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CLUB
CHANGEOVER
Welcome to a New Rotary
Year! Well folks, I’m not quite sure how this has happened, but I
now appear to be President of the Rotary Club of Strathfield! Sorry
about that; I’m sure the pain will pass given time. Anyway, welcome
to another new Rotary year. Let’s make it a great one, together!
Club Changeover The Club Changeover was another great night of
celebration and recognition. Congratulations to PP Stephen Taylor
and the 2016--‐17 Board for the wonderful achievements of the past
year, and his gracious acknowledgements of the contributions of so
many in the club with his special awards presentations.
A highlight of course was the presentation of PHFs to PP Raymond
McCluskie and Rtn. Domenico Alvaro; two very worthy recipients; both
contributing to the vitality of the club in their own unique and
generous ways. And so for me, of course it was a great honour to be
appointed President of this fine club with a long and distinguished
tradition. Thanks to my new Board for joining me on this journey. I
hope my speech didn’t shock too many people! We do need to evolve; I
will try to lead that change, but will rely on you all for
calibration and feedback.
THE YEAR
AHEAD
A summary of my main points
were repeated at the Club Assembly last week, and I’ll review these
in that section of this week’s report.
I look forward to a great year. We have a fabulous bunch of people
in the club and I reckon with a bit of planning, favourable winds,
the right intentions, and a bit of luck, we can truly make a
difference in our own way this year. Are you ready for the ride?
Club Assembly We had a good turnout at the Club Assembly last week –
around 20 club members I believe. The main objective for me on this
evening was to talk through the rationale for my vision and plans
for this club in the coming year; I believe we had a good discussion
on this. And so, in summary… Our Mission Our mission is encapsulated
in the Rotary theme for this year – to make a difference –
particularly in the local Strathfield community.
Our
vision is to be the most modern and vibrant Rotary
club in our District, with a large and active membership made up of
all ages, demographics and vocations. We are recognised and
respected for the great service we provide in our local community,
as well as for our participation in selected global Rotary programs.
Our values are encapsulated in
the four--‐way test:
1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Our objectives for the year are
as follows:
1. Strengthen our club
fundamentals Encourage a larger and more active membership
Build a stronger culture of inclusiveness, service and
innovation Develop an improved capacity to address service
programs and projects
2. Modernise our club Revised meeting formats, including
possibly webcasting of our meetings Embrace more social media
channels, and be very active in them Greater shared leadership
amongst Board and in Club Meetings
3. Set the Foundations for sustainable success Ensure solid
financial health – so we can serve Focus our service on local
community needs first Improve our public profile and sentiment
in the local community, so they know we can help serve them
We have three challenging goals
for our club this year:
1. Double our Membership
Focus on young working professionals Grow our female
membership Focus on parents in local schools
2. Establish a Club Sponsorship Program Target: $20,000.00 in
local business sponsorship p.a. Not aimed at existing Club
Members!
3. Be the best club in the District As measured by the Rotary
Club Health Check tool
We will focus our service
objectives on three causes this year:
1. Chalmers Road School
2. Catherine Sullivan Centre
3. Australian Rotary Health – particularly support youth mental
health That’s it folks.
The fundamentals have been set. Let’s do
it!
DISTRICT
CHANGEOVER
Christine and I attended the District 9675 Changeover on Sunday at
the St George Motor Boat Club, San Souci. The Changeover was
entitled “From one Stephen to Another” (there seems to be a lot of
Stephen’s in Rotary!). Anyway, it was a lovely afternoon – with lots
of speeches, and lots of presentations, and lots of awards, and did
I mention the speeches? Luckily we were seated right near the bar,
otherwise it could have ended badly. And so, we now have Stephen
Britten as our DG. Stephen comes from a Rotary family, and he is a
currently a member of the Breakfast Point Club. Many of the members
of that club were in attendance. His parents were with him on Sunday
as he was inducted as DG, and his father – a 40+ year Rotarian –
said a few words on Stephen’s behalf after he was appointed; very
touching. We have now gone from Stephen and Judith, to Stephen and
Jane! Don’t get the wives names mixed up!
WHAT'S
NEXT Coming up this week is NAIDOC week, and we will have Professor John
Evans, Professor of Indigenous Health Education at UTS speaking to
us on NAIDOC week activities and initiatives. 12 July 2017 is State
of Origin night, and so there will not be a meeting at the Golf Club
that evening. Instead, we will have another night of fellowship, fun
and footy at the Crossways Hotel. 19 July 2017 is the night of our
DG visit, and it’s a combined Breakfast Point and Strathfield Club
Meeting, where we are the hosts. Let’s be great hosts on the night!
Let’s have a great year, everyone!
Strathfield Rotary: serving humanity; making a difference; doing
good in the world.
Rick
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