For most of its 120 year existence, Rotary has operated under the same Club model. We would refer to that model as a 'Standard' Rotary Club. A Club model where members enjoy fellowship that include a meal and a meeting. Membership was strictly governed by the Classification system that limited the numbers of each profession in a Club.
With a few bumps along the way, membership numbers steadily increased until the mid nineties when the membership plateaued at approximately 1.2 million and then declined slightly. About then, Rotary International and Clubs worldwide started to look at ways to make Rotary Clubs more attractive. Clubs started to meet without meals, as coffee clubs, in bars and board rooms. Membership became less restrictive.
As technology became widespread and more powerful, Clubs started to meet online. Clubs drew members from different countries as eClubs grew in number and popularity. The Rotary International Board have given Clubs the flexibility in meeting frequency and meeting times. The classification system has become less critical allowing more members from any profession, this has given rise to Corporate Members and Corporate Clubs.
One of the latest changes to allowable club models is that of a Passport Club. Members have membership in one Club, but because of location, work commitments may attend the meetings and service projects of other clubs. The attendance requirements are tracked using a points process gained by meeting and project attendance, as well as support for the Foundation.
What can our Club look like in the future?
Have you been thinking membership in the past few weeks?
How will you contribute to our membership growth in the next few months?
In 2025-2026, let's strive to
Unite for good for Rotary,
Unite for good for our Club
and
Unite for good for our Community.
Allan James
President
Rotary Club of Salisbury
Last Meeting
Attendance Report
8 members, 3 guests
Guest Speaker - Samual Guy
We had the pleasure of hosting Sam at our last meeting. Sam is a student at Griffith University and is a member of the Student Academy of Excellent. Recently, Griffith sent a team of students and facility members to Cambodia for two weeks. The excursion was themed on the UN Sustainability Goals, during which time they spent a week teaching English to students aged between 5 & 14.
The second week saw the students participate in a project to build a house for a local family. During their stay, the students also facilitated a number of workshops on health, first aid and communications. One of the communications workshops focused on bullying which appears as prevalent in Cambodia as in Australia.
During their free time, the students engaged in a number of cultural outings visiting temples, markets and the Killing Fields. The students found the experience very rewarding, but at the same time confronting as they had little experience seeing and dealing with the poverty and suffering.
Upcoming Events
13th December - Acacia Ridge Financial Christmas Fair
16th December - Club Christmas Party
13th January 2026 - District Governor Official Visit
Club Updates
While we are rebuilding, our caterer is having difficulty catering for our small numbers. Ace has agreed to provide meals for one meeting a month at which we will pay for a minimum number.
On the other meeting/s we will either self cater or simply not have meal. This may also give us a chance to get through some more business.
Next Meetings
Tuesday 16th December
General Meeting
Christmas Party
Duty Officers
Chair: Allan James
Sergeant: Alan Charles
Fellowship: Debbie James
3 Minute Musings/Rotary Information: Johnno Chen
Friends of Rotary, Partners and non-members are welcome to attend
If you cannot fulfil a designated duty officer role please make arrangements for another member to take over your role.
Only payment via EFT or bank transfer is accepted.
Rotary International News
New Taipei City club creates happiness in name and spirit
By Wen Huang
When Roger Chin-Wei Tung was tasked in 2014 with starting a new Rotary club to attract younger members, he chose an aspirational goal for the club — and the name to go with it. “Three new clubs were being chartered in our district,” says Tung, who was a member of the Rotary Club of Lin Kou at the time. “One chose the name ‘Elite’ and another ‘Excellent.’ I chose ‘Happiness.’ I wanted our club to create happiness, a place to form lifelong friendships and build a spiritual connection through community service.”
Tung had seen the impact that Rotary membership could have on well-being after he began attending meetings of the Lin Kou club in New Taipei City in 2009. He initially went out of a sense of obligation to the Rotary families that supported a language immersion program he ran. “Then I realized I had found a family of like-minded people, and I quickly got hooked,” he recalls. “Along life’s journey, if you meet friends who share your interests and values, your sense of happiness grows.”
He drew inspiration for the Rotary Club of Formosa Happiness (“formosa,” meaning “beautiful” in Portuguese, is the name explorers gave Taiwan in the 16th century) from Taiwan’s growing corporate movement to promote a culture of well-being. In 2013, encouraged by the government, about 1,600 Taiwanese companies signed a declaration to improve workplace happiness and address public dissatisfaction with working conditions.
Contributions will support projects around the globe, including a robust recommitment to the fight to end polio
By Etelka Lehoczky
Donors to The Rotary Foundation celebrated some big achievements in fundraising in the past year, showing their support for the wide array of programs the organization sponsors all over the world.
A multiyear campaign to increase the Endowment to US$2.025 billion by 2025 exceeded its goal by US$25 million. In 2024-25 alone, members and others contributed more than half a billion dollars to the Foundation.
“The goal was an inspiration, but the objective was to do good in the world,” says Mark Daniel Maloney, the 2024-25 Rotary Foundation trustee chair. “We are making sure that Rotary will always be able to carry out that mission.”
The Foundation raised more than US$569 million in 2024-25 alone, exceeding its annual goal by almost US$70 million. More than 478,000 individuals donated, along with over 31,000 Rotary clubs and nearly 1,900 Rotaract clubs.
Thanks to its donors, the Foundation was able to award 1,424 global grants, 468 district grants, and 74 disaster response grants in the past year. A US$2 million Programs of Scale grant will help build peace and economic independence in Colombia. Rotary International also extended its long-standing partnership with the Gates Foundation, announcing a joint commitment of up to US$450 million over three years to support global polio eradication efforts.
“Rotary members demonstrated their commitment to these efforts with their support of the 2.025 by 2025 campaign,” Maloney says. In particular, he notes the large number of fundraising events around the world that Rotary’s district governors organized.
“I am just amazed at the generosity of Rotary members,” he says. “They came together to make it happen.”
Rotary Ambassadors
Rotary ambassadors are artists, musicians, actors, and humanitarians who support Rotary’s work across all our main causes to create lasting change. They promote our vision of a world where people unite and take action by expanding our reach to new audiences, helping people understand who we are and what we do, and raising awareness of Rotary around the world. Through events, advocacy, media, and more, Rotary ambassadors engage with members and supporters to amplify our vision and impact.
Archie Panjabi
Actor, producer
“My first visit to India at the age of 10 opened my eyes to the heartbreaking reality of children suffering from polio. Years later, I returned to administer the polio vaccine and witnessed the dedication of health workers, inspiring my commitment to this cause. For over a decade, I’ve proudly served as a Rotary Polio Ambassador and continued the fight to eradicate polio while shining a light on the full scope of the vital work Rotary members undertake to create a brighter future for all, from safeguarding our environment and improving maternal health, to providing clean water and promoting peace.”
Rotary District 9620 News
Catchup on the latest edition of the DG's Newsletter
RAWCS is a program supported by all Rotary Districts in Australia. As an organisation, RAWCS, is committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion to achieve our goal of making a positive impact on communities in need, both in Australia and developing countries. Upholding human rights principles is fundamental to all aspects of our operations.
RAWCS carries out all its humanitarian work in accordance with the humanitarian principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. Dedicated to respecting, protecting, and promoting human rights for all individuals, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, indigeneity, disability, age, displacement, caste, gender, gender identity, sexuality, sexual orientation, poverty, class, or socio-economic status.
RAWCS is dedicated to eliminating racial injustice and promoting an ongoing process of healing and reconciliation. Embedded within our core values of Service, Leadership, Diversity, Integrity, and Fellowship is a commitment to integrating human rights considerations throughout our projects’ development, implementation, and assessment phases.
The District Governor of each Australian Rotary District is a member of the RAWCS Company. This membership elects a Board of Directors to govern the company on their behalf. We are a large organisation, seen by the outside world as the face of Australian Rotary enabling global good.
The Rotary Club of Formosa Happiness, New Taipei City, Taiwan, was formed with an aim to create happiness and lifelong friendships thorugh community service.
Learn how Rotary clubs are taking action in the United States, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa, and Mauritius.
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.
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.
Actor, producer
