To date, Dianne and I have conducted official visits to 42 Rotary Clubs across the District. We are constantly amazed at the number, diversity and scale of club service projects benefit- ting people in communities near and far. It is clear that strong engagement by Rotarians and others in community service not only makes a difference to the lives of others, but also generates passion, pride and interest in Rotary. Vocational Service Month is a good time to consider RI President Ron’s goal to: Emphasize Rotary’s unique commitment to vocational service in at least one of the following ways: Start a career counselling or voca- tional training program and invite non-Rotarian participants from the community to attend. Organise a discussion or workshop on maintaining high ethical stand- ards in the workplace and invite non-Rotarian business leaders to attend. Sponsor a career day in which club members bring young people to their places of business to inform them about career opportunities Have at least 5 percent of the club members join a Rotary Fellowship or Rotary Action Group and connect with people from around the world who share their interests. I am aware that there are a number of our District Rotarians already engaged Where’s Tony? Oct 19 Technology Meeting 20 RC Kingscliff Duck Race 20 Senior Leadership Meeting—Tweed Heads 22 RC Beaudesert 23 RC Ashmore DIK, Brisbane 25 Webinar: Increasing Diversity + Connecting Rotarians to Rotary beyond the Club 28 RC Kirra Currumbin 29 RC Murwillumbah Central 30 RC Parkwood 31 RC Coomera River Nov 5 RC Warwick 7 RC Warwick Sunrise 11 RC Glen Innes 14 Public Relations Meeting—GC Suns Partnership 14 Hope Island RC— Phantom of the Opera 15 GC Business Women of the Year Awards 17 District 9640 Ltd AGM 17 Company Finance, Board & Leadership Meeting—Ocean Shores 18-24 Zone Institute— Canberra 25 RC Coomera Valley 26 RC E-Club Next Gen 30 Warwick Rotaract Charter Night Oct 2013 Issue 4 The Granite Grapevine Newsletter of 2013-14 District Governor Tony Heading Monthly Theme—Vocational Service Engaging with the Governor in Rotary Fellowships such as Recreational Vehicles, Motorcycling, Cricket, Wine, Yachting, Golf and Home Exchange. Find out more about Rotary Fellowships at http://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/docume nt/885 Some D9640 Rotarians are also actively engaged in Rotary Action Groups such as Water and Sanitation (WASRAG), Peace, and Food Plant Solutions (previously Learn Grow). Details of other active groups can be found at https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/take- action/empower-leaders/join-rotarian- action-group Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) offers further opportunities for Rotarians to con- nect with people from around the world who share their interests. The Rotary International Convention in Sydney provides an opportunity for Rotary Fellowships and Rotary Action Groups to meet up. This presents a great chance for you to engage Rotary internationally. I know many clubs have focussed on Voca- tional Service already this month with Pride of Workmanship Awards, careers nights, vocational talks and visits to workplaces. Our District Awards Committee has this month selected a nominee for a RI Voca- tional Leadership Award to be announced at the 2014 District Conference. Throughout October, Rotarians will be sharing their vocational service experiences on Rotary Voices. Check it out. Best wishes for the month ahead, Tony District 9640
Transcript
To date, Dianne and I have conducted
official visits to 42 Rotary Clubs
across the District. We are constantly
amazed at the number, diversity and
scale of club service projects benefit-
ting people in communities near and
far. It is clear that strong engagement
by Rotarians and others in community
service not only makes a difference to
the lives of others, but also generates
passion, pride and interest in Rotary.
Vocational Service Month is a good
time to consider RI President Ron’s
goal to: Emphasize Rotary’s unique
commitment to vocational service in at
least one of the following ways:
Start a career counselling or voca-
tional training program and invite
non-Rotarian participants from the
community to attend.
Organise a discussion or workshop
on maintaining high ethical stand-
ards in the workplace and invite
non-Rotarian business leaders to
attend.
Sponsor a career day in which club
members bring young people to
their places of business to inform
them about career opportunities
Have at least 5 percent of the club
members join a Rotary Fellowship
or Rotary Action Group and connect
with people from around the world
who share their interests.
I am aware that there are a number of
our District Rotarians already engaged
Where’s Tony?
Oct 19 Technology Meeting
20 RC Kingscliff Duck
Race
20 Senior Leadership
Meeting—Tweed Heads
22 RC Beaudesert
23 RC Ashmore
DIK, Brisbane
25 Webinar: Increasing
Diversity + Connecting
Rotarians to Rotary
beyond the Club
28 RC Kirra Currumbin
29 RC Murwillumbah
Central
30 RC Parkwood
31 RC Coomera River
Nov 5 RC Warwick
7 RC Warwick Sunrise
11 RC Glen Innes
14 Public Relations
Meeting—GC Suns
Partnership
14 Hope Island RC—
Phantom of the Opera
15 GC Business Women of
the Year Awards
17 District 9640 Ltd AGM
17 Company Finance,
Board & Leadership
Meeting—Ocean
Shores
18-24 Zone Institute—
Canberra
25 RC Coomera Valley
26 RC E-Club Next Gen
30 Warwick Rotaract
Charter Night
Oct 2013 Issue 4
The Granite Grapevine
Newsletter of 2013-14 District Governor Tony Heading
In Rotary, October is the month we set aside to remind ourselves of our second Avenue of Ser-vice: vocational service. While some Rotarians call this the “forgotten” area of service, I would disagree: In fact, vocational service is the avenue through which we serve so often we don’t always recognise it as service.
Vocational service has its roots in the second object of Rotary, which encourages all Rotarians to hold high ethical standards in our business affairs and our professions, to recognise all use-ful occupations as worthy of respect, and to dignify work as an opportunity to serve society.
In short, the idea of vocational service is that our jobs, in themselves, are a way of serving society. Whether we are serving customers, teaching students, or treating patients, whether we’re in-volved in commerce, research, the media, or any one of countless other fields – we take pride in doing our work with competence and integrity.
Every occupation fills a need, and by doing our work well we are contributing to our communi-ties and our society.
The role of vocational service in the club is important, even if it isn’t always prominent. By maintaining high standards individually, we earn a reputation that we share collectively. By valu-ing all occupations equally and by maintaining a classification system in our clubs, we ensure that our clubs reflect our communities – and can serve them well. A Rotary club of all lawyers wouldn’t be capable of nearly as much as one that also had teachers, engineers, business owners and dentists; in Rotary, our diversity is our strength. That diversity is an advantage not only to our service, but to our members: It gives us all a valuable way to find the connections and opportunities that help us in our own careers.
Rotary International News Working to Serve Society
That aspect of membership is as old as Rotary. Paul Harris himself wrote often of the business advantages of Rotary membership, believing, as I do, that being a Rotarian means a person holds a certain set of values that will make him or her a good person to do business with.
Today, with the world more connected than ever, Rotary membership is an honour that we should be proud to share.
Ron D Burton
President, Rotary International
Blue Mountains Bushfire Appeal
Blue Mountains October 2013 Bushfire Appeal, NSW—RABS Project
Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund and Rotary Australian Benevolent Society (Managed by Rotary Australia World Community Service - RAWCS) have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) registration and have been listed as a Charitable Fund so that they can accept tax deductible donations from individuals or organisations.
Project No 16/2013-14 has been established to assist individuals and families who have lost their homes in the current New South Wales bushfires raging in the lower Blue Mountains. You can donate using the following link:
To the casual observer, taking everything one needs to an almost unknown destination 1650 kilometres west of Brisbane to cater for an unknown crowd attending a 2 day horse race event in a desert, is close to unbelievable. Surely it displays the depth of com-mitment displayed by 27 magnificent volunteers who decided to be part of this special experience.
The combination of the cause for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Queensland Section, by members of the community responding to a call from Rotarians and the chance to travel to the iconic race in the mighty Diamantina Shire in the Simpson Desert was powerful. It was a bucket list fulfilling experience of significant proportion.
When the audience mix of Grey Nomads, casual fly in and drive ins, motor bikers and even people walking in settled into one very happy crowd of about 6000 people, the serious steak burger and egg burger connoisseurs emerged with rave affirmation for our excellent quality and reasonable price.
This was our commission from the Flying Doctor and to have it yelled out across the vending area by amazed customers was a most gratifying experience. To have Flying Doctor Board Members and Staff attend to both observe this and to acknowledge the volunteers was described as an outstanding outcome for the reputation and promotion of our combined cause.
Rotarians say “Yes” when many would say otherwise. The Flying Doctor says “Yes” when the call for assis-tance goes up in remote harsh isolated unexpected life threatening situations. We were not life threatened and we were in great company. We were learning about the crowd makeup, where they were from, why they attend, where they are going to, what kind of food they prefer and when, like the roos, they rest in a shady spot, or watch horse races, to emerge as the evening cool quickly follows the orange glow of the setting sun.
We over-catered in terms of quantity. However, our quality could not be surpassed as it was based on 120 gram melt in your mouth rib fillet steak and a fresh bread bun with fresh lettuce leaves, perfectly sliced quality tomato and onion, large bacon rasher, with sauces to taste. We also offered a range of soft drinks, water and a new coffee which went down really well.
One of the most beautiful outcomes was the coming together of the volunteers. They came from Adelaide, Toronto, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Hervey Bay, Goondiwindi and Rockhampton. Most had never met and are now great friends driven together by a Rotary call to help the Flying Doctor.
With a great big smile I am able to report the Birdsville RFDS Fund Raising Venture achieved many positive outcomes, even though the financial return fell far short of our expectations. Over 1000 hours of time by Rotarians and Friends of Rotary was put to great use promoting Rotary and the RFDS with many compliments on the presence of the RFDS, the quality of the food by the Rotarians, the professionalism of the team and the presentation of the stall.
We owe a great deal of thanks to the volunteers, they were just magnificent. Their support, enthusiasm, effort, results and friendship just made it go so well, Thank you everyone for a great effort. We have learnt so much about what we trying to do so that next year we will be in a much better position to increase our fundraising results.
We were able to donate some $1020 of funds donated specifically to the RFDS, some $2500 of unused food to the Dream Centre at Carrara for distribution to needy families, 1000 hours plus to Community Service. In addition we lifted the RFDS and Rotary profiles extremely high to some 6000 visitors to Birdsville.
Ian Yarker, Vice President
Rotary Eclub NextGen Queensland
E-Club at Birdsville Races
Issue 4 – Oct 2013 The Granite Grapevine Page 5
From 6 to 15 July 2013, Interplast contributed to a one-week training activity focusing specifically on hand surgery and rehabilita-
tion in Colombo in Sri Lanka. Based principally at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka as well as at Ragama Rehabilitation Hospi-
tal, and funded by Planet Wheeler Foundation, the trip’s strong emphasis on providing mentoring support and teaching opportuni-
ties has generated positive feedback from local surgeons and occupational therapists.
“Teaching and mentoring in hand surgery was the main focus of our recent trip to Sri Lanka, with the local plastic surgery group
again enthusiastically setting up a comprehensive program over the week,” explained volunteer plastic surgeon and Interplast
country coordinator for Sri Lanka, Dr Randall Sach, who has been volunteering since 1984. “A highlight was the hands on work-
shop, designed to improve skills in dealing with hand trauma, attended by some 40 or so Colombo surgical trainees and practicing
surgeons, complementing the preceding days’ more comprehensive lectures.”
The trip, which saw the Interplast team of two conduct a consultation clinic, deliver a formal lecture on compression nerve inju-
ries, a hand surgery workshop with multiple lectures and practical sessions, two separate occupational therapy workshops and
informal on-the-job training through operating, accomplished a lot in a limited amount of time! “One of the highlights for me was
being involved in a day and a half conference presented to approximately 60 occupational therapists from all over the island,” said
Kathy Minchin, a volunteer occupational therapist who has visited Sri Lanka on three previous activities. “The therapists, while
incredibly enthusiastic and keen to learn as much as they could about hand rehabilitation, were also willing to participate and
question various approaches, making it more of a facilitative approach rather than purely didactic.”
With the addition of new junior plastic surgeons to the Sri Lankan team, Interplast’s dedication to improving the quality of
healthcare in Sri Lanka, has the opportunity to filter into the next generation of medical leaders. “It has been very rewarding to see
the local plastic surgeons expanding their services and practicing at a very high standard,” said Dr Sach. “Much of this has been
as a direct result of the Interplast activities over the past 10 years.”
This is just one of the many Interplast activities conducted each year, including those funded by Rotarians in clubs and districts
throughout Australia & New Zealand. “Without Rotary, Interplast simply would not be.” Interplast achieves much. There is so
much more to be done. With your help we can do it.
For further information check out the Interplast website at www.interplast.org.au, contact your Interplast District Chair, PDG.
John Randel email [email protected] or the Glenda Sherwin-Lane, Rotarian Coordinator at the Interplast Office on
03 9249 1231.
Interplast—‘Hands On’ Training for Hand Surgery
On Sunday 20 October, Glen Innes Rotary participated in Graffiti Removal Day at the Stonehenge Recreation Ground 10 km south of Glen Innes on the New England Highway.
This ground is a popular stopover point for travellers and many locals also drop out there to run the dog or enjoy the facilities. The 40 hectare ground is the home of so many interesting rock formations that the pioneers named the area Stonehenge.
Sadly the old cricket shed and shelter areas have become a target of graffiti and vandalism. The graffiti was quite offensive and the Stonehenge Recrea-tion Trust were pleased when Rotary offered to join them in removing it.
Armed with paint, brushes, cleaning materials and good humour the site was returned to its previous pristine state.
Group L-R
Peter Hindmarsh, Marg te Velde, John McKenny and Karen Hindmarsh.
Recently Sergeant James attended a Rotary Club of Gold Coast meeting. She met the President, Kathy Hogan, who advised that the club had a number of bears that they wanted to donate for children who needed support as a result of any incidents where they had to attend a Police Station.
The Rotary Club of Gold Coast does a lot of work in many areas in the local community and purchased the bears from Australian Rotary Health who supply them for fund raising for their research. Australia Rotary Health is Australia’s largest non-government funding body of mental illness research. They also fund research in other health related areas. The bears will be utilised by the Gold Coast District Child Protection Unit.
Pictured are Sergeant Holly James and President Kathy Hogan
RC of Gold Coast Pride of Workmanship Awards
Now this is grass roots Rotary and what a wonderful evening it was. In what was a very much an intimate
affair we had 56 Rotarians, Guests and Awardees enjoy good fellowship and the recognition of seven very
worthwhile recipients of our Rotary Pride of Workmanship Awards. Nick Bloor, Friend of our Rotary
Club, attended with his wife Tracy as our guest
speaker and had the room captivated with his descrip-
tion of how he has managed to sustain his company’s
growth of more than 20% in an environment where
many small businesses are shrinking to survive or
disappearing altogether. Pivotal to his success are
his employees, his team as he describes them and
customer service. Each awardee was introduced by
their nominator who described their reasons for the
nomination so we all got a true appreciation of why
they should be acknowledged and applauded for their
work ethic. Congratulations to all our awardees.
There is no reason to wish you luck in your chosen
field as you all have demonstrated you know what it
takes.
As you begin incorporating the new guidelines into your communications, keep the following in mind:
Clubs do not need to discard any unused materials. Rotary International encour-ages you to follow the new guidelines on materials you create in the future.
Your Rotary pin will not change. It remains the blue-and-gold metal logo that identifies Rotarians worldwide.
The Strengthening Rotary initiative extends far beyond our visual identity. It offers a new way to tell our Rotary story.
Updated guidelines highlighting the flexibility of the voice and visual identity recommendations will be available in the coming weeks with more tools and templates to follow.
Rotary International’s New Visual Identity
Page 7 Issue 4 – Oct 2013 The Granite Grapevine
Riders’ Long Journey for Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children
To get on a bicycle at Tweed Heads and ride 730km to Singleton is
not something many people would consider.
For Tony Worrad and Ray Chatt such a ride would also be just a
dream, but they are motivated by the plight of children in the Rotary
Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) program. So on
Sunday, November 3 at 9am, they will start the ride to raise funds for
medical treatment for these children.
They will leave from Chris Cunningham Park along with a number
of other ROMAC supporters who will ride with Tony and Ray for
some of the way.
The Ride for ROMAC has been sponsored by The Good Guys stores at Tweed Heads South, Ballina and
Coffs Harbour, and by the Telstra store at Tweed Heads. Along the route, Rotary clubs are assisting, some
sponsoring riders, some raising funds, and some helping with other details such as accommodation.
The ROMAC program brings children to Australia for medical treatment they cannot receive in their own
countries, and Rotary members provide support for the children and their carers while in Australia.
Doctors and other medical professionals volunteer their services, but costs are incurred for hospital
services, medications, and other services.
Riders who would like to join with Tony and Ray please contact:
Tony Worrad – 07 5523 3553 or 0427 727 880
Denis Hallworth (Murwillumbah Central Rotary Club) – 02 6677 9302
Information about the ROMAC program can be found at www.romac.org.au.
The annual GC100 Charity Cycle Event on 8 September was a great day for Parkwood Rotary. All members were on hand to assist with the event as cyclists took part in the challenging 100km and 50km ride along the beautiful coast into the hinterland. A huge thank you to all volunteers who gave up their Sunday to assist in this great fundraising event. Parkwood Rotary Club looks forward to their 5th event in 2014!
GC100 Charity Cycle Event—Parkwood Rotary Club
Serving the community is the top priority for
Mudgeeraba’s Mark Anderson who has been named the
city’s “top cop”. The long-serving Senior Sergeant beat
nine fellow officers to be named Gold Coast Police
Officer of the Year by the Broadbeach RC. The annual
prize recognises officers who have “demonstrated dedi-
cation and commitment towards both the community
and the workplace”. The awards have been running for
eight years. Winner of Civilian Support Officer was
Margaret Day from the Road Safety Group and the
Station/Unit of the Year was won by the Southport
Crime Team.
Gold Coast Police Awards—Broadbeach Rotary Club
Pictured at the Police Awards Night were:
Left to Right: Broadbeach Rotary Club President Neil
Baldwin, Queensland Police Commissioner and former
Broadbeach Rotarian Ian Stewart, and District Governor
“Win and I would like to congratulate you on your Books for Children Project in PNG and the Pacific. We spent time in Fiji working and know that the greatest thing you can give a child is an Education. Well done.”
REGISTER NOW Register by 15 December to take
advantage of early registration
More information is available on
www.rotary2014.com.au www.riconvention.org
DG Partner’s Project
Congratulations to Peter Roberts on receiving a
PHF from the Goondiwindi Rotary Club.
L to R: President Peter Cory, DG Tony Heading,
Peter Roberts and Penni Roberts.
District 9640 Conference Speakers
Catherine O’Sullivan—From GSE to Bond University
Kim McCosker—Four Ingredients
Professor Michael Good—Striving for a Malaria Vaccine
