 | HOW THIS BOOKLET CAME ABOUT…. |
ORGANISATION
Our club is part of District 9790. There are 545 Rotary districts around the world each with a District Governor (DG) who reports directly to Rotary International (RI). There are 545 Rotary districts around the world each with a District Governor (DG) who reports directly to Rotary International (RI).
Our district (D9790) comprises 65 clubs and around 1,800 members, from Holbrook in the northeast, Finley in the north west, to Eltham and Sunbury in the south.
In 2022-2023 our DG is David McPherson who has ten Assistant Governors (AGs), each having approximately six clubs under their control. Our AG for 2022/23 is Nina Lunde from the RC of Kinglake ranges.
ROTARY’S BEGINNING
Back in 1905, corruption was rife in Chicago. Paul Harris arranged his first meeting of business people for fellowship, exchange of ideas, and for ethical mutual help. He decided to restrict membership to one person from each line of business/profession. The first meeting had a coal merchant, tailor, mining engineer, and a lawyer (Paul Harris) At the second meeting they were joined by a printer, organ manufacturer and a real estate broker. They decided to hold the meetings at each member’s place of business on a ROTATING basis ~ hence the name ROTARY club was born. The very first Rotary Community Service project was the provision of a public toilet outside City Hall, Chicago in 1906.
PROBUS
PROBUS stands out as Rotary’s most successful international community service project for retired seniors. Founded in the UK in 1965 there are over 2,000 clubs in Australia and NZ, and around 100 of these are in D9790. The Probus Club of Yea has over 70 members and meets once a month for morning tea, hobbies, scheduled speakers and entertainment. Many lunches, dinners and excursions are also planned throughout the year. Some of these included a visit to Lord Howe Island and bus tours throughout Victoria. The name PROBUS derives from PROfessional and BUSiness.
AUSTRALIAN CORPORATE ALLIANCE PROGRAM
ACAP is Rotary’s Australian Corporate Alliance Program. ACAP seeks to combine Rotary and business interests to raise the community’s “awareness and fundraising for Rotary.” One ACAP success story was the provision of 4 million printed tray-mats by McDonalds for use at their 760 stores throughout Australia. The tray-mats featured a fundraising call for Rotary Foundation’s Polio Eradication program.
GLOBAL GRANTS
The RC of Yea was the first club within District 9790 to ever have been awarded a Global Grant. (Daysprings Project) Global Grants are a powerful way for Rotarians to achieve financing for significant projects. In 2019-2020 alone, 1,350 global grants were awarded totalling over $US100 million. Whilst the funding mechanism at first appears complicated, it is worth pursuing. A local Rotary club and its international partner club can finance joint projects with 80% of the funding coming from Rotary District Designated Funds and Global Grants.
THE ROTARY FOUNDATION
Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, The Rotary Foundation (TRF) has spent over $US4 billion on life changing sustainable projects. TRF helps Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment and alleviating poverty. TRF is one of the largest worldwide charities and enjoys the highest audited qualifications for governance possible. You may not be aware that the District Chair of TRF for 2022-2023 is none other than PDG David Anderson of RC of Yea. Put your fund, The Rotary Foundation, at the top of your charitable giving.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS
There are some 40,000 Rotarians who belong to one of almost 100 International Fellowships. No matter what your interest, ie canoeing, railroads, dentistry, accountancy, Jazz, flying, amateur radio, golfing, geneaology, etc there is probably a fellowship that you could join to enhance your enjoyment and share with like-minded Rotarians. Yours truly is a member of IFRM. (International Fellowship of Rotarian Musicians) Don McQueen, a past member of our club was not only a member of IFCR (Cricketing Rotarians) he was for some time its International Chairman. Don enjoyed playing cricket with Rotarians all over the world, including hosting international tours into Australia.
Now...there are some members of our club who would qualify to join IFRRH.
??? (International Fellowship of Rotarians with Repaired Hearts)
ROTARY FRIENDSHIP EXCHANGE
Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) is Rotary’s exchange program for Rotarians and their spouses. Friendship Exchanges allow Rotarians the opportunity to experience another culture first hand in the homes of Rotarians in another country. The exchanges are reciprocal between Districts, and usually last about 2-3 weeks. Many of our members have participated overseas in RFE’s, and we have hosted many return visits to our club. One particularly memorable RFE visit in May 2014 from Thailand included a vibrant young professional woman called Supatra Wannasubchae and we all know what happened to her!!
INTERPLAST
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons established INTERPLAST in conjunction with Rotarians. INTERPLAST sends teams of volunteer plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to provide life changing surgery and medical training in 17 countries across the Asia-Pacific region. This is done in partnership with local organisations including hospitals, universities and NGO’s. The mission is to “Repair bodies and rebuild lives” through providing surgical services to those who could not afford to access these. An estimated 143 million people each year go without urgently needed surgical attention. More than 99 million of those cases are in Asia and Oceania, where INTERPLAST works.
PEACE SCHOLARSHIP
The Rotary Foundation each year offers scholarships for college graduates and professionals to study peace and conflict resolution. Rotary peace fellowships are available to candidates who want to participate in a master’s degree or certificate programme at one of six partner universities. The peace scholarships are fully funded and applicants from all over the world can apply. The duration of the master’s Scholarship is 15 to 24 months and is 3 months for Certificate programmes.
SERVICE BEYOND THE ROTARY CLUB OF YEA
Our club has an impressive record of members who not only give outstanding service at club level, but also have held District committee positions, and senior District and International roles. Many of these appointments are for a three-year term. Some of these members and the more senior roles held are as follows. (My apologies if I have missed anybody?)
THE ROTARY CLUB OF DUNEDIN CENTRAL
The Rotary Club of Dunedin Central has placed 200 chess sets in 12 schools and plans to extend into all the city’s schools. They hope other clubs in NZ will implement the scheme, which is popular in England and first launched in 1994. Chess is a powerful tool for boosting classroom results, training the mind to think logically under pressure, and improving numerical, verbal and memory skills. The game links all family generations, builds self-confidence and problem-solving skills and can assist those with learning difficulties.
ROTARY and the UNITED NATIONS
ROTARY and the UNITED NATIONS share a history of working together toward world understanding and peace. After World II, we made our first serious attempt at a peaceful union of the peoples with the League of Nations. It failed for a variety of reasons, including the over-reaching of the victors and the failure of the United States to ratify its participation. The story of Rotary International’s role in the creation of the UN has been well told, but it is not well-know at home or abroad, or even among Rotarians. From our initial “Resolution of Human Rights” at the RI Convention in Havana in 1940, to the 1942 gathering of peace planners in London which evolved into UNESCO, to the participation by RI as observers at the early 1944 preparation meetings in Hot Springs, Virginia; Atlantic City, NJ; Bretton Woods, New Hampshire; Chicago, Illinois; and Dumbarton Oaks, (Washington D.C.), Rotary was an active participant in the creation of the UN. In 1945 there were only a few organisations with the worldwide reach that Rotary enjoys.
SENIORS’ CHRISTMAS DINNER
For many years, the Yea Lions Club staged a dinner in the Town Hall close to Christmas for invited community senior citizens, essentially as a thank you and an opportunity for them to catch up with one another. After Yea Lions disbanded, the Rotary Club of Yea took over this gesture as an annual event. Each year in early December, we provide a two-course meal to approximately 100 senior guests, along with entertainment such as a singalong, children’s choir and line dancing exhibitions.
ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE
RYE is a vibrant, exciting and stunning programme that enables teenage students to have a year’s total experience in another culture. In 2019-20 there were 8,183 students on exchange, 13,062 host families involved, 5,772 schools, 30,379 volunteers, all being nurtured through 5,371 clubs in 490 districts and 128 countries. Whilst these numbers are impressive, there is much room for expansion of the programme, as only a mere 16% of Rotary clubs participate. According to an RI feedback survey in 2019, 89% of host families remain in contact with one or more of their former students.
THE PAUL HARRIS SOCIETY
THE PAUL HARRIS SOCIETY recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who contribute $US1,000 or more each Rotary year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved Foundation grants. Paul Harris Society members bring positive change to communities around the world. In any given year, less than 3 percent of Rotary Foundation donors contribute at the Paul Harris Society level or above, yet their contributions represent approximately 35 percent of all annual giving.
As Rotary Foundation grants and activities are largely funded by Annual Fund contributions, Paul Harris Society members help determine how many individuals, families and communities Rotary can impact each year. Make The Rotary Foundation your charity of choice and consider joining the Paul Harris Society to contribute to “doing good in the world”.
AUSTRALIAN ROTARY HEALTH
ARH ~ Australian Rotary Health provides funding towards research grants, fellowships and PhD scholarships focused on finding preventative and curative solutions for mental illness in young Australians. From 2022, the funding focus will narrow to the mental health of children aged 0-12. They also provide funding into a broad range of general health areas, provide scholarships for rural medical and nursing students, as well as Indigenous health students. Australian Rotary Health provides funding into areas of health that do not readily attract funding and promotes findings to the community. Australian Rotary Health is a project of the Rotary Districts of Australia and is supported by Rotary Clubs. They have a broad vision to improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
ROTARY CONVENTION 2023 is on in MELBOURNE from May 27th to May 30th 2023, plus there are many pre and post conference events that you can participate in. If you haven’t already, I strongly urge you to visit the stunning website as follows and familiarise yourself with everything. http://rotarymelboune2023.org Rotary Conventions are the International Rotary Conferences held each year and are quite an experience. For example, in 1980 and in 1985 a keynote speaker was Albert Sabin, the developer of the oral polio vaccine. His call for repeated, well organised mass vaccination programmes was not embraced by health organisations at the time. Rotary took up the challenge, and the rest is history. Many of our club members have attended Rotary Conventions all around the world, and in the words of PDG David Anderson… “All Rotarians should experience a Rotary Convention at least once in their lifetime” The last time a RC was held in Australia was in SYDNEY in 2014.
PRIDE OF WORKMANSHIP
PRIDE OF WORKMANSHIP awards give local employers the opportunity to recognise their outstanding employees by nominating them for a POW award. Club members who believe they know of someone who could be worthy of an award should discuss this with Vocational Director, Sue Carpenter. After nomination and acceptance, the recipients of each award are invited to a special club dinner meeting with their employer, where after a suitable speech by the employer as to why the employee was nominated, a unique engraved Rotary POW award plaque is presented.
THE ROTARY CLUB OF BALWYN
The Rotary Club of Balwyn is responsible for running a well-known weekly Sunday market in Camberwell since 1976. The club inherited this project from The Rotary Club of Camberwell. Regular and occasional stall holders come from far and wide and provide an incredibly diverse range of goods for sale. In the 45 years of trading every Sunday except through COVID lockdowns, over $20 million has been raised. The ripple effect of the many RC Balwyn projects, and the projects of other Rotary clubs and community organisations they have supported are enormous. The people, the stall holders, patrons and Rotarians are what makes the market truly unique and special.
BUT…… it nearly didn’t happen...back at the RC Balwyn board meeting in 1976, the vote to start a Sunday market at Camberwell Junction was tied 6 – 6. President Jim Hopper cast the deciding vote in favour…….and the rest is history.
YEA WETLANDS
In around 2002, one summer night after dinner at the pub, our club had a programme which saw us all paddling canoes on the waters of Cummins reserve. T
his event was hosted by Terry Redding, who at that time ran a local outdoor education business and provided a truckload of canoes and appropriate instruction and commentary. Members were very excited at the potential this area seemed to provide for education, tourism, and wildlife conservation. The club picked up on earlier feasibility studies, and ably led by then Rotarian Russell Wealands, commenced clearing the Hood St Police paddocks, held numerous discussions with all interested parties, formed committees, applied for and received grants, built bridges and boardwalks, constructed walking tracks, and cleared weeds, culminating in the Y Water Discovery Centre and Yea Wetlands as we know it today.
his event was hosted by Terry Redding, who at that time ran a local outdoor education business and provided a truckload of canoes and appropriate instruction and commentary. Members were very excited at the potential this area seemed to provide for education, tourism, and wildlife conservation. The club picked up on earlier feasibility studies, and ably led by then Rotarian Russell Wealands, commenced clearing the Hood St Police paddocks, held numerous discussions with all interested parties, formed committees, applied for and received grants, built bridges and boardwalks, constructed walking tracks, and cleared weeds, culminating in the Y Water Discovery Centre and Yea Wetlands as we know it today.ROTARY YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARD (RYLA)
This is an intensive leadership experience for young people aged 14 to 30. Participants are nominated by local Rotary clubs, and spend a week at a camp undertaking seminars, presentations, activities and workshops covering a large variety of topics. The objective of these camps is to develop leaders, build communication and problem-solving skills, learn from inspirational speakers, peer mentors, unlock potential to turn motivation into action, and provide fun and the opportunity to make connections and form lasting friendships.
MURRINDINDI MUSIC HALL (MMH)
In 2004, Carol Hogg conceived and initiated MMH which was embraced by the club and ran each year for some 5 years. The old-style music hall shows were lively fast-paced concerts which packed out the Town Hall and had patrons in stitches of laughter, as well as amazement at the standard of local talent from young students in particular. As well as giving young children an opportunity to perform publicly, there were many musical items from local and invited performers, along with a good dose of Rotarians performing humorous skits. Who could forget the hilarious YEA BC news items, with compères John Footsaker and Pills Pollard, broadcast between each act, Terry Hubbard and Les Hall as Tarzans, Dick Dashwood as Jane…complete with grass skirt, blonde wig and coconut husk brassiere cups….and then Terry Hubbard as Chad Morgan
MEDIC ALERT
Medic Alert has been adopted as a national community service project by the Rotary Institute in Australia, and Rotary is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all persons needing the system have the opportunity to do so. Clubs can donate say $5 per member which is used to ensure the development of ongoing public awareness programs. Clubs should establish an awareness of the benefits of Medic Alert to their local community. This can be achieved by bringing the benefits of the program to the attention of the local medical community, pharmacies, hospitals, Probus and Rotary speakers etc. Clubs can distribute brochures and also liaise with the local doctors and provide some funding for a Medic Alert if there is a patient that is unable to afford the $58 membership cost.
SHELTERBOX
ShelterBox is a cutting-edge charity that hand-delivers emergency shelter for families devastated by natural disaster and conflict. The signature ShelterBoxes and Shelter Kits contain the tools to transform lives and rebuild communities. Since its inception, ShelterBox has been intrinsically linked with Rotary. Starting out as a club project in 2000, it has grown to become Rotary International’s Project Partner for disaster relief. ShelterBox works with Rotarians around the world to deliver emergency shelter and essential items following natural disaster and humanitarian crises. In 2018 ShelterBox assisted over 42,000 families with emergency shelter and other essential household items. That’s equivalent to more than 210,000 people. With the help of Rotary, ShelterBox has responded 18 times to reach families affected by natural disasters and conflict.
TRIVIA NIGHT
A magnificent trivia night was held by our club at Beaufort Manor in May 2021 where approx. 75 guests enjoyed food, wines, raffles and fun-filled auctions. Lisa and Stuart Cornwall, owners, generously donated the use of Beaufort Manor for the occasion. Our Trivia Master, Ian Moore, was a professional operator who had us all totally engrossed in the trivia event, as well as conducting intriguing games such as card corner, and 100 squares. In addition to enjoying a superb fun filled night, the club raised $3,500 which was added to our project funds for future disbursement.
FRANK DEVLYN RI President 2000-2001
Frank was the third Rotarian from Mexico to lead Rotary since its inception in Chicago, 1905. Frank was an entrepreneur and high achiever, and president of his company, the Devlyn Optical Group in Mexico. His career included serving as an advisor to the Mexican Government, and Board member of the National Bank of Mexico, Red Cross, Goodwill Industries and the Inverlat Bank. Amongst his many Rotary achievements, including being a Rotary Foundation Trustee, and a National Advisor on Polio in Mexico, Frank wrote five Rotary books called Frank Talk, which are essentially motivational manuals for all Rotarians.
Frank Talk 1 “How YOU can make a difference through membership in Rotary”Frank Talk 2 “How to improve membership retention, and energise your club”.
Frank Talk 3 “On our Rotary Foundation
Frank Talk 4 “On Leadership”
Frank Talk 5 “On Public Speaking”
More than 300,000 books in the FT series have been sold, in nine languages with all proceeds going to The Rotary Foundation. All 5 books are now available as ebooks. Go to the link here and download a pdf of Frank Talk 1 to your computer now …. absolutely free. https://franktalkbooks.com
SIR CLEMENT WILLIAM BAILEY RENOUF
Sir Clement was born in Ingham, Queensland he joined the Rotary Club of Nambour in 1950 and was a member for 70 years until his death in 2020. He was an 
Accountant and in 1978, he became World President of Rotary International. He was appointed a Member of The Order of Australia in 1979 and was knighted in 1988 for “outstanding service to the community.” He was affectionately known as “The Quiet Dynamo from Down Under”.
Accountant and in 1978, he became World President of Rotary International. He was appointed a Member of The Order of Australia in 1979 and was knighted in 1988 for “outstanding service to the community.” He was affectionately known as “The Quiet Dynamo from Down Under”.In early 1979, after reading an article about the eradication of smallpox, he became inspired about Rotary finding a similar project, and in November 1979 the RI Board agreed to set eradicating polio as a primary target. Clem was personally instrumental in raising funds, and initially asked all clubs to contribute about $15 per member to the project. A surprising amount of $7 million was raised, part of which was then used to fund the first immunisation project in the Philippines. This project has now expanded into the Polio Plus phenomenon which has overseen the expenditure so far of more than $12 billion and countless volunteer hours in worldwide vaccination programmes. Because of the work that Sir Clem Renouf began in his year as RI President there are 17 million people on this planet who’ve not experience paralysis through Polio. Polio was endemic in 126 countries back in 1985 and today it is two. The whole of Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia is Polio free…because of Rotary and the leadership of Sir Clem Renouf. We are now very, very close to achieving 100% eradication, worldwide, of this deadly and devastating disease.
ARCH KLUMPF
Arch was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Cleveland, Ohio in 1911. As club president in 1913, he advocated for the club to build a reserve that would ensure its means to do future good work. This idea would stay with him as he moved on to serve Rotary in other roles. Five years after becoming a Rotarian, Arch was elected to serve as Rotary’s President for 1916-1917. Towards the end of his term he defined six points of action, including the establishment of an endowment, which would later become The Rotary Foundation. Arch served as the first trustee chair, from 1928 to 1935. After stepping down as chair, he remained dedicated to educating Rotary leaders and members about the importance of the Foundation and encouraging contributions. He died at 82 in 1951 and is affectionately remembered as “The Father of Foundation”.BEQUEST SOCIETY
Individuals who include The Rotary Foundation as a beneficiary of at least $US10,000 in their estate plans are recognized as members of the Rotary Bequest Society. There are various levels of membership depending on the size of the bequest. A simple clause in your will, with appropriate notification of the clause to District and Paramatta, is all that it takes, but the cumulative effect for The Rotary Foundation is both enormous and long lasting. Talk to the District Foundation Chair (PDG Ando) if you need assistance with the appropriate clause wording to ensure your bequest is donated via the RC of Yea to Foundation without any delay.
MANDO PNG
Nine Rotarians from Yea visited Papua New Guinea in September, 2010 where they participated in our club’s first RAWCS project. Seventeen people from four Rotary clubs were involved in the project which was at MANDO, a village some 20km from GOROKA on the Highlands highway. The project involved completing various maintenance jobs in the village primary school and included concreting, repairs, sewing and installing curtains, constructing desks, and assisting in the classroom with educating the children.
ROTARY ADVENTURE IN CITIZENSHIP (RAIC)
This is an intensive and fun filled week-long program to help prepare young adults for full participation as citizens of Australia. Each year around 40 year 11 students (the delegates) are sent by their local Rotary clubs to Canberra. For a week the delegates are immersed behind the scenes in Parliament House. They view Parliament in action, the budget speech and question time, meet their Federal member, press gallery journalists, and through role play participate in law-making debates and other functions of Parliament. They also visit Embassy’s and learn about diplomacy, visit and experience national institutions, (eg War Memorial & High Court), and importantly meet and make friends with young people from all over Australia.
WOMEN IN ROTARY
Women were once excluded from membership in Rotary, and it was not until 1989 that the Constitution and By-Laws of Rotary International were amended to remove the “male only” membership clause.
As with many other aspects of societal change, the wheels turned slowly...and even the RC of Yea was an all-male club until 2001, when Carol Hogg was inducted as its first female member. As at January, 2023 our club now enjoys a female content of a third of its members and all would agree the club and Rotary are the richer for this change.
Furthermore, the Rotary 2022-2023 year is a milestone in that Jennifer Jones is the first woman to be elected as RI President in Rotary’s 117 year history.
THE MAD HATTERS
THE MAD HATTERS was a group of Yea Rotarians who met regularly to practice and participate as a choir. Performances were usually as part of the Murrindindi Music Hall (see bulletin 1st Dec) and other club activities. The hats were very tall blue and gold Mad Hatters hats purchased from the West Coast Eagles. There is some controversy as to just how successful this group was musically...but as with most club activities, considerable fun and fellowship was had.
TERANGAVILLE
Past club Rotarian Linda Nankervis once called this local property home where she lived with her partner Ian Milliken. In 2004 and 2005 the club ran "The Terangaville Cup" which coincided with another famous horse race. Wonderful fellowship, much food and drink, beautiful surroundings, entertainment and many items such as "wheely bin" races ensured fun filled times. 
*Guess who Charlie has put in the bin?