The year is rapidly drawing to a close as we start preparations for the start of 2021.
From the Club's perspectives, please keep in mind the traditional New Year's Breakfast event to be held at Rotary Park on Tuesday 5 January 2021. Rotarians engaged in putting on this event will be on the job from around 7.30 am and everyone else is asked to attend from 8.00 am.
Following successful our return to dinner meetings at Toorak this week and as we will be able to meet in person from 2 February 2021, I am optimistic that we can make real progress on both Club Visioning and the establishment of a Satellite Club as the New Year gets underway. These two key initiatives are priorities for the remainder of this Rotary Year.
Please note that, after our New Year's Breakfast meeting on 5 January, our next two meetings will be via Zoom on 12 and 19 January. There will not be a meeting on 26 January, Australia Day. Thereafter, back to Toorak on 2 February and thereafter.
I am really looking forward to all available Club Members getting together from 5.45 pm next Tuesday, 15 December for our Christmas Party at Rotary Park. Again, thanks to everyone who has booked and Rotarian Tony Kafrouni from Vinnie's who is providing the catering. As in previous years please remember to bring along a wrapped gift with a card indicating the gender (if applicable) and age range for the recipient.
Until next time
Yours in Rotary
Sue
District Governor Mark Humphries and Past President Linda Humphries
Greetings to all members of the Rotary Club of Mt Eliza and other readers of this Bulletin.
As Victoria starts to successfully move into a post COVID-19 lockdown everyone can look forward positively to Christmas and the New Year.
While travel will take some time to return to normal, it may be possible the some Rotarians may be looking forward to international travel to our neighbouring ANZAC country, New Zealand.
Should you plan to visit Aotearoa in 2021, I encourage you to think about visiting one or more Rotary Clubs on your trip. I am sure that you would be made most welcome.
Rotary New Zealand is comprised of six districts. Two of these districts also include Rotary clubs in the Pacific Islands.
District 9910 serves Norfolk Islands, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu while District 9920 serves Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga, French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands.
In spite of COVID-19, Rotary is alive and well in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
While Coronavirus is under control in New Zealand for the moment, the need in the Pacific remains high and local NZ Rotary clubs continue to respond. For example, recently the Rotary Club of Apia delivered 10,000 much needed PPE equipment in the form of face shields to front line essential workers. This included 5,000 face shields to the National Emergency Operations Center and 5,000 face shields to the Covid Isolation Ward at Mo'oto'otua Hospital.
Rotary Clubs across the country meet regularly and continue to carry out great work in their communities, nationally and internationally.
So, if the opportunity arises, drop in and say hello to Kiwi Rotary.
Thirty members attended our first dinner meeting at Toorak College on Tuesday 8 December. A wonderful Christmas Dinner was enjoyed by all. Two other people attended via Zoom, together with our guest speaker.
Our guest speaker for the evening was Dr Martin Woods from the National Library, Canberra, who provided a most interesting talk on the history of maps and, in particular, the work of Captain James Cook as he navigated and mapped New Zealand, Pacific Islands and the Eastern coast of Australia. Thanks to Rotarians Neil Heron and Bernie Edwards for all of their work in arranging the Zoom technology.
President Sue received a lovely letter from the Catering Team at Toorak which read as follows:
Dear Mount Eliza Rotary Club Members
What an interesting year we have shared!
Thank you for your openness and support in trying "new things" this year. Home delivery and reusable containers have been a fun and practical way for us to stay in touch, however we look forward to 2021 and seeing you all in person.
The System was if you ate enough Davey Crockett Ice Creams [8?] - smart marketing, you got a thin tin badge and a certificate with your name on it. The System worked; one day in the window of our milk bar was a stack of DC certificates; mine was on top. This type of marketing is not new, never was new; buy one horse and get all the fertilizer you need.
I spoke with the lovely Merrilyn Hamilton - Smith this morning, speaking of horses. The COVID effect has wreaked havoc with judging. Chairman Dan has a lot to answer for. Given he oversaw 800+ fatalities you'd think he'd keep the horses out of it. Merrilyn is quite cross! There is however a SYSTEM [why are we restricted to lots of 30 - causing RCME to have to ballot attendance] when 'others' have 50 souls allowed? Some systems are fabricated, others are not. Everyone suffers equally; some are more equal than others.
But I digress: Over time we the Club have established Systems for the smooth operation of our Happy Band. It has not been static, we have [often grudgingly] moved with the Times. The technology of ClubRunner has enabled rapid dissemination of this Bulletin, among other benefits; like recording attendances, informing District, notifying guests and so on. Yes? Not if members ignore it [and I do not mean just RCME].
We circulate 140+ Bulletins, at the request of individuals. In our Constitution it is plainly stated that we publish one weekly, more or less. Merrilyn Hamilton - Smith sends her copy forward to a friend. One goes to England, one to Finland; our Police wait with baited breath for Jim's jokes. Fewer than one - third are opened [District check this ]. Our Indefatigable DG Mark Humphries, showing commendable intrepidity, says OURS is a Work of Art and Dedication.... Mark may be biased, however Editor Jim and I agree.
The Bulletin is not published as a 'self - licking Ice Cream'. If you don't know what this means, Google it. If our Bulletin becomes one, in itself it will diminish to just a President's Message and 'what's on' sheet, in the New Year. That's the System. Jim spends 'some' hours on our Publication and it is 'fun' until you examine the facts.
As a Club, if we accept a role we must take ownership of it; not leaving it to 'someone else'. Systems have been long - established and should have been notified / passed on to the successor in an unambiguous manner; not left to someone else. What happens otherwise only makes it worse: 'You' get a phone call about a matter that may well have been addressed but not communicated. It may not even concern the role of the recipient of the call. In the past we had embarrassing failures. Not reading George - Ann's rosters is one example. Having established an EFT Machine payment System and training us all, its procedure fell over 2 weeks in every 5 [by my count] - not charged - no paper - operator late - or a combination. The Club Services Director exists to 'belt and braces' these Systems, however he is not there to act as a tutor. Yesterday it was my lot to receive 'a number' of emails, phone calls and SMS texts all regarding our first meeting back. Try as I may, I cannot remember eating 8 ice creams or receiving a Davy Crockett badge and certificate to warrant such attention. There was a System I thought, a key part of which is clear communication. [O.K. One was about golf from PP David!]. The unintended consequence is that by 'resolving' Members' requests, I perpetuate the 'it is easier to make a phone call' solution. This is not a solution.
Now, if you seek spiritual guidance on our need for procedures, meet with John Gilbert. First, John is close to God [every day closer] has a manner of candidly explaining things, and was my Consigliere when I was President. George - Ann Sullivan runs a close second; she's younger [a lot] and drinks less red than John.
I do not know when the next issue will be published; I rely on Jim to decide.
A university lecturer asked her students describe in a page or less the difference between ignorance and apathy. She was forced to give an A+ to the student who wrote: "I don't know and I don't care."
An elephant from a nearby circus was drinking water from the Murray River when he noticed a turtle asleep on a log.
He walked over, took aim and kicked the turtle clear across the river.
A passing wombat asked, "What did you do that for?"
The elephant replied, "Because I recognised it as the same turtle that took a nip out of my trunk 53 years ago."
"What a memory", said the wombat.
"Yes", replied the elephant, "Turtle recall!"
Q. What do you call a blind dinosaur?
A. Do you think he saw us?
Q. What doe you get when you cross an elephant and a kangaroo?
A. Big Holes all over Australia!
"It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens!" (W. Allen)
]. Our Indefatigable DG Mark Humphries, showing commendable intrepidity, says OURS is a Work of Art and Dedication.... Mark may be biased, however Editor Jim and I agree. 
to receive 'a number' of emails, phone calls and SMS texts all regarding our first meeting back. Try as I may, I cannot remember eating 8 ice creams or receiving a Davy Crockett badge and certificate to warrant such attention. There was a System I thought, a key part of which is clear communication. [O.K. One was about golf 
from PP David!]. The unintended consequence is that by 'resolving' Members' requests, I perpetuate the 'it is easier to make a phone call' solution. This is not a solution.
