This month
is fellowship month and there are indeed many exciting things to
do in the next 2 weeks.
First,
don't miss our next meeting Tuesday 16 June 2009 where Judy and
Clinton will be inducted as new members of the club. I will
be reporting to the club what we have done for the past 12 months
- and you will be amazed at the things RC Southbank has achieved
during that time. In addition, George Halkias is visiting
the club, so come and find out about it. This is, of course,
the last "normal" meeting before the Changeover and 10th
Anniversary party.
The GSE
Team Welcome Home dinner on Wednesday 17 June 2009 is also a great
opportunity to support our Rotary Foundation as well as our won
nominee, Jamie Anderson. You will get a chance to hear about
their trip and get a better understanding of what GSE really means
to the community and what the Foundation is such a strong
supporter of the program.
The
Changeover and 10th Anniversary party on Saturday 20 June 2009 is
not to be missed. Most of our members will be present (which
is fantastic - and those who cannot attend have made their apology
and I know their hearts are with us). In addition, almost
all of our past presidents will be there so our new members will
get a chance to meet them.
Only a year
or two ago, our district had 72 clubs. It now stands at 68.
And so it is really exciting that a new club, RC Docklands, will
be chartered on Tuesday 23 June 2009. As PE Philip announced
at the recent club meetings, our club will not be meeting at Crown
that day but will be supporting RC Docklands.
As you
probably know, I have been extremely fortunate this year to have
PP Barbara as our Membership Director and she has done a fabulous
job of bring in a number of fantastic Rotarians into our club,
many of whom have been Rotaractors. Unfortunately, the
number of active Rotaract clubs in our district is very limited
and our new members are already formulating plans to turn that
around. So it would be great if our club can support the
charter of a new Rotaract club - the Rotaract Club of Tullamarine
on Wednesday 24 June 2009.
If that is
not enough fellowship opportunities for you, we have the
unmissable District 9800 Changeover Dinner on Saturday 27 June.
Come and say thanks to our legendary DG Jim and welcome DGE Colin.
When you
are with Rotary, good things happen!
Yours in Rotary,
Gabe
Last Week's Meeting
What a great meeting we had last week. Air Cdre Peter Newton (Ret'd)
was scheduled as speaker but was unfortunately unable to visit us at
the last minute. Peter was very kind and thoughtful and asked
(at the last minute) Anthea Swann, Ryder-Cheshire Foundations
Secretary for Australia and Victoria to tell us about their project,
Raphael, in India.
We had a very good attendance last week, with many visitors,
including two Presidents. The large contingent from RC
Melbourne was led by President Pauline and PE Barry Watts.
President Gerry (and Kate) Cross from RC Canterbury also came to
visit us and had some excitement when they waited to enter the
carpark! Other guests were also kind enough to join us.
The Sergeant's session was another success, raising some more money
for the ShelterBox we sponsored earlier in the year.
Our speaker Anthea gave a very interesting account not only of the
Ryder-Cheshire Foundation's current project in India - Raphael - but
also a bit of historic background about the Foundation and its
co-founders, Leonard Cheshire and Sue Ryder - both war heroes in
their own right. It is quite inspiring to learn what
individuals can do to make this a better world.
Raphael is helping not just the those suffering from leprosy, TB and
a range of other physical and mental illnesses, it is also creating
opportunities and hope for them and those close to them.
There is a permanent home for about one hundred
people whose leprosy is no longer active, but who have been left
with permanent disability. They are assisted to achieve a
productive, self sufficient and fulfilling lifestyle.
Nearby is a hostel where the children of those with
leprosy live, and where education and care are provided free of the
stigma of their parents' disease. These children are now being
integrated into the local school.
There is a residential home for people with mental
and physical disabilities who will benefit from physiotherapy and
vocational training, and a wing where those with more severe
disabilities live and receive special care and attention.
