The President's message this week is from Thelma (on the way out) and Mark (on the way into the role).
Outgoing and Incoming President
We made history on Tuesday night with our Zoom Changeover - thank you for being with us. There has been some fabulous feedback on the quality of the content, technical expertise, and the attire of our new incoming President (captured on camera and published in this edition).......
The first chapter of the club's planning process was completed on 9 June with an outstanding presentation by workshop coordinator Warwick Cavell. Warwick, a professional business strategist, MD of Linnergy and current President of the Rotary Club of Central Melbourne, emphasised the benefit of focusing on impact rather than activities in our internal and external communications, and posed three questions for us regarding the future, in preparation for stage 2 of the process - the Planning Workshop on June 23rd via Zoom. The club's SAG (Strategic Action Group), comprising President Thelma, President Elect Mark and President Elect Nominee Teresa has been working with Warwick for some weeks now to set the scene for the plan for the next three years.
As we have all come to learn, headlines can sometime be misleading, and this one is no exception. Nevertheless photos have emerged of what was going on just beyond the camera during the club's historic best ever Zoom Changeover Event, held without an official dinner on June 16th 2020. Congratulations to Club Service Award Recipients Michael Hills, Don Heath and Ian Salek, and to Paul Harris Fellows Don Heath and Richard Blakeman. And congratulations to outgoing President Thelma Hutchison and the Incoming President Mark Ellis for a superb celebration of what it means to be a Rotarian.
The club Board has voted to join with the Rotary Club of Brighton North in support of a Rotary Foundation Global Grant application to assist victims of the devastating bushfires in Sarsfield over summer. From a contribution of $2,000 from each of Rotary Glenferrie and Rotary Brighton North, total funds available for the project are likely to grow to $150,000 with support from a generous public donor, the District 9800 Foundation Grants Committee, Rotary District 9800 and The Rotary Foundation Global Fund, highlighting the power of Rotary Foundation Grants in multiplying impact. The grant application is being led by Rotarian Mark Stephens of the Rotary Club of Brighton North.
The club has made a donation of $1,100 to Australian Rotary Health as an expression of appreciation for club dinner meeting speakers through 2019-2020. A donation of $100 is made by the club for each non-Rotarian speaker, who gets a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of their time with us and their presentation.
Sir Clem Renouf, an unassuming accountant from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Charter Secretary of the Rotary Club of Nambour and Past Rotary International President ignited the global Rotary campaign to end the scourge of Polio, a program that has saved untold millions of people from one of the world's most terrible diseases. Sir Clem passed away on Thursday 11th June 2020. Click on Read More to read the tribute from District Governor Grant Hocking. Click on this link to view this feature story on Sir Clem that went to air in April 2010 on the ABC's 7:30 Report . Vale PRIP Sir Clem Renouf.
Rotary’s Centenary is a time of celebration! It Is a time to reflect on our past, and take pride in all that has been achieved. It is a time we play our part in the history of Rotary. Our centenary is also the time to lay the foundations for our future, as we still have much to do. The key project in our centenary year will focus on stopping the one in 16 children who die in 9 Pacific nations before the age of five.
We invite you to join Rotarians across Australia on 10th July for virtual fellowship, as well as meet our R100 Centenary Ambassadors, the Governor General and Mrs Hurley, as they launch our national centenary campaign. By joining us, you will witness the “Passing the Baton” ceremony. The baton that will carry the symbols of our centenary and will travel far and wide across Rotary clubs and Districts.
District Governor Grant Hocking with Melissa and the District 9800 team have provided outstanding leadership in a challenging year. The Rotary Club of Glenferrie has had the pleasure of DG Grant's company at a couple of club meetings this past Rotary year, most recently at Club Changeover on June 16th. If there was one disappointment it is that, due to the Covid-19 public health crisis, we were unable to celebrate and pay tribute at District Conference this year. Now the new District team is ready to take up the mantle and all members and friends are invited to join in via Zoom on Saturday June 27th , to say thank you to DG Grant and to welcome to the front row DGE Phillip Archer. To access your invitation and to book, click on 'Read More' below.
Fran Willmott has advised that Past President Ian is currently in Cabrini Hospital in Malvern. It is likely that he will be there for a further few days and perhaps a week before going home. Flowers have been sent to the hospital from the Club with our best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Ian, Club President in 2009-2010 and still a significant contributor to the work of the club, particularly through the Boroondara Farmers Market, is now an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Glenferrie. Get well soon Ian!
With thanks to the Rotary Club of Beechworth .....
It is common practice in Rotary to expect new Rotarians to give a talk to club members, known as a Member Behind the Badge Talk, about themselves, their early life, their training and the job that they do. Later in Rotary life the Rotarian is often expected to fill the speaker diary by giving a talk which is NOT connected with his work. A hobby such as wood turning or car restoration would be a good example.
My story recounts the time when Fred arrived at the meeting of his Rotary club to be reminded that he was the speaker for the evening and this was not a Member Behind the Badge Talk. He had forgotten and was not prepared. He sat at the top table, beside the Chairman for the evening, and thought about a subject during the meal. When he was announced he spoke about sex. The meeting listened to every word and asked many questions. It was quite a success.
The Electoral College is a complete mystery to most Australians with our Westminister style of parliamentary democracy. And yet it is the very mechanism by which the President of the United States is elected. Stephen Marantelli lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he is, by profession, a barrister. He has a passion for American history, in particular, the history of the presidency. The nature and trend of the American-Australian alliance is better understood in the light of that history. A successful author, Stephen's imaginative and thought provoking book recounts an imaginary meeting in London between Edmund Barton, Australia's first Prime Minister, and George Washington, the First President of the Unioted States.
In the course of Stephen's presentation, we will get an insight into what is going on in the United States at the moment in the lead up to the Presidential Elections in November, and perhaps a little insight also into the strengths and tensions in the long established Australia-United States relationship.
