On Wednesday we were honoured to welcome District Governor (DG) Don Ripper on his first visit to the Club since the Changeover in June. DG Don was accompanied by his wife Jude, and his trusted assistant Allan Collier (Assistant Governor).
 
Other visitors on what was a truly special occasion were PP Robert Ong and his wife Irene from Rotary Club of Sitiawan – District 3300 Malaysia, Pat Edwards, Joy Kusters, Jean Mawhinney, Lisemay Balancy, Dawn Newby, Chris Newby, Cait Langdon, Gary Castricum, Grace Karon, Gaetano Fina, and David Cutler.  
 
Prior to the meeting Don and Allan spent an hour with the Board reviewing and discussing plans, strategies, opportunities and achievements. Overall DG Don gave the Board a resounding tick of approval and pronounced himself satisfied that we have the right strategies in place to achieve the Club, District and Rotary International objectives for the coming year.
 
Most importantly the Club continues to review its long term strategic plan, making adjustments as required to maintain relevance and to ensure that the club is able to keep pace with the times. The opportunities to leverage the tools and processes that Rotary International has developed to assist Club strengthen, develop and grow membership were discussed as well as what it means to be one of the largest clubs in the District. 
 
After the official welcomes Club member and District Governor Nominee Adrian Froggatt gave a toast to Rotary International and District 9820, which was responded to by DG Don. During his response Don said that Rotary is as necessary now as it was when it was first formed in 1905. As recently pointed out by Bill Gates, through the work that Rotary has done to eradicate Polio, it is the first time that a single organisation can claim to have made a difference to humanity. Don reiterated to all present that Rotary continues to stand because it is not grounded on fear, or rivalry, or suspicion, or competition but the indestructible rocks of friendliness, tolerance, usefulness, and respect.
 
Following the official toasts, DG Don was invited to make a presentation to our latest Paul Harris Fellow (PHF), Murray Newby. This is Murray’s second PHF and has again been recognised for his contribution to Rotary Foundation, his many years of dedicated service to the Rotary Club of Berwick and to Rotary in general. To Murray’s surprise his wife Dawn and son Chris were in the audience for the presentation. Thank you Sharmaine for organising for Dawn and Chris to be part of this special event and for maintaining the element of surprise right to the end. 
 
As a Paul Harris Fellow Murray is part of a remarkable group of individuals throughout the world.  All recognised for their devotion to the ideal of goodwill and peace and understanding.  It’s the goal of Rotarians the world over and one that Murray clearly shares. Congratulations Murray and well deserved. Quick PHF facts… Since its foundation in 1961 the Club has awarded 95 PHFs, 34 Sapphire PHFs, and 3 Ruby PHFs. Individuals from all walks of life, some are Rotarians, but many more are people within our community and beyond who have toiled to make a difference in the lives of many.
Please visit rotary.org to learn more about the Paul Harris Fellows.
 
Following the PHF presentation, it was time for Rotary business. Secretary Jim reminded those who wished to attend the Rotary Leadership Institute that time was running out to nominate. Jim also said that with Past President (PP) Mark away overseas, President Elect Lea will be taking care of organising members for next year’s District Conference in Sale (February). All members are encouraged to attend the conference in Sale.   
 
PP Sjaak Kusters advised members that he and Joy will be shifting out of Berwick shortly and that this would his last meeting before going on Leave of Absence (LOA). Sjaak and Joy are moving to Patterson Lakes and Sjaak said that he will probably transfer to a Club in the area. He thanked everyone on behalf of Joy and himself for the wonderful memories and the fun times. Sjaak promised to return every six weeks or so to “annoy us all” as he put it, but really to continue to continue the friendship. The Club is planning a fitting farewell for Sjaak and Joy who for the past 17 years have been great contributors to the Rotary Club of Berwick and Rotary in general. They will be missed!
 
David Collyer invited members to participate in mock interviews next Wednesday 11th October at Hillcrest Christian College. A few members have already advised that they are able to assist and David is happy to add more volunteers to the list. This is another example of how the Rotary Club of Berwick engages directly with the local community. The mock interviews will help students gain valuable skills and prepare for life after school. Thank you to all those who have volunteered at short notice.
Once Club business was taken care of it was time to hear from our District Governor, and he did not disappoint.
 
He was as engaging and inspiring as always. Don gave us his take on what it means to be a Rotarian and what Rotary must do to continue to thrive. He made some very encouraging remarks regarding the Club for which we are very thankful.
PP Adrian Funston ran the traditional book on how long the DG’s address would go for and Trevor Bailey won the jackpot with 29mins 20secs.
 
Following the DG’s address I had the immense pleasure of exchanging Club banners with our international visitor, PP Robert Ong from the Rotary Club of Sitiawan in District 3300, Malaysia. Sitiawan is derived from “Setia Kawan” or “faithful friend” and has a beautiful story behind it, about a bull elephant that refused to leave the side of a cow elephant that had become stranded in a mine. When the cow elephant died, the bull elephant stopped eating and also died. PP Robert is quite an engaging character and when he introduced his wife Irene, he decided to break out into a brief rendition of “Goodnight Irene” and was joined by a few members. Thank you for visiting us Robert and Irene and we look forward to seeing you again at our Club or in Sitiawan.
All in all we had another great night in Rotary fellowship and service. The atmosphere was electric with some 60 Rotarians and guests in the room to make the DG’s visit a memorable one for the Club.
 
I hope you enjoy this week’s edition of the Spoke ‘n’ Words and the wonderful photos from what was a truly special night.
Enjoy!
Sponsors