Presidents Desk

From the President’s desk

Previous weeks from President Charles (click)

15 May 2019

Hi all

Change Over 2019/2020:
The Rotary year of 2018/2019 is drawing to end, a very full year stretching from a July night in 2018, at Massey Park, with a few quick words from myself, and introducing the Board, to a late June finish at Strathfield Golf Club.
The year has not ended but I cannot help reflecting on the Club’s achievements in this last 12 months, namely the change of venue, the menu (the best it has ever been), the events, and the community achievements. There has been challenges, but we have made it through to have a great result. Also we have had a fun year. Many of our guest speakers, have said to me, after the meeting, “I was nervous in talking, but you are all a fun and relaxed bunch”. Words to that effect and we are!
So let’s celebrate our year of achievements, and welcome our new team, with President Elect Arie.
The planning has commenced and it will be a great night, gathering some guests to be with us.

Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal:
The Salvation Appeal has been a Club event, a combined community and youth project, for has long as I can remember. Past President Bob Templeman, an old banker organizing a team to count the money and gather the Homebush Boys, who were doing the collecting. Following Bob is our Past President Peter Smith, so be a new part of our history or continue to be part of the history, join Peter and other Rotarians 9.00am to 12 noon, on Sunday, 26 May, 2019, meeting at Strathfield Town Hall. You can help count the takings, or if you are like me, not much good at shop, there are 300 students to ferry around the district. So wash and vacuum the car, collect all those shopping bags from the back, and join us.

District Assembly
It's wonderful to see the photo of the Club’s incoming Board at the District Assembly, last Saturday, 11 May, 2019. A photo of the team is in the back pages. There are fresh Rotarian faces there, wow, and I'm sure our Club is here long term and will continues to be a top ten Club in the district. I don’t think we have to count or compare, the importance is remaining active.

From Left to right: Peter Smith, Usha Garg, Paul Anton, Dimitry Palmer, Thaya Ponniah, Arie Pappas and Rod McDougall

National Anthem and song at Rotary
As a Club, we are not a voice choir, and our concluding rendition of singing the national anthem is sometimes tired, but we never the less do sing. A canned version to sing along with is not a solution, as the singer, with a clear and tuneful voice, is finishing on a three bar ending note, not sung here! Another Club’s bulletin, who had a similar sound to us, a heckler suggested, as Rotary is international, perhaps to rotate the national anthem, from other countries. This to me, would be a hostile act, and should be avoided. To the Club’s programs chairman, I make the suggestion, for a Guest Speaker who is Choir or singing teacher. To have a singing lesson at the Club. The poem I have selected, appearing in the back pages of the Bulletin, is by Leunig, write of a mythical choir that does not sing. We sing and will continue to sing in one voice!
A post script, in the early 1980s when I joined Rotary, the Club would start the meeting with a song. To relax members. When I was Bulletin Editor, in 1984, I would pour through song books, looking for a short and popular ditty to sing. Not easy, The then bulletin Editors Kit, passed on to you, were a collection of song books. My year with bulletin ended and so did the song. The national anthem was not sung.

This weeks poem

Charles

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