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From the Editor
Welcome to this week’s newsletter. There’s a lot in it, because there’s a lot on in the world of Rotary. We’ve a short report of last week’s tour of an NGA exhibition, and a training video from member Chris for anyone who would like to try one of the techniques used in artworks we saw. There’s a report on the second round of the camps for Ukrainian children, a project supported by our Club, and on peace poles being installed in Queensland. There’s information on the coming week’s meeting, and on several Rotary activities in the coming weeks and months. And, to conclude, some well-chosen words, Happy reading!
 
Last week’s meeting
Our guide, Serina
Enjoying the tour
Member Keith and Wendy
Last Thursday many members and guests enjoyed a tour of Know my Name Making it Modern at the National Gallery of Australia. Many thanks to our guide Dr Sarina Noordhuis-Fairfax for her insightful commentary on the various artists and their artworks. This exhibition celebrates pioneering women artists who changed the course of modern art in Australia.
 
Linocut techniques
Members who have seen the exhibition and are interested in seeing how a ‘Linocut’ is created may go to: https://www.rickcochraneart.net/videos/. Member Chris Gray created the website and the 5-minute video for his artist friend Rick Cochrane.
 
Update on Ukrainian Children’s Holidays in Poland
Round 2 of the camp our Club is supporting started on 20 August 2023.
 
Klub Sosnowy is hosting 36 children from Vinnytsia near Lviv, along with four teachers (including two nuns) and two drivers this round.
 
The Rotary Club of Warsaw’s Immediate Past President, Piotr Kaczorowski, will provide more details about this remarkable project when he joins our Zoom meeting on 12 October.
Olek Gancarz
 
Peace Poles in St George. Queensland
Photo collage from the Balonne Bulletin
 
Friday, 23 June was a great day with two ceremonies of Rotary Peace Poles in St George.
 
St George Rotarians Margaret, Carmel, Win & Terry were joined by Rotary Nomad, Rob, to take part in the Peace Pole Ceremony and installation at the St George State School. This was then followed by the ceremony at Rotary Park on the banks of the Balonne River.
 
The St George State School ceremony was held in the school hall (due to the rain the day before), then students moved to the front of the school for the installation and ceremony. Student leaders and Preppies put their thumb prints in the concrete around the pole as a symbol of St George State School’s commitment to always act from a place of peace and kindness. 
 
After completing the ceremony at the State School, Rotarians were joined by representatives from two schools, Balonne Shire Council, RSL, Lions and the public at Rotary Park for the second moving ceremony. It included the reading of the message ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’ on English, Tagalog and Tongan. Dr Sam from the Philippines and Tema from Tonga shook hands as a sign of peace after reading their words in the ceremony.
 
Cr Bill Winks from the Balonne Shire Council read the message in English. He was later seen contemplating the messages on the Peace Pole.
 
Digby Whyte, representing the Balonne Shire Council and Lions, read the messages explaining the drawings on the Pole done by local Indigenous artist, Gordon Lister.
 
RC St George thanked the St George State School and Balonne Shire Council for agreeing to install the Peace Poles and for working so well with us through the process. St George community thanked Rob for representing Rotary E-Club of Australia Nomads and for joining them in co-hosting the Peace Pole Project.
 
We are looking forward to the installation of the third Peace Pole at the St George State High School on Wednesday 19 July. Again, we hope to join RC St George and represent the Rotary E-Club of Australia Nomads. I attended as a Rotary Nomad representative as well as co-host for the ceremonies of the two Peace Poles. My attendance was appreciated by RC St George and received thanks for all the work that was undertaken in guiding them through the long process of organising the project.
 
I would like to thank Win & Terry for their hospitality and fellowship. It was most enjoyable to return to St George and re-experience that warm sense of community and friendship from RC St George and its members. Truly there is a heartfelt warmed expression of “May Peace Prevail on Earth” – Great Job Team RC St George.
 
I can’t sign-off without thanking Rotarian Don McQueen for the inspiration to push forward and engage in his Nomad vision of “May Peace Prevail on Earth”. Thank you Don you inspired us all.
Rob Curtis, Rotary Nomads
 
Next meeting
On Thursday, 31 August, we will meet at the Commonwealth Club. Our guest speaker will be Jodie Rowell from the Woden school. She will talk about their School wildlife project. It will be a very interesting talk, please invite your friends. Please ensure you accept or decline this invitation by 11.00 am Tuesday 29th August 2023
 
Duty Roster
Date
31 August
7 September
14 September
21 September
Door
Ross Brown
Ross Brown
Zoom
Peace Bell
Open meeting; introduce President; and Toast to Rotary
Eric Carmody
Sally Goodspeed
Michael Rabey
Peace Bell
Thank speaker and write up for Bulletin
John Little
Liz Scrivener
Keith Gray
Peace Bell
If you are not able to perform your allocated duty, please arrange a replacement and advise Acting President Bill. Please advise Stephen of any planned absences to avoid being rostered on while away.
 
Rotary events (many!)
 
Invitation from the Rotary Club of Canberra
The Rotary Club of Canberra invites everyone to attend its lunchtime meeting on Monday, 4 September for a presentation entitled Australia & Uruguay. Guest speaker is Her Excellency Ms Dianela Pi. Her Excellency was appointed as the Ambassador to Australia on 9 December 2020. In 2023 we celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations between our two great countries. This address will highlight the cooperation between Uruguay and Australia and highlight the significant use of renewable energy in Uruguay. (Other subjects may also be covered.)
 
Date: 4 September 2023
Venue: The Commonwealth Club 25 Forster Crescent, Yarralumla
Time: 12.00pm for 12.30pm start (Finish 1.30pm)
Cost: $37
To reserve a place please contact and provide any dietary requirements to clubservice.rcc@gmail.com before Wednesday 30 August. For further inquiries please contact Ms Gaye Shenton 0401 446 687 or by this email address.
 
DINNER WITH THE ROTARY FOUNDATION PEACE FELLOWS
District 9705 is arranging a visit from 9 – 12 September for 15 Rotary Foundation Peace Fellows currently studying at the University of Queensland for a master’s degree in international relations, sustainable development and peace and conflict resolution.
 
The purpose of their visit is to give them exposure to a range of Canberra-based organisations and people, both government and non-government, that are involved in peace and conflict studies, so that they have a broader understanding of Australia’s approach to these critically important areas.
 
On Monday the 11th of September at 6.30 for 7.00pm there will be a Gala Dinner for the Fellows at the Hellenic Club in the City at 13 Moore Street, Canberra. This dinner will provide the opportunity for Rotarians and Rotaractors from around the District to meet and dine with the Fellows, to hear of their journeys and achievements, and their aspirations for the future. You can be assured that you will leave the function in awe of these young men and women and incredibly proud of what The Rotary Foundation has achieved and, continues to achieve, through the Peace Fellows Program.
 
The cost of the dinner is $50 comprising an entrée and main course, coffee/tea. Drinks may be purchased at the bar. Dress for the function is smart casual.
 
Time is short and seating limited so please register to attend via the article on the district website home page.
 
Registrations will close at midday on Tuesday 5 September if not already fully subscribed by then.
 
Through academic training, practice and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Centres’ programs at universities in the USA, Sweden, UK, Japan, Uganda and Australia develop the capacity of peace and development professionals to become effective catalysts for peace. The fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation and internship and field-study expenses. Further information on the program can be found at https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/peace-fellowships.
 
Since the program began in 2002, the Rotary Peace Centres have trained more than 1,600 fellows who now work in over 140 countries. Many serve as leaders in governments; NGOs; education and research institutions; peacekeeping and law enforcement agencies; and international organisations like the United Nations and the World Bank.  
 
We look forward to seeing you at the dinner and helping us welcome the Fellows and celebrate a great Rotary program.
 
If you have any queries, please contact Bruce Osborn on 0404 850 638 or Rosemary Everett on 0408 301 850. Or our Club member Michael, who will be attending this dinner.
 
District 9705 Conference, 20-22 October 2023
To be held in Queanbeyan! More details will be on the District website (https://rotary9705.org.au/) soon.
 
MOMENTS THAT MATTER: AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND & PACIFIC ISLANDS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE - 28 & 29 OCTOBER
Time is running out to secure your ticket for the 2023 'Moments That Matter' Rotary and Rotaract conference.

With a speaker list jam-packed, audiences will hear inspirational stories from business and community leaders and experts in their fields. 

Key note speakers include Rotary International President Gordon R. McInally and Rotary International President-elect Stephanie Urchick.

For more information and to purchase tickets head to the conference website.
South Pacific and Philippines Office Support Team
 
Regionalisation Pilot: heads up - get ready for new club groupings: a message from District Governor-Elect Rob Uhl
As part of the Regionalisation Pilot, a new way of grouping Rotary and Rotaract clubs will soon be introduced to participating Districts, with each group known as a Rotary Community Group (RCG).

RCGs are designed to foster greater collaboration among clubs so they can work more effectively and at a larger scale than they could on their own.
Working together, clubs will be supported to:
  • Establish larger scale partnerships
  • Increase community impact
  • Build a stronger public profile
  • Attract new club members
  • Increase club member engagement and satisfaction
 
RCGs will be based on what clubs have in common, such as geography, type of club or shared language. They will meet in person, online, or a combination of both, and will choose how often they meet.

Club Presidents and Secretaries will shortly receive a link via email to an online form through which they can specify how they would like to be grouped with other clubs. Each club will submit one form. Some key points to note:
  • Clubs will be able to nominate both a primary and secondary way they prefer to be grouped. Secondary groupings are optional, will mainly be online and will be based on themes such as the environment; youth; diversity, equity and inclusion, etc.
  • Club input is an essential part of putting RGCs into place. District leaders and the Regionalisation team will use the information provided by clubs to form groupings, accommodating club preferences as much as possible.
  • We encourage clubs to have open discussions about how they would like to be grouped before their preference is submitted.
 
Reminder: Regional Council Expressions of Interest now open
Are you passionate about making a difference, have a deep understanding of Rotary’s values and have strong leadership skills? If so, you should consider submitting an Expression of Interest to join the Regional Council. We are looking for enthusiastic, experienced Rotarians and Rotaractors to apply for nine elected Regional Council roles.
  
Position descriptions and selection criteria for each role are available here. Please read these carefully to ensure you are eligible and suitable for your chosen role.
Submit your Expression of Interest by Monday 4 th September 12pm AEST here
 
Learn more
Multiple webinars will be held via Zoom to answer questions about RCGs and the Regional Council election. These sessions will be held on:
 
•    Tuesday 29 August at 1pm AEST - Register here
•    Wednesday 30 August at 6:30pm AEST - Register here
•    Saturday 2 September at 10am AEST - Register here
If you have any questions, please contact Leigh Robinson (District Regionalisation Representative (DRR).  Phone: 0418 400 090  or Email:  leigh@ircoach.com.au
DGE Rob Uhl
 
A way with words
A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus crashed yesterday losing its entire load. Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyses, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless, and perplexed.
 
Meanwhile, those waiting for the shipment were at a loss for words.
Courtesy Facebook
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