Presidents Message May 11

This year’s Board had its final formal meeting for the year this week and were joined by the members of the incoming Board. It is a key meeting for the smooth transition from this Rotary year to the next and is also a key meeting for tidying up loose ends and finalising our projects for the year. The Directors allocate their last spending and the Board determines the financial position for the incoming year. It is a fine balance between using the Project account to have as much impact in the community as possible but at the same time leaving funds available for the PE John’s Directors to have an immediate impact if need be. The Board decided that we should donate a further $5000 to the Foundation above the amounts already sent through for the Ukraine, Tonga and Polio appeals. We also allocated $10000 to the capital of the Trust fund. The Trust has become a key part of our appeals as it can smooth out the troughs and peaks of our fundraising. The Directors also allocated  funds to some of our key causes such as Interplast, Young Carers and Australian Rotary Health. WE Are making an effort to follow the Districts drive to funnel as much of our fundraising through Rotary Channels rather than other charities. The full breakdown of the spending will be in the final reports for this year.

Thank you to those that delivered the sandwiches for “Eat Up” to the local Primary Schools, and to Di Horscroft who helped the 12 Peninsula Grammar students with their tree planting along the Bay trail. The club spent roughly $450 purchasing 200 plants(*tube stock) tree guards and stakes as well as a tube stock planter. The students planted 50 trees and weeded two bags of watsonia bulbs and pulled a large number of boneseed and sallow wattle weeds from the Zone 1 area. The supervisors from the “Friends Group” supervising were most impressed. They are doing a great job.

The Club has established a good relationship with the Mornington Shire with regards to Environmental Projects. Ms Hannah Brown co-ordinates all the community environmental groups and has offered us projects to help at Ranelagh foreshore and the JT Smith reserve near the Scout Hall.   The Satellite Club is going to assist with the Ranelagh project and we are going to work with the Friends of the JT Smith reserve. The first of these is this Saturday May 14, 9.30 -11.30.

The Changeover has been confirmed at Peninsula Grammar for June 7^th  at the Pavillion.  The DGE Paul Mee will conduct the formalities.

See you all next meeting at Toorak, cheers, Neil