I’m writing this on Saturday, the day after our first and only in-person D9810 Presidents’ and Leaders’ Meeting. About 75 Rotarians were gathered and it’s the largest District gathering we have managed so far this year. Thank you to all who attended.
The only other big District event this year will be the Changeover. I hope we have a full house for that event. You can now book tickets (see below).
The historic multi-district conference was held last week – historic because it was the first time all five Districts in Victoria presented a combined conference. I hope those who attended enjoyed the speakers and entertainment and found some pertinent and worthwhile messages to share with their clubs. The recordings are now available (see below).
The District 9810 conference breakout session was fantastic. When all the District clubs were invited to submit videos the expectation was that we would receive a few and then need to find other material to fill the time. I’m pleased to say we had more than enough and they were all just wonderful! Indeed two of the submitted videos were “bumped” to the MD Conference. Thank you to all clubs that contributed. The recording of the D9810 breakout is also available on line (see below).
Special mention and big thank you to Nidhi Wadhwa, President of Knox Rotaract. Nidhi was the MC on day one of the MD conference and of the District breakout. She did a fabulous job as her natural charm really shone through. Well done Nidhi.
Loads of exciting stuff in this edition including:
- Access all Conference sessions online
- A great Membership Inspiration on Intergenerational Relationships
- Club newsletters – the good and the not so great.
- Care for the environment in your club
- A fantastic list of events coming up in our District
- Bowelscan Kits Now Available
- ESRAG and WASH activities
… and lots, lots more
Governor’s Travels
 In the past two weeks I have been privileged to be at several Rotary functions.
Rotary Club of Boronia held a Centenary Celebration for both Rotary and for their special member Walter Goodwin who celebrated his one hundredth birthday the same week. I was delight to present Wal with a personal letter from RI President, Holger Knaack, and a special birthday card signed by all the club members who attended. Best wishes from us all Wal and congratulations on your very significant milestone birthday.
RC Box Hill Central applied for and received an EnviroClub Award. It had taken some time for me to get it to the club but I eventually made it last week. The club was trying out a new venue and  experimenting with the portability of their hybrid meeting system. I must say I was very impressed with the way their system worked and how much the online participants were integrated into the meeting.
 I also had the pleasure of attending the Rotary Club of Box Hill Burwood for the presentation of their Community Grants and to assist in the induction of three new members. It was a wonderful night for introducing personnel from local community organisations and for adding new members. Pic is of me, husband Greg King and the AG for Whitehorse A cluster, Kylie Knight-Brown.
I invited myself to the Rotary Club of Waverley in order to hear their special guest speaker Major Brendan Nottle of the Salvation Army. Brendan always delivers a down to earth message of help and hope. His insights into the issue of homelessness and the impact of the COVID pandemic and shutdown in Melbourne were real eye-openers. You can see a two minute example of Brendan’s good sense at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1840985826067282
During last week Greg and I, along with a number of other D9810 Rotarians attended the Multi-District Rotary Foundation Major Donors’ Dinner. This was a wonderful night attended by a large number of Rotarians with guest speakers and great entertainment.
 On Thursday just past, Greg and I attended the Parmas for Polio event host by NewGen Rotary. This small satellite club of RC Nunawading, did a wonderful job of organising the event with a view to making a donation to the End Polio Now campaign. It turned out to be a real family affair as Greg (D980 polio ambassador) and I were the guest speakers and my son, Rotarian Perry Byrnes, was the MC. Congratulations to RC NewGen for this great event and for the fundraiser – no final figures yet but the grand total is looking good!
Conference – D9810 Breakout
A big thank you to all the D9810 Conference Breakout committee: Esther Murray, Jenny Moran, Trish Carr, Les Marton, Steve Macdonald, Wendy Stanford, Joady Barnes, Brian Tyedin and Nidhi Wadhwa. You can find the video of the session at
Speakers and videos for the event (in order) were:
- DG Alma Reynolds
- Springvale City video
- Rowville Lysterfield video
- Hampton video
- Pat Armstrong – Environment and Sustainability
- Called to Higher Service
- Knox Rotaract video
- MITS video
- Mordialloc video
- Lilydale video
- DGN Ken Miller
- Evan Burrell - Public Image and Social Media
- Templestowe video
- Box Hill Burwood video
- Emerald & District video
- Jenny Moran - 2021/22 DG’s Partner’s Project
- DGE Daryl Moran et.al. – 2022 District Conference
- DG Alma Reynolds
Multi District Conference
On May 1 and 2 the historic 5-District multi-District Virtual Victoria Rotary Conference was held in an online format. At the end of the event, the five DGs lined up for the final sign-off. L to R – Philip Archer 9800, Mark Humphries 9820, Philip Beasley 9780, Bruce Anderson 9790 and me. Also pictured our wonderful day one MC, Nidhi Wadhwa, President of Knox Rotaract.
The speakers, and at what stage in the recording you can find them, are listed below:
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Day 1
The Hon Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Vic (0:04:03)
R100 Celebration: RC Melbourne (08:10)
PRIP Ian Riseley “What’s New at Rotary Foundation” (0:20:03)
DG Alma Reynolds (0:31:04)
Kutcha Edwards, entertainer (0:34:28)
Robert Pradolin “Housing for All” (0:44:12)
Safe Families video (0:54:38)
Jessie Harman “Rotary the Next 100 Years” (0:57:10)
Michael Hardinge RC Healesville (1:08:44)
DG Mark Humphries (1:15:12)
Damien Leith, entertainer (1:20:15)
DIK video (1:31:46)
RIPN Jennifer Jones (1:39:00)
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Day 2
Sally Capp, Lord Mayor of Melbourne (0:01:09)
DG Philip Beasley (0:10:09)
Ruby Mae, entertainer (0:12:21)
Jenny Begent, “The New Poor” (0:16:25)
Dan Martinez “Connecting Manningham) (0:32:50)
Trish Carr, entertainer (0:37:18)
David & Sharon Hamilton, Fella Hamilton (0:44:47)
DG Bruce Anderson (0:51:40)
David Laity, Goodwill Wines (0:54:05)
ESRAG (1:04:18)
Vic Grosjean (1:09:50)
DG Philip Archer (1:20:40)
Michael Lapina, entertainer (1:23:45)
Katey Halliday, Diversity in Rotary ((1:27:50)
DG Alma Reynolds (1:38:30)
Michael Lapina (1:43:30)
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A huge “thank you” to all the D9810 Rotarians who were part of the MD Conference committee. They were; Brian McPhail, Ian Goldsmith, Steve Macdonald, Jenny Moran, Nidhi Wadhwa, Pat Armstrong, Lesley Zuccaro, Lynn Whelan, Joady Barnes and Mark Balla.
Membership Inspiration
RI conducted a recent seminar entitled “Building Strong Intergenerational Relationships”. For clubs working with Rotaract, Interact or Earlyact clubs or hoping to recruit a group of younger members, this could provide some inspiration. It’s a full seminar about 55 minutes with speakers from Rotary, Rotaract, Interact Advisory Council and Rotex. Find it here https://vimeo.com/channels/rotarymembership/543594657
D9810 Clubs Feature in The Rotary Foundation Annual Report
Congratulations to the Rotary Clubs of Rowville Lysterfield and Bayswater who have been featured in a full page story in TRF’s Annual Report. The story features their online art show which was one of the success stories of the lockdown era and is the only feature story from Zone 8. What a coup! Well done to you all. You can see the page by going to https://www.rotary.org/en/annual-report-2020/increase-our-ability-to-adapt (scroll down to the story headed “Finding Opportunity in Adversity”)
Clubs Do “Hands-on” Projects
In my perusal of recent Club newsletters, I came across some great examples of hands-on Rotary projects.
Here’s some to provide inspiration;
- Lilydale and Croydon & Montrose – playground harvesting for ROPS
- Emerald & District – breakfast club at local school
- Forest Hill – the City Nature Challenge
- Rowville Lysterfield – preparing food for local meal service
- Knox – mock interviews with local secondary school
- Wandin – frozen meal distribution
- Mount Waverley – preparing food for Black Dog Walk event
- Manningham – Rotary Cares Manningham Shares (food collection project)
- Hampton – pre-school hearing screening
Well done to all clubs providing members with one or many opportunities to provide hands-on community support.
Newsletter Bloopers and Bombs
Recently at District 9810 we have been discussing the Rotarian Code of Conduct. I urge all clubs to adopt this Code and apply it in all aspects of their operation including their newsletters. In my recent perusal of newsletters I found three examples of unacceptable “jokes” – one was racist and unacceptable, another demeaned women and a third was just unacceptable. Please make sure your newsletters ALWAYS reflect the values of Rotary.
Care for the Environment – Easy Action to Take Now
 There are clubs in our District still printing club directories. Your website and data base can provide all the information your members need. Think of the workload, think of the environment and use a smart phone or computer instead of a printed book. For club members unsure about technology, provide support and guidance. Time to think of the environment, time to modernise, time find new ways to access information.
Morning Tea with the DG - CANCELLED
 Sad to report that Morning Tea with the DG has been cancelled and will not be held again this year. It was a great opportunity for Rotarians across the District to connect with each other, especially during our lockdown months. Now Rotarians can once again meeting face-to-face the need for the morning teas has passed. Thank you to all those who attended at any time. I enjoyed spending time with you.
Coming Events in District 9810
What a pleasure it is to see a list of coming events in our District. It seems like the desert in bloom after rain to know that clubs and Rotarians are once again meeting in person and organising face-to-face events.
D9810 Grants Seminar
 Attendance by a club representative at this event is compulsory for all clubs planning to apply for a Foundation grant in the coming year. It is to be held on Friday 14 May and online. The venue is the Box Hill Baseball Centre at Surrey Park starting at 6.00 for 6.30pm. The Seminar will address important changes to Grant funding and the new criteria applicable to District 9810 Grants. It will also outline support available to Clubs in preparing their Grant Applications through the District Resource Network. For more information contact PDG David Alexander or Grants Chair Graham Richardson (see below for more details).
R100 Celebration at Emerald
Rotary Club of Emerald and District’s R100 celebration includes a ride on the iconic Puffing Billy. Why not join in the fun?
For more information contact club President Vicki Van Den Bergen or club Secretary Penny Shalini.
End Polio Now Fundraiser
Rotary Club of Springvale City invites you to its Annual EPN Fundraiser. The venue is Maxim’s Restaurant, Level 1 / 17 Balmoral Avenue, Springvale. Cost is $60 per person for a 5 course banquet including tea and soft drinks; alcohol at bar prices.
District Training Assembly
All members are invited to enrol for one or more of the online workshops which constitute this year’s District Assembly scheduled from Sunday 23rd May through to Sunday 30th May. Registrations may be made through Trybooking, via the following link: https://www.trybooking.com/BQLTP
To see the full program for District Assembly click here.
Interact Multi-District Conference
 All Victoria Interactors welcome to this virtual event Sunday 30 May12:30 pm to 4.30 pm.
For more information contact event Chair, Des O’Shanassy on 0401 287 050 or by email at desoshanassy@hotmail.com Or contact the D9810 Interact Chair, Salwan Shahine of RC Doncaster.
Rotary International Convention
The registration fee is $65US. You can also join us early at a preconvention, 10-11 June, for Intercountry Committees, Rotaract, and Rotary Youth Exchange officers. Each preconvention will cost an additional $20.
The 2021 Virtual Rotary Convention and pre-conventions are open to all Rotary members and participants and include access to the virtual House of Friendship. Don’t forget to visit the convention event page on Facebook to connect with others and stay up-to-date on event news and program highlights!
District 9810 Changeover Dinner
The Four-Way Test
 I am often upset by seeing examples of Rotarians using The Four-Way Test as a tool to judge (and criticise) other Rotarians. In this interesting article PDG Martin Postic Jr of D5750 discusses the essence of The Four-Way Test as a mirror and not a window. In other words The Four-Way Test is a tool for self-reflection. This week I was heartened to see this article reproduced in one of the club newsletters – well done!
May is Bowel Scan Month
 Yes we are still involved with Rotary Bowelscan. Yes last year we pushed customers to the website but unfortunately many of these people are not computer literate or will not purchase goods online.
We are doing the same again this year but with the relaxing rules of Covid we have asked our past helpers to help us get back into the Pharmacies. Many have agreed to do so and these Pharmacies are posted on the Rotary Bowelscan website www.rotarybowelscan.com Information poster can be found here
However PDG Malcolm Chiverton (BowelScan Coordinator) is receiving many calls from people because they are finding their Pharmacy is not involved due to having no Rotarians to deliver kits.
Malcolm would be greatly appreciative if more Clubs would get involved in providing Pharmacies with kits and then collect the money at the end of May. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COLLECT SAMPLE KITS! Today the customers send the kits off themselves. If your Club would like to be involved in a community project please contact Malcolm (RC Box Hill Central.
Environment AoS Launch
ESRAG Newsletter
WASH Summit
 Learn how your club can help to address the urgent need for improved WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene, cleaning and waste management) at Healthcare facilities.
Register today for the WASH Rotary Action Group Virtual Summit! For more information visit WASH-RAG.org
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Foundation Giving - Why Rotary members should support Annual Fund-SHARE
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Rotary members around the world are doing more good than ever before, and we’re proud of their work. If everyone comes together and contributes to our Foundation’s Annual Fund-SHARE, we can meet the demand for grants.
When Rotary members give to Annual Fund-SHARE, their donations truly do help people. Did you know that a portion of each Annual Fund-SHARE contribution goes to our World Fund, which significantly supports global grants? With help from our donors, last year the Foundation awarded 1,359 global grants to Rotarians who are taking action to solve complex problems where our help is needed the most. In total, we’ve funded more than 10,000 global grants since 2013. Annual Fund-SHARE contributions also generate District Designated Funds, which local Rotary leaders can allocate to Foundation projects that address needs right in the community.
Your support of our Foundation’s Annual Fund makes Doing Good in the World possible
How Clubs Can Support Mothers and Children
 Rotary makes health care available to vulnerable mothers and children so they can live longer and grow stronger.
During Maternal and Child Health Month in April, you can get involved in these ways:
- Join the Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, which supports Rotary clubs and districts in planning, implementing, and co-funding projects that support maternal and child health.
- Join the Rotary Action Group for Clubfoot to support the Ponseti Method, which is an effective, nonsurgical treatment for children born with clubfoot.
- Look on Rotary Showcase to find out how Rotary and Rotaract clubs are bringing health care to mothers and children. You can post your club’s success story or find international projects that your club can support.
Regards,
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Don’t miss your chance to connect with Rotary members at the 
