The significant things for me in attending the Saturday and Sunday sessions were the emotional highs listening to inspiring people. There was Emily Simpson, a young Australian, under 18, who was chosen as a representative on the Australian Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly in 2002; a great young representative for Australia. I found it wonderful to see young people with so many skills; from the talented young entertainers who provided highlights from the Youth Concert held Friday night, to the five finalists in the Four Way Test Speaking
Competition.

The Youth Programs, such as Rotaract, Siemems Science School, Pacific Australian Cultural Exchange (PACE), Model United Nations
Assembly (MUNA), all provided young people with opportunities to achieve so much with the support from Rotary and our District. It made me feel proud to think about the bright futures for these young people.

Julie Symons, was the Ambassadorial Scholar supported by our District in 2001 to further her studies in Scotland. Julie spoke at our
Conference at Tumbi Umbi two years ago. As a result of her scholarship she has completed a MSc in Public Health and Health Services
Research at Aberdeen University. Julie provided us with an update on her career and of her gratitude to Rotary. And speaking of Scotland,
the GSE presentations by the Scotland inbound and the Australian re-bound teams were a pleasure to listen to, and of course, the bagpipes were very entertaining and set the scene perfectly.

Faye Jackson is a motivational speaker on Mental Health issues. Faye told her story. It was extremely emotional to listen to; however, it
certainly did help in my understanding of mental illness. The final keynote speaker, John MacLean, OAM, is a great role model, not only for kids in wheelchairs, but for all of us; to show that we can achieve what we want, as long as we focus on "our abilities rather than our
disabilities".

One of the issues decided at the Resolutions Session was the recommendation that there be included in future conferences a "Business
Segment" where new ideas and future directions, as well as current matters, can be discussed in an open forum.
There was a short session and video on the major project for Rotary International of eradicating Polio by 2005 (the 100^th anniversary of Rotary). There are still nine countries in which Polio occurs.

Terry Edward, AM, who was RI Presidents Personal Representative at the Conference, spoke of achievements and possible changes that could be made to attract younger people to Rotary meetings. Terry suggested the newly retired as another group of people in our communities who would have a lot to offer the Rotary family. Marketing and membership issues were discussed again on Sunday, with various strategies mentioned.

Finally, I am very pleased that I attended the Conference. I found it convenient that the Conference was held within our District and indeed on our doorstep.