Here we are at Open Doors #2 and we are all waiting with not a little apprehension to see if the Premier will announce tighter lockdowns as COVID-19 spreads further and further through our communities.
As Rotarians we take a positive, “can-do” attitude and we know there are no problems, only opportunities. Let’s put our minds to the needs in our communities and find ways to alleviate hardship and loneliness.
To help clubs find projects that can work in these different times, D9810 Community Chair, Trish Smyth is planning a Zoom forum discussion for clubs to discuss and share projects that do work or could work right now. Watch your email for details to come soon.
A great resource of Rotary inspiration for projects, activities and fundraisers during the pandemic restrictions is the Rotary Voices blog. Examples of projects and Rotary innovations from around the world will get your club members’ brains ticking away to develop the ideas for local use. For your dose of inspiration go to https://blog.rotary.org/tag/covid-19-pandemic/
There are tough times ahead for all our communities and the need for Rotary to step up is with us now and will increase over the coming months and, probably, years. I know Rotarians in D9810 will be there.
Vale Dr Joy Varughese
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Dr Joy Varughese, a member of the Rotary Club of Croydon & Montrose and a member of the District Foundation Committee. I didn’t know Joy well but I found him to be a gentle man, considerate and a dedicated Rotarian. He was always courteous and always had a smile whenever I met him. Serving the community through Rotary was one of Joy’s deeply held personal values. He will be greatly missed by all his Rotary friends.
New! New! New!
A big welcome to the Knox Rotaract Club congratulations to President Nidhi Wadhwa and all the members on this momentous achievement. Also congratulations to the sponsoring Rotary clubs Bayswater, Knox and Rowville Lysterfield. I signed the Rotaract Club Certification Form this week so it should all become official very soon.
Professional Development – Mentoring Project kicks off next week with a free webinar on Interview Skills. I’m sure this will be a big success and ask all Rotaractors and Rotarians to recruit friends and family members, who are in the early stages of their careers, to register for this new initiative. Congratulations to Jeff Somers, Netania Lim, Bianca Lobo and the who team working on this great project (see more information below)
Club Visits
I started my DG club visits this week. I admit I was a little nervous about it but really should not have been. I met with very warm welcomes and lots of discussion about the good things Rotary clubs are doing. As DG I have developed a small number of key messages for clubs but I know that, along the way, I will learn much more than I can possibly deliver.
Really looking forward to visiting all the clubs in the District as well as the Rotaract clubs and satellite clubs.
Keeping Our Connections
In the time leading up to the start of this Rotary year, I conducted weekly “Morning Tea with the DGE” sessions. The number attending the informal Zoom discussions ranged from a handful to over 50. However many attended the discussion was lively and the topics broad.
Starting in August, I will again be conducting informal Zoom chats for any Rotarian who wishes to attend. They will be held at 10.30am on every second Tuesday morning starting 4th August. To allow those who are working to be part of the opportunity to connect, there will also be Sunday Sundowners at 5.00pm every second Sunday commencing 9th August. Reminders will be sent for each session. See you there!
Launch of Centenary Celebrations
Last week the Centenary of Rotary in Australia was launched by the Governor General in Canberra. COVID restrictions meant the audience at Government House was very small. I and a number of D9810 Rotarians tuned in via an online telecast. If you missed it you can see a recording of it here https://www.stagepass.com.au/rotary. To see only the GG’s speech, go tohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEpK1hBfEPw
Market Roundup
One of the key fundraisers used a number of clubs in the District is a regular market and, until the most recent restrictions, most had re-commenced operations. I would like to add a “market roundup” to the front page of the District website and to every edition of Open Doors reminding Rotarians that a wander around a market can be a nice weekend excursion and that our fundraisers need support. If the information below is incorrect or if I have missed any markets, please email me. The information I have so far is:
Whitehorse Farmers' Market
2nd Sun 8 to 1
397 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading
Bentleigh Treasure n Trash
Every Sun 7 – 12
4/383 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204
Chelsea Farmers' Market
1st Sat 8.30 - 2
Sir William Fry Reserve, Highett.
Cheltenham Market
Every Sun 8 - 1
behind Cheltenham shops, off Railway Rd
Blackburn Market
2nd Sat 9 - 1
Blackburn Station Village Shopping Centre
Bayside Farmers' Market
3rd Sat 8 - 1
Jetty Road Sandringham
Lilydale Carft & Produce Market
1st Sun
Bellbird Park Swansea Rd Lilydale
Mount Waverley Village Market
2nd Sun
Hamilton Place Mount Waverley
Oakleigh Rotary Sunday Market
Every Sun 8 - 1.30
Cnr Hanover St & Atherton Rd, Oakleigh
Tunstall Market
Last Sun 8 - 1
Tunstall Sq, Cnr Doncaster & Tunstall Rds
Warrandyte Riverside Market
1st Sat 8 - 1
Riverside walk, Warrandyte
New Flexibility in Rotary Citation
Starting in July, Rotary club leaders can choose the goals they want to apply toward the 2020-21 Rotary Citation. Of the 25 possible goals, select 13 or more that you think are most relevant and achievable. You’ll be able to report many of your accomplishments simply by marking the goals “Achieved” in Rotary Club Central. Download the 2020-21 Citation Goals and Instructions to learn more.
Many D9810 Rotarians will be aware of the amazing work carried out in Kenya through the work of the Healesville club and the amazing Wilma Best. Wilma’s main contact in Kenya, Fr Jason Micheni, is working on a new project to provide food security to children rural area of Timau, a rural district not already served by one of the Rotary projects. Fr Jason is seeking donations and Wilma is unable to continue her fundraising work so the club has set up a GoFundMe page. Clubs and individuals interested in making a donation to this project can go tohttp://gf.me/u/x27bub The fundraising target is a modest $6,500 so even small donations will be of great assistance.
Club Runner Pricing
At one of our on line meetings, I was asked to investigate Club Runner pricing for clubs. Clubs are, of course, free to choose any website host that works for them. When D9810 investigated options the final decision was that ClubRunner delivered advantages to our District at a competitive price. For those who are interested, this is what I found:
Join Rotaract District 9810 on the 25th July for the Rotaract District 9810 Changeover virtually as they celebrate the past year and welcome the incoming District 9810 Leadership!
The Changeover will be via Zoom call, at 7pm for a 7:15pm start and will finish at 10pm.
The evening will also include Rotaract District Awards as well as the opportunity to acknowledge the recent charter of the Rotaract Club of Knox.
District 9810 - Free professional development webinar
District 9810 is running a free professional development webinar, please invite any interested young professionals to register click here
Probably the single most important decision a company can make is the selection and hiring of the right staff for the organisation and equally the decision by an individual about which company to work for can have a profound impact on his or her job satisfaction and personal self-fulfilment.
Building upon decades of experience in this sector, this brief (1 hour) Interview Skills training presentation enables attendees to identify the right job and maximise their chances of getting it. From guidance on how to create a great resume and cover letter through to hints and tips on holding a successful job interview, attendees will improve their chances of securing the job of their dreams.
An amazing film showing 50 years of real life footage of Donydji - a small Indigenous community in North East Arnhem land. In 1974, Dr Neville White, a biological anthropologist, spent part of each year on the Homeland, responding to the community's request to resist the threat of mining license claims.
HOMELAND STORY is a moving portrait of a resilient and determined community facing the challenges of maintaining their Donydji Homeland and preserving their vibrant culture.
Friday 24th July 2020 at 7:30 PM and Friday 31st July 2020 at 7:30 PM
By Grant Hocking, Past District Governor and member of the Rotary Club of Woodend, Australia
Restrictions due to COVID-19 have challenged our communities, our clubs and ourselves.
As an Australian, I feel proud of our response and results in limiting the spread of COVID-19 and Rotary members can feel proud of the way we have responded. The rapid transition to video conferencing platforms, and establishing new projects and fundraising activities has been nothing short of amazing. You all deserve a big and hearty congratulations.
Although there has recently been a slight easing of restrictions in some parts of the world, there is a real need to proceed with caution in recommencing face-to-face meetings or public events and activities. I have been asked by many members in my district for guidance around resuming meetings and events.
At International Assembly earlier this year there was an inspirational speaker Rotarian Jason Browne whose topic was Making Membership Memorable – his M&Ms. Fellow DG, Merewyn Wright of D9550 (Northern NT, far north Qld and Timor L'este) was certainly inspired and wrote this piece for her own newsletter.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created major issues within nations around the globe. We here in Australia have our various issues but we are covered by a blanket of security underpinned by many safety nets.
Indonesia also has been hit with the pandemic but they do not have the infrastructure or capacity to assist their citizens as we do here.
To answer the need of the poor, the poor who have to make the choice between food for themselves and their family and/or a re-useable face mask means that many people who are vulnerable, are not even having the “luxury” of the simplest of protection.
The Rotary Club of Semarang-Kunthi D3420 are proposing to distribute 1 million of these basic safeguards and for that to happen they require funding. The Rotary Club of Glen Waverley answered that call and with the assistance of a District Grant was able to fund the manufacture of between 6500 and 7000 of these masks.
Rotary Club of Wandin donates $17,000 to Royal Children’s Hospital
For the last 4 years, the Rotary Club of Wandin has run their Custom Car and Bike Show which is held monthly from October to March each year. The aim is to raise funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital and for local Community needs. The show has attracted over 600 cars and 100 bikes together with up to 3,000 attendees on the most well supported events.
The 2019/2020 season was reduced to only 3 shows because of unseasonable rain in January and February and Covid 19 restictions in March. Despite this, sufficient funds were raised to enable the Club to donate $17,000 to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation in 2020. With the funds raised in the prior 3 years, the Club has now donated $88,000 to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
The Club hopes restrictions on events will be lifted in time for the 2020/2021 Custom Car and Bike Show to commence in October 2020.
Photo caption: Ryan Brown, Director of Fundraising, Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation receiving a $17,000 cheque from Pat Cullen, Chair of the Car and Bike Show Committee. Watching on are Dennis Hoehne, President of the Rotary Club of Wandin and Club member Warwick Bisley
NewGen has brought back its free coffees initiative - this time for teachers - while its street library is temporarily closed at Rise&Grind 3133 cafe in Vermont.
The club, president Kevin, R&G regular Sam Alcordo and a special anonymous supporter have chipped in $300 to kick off the initiative with 66 FREE COFFEES up for grabs.
The offer is available to teachers at Antonio Park PS, Vermont PS, Rangeview PS, St James PS and Vermont SC. Teachers must present their name badge or VIT card to claim their free coffee.
Please share this with any teachers you know, and if you would like to donate to the initiative, please PM the club on Facebook or visit the cafe at 605 Canterbury Rd, Vermont and speak to the staff.
In order to help support the continual efforts of Rotary in our fight against Polio, Whitehorse Rotaract will be conducting a fundraising event with a difference. A virtual marathon conducted completely online.
Rotary has been working since 1979 to combat Polio, Since then 123 countries have been freed from Polio.
Our virtual marathon is 123km and follows the route of an amazing Rotaractor as she travels with a polio vaccination team to a remote village in Uganda. If you want to read more of her story click here.
The virtual marathon can take however long you want at your own pace but remember there is a leaderboard so everyone can see who is working hardest. By adding your distance-based activity you will progress along the trail. You can use any distance-based activity to contribute your distance such as Running, Walking, Hiking, Cycling, Swimming, Rowing, Elliptical and skiing.
Their is registration cost of $18 and all profits will be going to EndPolio to help eradicate polio.
The Knox Rotaract club is made up of 11 passionate young people, who are involved in volunteering and fundraising efforts in the Knox area. Our club is based in the Knox district which includes: Bayswater, Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield, Rowville, Scoresby, Wantirna, and other surrounding suburbs.
Knox Rotaract are here with a volunteering initiative to help students who feel that they need additional support with their coursework through providing free, online small group tutoring classes on Zoom. Whether it be proofreading essays or helping students apply mathematical formulas, we would like to offer our skills and experience to help students achieve better outcomes.
The annual Australian Golfing Fellowship of Rotarians has its 43rd Annual Tournament being held on the Sunshine Coast in Maroochydore. This event shall be organised and run by the Rotary Club of Maroochydore and the event shall be played out on the Maroochy River Golf Club.
Registrations start on Sunday 16th May 2021 and the events starts on Monday 17th running through to Friday 21st May 2021. As is the normal, Wednesday is set aside with it being the free day to get the aches out of the muscles and get your mind ready for another 36 holes- what great fun!
For the non-golfing attendees there are tours organised on the competitive days as well as an optional tour to the Australia Zoo on the Wednesday rest day.
