New Website Launched

On the first day of this new Rotary year D9810 launched its new website.  The new site is aimed at Rotarians in the District and is configured to replace the previous hard-copy District Directory.  All Rotarians are asked to go to the site and check the information contained.  If there are any mistakes or omissions, please be in touch with me (DG Alma).  https://www.9810rotary.org.au/

A big thank you to new District Webmaster, Trish Carr of Box Hill Burwood and Tech Committee member, Peter Dalwood, of Boronia both of whom performed virtual miracles (pun intended!) to get the site ready to publish by the start of the year.

Rotary Convention Breakout Sessions Continue in July

The RI Virtual Convention was held last month.  If you missed it, don’t worry.  All the sessions and breakouts were recorded and are available on line.  As a special bonus, nearly 40 more breakout sessions will be held in July.  You can register to be part of the session or watch the recording at a time more convenient to you.  Almost every subject and Rotary program is covered in the sessions, so whatever is your Rotary passion you will find something of interest.  Go to https://convention.rotary.org/  

You could also visit the virtual House of Friendship at https://convention.rotary.org/en/honolulu/house-friendship  You will probably be asked to register first.

Environment Becomes an Area of Focus

Late in June The Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors both unanimously approved adding a new area of focus: supporting the environment.

Once again, D9810 is in front of curve as we have a long-established Sustainability & Environment Committee headed by PP Pat Armstrong of RC of Doncaster.

Clubs that have already established an Environment & Sustainability Committee or are about to do so are requested to contact Pat to let her know.  This will enable a network of interested clubs to be created for the purposes or communication, sharing expertise and discussing project ideas.

Black Lives Matter

Rotarians will be aware of the community discussion and protests around the “Black Lives Matter” movement in the USA, around the world and here in Australia.  At the time, Rotary International released the following statement:

At Rotary, we have no tolerance for racism. Promoting respect, celebrating diversity, demanding ethical leadership, and working tirelessly to advance peace are central tenets of our work.

We have more work to do to create more just, open and welcoming communities for all people.

We know there are no easy fixes and that challenging conversations and work lie before all of us. Rotary’s strength has long been our ability and commitment to bringing people together. We will tap into that strength now as we stand with those who are working for peace and justice. 

Rotary will do our part to listen, learn and take action to ensure that we continue to contribute to making positive change.

I’m sure that not only can we relate to these words, but that D9810 Rotarians work hard to make them true in their Rotary clubs and in their lives.

Your Rotary Dues

At a recent meeting I was asked to explain how your Rotary annual dues are calculated.  Here’s my best effort!

Rotary dues are made up of 5 parts.  They are

• Rotary International dues
• District dues
• Conference contribution
• Insurance
• Magazine subscription

Of those, three are fixed by entities outside the District and D9810 has little or no influence over them.  Those three are the RI dues set by the RI Board, the insurance premium set by our insurers and the magazine subscription set by Rotary Down Under.  Rotarians may now save a small amount by opting to have the RDU magazine delivered on line rather than in hard copy.

The conference contribution is levied for two reasons.  The first is that conducting a District Conference is mandated by Rotary International – D9810 must have a conference.  For that reason the Board of D9810 has decided that all Rotarians in the District will make a small contribution to the conference and this year the amount was set at $19 being unchanged from the previous year.  The second reason for having a conference levy is that all conference activities require some funds to start the process.  Deposits for items such as venue, catering, entertainment, equipment hire and so on must all be paid well before registration fees start to flow.

The final item is the District levy.  For the 2020/21 year the District has budgeted significant savings as many activities have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  There was also savings realised by not printing a District Directory.  The District dues for 2020/21 were set at $45.00 per person which is $28.00 lower than the $73.00 set for 2019/20 and a 38% saving.

Detailed budget papers were distributed to all Presidents Elect in May and the PEs were then free to share the information with their clubs for discussion and ask questions of the DGE and District Treasurer before they voted to approve the budget in early June.

• The Body Coach TV (Joe Wicks) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ
• Group HIIT - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_aLZ9YxRrGmCe1Zd3GSkEA
• Jeff Nippard - https://www.youtube.com/user/icecream4PRs
• Mad Fit - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpQ34afVgk8cRQBjSJ1xuJQ
• PopSugar Fitness - https://www.youtube.com/user/popsugartvfit
• Fitness Blender - https://www.youtube.com/user/FitnessBlender