Over the last week or so it has been Changeover Season. For me, I have experienced so many Clubs and their own Club life over a nice ceremony, dinner and a wine or two. I think it is important to sit at random tables and not get stuck with your own crew. I have been lucky because I always get put on the "other" table. In my own District capacity as the District Conference registration guy, I get a candid glimpse of Club culture and activities throughout the District. When I meet up with fellow Rotarians from outside Berwick in person it is always interesting to see if they make the connection between me as a random Rotarian, me as the District Webmaster or me as the Conference Registration guy. I love to hear their take on the Rotary Club of Berwick, how we are doing and what the latest gossip about our club is. It is always a positive exchange of evaluation, re-education and comparison which in the end makes Rotary a stronger place to belong. My brother is a Past District Governor of District 7475, New Jersey USA so I get a glimpse of Rotary from his perspective. Add into the mix our recent Rotarian guest Mahendra Bulsara from India, I am getting a different picture of Rotary and the cultures in between. There will be many in the Club who have experienced the array of versions of Rotary around the world and within our own local reach. Rotary is the same as a whole but not the same as individual Clubs and Districts. Rotary is a wonderful mix of variety and expectations all aligned to their take on the needs of their own community. I would challenge you as a reader of this article to see Rotary as a large and interesting mix of Rotarians from a diverse range of Club formats that need exploring and experiencing. Please consider visiting a Rotary Club outside of Berwick and bringing back the good stuff to enhance our own Rotary experiences. By the way, the above photo was taken at the Rotary Club of Dilli, Timor Leste so we do get around!
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