Welcome to another issue of our District 9810 Monthly Newsletter
The current, and past Bulletins can always be accessed here.
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Hello again my fellow Rotarians,
So, my thanks to all the members of the District who attended the Warrnambool Conference. I hope you enjoyed yourselves and have returned to your Clubs with renewed enthusiasm about District Conference and will promote attendance at next year's Conference, the first for District 9815 in Bendigo over the weekend of March 28 - 30.
There's been lots of activity around our Clubs again this month and I have tried to report on just a few. I remind Presidents and PR Chairs to send me any news stories where you can tell others in the District about your Club's events. This is especially relevant if perhaps your Club is seeking support for a project.
A reminder that the District Changeover is scheduled for Saturday June 29 so please take note when scheduling your own Club's event. I suggest you get your invitations out nice and early, especially to DG Elect Colin who is going to be in very high demand as this will be the first year where we are covering clubs over what will soon be both of the old Districts of 9810 and 9820.
I want to draw special attention to two important events which will give you the opportunity of listening, in person, to our International President, Gordon McInally.
Firstly, the lunch on Sunday June 2 and second the breakfast on Monday, June 3. details of both are below in this Newsletter.
President Gordon has been a strident advocate in promoting Mental Health initiatives that help communities and individuals rebuild their resilience. Prioritising mental health in his year of office is an imperative, “I know what it's like to see someone close to me suffer in silence. I have also witnessed the power of personal connections, the value of discussing emotional and mental well-being, and the lifesaving impact of preventive care and treatment”.
Professor Pat McGorry, a Rotarian, will host the lunch and inform us about the face of mental health here in Australia. Early intervention of Mental Health as the cornerstone of building community and individual resilience.
We want our Rotary clubs to provide the connection to this fantastic opportunity to hear this powerful message. Book a table, invite your local business owners and youth networks. Sponsor your Rotaractors, Interactors and school contacts.
Prices: $95 pp incl 2 course lunch. $1,200 per table of 8 with table naming rights
Rotary International President Gordon McInally will be the special guest at this event to be held on the morning of Monday, June 3rd at the Frankston Arts Centre.
This is for community and business people interested in how to engage with the next generation of leaders and help them build successful careers. Understand the global trends for young people, their careers opportunities and how to help them build safe networks and resilience to ensure career success.
Prices: $38 pp or $450 per table of 8 incl naming rights
Well, it was that time of the year again - the RC Springvale City End Polio fundraiser.
Congratulations to Cathy and Angelina for another successful evening aimed at raising awareness of, and funds for, End Polio.
The event was held at Maxim's Saigon in Springvale where we enjoyed a great meal and were entertained by the dancers from the local Vietnamese community.
Guests included DG Elect Colin Byron and Leanne along with the State MP for Mulgrave, Eden Foster (formerly local Mayor).
The event was also attended by members from a number of other Clubs from the District. I can recommend this as a great night night and encourage all members of the District to support this event next year.
Angelina also took the opportunity to steal the limelight by celebrating her (significant) birthday which was actually on that day. Congratulations. once again Angelina.
The Club is yet to finalise the amount raised but I know that it will include $1265 from the raffle! I will publish the final amount in next month's Newsletter.
STOP PRESS - I have just learn't that through the generous personal donation of distinguished member, Loc Lam, the total amount raised for End Polio will be $10,000.
Supported by a Rotary Programs of Scale award, an initiative in Nigeria seeks to remedy the country’s high instances of maternal death.
On the outskirts of Abuja, beneath a blistering November sun, a pregnant woman, leaning on the arm of her friend, shuffles across a courtyard and disappears into a brick shed. Moments later, from within the shed, come shouts of “Push! Push!” A few more minutes pass and the pair reemerge, only this time the woman is seated in a wheelchair pushed by the friend. Another woman walks alongside them carrying a newborn baby.
Well, we have had our last Conference for District 9810 - Warrnambool, March 22-24, 2024.
On behalf of the team that put on the Conference, I'd like to thank all those who attended, almost 350 of you.
I am so proud of the work that the team put in, under the leadership of Conference Chair Wil Cornilessen. The feedback I've had from attendees was all positive.
I thought we had an outstanding range of speakers. My special thanks goes to PRIP and PDG Ian Riseley who conducted the two sessions showcasing a range of projects undertaken within our District.
I'm sure you would all agree the Lighthouse Theatre was a wonderful venue. My thanks to the staff there. The sporting events were so well organised and enjoyed by all who participated - thanks Keels.
The pre-Conference drinks at Flagstaff Hill was such a fun way to kick off the weekend on the Friday evening, followed, of course by the 9810 tradition of Club dinners.
The Rotary Expo was a great success and I'm sure no-one went hungry during our break times.
Our Rotary International President's Personal Representative, Haresh Ramchandani assured me he thoroughly enjoyed his time with us and was very grateful for the way those attending the Conference made him feel so welcome.
And what about Saturday night? What a great night it was. A very special thanks goes out to Linda O'Brien who looked after every aspect of the evening from the choice of venue, band, caterer, menu, decorations etc etc. We had nearly 300 attend the evening including many of our speakers and I'm sure all had such a great evening.
Just a reminder that the wonderful photos taken by David Liao are available for viewing and download here.
A special thank you to all our sponsors, as listed on the Conference web page here. Note that if you click on any of the names you will be taken to their website. A special thanks to our major sponsor, Red Energy. My thanks also to Glenn Tippett from Razor Graphix for Registration tag printing and Monique and Mark Smith from Dorset Business Solutions for supplying the lanyards.
Please click on Read More where I have listed down, hopefully all those who helped ensure the success of the Conference.
It was my pleasure to visit the RC of Box Hill Central in March to get an update on the School of St Jude.
Gemma Sisia, (b Rice) first established the school in Kenya in 2002. Since then it has continued to grow as the children have moved through each year.
The school, located across three campuses, provides free primary and secondary education to children of the Arusha Region.
My congratulations to to President Reg Ellery and the members of the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central for getting Gemma along to your meeting and thank you for making me so welcome, as usual.
Click on Read More for a few pics from the morning.
Helen's efforts to raise additional funds for the End Polio Now project continue to grow with additional contributions coming from the raffles at Conference and the RC Springvale End Polio fundraising evening.
The total at present stands at $28,725.
We are still a little way off our target of $35,000 but we are hoping that some Clubs are yet to finalise their contribution as we approach the end of the Rotary year. Remember, that Club contributions still get credited to the Club, even when Helen's project is nominated.
A reminder that if you would like to make a personal, tax deductible donation, please go here. Your donation will be credited against you, as a Rotarian and your Club. Just make sure that the email address you use, matches the address in MyRotary.
Donations from non-Rotarians are, of course, also welcome and can also be made through this portal.
If you are representing a club, please make the contribution by the normal channels but flag it as DG Project and drop DG Ian or Helen an email. Banking details for Clubs can be found here.
On Saturday 13th April, 50 Rotaractors, Rotarians, and friends of Rotaract put on their masquerade masks (and dancing shoes) and gathered at the Beau Monde International for the long awaited Rotaract Ball. We had a fantastic night filled with great food, drinks, and lively music and dancing.
The Ball was a fundraiser for Share the Dignity, a women's charity in Australia that works to make a real difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or doing it tough. They distribute period products to women, girls, and anyone who menstruates who needs support.
With the help of donations from the Rotary Clubs of Glen Waverley, Lilydale, and Monash, we have raised over $2850 for Share the Dignity so far. Additionally, Share the Dignity volunteers collected period products on the night that were brought by attendees.
The Rotary Club Mont Albert & Surrey Hills recently held the 4th Annual Lift the Lid Walk for Mental Health at Deakin University Burwood. The Walk was held at Gardiners Creek Reserve. The Club is proud to have funded a $42,000 3.5year PhD Research Scholarship, which was awarded to Jordan Vella at Monash University. Jordan’s research is into the Risk-Protective Factors for the Mental Health of Retired Elite Athletes.
The event is a unique community outing, as it includes not only walking but also fun AFL inspired activities around the course. To add to the fun atmosphere during the walk, participants have an activity card to mark off all 10 activities listed. They then win a free ice cream. The Walk is held Lift the Lid walk annually to support Mental Health
Last week, the Rotary Club of Emerald and District proudly handed over a cheque for the sum of $50,000 to the Monash Children’s Hospital – Cancer Centre.
This was the fantastic result from their Puffing Billy Fun Run day in November. Refer story on the event here.
An event such as this requires the involvement of many parties including members and partners in the community.
To quote President Sangeeta: "I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to this noble cause, including our sponsors and the Puffing Billy Railway, whose steadfast support never goes unnoticed. I want to acknowledge the unwavering commitment and hard work of each member of our club and by your families."
This is such a stand out event for the Club and Rotary within our District - well done Emerald!
I'd like to make a special mention of a major fundraiser for the Rowville Lysterfield Club being their "Girls Night Out" in support of the Royal Women's Hospital.
All funds raised will go towards research into cervical cancer.
This is the first time since Covid that the club has been able to run this event and deserves the support of all members in the District.
Cost is $65 pp - all details and booking link - here
I have great pleasure in reporting the outcome of the Charity Golf Day conducted by Rotary Clubs within the Monash Cluster, namely Waverley, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley and Monash.
On Wednesday 13 March 2024 a cheque for $28,500 was presented to the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre (CPEC).
The Rotary convention is where friendship and learning come together to inspire you. In Singapore you’ll connect with people of action from around the globe at Rotary’s biggest event of the year.
The 2024 Rotary International Convention, will be be held 25-29 May in Singapore.
Here are a couple of stories to help inspire you to register.
Just a reminder to all members, but especially Presidents, committee chairs and event organisers to get your event into the District Event Newsletter, Highlights, edited by Michael Ellinger.
This will also ensure it gets included in the District Event Calendar on the website, link here.
To publish your event and/or function please send it to Michael in either a word document or PDF file format at highlights9810@gmail.com
Get all District 9810 events automatically added to your calendar.
From the Calendar page here you can subscribe to the District's event calendar.
This will result in the District's calendar being added to your existing calendar subscriptions, thus ensuring that as an event is added (or modified) to the District's calendar, it will appear on your phone, tablet etc. Calendars supported are Outlook, Google and Apple.
Take the link, Subscribe to Calendar, from the Calendar Page here.
You can view the newsletter from your email or take the link at the top, and open it in your browser. Generally the content of the newsletter will be in the form of "stories". The first paragraph and a small image will appear here, on this page. By clicking on the "read more" link, you will be taken, via a separate tab in your browser, to the full story, with more pictures, within the District website. You can then return to where you were viewing this page, in your email or browser. If you wish to submit an article, please read preferred format at the bottom of this page.
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Ian Ballantine
Well, it was that time of the year again - the RC Springvale City End Polio fundraiser.
Taken from the RI website 
Well, we have had our last Conference for District 9810 - Warrnambool, March 22-24, 2024.
It was my pleasure to visit the RC of Box Hill Central in March to get an update on the School of St Jude.
On Saturday 13th April, 50 Rotaractors, Rotarians, and friends of Rotaract put on their masquerade masks (and dancing shoes) and gathered at the Beau Monde International for the long awaited Rotaract Ball. We had a fantastic night filled with great food, drinks, and lively music and dancing.
The Rotary Club Mont Albert & Surrey Hills recently held the 4th Annual Lift the Lid Walk for Mental Health at Deakin University Burwood. The Walk was held at Gardiners Creek Reserve.
Last week, the Rotary Club of Emerald and District proudly handed over a cheque for the sum of $50,000 to the Monash Children’s Hospital – Cancer Centre.
I'd like to make a special mention of a major fundraiser for the Rowville Lysterfield Club being their "Girls Night Out" in support of the Royal Women's Hospital.
have great pleasure in reporting the outcome of the Charity Golf Day conducted by Rotary Clubs within the Monash Cluster, namely Waverley, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley and Monash.
Just a quick Save the Date for the Joint District (9810 and 9820) Changeover dinner this coming June.
