Good to see DGN David Harmon “jump into the breach” last Wednesday. David and Robyn had intended to just visit our club as guests and have a relaxed breakfast, when early morning we received the call from Angie Bell MP to advise she needed to go into isolation, due to a family member having tested positive. Angie is re-booked for 27th April. I had hoped to express our club’s thanks ‘in person’ to Angie for the great help she gave us to arrange the signing of the MOU for the Pentecost Island project by the Vanuatu authorities.
David Harmon’s outline of the new direction of his club provides lot of food for thought. “We used to be a Fundraising club. We'd raise money - - and then give it away…” His club’s new focus is to grab a major local problem (and isn’t Domestic Violence a local problem here in Surfers Paradise as much as it is everywhere else?), and then hit it hard. It makes sense. Our club has, over the past 25 years, concentrated our efforts on the Wheelchair and associated projects, such as the very worthwhile current building of an X-Ray unit for a hospital in Vanuatu. However, relatively few of our members are regularly and physically engaged at the shed. Do we have capacity for another local, rather than international project which our members can get engaged and enthusiastic about? (Not all at once, please…!)
This week's meeting is purely social, meeting at the Surfers Paradise SLSC for a cuppa and/or breakfast. Anytime from 07:00 am! Now the footy season has started again, I'm sure there is plenty to brag (or commiserate) about... ☺
Last Wednesday, President Paul Seymour inducted Ross Augustine formally as a member of our club. "Formally," you say? Yes, Ross (photo left, with President Paul Seymour) has been a regular visitor from Frankston Sunrise to our club for years, and for the past 6 months or so has been regularly attending our meetings. Due to Covid, the member's badge just took a while to arrive... Photo by Charles Thomasson.
David Harmon, in addition to being District Governor Nominee for 2023-24, is the current District 9640 Membership Chair, and membership was the principal subject of his presentation. "When building a vibrant, successful Rotary club, why is membership important?" he asked. "Let's ask ourselves: How relevant is your Rotary club in the area?" David cited his own club, Ballina on Richmond, as an example. "It is a different club today than it was a few years ago. Membership is a barometer. People age, new members need to come in so the cycle continues. Take your eyes off it and before you know, you will lose momentum" he said.
Many service organisations (not just Rotary) do surveys: The major reasons why people join? 1. Community Service in their town, 2. Fellowship. David outlined his '4 R’s: Renewal, Regrowth, Retention and Relevance.
Renewal: start new club! Regrowth: crucial to keep the cycle going. Corporate membership. Retention: If you don’t have projects to engage members, you lose them. Walk around area: what does Surfers Sunrise do?
David outlined his plan: in 2018, when he came in as President, he asked 'What can we do to modernise it?' For the past 15 years it was fundraising club. Then they would give it away, which helps build the recipient's organisation, but didn’t do anything for our own club. So, Ballina on Richmond changed from a fundraising club to a community centred club. Its core objectives: Define causes and projects in our town that connect to the community and engage members. Let's sell ourselves, share with the community what we do, via multi media, social media. 80% of effort went into that.
Relevance: One of the major decisions was to make Domestic Violence the core project for next 5 years. We asked the Mayor to close the main street of Ballina for an exhibition for people to learn about DV. Initially, he point-blank refused, but we kept chipping away. The Mayor is now a major supporter of the concept. Robyn (who is a professional in Education) started in schools from the Queensland border to Ballina, getting the information into all high schools - our budget was $12,000 to deliver the program.
PDG Andy connected DV with the rest of the District and ultimately was published world wide. The Baton Rely caused the community to take notice. It appeared in TV news, and the newspapers.
In addition to Corporate Membership, we also have Partnerships to build profile. Ballina on Richmond now has formal partnerships with multiple government organisations, including NSW and QLD Police. Easy to do at club level as club is autonomous, difficult for District. Train club members as facilitators – refer Robyn. If you are in doubt about what a scourge DV is: in David’s home town Ballina, 75% of Police work relates to DV! At least 1 in 4 women experience DV. Worldwide issue. 3 of their members joined due to their DV campaign.
A very current major issue is the recent flood damage: accommodation is one of the major problems - imagine: it costs as much as $4,500 / week to rent 3 bedroom unit… And instead of material donations, get vouchers. “Sometimes you think you know what people want…” Don’t give us materials, but vouchers instead. Door knocking to determine needs.
(Notes from transcript of a sound recording byCharles Thomasson). Johnny Bueti was at the door, Geoff Croad was Chairman. We had an apology from Angie Bell MP - regrettably, her partner had tested positive to COVID, which thus required her to quarantine for 7 days. Angie has already re-booked to speak on 27th April. Further apologies from Franz Huber, Simon Brook and possibly others; regrettably not discernible from the sound recording.
President Paul Seymour welcomed all members and guests: District Governor Nominee David Harmon and his charming partner Robyn. David agreed at very short notice to be our guest speaker (see separate report above). Further, we welcomed David Blackmore, (guest of Doug Lipp), prospective Corporate Members Nick Cole and Nicole Bricknell (Cole Residential Real Estate, Isle of Capri) and Johnny Bueti's father Tony Bueti.
Paul immediately proceeded to the induction of Ross Augustine as a member of our club. Ross, who had visited our club for years, is transferring from Frankston Sunrise (see separate article above).
District Governor Jeff Egan recently wrote a letter (see Download section on the right) to all Rotarians in District 9640, advising that a dedicated Flood Appeal account has been set up for Rotarians (and anyone else, for that matter) to contribute to a flood appeal to benefit victims of the horrendous floods some regions experienced over the past two weeks. As is common for any Rotary-based appeals, there will be no administration fees, director's remunerations etc. All funds end up directly at the target, the people who were affected.
If a donor does not require the donation to have tax deductibility status, it is preferable that donations should be deposited into the following account:
Rotary International District 9640 Ltd.
BSB: 084462, Account No: 816279059
This is the account to which Rotary clubs should donate.
If tax deductibility is required, please use this account:
Keith Wilson Relief Trust Fund
BSB: 633000 Account No: 175308303
The name of the donor needs to be included on the deposit AND please send via email to PDG Sandra Doumany at srmd@bigpond.net.au (Note: the original post had a typo - this is the correct address): 1. the name of the donor 2. the amount of the deposit 3. any requirement for the donation to be spent on a specific area (if requested).
The District Expo starts this Friday 25th March. This year's event is going to be a real country affair, it's in Tenterfield! Go to the Expo Website https://rotary9640.org/page/district-conference and check out what's happening. There you find the program, a brief summary of all the Keynote Speakers, and of course, you can register. But of course, one of the big attractions of attending a conference is always the deep feeling of Rotary Fellowship. Being in the country, formalities will be kept to a minimum. There is a lot more to a District Conference than Keynote Speakers and Rotary business. There is lots of social interaction:
Friday morning is the District Governor's Golf Challenge
Friday night is the Welcome Dinner - held at the historical Tenterfield Railway Station
Saturday night is a Dinner Dance (and yes, you can drink; they have organised bus pick up to/from your accommodation place)
Sunday morning are two styles of breakfast: one the Champagne Breakfast up near Bald Rock (image right), the other at the Historic Walk with PDG Harry Bolton
The (almost) final program is now on the Downloads section. Go on, check it out! A reminde tr: At this time of the year, Tenterfield can be quite balmy and/or quite chilly, particularly at night. So make sure you pack some warm clothing as well. If you are booked on the Bald Rock breakfast tour on Sunday morning, you need good footwear as well as a torch or a headlamp.
Duty Roster - note: subject to change - please check every week. Note: Fellowship duty also is expected to be at the Project Shed on the Saturday following the meeting
There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracks. They fear the future, mistrust the present and invoke the security of a comfortable past which, in fact, never existed.Robert Kennedy.
Are you sweating when putting petrol in your car? Are you feeling sick when paying for it? You've got the CarOwna Virus!
Everything about us will be seen and known. And my greatest fear is that when we arrive at this place of universal visibility and ubiquitous public knowledge of all our thoughts and deeds, we’ll like it. P.J. O’Rouke, ‘None of my business’
Last Wednesday, President Paul Seymour inducted Ross Augustine formally as a member of our club. "Formally," you say? Yes, Ross (photo left, with President Paul Seymour) has been a regular visitor from Frankston Sunrise to our club for years, and for the past 6 months or so has been regularly attending our meetings. Due to Covid, the member's badge just took a while to arrive... Photo by Charles Thomasson.
David Harmon, in addition to being District Governor Nominee for 2023-24, is the current District 9640 Membership Chair, and membership was the principal subject of his presentation. "When building a vibrant, successful Rotary club, why is membership important?" he asked. "Let's ask ourselves: How relevant is your Rotary club in the area?" David cited his own club, Ballina on Richmond, as an example. "It is a different club today than it was a few years ago. Membership is a barometer. People age, new members need to come in so the cycle continues. Take your eyes off it and before you know, you will lose momentum" he said.
District Governor Jeff Egan recently wrote a letter (see Download section on the right) to all Rotarians in District 9640, advising that a dedicated Flood Appeal account has been set up for Rotarians (and anyone else, for that matter) to contribute to a flood appeal to benefit victims of the horrendous floods some regions experienced over the past two weeks. As is common for any Rotary-based appeals, there will be no administration fees, director's remunerations etc. All funds end up directly at the target, the people who were affected. 
The District Expo starts this Friday 25th March. This year's event is going to be a real country affair, it's in Tenterfield! Go to the Expo Website 
