In 1896, Paul Harris went to Chicago to practice law. One evening, in the early 1900's, Paul went with a professional friend to his suburban home. After dinner, as they strolled through the neighbourhood, Paul's friend introduced him to tradesmen in their stores. This reminded Paul of his grandparent's home in New England. "Why not have a fellowship composed of businessmen from different occupations, without restrictions of politics or religion?" he thought.
This re-enactment by members of the Willoughby Theatre Company was staged at the Rotary District 9685 Conference on 23 February 2014 - 109 years after Rotary became a reality.
Actors: Jeremy Curtain, Mike Curtain, Luke Davis, & Peter Meredity Author: Carla Moore
The Yowie is Australia’s very own Bigfoot. They are reputed to live in the wilderness and witnesses claim to have seen them in all states and territories on the Australian mainland.
Ipswich, west of Brisbane, is right now considered a yowie hotspot among researchers.
Yowies go by a few names in various regions — puttikan, yahoo and tjangara among them — and tales of their existence have long featured in Aboriginal stories and oral histories.
But you’re more likely to encounter a yowie in the form of the chocolate bar that shares its name.
Yowies, like the Abominable Snowman, are overwhelmingly considered the stuff of legend, perhaps even an endearing part of Australian folklore. Alleged sightings have been deemed misidentification or pure hoax.
Good evening fellow Rotarians, Guests and Friends of Rotary,
Our Breakfast this week provided us with a change to the normal format in more ways than one.
The usual venue, Oaks Resort, had the "no room in the Inn" sign up, so we had to find alternative board and lodging. Once again our intrepid Leprechaun, Gorgeous Gordon, was able to secure the Pelican Waters Golf Club for our Breakfast Meeting.
Thank you for arranging the alternative venue, Gordon, and special thanks to Michelle Hurd, Function Manager of PWGC, for getting up early and ensuring we were well looked after. And we certainly were ! It's always such a nice place to dine, with the food, service and view, all contributing to the atmosphere and ambience.
Helen was at the front desk, greeting us all and collecting our bitcoin. Chairperson for the morning, Stephen had to do a bit of ad-libbing when his request for us to stand for customary Rotary Grace was interrupted by an Audio Visual presentation depicting the beginning of Rotary, coinciding with the 113th Birthday of Rotary. For those who may have missed the vision or would like to see it again, here is the link.
Luckily, Stephen recovered quickly and following Grace, since we were in such picturesque surrounds at a beautiful golf course, Alan S proposed the International Toast to the Rotary Club of Troon, famous for its beautiful golf course, in Scotland (Rotary District1230. If you'd like to know more about this Club and District, here is the link.
As Rotarians we all try to contribute our knowledge, experience, insights and general know-how when participating in club service projects and other activities. This in itself is one of our great strengths as a global humanitarian and educational organization capable of channelling significant voluntary effort into worthwhile causes.
But have you ever thought about how each of us actually learns from our exposure to these unique experiences? More importantly, have you ever wondered what actually occurs in the learning process that helps each of us move from knowing how to do something to actually doing it successfully? We call this going from the knowing to the doing, and we achieve it by explaining some good ideas that work in practice, coaching people in their use and then nurturing their performance.
Sure, we all understand Rotary knowledge and know about leadership, team building, motivation, ethical decision-making, practical problem-solving, doing projects, and even what we have to do to increase our club membership. Don't we???
And we do really know how to help build a balanced and sustainable club; how to get the best out of our people; how to plan, organise and deliver an effective service project, and even how to mentor a new member don't we??
Well, if you aren't sure, or if you are and would like to share that know-how, then why not become a Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) Graduate by joining us for a future Intake? Two sessions only, with a small cost of $25 per session for each member. Check out our District website (www.rotary9600.org) and take the link to the Rotary Leadership Institute and then download the Registration form. Email the form to PDG Tony Holmes at ah@businessbuildersaustralia.com. It's really easy and the program is lively, informative, hands-on and fun and you also get fed!
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Odisha. It is the largest city in Odisha and is a centre of economic and religious importance in Eastern India. Bhubaneswar is often referred to as a "Temple City of India".
But ..... there are 338 unauthorised slums in Bhubaneswar - many households do not have toilets and a few who have sanitary toilets have no drainage, water and maintenance facilities!!
In May last year, now Past President Anna wanted to assist women in remote parts of India with better access to toilets, providing them with dignity and safety. That enquiry has led to a global Rotary project (GG1757749) to provide safe, clean and local Bio toilets for women:
The Project aims in providing safe and clean toilets for women. 20 Urban slum areas have been identified for the said project. Each slum would be provided with 2 bio toilets each. The beneficiaries would be the women residing in these slums and are devoid of a safe and hygienic environment to attend to nature's call.
The online registration for our District Conference will be open and available from the D9600 website from this coming Monday 26 February
Follow the link for two pages of information details outlining the correct method of doing the registration together with pricing details for the various meal choices available.
We remind members that there is no cost to register for conference apart from meals and the evening events.
However all attendees must complete a registration to enter the conference venue to comply with insurance. This includes all volunteers working in any capacity and all display personnel.
I am pleased to invite you to the Sydney Town Hall on 17 March for the Presidential Peacebuilding Conference where we will explore economic and community development in relation to peacebuilding on a local, national, and international scale.
Rotary District 9675 has planned an outstanding program featuring Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, noted Australian foreign correspondent Hugh Riminton, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace Steve Killelea, Vice Chair of the Rotarian Action Group Against Slavery Dave McCleary and UNICEF CEO Tony Stuart. Joining them will be a host of other internationally recognised thought leaders from across the business and philanthropic communities.
We discuss important topics including the cost of conflict, the power of education, facilitating peaceful outcomes, as well as pressing issues such as cyberbullying and modern slavery affecting the harmony of our global community.
We’ll explore the real causes of economic instability, the intersection of sound community development and reconciliation, and opportunities to create peace through collaborative service projects globally and locally. You will leave the conference motivated to expand existing efforts in peacebuilding or initiate new ones.
I look forward to joining you in Sydney as we come together to Make a Difference by discussing challenges and identifying opportunities to address some of the most pressing concerns of modern times.
If you have not already registered, you may do so online http://rippc2018.com.au/registration. Consider bringing along a friend, school student or young person to learn and be inspire as we come together to explore how all of us can thoughtfully and practically build peace in our world
Sincerely, Ian Riseley President, Rotary International
I am contacting my fellow DG in District 9920 and will advise of any way that we can assist.
Regards,
John Lane
G’day Governors 2017-2018,
President Ian Riseley has written to District Governor Malini Ragwhan District 9920, the District that has been impacted by Cyclone Gita and the Club President Masha Surofv, Rotary Club of Nuku’alofa. Ian passed on his and Juliet’s condolences to the communities affected by Cyclone Gita.
Ian said “The Cyclone Gita has had a devastating impact on the lives of so many people and communities in Tonga and surrounding areas. Clubs and Districts will want to know how they can help and contribute to this disaster.
I would encourage all of you to with club leaders in your districts to post any disaster relief and recovery projects on Rotary Ideas. This is Rotary’s online contributing tool. All Clubs can ask for funds, volunteers, goods and grants partners. Rotarians and non-Rotarians are able to contribute directly to projects and there are no fees to use this tool.
The Disaster Network of Assistance – Rotarian Action group provides advice and support for all aspects of disasters ranging from preparedness through long term recovery and can be contacted for assistance at dna.rag.contact@gmail.com”
As Rotarians we all try to contribute our knowledge, experience, insights and general know-how when participating in club service projects and other activities. This in itself is one of our great strengths as a global humanitarian and educational organization capable of channelling significant voluntary effort into worthwhile causes. 
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The sessions will be held between 3 and 5pm at McGrath Real Estate's offices.
