Guest Speaker

Posted by Andrew Irvine on Jun 07, 2016
 
 
GUEST SPEAKER: 
Today's guest speaker, Robyn Gillespie from Inner Wheel was introduced by President Geoff.
 
 
Robyn Gillespie with members Wal Paton and Mal Robertson.
 
Robyn started by advising that the gifts on the tables were for the members to take home to their respective partners.
They contained some information on Inner Wheel, and some sweet treats.
 
International Inner Wheel is an organisation formed out of friendship, and is devoted to service to the community by choosing some well deserved charities to support.
 
Inner Wheel had it's beginnings in Manchester, England on 10th January 1924, (World Inner Wheel Day each year) when Mrs Oliver Golding presided over a club formed by the wives of Rotarians.
Today the membership is open to any woman, regardless of whether her partner is a Rotarian or not.
The emblem is a small wheel contained within the Rotary Wheel, hence the name.
 
Objects of the club are to promote true friendship, encourage the ideals of personal service and to foster International understanding.
 
Today, the club;
 
  • extends to five continents
  • one of the largest women's organisations in the world
  • is associated with the UN Economic and Social Council - Rights of the Child, Status of Women, Aging, family and narcotic drugs
  • 103 counties
  • 105,000 members
  • 3895 clubs
In Australia the club:
 
  • has 14 districts
  • 3500 members
  • 144 clubs
The major Australian project over the last 16 years has been "Cord Blood Research".
 
  • blood left in the umbilical cord is donated, collected
  • delivered to the Blood Bank where it is used to save many lives.
  • Clubs have raised $2M
  • Presented 33 research grants to worthy recipients, chosen by a team of eminent medical persons.
A54 District is made up of clubs in;
 
  • Wagga Wagga
  • Narrandera
  • Griffith
  • Yenda
  • Albury and Yarrawonga Mulwala 
  • raised $14,000 this year
  • topping the country.
Wagga Wagga club is 40 members strong and Robyn asked the question of Wollundry to form it's own Inner Wheel Club.
Clubs support their local community often in cooperation with their Rotary Club and raise money with raffles, Card Parties, Fashion Parades, High Tea etc.
Members enjoy providing personal service through these activities.
The club gives the members a means to service the local community with support to the less fortunate locally and worldwide, whilst building strong friendships and generally having fun.
Members were asked to pass the invitation, to join some members of the Inner Wheel club at their home, onto their wives and take home the present from Inner Wheel Wagga Wagga.
 
Peter Crozier gave a vote of thanks to Robyn and mentioned some similarities between our club and theirs.
Mark Hillis complained that his little bag of goodies was void of any sweets for Chrissy. We think he got to them first.
 
For more information on Cord Blood Research go to http://innerwheelaustralia.org.au/national-project