Last Wednesday, we were honoured by the visit of our District Governor Dave Harmon and his charming wife Robyn. Dave and Robyn are both professional educators, with Dave looking back to a 37 year career at TAFE college, (albeit this year they are “semi-retired for obvious reasons). His presentation, concise and well prepared, outlined several major items relevant to District 9640 and to clubs. He outlined the core values of Rotary: Fellowship, Integrity, Diversity, Service, Leadership. Due to the big screen at the Surf Club being uncooperative, a short video from Rotary International President Gordon R. McInally introducing his theme ‘Create Hope in the World’ could not be screened. Click on this link to view it.
A subject that indeed is of great importance: Regionalisation. In essence, there are 5 key objectives: One Voice, Partnerships and presence, Consistent strategy, Support to clubs and efficiencies, and Doable and attractive leadership roles. Thousands of pages have been written on this proposed major change in Rotary’s organisational structure, thus it is difficult to summarise it in a short article. Regionalisation should result in reduced costs (less duplication), Increased support (as a much larger body, we have more clout), Unified strategies and increased member retention. Dave quoted a simple example: For his Domestic & Family Violence Project, Dave had to obtain Police permits from both the NSW and QLD authorities for the ‘Day of Action’, where a number of demonstration walks were organised. On an individual club level, there is little change. To learn more: click on this link: https://creatingtomorrowrotary.org/ [If you haven’t read anything much about it before, may I suggest you have an open mind and take some time to inform yourself. Ed.]
Dave in particular highlighted the fact of membership: In the last decade, our Zone, comprising 21 Districts (and thus presumably well over 1000 clubs), only had 355 clubs with a membership growth of +1 or more (see graph in slide #10 of Dave’s presentation in the Downloads section).
Following Dave, Robyn outlined her traditional “Partner’s Project”. She chose one of the most efficient international charity, The Rotary Foundation (TRF). The premier rating agency, Charity Navigator, gives TRF a rare 4-star, 100% rating. is very worthwhile to support indeed. Note, our major project, the X-Ray Unit for Pentecost Island, has benefited from a major grant by TRF.