Visiting Rotarians:  DGe Paul Thomas, Briony Casburn and Bronwyn Kenny (McLaren Vale)

 

Guests:                    Beverley Baker, Vaughan Duck, Graham Ey, Roger Hoare, Madeleine Martin, Maria Mills, Genese Mullins, Linda Sellers, Judy Shaw, David Short,  Ross Smith, Richard Taylor

 

Attendance:             30  members  15 guests

 

With a background of fabulous decorations provided by Patsy and Valerie, MC David Middleton opened changeover proceedings. He advised that this was his 32nd changeover.....shades of Magic Johnson the NBA star who made 32 famous.  President Nathan welcomed our guests who were each introduced.

 

Graham Beckett provided the toast to Rotary International by referring to the evolution of Rotary since its inception in 2005. District Governor elect responded to the toast by defining that Rotary's greatest strength lies in upholding the values of diversity, equity and inclusion. His wife Katherine's 'partners project' next year will be support for the Childhood Cancer Council including the work of Peter Nelson Leukaemia Research (Peter was a former member of our club).

 

A delicious meal of chicken and Atlantic salmon was served.

 

President Nathan thanked with gifts Jerry, David and Greg who had provided great support throughout the year. In his report he expressed pleasure that 6 new members has been inducted into the club and that there was continued strong support for the Rotary Foundation.

His report was punctuated by the awarding of Paul Harris Fellows and pins to:

    

 

There followed a summary of the pleasing projects in which the club had been involved like the Solomons, Police Officer of the Year, Small Business and related awards, music awards, Treasure Boxes, Open Light, the Car Trial and sausage sizzles led by Ken. David M was thanked for his infectious chairing of meetings.

 

The induction of Ken Haines as the 2022/23 President of our club followed. President Ken thanked Paul Thomas  and David M; provided a gift to outgoing President Nathan; and asked former club Presidents to stand..........the applause was deafening. Imagine Rotary will be our theme for this next year. Board members for the forthcoming year include Nathan White (PP), Greg McLeod (Secretary), John Peacham (International), Brenton Judge (Community), Chris Davis (Vocational), Valerie Bonython (Environment), Trevor McGuirk (New Generation), Rajat Nagpal (Publicity), Vivienne Wood (Thrift Shop)...and the almost forgotten VP David Middleton. Ken will focus on enhancing ongoing projects. Board members shown below with their own special colouring........it goes something like - you can talk until you are red and blue in the face.

 

   

Ken presented Nathan with a PP Badge and plaque of appreciation (in another club to which the editor previously belonged the outgoing President was presented with a preserved pastie....work it out!)  

 

The celebration cake was cut by President Ken and distributed to the assembled throng....diets definitely in order for tomorrow

 

 

President Ken closed the chockful enjoyable meeting way past our bedtime....8.45pm

 

     

5 interesting people I met at the 2022 Rotary Convention

Posted on June 9, 2022

 

By Jeris Gaston, Rotary Club of Birmingham, Alabama, USA

 

A Rotary convention is a time to reflect upon the past year, look forward to the year ahead, and connect with friends, old and new, from around the globe. But it’s also a celebration of all things Rotary. The people gathered together are what make this event special. Being together again, in person, after a two-year hiatus made the 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston even more sweet. A big part of convention is meeting people. So in that spirit, I want to introduce you to five interesting Rotarians I met in Houston:

1 While visiting the Rotaract Preconvention, I met Philip Flindt, a Rotaractor from Denmark who will begin serving as a Rotary Public Imagine Coordinator in a few short weeks. Notably, he will be the first Rotaractor to serve in that capacity. Be on the lookout for great things from Philip!

 

2. The House of Friendship is always a great place to meet new people, and this year was no exception. While working my club’s booth promoting our 2023 Rotary Peace Conference in Birmingham, Alabama (come join us!) I visited with Rotarian Scott Nelson from Michigan, who shared his passion for a vegan diet and the link between social harmony and health. I certainly thought twice before ordering dinner that evening!  

 

3. While doing some light shopping in the House of Friendship, I met Sybella Namigadde, a friendly vendor selling beautiful Ugandan clothing. She is an accountant for a living but is hard at work building her clothing business. Her mother is a Rotarian, and after such a positive experience in Houston, she is now considering joining Rotary herself!

 

4. I met Marissa Multari, past president of the Capital Region Rotary Club in Albany, New York, during a breakout session. Breakout sessions are a fantastic way to learn nuggets of knowledge to take back to your club and district. While attending the session “Family, Career & Rotary, she bravely stepped in to help the leaders navigate the online session chat and she did a fantastic job. It was a notable ‘service above self’ moment!

 

5. Last but certainly not least, I had a chance to meet President-Elect Jennifer Jones! She took time to meet and chat with Rotarians and Rotaractors from several districts during an evening reception. Her vision for Rotary is inspiring and we are all thrilled to ‘Imagine Rotary’ together in the upcoming year!

                          

This year’s convention was one for the record books. If you weren’t able to make it, go ahead and register now for Melbourne 2023. You never know the interesting people you will meet, and we hope to see you there!

About the author: Jeris Gaston is a former Rotaractor and current member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham, Alabama, USA in District 6860. She serves as Vice-Chair of the RI Membership Committee and will soon begin serving as an Assistant Rotary Coordinator for Zone 30

 

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