DG Ron Strickland
Posted by Bill Molesworth
President Mike introduced our District Governor as someone familiar to us all. He also reported that the Governor's dedication (and the dedicated support of his wife) are demonstrated by the fact that he was at our meeting on the day of his 37th anniversary.
Governor Ron said that in 1911 Rotary Int'l had adopted the motto 'Service Above Self' and it had become the underlying motif of Rotary ever since; promoting high ethical standards among members everywhere. Our Int'l President has asked us to take a closer look at this motto and to go back to basics this year. Rotary is an association of professionals promoting understanding and peace and promoting a sense of community through service. Service is defined as doing work for the benefit of another but, when a member is asked what their club does, they will often describe the activities - bingo, auctions, lotteries, building trails or band shells. But Ron asked us to see not just the fundraising and to think instead about how a group of leaders - ordinary people doing extraordinary things - see a need, develop a project and then raise the money and, most important, put their hands to doing the project.
Any one of us, he said, can be a committee chair or a DG, can call bingo or clear ditches and attend (or lead) boring meetings. But what drives each of us is a trigger that inspires service. He suggested that a District Conference is often a great trigger - an opportunity to celebrate the past, to embrace the future and to experience the fellowship and inspiration of members and speakers. This year's Conference will have plenty of both and he encouraged everybody to attend.
Our Int'l President is focusing on three priorities this year - literacy and education; water management and related health concerns and Rotary's public image.
President Ron said the Midland Club more than meets its expectations and he challenged the club to make the DG's Honour Role through attendance at conferences, hands on projects and contributions to the Foundation.
He complimented the members for their exceptional efforts and talked about what can be accomplished with so little - polio vaccines, wheelchairs, scholarships. Every member should wear their pin which advertizes the member as dependable, available, reliable. It says, here's a person you can count on.
He offered his thanks to each member that joined to do service and suggested that as leaders each of us will know other leaders who should be invited to join and continue the tradition.
Rob thanked Governor Ron for an excellent speech, one of the best he'd heard. He said that Ron was a Governor of the membership who worked with the clubs and put his hands to projects with the best, not a Governor who operated at a remove. President Mike offered Governor Ron a token of the Club's gratitude, which promptly became a 37th anniversary present as Ron handed it to Lynn.
Any one of us, he said, can be a committee chair or a DG, can call bingo or clear ditches and attend (or lead) boring meetings. But what drives each of us is a trigger that inspires service. He suggested that a District Conference is often a great trigger - an opportunity to celebrate the past, to embrace the future and to experience the fellowship and inspiration of members and speakers. This year's Conference will have plenty of both and he encouraged everybody to attend.
Our Int'l President is focusing on three priorities this year - literacy and education; water management and related health concerns and Rotary's public image.
President Ron said the Midland Club more than meets its expectations and he challenged the club to make the DG's Honour Role through attendance at conferences, hands on projects and contributions to the Foundation.
He complimented the members for their exceptional efforts and talked about what can be accomplished with so little - polio vaccines, wheelchairs, scholarships. Every member should wear their pin which advertizes the member as dependable, available, reliable. It says, here's a person you can count on.
He offered his thanks to each member that joined to do service and suggested that as leaders each of us will know other leaders who should be invited to join and continue the tradition.
Rob thanked Governor Ron for an excellent speech, one of the best he'd heard. He said that Ron was a Governor of the membership who worked with the clubs and put his hands to projects with the best, not a Governor who operated at a remove. President Mike offered Governor Ron a token of the Club's gratitude, which promptly became a 37th anniversary present as Ron handed it to Lynn.