Rod McDougall
President 2006-7
Rotary Club of Strathfield
The President's View
Wednesday 13 September 2006
Thanks to Allan Teale for a very interesting job talk last week – his first in 21 years he assures me! And if any member has a parcel of land suitable for redevelopment as a shopping centre, I guess they know who to call.
Tonight we welcome Jason Carroll, general manager of the Chullora and Homebush Suttons dealerships. Jason was kind enough to join us at very short notice.
At the club assembly in July a number of members commented on "the cost of Rotary". One comment was that with dinner, the raffle and the sergeant's session, the weekly cost of attending Rotary can be significant. The dinner fee currently incorporates a small surplus used to cover the cost of meals for guest speakers, the Christmas party, etc. The option exists to reduce the dinner fee to an amount directly related to the costs incurred by the club, and to increase club dues by a corresponding amount.
The practical effect of this would be to deliver a cost reduction to members who attend club meetings regularly, whilst increasing costs to those who attend less regularly. Your board will be considering the option over the next few weeks. If you have a view and would like to comment, please see me, or a member of the board.
Rain, rain, and more rain. In the end Strathfield Council relented and the Spring Fair was postponed. Very disappointing, since so many in the community were looking forward to the event. Shirley Del Prado and her team worked miracles and managed to cancel the bread rolls and freeze the sausages ordered for our barbecue to be held as part of the fair.
A reminder that the bulletin cover is being updated. We have extended the deadline for changes to 18 September. Please see Roger Vince or me with updates.
Next week we will have an opportunity to welcome Bob Sendt, who retired earlier this month as New South Wales Auditor General. His talk promises to be fascinating.
Enjoy Rotary … by getting involved!
President Rod