Thirty-five members and guests attended today’s Club meeting by Zoom to hear our speaker the legendary sports commentator Graeme (‘Smokey’) Dawson AM. Other guests were Ross Pritchard, Acting Principal of Auburn High School and Stuart Stockdale.
We had originally planned to have a special Olympic lunch meeting at Kooyong, but Covid put paid to that. Our thanks to Julie Clark, Anne Scott, Peter England and others who spent time preparing decorations and Olympic memorabilia for the lunch.
Thanks also to those members who when registering for today’s meeting made voluntary donations to Club funds totalling $415.
Guest Speaker
MC Peter England introduced Graeme Dawson who spoke of his life as a sports and Olympic commentator.Graeme related some fascinating stories about Olympic politics and how powerful individuals and corporations have influenced the choice of Olympic venues and the timing of the games. One example was the influence of the NBC which led to the Olympics being moved from October to July/August to avoid a clash with the NBL grand final.
Other examples were the choice of Barcelona for the games because it was the hometown of then International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch, and how the Coca Cola Company influenced the choice of Atlanta. Another fascinating reflection was the fact that while the Melbourne Olympics were attended by 3,000 athletes and only 159 media personnel, the Sydney Olympics had 10,500 athletes and 20,000 media.
Asked to name his top three Australian Olympians he nominated Cathy Freeman for carrying the weight of the country on her shoulders in the 400 metres final in Sydney; Herb Elliot for being undefeated in his career, and Dawn Fraser for winning Gold in the same event at three Olympics and her support for later generations of Australian athletes. Asked to name a fourth Olympic legend, he nominated eight-time Olympic equestrian Andrew Hoy who is currently competing in the Tokyo Olympics at the age of 62.
Riverside Cluster meeting
The Riverside Cluster Clubs Hawtho
rn, Glenferrie and Kew held their first monthly meeting for the year last week. The District’s Assistant Governor, Riverside, Lili Teichman, chaired the meeting and asked Club Presidents to inform their members about two District programs in which Clubs are encouraged to participate.
rn, Glenferrie and Kew held their first monthly meeting for the year last week. The District’s Assistant Governor, Riverside, Lili Teichman, chaired the meeting and asked Club Presidents to inform their members about two District programs in which Clubs are encouraged to participate.One is the Safe Families Program, which is a Rotary 100 Year Project initiated by the Rotary Club of Melbourne. Two 20-minute videos have been produced dealing with Family Violence and Elder abuse. The videos raise awareness of different kinds of abuse which can range from physical assault to subtle forms of controlling behaviour. Here is a link to the videos and information about the Safe Families Program.
The aim of the second program is to encourage greater diversity in Club membership and ensure that all members, regardless of their background, feel fully accepted and included in Club life.
The District is running a Workshop in South Melbourne on 15 August on what diversity, equity and inclusion means in the context of Rotary. If you are interested in attending this workshop here is the booking link.
Forthcoming events
The Salvo Hawks combine with the Co-health Kangaroos against the Collingwood Knights in tomorrow’s home game at Victoria Street Reserve.If you are free at anytime between 12:30 and 2:00 pm please come along, support the home team and assist David McNamara with lunch.
The opening of the Rotary Centenary Park Playground at Yarra Bank Reserve has been postponed to Sunday 12 September, and the President’s Drinks Party has been postponed until later in the year due to limits on visitors to private homes.
Member participation
I recently compiled a list of Club members who belong to Club committees or perform other Club roles.
In all, 35 members serve on one or more of the Club’s committees, which is 70% of our membership. Several members serve on more than one committee.
In addition, some members undertake other Club roles including Club Protection Officer, Salvo Hawks Liaison Officer and DIK representative.
In all, well over 70% of members participate in committees or other roles. If you take into account that several of our senior members are now less able than they were to actively participate in some Club activities, the participation rate in service activities is nearly 90%.
A
s new members join the Club it will be important to ensure that we encourage their involvement in the work of the Club’s committees and other Club roles.
s new members join the Club it will be important to ensure that we encourage their involvement in the work of the Club’s committees and other Club roles.(Not a committee (left): Noel and Smokey adjusting the running sheet)
Acknowledgement of Jill Weeks
There are a number of Club members who are not members of the Board, but continue to make invaluable contributions to the life of the Club.
This week I want to acknowledge Jill Weeks and thank her for the excellent work she does sourcing speakers for Club meetings.
Without the interesting and diverse range of speakers Jill arranges for us, Club meetings would lose an important part of their purpose, namely, to broaden our knowledge of the world around us, particularly the activities of individuals and organisations working to improve the quality of people’s lives.
Youth Service report
Youth Service director Geoff Wright outlined some of the activities and programs his committee has planned for the current year which include the mock interview program and funding for scholarships and other educational programs for students.
He introduced Ross Pritchard, Acting Principal of Auburn High School, who spoke about the importance the school attached to its relationship with the Club and thanked members for their support of the mock interview program and scholarship funding.
Next Club meeting 17 August
We hope conditions will enable a return to Kooyong for our next meeting when the guest speaker will be author, humourist, journalist and Maths blogger Kerry Cue.
In the meantime, stay well and safe and I look forward to seeing you on the 17th.
Quote of the Week
This week our quote comes from the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It has particular relevance as our Avenue of Services committees consider their goals and strategies over the next four years.
When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.