This is a pictorial report on the Rotary District Conference held on the 18th-20th March 2022. It was a most enjoyable event and well organised by the Temora Rotary Club.
1. FRIDAY EVENING WELOME TO TEMORA BBQ
The welcome to Temora BBQ was held at the Temora Rural Museum and the Rotary Club of Coolamon was invited to help with the cooking and serving of the evening dinner:
2. SATURDAY EVENTS
The Conference was opened by the Mayor of Temora Rick Firmin and the welcome to the delegates was given by Acting District Governor Michael Moore AM. Our District Governor Leo Farrelly was unable to attend due to the passing of his wife Elaine.
The MC and Chair of proceedings was a young Rotarian from the Rotary Cub of Hall, Andrew Giumelli who did a wonderful job. The Rotary International President’s Representative was PDG Kathy Fahy from the Rotary Club of the Iowa Great Lakes in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Kathy spoke well and gave us all an inspirational talk on Rollin’ with Rotary. Kathy started her Rotary life as an Ambassadorial Scholar in 1997 in Canberra. Kathy was the District Governor from District 5970 Northern Iowa in 2014-2015.
The theme of the conference was Regenerating Rotary and had the Environment as a major them in supporting Rotary’s Seventh Area of Focus.
We then had the In Memorium tributes to recently passed Rotarians which included our own PP Marg Perkin.
After morning tea we started the proceedings proper and it began with a key note presentation by Mary Brell and Judy Ford our joint D9705 Membership Chairs. Their talk was entitled Are you on the Titanic or the Queen Mary II. They were supported by two enthusiastic Rotarian in Barbara Mifsud (Sydney) and Kero O’Shea (Perth), who joined us via Zoom.
Following this excellent presentation we had four Area Governors or their replacement give 15 minute presentations on what is happening in our district. One of these presentations from Area 2 focused on the work being done by the Rotary Club of Harden-Murrumburrah on domestic violence. Area Governor Joan Graham outlined what they are doing with “Escape Bags” for the victims of domestic violence. 70% of the victims are women with 80% of the abusers are males.
After lunch we were inspired by RIPR Kathy Fahy’s presentation on Rollin’ with Rotary. Followed by the PRIP Royce Abbey Peace Oration given by Professor Fiona White. Fiona is originally from Sri Lanka and now a Professor in Social Psychology and currently the Director of the Sydney University Psychology of Intergroup Relations Research Lab.
Two keynote presentations followed in the afternoon session one on the environment by PDG David Brawn and the other by PDG Peter Freuth on the proposed regionalisation for Rotary Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands i.e. Zone 8 as it is known today.
David was appointed to the Chair of D9705’s Environmental Envoy programme by then DG Michael Moore. David has since created a team with 15 Environmental Envoys and is moving forward with our 7th Area of Focus. Our club has since appointed our Environmental Envoy in Adrian Lindner.
Peter spoke eloquently on the Regionalisation project for our Zone 8 and together with co-Chair Ingrid Waugh from New Zealand and they have cone along way since The Board of Rotary International approved the petition to form a Regional Organisation.
We adjourned for dinner at the Temora Aviation Museum.