Well – Welcome to the new normal as many people are commenting. We are all getting used to work clothes being T Shirt and tracksuit. Being used to being very active, I am finding it hard but still manage to get out on the bike and walk the dog. If this is retirement, I will go nuts!! So, I am growing a COVID beard. Being a health worker and still consulting (but no surgery), everyone keeps away from me, I don’t have to worry about my passport photo for many months or years, and my mask covers the growing thistle!! So, it would be nice to have something to show after coming out of lockdown. Haven’t grown a beard since university days and so the salt and pepper appearance may be a bit of a shock.
That doesn’t mean the board and myself have been inactive. Recently, the opportunity to participate in multi club projects have come up in only this week. You may remember assisting Canterbury Rotary prepare the food packages for overseas? Well, they are making them available for our designated charities instead of sending them overseas. Our Community Director, Lyn Kneale is onto that. We may require hands on to collect the packages and deliver them to Camcare and the Salvation Army. Please watch for the volunteer call. We would have to have work permits, so it is not as easy as in the past.
Also, in conjunction with Hawthorn Rotary and maybe Kew Rotary there is an avenue for us to explore working with the Mental Health department at Box Hill hospital. Thanks to Elisabeth Dumonic and Mithzay Pomenta for taking up this challenge. I must stress that this is very early days and I have only just brought the parties together recently this week.
I appreciated the turn up to the “Wine and Cheese night”. From what I gather from the emails, the experiment worked well. I must thank heartily Peter Moore and Richard Blakeman for working out the breakout rooms. Cheryl had suggested this approach and Peter by mixing us around 3 times, gave us a chance to have fellowship. Apart from the traditional dig at fellows’ bad choices in football club following, it was great to learn about the outside interests of our fellows. Rod Smith grows vegetables and is adept at mushroom growing, Andrea Kimler, our environmentalist, is a “rev head”, and Tim Gale’s woodwork as an avenue for retiring surgeons (maybe something for me eventually). There will be one of these nights per month during lockdown. September 15th will be set aside for the next one. I already have the now obligatory video to start proceedings so make sure you tune in at 7.30 pm.
On a serious note, we will be presenting the findings and recommendations on the Strategic Action Plan to the club on this Tuesday. So, no speaker apart from Thelma and myself on Tuesday general meeting. Richard, Teresa, Thelma and I, with the guidance of PP Warwick Cavell of the Central Melbourne Rotary Club have prepared the plan and thanks to all. Peter Moore has distributed the Strategic Plan 2020-2023 already. It makes great bedtime reading, so please make sure you have read it before coming to the meeting.
From a recent cluster meeting with our lovely and well informed AG Sandi Fulcher, I must document a few points.
- Vocational Champion – At of our cluster, we are still looking for a person to Champion the cause of Vocations. This was the original are of focus for Rotary and unfortunately a much overlooked in our other focus areas. Please let me know if you are interested in pursuing this area.
- Breakfast meeting – “Building resilience in Today’s Economic Business Climate” Guest Speaker Michael Byrne. Zoom meeting, Tuesday 25th August. 7.-00 – 8.30 am.
You would have been forwarded information on this.
- Cluster meeting with our DG, Philip Archer. We are looking at a date 11th Sept at 5.00 pm. Phillip wants our cluster to work together. He will address our club individually eventually but keep this in your diary.
That’s all folks. Keep safe. Wear a mask. Cough into your elbow. Wash your hands. Look out for opportunities to help our fellow person!