Last week's speaker: DGN Darrell Brown: Towards 2017

Posted by Franz Huber 
on Mar 13, 2016
 
2017/2018?  Loooong time in the distant future! Huh? Think again. It is only about 15 months away! "Our District Governor Nominee" already has a full time job preparing for the big year coming up: Leadership meetings every quarter, and - without doubt NOT! - Darrell's favorite activity: to create a budget. Hundreds of ways to spend money, but only very limited sources of income.gst the many segments of Rotary activity to be reviewed is the District's engagement with International Youth Exchange: in the "olden days" it was not uncommon to have 40 Exchange Students, now we have 7... Yet the results demonstrate every time that the program is very worthwhile. Is there a way we can promote this, perhaps by providing support for students who can't afford the expense?
 
Our club will be well represented on the District's Leadership team, with Chris Thurtell as incoming Youth Exchange Chair, with Gerald East as his Treasurer of the Youth Services committee.
 
There are lots of major events to be organized, including Pre-PETS (Presidents Elect Training Seminar), PETS and the District Assembly, which will be held in Lismore.  Goals will need to be set: one of the current major goals, to promote 'Donate Life' (Organ donorship) to be continued.  
 
Roz Irwing, DG Elect Michael Irving's better half, has nominated the Fred Hollows Foundation as her 'DG's Partner's Project'.  Kerry Brown is still evaluating potential contenders - feel free to make suggestions!
 
Darrell, himself a former GSE (Group Study Exchange) awardee, is checking out other districts in the world who may want to have an exchange with District 9640.  Possibly, first time ever, we may host a team from South Africa?
 
Then, there is the major event of the year, the District Conference. to start off, quite a challenge to set the date - the Gold Coast will host the Commonwealth Games around the same time! It will be held at the Seaworld Nara Resort. Our member Terry O'Shea has agreed to take the Chairmanship, and Geoff Croad will be Conference Secretary.  Chris Thurtell will organize the technology aspects (Sound, Video etc) - as a senior 'Mover and Shaker' of Seaworld, no doubt Chris knows a couple of people who consider this subject as a walk in the (theme) park... (pun intended).  A substantial number of senior positions have been filled by Rotarians from other clubs, but there are dozens of positions still to be filled.  Members will be sent a table with the most important ones listed.  Please put your name against one of the free areas!