There has been a lot going on and a new board coming in at the start of June so we haven't seen our global connection for some time. May was driven by the Rotary International Convention where we showed off our projects to thousands of people over the 5 days. Our rolling pins were a great success and we have orders for more. At the same time our membership fees were due at the end of May and we saw only 50% of our members paid by the due date. This put pressure on the team to finalise ClubRunner and My Rotary before the end of the financial year.
A last minute decision to vote on a new board was made at the end of May and in June we saw almost all of the positions either change or new members stepping into the roles.
Certainly our highlight for the period was the DG visit on 26 June. His last official engagement as District Governor and Tim Keeler AM did not disappoint with his 6 characteristics of a great club.
As we head into the final month before our birthday on 25 July we hope to see a stronger and more independent board create projects and good governance to drive the next 12 months forward.
On Sunday 25 June on a balmy winters day on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia 200 people took to the water on the shortest day of the year to raise money for water safety & drowning prevention.
This year our club was the sole beneficiary and we are working on a learn to swim program for disadvantaged youth.
Local Federal Member and his daughter with RCAH member and Eve
Rotary Water Safety Campaign
Now the fundraising event is over, our next big project is the Rotary Water Safety Campaign rolling out on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. We have received a grant of AUD 5,000 from the local council to run a water safety program for disadvantaged youth in the local community. We have secured the Kawana Pool and have some final details before we can confirm the school and the beneficiaries of the program. If you are looking for a project to get some hands on knowledge about how we put these programs together this is a good one to get started on. Please contact the project chair Eve to register your interest in joining this committee.
Mummy Eve Project
The Mummy Eve Project gained a lot of interest at the Rotary International Convention. We are hoping to partner with clubs for technical knowledge, skills acquisition and mentoring to share this program and start delivering on our promises. We submitted a District Grant application for AUD 5,000 to make 10 prototype packs for distribution mid next year. If we can get this project up and running we could display our packs at the Rotary International Convention in Singapore next year to open up greater possibilities around the world.
The Swimming Gift is now cemented as our flagship program. This committee has been the most active and we are starting to gain momentum to develop an international certification that will not require online registration and participants to speak English to complete the paperwork. Thanks to the team under Leslie Donavan we will see this moving forward to ensure we can train more teachers and teach more children to swim.
The learn to swim programs are forging ahead in Thailand and Cambodia with the teachers we have trained during our visit in February. There will be a lot more happening in the space over the coming months.
Upcoming Events
UN World Drowning Prevention Day Tuesday 25 July
We are celebrating our birthday again on UN World Drowning Prevention Day. We would like to see a collaboration of our projects and the work our members are doing to serve above self to create a montage of what we stand for.
AGM - Date to be announced soon
Our AGM is going to be bigger and brighter this year as we announce our new board so they can start the training before they take on their new roles this time next year.
SwimCon23
The Swim Australia conference is on in September. Rhiannon and I will be presenting our club and what we are doing to address water safety & drowning prevention in a global context
International Lifesaving Convention
This year the event is being held in Perth Australia and we have been asked to present a session on our club and the impact it is having around the world. Watch this space as we prepare for a great event.
To all our members who had a birthday in May & June we hope you had a wonderful day and have an abundance of joy, good health and happiness in the year ahead. Equally we wish Alisa and Brendon a very special day this month.
