Presidents Notes

President Usha's Notes

19 August 2020

Dear fellows,

"This does not seem like a time of great optimism, but it must be. Long before Rotary was started the world dealt with great crises that tested humankind's ability to progress and endure. In this age of Rotary, the world has faced many more catastrophes; however we have survived, and every step of the way Rotary has helped the world heal. ... "

- RI President Holger Knaack

Rotary International Change
Rotary is changing! Jennifer Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, will be the first woman to be the Rotary International President in 2022-23, groundbreaking in its 115 year history. A current Rotary Foundation trustee, Jennifer has been a Rotarian since 1997 and has served Rotary as RI vice president, director, training leader, committee chair, moderator and District Governor.

Board Decisions
The Board met on Monday the 10th August and some decisions are discussed here. The Awards events have been postponed to late October and November and will be subject to government regulations in force at the time. A club banner will be prepared for our 50th celebration year and would be on display at our meetings and events. Alexey is co-ordinating ideas for the banner and would be happy to receive your inputs. The request for an international notional partner from the Rotary Club of Bhiwadi, India was approved and formalities are being completed. (More information in the bulletin). A letter of thanks was received from the Rotary club of Wellington for our contributions toward drought relief and this has been much appreciated by the club.

Environment Representative
Some time ago, our AG Angela Bradley had asked clubs to nominate a member as the environment and sustainability representative. I am glad to inform that PP Allan Teale has kindly volunteered for this role. Very appropriate for someone who has many years of experience in Rotary and a keen interest in climate change issues.

Rotary Raffle
Like me, many of us are missing the "Rotary Raffle" and it is time to resurrect it. One way, as I proposed in the last meeting to avoid handling money and tickets is to transfer the money for many weeks together into the club account and then you become part of every raffle, whether attending or not.
Preparations are in full swing for our Club Celebrations (changeover) dinner on 12th September. Contributions towards raffle prizes would be appreciated by the committee.

Rotary Club of Fusagasuga
With pleasant memories of our last joint meeting with the Rotary Club of Fusagasuga, we will soon be organising a reciprocal virtual meeting with them. A minor barrier is the time difference, our meeting time is their best sleep time, i.e. 4am. SO WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY HERE YES OR NO?

Quirky
Good news ! Alexey has qualified to be our back up photographer. However I can not yet confirm if he is our back up story writer as well. May need a lesson or two from PP Raymond McCluskie.

My Rotary
With the progressive re-design of "My Rotary" continuing, many of us have been struggling to get information. There is one person in our club who is constantly working behind the scenes to keep our club information updated on this complicated system. Often this can be tedious, especially at the start of new rotary year. Thanks to PP Rod McDougall for keeping the wheels turning. Thanks also for the patience with the endless phone calls and correspondence. Diana Ibanez of SEC has appreciated your email providing feedback on the good food and good ambience at the last meeting and she looks forward to having more guests attending in the weeks ahead.

Parish Pantry
Last week we were privileged to hear from Father James Collins. An informative and emotional talk on how he and Rosemary King have been able to help and provide for many of those to whom life has not been so kind. Starting in a small way, now they are reaching out to many people in need in different ways. We are thankful to him for giving us the time and for all the good work they do. More about this in the bulletin.

Meetings continue
This week we look forward to hearing from our own members Dr. Prabhat Sinha and Chris Virgona on contemporary issues and working in COVID-19 times. This should no doubt lead to an interesting discussion.
Our first in-person meeting a fortnight ago was enjoyed and appreciated by all who attended. The earlier fears and reservations were put to rest once we were all there. I look forward to a bigger group this evening. Our rsvp system worked well and will continue for all in-person meetings. Apologies are also helpful and welcome.

Yours in Rotary

Usha Garg
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