My fellow Rotarians and friends of Rotary,

SERVICE,

ABOVE SELF

With Omicron's surge peaking in most parts of the globe, experts this week sounded a note of optimism that better times are ahead. But they warn that prospects of an 'end' are murky, with the likeliest scenario being one in which the virus shifts from pandemic to a more manageable endemic mode. After almost two years, Australia will reopen its international borders and welcome back fully vaccinated tourists on February 21.

As people of action, we, Rotary members from the Rotary Club of Strathfield, are engaged in our communities - gathering for projects and offering help to those in need.

Our Rotary members are also ramping up efforts to help communities navigate the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: vaccines. Rotary will tap into its decades of experience in bringing polio to the brink of eradication to highlight the power and efficacy of vaccines. Rotary's tenacity, strategic partnerships, and innovation can all support the effort to protect communities from COVID-19.

The embodiment of Rotary clubs and their ultimate purpose is to embrace and support communities in need, and thus the world needs Rotary more now than ever before. Never in our lifetime has humanity been better equipped to crush a threat to our wellbeing of this dimension. We have the technology to track it, the science to beat it, the media to coordinate our united action, and the heart to fight back. It is through our determination and commitment that we give hope and healing to the world.

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted, and behold, service was joy."

Tagore

Yours in Rotary Service,

Thaya Ponnia