Wow what a month March is shaping up to be in getting the Rotary brand out there.
The common thing I heard as I travelled around the clubs, was that people don't know what Rotary is or what we do and that we need advertising. I said I would try to assist in getting the word out there. Well, we have started...
We have had a half page editorial in the Ballarat Courier regarding our District conference, plus a radio opportunity and newspaper advertising and the Courier are doing a story on one of our conference speakers, John Marsden, this Friday. This will now lead to follow up articles from conference where you get a chance to talk to your own local newspaper about a story.
Plus, we had 24 pages in the Rotary Down Under magazine showcasing our District covering an assortment of projects from many of our clubs including:
Multi club Northern Rivers Flood Assistance led by Alfredton club,
Defying the Drift with the Beaufort club,
Garden Designfest with Ballarat West and Kardinia clubs,
PNG Projects with the Geelong and Warrnambool clubs,
Community assistance raffle - Ballarat South,
Shelterbox - Kardinia club (silver champion award), Beaufort, Belmont, Grovedale Waurn Ponds, Horsham East, Ocean Grove and Warrnambool East (all bronze champions)
Books in Homes project - Mount Gambier club,
Community Book Fair - Mount Gambier club,
Nepal Student Scholarships - Ocean Grove club,
Community Markets - Ballarat South, Lara Districts, Swan Hill and Camperdown clubs,
Kilbur Domin Foundation Timor Leste - Mount Gambier Lakes and Casterton clubs,
Pets on Parade - Torquay club,
Banjari Project Tanzania - Port Fairy club,
Police Awards - Bellarine North, Bayside Geelong and Warrnambool clubs,
School Lunch Program - Portland club,
Aeromedical Transfer Station - Maryborough club,
Say No 2 Family Violence - Maryborough, Portland Bay & Portland clubs,
Science & Engineering challenge - Ballarat West & Alfredton clubs,
Park Bench - Bordertown club,
Music for Dementia - Mount Gambier West club,
Father of the Year Award - Warrnambool club,
Samaritan House Geelong - Kardinia club,
Vocational Training Team to Portugal - Ballarat South,
Surf Coast Trek - Kardinia club,
Use your printed copies of RDU to promote Rotary at any opportunity you get. We will have a flyer out to you soon with all these projects on so you can use in your own club marketing or for attracting members or taking to your own local media outlets as a promotion.
This week sees us having a Civic Reception in Ballarat with the Mayor, Counsellors and Politicians with media coverage. We have many Presidents and Assistant Governors from all around the District attending this event with the opportunity of talking to media about their own club projects. We are then taking the opportunity to have lunch together and share our ideas.
This week I will also be on radio talking about our conference and what Rotary is. We are also working on a new radio campaign to run throughout the district, kicking off in Millicent with their club doing a live interview.
If you are not one for talking on radio, we are producing a 30 sec advertisement and will take it out to your radio stations to promote Rotary in your own area. Please do some research and get back to us with your radio station/s contact details and we will do the rest.
We are now only days away from conference, with registration closing in a couple of days so make sure you have booked to come along and connect with our members from around the district, see some fabulous projects, learn some new things and have a bit of fun.
As People of Action, we understand that fulfilling that vision requires a plan.
More than a century ago, we pioneered a new model of service leadership grounded in person-to-person connections. Today, those connections are a network that spans the globe—bridging cultural, linguistic, generational, and geographic barriers—and shares the vision of a better world. As People of Action, we understand that fulfilling that vision requires a plan.
This is Rotary’s Action Plan through 2024: to increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt.
Four Priorities of Rotary's Action Plan
PRIORITY 1
Increase Our Impact
As People of Action we make decisions grounded in evidence.
Let’s build the practices, infrastructure, and capacity needed to define, measure, track, and analyze data from our service projects in a much more effective way.
PRIORITY 2
Expand Our Reach
As People of Action we are inclusive, engaging, compassionate, and ambitious on behalf of the world.
Let’s share our values with new audiences, create new ways to bring people together to experience the power of Rotary, and prove we are an organization that’s inclusive, engaging, compassionate, and ambitious on behalf of the world.
PRIORITY 3
Enhance Participant Engagement
As People of Action we create meaningful relationships across decades and continents.
Let’s use every encounter as an opportunity to show people what Rotary can do for them as individuals and as members of our communities.
PRIORITY 4
Increase Our Ability to Adapt
As People of Action we seek new perspectives and new ideas that can strengthen Rotary and create lasting change.
Let’s work to create a culture of research, innovation, and willingness to take risks in your club to better serve your community.
Don't forget - we need your photos or videos to display at Conference.
Photos should be either jpeg, png or compiled on PowerPoint pages, MP4 videos are OK too.
What is special about your club? What are you most proud of? Which projects would you like to tell people about? How do you have fun?
Any of these could be included in our PowerPoint/video presentation, which we would love to share in March at our District Conference in Ballarat.
Keep this in mind as you do your projects/fundraisers/social events - record what's happening with great action photos or videos. Then send it to DG Kathy, Kathy.Rivett@rotary9780.org or Deb Robertson Deb.Robertson@rotary9780.org so we can share your ideas and achievements with the whole District.
He has been documenting his experiences in a series of very interesting and entertaining Facebook posts - read about his challenges and adventures here.
Jeff's story about himself and his motivation, written at the start of his trip.
I am currently President Elect of the local Rotary Club of Bordertown. I am married with 3 children and 1 granddaughter.
Most of my life I have been farming, but other vocations include working in the Bureau of Meteorology, Earthmoving, Engineering & Construction. I still race in competition Dirt Karting.
For the past 30 years, I have been a keen bushwalker and regularly go for hikes in the Tasmanian Wilderness. My wife Judy and I have done many hikes together, including in New Zealand. Earlier this year I hiked to the top of Mt Kosciuszko at night, raising funds for Shelterbox Australia.
I have always been interested in visiting Nepal and trekking in the Himalayas but it is only now that I have managed to make my dream come true. Having recently overcome stage 4 cancer may have helped spur me on. I have been planning this trip for about a year. Physical preparation has included several snow skiing trips, regular hiking in The Grampians carrying a full backpack with tent, food etc. Whenever in Adelaide I hiked in the Mt Lofty Ranges.
At home, I try to walk every day with a backpack for about 6km and this includes up and down our dam bank or the local footy grandstand. For trekking, a lot of meticulous planning is required to make sure you have every essential item without overloading the backpack.
While trekking alone for a month in Nepal I wish to raise funds for worthwhile projects. I am excited about the trip but it will be especially challenging at my age, turning 71 this month. There will be steep continuous climbs sometimes 2,000 metres at a time to cross high passes. I plan to go to extreme altitude (over 5,500m) so it will be interesting to see how I cope with the thin air. A large part of my trek follows the original Everest Route in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay starting at Jiri.
I leave Adelaide on October 6th 2022 and fly to Kathmandu where I will purchase last minute items, meet my guide and catch up with the Rotary Club of Kathmandu. I am employing a Nepalese guide to accompany me and to negotiate accommodation etc. I head out on 9th October. I will be returning home on 7th November.
One of my fundraisers is for medical assistance to a remote village, Bhakanje in Nepal. I am hoping to find this village and visit there during my trek.
We will be very thankful for any donations to either of the 3 fundraisers listed above.
Fundraising for the McGrath Foundation - On 14th October they hosted their very popular Pink Up Bowling Fundraiser at Colac Tenpin Bowl, raising over $1000 for the McGrath Foundation. It was great to see teams from various groups and organisations enjoying themselves for a great cause. Winners of various categories were Team trophy: OCR FM, Best dressed team: Rotary Club Colac West team A, Best dressed individual: Amanda from Rotary Club of Colac West, Most strikes: Hwa from OCR FM, Most gutterballs: Richard Riordan MP from team Colac Area Health, Most enthusiastic: Leanne from Carlisle River Wildlife Shelter. Eatup Sandwiches - Otway Rotaractors continue to provide sandwiches for hungry students in local schools. Ably supported by local Rotarians from Colac & Colac West and Colac Taxis. The 300 sandwiches made in October have brought the total they have now provided to 8849 sandwiches since 2017. Congratulations to all involved.
Our District has Assistant Governors who aid the District Governor by managing a specific area. Some assist clubs, some assist various District Committees and others manage a specific aspect of our District organisation. Each month we focus on a different Assistant Governor, and let you get to know them a little better.
This month we head to Geelong with a bit of information about Cats supporter and
Assistant Governor for Youth, Wendy James from Horsham East Rotary.
More than 3000 scientists and health experts from 115 countries urge the world to fully fund eradication strategy following resurgence of disease
18 October 2022 News release | Berlin, Germany
Today, global leaders confirmed US$ 2.6 billion in funding toward the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) 2022-2026 Strategy to end polio at a pledging moment co-hosted by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) at the World Health Summit in Berlin. The funding will support global efforts to overcome the final hurdles to polio eradication, vaccinate370 million children annually over the next five years and continue disease surveillance across 50 countries.
“No place is safe until polio has been eradicated everywhere. As long as the virus still exists somewhere in the world, it can spread – including in our own country. We now have a realistic chance to eradicate polio completely, and we want to jointly seize that chance,” said Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany. “Germany will remain a strong and committed partner in the global fight against polio. This year, it is providing EUR 35 million for this cause. And next year we plan to further strengthen our efforts and support GPEI with EUR 37 million – pending parliamentary approval. By supporting the GPEI, we are also strengthening national health systems. That leads to healthier societies, far beyond the polio response.” Wild poliovirus is endemic in just two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, after just six cases were recorded in 2021, 29 cases have been recorded so far this year, including a small number of new detections in southeast Africa linked to a strain originating in Pakistan. Additionally, outbreaks of cVDPV, variants of the poliovirus that can emerge in places where not enough people have been immunized, continue to spread across parts of Africa, Asia and Europe, with new outbreaks detected in the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom in recent months. “The new detections of polio this year in previously polio-free countries are a stark reminder that if we do not deliver our goal of ending polio everywhere, it may resurge globally,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We are grateful for donors’ new and continued support for eradication, but there is further work to do to fully fund the 2022-2026 Strategy. We must remember the significant challenges we have overcome to get this far against polio, stay the course and finish the job once and for all.” At a challenging time for countries around the world, governments and partners have stepped forward to demonstrate their collective resolve to eradicate the second human disease ever. In addition to existing pledges, new commitments to the 2022-2026 Strategy this fall include: Australia pledged AU$ 43.55 million France pledged EUR 50 million Germany pledged EUR 72 million Japan pledged US$ 11 million Republic of Korea pledged KRW 4.5 billion Luxembourg pledged EUR 1.7 million Malta pledged EUR 30 000 Monaco pledged EUR 450 000 Spain pledged EUR 100 000 Turkey pledged US$ 20 000 United States pledged US$ 114 million Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged US$S 1.2 billion Bloomberg Philanthropies pledged US$ 50 million Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America pledged US$ 1.8 million Latter-day Saint Charities pledged US$ 400 000 Rotary International pledged US$ 150 million UNICEF pledged US$ 5 million The pledging moment in Berlin marked the first major opportunity to pledge support toward the US$ 4.8 billion needed to fully implement the 2022-2026 Strategy. If the Strategy is fully funded and eradication achieved, it is estimated that it would result in US$ 33.1 billion in health cost savings this century compared to the price of controlling outbreaks. Further, continued support for GPEI will enable it to deliver additional health services and immunizations alongside polio vaccines to underserved communities. "Children deserve to live in a polio-free world, but as we have seen this year with painful clarity, until we reach every community and vaccinate every child, the threat of polio will persist," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "UNICEF is grateful for the generosity of our donors and the pledges made today, which will help us finish the job of eradicating polio. When we invest in immunization and health systems, we are investing in a safer, healthier future for everyone, everywhere.” In addition to the funding for GPEI announced today, a group of more than 3 000 influential scientists, physicians, and public health experts from around the world released a declaration endorsing the 2022-2026 Strategy and calling on donors to stay committed to eradication and ensure GPEI is fully funded. The group points to new tactics contained in the program’s strategy, like the continued roll-out of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), that make them confident in GPEI’s ability to end polio. Five hundred million doses of nOPV2 have already been administered across 23 countries, and field data continue to show its promise as a tool to more sustainably stop outbreaks of type 2 cVDPV. The group further asserts that support for eradication significantly strengthens immunization systems and pandemic preparedness around the world—pointing to GPEI’s support for the COVID-19 response—and urges endemic and polio-affected country leadership to stay committed to expanded vaccination and disease surveillance activities. “Pakistan has made incredible progress against polio, but recent challenges have allowed the virus to persist,” says Dr. Zulfi Bhutta (Chair of Child Global Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Canada, and Distinguished University Professor, Aga Khan University, Pakistan). “Polio, like any virus, knows no borders; its continued transmission threatens children everywhere. Stopping this disease is not just urgently needed now, it’s within our grasp. That’s why I’ve joined more than three thousand health experts from around the world to launch the 2022 Scientific Declaration on Polio Eradication. With strong financial and political commitments, our long-awaited vision of a polio-free world can become a reality.”
By creating connections between various groups and individuals, Wendouree Breakfast Rotarian David Sanders has facilitated the delivery of medical equipment to Ukraine. David had previously met Senator Rowan Ramsay last year, and when the war broke out and Australia was going to send Bushmasters to help Ukraine, David spoke to Jeremy McKnight (from Shannon's Bridge) about sending medical equipment, he was happy to help. He then contacted The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) and asked what they needed, spoke to Rowan’s PA and asked if Rotary could send medical support with the Airlift. After some back and forth between Rowan and Marise Payne they were able to send some 20 pallets of wound dressing, gravity IVs etc. which was obtained from DIK in Melbourne and SA and surplus from hospitals. Presently, Teresa Lachowicz, the AFUO State Coordinator for Victoria is managing and coordinating requirements for Ukraine with great support from DIK’s around Australia and networks that they have helped link with Teresa. So far they have sent 67 Pallets with another 60 pallets waiting on space on the planes carrying Australian government aid.
Well done David for your quick thinking and use of networks - definitely Rotary in Action!
A team of researchers at Monash University (Melbourne, VIC) are looking at how an online, personalised, lifestyle intervention program may help protect memory and thinking abilities from declining over a 24-month period. Their online intervention is called BetterBrains and it is designed to help individuals make sustainable lifestyle changes to improve their brain health. They are currently in a recruitment stage looking at opportunities/locations to advertise their study to the community. In particular, they are interested in recruiting middle-aged men and women (between 40 - 70 years old) who live in all parts of Australia. They have been promoted on platforms such as Channel 7, 9 and 10 news, various newspapers, sports and community groups. If you or your club are interested in participating or in helping spread the news of this study to your community, more information can be found at www.betterbrains.org.au or contact researcher Gabbi Da Costa, gabbi.dacosta@monash.edu
GivingTuesday is a Movement that Unleashes the Power of Radical Generosity Around the World.
GivingTuesday is an opportunity to give back to the organisations making a difference in people’s lives. In Australia, for one day each year, individuals, communities and business come together to give their time, money, goods or voices, to celebrate and thank Australian not-for-profits.
Why not combine this day, 29 November with the fact that November is Foundation month for Rotary? Act to encourage your local community to assist Rotary by donating to The Rotary Foundation (TRF). Remember the amount available for clubs to seek in District Grants relates directly to how much we, as a District, contribute to TRF. So lets get out there, tooting our own horn and seeking contributions so that we can continue to 'Do Good in The World'.
More than 3000 scientists and health experts from 115 countries urge the world to fully fund eradication strategy following resurgence of disease
