In my Rotary journey, I have done my best to learn and experience as much as I can. Through fortunate circumstances (meaning volunteering above my pay grade), I have met and become friends with a great array of dynamic Rotarians and in doing so experienced a different dimension of Rotary. This new dimension is one where there are more levers, more dials, more controls and more buttons to push, slide and pull. As Rotarians, we are driving a complex Rotary machine that is capable of doing amazing work if we are willing to learn how to operate it. Like most things in life, we only go to the instruction manual when something isn't working. We don't go to the operating manual when it is doing what we think it can do.
One of my passions is watching the evolution of the kids in the Human Powered Vehicle group that I am involved with. This is a school group who build and race human powered vehicles, except the parents can race at the same time as the students. As a parent, we invent new things to get the vehicle to move faster, we provide support to the students and we work as a dynamic team during a racing event. The students on the other hand train hard, learn new technology and observe the parent dynamics that make our team one of the best in the competition.
My group are leaders because we are focused on the outcome of the students and not the outcome of the race. We are constantly assessing our progress between where we need to be and where we are. This group has helped me with Donations in Kind donations, have been winning Model United Nations Assembly events, are Interact and Rotaract Presidents and members, as well as being supportive of the community. My friend Andrew Somers and his wife Michele are a strong part of this dynamic group.
Being a Rotarian is much the same as being in a dynamic community group like the Human Powered Vehicle group. Knowledge gives an advantage. Working the network gives opportunity. Keeping an eye on progress gives control. Combining knowledge and a good network steps up the potential personal impact on what you and your Club can achieve for your community and for the world.
There is one more ingredient that I have failed to mention, work for the good of all and not for the good of yourself. We must work with other Rotarians and not think that we can work alone. We are here to make an impact on the world together using as many people as we can.
As the President, I am well aware of the areas we need to improve on and most of that has been stated in the President's Plan. This plan is the starter blueprint for our club, it is not the destination! Rotary knowledge, participation and accessing our progress over the year takes us to the next level. If members can see a deliberate direction towards actions and outcomes, then we will be doing some life changing work soon.
When the District Governor comes to visit, he is looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic, organically evolving Club that is smart and pushing its boundaries. While we are not there on round one of the District Governor visits, I am hoping that you will understand that every individual member has a responsibility to be enthusiastic, dynamic and have the knowledge to organically grow our reach.
A long-standing RC of Berwick Rotarian asked what Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) is, after PDG Adrian Froggatt announced that he was taking over the secretary role when the current secretary retires.
It goes to show that we have failed in our Rotary education when one of the most substantial cornerstones of Rotary in Australia is not common knowledge to all RC of Berwick members. So let's rectify this deficiency right now!
Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd. (RAWCS) was formed to enable Australian Rotarians, Rotary Districts and Rotary Clubs to assist disadvantaged communities and individuals through humanitarian aid projects.
RAWCS has a financial infrastructure system that facilitates fundraising for projects that deliver humanitarian aid and charitable support in Australia and overseas. Projects are registered through Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund (RAOAF), Rotary Australia Benevolent Society (RABS) incorporating Rotary Australia Compassionate Grants (RACG), Rotary Australia Relief Fund (RARF), Donations in Kind (DIK) and Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM).
RAWCS provided travel insurance for myself and other Rotarians when we visited our Balibo project in 2018. I have donated directly to our Balibo project and received a tax-deductible receipt for my $2000 donation.
RAWCS also administered the money donated by Dick Smith to help individuals in need. Our Club successfully applied for a Dick Smith grant which went to a person in need identified by the Casey North Community Support & Information Service (CNCISS) https://www.caseynorthciss.com.au/. Our own Rotary Berwick and District Benevolent Society works very closely with CNCISS. So as you can see, we are well entrenched with RAWCS.
Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) makes the wheels turn round for many Rotary projects in Australia and around the world. If members do not know how RAWCS works, it is time to learn! Opportunities pass us by, if our only focus is the next Bunnings BBQ.
Click on the picture below to search for projects. There are plenty of criteria to play with so have a go! You can donate, get involved, contact the organisers, volunteer as a team member, just about anything to be a part of a Rotary project. Well done PDG Adrian!
It is pretty exciting when a Rotary Club picks up a worthy cause and runs with it. This doesn't happen by magic, all it takes is one person who will champion the cause and then work the Rotary machine to deliver an outcome. Ending Polio is a perfect example of how Rotary changed the world. This project will change the world too!
Our End Trachoma Champion is Jane Moore. Jane will be asking us all to get some supplies to assemble into 45 hygiene kits for Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory.
UPDATE: Jane has received support from 23 Club members so far. Please contact Jane on Jane@cinet.com.au if you can add to it. Kits cost $50 or you can shop for the items yourself.
The World Health Organisation has a global goal to eliminate trachoma by 2020. Trachoma is an infectious eye disease that can be prevented with good hygiene practices. But it is still present in remote Aboriginal communities and can lead to permanent blindness.
The work of the Australian Government, the Fred Hollows Foundation and Indigenous Eye Health to treat trachoma infections has seen rates in affected communities reduced substantially. But now, we need to ensure that hygiene practices and the community environments are improved to completely eliminate the disease.
Please have a look at the video and also visit the End Trachoma website: https://www.endtrachoma2020.org.au/ to learn more about how a simple hygiene kit will end Trachoma in Australia.
As we enter Foundation Month, we would like to personally thank each and every one of you who did so much to make World Polio Day such an enormous success.
We broadcast our Global Update on 24 October in multiple time zones around the world, reaching more people, and raising more awareness than ever before. Rotary members in 146 countries registered more than 6,500 World Polio Day events and activities, from Brazil to Japan, Nigeria to India. More than $900,000 was contributed online to the PolioPlus Fund which moves us closer to this year’s $50 million fundraising goal to take full advantage of the Bill & Melinda Gates match.
Inspired by this show of support across the globe, our work to eradicate polio continues. On 25 August, Nigeria marked four years without a case of wild poliovirus, and the World Health Organization African region is now officially certified wild poliovirus-free. Rotary has contributed nearly US$890 million—and countless volunteer hours—to eliminate polio in the African region. In the face of an ongoing global pandemic, this is one of the few good news stories for public health, and we should recognize this great achievement. It took tremendous effort and partnership over many years.
Special mention should be made for the dedicated health workers—mainly women—who traveled by every form of transportation imaginable to reach children with the polio vaccine. We are particularly grateful for the Rotary members throughout Africa and around the world who have dedicated themselves to making polio a disease of the past. In fact, Rotary member Dr. Tunji Funsho was named as one of TIME's Most Influential People in the world for his role in leading Rotary towards this historic achievement.
The type of partnership we have formed to make such progress against polio provides a blueprint for future Rotary projects. In fact, such partnerships have already been formed. Next month, the Trustees hope to select the first ever Programs of Scale grant award. This is a grant of up to $ 2 million for a three to five-year project that aligns with one of our causes. It really invites Rotary members to think big about high-impact service projects, and find partners to who are willing to invest money and resources to implement measurable and sustainable solutions.
To support all this transformative work, you can end Foundation Month on a charitable note by participating in Giving Tuesday on 3 December. Rotary will be joining thousands of other organizations worldwide for a global day of giving, and it is a prime opportunity to advance our mission by making a contribution to the Annual Fund. It is now easier than ever to give to the Foundation online.
Remember to use your District Designated Funds for a cause you are passionate about, whether that is PolioPlus, the Disaster Response Fund, the Rotary Peace Centers, or something in your community that could benefit from the support of a district or global grant.
So as we enter the second half of the Rotary year, please keep up your efforts to eradicate polio, tell our story, and increase our impact. With your actions, Rotary Opens Opportunities.
Yours in Rotary,
Holger Knaack President, Rotary International 2020-21
KR Ravindran Trustee Chair, The Rotary Foundation 2020-21
The idea that Rotary should own its headquarters dates back at least to the 1920 convention, when RI President Albert Adams said that he hoped to someday see the headquarters in a beautiful building of Rotary’s own.
Here’s why these organizations and their Rotary club partners are supporting local women’s entrepreneurship with financial literacy, small business loans, and one-on-one advisors.
At the recent District Governor Mark Humphries' visit to our club, albeit via Zoom, his wife Linda discussed her DG Partner's project "Rotarians against Malaria" (RAM). She stated that she has been passionate in her support of RAM throughout her membership of Rotary.
'Rotarians Against Malaria' (RAM) is a volunteer-run organisation working to eliminate malaria. It was established in Australia in the mid-1990s and continues its work in developing countries, working with government to eliminate malaria.
People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Although malaria can be a deadly disease, illness and death from malaria can usually be prevented. In the 1900s, malaria was pandemic in the world. Fifteen years ago, malaria killed a child every 30 seconds!
However, considerable progress has been made in preventing, diagnosing and treating malaria. As a result, deaths have fallen by 60 percent. Now, the aim is to reduce malaria cases and deaths by a further 90 percent by 2030.
Linda is particularly interested in raising funds to support the "End Malaria in Vanuatu - for good" project.
In Vanuatu, the incidence of malaria in some areas is increasing and gains in other areas are fragile. Vanuatu is conducting a nationwide campaign to get EVERYONE (communities, private organisations, and all sectors within the government) to engage in chasing malaria down to zero. EVERYONE has a part to play to make sure that Vanuatu reaches zero malaria by 2023.
Funds raised will be used for:
Purchase and distribution of Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN)
Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS)
Surveillance-tracking the disease and taking appropriate action
RAM is supporting the Vanuatu Malaria Program as follows:
A two District (9810 and 9820) Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) Overseas Aid Fund (RAOAF) Registered Project has been set up, where all contributions to the Vanuatu project will be deposited. (RAWCS Project 104-2019-20)
Along with New Zealand, RAM 9810 and 9820 will apply for a Rotary Global Grant for approximately $400,000 for implementation of the "End Malaria in Vanuatu-for good" program over a 3-year time frame.
Linda and RAM encourage Rotarian clubs and individuals to consider contributing to this RAWCS Fundraising Project.
COVID-19 was first confirmed in Australia in late January 2020. The following table provides information about COVID-19 in Australia since that time.
The source of the data is Wikipedia and JHU CSSE COVID-19 Data. The data is collated and updated every day by 9pm AEST and reflects the previous 24 hours. Because of the nature of the virus the figures shown can change rapidly.
Region
Total cases
Recovered
Deaths
Australia
27,785
25,506
907
Victoria
20,345
19,523
819
New South Wales
4,514
3,168
53
Queensland
1,190
1,171
6
Western Australia
794
767
9
South Australia
551
512
4
Tasmania
230
217
13
Australian Capital Territory
115
111
3
Northern Territory
46
38
0
Victoria has fared worse than other States and Territories from the pandemic. Let's hope that the current promising trend continues so that Christmas can be celebrated in as close to a normal manner as possible.
RAWCS has a financial infrastructure system that facilitates fundraising for projects that deliver humanitarian aid and charitable support in Australia and overseas. Projects are registered through Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund (RAOAF), Rotary Australia Benevolent Society (RABS) incorporating Rotary Australia Compassionate Grants (RACG), Rotary Australia Relief Fund (RARF), Donations in Kind (DIK) and Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM).
At the recent District Governor Mark Humphries' visit to our club, albeit via Zoom, his wife Linda discussed her DG Partner's project "Rotarians against Malaria" (RAM). She stated that she has been passionate in her support of RAM throughout her membership of Rotary.
