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PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE
 District
Statistics
Members in our District
Average size 22.5 members
Club membership 6 all male, 47 Mixed Gender
Smallest club Port Darwin 7 members Largest Club Townsville Sunrise
more than 80 members
Number of Rotarians approx. 1,340 (membership
steady}
We are well represented as a District
in the management of Rotary on an Australia wide basis:
PDG Jeff Crofts as an institute Trainer and member of the ACAP Board
PDG John Gough as a member of the ARHRF Board
PDG Frank Darveniza as a Regional Coordinator of the AHRF
PDG Darryl Martin as the incoming Rotary Foundation Zone Coordinator
Each member pays to Rotary International
for Dues $56.24 and District Dues of $107.00 included in this is
$7.00 insurance levy.
Every member pays this each year, and this is where some of the
money we pay every six months goes to.
One of the biggest costs for Rotary
in our district is the cost of Insurance, it is $42.000 pa. Another
big cost to the District is the PETS subsidy estimated to be $56.000
in Darwin 2004.
(More details on the above stats is
elsewhere in the Bulletin. Editor)
 Our
guest speaker this week is Jeff Crofts, and with the knowledge
Jeff has in Rotary it will certainly be an advantage to all members.
The Paul Harris Dinner is on February
23rd at Brothers Leagues Club, and there will be no Friday lunch
meeting on the 27th of February. The cost for the dinner is $30
per head. I will have a sheet for members to fill in this Friday
for numbers and we will need payment before the evening.
Our guest speaker on February 21st
will be Mr. Kevin Byrne, Mayor of Cairns.
Kevin is going to talk to us about Cairns, and where it is heading
within the Council.
President Robyn
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Rotary 4-Way Test
1.
Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
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Our
Paul Harris Fellows
Rotarians
Sandy Astill, Max Bryant, Graham Cossins,
David Court, Jeff Crofts, Rupert Crossland, Herman Ehrlich, Bob
Fowler, Col Koppen, Bernie Mullins, Jim Watson, Denise Mitchell,
David Kirchner,
Honorary
Members
Ted Elliot OAM, Brian Fowler, Beres
McKeown, Bernie Mullins, Les Trevenan
Past Club
Members
Geoff Canton
Non
Rotarians
Christine FairbrotherMargaret Jarvis
Geoff GuestLou Piccone Lionel Williamson
District
Governor’s Newsletter
After passing the halfway mark - District
Governor Mike Rennie reflects and reports on the state of the nation
(Well the District anyway)
Mid Term Report Card
I welcome you all back after what
I hope was a great holiday and an occasion to share the celebration
of Christmas with your families and those dearest to you. But, enough
sentimentality, its time as the title suggests, to lay bare my achievements
at mid term.
 Report
on Club Visits
All official club visits have now been
completed and generally all 53 of our clubs are in good shape.
The most recent addition, the Rotary
club of Dili now has 28 members, 4 of whom are indigenous persons
sponsored mainly by Rotary clubs in New South Wales and Victoria.
Most recently, the Rotary Club of Fitzgerald Innisfail has undertaken
to support a fifth indigenous person to join the club. Rotary clubs
in Australia have provided some $3M worth of goods in aide to Timor
Leste since its independence and if one includes the contributions
made by FAIM teams, in excess of $10M of value has been donated
to the people of Timor Leste, by Rotary.
As most of you would know our multi
district RAWCS program has negotiated an Agreement with the Timor
Leste Government and in addition to being formally recognized as
a Non Government Organisation (NGO) for aid purposes. RAWCS also
has a Liaison Officer stationed in Dili.
He works closely with the Dili club
to identify and oversight projects, assist with the delivery of
goods from the wharf to recipient organizations and to liaise with
the Timor Leste Government. He does a great job.
RAWCS recently recruited Darryl Mills,
a new temporary Liaison Officer (L.O.) to replace Tony Devlin, the
previous L.O., who returned to Australia in November. They hope
to recruit a more permanent L.O. by the end of February 2004.
Major
issues affecting the clubs in our District are:
The
high cost of Rotary.
Rotarians in D9550 are currently paying
AUS$200-$240 per year in fees and charges for membership in Rotary.
This is, in part, made up of:
Rotary International Dues - AUS$56.24
District Dues - AUS$107.00 (including $7.00 Insurance Levy)
The major expenditure items in the
District budget continue to be the increasing costs of Insurance
($42,000 pa) and the PETS subsidy (estimated at $56,000 in Darwin
2004)
Low contributions to the Rotary Foundation which
may, in future limit district participation in Rotary Foundation
programs such as Group Study Exchange, Ambassadorial Scholarships
and Matching Humanitarian Grants.
Exposure
of District Officers to litigation as
a result of the district not being incorporated or registered as
a company with limited liability.
Generally,
our 53 clubs are in good shape and I
offer the following statistics in support of a relevant profile:
·
.Average size: 22.5 members
· Club membership: 6 All Male/47 Mixed Gender
· Smallest Club: Port Darwin. 7 members
· Largest Club: Townsville Sunrise. more than
80 members
· No of Rotarians: approx 1,340 (membership steady)
As
a district we are well represented
in the management of Rotary on an Australia wide basis with:
· PDG Jeff Crofts as an Institute
Trainer and member of the ACAP Board
· PDG John Gough as a member of the ARHRF Board
· PDG Frank Darveniza as a Regional Coordinator of the ARHRF
· PDG Darryl Martin as the incoming Rotary Foundation Zone Coordinator
Achievement
of District Goals
Support for the Rotary Foundation
Our 2003-2004 target is AUS$100.00
per member
As at the 31 December we have contributed some AUD$25,200 to the
Rotary Foundation. Annual Giving, and hopefully this will result
in a total of AUD$40,000 (US$28,800) for the 2003-2004 year. This
is a valiant effort, particularly considering our recent contributions
to the Polio Eradication Program.
It is, however, well short of our target.
Unfortunately, this will translate to only some US$14,000 being
available to the District in 2006-2007 as District Dedicated Funding
(DDF). This is not much when it is considered that GSE teams cost
US$11,000 each and Ambassadorial Scholarships are valued at US$23,000
each. The overwhelming message is that we need to contribute
more to The Rotary Foundation which is OUR CHARITY in order
to continue with our international programs.
The
Family of Rotary
I am pleased to report that 100% of
our clubs elected to create a position of Coordinator for the
Family of Rotary this year in order to provide special emphasis
for this most significant program. The program aims to promote the
inclusion of family members in not only our club meetings but also
the programs and activities undertaken by our clubs. It also aims
to promote caring for our fellow club members and their families.
Our World President, Jonathon Majiyagbe,
believes that the measure of an organization can be taken from the
manner in which it cares for its own members. The Community Profile
of Rotary Progress in this area has, of course, been difficult to
assess. However, I must report that clubs throughout our district
have clearly made tremendous efforts to develop and enhance the
profile of Rotary within their respective communities. So much so,
in many locations, Rotary seems to be a household word and a part
of the social fabric of the town.
We can indeed be very proud of the
level of Rotary awareness in our district, particularly in the smaller
and remote areas where communities need and benefit so significantly
from the work of volunteers. Of course it is much harder to obtain
media coverage and much more competitive to be noticed in larger
cities. But in these areas also, I noticed that clubs ably demonstrated
that dynamic community service programs have provided their own
solid basis for community recognition.
Destination
Darwin
The Darwin based team, consisting of
the combined Rotary Clubs of Group One, as you would imagine, have
done a great deal already to put in place the arrangements for our
2004 Destination Darwin, District Conference.
This includes venue, social and conference
programs, speakers, tourist activities and sponsorship. I am reliably
informed, because I regularly sleep with the Conference Chair, that
you will be kept fully informed.
District
Incorporation
All 23 Australian Rotary Districts
are becoming increasing concerned at their exposure to litigation
and the lack of protection for their District Officers as a result
of not being incorporated as an association or registered as a company
with limited liability.
This issue was discussed at length
by the Council of Governors at the Rotary Institute in Wagga Wagga
in November and all but a few District Governors resolved to take
action to protect their District Officers.
It is understood that Rotary International
does not support District incorporation, nor does it acknowledge
the need for such incorporation. District Governor Nominee Peter
Kaye, who is managing this project on behalf of our District, confirmed
that recent legal advice supported the need for District Incorporation
or other appropriate protection and it was highly desirable that
we proceed to achieve this outcome as soon as possible.
As District Governor I recognize clearly
the need to protect my District Officers in the same way as those
within clubs are protected and I am gratified that both the College
of Governors, as well as our District Management and Finance Committee,
support my resolve to take appropriate action during my term as
Governor.
The Smith Family puts the cost of
youth unemployment in Australia, in
terms of the cost of lost earnings and social security benefits
for youth who did not complete year 12, at $2.3 billion dollars
per year
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