A Members’ Perspective of Rotary Convention at Sydney 2014

General Overview

If you would like to be inspired and motivated by

the work and achievements of Rotary

International and its members across the globe,

then I would suggest that a Rotary International

Convention is a good place to start. All Rotarians

should add this to their bucket list to try at least

once.

I found three main aspects to the convention:

• The House of Friendship is a great place to

stay nourished, meet Rotarians from around

the world and also look at the exhibitions of

various Rotary groups that showcase the

ongoing work and opportunities in Rotary.

Allow an extra day for this, because once the

Convention is in full swing there is not always

enough time available.

• The plenary sessions which were very

professionally run were the best showcase of

the work and achievements of Rotary. Also to

be inspired and motivated by past and future

leaders of our organisation. Whilst at the

same time identifying the threats and risks

faced by Rotary. Membership, membership,

membership!

• The breakout sessions provide great

opportunities to learn about the world of

Rotary. This year had the most breakout

sessions ever offered at convention. This

could be broken into two main streams – the

humanitarian service including best practices

for achieving greatest impact and

membership (what makes Rotary tick, what

makes it fun, how to make it work for us (PR,

social media club ad project planning), the

threats presented by membership stagnation

or decline and the opportunities that are

available to improve (young people, young

professionals, Rotary Alumni, ladies, family

members, etc.).

Almost famous; making the cover of the

International Edition of Rotary Down Under! A

great social media tool.

Entertainment

The program included some great entertainment

in the opening and closing plenary sessions and in

the house of friendship (all day every day). An

excellent inclusion was Human Nature for an hour

of the opening session, that’s almost a full concert

of their Motown sound direct from Las Vegas.

Unfortunately I missed Marina Prior and most of

the Ten Tenors at the closing session. The first

two numbers were good. Note; don’t plan to

leave too early, maybe an extra day is worth it.

Plenary Sessions

Opening Plenary Session

The opening address by Prime Minister Tony

Abbot, with his father a Rotarian of many decades

service in the audience, was a very knowledgeable

account of Rotary. His inclusion of the big

announcement pledging an additional $100

million from Australia for the fight to end polio

was a tribute to the continuing work of Rotarians

to advocate the importance of finishing this

important job. He also said, "Please do not

applaud the Australian government for what it

does; applaud yourselves for what you do."

The Rotary Parade of Flags was presented as an

extended flag ceremony was shown progressively

through the session. The surf lifesaving team

carrying the flags in a rowing boat from Manly

Beach through the Tasman Sea and Sydney

Harbour and up the Parramatta River to Olympic

Park before culminating in presenting the flags of

Rotary and the 154 Rotary nations. The analogy of

the lifesaving team to the team work of Rotary

members working together for our collective

achievements was an interesting and valuable

perspective.

RI President Ron Burton gave the opening keynote

address. He applauded the Rotary members for

their work to eradicate polio in India, which

reminded him that if Rotary members can do that,

"they can do anything."

However he also focussed on the future,

especially membership. His membership message

included, “I doubt that it is any secret to this

audience that our membership worldwide has

been stagnant for a dozen years, hovering around

1.2 million members.” Instead of reasoning why,

maybe we should start with looking at our own

clubs and asking ourselves, honestly, would I join

this club today? If your answer is no then ask

yourself why. And then, what am I going to do

about it? Because if we enjoy Rotary and want to

see it not just survive, but thrive, then we must

address this issue head on.

As President he has invested a great deal of his

time over the last two years in youth programs to

ensure Rotary prospers well into the future. He

spoke passionately about Rotary's inability to get

a fair return on its monetary investments into

Youth Exchange, RYLA, Rotaract, and Interact.

Saying, "I would submit to you that we fail to

adequately capitalize on our investment [to those

programs]," he added. "It's our own fault. We

need to start treating our New Generations as

family and welcome them all into Rotary before

we lose them."

"The bottom line is that Rotary's future – its very

survival – is up to us," he said. "We can either get

up out of our chairs and really make something

happen, or we can just sit there and become an

endangered species and eventually die off."

Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair D K Lee's

Keynote address, spoke of the goals previously

set, our progress and successes and of the future.

Some of what he said included, “our goal is to

eliminate polio everywhere by 2018. This plan is in

place, but this plan is expensive. It is a $5.5 billion

plan. To make this plan work, we need to do what

Rotarians do so well - raise money. Our partners

have agreed to help us; the Gates Foundation will

match our investment two to one for the next five

years. If we spend $35 million, they give $70

million more. As a businessman, I see this as a

good financial investment. As a Rotarian, I see this

as a good investment in humanity.”

He also spoke about the endowment fund. “If the

Annual Fund is for today, the Endowment Fund is

for tomorrow. At my family home in Korea, we

have an ancient juniper tree. This tree is almost

600 years old. I used to climb it when I was a boy.

Now my grandchildren play on this same tree. I

hope this tree is still standing another 600 years

from now.

“I have given you a lot of facts and numbers, but

in the end, we support our Foundation because

we support Doing Good in the World. That is the

simple reason our Foundation exists.”

He closed with something to think about: “We

make a living by what we get. We make a life by

what we give.”

Human Nature closed the session with their

Motown

Plenary Session 2

This session was titled Leadership and gave some

insights into that aspect of projects and making a

difference.

Jack Sim Founder of the World Toilet Organisation

opened the session. He gave a humorous delivery

on a very serious topic.

There are more cell phones in the world than

toilets, Sim told the crowd at the opening plenary.

Roughly 4 billion people don't always have access

to clean water and sanitation, but by taking

advantage of social entrepreneurship, we can

"help them help themselves," Sim said. His

organization trains people to build and sell toilets.

Tommy Spaulding, is author of the book, “It’s Not

Just Who You Know.” A former Rotary

Ambassadorial Scholar and a world-renowned

speaker who focuses on leadership, he spoke on

“Changing the World One Relationship at a Time”.

This provided a sometimes emotional expose of

the life changing impacts on his life by Rotary and

the relationships with Rotarians.

He spoke about growing up with dyslexia and how

Rotary helped him discover his leadership

abilities. The former RYLA participant and Rotary

Scholar said Rotary members around the world

have "changed my heart for service." The Rotarian

who drove him to RYLA inspired and motivated

him, as did a host family in Queensland where

completed his ambassadorial scholarship.

Diabetes Expert Martin Silink described his quest

to achieve a United Nations resolution on

diabetes. He reminded Rotary members of the

importance of perseverance in the face of

adversity. Despite hearing the word "no" early

and often, Silink finally got leaders at the UN to

listen. They declared 14 November World

Diabetes Day.

He told of how Sylvan "Barney" Barnet, who was

Rotary's representative to the UN for 25 years,

was influential in bringing Silink's dream to

fruition. He opened doors to make things happen

despite the ebb and flow of political intrigue.

Australian Cricket Star Brett Lee gave some insight

into his Mewsic India Foundation. Lee’s

inspiration came from the fact that music allowed

him to re-energise from the pressure of being a

professional athlete. Now with the assistance of

grants from some Rotary clubs the Foundation

brings music therapy to more than 1200 children

in India and has a goal of more than 100 centres

and to expand to Australia. He said, "If I can

achieve my dream, hopefully the children can

achieve their dreams."

Rotary General Secretary, John Hewko, spoke of

the beauty of Rotary being that we can each

choose how and where we serve. He thought all

there have experienced a project which resonated

for them. For him a project that hit home was a

team of optometrists, opticians and Rotarians

doing vision checks and issuing donated glasses in

a Rotary Foundation grant project in the

Philippines. Hewko had himself been living with

low vision until the year before.

Applauding our membership for its success,

Hewko went on to highlight the challenges and

what might have been. He said, “Rotary is doing

so much - but it could be doing so much more. We

have so many successes to celebrate, and we also

face significant challenges, which we need to

address head on.”

He quoted a Paul Harris item written almost 80

years ago: "This is a changing world; we must be

prepared to change with it. The story of Rotary

will have to be written again and again." Then

went on, “And I want to urge all of you today to

follow his advice. The traditional way of doing

things may very well result in a strong and

dynamic Rotary and may work in your club or

district. But if it doesn't, then perhaps it's time to

be doing things differently.”

He had a very clear message on membership.

“Rotary's strength is in its members. When our

membership is growing - both in size and strength

- our clubs are more vibrant, we have more to

show the world, and we have more resources

with which to help Rotary flourish. All of Rotary

spirals in a positive direction. Look at what we

have achieved over the past decade with 1.2

million members in 34,000 clubs. Now think what

we could do with 40, 50, 60 thousand clubs —

with 2 or 3 million top-quality members.”

“But the truth is that we aren't growing in many

parts of the world, and our global membership

number has been flat for the last dozen years.

And our average member is older than ever

before.”

“It's time to try something different. Because, to

put it bluntly, Rotary's long-term survival depends

on our willingness to let in some fresh air.”

Plenary Session 3

Nigerian business leader and philanthropist Sir

Emeka Offor announced a $1 million gift to The

Rotary Foundation for polio eradication efforts at

the Rotary Convention in Sydney.

Paralympian, award-winning television

broadcaster, motivational speaker, and polio

survivor Ade Adepitan shared his story. This is

story of courage and overcoming adversity, but

also a story of what might have been if he had

stayed in his native Nigeria, where support for

disabled persons is limited. His story also fuels

motivation for why Rotary must be successful to

End Polio.

He was born in Nigeria and infected with polio at

18 months. Was moved to Britain where his father

was working. Humorous stories of his school life

covered what made him strong enough to reach

his goals as a paralympian basketball player. His

speech ended with a documentary video of his

return to Nigeria showing the contrast with what

might have been; the state of people afflicted by

polio and the End Polio “Walk” in Abuja.

Ade provided the motivation for why End Polio is

important, and then Dr. Bruce Aylward of the

World Health Organization provided the “State of

the Nation” address on the fight. We are closer

than ever, but the final steps will be the hardest.

The Global Service to Humanity Award 2013-14

was awarded to Maya Ajmera who has helped

more than nine million children living on the

edges of society regain their rights and pursue

their dreams; from the streets to the classroom.

Maya then told us some of her story.

Ajmera received a fellowship in 1989 to study at

St. Xavier’s College in India, sponsored by the

Rotary Club of China Lake in California. While

traveling in India, Ajmera witnessed a life-

changing event on a train platform in

Bhubaneswar. Amid the chaos of the station, a

group of children sat in a circle while a teacher led

them in simple learning exercises. She later

learned that the children lived, played and begged

on the train platforms. Wanting to provide them

with a pathway out of poverty, two teachers

offered the children free education, clothing and

food. The small school operated on only $400 per

year, serving 40 students who would otherwise

have no opportunity to learn.

Inspired by this powerful model, Ajmera founded

the Global Fund for Children in 1993 GFC based on

the belief that small amounts of money, when

given to innovative, community-based

organizations, could make a lasting impact on the

lives of the world’s most vulnerable children.

Since then, GFC has awarded more than $32

million in grants to over 600 organizations in 80

countries, improving the lives of millions of

children – from educating AIDS orphans in Uganda

to conducting so-called curbside classrooms for

waste pickers in Cambodia.

Ajmera said “I am so honoured to receive this

award. For me, Rotary was an incredible

inspiration. I received the Rotary Fellowship right

after college and it changed my life. It gave me

the opportunity to spend a year in South Asia and

provided the spark to start The Global Fund for

Children. Without the scholarship there wouldn't

be a Global Fund for Children. The scholarship fed

my soul."

Other speakers include Maya Ajmera, recipient of

the 2013-14 Global Alumni Service to Humanity

Award, and

Mwila Chigaga, a former Rotary Peace Fellow is

now senior regional gender specialist for the

African region of the United Nations International

Labour Organization.

This Rotary Peace Fellow’s success story is

possible thanks to the dedication of Rotarians.

She has returned to Africa to apply the peace

building skills she learned during her Rotary Peace

Fellowship. Thanks to the support of Rotary and

Rotarians, Chigaga is able to help create policy

that positively impacts Africa and global affairs.

She also made the statement, “Rotarians have

means to harness power of free markets to

address issue of gender inequality”.

Plenary Session 4

This plenary session presented a focus on the

future, featuring young speakers who thrived

under Rotary's New Generations and educational

programs. This presented examples of the rich

harvest of fruit from some of our past youth

projects. The clear message was that New

Generations and engaging young minds will keep

Rotary alive.

Ramkumar Raju, Rotaract representative for

District 3230 in India, played a key role in planning

the Presidential New Generations Conference in

Chennai in October, which attracted nearly 3,000

attendees and set a Guinness World Record for

the world's largest high-five.

"The impact of this project was so huge that there

are more than 2,000 new Rotaract members in

our district," said Raju. "We wanted to show the

world that we are agents of change. I believe we

accomplished that."

Ronald S. Kawaddwa told attendees that his work

as New Generations chair for District 9211 in

Uganda has made him optimistic about what

young people can achieve.

A 33-year-old member of the Rotary Club of

Kasangati, Kawaddwa said Rotary's future

depends on empowering our young members.

"If we are to realize Rotary's road to

transformation, [the] new generation's

development and empowerment are key," he

said. "We cannot achieve sustainable

development without addressing our youth and

the issues that affect them."

Rotary Scholar Kelsi Lopatecki Cox is a prime

example of what can happen when you nurture

young people. During her speech to the

convention audience, she championed innovative

technology and education as a way to address

poverty and under-development in rural

communities. She is program coordinator for the

Digital Learning Room, a project that brings

technology to schools in the South Pacific.

https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/rotary%E2%

80%99s-future-takes-center-stage-last-day-

sydney-convention

"The challenges faced by our world are great, and

they won't go away overnight," said Cox. "By

supporting education, by embracing technology,

by daring to think outside of the box, we can

address poverty and inequality. But we can't do it

alone; when we join together, we are stronger.

Together, we can create a world of opportunity."

Kelsi shared the journey of developing a tablet

based digital learning room at Buca Levu including

some of the technology hurdles such as

developing a solar powered multi-device charging

station. The students are excited and feel it is

making a big difference in their lives.

http://digitallearningroom.org/

Closing Plenary Session

The convention comes to a close with an

acceptance speech from the president-nominee

and the president-elect sharing his vision for the

coming year.

K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran, a member of the Rotary

Club of Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka,

was elected the 2015-16 RI President, telling the

audience he accepts "this life-time opportunity

with great humility."

Incoming RI President Gary Huang shared his

vision for the coming year. He spoke about his

now well-known “Light up Rotary” theme

supported by the Confucius saying; “It is better to

light a single candle than to sit and curse the

darkness”. However it is his goal of growing

Rotary's membership to 1.3 million in the coming

year that presents the greatest challenge. He

spoke of a number of examples of promoting

membership and club growth. And the challenge

is now with members worldwide, what we will do

differently to achieve something that has not

been possible over the past decade.

The attendees were treated to a preview of the

2015 Rotary Convention in São Paulo, Brazil. The

Host Organization Committee shared a taste of

Brazilian culture, including a traditional dance

routine and a video invitation from Mayor

Fernando Haddad.

President Ron Burton closed by reminding

members why they joined Rotary.

"Being a Rotarian isn't about our own

achievements, it isn't about our own careers, it

really isn't about us at all. It's about the people we

help," said Burton. "At the end of the day, the

only thing that matters in Rotary is how much

better the world becomes because Rotary is in it."

It appears that President Ron Burton will leave

office with the wood pile much higher as he

leaves office.

Thanks to both the International and host

organizing committees for the outstanding

convention.

Breakout sessions

Next edition!

Olympic flame lit again recognising Rotary

volunteers contribution to Sydney Olympics.

House of Friendship Pictorial