Duty, Duty, Duty!
Cary Grant never said this….nor apparently did he even say…”Judy, Judy, Judy”…but that’s not the point. The point is we need to do it!…our duty, that is.
We need to put it out and get it in. What good is a roll up banner if it isn’t rolled out? What’s the point of having a Queen if we can’t see her picture?
Let’s not let our Club become a duty-free store!
Remember, if we can’t do our appointed task, it’s our job to find a replacement…..a stand-in…like in the movies.
Silents and Late Apologies
We know that if we don’t put in our apology by the appointed cut-off time, we are expected to pay at the next meeting.
We know that if we have guests, we need to book them in by the appointed time so the Buckley’s crew set up sufficient tables and then people aren’t left sad and seat-less when the music stops!
Guest Speakers – we all can find them
Great guest speakers are out there and all members can find them.
An interesting and varied Club program depends on contributions from all members.
Our meeting on 24 November
We welcome back Bryan and Angela Humphrey from their overseas adventures and Bryan will be reporting to the Club on the water wells project in Cambodia.
The Last Resort….will this meeting stop you eating?
On Tuesday 24 November, we are getting into holiday mode with a traditional hotel breakfast...for dinner! In the spirit of vacations, we encourage members, and their guests, to dress in holiday mode by donning your resort wear.
Hawaiian shirts may be worn, if you're brave enough.
Fundraising Ideas
Members are asked to offer suggestions for ways in which our Club can raise funds to support our local and international community service activities.
One idea is a calendar and all ideas will be gratefully received.
The Fundraising Committee needs more members so think about how you can assist.
If the hat fits….
Baseball caps are here and for as little as $15.00 you can look an absolute pitcher!
Polo shirts are also available for a mare $25.00.
Christchurch Meals – Monday 30 November
It’s our 5th Monday so see Jenny if you would like to help out.
Ballarat South Raffle
We thank James and Sue Dunlop for all their wonderful work on the rosters. Please contact Sue if you can fill a spot.
Resignation of John Smith
At the October Board meeting, the resignation of John Smith was received and accepted with regret.
John, with Yvonne’s support, has been very active and engaged in our Club, most ably looking after Attendance prior to Satbir taking over the task and John was instrumental in developing and supporting our Rotaract Club which has grown into a strong and vibrant group with increasing membership under John’s stewardship.
The Board is delighted that John and Yvonne will remain linked to our Club through the Friends of Rotary scheme.
Policy on the use of the Club’s letterhead
At the October Board meeting, the Board ratified the following policy:
The Club letterhead, whether used in the form of a traditional letter or in an email or other form of electronic communication, is an asset of the Club and presents the Club to and in the community.
As such, its use is to be confined to purposes incidental to Club activities – for example; communicating with other Rotary clubs, District and Rotary International, extending invitations, expressing thanks or appreciation, paying invoices or seeking assistance for Club projects.
Where the Club letterhead in whatever form is used by members, a copy of the communication is to be provided to the Club Secretary.
The Club letterhead in whatever form should not be used to provide personal references or endorsements without specific Board approval.
The Geelong East Guide to Goodness – Chairing and Sharing
Here are some hints on being an effective chair at a Rotary meeting.
The chair for the evening, by being close and handy to the guest speaker, can assist the guest speaker with the microphone, keep the speaker to time and make sure the roving mic is available.
Get acquainted with the guest speaker if you are the chair.
Sit close...closer…closer…that’s it! Correct, you are sitting next to the guest speaker.
Now…you can pinch their bread roll when they aren’t looking!
They may offer to buy you a drink before the meeting. If so, don’t refuse…we are known as The Friendly Club and it would not be friendly to decline a gift…or two.
With luck, the gong will ring before it’s your turn to buy.
Take the time to explain Rotary to the guest speaker. If you can’t explain Rotary, ask another member for assistance. Eventually, you will find a member who can explain Rotary.
If the guest speaker is a Rotarian, set aside a little more time for the explanation.
Get to know the guest speaker.
They will be very enthusiastic about their topic. This should not come as a surprise to you.
Be sensitive to the guest speaker’s needs.
Make sure they have a glass of water and a serviette to mop their brow…their enthusiasm for their topic may cause them to perspire lightly.
Mop their brow only if requested.
If they ask tearfully why there isn’t a dessert spoon in their place setting, reassure them that a one course meal is very fashionable these days and having dessert would leave them less time for their speech and how they can get a softserve cone from the McDonald’s drive thru on the way home…etc.
Because they are so enthusiastic about their topic, they will soon forget about dessert. And anyway, they didn’t have to pay for their meal so why are they complaining!
If they have a CV (note: this is not to be confused with the serviette but if written on sufficiently absorbent paper, could double as such), ask them for a copy.
It will be handy but you will have to be able to read and understand it quickly.
You may not have the time to do this but you can find out a lot about someone simply by asking them questions when their mouth is full!
Tell the guest speaker that time has been set aside for questions from the floor.
If that causes them to look at the floor, don’t let your concern show.
Guest speakers love being asked questions.
To avoid that embarrassing silence when no questions might be forthcoming, have 2 or 3 members primed to ask a question. Give time for the roving mic to get to the person asking the question.
Think about arranging for another member to move a vote of thanks.
It saves you that job and it makes the guest speaker happy because they know their words have been heard and heeded.
It also helps ease the disappointment which they might feel about the absence of dessert.
(Handy hint: Make sure the vote of thanks is moved after the speaker has spoken. A vote of thanks moved before the guest speaker has spoken may cause confusion).
So, there are the 7 or 6 easy steps to being a Good Chair.
Three cheers for good chairs....they're not always musical....but they make the Club hum!
Eddification
PDG Eddie Loughnan reports that Bryan's water project in Cambodia was one of the 487 District Grants totalling US $23.8 million and would have contributed to the second ranking after disease prevention and treatment and include the finance contributed by our Club as well as the match from the District's matching funds.
The Rotary Foundation has closed the door on a second full year of the new grant model and there’s a lot of good news to report:
- The Foundation awarded 1,078 global grants in 2014-15, up 24 percent from the previous year’s total;
- The dollar value of global grants totaled $64.9 million;
- The most popular area of focus was disease prevention and treatment, followed closely by water and sanitation;
- It also awarded 487 district grants, totaling $23.8 million; and
- It awarded 16 scholarships, totaling about $500,000, for study at UNESCO-IHE in the Netherlands.
