On Monday night we took a vote about the proposed redistricting of Rotary South Pacific or zone 8. Zone 8 consists of 19 districts, with the proposal being to reduce this to 9. Membership numbers have been dropping and one of the aims of redistricting is to create stronger and more vibrant districts and greater sustainability. The districts will be larger; there will be fewer district governors and fewer community group leaders. There will be numerous challenges, but changes won’t be put into place until 2028. District 9800 will merge with district 9790 and district 9780 and become district 9795. The voting was mandatory, and our club elected to reject the changes.
The club was very busy last week, with our film night on Monday, and a busy FORaMEAL event at Camberwell Grammar on Wednesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning seven club members gathered at It’s the Little Things headquarters in Hawthorn where we cooked large pans of delicious food, which we then packed and will be delivered to various charities. It was a fun morning and was a good example of organised fellowship.
One of my agendas for my Rotary presidency was to keep club members active and involved, and there will be certainly many opportunities for involvement over the next few months.
List of upcoming activities.
1) Rotary Club of Kew trivia night. 29th of August Sackville Grange Kew. 2) Auto Classico motor event. Maling Road Canterbury. 10-4pm. 30th of August. 3) Celebration of 50 years of Camberwell Market, at the market. 30th of August. 4) BBQ at Keiser gym 12th of September 5) The great generational debate on 14th of September. Auburn Bowls Club. 6) Peace ceremony in Victoria Park, to be followed by lunch at the Harp hotel. Further information will follow. 7) A dinner celebration of the 50th anniversary of Camberwell Market at Greenacres golf course on the 22nd of September.
I hope you all keep well over the coming week and I’ll see you next Monday.
Asked to speak, off the cuff, our very clever John Braine spoke to us about the bureaucracy to which The Rotary Club of Canterbury responds. It is extensive, but mostly based on the by-laws in the constitution, which every Rotary Club has and is in alignment with Rotary International. He gave us each specific detail and related it to the specific issues, for example, membership.
I do not need to tell anyone who was present about John Braine's incredible capacity to deal with each issue, with precision and accuracy. The man who never rejects any task, is one we all admire and appreciate. He is an amazing man, and tonight's session demonstrated it in a thorough and professional manner.
Talk title: Mental health: How to care for yourself and others.
David Bastian is a passionate advocate for mental health education, with more than 10 years’ experience delivering a variety of wellbeing courses, in particular Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training across workplace, sporting, education and community settings.
His approach is practical, engaging and grounded in real-world conversations. David is passionate about helping people build the confidence to recognise when someone may be struggling, start meaningful conversations and provide appropriate support.
Through MHFA and broader wellbeing education, David aims to make conversations about mental health feel more accessible, relevant and part of everyday life. He particularly enjoys working with organisations and sporting communities to build environments where people feel confident looking out for themselves and those around them.
On 12th & 13th August we returned to MacRobertson Girls’ High School for setup and the packing day. 164 students packed 23,100 meals.
Thanks to all who assisted namely: President Jill, Helen and Pat, Paul, Rob, Gary, Kevin, Joe, Ant and 4 members from RC of Port Phillip. A big welcome is extended to our newest club member Gary who was ably mentored into the setup processes by Rob and was soon into the swing of making up boxes.
Last week we also returned to Camberwell Grammar for the event with their students and the students from Presbyterian Ladies College. Collectively, they packed 13,230 meals.
Last Wednesday, Doug and I attended the RC of Maroondah meeting at Ringwood.2 students from Yarra Valley Grammar gave a very professional presentation to all about what participating in the FAM event means to them and their fellow students. RC of Maroondah supports the school with a financial contribution each year and also members assist us with setup and on the event days, which we are always appreciative of their ongoing support and commitment to our project.
Doug has been very busy preparing some of our current stock for shipment/distribution locally and internationally, 131,000 meals were sent locally to Food Bank Victoria, 60,500 meals to Ukraine as part of the container filled at DIK for the Australian Federation of Ukrainian organisations. It usually takes 12 weeks for the shipment to arrive in Poland and from there is transported to the areas of need within Ukraine.
The Canterbury Rotary Club lunch group usually meets bi-weekly at 12.30 for a meal and some fun. Above are members enjoying lunch yesterday at Green Acres Golf Club.
David Zrna looks after the reservations for the lunch group. Please contact David at david.zrna@canterburyrotary.org or on 0467033092 to advise that you will be coming to a lunch.
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