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Thoughts of your President.
How many ‘amalgamated’ Rotary clubs are we aware of? For how many Years have they been hyphenated?
I was very pleasantly surprised to meet a Rotarian at Rosebud - Rye whom I first met at primary school in 1953! We were born within less than a month of each other I learned.
I last saw him in 1992 at our State School grade 6 reunion. Our teachers came too; Mr Lewis and Mr Tompkins....we still called them Mr. Really.
By the way, if the cops were after Ian they’d have no problem; he’s aged well. A lovely wife too; a family man.
Our entire grades journeyed through Oakleigh State and Oakleigh High School. An Anglo - Saxon, Protestant tide of belief that our World would always be thus.
Things were more ordered then; many went to apprenticeship, wore suits to ‘go out’. Also the Armed Forces conscripted many of us. Life went on.
In conversation with Ian we discussed the fact that his home Club of Oakleigh is now Oakleigh - Huntingdale - Clayton. He told me that Clayton got as low as eight members.
Ian is philosophical about what is happening, but not complacent. We wondered aloud how clubs like Frankston now have more than two iterations. When I was a member they already had two. Not counting Frankston North.
I said at our meeting that we cannot seriously believe that we have learned all we need to learn about attracting members. Membership is one of two principal tasks assigned to both The Special Projects and Club Services Committees.
Membership is likewise the responsibility of us all.
On another matter; that of initiative. The speaker this week was Sally Dell [see Mark's Report]. Sally was accompanied by her husband Peter. I understand that Peter will return to address us in December; you see Sally used up Peter's time as well as her own.......
Now, part of Sally's presentation included reference to individual face washers and also manual washing machines. She said that the children could not be relied upon to keep their face washers clean; thus perpetuating the cycle of trachoma.
Our Chairman, Hardy Juraschek had an epiphany. [Germans like us are always prescient]. He said we should fund a washing machine / machines and a quantity of face washers. In this manner, the cleaning can be supervised at school; then each face washer can be immediately placed in a single - use bag. Profound.
Please read DGE Humphries' report.
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