Club History 2021 -
Carol Hogg Year of Office 2020 - 2021
Rotary Theme: Rotary Opens Opportunities
Secretary: Ian Sichlau
Treasurer: Russell Hogg
Community Service: Terry Hubbard
Art Show Director: David Anderson
As the 2020-2021 Rotary year ends it is time to reflect on my past year as President of our great Club. Looking back, I think it is fair to say, “what a strange year it has been”.
We started out unable to have our usual Changeover due to COVID restrictions and this was no doubt a disappointment for outgoing President Sue who had to wait until December before it was held. Now, six months later we are having another Changeover, this time welcoming new President PE Paul Kellett, as I bid you farewell. The Chairs of the various service arms have been busy where possible, although Youth, Membership and International roles have been curtailed due to restrictions preventing activity, no doubt these will become active again in the new Rotary year.
The club has certainly been blessed with the calibre of our inbound exchange students and certainly this is true of Louis who left us and headed home to France on 9th July. Louis grew from a rather nervous school student, with little command of English, when he first arrived, into a confident, much larger and charming young man. It was a pleasure to host him, and he will be missed. Sadly, due to COVID, we were not able to welcome a new exchange student for the first time in many, many years.
Zoom meetings were with us for a while, but one of the positives of meeting in this way meant we were able to organise meetings with anyone in the world. Starting a little closer to home we a zoom meeting with Craig Lloyd from Murrindindi Shire who discussed some of the realities in dealing with the lockdown and the following week we had the annual meeting with DG Bruce Anderson, which required little organisation compared to other years, but was nonetheless productive.
A highlight of the meetings was the gathering with members of the Rotary Club of Rustenburg Kloof in South Africa and the people from Dayspring Children’s Village on 13th August. A culmination of the work and persistence of our members in bringing Ruth’s vision to fruition as the build at Dayspring commenced and with the benefit of Rotary Foundation’s Global Grant funding doing good in the world was realised.
When the wearing of face masks became mandatory, Rotarians sprang into action organising, along with David and Daisy Ngo and the pharmacy, a supply of disposable face masks to be delivered to the medical centre for those people who could not afford to purchase masks. Also packets of masks were delivered to letterboxes of people in the flats and CWA houses and additional handmade masks were donated by other talented, kind souls in the community.
On 10th September we had a zoom club assembly, then an interesting presentation from Lynn O’Connor (a friend of Glenda) who is DGE District 5080 – this is northwest USA and Canadian district. Lynn bravely got up at 2.00 am her time to talk with us about the response to COVID 19 in their district.
Thanks to Program Director Glenda various interesting speakers met with us via zoom during the rest of September and October and then – HAPPY DAYS. Our first face to face meeting since the lockdown happened on 5th November where 28 of us gathered in the rear courtyard of the Royal Mail Hotel. The next meeting on the 12th of November reverted to zoom for a long time organised arrangement with PIP Ian Risely - but then back to the Royal for face to face meetings up until Christmas!! Many thanks to Rodney for taking responsibility for making sure our signs, banners and regalia were always ready for us, no matter where the venue was – it has been much appreciated.
Because of a decision not to have a Senior Citizens dinner in 2020 a cunning plan was devised to send a gesture from Rotary to all the Senior citizens who usually attend the Christmas dinner. A food gift package was assembled prior to Christmas and hand delivered to each person. Lollies (always a favourite at the dinner) were donated by Paul Bannan and bagged up, Rotary Christmas cakes were purchased, and Bobby made 400 shortbreads. The parcels were packed and wrapped, then various club members volunteered to deliver them, and they were well received and appreciated. Well done, Bob, Glenda, and Julie.
Paul Kellett brought an idea to the club from his brother’s club the RC of Monbulk and a voucher was modified to offer support for local businesses who had been struggling. $100 was given to eight eateries in town and 10 x $10 vouchers per café were produced to redeem a coffee and cake. The vouchers were distributed via St Luke’s Christmas Hampers, so they reached those in the community who were most in need of a little cheer. Much work went into achieving this result which was appreciated.
On December 17th we held our belated Changeover and Christmas break up at Beaufort Manor, it was a successful evening despite being restricted as far as numbers went. We were entertained by Bobby Valentine, who with his offsider Bob Dewar proved a big hit.
Our first meeting in 2021 was a delightful picnic evening on the banks of the Goulburn at David and Tippy’s home - what a beautiful spot. Then followed an evening of Bowling at the Bowling Club with pizzas – all of this got us back into ‘working mode’. Raffle tickets were sold in lieu of the cancelled Art Show, with a first prize of a lovely painting donated by Julian Bruere.
By February we were back meeting weekly in the Golf Club, once again enjoying our face-to-face meetings at our home base and providing fund raising opportunities to our valued local caterers. In March we said farewell to our resident barman, PHF Terry Chaplin who moved on to Kilmore after 17 years of friendly service.
Cycle Dindi was held in April and what a successful day that was, it is an event that grows more popular each year, enjoyed by cycling visitors and Rotarians alike. It was only the second fund-raising opportunity in my year and did very well! A fun Trivia Night at the end of May held in Beaufort Manor was the final opportunity to catch up a little on a year of COVID-cancelled fund-raising events. But it was pleasing to note that our annual disbursements were not detrimentally affected as our club continued to ‘do good in the world’.
As another changeover approaches at the end of June it is interesting to think back on what a full year of activities for our club has enjoyed, despite the COVID restrictions. We have had to come up with different ways to do things and as always, a big thank you to members who have risen to the task.
Finally, my heartfelt thanks to my fellow Board Members who have been supportive throughout this challenging year and also to all club members who once again have answered the call when needed. I trust that incoming President Paul Kellett will also enjoy the same loyal support in the 2021/2022 year and I wish him every success.
Paul Kellett Year of Office 2021 - 2022
Rotary Theme: Serve to Change Lives
Secretary: Ian Sichlau
Treasurer: Russell Hogg
Community Service: Di Welsh
Art Show Director: Marjorie Hamilton
As I write this report, I am reviewing my year as President of our great club and reflecting on what the club has achieved during the 2021-2022 Rotary year. My first goal was to increase the level of fellowship within the club to off-set the loss of face-to-face fellowship lost due to COVID restrictions. Little did I know that restrictions would be reintroduced in late July. However, the aim remained to keep members of the club connected and the club spirit bubbling along. We then went back to Zoom meetings which while not an ideal format does provide some face-to-face involvement. This type of meeting prevailed until December when we were finally able to meet in person at our venue at the Golf Club.
As stated at the beginning of the year, club assembly meetings were reduced from monthly to bi-monthly, a change that was well received by members. This allowed for the holding of more social and partners meetings. We have had four of these since reconvening face to face meetings in December including the Christmas break up at the Homewood Hall, picnic on the river, Italian night, and Partners' night. (All were enjoyable and a credit to our fun committee).
Our member numbers have dropped with the loss of four members. We have however gained a new member and there are also three prospective members. The drive for members will continue into the next Rotary year.
Sadly, we lost our much loved and esteemed member John Bett who passed away in October and he is sadly missed. A memorial picnic to commence the 2022 year was held on John's property, Colbet Park on the banks of the Goulburn River. This was attended by John's son Rohan and enjoyed by many members. A new prize category, The John Bett Memorial Award has been incorporated into the Yea Rotary Art Show.
In March Chris and I had the pleasure of attending, along with five other club members the Rotary District 9790 Conference held in Marysville. All speakers were excellent and presented on many subjects with the standout speaker for me being Samuel Johnson who started the Love Your Sister movement. He had the audience in tears. I also particularly enjoyed the Presidents' breakfast where initiatives for improving and developing your club were discussed. Chris took the opportunity to participate in The Ruth Konig Memorial walk at that time.
Sharing ideas with other Presidents and district members was most valuable. I would recommend all club members consider attending next year's conference in Deniliquin; it should be a great one.
The Rotary International Convention will be held in Melbourne in May 2023 and promises to be another great event. This is an opportunity to meet Rotary members from around the world for those who are interested and able to attend.
Our Youth Exchange program saw one applicant ready to go overseas but unfortunately due to circumstances this did not work out. Apparently, there are more clubs available than applicants. We are still keen to host a student and are having discussions with district as to the possibilities.
Despite some difficulties this year we have still managed to contribute over $6,000 to the Rotary Foundation which in turn will enable us to nominate up to five Paul Harris Fellows with two from direct member donations and two new nominations from members. This is an excellent result.
Fundraising and Community Involvement
I will not go into too much detail in these areas as more detailed information is included in the excellent directors' reports that follow.
Fundraising
Unfortunately, the Garden Expo held annually in September was cancelled in 2021 but we look forward to it being held in September 2022. We were however able to proceed with our other annual events.
Open Gardens was a great success and we were happy that visitor numbers were allowed to increase at the 11th hour (the day before).
Other repeat fundraisers included race day parking as well as stand-by cooking for the Race Club which provided good income.
Our Annual Art Show was held in January and was a great success despite some restrictions still in force.
Cycle Dindi was again held in April in conjunction with the Alexandra Rotary Club. A successful event with great feedback from participants. This event continues to grow in popularity. Fundraising was also enhanced by some unexpected events including the provision of a BBQ lunch at a local bull sale and the RACY Solar Sustainability Day. Members also utilised our BBQ trailer to assist at the Whittlesea Garden Expo, and we also assisted with parking and guest transport at a local wedding in return for a generous donation to our club. These events provided welcome incoming funds along with the potential for future involvement.
The President's Door Prize Raffle at meetings has added a bit of fun at meetings and is showing a healthy profit at this stage.
Community Involvement
Despite restrictions in place for most of the first half of the year, the club has been involved in a considerable number of community - based events.
Some of which have been held in previous years such as Christmas Hampers for the elderly, Carols by Candlelight, Australia Day breakfast, support to the A hat night was held via zoom to aid the 'Lift the Lid' program.
Our Mental Health Advocate Penny Paxman has been working tirelessly to arrange for a Mental Health First Aid Training course which will run in Yea in June. It is being run over two days with several participants.
Yea Wetlands and input to council planning sessions. Some new involvement that has been added so far includes mounting of sculptures donated to the shire by local artist Darren Gilbert (with ongoing landscaping), assistance to the Yea Football Club with gate management, and most importantly, set up and running of the Anzac Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies on behalf of the Yea-Kinglake RSL subbranch
To mark the Rotary centenary year plans have been submitted to the council for Rotary to build a shelter over a picnic table in the main street.
Meetings with the Yea Community House who help those in need, have taken place with a view as to how our club can assist them in areas that their funding may not cover.
Mental Health Initiatives
In November the club provided a donation to the Goulbum Valley Suicide Awareness group, as well as assistance in running their annual walk and provision of a BBQ.
Club Communication
During the year I have recognized a need for a communication tool for members and The Board of Directors to assist project officers in the correct running of events.
To this end, with the assistance of President Elect Tony Jacobs and Past President Carol Hogg we have begun to produce a Manual or 'How to do it document'. The aim of this is to provide a reference source to clarify questions which may arise. This will cover areas such as meeting procedure, Project Officer Roles and the planning and conduct of particular events.
As an example, events such as the Anzac Day Ceremony require careful advance planning including consultation with participants, Council Permits, Food Safety, Police etc. The manual will include critical path style charts which outline each step of the planning and should assist incoming project officers to readily access the information.
Conclusion
After writing my report, I am reminded that despite losing part of the year to COVID restrictions we have had a very full second half of the year and achieved much. At times this has been taxing of the membership, however everyone has been fantastic in their efforts. My sincere thanks to the Board, Project Officers and the general membership without whom our achievements would not be possible.
I would like to wish incoming President Tony Jacobs best wishes for his Presidential year and I look forward to being part of his team.
Tony Jacobs Year of Office 2022 - 2023
Rotary Theme: Imagine Rotary
Secretary: Julie Lynch
Treasurer: Russell Hogg
Community Service: Gary Cocks
Art Show Director: Marj Hamilton
This is a somewhat unusual report in that instead of handing over to a new President for the 2023/ 2024 year, I am continuing for a further twelve months, enabling me to not only reflect on the past year but to outline plans for the coming year.
At the start of this year, I reflected on the ongoing great achievements of our Club - the landmark events that we conduct each year, the various National celebration days that we conduct, the funds that we raise and contribute to various Rotary and local causes and the assistance we provide to needy individuals and families in the Yea and district community.
At the same time, I stressed that along with many other service and sporting Clubs, we faced a very significant challenge in that our numbers were declining, and the average age of our members was now north of seventy. The great work that we do was not only being left to fewer, but our physical capacity to carry out some of the work was not what it used to be!
So as a Board, we set ourselves the challenge of recruiting a minimum of six new members in addition to the two (Lily and Lachy) who had joined at the end of President Paul’s year.
We also realised that to attract younger members we needed to be more flexible in our membership requirements and to revisit and streamline some of our established meeting routines and practices.
Many potential members who fit the profile of the next generation of Rotary leaders and members have busy careers and young families. To enable them to still participate and contribute to the Club, we introduced a category of Associate Membership known as ‘Friends of Rotary’. Friends of Rotary commit to attend a minimum of four meetings and to assist at two Club events each year.
I’m pleased to report that at the time of writing, we have welcomed five new full Club members and six Friends of Rotary, and we are already reaping the benefit of their enthusiasm and effort.
Other highlights of the year included-
• an increased emphasis on youth with the establishment of the ‘Ruth Konig’ scholarship for Year 12 students. This scholarship, named in memory of Ruth, a passionate and committed Rotarian and educator, provides financial support for three years post secondary study. This year we were pleased to present this award to Olivia Johnson and Declan Fulford from Yea HS.
• the establishment of a Rotary Club of Yea ‘Community Service’ award with the inaugural award presented to the Yea Community Cancer Charity on Australia Day.
• conducting a very successful ‘Country race’ night in association with the Racing Club of Yea and the Yea Wetlands where the 2022 Melbourne Cup was brought to Yea by the Victorian Racing Club.
• assuming responsibility for the conduct of Australia Day from the Murrindindi Council.
• the design and introduction of new Club caps, shirts, vests and jackets.
• commencing a regular promotional time slot on UGFM.
• an update of the Club Constitution and Bylaws.
• the establishment of a Rotary Club of Yea corporate information manual.
So, in addition to ‘business as usual’, this brings me to our broad goals for the forthcoming year.
We need to maintain our focus on increasing membership so we will target inducting a further four full members while at the same time, absorbing our new members into our ongoing activities with a view to mentoring them into leadership roles.
We also want to continue to increase the profile of the Club in the community so we will invite leaders of other Rotary and service clubs to our meetings and encourage reciprocal invitations and activities.
For the first time since Covid, this year we have sponsored an exchange student (Kai), to Denmark. In return we will host an inbound exchange student this coming Rotary year from Switzerland.
We were deeply saddened during the year by the sudden death of long serving Club member Richard Forde. Richard joined the Club in 2010 and was a much-loved contributor to the Club. Club meetings to celebrate the life of both Richard and John Bett who passed away last year, were held with their families in attendance.
Finally, I’d like to thank all members of the Board for their support during a very busy and challenging year. Change is never easy, and I’ve greatly appreciated the generously provided wisdom, debate, advice, and support as we’ve gone through the year.
I also thank all members of the Club for their tremendous ongoing contribution to all that we do (and for putting up with my bedtime stories!)
At the start of this year, I reflected on the ongoing great achievements of our Club - the landmark events that we conduct each year, the various National celebration days that we conduct, the funds that we raise and contribute to various Rotary and local causes and the assistance we provide to needy individuals and families in the Yea and district community.
At the same time, I stressed that along with many other service and sporting Clubs, we faced a very significant challenge in that our numbers were declining, and the average age of our members was now north of seventy. The great work that we do was not only being left to fewer, but our physical capacity to carry out some of the work was not what it used to be!
So as a Board, we set ourselves the challenge of recruiting a minimum of six new members in addition to the two (Lily and Lachy) who had joined at the end of President Paul’s year.
We also realised that to attract younger members we needed to be more flexible in our membership requirements and to revisit and streamline some of our established meeting routines and practices.
Many potential members who fit the profile of the next generation of Rotary leaders and members have busy careers and young families. To enable them to still participate and contribute to the Club, we introduced a category of Associate Membership known as ‘Friends of Rotary’. Friends of Rotary commit to attend a minimum of four meetings and to assist at two Club events each year.
I’m pleased to report that at the time of writing, we have welcomed five new full Club members and six Friends of Rotary, and we are already reaping the benefit of their enthusiasm and effort.
Other highlights of the year included-
• an increased emphasis on youth with the establishment of the ‘Ruth Konig’ scholarship for Year 12 students. This scholarship, named in memory of Ruth, a passionate and committed Rotarian and educator, provides financial support for three years post secondary study. This year we were pleased to present this award to Olivia Johnson and Declan Fulford from Yea HS.
• the establishment of a Rotary Club of Yea ‘Community Service’ award with the inaugural award presented to the Yea Community Cancer Charity on Australia Day.
• conducting a very successful ‘Country race’ night in association with the Racing Club of Yea and the Yea Wetlands where the 2022 Melbourne Cup was brought to Yea by the Victorian Racing Club.
• assuming responsibility for the conduct of Australia Day from the Murrindindi Council.
• the design and introduction of new Club caps, shirts, vests and jackets.
• commencing a regular promotional time slot on UGFM.
• an update of the Club Constitution and Bylaws.
• the establishment of a Rotary Club of Yea corporate information manual.
So, in addition to ‘business as usual’, this brings me to our broad goals for the forthcoming year.
We need to maintain our focus on increasing membership so we will target inducting a further four full members while at the same time, absorbing our new members into our ongoing activities with a view to mentoring them into leadership roles.
We also want to continue to increase the profile of the Club in the community so we will invite leaders of other Rotary and service clubs to our meetings and encourage reciprocal invitations and activities.
For the first time since Covid, this year we have sponsored an exchange student (Kai), to Denmark. In return we will host an inbound exchange student this coming Rotary year from Switzerland.
We were deeply saddened during the year by the sudden death of long serving Club member Richard Forde. Richard joined the Club in 2010 and was a much-loved contributor to the Club. Club meetings to celebrate the life of both Richard and John Bett who passed away last year, were held with their families in attendance.
Finally, I’d like to thank all members of the Board for their support during a very busy and challenging year. Change is never easy, and I’ve greatly appreciated the generously provided wisdom, debate, advice, and support as we’ve gone through the year.
I also thank all members of the Club for their tremendous ongoing contribution to all that we do (and for putting up with my bedtime stories!)
Tony Jacobs Year of Office 2023 - 2024
Rotary Theme: Create Hope in the World
Secretary: Julie Lynch
Treasurer: Gary Fitzgerald
Community Service: Terry Hubbard / Les Hall
Art Show Director: Marj Hamilton
At this time last year, my term as President was extended for a further 12 months.
In reporting on my first year, I reflected on the signature events that we now hold each year: Open Gardens, Garden Expo, the Art Show and Cycle Dindi. I’m pleased to report that these events were again successfully held this year, raising significant sums to support various Rotary International causes including the elimination of polio, disaster aid and International and Australian surgery for children and others from the Pacific and surrounds.
These monies were also used to support local causes including mental health initiatives and our various youth programmes including bursaries, scholarships, youth exchange and leadership training.
Funds were also raised again from our weekly meeting dinner fees and raffles. These funds go to local schools, clubs and community organisations who work to provide the catering.
We also continued to conduct or assist with the conduct of various community celebratory days — Australia Day, Anzac Day, Remembrance Day etc.
Last year, I also highlighted the challenge of our declining membership numbers and the increasing age profile of the Club. In addition to the five new members we recruited last year, we set ourselves the challenge of recruiting four new members this year. I’m disappointed to report that at the time of writing and despite extensive efforts, we have only been able to induct one new member. We now face a further challenge in that two long serving members and their supporting and equally contributing wives have left the district leaving a major gap in our club numbers.
I have come to the conclusion that the only real way to attract new members is to do everything we can to lift out profile in the Community and to then rely on the networks of our members and their friends to attract those who want to contribute to the community through Rotary.
Last year, we introduced the ‘Rotary Club of Yea Community Service Award’ with the inaugural award being presented to the Yea Cancer Support Group. This year the award was presented to the ‘St Lukes Op shop’, whose volunteers work tirelessly to raise money to donate to various local causes.
We have also been privileged this year to host international exchange student, Fabio Zurkirchen from Switzerland and to welcome home Nakaiah Kerr from Denmark. Both Fabio and Nakaiah are amazing young people who are benefiting greatly from the exchange experience. Later this year we will welcome Haruno Tanaka, an exchange student from Japan.
It has been a great privilege to lead this amazing club for the last two years. I want to thank my Board for their counsel, support and contribution over the journey and to thank all of our membership for their tremendous ongoing support for all of our activities and events.
I wish Penny Paxman and her Board every success in the new Rotary year.
In reporting on my first year, I reflected on the signature events that we now hold each year: Open Gardens, Garden Expo, the Art Show and Cycle Dindi. I’m pleased to report that these events were again successfully held this year, raising significant sums to support various Rotary International causes including the elimination of polio, disaster aid and International and Australian surgery for children and others from the Pacific and surrounds.
These monies were also used to support local causes including mental health initiatives and our various youth programmes including bursaries, scholarships, youth exchange and leadership training.
Funds were also raised again from our weekly meeting dinner fees and raffles. These funds go to local schools, clubs and community organisations who work to provide the catering.
We also continued to conduct or assist with the conduct of various community celebratory days — Australia Day, Anzac Day, Remembrance Day etc.
Last year, I also highlighted the challenge of our declining membership numbers and the increasing age profile of the Club. In addition to the five new members we recruited last year, we set ourselves the challenge of recruiting four new members this year. I’m disappointed to report that at the time of writing and despite extensive efforts, we have only been able to induct one new member. We now face a further challenge in that two long serving members and their supporting and equally contributing wives have left the district leaving a major gap in our club numbers.
I have come to the conclusion that the only real way to attract new members is to do everything we can to lift out profile in the Community and to then rely on the networks of our members and their friends to attract those who want to contribute to the community through Rotary.
Last year, we introduced the ‘Rotary Club of Yea Community Service Award’ with the inaugural award being presented to the Yea Cancer Support Group. This year the award was presented to the ‘St Lukes Op shop’, whose volunteers work tirelessly to raise money to donate to various local causes.
We have also been privileged this year to host international exchange student, Fabio Zurkirchen from Switzerland and to welcome home Nakaiah Kerr from Denmark. Both Fabio and Nakaiah are amazing young people who are benefiting greatly from the exchange experience. Later this year we will welcome Haruno Tanaka, an exchange student from Japan.
It has been a great privilege to lead this amazing club for the last two years. I want to thank my Board for their counsel, support and contribution over the journey and to thank all of our membership for their tremendous ongoing support for all of our activities and events.
I wish Penny Paxman and her Board every success in the new Rotary year.
