Welcome everyone to the Rotary Club of Southbank … to Tracey, both personally and on behalf of the Club, thank you for your strength in leading the Club for the past year. It has been a year of great achievements, capped off by a fabulous RYPEN camp in April. Some may not be aware that shortly after being inducted as President, Tracey’s ‘day job’ went crazy which resulted in an extraordinarily busy and challenging 12 months. However, through all that, Tracey continued unabated her commitment to this Club and to the principles of Rotary … and all with a smile on her face. I would ask that you join me in thanking Tracey.

Thanks also to our new Assistant Governor Gary Goldsmith and Gabrielle for joining us this evening. Gary and Gabrielle, our promise to you is that Southbank Rotary will be like no other Club you have ever experienced (in a good way, of course!).

Also to Philip Archer and Leigh Harry my sincere thanks for your support and encouragement when I was considering whether to accept the role as President of this fabulous Club … support that I will continue to value over the next year and beyond. Thanks also to all members who have expressed their support and commitment for the year ahead.

I am sure many of you will be familiar with the movie “The Big Chill” which is basically about true and enduring friendship. I am also sure that we all have our own group of friends who have been part of our lives (seemingly) forever and who support us unreservedly in everything we do. So, to my friends Barb, Margaret, Torquil, Susan and Dennis – thanks for sharing this very special evening with me.

And, a very special thank you to Past District Governor Don Jago and Margery for showing me, by their own example, the value of Service. Don and I worked together for many years and during that time, both Don and Margery were unstinting in their commitment to their community and to the values of Rotary service. Don and Margery … as I stand here this evening, about to embark on the most exciting and challenging year of my short time in Rotary, it is all due to you and I hope to emulate your leadership by example.

I recall my induction to Rotary, on the 26^th February 2002, as clearly as if it were yesterday. However, what I remember even more vividly is the next day, sitting in my office, wearing the Rotary badge for the first time and thinking “This is not just a badge, it is a responsibility.” It is a responsibility to uphold the values of Rotary – of “Service Above Self”; it is a responsibility to be aware of how I conduct myself both in business and personal dealings; it is a responsibility to be an ethical leader; and, most importantly, it is a responsibility to do what I can to enrich our community – both locally and internationally.

As Rotarians we are uniquely placed to show leadership in connecting with both the broader community and the business world to drive positive outcomes for those who most need our commitment to providing a better quality of life and enriched possibilities for the future. Our Club already has ‘runs on the board’ in this regard – we have raised significant funds to support our works in the community – The World’s Biggest Garage Sale - $70,000 over 3 years; the Rotary Southbank Bali Trust Fund – over $200,000 in a few months; the Xanana Vocational Education Trust Business Breakfast – over $30,000 in one morning.

These funds have been put to work in supporting our community: financing the operations of a Mobile Women’s Health Clinic in Bali; providing clean drinking water to several village communities in Bali; funding the accommodation of residents at the Klibur Domin Hostel in Timor Leste and supporting vocational education in that country; funding a Rotary Shelter Box to the storm ravaged Solomon Islands; each year, funding participants in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and in the Rotary Youth Program for Enrichment youth development camps; funding and providing mentors for the Young Achievement Australia program and much more – this is Rotary taking responsibility for making a difference in the community - this is Service.

However, it is not all about the funding and its not all about the big-bang events. As Rotarians, we also need to give of ourselves and of our time. Speaking personally, the social interaction with the residents at Hanover’s crisis accommodation centre during the Friday and Sunday Maslow BBQs really brings home the desperate need of many in our community to feel part of a wider social network – and, quite frankly, on a purely selfish level – this one-to-one volunteering is good for the soul.

On Saturday, President Elect Gabriel and I travelled to Lord Somer’s Camp to assist in the Community Street Soccer selection trials for the team to represent Australia in The Homeless World Cup in Copenhagen, to be held in July. This Street Soccer program was started by The Big Issue several years ago – it is all about breaking the cycle of homelessness by providing, through sport and teamwork, a feeling of connectedness to each other and to the broader community. Rotary is assisting this endeavour – particularly the Rotary Clubs of Melbourne and Southbank who have been working together for several months now to assist The Big Issue in its plan to create Street Soccer Teams in various regional areas, such as Geelong and Shepparton. I would like to acknowledge visiting Rotarian, Peter McCall, who has recently been inducted as President of the Rotary Club of Melbourne and who has also been involved, with us, in this project.

The ultimate aim is to broaden the reach of the Street Soccer competition leading up to the 2008 World Homeless Cup which will be held in Melbourne. The work of Rotary in this project will also include a communication program to inform the wider community’s understanding of homelessness and the issues surrounding homelessness. So far, this work has not required any funding – this is simply a group of Rotarians using their vocations and their networks to facilitate positive change … this is Rotary taking a leadership role in the community – this is Service.

Our responsibility to show leadership and to act with integrity is not only directed to the broader community. We also have responsibilities within our own Club; each of us is responsible for the ongoing success of our Club and of the projects and programmes that we support. We are responsible for stepping up to leadership roles in the Club; we are responsible for how we respect each other; we are responsible for undertaking our designated roles; we are responsible for actively participating in weekly meetings and working sessions … this is also part of being a Rotarian – this is Service.

We are here to provide Service to our community – that’s the bottom line – we are here to provide Service to our Community. Our community being both the broader community and the community within our own Club. As Rotarians, we must be leaders in this regard, we must lead with integrity, we must take responsibility for our actions and we must take responsibility for upholding the Rotary ideal of Service.

We are in for an exciting and productive year ahead. Sunday week ago, the incoming Leadership Team met to workshop our plans and objectives for the 2007/2008 year – many exciting possibilities came out of that session. On the 10^th July, our Club meeting will be dedicated to further developing these ideas and every member of the Club is expected to participate in that process – yes, that is ‘expected’ not ‘invited’ – this is your Club and these will be your projects and your input is vital to our success. In short, we are all here to work – and there will be plenty of opportunities to do so. One meeting each month will be dedicated to work – it may be on existing projects; it may be on workshopping ideas for new activities or projects; it may be on learning more about Rotary.

These monthly working meetings will provide a great opportunity to introduce potential members to how our Club operates – and will show, by example, what it means to be involved in active Service to the community. Our Rotary International theme this year is “Rotary Shares” – a theme our District Governor John Davis encourages us to activate in meaningful ways. As individual members, we need to be proactive in inviting friends and colleagues along to our meetings and introducing them to Rotary. As a Club, we need more members – an increased membership will support us in developing and implementing projects. And, it will also provide sometimes unexpected benefits to those choosing to become Rotarians. As is so often the case, the more you put in, the more you receive – not for business or financial gain, but for personal-growth and opportunities. So, please – consider those who amongst your network of friends, colleagues, associates would make good Rotarians – and invite them along to ‘Share Rotary’ and to ‘Share in the Southbank Spirit’.

Throughout this address, I have referred to “Leadership, Integrity and Responsibility” – these three attributes are very close to my heart and I am passionate about our need to keep these ‘key words’ front-of-mind at all times. And, as President, I commit to you that I will lead by example in this regard. But, I cannot do this alone – and, nor should I.

I am very excited to be supported by a ‘stellar’ Leadership Team and I would now like to take the opportunity to introduce them to you:

Immediate Past President – Tracey Browne

President Elect – Gabriel Hau (and Bulletin)

Vice President – Chris Trueman

Club Secretary – Bobbi Lehman-Horn (and Fellowship)

Club Treasurer – Past President Wendy Bennett

Service Projects – Leigh Harry and Paul Ruff (Foundation)

Membership Development – Past President Rhys Maggs

Club Promotion – Lyn Gill

Club Service – Jason Burnett

More details about the 2007/2008 Leadership Team structure and how it will operate will be presented at the 10^th July meeting.

I would also like to acknowledge various members of the Club who have offered to assist in supporting the Leadership Team and the Club:

Nick Kane - Sergeant

Troy Gay – Programme (new member)

Past President Richard Clark – Rotary Training

Past President Philip Archer – Workshop Facilitation

Stuart McArthur – website; On To Conference

So, in closing, my challenge to you all is to actively seek out ways in which we can be of service to our community and how we can, by example, show “Leadership, Integrity and Responsibility” as Rotarians.

Barbara Adams

President 2007/2008

Rotary Club of Southbank