Every year, a District Governor will likely turn up at a club meeting to get a feel of how the club is going. The DG visit is always a special occasion for a club with a special Rotary message from higher up the tree. This week, it was our turn as District Governor Paul Mee appeared along with his wonderful partner Adele.
DG Paul and Adele were soon on alert for the traditional ‘timing’ of the DG presentation the RC of Berwick is known for. Isobel tallied the times, and the raffle was off! In good fun, DG Paul joined in the frivolity.
To the delight of many, DG Paul's presentation was light-hearted, informative, and, most of all, interactive! Perhaps the highlight was the opportunity for many of the audience to voice their view on why they were proud to belong to the Rotary Club of Berwick. What we do, what we have achieved and what we like about being part of our great club came thick and fast! The good thing was that all members and guests were totally absorbed by his message and by his interest in what we do!
- Our great Art Screen Hire business and the crew who make it happen.
- The Deb Balls, going for 37 years so far.
- District grants for BlazeAid trailers and the Grasmere Wetland project.
- District Scholarship grants.
- Our Global grant for clean water to six villages in the Philippines.
- The work going on with the Rotary Berwick and District Benevolent Society with food and toy collections.
- Our involvement with Donations in Kind with school furniture pickups, Balibo dental clinic, and Honiara dental clinic
- Our local cleanup projects, such as the Berwick Cemetary, going 51 years
- Our support for Rotary youth programs, including Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, National Youth Science Forum, and Model of United Nations Assembly. All powerful developmental programs that are designed to enhance leadership in young people.
- Our relationship with our local schools through Interact and Mock Interviews.
- Our relationship with our sponsor, St John of God and the development of projects that benefit the community in the St John of God space.
- and then our many social functions, such as movie nights, theme nights, and when we join in with other Cluster club meetings.
In the end, I think we missed out on mentioning quite a few, but it was nice to have the collective opportunity to reflect on what we are proud of by belonging to the Rotary Club of Berwick.
As an aside, with many of the aforementioned activities, there are moments where relationships are created, ideas gel, gears turn, and experiences are generated. It is engagement in the activity that brings about a successful outcome but also cements a feeling of overall achievement. Our club is no slouch when put to the test, but there is always room for more!
Thank you, DG Paul and Adele, for your visit. It was great you focused on the RC of Berwick and what the members are proud of. Members are reminded of the District Conference at Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula on 24th to 26th February 2023. It looks like a great chance for members to catch up with friends and learn more about Rotary.
24th to 26th February 2023
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