You know when your committee deck chairs are empty that a storm is coming. In the President's plan there are over 50 current/past committees mentioned, but very few that are active. There are some in the infant stages of coming alive, which is encouraging. For all the effort put into producing the President's plan, few have taken it seriously enough to run with it and re-ignite these committees.
Having said that, some members have created new projects and side stepped the President's plan all together. To these people, I am inspired by their willingness to do Rotary the way they want to see us all doing Rotary. We need more people to take on new ideas and run with them. Make a committee with like-minded members and make a difference, where you know you can make a difference.
I am like most Rotarians I guess. See an opportunity that I think I can accomplish and just do it. Throughout my Rotary "career", I have been way out of my league in many of the things I have done. I have always been able to find a mentor to lead me through, or I have fudged my way through and learnt about it along the way. If you are reading this, I guess you can tell that I am fudging a Rotary President's job right at this very moment!
This week at our meeting, we had a very dry but informative talk about Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd. (RAWCS) from PDG Adrian Froggatt. Attendance wasn't good, which was a pity because what Adrian had to talk about was a Nirvana of opportunity and potential for our club to excel in serving the community. RAWCS has been around for years, but for some reason we have kicked it to the curb. Never mind that most of our major overseas projects are supported by RAWCS (through other clubs) and our dip into a Dick Smith Grant a few years ago was also a RAWCS project. We, Rotary, are surrounded by opportunities but they don't come for free. You need to learn, understand and engage with them, a bit like learning French, to truly get what you can from them.
Are we all too old to learn? You cannot teach an old dog new tricks, as they say. I would say certainly not! RAWCS, as an example, is a tool in our toolbox that can help us achieve something we may want to achieve. Judging by our current Rotarians, the number of new battery operated chainsaws going around at the moment, proves that new tools in the toolbox are all the rage! Do yourself a favour, pick a committee, portfolio or cause and Rotary the heck out of it, until you find the path to Nirvana.
David Nutter is already on the band wagon with Rotary Cakes and Puddings for next Christmas and that wasn't even in the President's plan. He has been making great progress and I am already saving up to buy some. That is what I want to see from every member of the Rotary Club of Berwick. Don't wait to be asked, just get on board with what interests you the most and be the best Rotarian you can be.