The normal Bayside Geelong Club meeting (if anything we do is just normal) was replaced with a smashing combined meeting to meet our District Governor Rosanne Karva with the other Rotary Clubs in Group 10 of District 9780.
For info about the clubs (go here to find out) about all the clubs in the district.
The meeting was well attended with about 100 Rotarians in attendance DG Rosanne gave insight from Rotary international and her own thoughts. The scope of the DG’s presentation was:
1 Increasing our Impact
2 Expanding our reach
3 Enhancing participants engagement
4 Increasing our ability to adapt.
Along with the goals above Rosanne posed an interesting question and a challenge - Are you a family friendly club?
- The DG spoke about the Purple House Project which is an innovative Indigenous-owned and run health service operating from its base in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Now operating 16 remote clinics and a mobile dialysis unit called the Purple Truck, Purple House is getting patients back home so that families and culture can remain strong. The DG is looking for items to assist in this work soaps and toiletries etc.
There are plans for a new purple house at Coober Pedy ~more info to come from District.
Another reason for the meeting was for each club president to update the Governor and the assembled throng on their plans for their club’s plans for the upcoming year,
President Peter Hynes was unfortunately unable to attend but Rtn Dan Furlan gave the meeting a potted view in the crystal ball that is Bayside Geelong club planning.(summary below)
- Club Services focus is Barwon Health Patient Transport. Isolated from Medicare funding this services Vehicles driven by 65 volunteers to transport to their regular dialysis, chemotherapy and rehabilitation treatments as well as to monthly outpatients appointments. Funds raised are used for the vehicles fuel and maintenance services.
- Two club members (Jo White and Judy Eyles) drive the Patient Transport one day each week. The service has 5 vehicles and provides 16000 patient trips per year.
RC Bayside intents to:
- Continue donating to the vehicle maintenance expenses.
- Raise funds for a new vehicle using the combined efforts of the other Group 9 & 10 Clubs (district grants).
- Continue offering practical help to the volunteer corp., at Barwon Health. Recently we built and provided a patient ramp at the home of an outpatient.
- The Club will continue to support Christ Church Meals Program with donations and volunteer labour.
- One club member hosts a working bee at least once a month to prepare kits for Days for Girls (the club purchases the material).
- We will continue to support Geelong Rainbow Inc., with volunteer labour at their Annual Festival and provide funds from food sales.
- We will continue to support SPAN (Suicide Prevention and Awareness Network with volunteer labour.
- Finally we reported we have pledged $2000 for the GRIG project being planned for a water project in Vanuatu