to the Cook Islands with the Rarotonga Mobile Health Clinic in April.
 
I will also proudly lead our Rotary District 9940 representation with our Rotary Club of Ngamotu supported Peace Academic, Tonga Karena from Parihaka, Taranaki to the Rotary International Peace Building Conference in Sydney on March 17th.
 
Vocational Service in our District - Your Support Required!
My thanks to District Vocational Committee Chair Liz Koh who has energised our District Vocation Program with the "Work in Progress" Conference in November, in Wellington and the on going work to support the Passport to Work Program that is being rolled out throughout schools and communities of the Lower Half of the North Island. I will be requesting the support of our Wellington Region clusters of Rotary Clubs to contribute to our funding sponsorship to action our Rotary Vocational District supported activities with a small financial contribution requested  from each of our Clubs in the Wellington Region to cover the cost of the Work in Progress Conference and to prepare our Vocational District coordination for the coming Passport to Work programs and coming Rotary Year projects.
 
 
Our registrations open on the 7th February to confirm your attendance at to the not to be missed. RotaFEST 18 - A Festival of Rotary! Please log in to the District 9940 Web Site and/or go to the RotaFEST 18 link and you can register, book accommodation, confirm your dinner tickets and ensure a saving with your early bird registration and booking attendance to THE event of the Rotary year.
 
Whew, wow and yes! ... we are on track for achieving a great year of Rotary service in District 9940, where it looks to me like quite a number of Rotarian's and the Clubs in our District HAVE - Gone Wild About Rotary !!
 
Mitchell Brown
District Governor 2017/18
Rotary District 9940
Phone 027 4822295