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President's Message

I trust that you are keeping warm in this sudden burst of much cooler weather. We are getting close to the June solstice so Monday 21st is the shortest day of the year. Nice to know that it is not long before the days get a little longer!
 
I am looking forward to seeing you all on Friday evening to welcome our new President Stephen Blacketer.  I trust you have all booked and paid.
 
This will be the last newsletter before I hand over to Stephen Blacketer.  I would like to thank Dan for the incredible amount of time and effort he puts in to producing our newsletter each week.    We are lucky to have him in this position. Well done Dan!
 
We have interesting guest speakers on Monday night in Sean and Sue Delaney from Sinclair’s Gully Wines.  There is also the final board meeting of the current board. 
 
I wanted to share this graphic of the size of our District within Australia.  DG Jeff and Jenny Neale very busy!
                         
 
In the next week or so we have people leaving on holidays and some who have already left for warmer climates.  We wish them joyful and safe journeys.
 
Susanne
 

Last Meeting

"The Wyatt Trust - doing good in SA since 1886"
 
Our guest speaker at our last meeting was Tony Ashdown, Community Development Manager of the Wyatt Trust.
 
In an inspiring and informative presentation, he recounted the extraordinary story of  their founder, Dr William Wyatt, whose legacy, bearing his name, is Australia's oldest, private philanthropic trust. Dr Wyatt made his fortune from his early investment in parcels of land in the first auction in Adelaide. 
 
Last year they funded projects worth $722,178 with Housing and Financial Wellbeing accounting for the majority of distribution
 
Members could not fail to appreciate that the Foundation shared many of Rotary's objectives to support those in need.

Next Meeting

The next Regular Club meeting will be on Monday,  21st June when our guest speakers will be Sue and Sean Delaney.
 
No strangers to the Rotary Cub of Stirling, they established Sinclair's Gully Wines in 1998.  While holidaying in North Sumatra in 2013, they fell in love with the country and its people.  Since then they have initiated a number of wildlife, conservation, education, health, sanitation and women's health projects, two of which have been supported by the club. 
 
They will give us an update on the school re-roofing project.

Stirling Hospital Dinner

Once again, Club members and partners enjoyed a cordial and informative evening at the Hospital hosted by CEO Jennie Cameron.  After touring the facilities she provided an update on operations and was followed by Dr Jan Tomlinson who spoke about recent advances in orthopaedics.  
 
Her interest in the field was prompted, in no small way, by her active involvement in sports.
 

Tree Planting

Trees For Life is a not for profit community based organisation working with everyday people to help restore our natural environment through revegetation.  An initiative of Pauline and the Community Committee, saw the propagation of hundreds of seedlings over the past few months which now were deemed ready for planting.  
                 
 
Trees for Life worked with Tim Noske, the Hahndorf Butcher, to revegetate an exposed section of his farm in Tungkillo. A large team of enthusiastic members descended early on Sunday morning two weeks ago to do the planting.
          
              Over 600 trees were planted in a few hours!  Fantastic effort!
 
        
Tim put on a terrific BBQ feast using only the best prime meats on the form of steaks, shashliks and chops all sourced on this very property and Hahndorf butchery, all accompanied by a choice of salads and bread rolls.  An unexpected, but very welcome reward for a hard morning's work.
 

At long last, a Pavilion for Stirling Oval?

               
 
On Friday evening, Pauline and President Susanne attended the Stirling Oval Pavilion Launch. Serious fundraising will now be required to make the dream a reality. or the Stirling Oval. It will have a space for hire to accommodate up to 100 guests for meals and meeting.
 
Brett Matthews and his family donated $250,000 to get the ball rolling. 
          
Brett' Matthews father spoke about their family's long involvement with the oval and original room and Dr Ann Herraman, from the Mt Lofty District Historical Society, spoke brilliantly about some of the history of the oval.
 

Changeover Dinner, Rotary Club of Blakiston

Susanne Marie was invited to join in the festivities.
                
John Rowley (L) was inducted as President (his 7th!) with DG David Jones, Mt Barker Mayor, Ann Ferguson and Rotarian Michael Moran. John Rowley and Michael Moran received Paul Harris Fellowships.
 

Malcolm's Great Adventure!

Malcolm and Jane Horton have embarked on an extended cross country, tour towing a caravan.  They have kindly offered to share some of the sights and experiences with those of us left behind and unable, for the time being, to venture too far!.
 
There are, apparently, a huge number of people trying to do the same thing with caravan park space at a premium, if available at all.  Fortunately, they made reservations for the first part of their trip and arrived safely in Kununurra where they took a flight over the beautiful Bungle Ranges, the  (now closed) Argyle diamond mine and the (full) Lake Ayre which now covers some 9,500sq miles!
 
     
 
Unable to get into caravan parks in the other parts of the Kimberly, they will first tour SW WA. 
 

The Case for New Clubs

Dick Wilson has shared some thoughts of Mark Huddleston about how Rotary should change to remain relevant to attract new members and to increase member engagement.  Our membership decline is not about a lack of knowledge, but a lack of will.
 
The fastest way to grow membership is through the formation of new clubs which MAY be similar to those already in existence but may be in an entirely new format to attract a wider base  (online, no (or few meetings), project based, sponsored within a business or group, Friends and Sponsors if Rotary to name a few.) 
 
He made the following points about the case for new clubs.
 
New clubs increase the pie. More clubs mean more Rotarians, a larger Rotary footprint, greater presence, greater community engagement and more impact. Also, he encouraged clubs to existing and new clubs to collaborate, have joint projects and activities.
 
He also, though, recognised there may be concerns that some may have about this strategy.:

Why is there resistance from local clubs/Rotarians to the establishment of new clubs and different kinds of clubs?
- Fear and feeling threatened.
- Fear that a new club will encroach on their "recruiting catchment area", and they will take all of their potential members                   they were about to recruit. (If existing clubs were going to recruit those volunteers, they would have done it by now!
 - Fear that the existing club will be shown up by a bigger, better, newer offering.
-  Fear that existing clubs will appear irrelevant.
-  Fear of a new club stealing the limelight.
 - Fear some of their members will jump ship. If the culture of existing clubs is good, they should have no reason to fear their                members switching clubs.
 
If existing clubs are not prepared to modernise and grow, they must not stand in front of those who are!
 
It is the job of district leaders and Presidents to foster a growth mindset and allay these fears.
 
As we start the new Rotary year, we are all encouraged to have an open mind, to be creative and to get serious about how we structure ourselves to  ensure the future of Rotary in our community.

 

Shelterbox Update

                
Dan was in the Riverland a couple of weeks ago to exhibit at the Monash Monster Market.  Jill tagged along for the 4 day weekend.
 
Peter Jarvis (third from left) incoming President of the Berri Club, has accepted the role of Shelterbox Coordinator for the Riverland so Dan left him the tent and demonstration disaster relief items.
 
His Excellency the Governor of SA, Hiew Van Le and his wife, Lan, stopped by to lend support.  As an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Adelaide, he is well familiar with Shelterbox and a great supporter.  The Mayor of Monash (R), Brian Little was with him exploring the market.
Upcoming Events
Regular Meeting (Sue and Sean Delaney)
Stirling Hotel
Jun 21, 2021
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Changeover Dinner
Mount Osmond Golf Club
Jun 25, 2021
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
 
NO MEETING TONIGHT (Changeover)
Jun 28, 2021
 
Charter Night
TBA
Sep 13, 2021
6:00 PM – 6:30 PM
 
Joint Dinner Meeting with RC of Mt Barker
Auchendorroch House
Sep 27, 2021
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
View entire list
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Lisa Medlen
June 6
 
Join Date
Don Reid
June 1, 1981
40 years
 
Greg Russell
June 23, 2014
7 years
 
Andrew Cass
June 24, 2019
2 years
 
Nic Kentish
June 28, 2017
4 years
 
Alan O'Donnell
June 30, 1999
22 years
 
Andrew McArthur
June 30, 2000
21 years
 
David Wing
June 30, 2001
20 years
 
Isobel Redmond
June 30, 2010
11 years
 

The Four Way Test
Of all the things we think, say and do
 
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
 
Please support the Friends of Rotary the way they support us!