Weekly Bulletin 23 July 2024 (Jul. 21, 2024)

President Allan's Message

As this new Rotary year starts, I think it is appropriate to quote the words of Rotary Founder Paul Harris, who said back in the ‘30’s:

“If Rotary is to realize its proper destiny, it must be evolutionary at all times, revolutionary on occasion.”

This is a call – from 90 years ago – to abandon the “we’ve always done it that way” approach and be open to new ideas – ideas in how we conduct our meetings, perform our projects, and engage with our communities.

As PDG Stephen Lazarakis mentioned in his response to the RI Toast, Rotary Clubs (and RC Salisbury) must look outside the normal ways of conducting our business and think of new ways to make our Club attractive to new members. Not everyone we engage with needs to become a member, rather we should be making partnerships with them, and in time, they will learn and understand what Rotary can bring to their lives and to the lives of others.

We need to look at our Club and ask ourselves 'Is our Club Fit For Purpose as a service Club?'

Our inability to reverse our membership decline is due not to a lack of knowledge, but is it just a lack of will. Our Membership problem is no different to Rotary’s membership problems and are well understood by our global leaders. The solutions are available and plentiful. Club growth and rejuvenation is possible, but only if innovative ideas are implemented.

This is where we adopt the suggestion by Paul Harris that we need to be revolutionary.

Apart from the President, Secretary and Treasurer, this year's Board structure does not follow the 'traditional' Rotary model.

The Board Members will fill roles as they arise to enable the Club to function.

Allan James

President

Rotary Club of Salisbury

Thank you to the 2024-2025 Board

PDG Debbie James - Secretary

PP Alan Charles - Treasurer

PP Paul Straka - Board Member

PP Aafje Staal - Board Member

Lynne Smith - Board Member

Revised Club Structure

Two new committees have been formed this year.

Corporate Engagement

Youth Engagement

The Corporate Engagement committee's function is to create and maintain partnerships with corporations and businesses in our Club area. While it is hoped that these partnerships and relationships may eventually lead to some form of membership, that is not the only reason. The businesses in the Salisbury/Moorooka areas provided the charter members for our Club over 60 years ago. In recent times we have seen membership and partnerships with these business steadily decline.

We are seeking to partner with them in providing community service opportunities, service recognition, leadership development and networking opportunities for the business, their employees and families.

PP Alan Charles has agreed to chair this committee. As Alan commences his role, all members will be asked to contribute to this committee.

The Youth Engagement committee's function is to create and maintain partnerships with the schools and young people in our Club area. Rotary is the largest provider of youth programs of any service organisation in the world. We all know of and have experienced first hand the amazing outcomes of these programs. We will be looking to identify and sponsor candidates to as many of the Rotary Youth Programs as possible.

You may well say 'The Youth Engagement Committee is Rotary's Fifth Avenue of Service', and you are correct. By creating a unique standalone committee this gives it much more focus in our Club where we do not have enough members to cover all avenues of service and recommended standing committees.

Lynne Smith accepted the challenge to chair this committee. Again, each member of the Club is a member of this committee.

An outline of the District sponsored Youth Activities are shown below.

The 2024-2025 District Governor

Born and raised in a small town in the Barossa Valley, Sue Mulraney attended a rural school with a total enrolment of 20 students in grades 1 to 7. Growing up in an area with a strong sense of community and caring for others, Sue developed a deep appreciation for the power of collective effort.

After school, Sue embarked on a career in banking, where she met and married John. Together, they welcomed their daughter, Rachelle. Sue resigned from the bank when Rachelle was born, and the family relocated to sunny Queensland. She then held various positions at Beenleigh Rum Distillery before retiring in August 2020.

Sue’s first contact with Rotary was in March 1995 when John joined the Rotary Club of Beenleigh. She supported John in his various club roles, and together they welcomed numerous Youth Exchange students into their family. They witnessed firsthand the positive impact this program had on both inbound and outbound students. A highlight was accompanying students on a District 9630 Roundabout Tour. Rachelle was an Exchange Student to Brazil in 2006, and her host family continues to hold a special place in their hearts.

Sue was inducted into the Rotary Club of Loganholme in August 2009 and quickly became a leader within the club. After being inducted as President in 2011, her first project was the instigation of the Tour de Logan (in partnership with the Rotary Club of Beenleigh), which ran from 2010 to 2018. Funds from the Tour de Logan were divided among The Rotary Foundation and Diabetes Queensland, both causes Sue is passionate about. This event demonstrated her commitment to Rotary and the community, showcasing the joy of working together for a common goal.

Sue’s leadership extends beyond her club. She has served in a range of District roles, including The Rotary Foundation committee, District Youth Protection Officer, District 9630 District Secretary, and on the board of District 9620 as Administration Director. She attended the Future Leaders Seminar in 2017 in Darwin and attended the Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore International Conferences.

Family is Sue’s number one priority. Rotary is certainly in the blood, as Rachelle is also a passionate member of The Rotary Club of Beenleigh, along with her father John.

Sue is looking forward to an exciting year as District Governor, witnessing the enchanting magic unfolding within our Rotary clubs.

Let’s embrace the theme of “The Magic of Rotary” and create a ripple effect of positive impact!

Up-Coming Events

Date	Event
Tuesday 30 July 2024	Social Outing: Visit to the Cathedral of St Stephen followed by dinner
Tuesday 6 August 2024	General Meeting

Upcoming Meeting Duty Roster

	23 July	30 July	6 Aug
Chair	Dudley Schmidtchen	N/A
Sergeant	N/A	N/A
Fellowship	Paul Straka	Allan James
Door	Debbie James	N/A
Rotarian Behind The Badge	Johnno Chen	N/A

Duty Officers:

The Chairman speaks to the Guest Speaker prior to the start of the meeting to obtain introductory information. The Chairman must also check with the President for any special duties during the meeting.

Directors and Members are to advise the Chairman prior to the start of the meeting if they which to give a report or speak during the meeting.

The Fellowship Officer is to meet each Visitor individually and escort them to the Registration table and introduce them to the Duty Officers. The Fellowship Officer is to assist with the issue of the Visitor’s card and to introduce the visitor to the club members.

The Duty Officers are to set up the regalia, the speaker system and registration table well before the scheduled meeting start time. Dinner fees are collected, balanced and given to the Treasurer. The completed attendance sheet is given to the President who passes it onto the Attendance Officer.

At the close of the meeting Duty Officers are to store all regalia and speaker system away ensuring the battery is removed from the wireless microphone.

Apologies should be emailed to the Club Admin no later than Monday morning.

We acknowledge the First Nations people as the original inhabitants of Australia. We recognise, respect and celebrate the cultural distinctions of First Nations people and value their rich and positive contribution to not only Queensland but also to the broader Australian society.