Eleven members and partners attended the first face-to-face District 9800 Conference for two years in Albury last weekend.The success of the conference was due in no small part to the excellent chairing of former ABC and now a freelance broadcaster and journalist Ali Moore. (right)
Highlights included a fast, funny and thought-provoking keynote speech by Lucy Bloom. It was packed with stories from her life as a successful CEO, business innovator and author. She gave us many useful tips for making the most of life’s opportunities and overcoming life’s setbacks. They included always looking forward, never back; finding the courage to conquer one’s fears of everything from flying to public speaking, and making the most of opportunities even if it means embarking on new career directions. Of particular relevance was Lucy’s tip to make Rotary more attractive to a younger and more diverse audience - make Rotary fun, and run programs that excite the interest and participation of young people. 
We heard from Dr Noor Shah Kamawal an Afghan doctor who with the help of Rotary friends in Australia was able to get his wife and seven children out of Afghanistan as the Taliban advanced on Kabul. He told us about life in Afghanistan as a child and young man under Taliban rule, followed by 20 years when the country opened up to modern ideas, greater freedom, and social development before a return to the restrictive and heavy hand of Taliban rule. Noor is now working as Technical Adviser at the Nossal Institute for Global Health within the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne and is a member of the Rotary Club of Carlton.
We heard from Ron Finkel AM, the founder and chair of Project Rozanna, and the project’s Director of Development, Rosemary Carrick. The project was established in 2013 to harness Israeli excellence in healthcare to benefit the Palestinian community and in this way to use healthcare to build bridges to peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. It is the only area of civil society where Israelis and Palestinians meet on such a broad scale and on equal terms through mutual respect.
The District 9800’s first Rotary Peace Fellow, Dr Tania Miletic, spoke on the subject of peace and conflict prevention, one of Rotary’s six areas of focus. Peacemaking is far more than taking action on a global scale to avoid or stop wars. It also means taking action at the local level to address underlying causes of conflict, whether it is conflict within families (an aim of Rotary Safe Families), conflict between neighbours, and conflict within workplaces, clubs, and other organisations. It is concerned with addressing the underlying causes of conflict which can range from lack of concern for or consideration of others and simple misunderstandings; to poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources. It is therefore something in which every Rotary Club and every Rotarian can play a part.
Other speakers included RI President-elect Jennifer Jones (right) who spoke by video.
In the final session of the conference on Sunday morning the clubs that had contributed to the Rotary Foundation held up their Big Cheques for delegates to see. Hawthorn’s contribution was $5,000.
On Saturday night we attended a Phantom of the Opera-themed Gala Dinner at which we were entertained by Michael Lapina and soprano Simone Crossley, who will be playing Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, which opens at Albury Entertainment Centre on 13 May. Hawthorn Rotarians then joined others in dancing on the dance floor and demonstrated that despite two years of lockdowns we had not forgotten how to boogie, shake, and even (in some cases) dance with a little decorum.
A special vote of thanks to David Pisterman for acting as the Club’s ‘On to Conference’ director and organising our comfortable accommodation and the excellent tapas dinner enjoyed on Friday night at local restaurant Seludos! in company with members of Glenferrie Rotary.
It was the first District Conference that Pam and I have attended and it was a most enjoyable and interesting experience. My only regret is that more Club members didn’t take the opportunity to attend. I hope we can look forward to a much higher level of participation by members at the 2023 Rotary International Convention which will be held in Melbourne from 27 to 31 May. Because of the Convention in Melbourne there will be no District 9800 Conference next year.
PDG Dennis Shore is Vice-Chair of the Convention’s Host Organisation Committee and has responsibility for promotion so expect to hear much more about the Convention as planning progresses over coming months.
Opportunities for Club members to participate in the Convention include as delegates, volunteers and hosting a dinner for between four and eight international or interstate Convention delegates in our own homes.