enews #19 6 November 2015 November is Rotary Foundation Month From District Secretary Elizabeth Tollis, email: [email protected] Please circulate this information to all club members. The archive of this communication is available on the District website www.rotary9650.org.au

DIARY DATES •

6 November: RCs of NSW Police Officer of the Year Awards, Darling Harbour Sydney

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6 November: Rotary Club of Sawtell Annual Dinner and Charity Auction, RSL Princess Room 7.00pm $30.00pp

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11 November: Quirindi Conversations 6.30pm

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12 November: Movie premiere fundraiser “Spectre” – the new James Bond movie Rotary Club of Taree on Manning

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15 November: Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour City Rotary Charity Golf Day 11.00am start

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21 November: Port Macquarie River Cruise with visiting Canadian Friendship Exchange team, all clubs invited

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28-29 November: Nambucca River Festival joint project of Macksville/ Nambucca Heads clubs

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2 December: Rotary Club of Woolgoolga Annual Volunteers Appreciation BBQ CEX Woolgoolga 5.30pm $5.00pp

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1 January 2016: Charity Golf Day at Taree Golf Club Rotary Club of Taree

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2-16 January 2016: Rotary Club of Laurieton Annual book sale

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5 March 2016: Bush Poetry in the Saleyards Rotary Club of Gloucester

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11-20 March 2016: Rotary Club of Uralla Art Show and Sale

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19 March 2016: Opera By the Lake Rotary Club of Great Lakes. Tickets now available from Great Lakes Tourism

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31 March-2 April 2016: New England TECHFEST Rotary Club of Armidale North

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2-9 April 2016: District 9650 RYLA at Yarrahapinni near Macksville – www.rotary9650.org.au/RYLA

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14-21 May 2016: Rotary Book Fair Rotary Club of Armidale Central

DISTRICT CALENDAR 2016 TRAINING DATES AND ASSEMBLIES Ian Jackson District Governor Elect 2015-2016 District Leadership Training 20-21 February 2016 President Elect Training Seminar 19-20 March 2016 District Assembly 1 1 May 2016 District Assembly 2 22 May 2016

Laurieton Armidale Inverell Port Macquarie

DIARY DATES GSE INFORMATION •

2 April 2016: GSE Team from German District 1890 arrive

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3-29 April 2016: District 1890 Team tour District 9650

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30 April 2016: GSE District 1890 Team depart

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19 May 2016: GSE team from District 9650 depart for District 1890 Hamburg Germany

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17 June 2016: GSE team returns from Hamburg to Australia

The GSE Committee has now selected the team to represent this District in Germany D 1890 and team details are as follows: Robin Norton Team Leader (Kempsey West) Director of Nursing Kempsey District Hospital Daniel Bullen (Tamworth) Workshop Manager Belmore Engineering Katie Penman (Tamworth First Light) Dietitian Tamworth Hospital Brent Stringer (Kempsey West) Sign Writer and Managing Partner Kempsey Signs Kathryn Weatherall (Coonabarabran) Human Resources Officer Property Development Manager The team will attend our District Conference in Taree and undertake a presentation to us on the Friday evening. They then fly out on 19th May to Hamburg with the exchange ending on 20th June 2016. The incoming GSE team from D 1890 will be advised as soon as available. District GSE Chair Alan St Clair, [email protected]; 0410 437 915; 6775 0165

Important Message to all clubs from our District Insurance Officer John Harlow John will be away from 21/10 to 12/11 so please contact our Insurance Brokers directly: Alex Dimitrijevic, AON Insurance Brokers, Brisbane Phone: 07 3223 7400 Email: [email protected] For your club’s insurance cover during this period.

District 9650 Celebration 15-17 April 2016 Caravan and RV accommodation is available at the Taree Showground in Muldoon St for $12 per person per night. There are grassed sites with power and water available, and a refurbished amenities block. For those with toilet and shower facilities on board, there is a disposal dump area within the grounds. For more information please phone Karen on 6552 4056.

d NEWS DISTRICT

The Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour Daybreak’s Lantern Festival 23-25 October The Lantern Festival was again magnificent with lots of assistance from club members and friend in Rotary. On both Saturday and Sunday nights beautiful lanterns floated across the lake. The Children’s night went off vey well

Christmas Gift Tickets for Opera by the Lake Brian Bruton, President of the Rotary Club of Great Lakes suggests that the purchase of a ticket for Opera by the Lake, which will be held at John Wright Park, Tuncurry on 19th March 2016 would make the perfect Christmas Gift. Tickets are available from greatlakes.org/events/by-month/event, or to find out more go to www.operabythelake.com

Boots4kids The Rotary Club of Sawtell has launched its boots4kids program, seeking the support of clubs in donating funds to purchase gumboots made of 100% rubber which will provide safe and durable footwear to help protect against disease and infection, especially after a disaster such as an earthquake or flood. These boots are available for anyone to purchase, for your own kids, or grandchildren and can be ordered online at www.boot4kids.com.au They make a great gift and can be handed down for many years, sizes are 6-12.

What is the Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisors? The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisors provides assistance and technical expertise to Rotarians planning and implementing projects, ensures the proper stewardship of Foundation grant funds, and assists with Foundation trustees in the funding process. The cadre is composed of volunteer Rotarians from around the world who are familiar with the grant program and who have technical and professional expertise in one or more of Rotary’s six areas of focus. The role of the cadre members is to be involved in planning, monitoring and evaluating humanitarian grant projects in the following ways: • Application and project adviser assists with global grant applications and the implementation of projects • Technical reviewer assists Foundation staff by evaluating the technical feasibility of grant applications. These are desk reviews and do not involve travel. • Site visitor evaluates the technical feasibility of a proposed project (advance site visitor) or the implementation of an ongoing project (interim monitor). These assignments involve travel to the project site and meetings with the sponsors, residents of the benefiting community and representatives of any cooperating organisations. • Auditor evaluates the financial management and oversight of grant funds. These assignments, which involve random, routine, targeted and operational audits, involve travel to the project site as well as meetings with the relevant stakeholders. Currently Rotarians, especially females living in Oceania, who are experienced professionals in the areas below are invited to apply to join the cadre, email to [email protected], or contact DG Maurie Stack, email to [email protected] for more information. Disease Prevention and Treatment Economic and Community Development

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Maternal and Child Health Basic Education and Literacy Community and Project Development

Over 75 assignments such as desk reviews, site visits, operational audits have been undertaken so far this Rotary year. Clubs and District are discovering that by contacting [email protected] they can receive assistance from a member skilled and experienced in designing or modifying a grant application. The Rotary Foundation uses its data base to match areas of focus, language/culture, and project type with the requests. In this way cadre members save the Foundation a significant amount of money by donating their time and expertise. Clubs and Districts have more confidence in their fellow Rotarians than in hired consultants.

DG Report for October 2015 – District 9650 Subject to a visit to Walcha and Uralla clubs (next week) we have completed our club visits. I thought we knew a lot about Rotary from our training but we know a lot more from visiting clubs in our District. The wide variety of projects really does reflect the diversity of membership in different clubs. At the same time many clubs have tapped into their local community for skill sets not available within the club. Apart from our members our strongest asset is our brand. It is recognised throughout the world. It opens doors to Federal, State and Local Government and to corporate Australia. I’m convinced that this is what we have to sell to the younger members of our communities. The brand plus the size of the organisation. What other club can they join with $1 billion of investments under management, existing solely to do good in the world? Please continue your support for our Rotary Foundation. Our weekly report in the Enews on the clubs we have visited in a way makes this monthly report superfluous. However, some of the highlights over the last month have been: • Discovering that the Dorrigo Gazette still prints using metal blocks – probably the last place in the world • The Rotary Manning Valley Schools Spectacular which raises big money each year for the ACMF Manning Music Program whilst showcasing local talent including the ACMF students • The 80,000 invested in the Ray Wallis Foundation by Taree North to fund two year university scholarships • The proposed “An Evening with Peter James” – local celebrity cinematographer – by South West Rocks club – plus its new skateboard park • The many overseas projects “Kenyan in Kenya” scholarship (Dorrigo), the “Madagascar project” (Taree North), “People to People (South West Rocks), TANNA project (support from Laurieton and Taree on Manning), “Project Dignity Africa” (Port Macquarie West), RAMS in Timor Leste, bras for PNG (Guyra), St Jude’s School Tanzania (Taree) • Sailability Port Macquarie – extraordinary community effort putting the disabled in sailing boats – Port Macquarie West – plus their novel concept of a Director of Fun • Transportation Program rostering members to drive the disabled to appointments – Port Macquarie West • Carols by Candlelight – Tuncurry Forster – plus their Annual Hospitality Night at Great Lakes College • Watching the Paragliding at Mt Borah Manilla – nothing to do with Rotary but a lot of fun! • sale of batteries – Boggabri, Manilla and Barraba

• Would I lie to you? – entertaining dinner format – Barraba • Melbourne Cup Boxed Trifecta – a number of clubs pay $400 to Crows Nest club for 2024 tickets each containing three boxed trifectas which they sell for $2 each, less the prize money of $1000 for the winning trifecta. Barraba club has a variation on the theme. When they have a student who needs to raise funds for, say, YEP, they buy the tickets and give them to the student who can make $3000 - $4000 by getting his or her family and friends organised to sell the tickets. • New $80,000 helipad near the Guyra hospital – Guyra club • skateboard park valued at $140,000 – Boggabri – plus their public speaking competition for local primary school students • $300,000 CCTV program – Taree – plus their recent visioning project to charter the future of the club, their incubator meetings for new Rotarians and their sister club arrangements with Okayama club Japan. • International Women’s Day breakfast – Wingham – plus their second hand clothes to indigenous communities in NT and their motorbike ride from Wingham to Walcha • Nambucca River Festival with their fabulous floating bamboo lanterns – Nambucca/Macksville. A major community event now into its third year with water and land based entertainment and activities, local food and wine plus the usual amusement park activities • Wine Cheese and Beer Festival – Nambucca • new stage on the riverbank – Macksville – available not just for their Festival but for all sorts of community activities District Muster 2015 The other major thing to happen during the month was the District Muster. This year for the first time we were also joined by the District Governor, Adrian Roach, from District 9670 (Hunter region) and many of his leadership team. Hopefully this will be the start of many joint efforts between our respective districts. After a powerful address by PDG Jo Wilkin, our District Foundation chair, PDG Jim Studebaker, Trustee of the Australian Rotary Foundation Trust and PDG Professor Graham Jones, Assistant Rotary Foundation Coordinator, none of the 80 attendees could have been less than inspired to do more for the Foundation. Certainly I was. One quote only from Jim “We have to stop regarding Rotary and the Rotary Foundation as different bodies. The Rotary Foundation is us – structured slightly differently to enable tax deductibility.” This is an important idea. When each of us joined Rotary we didn’t just join our club. We joined an international

organisation and the Foundation is an integral part of that organisation. The Rotary Foundation in not some foreign body. It is us doing good in the world. Let each of us personally support our own charity to the extent that we can. Our membership seminar was capably led by PDG 9675 Keith Roffey, Assistant Rotary Coordinator Zone 8 and our District Membership Director Nick Wright – both of whom attended the recent national Rotary Success Conference in Canberra. Keith talked of the possibility of our organisation sliding into oblivion. Research indicates that within 7 years we could have real problems in first world countries. Should we be selling ourselves on yesterday’s project or is tomorrow a brand-new day?

There was a terrific exchange of ideas across all attendees. Many suggestions were made for your district celebration in 2016. They are being evaluated by your committee. This year half the clubs in the district were represented at the Muster. That is an improvement on previous years but we will reach our ideal when 80% of clubs are represented. We had a fabulous night on the Saturday night led by PDG Brian Beesley and all the feedback has been great. Don’t miss this event next year. Ask someone who attended. In Conclusion We do owe it to our communities to ensure that Rotary survives in the long-term and doesn’t disappear from most areas like Apex. As many of you are aware a young highly qualified paediatric nephrologist, Anna Francis, has been selected by Australian Rotary Health as the researcher for the Jack Wilson Kidney Research Program. Anna will be working out of Sydney University and Westmead Hospital. De already has raised the funds – through your clubs – to meet more than the first 18 months of this three-year scholarship. Hopefully we may be able to have Anna provide a short report at our District Celebration 15-17 April 2016 in the beautiful Manning Valley. De again extends her thanks – to all clubs but particularly for the amazing support received at the Tuncurry Forster club and the young kidney recipient at Kempsey West club who went out and personally raised $1500. Best wishes Maurie Stack Governor Rotary International District 9650

Maurie and De’s Magical Musical Tour……… nearly completed In the meantime –it’s time to start planning your attendance at the District Conference which is called

“Rotary Manning Valley Celebration 15-17 April 2016 (Peace, Music and Laughter) Your committee is working hard. Latest exciting news is that as you enter for each session, you will be entertained by one of our fabulous young musicians. The Taree Eisteddfod is the biggest and most successful outside the capital cities in Australia and we are going to show you some of their wonderful talent.

Book now from the homepage of Rotary District 9650

Friday Funnies Question: Why did the chicken cross the road? KINDERGARTEN TEACHER: PLATO: ARISTOTLE: KARL MARX: TIMOTHY LEARY: SADDAM HUSSEIN: RONALD REAGAN: CAPTAIN JAMES T KIRK: HIPPOCRATES: MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR: MOSES: FOX MULDER: RICHARD M NIXON: BILL GATES: DARWIN: BUDDHA: ERNEST HEMINGWAY: COLONEL SANDERS:

To get to the other side. For the greater good. It is the nature of chickens to cross roads. It was an historical inevitability. Because it’s the only trip the establishment would let it take. This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it. I forget. To boldly go where no chicken has gone before. Because of an excess of phlegm in its pancreas. I envisage a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question. And God came down from the Heavens and He said unto the chicken, “Thou shalt cross the road.” And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing. You saw it cross the road with your own eyes. How many more chickens have to cross the road before you believe it? The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat, the chicken did NOT cross the road. I have just released the new Chicken Office 2000, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your chequebook. Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically disposed to cross roads. Asking this question denies your own chicken nature. To die. In the rain. I missed one?