Members awoke to another wintery blast, but still managed to fill almost all the seats at our Breakfast Meeting. Helen met us all at the desk in her bright and chirpy manner. Arnaldo presided in the Chair and proceeded to take charge of the morning.
Our guests this morning included our Guest Speaker Terry Gaughan and his wife, Julie who is HPIs Secretary, who provided us with a presentation about their organisation, Humanitarian Projects International Inc. Judy introduced our Speaker and we all thoroughly enjoyed what was said and it was noted how similar HPI is to Rotary.
We said goodbye to our Victorian Rotarian this morning, as he begins his migratory journey back to Victoria. Ken, we look forward to seeing you again next year as you escape your brutal southern winter.
Alan Still AOM proposed the International Toast to the RC of Barcelona in Spain D2202. We regret that Alan is able to propose his weekly toast according to the latest Terrorist activity. Let's hope that soon he will be able to spruik his knowledge about somewhere peaceful such as the Bahamas.
Another member of our community was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow. Bill Lavery, accompanied by his wife, Nicole, was the worthy recipient. As mentioned by Merv, Bill played an integral role in the Sanitation Project of Sassamunga, in the Solomon Islands. Well done, Bill and a very deserved recipient. See the full story here.
Our Three Minute segment was almost forgotten, but lucky Pam was prepared and gave us an account of her very interesting and diverse life. We all found Pam's story to be very compelling, from her African Heritage, the raising of four girls, as an Economist, a TV Chef, a Florist, Sailing around globe and of course why she joined Rotary. Well done, Pam. You are an integral member of our Club.Unfortunately, Deb, our Sergeant wasn't in attendance today, so we all managed to walk away without any incriminations. (Here's her photo from the previous week so we don't forget her, Ed)
Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all at the Gateway Complex next Tuesday.
Good morning all ! Thank you everyone for coming along once again and a warm welcome to our guests, including Guest Speaker, Terry Gaughan.
For those that were unable to attend, last Friday evening, the 25th August, our Club held it’s first Friday night Social Event. Each month, on the last Friday night, we will be having a night out.
Arnaldo and his lovely wife, Tricsh, offered to have the inaugural event at their home. Attendance was very good, with an encouraging number of Rotarians and their partners coming along.
Everyone brought along a plate, with some food on it, and there was plenty to round.
Thank you Arnaldo for opening your home to us and for your hospitality.
The next Friday night social event will be on Fri 29th Sept. If anyone has suggestions for a venue, please let me know.
I’d like to take the opportunity to mention that from my observation, there are the same familiar faces who come along to Club activities.
Being a member of our Club is a lot more rewarding if you do more than just attend breakfast meetings. Being involved with the Community, whether it’s helping out at a Sausage Sizzle or selling Sweepstake Tickets for Melbourne Cup, is a great way to get to know other members better and there’s a special feeling you get, knowing you are helping out in our Community.
Our Club is a service club, which means we create friendships between our members, then we work together to raise money by participating in Community Fundraising Projects, we then donate this money back into society, at a club, district, national or global level, where we see a need.
To be sustainable, our Club has to undergo change. This doesn’t mean we do everything different, but we can do some things better.
The terms Participation and Engagement are slowly outdating the old adage of 100% attendance at meetings. The language of Rotary with all it’s Acronyms has to become more contemporary, if we are to attract and retain members.
If Rotary is a business, our customers are the people who benefit from what we do, whether it be Polio Vaccination, or Mental Health Research.
I would encourage every Club Member to be in regular contact with their “Buddy”. Committee Directors are also encouraged to keep in regular contact with their members, giving us all a sense of ownership and empowerment.
Involving each other in club activities, will ensure our club remains vibrant and we will naturally attract new members and retain those we’ve got.