Just over ten years ago, when Ann White contacted me about becoming a member of the Rotary Club of Southbank, I really had very little idea about what being a Rotarian meant. Nor had I any idea at the time of how fortunate I was that Ann had called.

With the sponsorship of the Rotary Clubs of Melbourne and Albert Park, the Southbank Club was born ...the new kid on the block - wide eyed, ambitious and totally oblivious to thoughts that anything was too difficult, too large or even “impossible” to achieve.  I have to admit, I really related to this kid!  This child was unfettered, with a no-holds barred dynamic approach and got involved in exciting hands-on activities.  And it was those activities that allowed each of us to begin to understand the powerful meaning and impact of Rotary as we were introduced to the new kid’s family – the family of Rotary.

My first real experience of what Rotary was all about was helping on a RYLA camp.  To see 70 raw young people walk into a camp, and then with our help, mentoring and guidance, watch 70 young leaders walk out of the camp was something special.

I could see we’d made a difference – and that the difference we’d made would in turn go on to produce more positive change in the community.

Next I became involved in working with the Rotary Club of Southbank’s partnership with Hanover House and their efforts helping those facing homelessness and social disadvantage.  Again, this hands-on experience was inspirational – I could see how we as Rotarians could make a difference.  And I could see my fellow Southbankers were equally inspired. 

This inspiration, coupled with the can-do spirit of a club seen by all as having boundless potential, led us to take on large scale projects far in excess of expectations. The Rotary Club of Southbank proved itself to be a “gifted” child well ahead of its years, as we successfully launched and supported projects like the World’s Biggest Garage Sale, The Bali Appeal, the Xanana Vocational Education Trust and more recently the Homeless World Cup.

As Rotary Club of Southbank members leveraged opportunities and brought projects to fruition, each of us have felt immense pride in being part of Rotary.  And we should be proud.  That young kid of ten years ago has matured – it’s seen its way through youthful growing pains and strains to evolve into a vibrant, creative, positive Club ready to fulfil its potential. 

Of course we have had help along the way – as others have seen what we have been doing, they’ve been drawn to lend a hand or become part of it as well – we couldn’t have achieved all we have without the help of our corporate supporters, partners and friends of Rotary. There is no doubt in my mind though that these people were drawn by the infectious enthusiasm and passion that the Rotary Club of Southbank has exuded and the tremendous potential our Club has to make a difference in our community.  Who wouldn’t want to be a part of it!

But as the Club grows up, just like a uni student stepping out into the professional world, now is the time for it to turn potential into accomplishment - to become one of Rotary’s great examples of achievement.

And we have every reason to.

Our patch is growing. Ten years ago, Southbank had around 4,000 residents and under 30,000 employees working in the region. Today Southbank has around 10,000 residents and approximately 40,000 employees across more than 600 businesses.  And these numbers are projected to grow.

With the numerous residential developments including the Eureka Tower and South Wharf, as well as the substantial commercial ventures with the new Hilton Hotel, Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre and surrounding businesses coming into operation, Southbank is developing faster than Kevin Rudd can come up with new pieces of Aussie slang.  We need to leverage this growth and take advantage of the great opportunities that have arisen.

However, we also need to be mindful of the potential down side of growth.   I was fortunate recently to meet with former Lord Mayor John So who has been a key instigator of growth in Melbourne.  John was quick to point out that with great growth also comes great stress.  With Southbank developing so rapidly, there have been implications for the area socially, culturally and environmentally that will be critical to manage.  John also said that in his opinion Rotary will be a valuable partner and well-positioned to assist the community with such challenges.  And when it comes to challenges, Rotary is in its element.  Whether it be Polio, the Asian tsunami, third world health issues or the Victorian Bushfires, we’ve stood up and shown ourselves to be leaders in community support.  There is no doubt we are in difficult times now with the Global Financial Crisis upon us.  Even some of our fellow Rotarians are being affected by this crisis.  But isn’t it great to know that as part of the Rotary Family, we too have somewhere to turn, even if it’s just for moral support. 

I mentioned earlier about establishing ourselves as a club that has come of age.  We all know that to turn our many ideas and projects into reality, it takes funding ...  a constant battle for any club, and more so in these difficult financial times.   But I would like you to take a moment to close your mind to the difficulties and instead imagine the possibilities...

Imagine that we establish a Rotary Club of Southbank Community Giving Fund in partnership with the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, which each year grows bigger as it compounds interest to go towards our projects.  Imagine our Club never running dry of project funds!

Imagine bringing on an exponential number of new members in line with the growth of Southbank.  Statistics on Southbank’s demographics tell us that the residents in this precinct are highly educated, they have high status jobs; many are singles or couples without children; a third are aged 20 to 34 and looking for professional development and meaning in their lives; they are ethnically diverse; and Southbank has the highest proportion of internet literate households in Victoria.  These are the people we need to reach.  But, how do we do that?

Once again, I would like you to Imagine ...

Imagine harnessing the energy of the 20-25 year olds amongst this growing Southbank demographic through the establishment of a Rotaract Club of Batman and sharing this opportunity with our Cluster.

Imagine publishing a high-end, sophisticated magazine, printed with support from our Club’s corporate partners, telling of our Club’s community helping stories, of our projects, of our achievements – then imagine this magazine being found in every apartment, every hotel room, every office, every business and every shop in Southbank.

Imagine our Club instigating a set of Service Excellence Awards, recognising and rewarding customer service excellence, corporate excellence and community based excellence within the Southbank community.  Think of how this would engage the local business community and see Rotary become even more visible, a central part of the business and community landscape in Southbank.

Imagine too, a series of Business Breakfasts in which local business people can gather to listen to some of Melbourne’s most prominent business speakers whilst contributing to the Southbank Community Giving Fund, knowing that their contribution will benefit the community around us. 

Imagine engaging businesses on the issue of Corporate and Business Social Responsibility, providing them with not just a channel to direct charitable contributions, but genuinely giving them and their employees an outlet through which they can be actively engaged in hands-on community helping.

Imagine capturing the hearts and minds of the growing number of people living and working within Southbank and inspiring them to do good!  We need to reach out and engage them.  We need to talk to them.  We need to invite them to join us on our journey, and we need to show them publicly the great work we do.

Imagine what we could achieve if we engaged our whole community!

It’s time now for us to start delivering on our great potential and put our plans into action. 

Following Gabe Hau’s tremendous efforts as President in 2008-2009, I would like to maintain our focus on making real those dreams we hold for the next 10 years of the Rotary Club of Southbank – but with the simple postscript - that the future we dream of for The Rotary Club of Southbank is truly in our hands.  We have to make it happen.

Philip Archer
Rotary Club of Southbank, President 2009-2010

As Pauline and I anticipate our journey ahead, we are excited at the prospect of extending our circle of Rotarian friends and discovering more about our district as we travel through our year. The Rotary Clubs in District 9800 are involved in a myriad of community and international projects and getting a more in depth knowledge of their work, will be a most stimulating experience.

The round of Changeover Dinners has begun and as we farewell 69 Presidents, 70 new leaders are being inaugurated and are planning their goals and teams for the forthcoming Rotary year.
We extend our very best wishes to all these new Presidents for a most successful year.

We welcome our latest ‘offspring’, the Rotary Club of Docklands into the fold and were impressed by the excellent evening they organised for their charter night.

Changing our leaders each year, I see as both a strength and a weakness. A weakness, as there is the ever present danger that we will lose continuity and may just mark time. A strength, as new ideas and new energy explode onto the Rotary scene.

I am always highly impressed at what our Rotary volunteers are able to achieve and the many hours they dedicate to our organization.

I would like to reinforce that our focus should be on increasing membership and I will be encouraging all clubs to give attention to setting a goal to grow by at least 15%.

Colin Muir
Rotary District 9800, District Governor 2009-2010