We have passed the halfway mark for this Rotary year and I think the current President might be ready to look for the easy chair, perhaps a cushion under my feet with a nice red to see the year out. Considering how the year 2020 has been, I could certainly be tempted, but the fact is we have not had many opportunities to shine in the last six months. I might have to run a bit harder! Our back end of the year is going to be busy but I need more members to help where ever they can. There is a lot to do and many hands will make light work.We have made a real difference so far with our End Polio Walk and End Trachoma Kits projects but we need to work harder to prove Rotary is a driving force in our community AND has the capacity to adapt to a rapidly changing world. There are some projects in the pipeline that will need members actively involved to bring them to fruition. Vocational Awards and the Easter Egg project are two that will take some work to get up. There is plenty more to do.
Many now realise that Rotary cannot be static. Rotary International has done a lot of work to evolve Rotary reach to new areas of need such as the environment. The world is constantly changing and Rotary is evolving to suit its environment. A pandemic, climate change, environmental degradation, economic uncertainty and world instability are our current macro challenges. How we address these challenges depends on our commitment as Rotarians. Are we educated enough to know what to do? Have we built a strong enough network to resource a response? Are we willing to lead and have the confidence to know which direction we must go? Do we have a plan and our communities support? The Rotary Club of Berwick is not stuck in a backwater.
Rotary, a group of professional and respected people need to be the best they can be now. The world as we know it is moving in a different direction. It may soon be the world we used to know and we must be prepared to adjust, adapt, morph, change. It might be 10, 20, 50 years, or it might be just months. Whatever it is, Rotary and all their Rotarians need to be ready.
I expect some of the people reading this will say I have lost some, or perhaps all of my marbles. There is no room for two Nutters in the clubhouse. Let's be clear though, we are moving into a new era and all is not quite right with the world.