I have two or three more bulletins to write until I hang up my keyboard and pass the baton to my friend Gus Dominguez, the next RCB bulletin editor. The bulletin serves as a vital link between our club and the wider world. It is designed to educate and inspire both current and future Rotarians, embodying the spirit and mission of Rotary in every edition. Gus will bring his ideas and style to the publication of our Rotary exploits, infusing them with fresh creativity and inspiring new levels of engagement and enthusiasm within our community. Our audience includes anyone who opens our weekly bulletin, from seasoned Rotarians to curious newcomers. Our primary goal is to highlight Rotary's impactful work, with a special focus on the Rotary Club of Berwick. By showcasing our projects, events, and members' dedication, we aim to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of what Rotary stands for. Rotary is a diverse and fascinating organization that offers opportunities beyond the local club level. Our weekly bulletin should reflect this richness, capturing the essence of Rotary's global initiatives and our club's unique contributions. Whether it’s a local community service project, an international collaboration, or a member's personal story, each article should resonate with Rotary's core values of service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership. By sharing our collective Rotary journeys through this weekly journal, we document our achievements and inspire others to join us in making a difference. It doesn't matter where our readers live because Rotary's influence is global, and our club is an integral part of that worldwide network. Our bulletin is more than just a newsletter; it's a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of collective action. As I write my final bulletins, I am filled with pride and gratitude for the opportunity to serve as your editor. I am confident that the bulletin will continue to thrive and evolve under Gus's leadership, reaching new heights and touching more lives. Let us all support Gus in his new role and continue contributing our stories, ideas, and passion to this vital publication. Together, we can ensure that our bulletin remains a powerful tool for connection, inspiration, and positive change. So now I have a personal story of the first time I was assigned the task of RCB Bulletin editor for your reading pleasure.  Click the image above to read more.......  In 2007, the then esteemed President, Terry Carmichael, thought making me the bulletin editor was a wonderful idea. He explained that as a bulletin editor, it was the most engaging way to learn about all aspects of the club. I had only been in Rotary for three years but had failed to grasp (this is my admission, so don't tell anyone) the full gravity of what the Rotary machine was capable of. President Terry was right to put me in this job in many respects. In those days, Rotarians were assigned positions in the club and expected to do their best job for the good of all members. This often included approaching more senior Rotarians who already had the experience to fill in the missing gaps for the poor Rotarians lumbered with whatever role. In those days, most people rose to the occasion and did the best version of the job that they could muster. I would have to say that the expectation to do a good job in Rotary was a great motivator for doing better in all aspects of your life if you took the direction of Rotary seriously. Despite the initial terror, most Rotarians would rise to the occasion, performing their roles with the enthusiasm usually reserved for kids on Christmas morning. They might not always hit the mark perfectly, but they'd give it their all, often delivering an endearingly earnest and unpredictably innovative version of the job. After all, there's no better motivator than the prospect of public embarrassment at the next Rotary meeting! The bulletin editor was an easy target, being up front and centre every single week, so this job was not easy to fill! However, the brave souls who gave it their best shot benefited greatly from the experience, often being privy to the back stories and inner workings that created the story in the first place. The expectation in 2007 was to fill the bulletin with ver batum goings-on of the meeting. In my mind, if you were there, there was no need to read the bulletin. If you weren't there, maybe someone would fill you in. It was a lot of work and not a lot of reward. Considering the above image, I wanted to inject a little fun into the story and not fill the bulletin with the drill for the meeting. It was about the manufacture of our current Rotary Club BBQ. It was a long, drawn-out project and relied on some very busy people to make it happen. It happened and was a great project to watch evolving over the weeks. So why not add some (tasteful) humour to draw the members' attention? Surely I wouldn't get the sack from straying off the beaten path.......yikes, it took 17 years to get my bulletin job back, maybe I ruffled more feathers than I thought. In the end, though, I had a lot of fun exploring the boundaries, copping the flack and proving that Rotary doesn't have to be boring, stiff or lifeless. We have a lot of fun people in our club who thrive on testing their own boundaries for the betterment of others. So, step forward to 2024. Our weekly meetings are generally interesting and informative. Still, the true value for Rotarians lies in the individual conversations about projects, work, and daily life when they come to a meeting. Simply reporting the content of the meeting misses the essence of being a Rotarian. Rotarians are people of action, seeking opportunities to engage in exciting activities. Most of these opportunities arise from active involvement with fellow club members, which then expands outward to broader initiatives. It is through these personal interactions and shared experiences that Rotarians find inspiration and motivation, driving them to make a tangible impact in their communities, on themselves and beyond. The bulletin needs to be a driver that can create bridges for readers to see what is happening and offer a pathway to get involved if what they see inspires them. It shouldn't be a dull tome of boredom. This year, the bulletin attempted to talk about the broader picture of Rotary and was aimed at an audience both within and outside our Club. Our Club is engaged in a broad range of activities. Some are a slow burn, while others are very exciting. An interesting bulletin might inspire the public (our bulletin is currently outward-facing) to learn more about what Rotary does and create a feeling of achievement for all Rotarians involved in our many projects to share it with their family and friends. I have had a lot of support this year, so thank you all!  What was the bulletin like in 2007? CLICK HERE for an old-fashioned PDF version. Please be warned that two 2007 bulletins are available in this story, which may shock some viewers. Those were enormously invigorating days when our club had 62 active members pumping out great community projects and having way too much fun doing it.
|
It was terrific to catch up with those who attended our meeting this week. I was only away for just over a week and it’s just crazy what can happen in that short time.
