The month of August 2021 we focus on membership in Rotary, I look forward to sharing stories with you from around the world where Rotarians have taken a step towards developing our communities in more ways than one so that those communities and countries can become self-sufficient.
First, we begin with our own Rotary Club North Melbourne, last week, we had an online via zoom meeting with all our members and assistance District Murray Anderson, Assistant Governor, Kate Strain, past Batman Cluster, and current Assistant Governor, Amrit, Chirnside Cluster Assistant and Past President of the Southbank Rotary Club Stuart McArthur, and Sally Page, Past President of the Southbank.
Our meeting was well attended, and we discussed and reminded our membership fee which is due now. This month, we focus on membership. However, due to the challenges of the coronavirus (COVID-19), many of our activities or projects that we could run face to face will not be possible, but we will run in virtually whatever we could.
Our club we need ideas that we could make money to the Club so we could do more to support locally and internationally. I am hoping that we may become to one or two ideas that we could do to host online via zoom in early October and in early December 2021. Let’s to brainstorm a reasonable idea.
We are still in lockdown until 2nd September due to that we could not take our four new potential members for a lunch to discuss and give useful information about the rotary and our club responsibilities so we could organise to induct them. Hopeful after COVID-19 restrictions and current outbreaks. we will do that when the time is right, and we get COVID-19 restrictions free.
Our club had an opportunity to invite and to attend our online via zoom meeting Mr. Murray Anderson, Assistant is the current Governor 2021-2022, and Vice President 2021-2022 Rotary Club of the Camberwell. It was a pleasure to have him as a guest. Thank you so much for attending our online via zoom meeting. Mr. Anderson had an opportunity to speak and share the great opportunity from KMPG staff will offer volunteer opportunities sometime on Wednesday in October, but he will have more details in the coming weeks, and he will share with us.
We also had Kate Strain is the current Assistant Governor and past Batman Cluster. Kate attended late minute in our online via zoom meeting last week. I was so delighted to see Kate at our meeting last week. Kate is always fun and energetic and kind. She mentioned that there will be a possibility to run our club BBQ at the Tennis Centre. It is a great opportunity, and we will love to do that. Hopefully, when the time come close, she will contact us, but you could also contact to Mr. Larry Robb as he is in charge the BBQ and Cc to me. Thank you so much😊
We also had Amritpal Singh who is the Chirnside Cluster Assistant and Past President of the Southbank Rotary Club. He attended our online via zoom meeting on Thursday last week. It was great to see you there and Amritpal mentioned that the District Foundation grant opportunities that we could apply to. Thank you so much for sharing us the information. I am hoping that we will apply soon and as well Southbank too as Mr. Singh said. As Sally Page and another colleague from Southbank was there.
Anyway, we have discussed so much useful information and from now onwards, we should take notes and send the next second day to the members so we could use our newsletter.
In conclusion to my message, as Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done”, he also said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”.
End last year 2020 until early this year 2021, I was in Somalia specifically Gedo Region in southern Somalia; I have seen so many lives experiencing hunger, poverty, poor health, lack of clean water, lack of sanitation, lack of basic education. I have seen so many disadvantaged young people, girls, boys, women, and elderly who have no income support whatsoever. There is so many projects Rotary Clubs in Melbourne could do as collective partnering with Somali Women Development Association Inc.
Rotary Club of North Melbourne has already been so good and supportive to Somali Women Development Association Inc. and now we are looking for other rotary clubs to build a partnership initiative to make a change locally and internationally.
As Rotarians, we have more work to do to make a difference to our local communities and our international communities.
Neville's message
Last week we reported that last weeks scheduled speaker Shawn Cosgrove had to be re-scheduled and now we know the earliest we can meet in person is Thu 9th September 2021 so that is when we are proposing that he will be attending our club to speak. We need to contact him to confirm on his side and of course no one knows whether the numbers will allow for that date to work. Judy actually did try to ring him on Tuesday morning and Murphy's Law he was actually doing his radio show at the time and so couldn't really talk.
Anyway we have a good list of speakers on Zoom leading up to that date that I'm sure will be very interesting and I am expecting them all to be well attended.
