This week I had the great pleasure of attending, in person, a wonderful dinner hosted by the President of Keilor Rotary, David Whiting and his wife Marie, which was held at their home. After nearly a year of Zoom meetings, it was indeed a fantastic experience being able to join in the amazing fellowship that this club shares, as well as the diverse conversations – this surely is the essence of Rotary!

The first official meeting of the CEO Rotary Satellite Club of Southbank took place this morning, and once again, it was inspiring to see the enthusiasm of those in attendance, as they embark on this new Rotary initiative. The club discussed and agreed on its structure, vision and key areas of focus, and now has a good foundation on which to move forward with homelessness being chosen as the key issue on which efforts will be concentrated.

I’m delighted to advise that Australia Post has announced that we will have a special stamp this year for our centenary. There will be several ‘products’ including first day covers, stamp packs and inclusion in the annual collection. These will be ideal for collections, gifts, speaker thank you mementos, Rotary archives, memorabilia and more. Coming soon will also be a special coin that will feature the centenary of Rotary in Australia, and I will have more on this soon.

As you are aware, supporting the environment is now our seventh area of focus. Over the past several years, more than $18 million in Foundation global grant funding has gone towards environment-based projects. Now with this approved and added area of focus, grant applications for projects will be accepted from 1 July 2021. Clubs that take up environmental programs have compelling pathways to volunteering and new membership, bringing new energy and future leadership, as well as revitalising existing membership and member retention.

Next Tuesday is of course, Australia Day, and if you haven’t already done so, I again encourage you to book online for the free Rotary Zoom event being live streamed across Australia from 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm. Performances by Marina Prior, Mike Brady, Josh Piterman and John Foreman will support presentations on major R100 projects such as EndTrachoma, Rotary Safe Families, Australian Rotary Health and Give Every Child a Future. Bookings can be made via this link:

https://events.humanitix.com/rotarydownunder_100_national_australia_day_event

Have a great week everyone – it’s a time to reflect, respect, celebrate. We are all part of the story!

Rotary District 9800 Governor Philip Archer