History 2010 - 2014
2010 - 2014
 
Terry Hubbard Year of Office 2010 - 2011
 
Rotary Theme: Building Communities Bridging Continents
Secretary: Glenda. Woods
Treasurer: John Handsaker
Community Service: Les Hall
 Art Show Director: Ken Foletta
 
It is with pleasure that I present to you a resume of the 25t'' year of our Club, a year which I will certainly remember for the generous support that I have received from the Board, the Directors and our members. It was with some trepidation that I accepted the role of President, but I can sincerely say that the experience has been most enjoyable, memorable and fulfilling.
Our Club has been very supportive in the area of community service. We continued our regular activities such as the annual Art Show, catering at the Molesworth Bazaar, the Biggest Morning Tea, the Murrindindi Music Hall, our Student Exchange Program and the Mock Interview Program.
In addition, we increased our manpower support for the Yea Show which was in its 96`h year, we conducted a 'clean-up' of Ms Carter's property, we sent a work party to Mando village in PNG, we funded support for Charlotte at kindergarten, provided manpower for the Big Fishing Competition, St Pat's Races, The Great Vic Bike Ride and more recently the Whittlesea Bike Ride.
A major fundraiser for the year was in support of flood effected communities. Our Club was generously offered a performance by Marney McQueen and the cast of the musical, Hairspray. This concert was an overwhelming success resulting in almost $12,000 being raised with this amount boosted by Club funds and sent to two flood affected Clubs who had been supportive to us after the fires. Marney and her crew were natural talents and their performances were memorable.
We continued our support for schools through scholarships and a program for young female students at Typo Station and are involved in theL2P Program which is a support service to young drivers needing to accumulate driving hours for licence purposes.
The Club enjoys great fellowship and this year saw an enjoyable Christmas party fund raiser hosted by Janet and myself, a return visit to Scottsdale by more than a dozen of our members, a barbecue at DGE David Anderson's, a dinner at the Flowerdale Hotel with some of the fencing volunteers and of course, the celebration of the Club's 25th birthday, attracting members from Southern Mitchell, Alexandra, Seymour, Mansfield, Kinglake Ranges, Scottsdale and Euroa, as well as nearly all past Rotarians of this Club. In the area of fire recovery there is now a shift in emphasis toward support services for those at risk as a result of disaster trauma and we auspiced a combined meeting with our district and South Australian clubs and local support services. This program is now underway.
In terms of membership, we farewelled Russell and Carol Hogg (but maintain a connection as they are now honorary Rotarians) and Jed and Sue Hart (but maintain a connection as they are now Friends of Rotary). We welcomed Richard Forde, Gary Cocks, Marj Hamilton and Fiona and Peter Tinney as new members. We bestowed Paul Harris Fellows on PP Sandra Hanley, Rtn Elaine White, on Frank Hargrave for his service to community and, on behalf of the Darwin Sunrise Club, to Alan Stafford for his voluntary support for the fencing program.
Our Club has continued its commitment to District 9790 with David Anderson in his role as DGE, with Gary Fitzgerald in his capacity as District Disaster Recovery Chair and with Sandra Hanley as Assistant District Governor.
The year ahead will be our busiest ever, with David Anderson as District Governor, Gary Fitzgerald (District Secretary), Jim Osborne (District Treasurer) and Ruth Konig (Conference Organiser).
I know that they will be ably supported by incoming president Julie Lynch and her Board and also by this energetic and motivated Club which I have had the honour of leading in its 25th year.
I express my gratitude to David Roberts and Julie Lynch (Bulletin Editors) and Catherine Rattray (Program Director), all of whom stepped in at short notice to perform these roles.
 
 
Julie Lynch Year of Office 2011 - 2012
 
Rotary Theme: Reach within to Brace Humanity
Secretary: Glenda. Wood
Treasurer: Gary Cox
Community Service: Elaine White
 Art Show Director: Bob Glenister
 
I was privileged as President to commence the 26th year of the Rotary Club of Yea with optimism and many aspirations and I conclude the year with continued pride and enthusiasm for our club.  I am confident that we are in a strong position to continue to service our regular projects, both local, nationally and internationally.
Throughout our very, very, very busy year our members have provided great support as they have adhered to the principle of ‘Service above Self’.  Thank you for the generous support that was so readily given by the Board, Directors, office bearers, members and their partners and families. Thank you all, for without your continued commitment, dedication and engagement, we would not be able to deliver on the programs we do.
 The year has been fulfilling, productive and on occasions challenging, with a wide range of service activities and fund raisers undertaken. Thank you to Programme Director Catherine who has ensured that we have been able to enjoy a great range of guest speakers at our meetings who have been informative, instructive and thought provoking.
 Sadly Rotarian David Long passed away in December 2011 after a long and debilitating battle with cancer.  David’s cheery nature, dry humour and wit will be missed at Club functions and activities such as the Art Show and Molesworth and Australia Day BBQ’s where he often entertained us with his many stories.  His presence in our club, his vocational and Rotary knowledge, fellowship and ability to give service, not just to Rotary but to his local community will be sadly missed by all members and the wider family of Rotary.  Vale David.
 Some members have also unfortunately dealt with the loss of immediate family members and a number also continue to deal with serious and life threatening illnesses. Our thoughts are always with our members during these difficult times. Thank you to John Bett for providing good communication and support with the Family of Rotary needs as they arose.
 The Club’s enduring  fellowship has always been  widely recognised as one of our greatest assets with  weekly fellowship  complemented by a number of special occasions; continuing our friendship visits with our Scottsdale mates, hosting the Swedish RFE team from District D2400, partners’ nights including the Legends Night, Christmas break up at the Hubbard’s, hosting the Alexandra  and Seymour clubs, visiting Mansfield and Seymour clubs and joining the RC of Kinglake Ranges at the new education and community facilities at Flowerdale PS.  ‘Rotary on the Road’ also occurred with visits to not only Flowerdale but also to the Molesworth Hotel and the new community facilities at Strath Creek which was combined with a visit to the beautiful home and gardens of David Ralph and Rosemary Simon Ralph. 
As you read the reports included in the Annual Report you will see that we have had a very comprehensive year.  There were many highlights; seemingly on a weekly basis at times!
 Legends’ Night:  What a pleasure it was to recognise early in the Rotary year the achievements of our three  ‘Elder Statesmen’; PP and PHF Doug Zerbe,  PP Dickie Dashwood and PP and PHF Norm Berndt.  Each of these gentlemen was acknowledged for their service spanning many years that they have provided to our club, and they were also thanked for the active role that they continue to play in our Club. They are very much appreciated and respected members with a wealth of experience and knowledge of Rotary.
Hosting the Swedish RFE team:  A hectic few days of hosting six couples from D 2400 Sweden, took place in early November and what a delightful few days they were!  Thank you to the families and members who hosted our guests and accompanied them on their visit to our beautiful district.  The Swedes were very appreciative of our hospitality and left us with many happy memories.
 Open Garden Scheme Week End:   2011 was the first year of this fund-raising project and it lived up to all expectations with sunny weather, a diverse range of beautiful gardens on display and many visitors from across Victoria in attendance, and profits in excess of $3,000.   Thank you to organiser Elaine White for her sustained efforts and to the members for their commitment over the weekend. The garden show hosts were suitably thanked at the Strath Creek Dinner.
 Art Show:  Our major fund raiser for the year was an outstanding success with many compliments received from the artists and visitors, particularly those who enjoyed the fabulous opening night.  Thank you again to our valued sponsors and advertisers, in particular our major sponsor PHF Frank Hargrave and his wife Ruth. This year, the committee under the visionary leadership of Director Bob Glenister and assistant Fiona introduced a new theme (Hollywood) based opening evening, expanded the marketing, publicity and signage, and incorporated new software into the data collection of artists’ registrations, painting sales, etc.   The support of the RC of Warrandyte Donvale is acknowledged.  These changes will further improve and stream line the Art Show and continue to make it relevant and attractive for our artists, sponsors, advertisers and visitors.
 RC of Scottsdale Reciprocal Visit:  Once again we spent a wonderful few days with our friends who visited from across Bass Strait and continued the association that began during the most traumatic of events; the 2009 Bushfires.  The Golf grudge match, played at the Yea course was won by Yea, the first of many such triumphs to come!  Thank you to Terry and Jim for scheduling a great program of fellowship.
 District 9790 Conference:  Many months of preparation and planning under the tireless leadership of Chair Ruth Konig and the Conference Committee, culminated in a magnificent District Conference at Moonee Valley in March.  The event really did live up to its motto of a ‘Conference with a Difference’ with a new venue, inspirational speakers, active networking and many opportunities to learn more about Rotary in action. Thank you to all members (and their partners and families) who ensured that DG David’s Conference goals were realised.   It was a huge undertaking to ensure its smooth operation but one from which we can take a great deal of satisfaction and pride in a ‘job well done’.
 District Representation:  With DG David, AG and Youth Exchange committee member Sandra, District Secretary Jim, District Treasurer and District Disaster Recovery Chair Gary and District Conference Chair Ruth our Club was certainly well represented at District level this year.  The contribution that all these members made, in addition to their club duties was laudable.  Congratulations to DG David who provided visionary leadership to his District management team, District Chairs, committee members and the 61 Club Presidents of District 9790.
 Possum’s Project Contribution.   After a visit to the club as guest speaker, by renowned chef Jeffery Tan a most successful fund raiser was organised at the Osborne home in Strath Creek.  16 guests enjoyed a sumptuous meal and contributed $4,400 to Possums project- to improve infant and maternal health facilities at Goroka hospital in PNG.  Thank you to Jim and Glenys along with Terry and Janet for ensuring the night was a tremendous success, both socially and financially.
 Macular Degeneration Community Awareness program: Jeannie and John Handsaker have been at the forefront of this community awareness program and have achieved a great deal in a very short time.  Jeannie has been very persistent in gaining partnership support from the VEI and the Macular Foundation and recently the community awareness education campaign has gone ‘viral’ with support now promised from the Federal Govt.  Amsler grids have been distributed to every Rotary Club in Australia and considerable interest has been expressed from international clubs too.
 Hume and Hovell Foundation fundraiser
Although not attracting the district support that we had hoped for due to the timing of the event, a very enjoyable day of fellowship and Foundation fundraising took place at Hume and Hovell in late October.  The more active of the participants worked up an appetite by trekking over the hills whilst the less athletic relaxed on the veranda enjoying the cricket and the views across the ‘Valley of a Thousand Hills’.  Thank you to Don and Anne, our gracious hosts.
 Commitment to Youth and Youth Exchange
We continued our practice of supporting the Youth Exchange Program.  Last July we welcomed Tabitha Nebiker from Switzerland who has endeared herself to all members with her warmth and generous spirit.  During the year we also welcomed home Kirby Davis from Brazil and farewelled Ella O’Dolan who is currently enjoying her time in Switzerland.  Our association will continue into 2012/2013 when Milo Cowles, a young man from Franklin in New York State will be hosted by our club.  It is imperative though that all members endeavour to share in the responsibility of hosting our inbound students.   By including the students in our daily lives not only do they have an opportunity to learn about and appreciate our diverse Australian lifestyles but we in turn are richly rewarded.
 We sponsored many young students to leadership courses, sports programs and VCE academic enhancement classes as well as sponsoring a young man to RYLA.  An ongoing contribution was given to support a young student with a disability at Yea Kindergarten, Kinglake Scout group was assisted and our annual scholarships disbursement to eight local schools took place in December.  These awards ceremonies are always particularly gratifying when we meet the recipients, their families and teachers.
 Mental Health First Aid Course.
With the guidance and well-developed organisational skills of one of our newer members Marj Hamilton, a very satisfying and productive, two day Australian Rotary Health sponsored Mental Health First Aid course was organised in May.  20 participants from Rotary and other local community groups found the course very helpful in identifying the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and learning the means to support those in need.
Media Relations
The Club has continued its good exposure through the media this year ensuring that community awareness of our activities has been maintained.  Articles of interest were published in the local papers, the District newsletter - the Drum and in Rotary Down Under.  Thank you, Elaine, for fulfilling the Media Relations duties so efficiently.
Ongoing Annual Support
Members ensured that we followed through with our annual service and fundraising commitments; Biggest Morning Tea, Australia Day Breakfast, Yea HS Mock Interviews, Molesworth Bazaar, Senior Citizens’ Dinner, Carols By Candlelight, Whittlesea Cycling Challenge, Yea Agricultural Show and Beef Expo, Bowelscan program, St Pat’s Races and the Rotary Park beautification working bee.  For a number of reasons the Board decided not to proceed with the Murrindindi Music Hall (Shire Hall unavailability was a major contributing factor) this year but it is anticipated that it will return as a major community event and fund raiser in 2013.
Ruth Konig has continued to be very active in advancing our support for the Day Springs School and orphanage in South Africa as well as fundraising and contributing many hours of service to Donations in Kind at the Essendon Airport.  Thank you again Ruth for your ongoing Rotary service.
Membership is an area that requires our attention.  Despite many guests visiting our dinner meetings on a number of occasions over the past 12 months, these visits are yet to translate into permanent membership.  Ruth has been tireless in promoting Rotary to prospective new members as well as maintaining the Rotary Information Boards on display in a local shop front.  Our club must meet the evolving demands of society; new members always bring fresh ideas that enliven all of us so we must all be diligent in continuing to build our Club for the future.
The Bulletin has been a good balance of humour (!) and information.  It has had many photos and items representing the activities of the Club and the world of Rotary throughout the year.  Thank you to Richard and Janet.  This is an extremely time consuming role and the commitment from you both was greatly appreciated.
Sergeant at Arms Bobby has ensured the smooth conduct of each meeting as well as lightening our pockets with his fines sessions (with assistance from Tabitha).   The role of the Sergeant is so important to the fellowship activities of the Club.  Thank you Bobby for ensuring we finished each meeting with a little fun and humour and that the Sunshine and Sergeant’s accounts reflected a healthy bottom line.   Again, this is another job within the club that requires attention to detail and a weekly commitment.
Thank you to Secretary Glenda who in her calm and professional manner dealt in a timely way with a myriad of tasks.   Her support to both me and the Board was invaluable in ensuring the effective functioning of our Club. The role of Secretary provides a great foundation and learning pathway for aspiring Presidents and Glenda’s experience will be invaluable in her incoming year as President Elect.
 The demanding role of Treasurer has been capably handled by Gary with the assistance latterly from previous Treasurer Jim.   Gary responded promptly to my requests when called upon and I thank him for his dedication and hard work.   A study of the Treasurer’s Report will show that approximately $25,000 has been raised for distribution to meet our local, national and international causes.  A marvellous effort!
 It would not be possible to be President without the strong support of husband Ian – my ‘personal’ secretary who on many occasions fielded phone calls, reminded me of emails in the over flowing inbox that  needed attention as well as providing wise counsel, encouragement and advice.  Ian also carried out his Attendance Officer duties with due diligence.  Thank you, Ian.
 I extend best wishes to John Handsaker and his team as they work towards ‘Peace through Service’ in 2012/2013.
 
 
John Handsaker Year of Office 2012 - 2013
 
Rotary Theme: Peace Through Service
Secretary: Bob Dewar
Treasurer: Gary Cox
Community Service: Richard Forde
 Art Show Director: Fiona Tinney
 
In this the 27th year of The Rotary Club of Yea, I am proud to be able to provide a report on the activities of our great club. I am not thrilled because it means the end of my term as president but I have enjoyed and embraced the friendship, mateship, loyalty and support of the Board, Directors and Members.
 Our membership decreased by one when Don McQueen moved to Melbourne.
 The Rotary Youth Exchange programme is supported by our Club with both incoming and outgoing exchange students. Milo Cowles came to us in July 2012 from America and sadly leaves us on 1st July to go back home. Milo has made the most of his stay in Australia by going on the “Rock” trip with other exchange students from District 9790, Tasmania, Cairns and the outer reef with other trips to Canberra, Sydney and Perth. He has managed to visit all the States and Territories of Australia. We commenced our “Avenue of Honour” where we place a tree for all our Exchange students in Railway Park and thanks must go to Bob Glenister for obtaining the trees.
 This year through our School Scholarship we only supported our local schools with The Rotary Club of Kinglake Ranges taking over the Kinglake Schools which we had assisted in the past.
 Support was given to Berry Street with their “Safe and Caring Day” at the Recreation Reserve with football and netball matches between Alexandra and Yea.
There were five race meetings at Yea and our Club assisted with gate and parking duties for all meetings. Richard Forde is to be thanked for arranging this. We also assisted at the Yea Show, the Yea Market when needed which turned out to be twice and manned a BBQ for a blind cricket match at Strath Creek.
 Other events or programmes we were involved in included Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea and Whittlesea Bike Challenge (thanks to Elaine White), School Mock Interviews and Bowel Scan (thanks to Julie Lynch),  Christmas Carols (thanks to Charlie Rattray), Australia Day Breakfast (thanks to Norm Berndt) and our annual Senior’s Dinner with special thanks to Rodney Ridd.
 The Easter Molesworth Bazaar continues to be a main fundraiser for the club and my thanks must go to Julie Lynch and John Bett for making this happen. Our Open Garden weekend is now an annual event, thanks to Elaine White and a committee has now been formed to ease the burden on Elaine.
 Renovations to the Shire Hall meant that this year, the Art Show was held in St Lukes and Maranatha Halls. Our Art Show committee, ably led by Fiona Tinney and Bob Glenister, was a masquerade theme “Arts Carnivale” and broadened to include local participation, was a resounding success and enjoyed by all.
 My wife Jeannie has continued her endeavours with Macular Degeneration and to date has arranged for 500,000 magnetic Amsler Grid Cards to be distributed around Australia. She never leaves home without them!.
 The Murrindindi Musical was resurrected this year under the title of “A Taste of the Blarney”. This change of format was well received by those in attendance, many saying it was the best ever. A big thank you must go to Catherine and Charlie Rattray for all their organising with a special thank you to Fiona Tinney for her assistance. It was a night that will be hard to top next year.
 Elaine White organised a successful roadside collection, over coming many obstacles by those in authority, thus enabling us to donate $3,000 to the Queensland flood relief and $7,000 to the Rotary Club of Scottsdale in Tasmania for fire relief. This continues our association with the Scottsdale Club and a group of our members returned there in March for golf and fellowship and to present the cheque.
 The start of this calendar year was a fellowship night at Richard and Janet Forde’s house. This was a very enjoyable night with a huge thank you to Richard and Janet for their hospitality and for opening their house to us for the evening.
 We have created an award in memory of our past mate, friend and member, David Long. It will be called “The David Long PHF Community Award”, and will be presented annually at Changeover nights.
 A storage shed is being constructed at the Recreation Reserve and we have committed money and labour to this project as we will be able to use the shed to store our art screens etc. Thanks go to Terry Hubbard’s team and Elaine White for organising this.
The club has also decided to support our member, Ruth Konig, when later in the year she will attempt the amazing feat of walking the Santiago de Compostilina Pilgrim Trail. Ruth is doing this to support an orphanage in Africa. We wish her all the very best in her endeavours.
 When I read back over this report, it is full of acknowledgements. And why not!. Without the support of our whole club, my year as President would not have been so enjoyable. I sincerely thank all my hard working Board, Directors and Members for their efforts over my term and know it will be continued for the incoming President, Glenda Woods.
 It has been an honour and privilege to have been President of this unique club and in closing, wish Glenda and her team a happy and successful year. 
 
 
Glenda Woods Year of Office 2013 -2014
 
Rotary Theme: Engage Rotary Change Lives
Secretary: David Anderson
Treasurer:Jim Osborne
Community Service: Richard Forde
 Art Show Director: Sandra Handley
 
It is with pleasure that I present to you a summary of the 28th year of the Rotary Club of Yea. I have thoroughly enjoyed the year and the support of Board, Directors, Members and partners and have regarded it as a privilege to serve our great club. I am confident that we are in a strong position to continue to service our regular projects, locally, nationally and internationally and perhaps take on something entirely new and challenging in Jim’s year.
 The year has been fulfilling and productive with a wide range of service activities and fundraisers undertaken. Thank you to Program Direct Jeannie who has ensured a diversity of interesting speakers at our meetings. It never ceases to amaze me how much individuals have to offer and what stories there are to tell.
I must thank members and partners for embracing some new or slightly new ideas this year and going on the journey with me. ‘Rotary on the Road’ was a way to showcase Rotary to different sectors within the community and we enjoyed meals, fellowship and interesting speakers at the Molesworth Hotel, Highlands Hall, the Murrindindi Hub (twice), Stoneleigh Estate and of course our Christmas function at Sedona Estate.
The ‘Home Hosting’ was also embraced by members and I thank David Anderson, Bob and Barb Glenister, Richard and Janet Forde, Sue Carpenter, Marj and John Hamilton and Catherine and Charlie rattray for sharing their homes and good food with us all. The feedback I received was that all enjoyed the home cooking and great company with the added bonus of some fundraising of over $1400 for just doing what we normally do. Of course, the 10 of us who dined on Bobbie Dewar’s cuisine in August, also had a wonderful evening with superb food and wines. Thanks everyone for giving the travelling a go and I am sorry it rained on most of those evenings making travelling just a little bit more challenging!
I did promise a year with the emphasis on fun and fellowship, aspects of our club that we are exceptionally good at and I hope I managed to meet expectations. Our weekly meetings were complimented by a number of special occasions with a distinct international flavour.  We started by hosting five couples from Christchurch, New Zealand as a part of the Hand of Friendship tour and it brought home to us all how devastating the earthquakes in Christchurch really were and how something as simple as offering a holiday can help in the recovery of people’s spirit. This visit was quickly followed by a fun few days, hosting six couples from the Swedish RFE team from District. Hosting a Vocational Training Team from Christchurch, NZ in March (well organised by District Secretary Gary Fitzgerald) was then followed by hosting 10 people from the visiting RFE team from District     in Thailand in May. Our Club remains firmly connected to RFE with Rotarians Julie and Ian lynch (England and Turkey), Sandra Hanley (Brazil) and Elaine White (Thailand) all enjoying outbound RFE visits. It is a wonderful way to appreciate the international network of Rotary.
Who could not have been inspired by the feats (or should that be feets!) or Rotarian Ruth Konig, who completed her amazing walk in September and October of close to 1000kms to fundraise for the Dayspring orphanage in South Africa. Ruth completed her personal pilgrimage on the   and I believe has inspired many with her efforts. She has become a much sought after speaker at other Rotary Clubs. Well done Ruth. We all admire your dedication.
Speaking of dedication, determination and sheer perseverance, how could we all not be inspired by the efforts of Rotarians Catherine and Charlie Rattray to finally bring Kingsford Guri from PNG to Melbourne for his life saving surgery. It truly touches the heart to know that Rotary can make a difference to a persons life. In partnership with the Children’s first Foundation, Kingsford is a changed man and we wish him well for the next phase of his life journey.
Membership as always goes up and down but I am very pleased to report a net gain of one for the year. Sadly for our club, Peter and Fiona Tinney were called to work in a parish in Northern Victoria, Bob Glenister resigned due to increased community commitments and legend Norm Berndt became an Honorary member. We did welcome back Carol and Russell Hogg after a break from Rotary of a few years (they missed us!) and inducted new members Paul Geeson, Bob Hentschel and Ann Drysdale and of course made our ever reliable barman, Terry Chaplin, an Honorary member Membership will remain an ongoing concern for all club members and I thank Ken Foletta and his committee for their work this past year.
As you read the reports included in the Annual Report, you will see we have had a very productive and busy year. There were many highlights.
Hosting Swedish and Thai RFE teams: Always hectic, but always fun. Thank you to families and members who hosted our guests and accompanied them on their visit to our beautiful district. Both teams were very appreciative of our hospitality and left with happy memories.
NZ visitors: Hosting two groups from NZ, both from Christchurch was a pleasure and our friends from the land of the ‘long white cloud’ were also appreciative of our hospitality and our understanding of their difficult circumstances recovering from severe earthquakes.
Membership: Ken has worked diligently in promoting Rotary to prospective new members. Our club must meet the evolving demands of society: new members always bring fresh ideas to help to keep us all interested and we must all be diligent in continuing to build our club for the future
Art Show: Our major fundraiser for the year was an outstanding success, despite the number of paintings being down in numbers. Attendances were up, the themed opening night ‘Spotacular’ was a success and delicious food was prepared by the Yea Golf Club. Thank you again to our valued sponsors and advertisers, in particular our major sponsor PHF Frank Hargrave and his wife Ruth. Director Sandra Hanley and her committee continued to build on the work by previous Directors and with over 50 paintings sold, can be very pleased with the outcome. The Yea Arts Carnivale is growing and with the Rotary Club of Yea’s Art Show locked in as one of the feature events, the success of both will continue to grow
Open Garden Scheme: Now in its third year, this event has continued to grow and is firmly in place as our second largest fundraiser. Once again we were pleased with wonderful weather, great support from the local community and beyond and tremendous gardens, diverse in every aspect. Thank you to Elaine White for the original idea and her work as organiser this year in bringing it all together. Members put in many hours on the weekend to ensure all gardens were supported. Hosts enjoyed a bus trip the next day to visit the gardens and as a thankyou for the club.
District Conference: Our very own FourFathers provided some of the entertainment at the Saturday night dinner, as did Kingsford Guri. A number of members attended this year’s event at Shepparton and were rewarded by some very interesting speakers and workshops.
Macular Degeneration: Community Awareness program: This program continues to grow under the direction of Jeannie Handsaker. The club manned a both for four days at the Melbourne Craft Show at Caulfield and also went international by hosting a booth in the House of Friendship at the RI Convention in Sydney. If only one person’s sight is saved, we have done a great job and we know that we have saved more than one! Well done Jeannie and all members who continue to promote the program.
Commitment to Youth and Youth Exchange: The club continued to support the Youth Exchange program. Last July we welcomed Carolin Kolmer from Germany who has settled in well and certainly made the most of her visit. During the year we also welcomed home Corinne Attinoff from Germany and farewelled Haylee Attwood who is currently in enjoying her time in Brazil. The Club also hosted an exchange student evening in November and we heard from both inbound and outbound exchange students from the last 10 years plus special guest Sal Phillips who went to Japan over 40 years ago. It is an enduring program that has provided many opportunities to young adults.
We sponsored many young students to leadership courses, sports programs, United Nations programs (remember Sandra Suen – a stunning speaker) and sponsored Brad Jones to the week long RYLA course. Brad said it quite literally changed his outlook on the world and inspired him to change his employment upon completion of the course. We continued to support five local schools with bursaries in December. As well, Flowerdale, Sacred Heart and now Highlands Primary Schools are all on our catering roster and so further support is provided in this way to their respective Parent Clubs.
Rotary International Convention: Wow, my first and what great attendance from our club. David Anderson, Julie and Ian Lynch, Gary Fitzgerald,  Sue Carpenter, John and Jeannie Handsaker, Ruth Konig, Sandra Hanley and of course Carolin Kolmer. It was wonderful to meet so many, be inspired by amazing projects and have lots of fun and fellowship with our many International friends in Rotary. Sydney really turned it on and I for one was glad that I went.  Now I know what David Anderson has been talking about for all those years!
Media Relations: The club has continued to enjoy good exposure through the media this year, ensuring that community awareness of our activities has been maintained. Articles of interest were published in the local papers, The District newsletter – The Overflow. Thank you Elaine for fulfilling the task so well and thanks also to Ruth for her occasional articles.
Ongoing Annual Support: Members ensured that we follow through with our annual service and fundraising commitments: Biggest Morning Tea, Australia Day Breakfast, Yea High School Mock Interviews, Molesworth Bazaar, Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner, Yea Agricultural Show and Beef Expo, Berry Street Safe and Caring Derby, Bowelscan program, Yea Races, St Pats Races, Carols by Candlelight, Christmas Shoeboxes for East Timor, Yea Market and Rotary Park beautification.
 A special thank you to all my Directors who have done a sterling job and provided guidance to their committees and much support to me.  Rodney Ridd has produced the weekly bulletin, well – weekly and included much detail. It is a time consuming and relentless job and has been done well by Rodders! He has been ably assisted by Ken Foletta, who has ensured a photographic record of all events and occasions has occurred.
My Sergeant at Arms, John Sinclair aka ‘Sinkers’ has kept things in order and been a great support, despite frequently calling me Ruth or Julie at the start of meetings! He has managed to be inclusive in his fines session and been ably assisted by Carolin in lightening our purses every week. Members, unless they have done this job, may not realise how demanding it is to be entertaining every week and I thank John for his attention to detail.
The demanding role of treasure was taken over  by Jim Osborne, when Gary Cocks, due to health issues was unable to continue Jim, has kept a tight rein on the Clubs finances and ensured all is in top shape for the handover to incoming Treasurer Ian Lynch. This is another job that requires a large commitment of time and I thank Gary and Jim for what they have done and wish Ian every success. A study of the Treasurers report will show that approximately $25,000? has been raised for distribution to meet our local, national and international causes. A fantastic effort!
Finally, I must surely have had the most experienced secretary any President could wish for in Past District Governor David. David has been, as well as a most efficient secretary, a mentor to me on all things Rotary and I thank him for that. What he does not know about Rotary, doesn’t need to be known. He has provided support to me and the Board and ensured that any matters arising have been dealt with expediently.
I extend my best wishes to Jim Osborne and his team as they work to ‘Light Up Rotary’ in 2014 - 2015.
 
Jim Osborne Year of Office 2014 -2015
 
Rotary Theme: Light Up Rotary
Secretary: Marjorie Hamilton
Treasurer: Ian Lynch
Community Service: Terry Hubbard
 Art Show Director: David Anderson
 
II am pleased to present to you a report covering the Rotary club of Yea’s 29th year. The year started with an extensive survey reviewing our goals, aspirations, club meetings and structure. Consequently we embraced some significant changes in that :-
  • The Board was comprised of the directors of each avenue of service. 
  • Club assembly was moved to every second month and with an emphasis on the directors reporting to the club and seeking members input. This change was significant and club assembly became much more productive and importantly well attended, reversing the trend of the last couple of years.
  • Guest speaker emphasis on an educational aspect of what people, industries, businesses and service groups were doing.
Our year began with a very enjoyable Melbourne Cup Eve Ball which was organized totally by five of the Rotary partners. Albeit the ball was aimed to be primarily a social event and was an outstanding success but it also raised $2300. Thank you ladies for a wonderful event. This was followed by the Open Gardens fundraiser weekend and I thank Sandra Hanley for her work in making this event a success despite some of the problems along the way. Thanks also to all those members who assisted Sandra in manning the gates at the various open gardens over the two days. There is no doubt we could in the future make this event a key part of our fundraising each year.
Thank you to Bob Hentschel and his membership committee for an outstanding year. The ‘Nutfield dinner’ was a great success (thank you to hosts John  and Clare Sinclair) and this dinner set the background for Bob and his team to embark on a recruitment drive which resulted in six new members. A truly great outcome and we are delighted to welcome all those new members to this, their first changeover night.
 
Our International director Jeannie Handsaker and her committee have been busy with several projects including the Thailand dams project and more recently the Vanuatu fundraiser in conjunction with Beaufort Manor. The Vanuatu fundraiser achieved just over $15,000 to be spent in rebuilding and restoring facilities on the island of Laman.
 
Vocational Service Director Bob Dewar and his committee were active during the year with the Pride of Workmanship, school Bursaries, the High School mock interviews and several other programs we continue to support. Well done to Bob and his team.
 
Community Service director Terry and his committee have had a very busy year highlighted by the completion of several projects which the club has had on its agenda for a few years. The completion of the memorial barbeque in memory of past member David Long was wonderful and the dedication evening will be long remembered by those present. Creating and building of the new entrance to the Yea Racing Club was a project well done and involved many members. In addition to the above, members joined in making a success of the many other community projects such as  the Open Gardens, Yea Show, parking at the races, Molesworth Bazaar BBQ, Christmas Carols  and Anzac day  to name a few. Terrific effort and congratulations to Terry and all the members who so willingly joined in and helped.
 
Youth Service Director Sue Carpenter and her committee have the key task of looking after our Youth Exchange program and have done an excellent job. This included welcoming home outbound student Haylee from Brazil, evaluating prospective candidates to be our next outbound student and of course coordinating the program for our current inbound student Solenne from France. Solenne has been an absolute delight to have in our club and within the community and she is a real credit to herself, her family and her country. Well done Solenne. Congratulations to Sue and her team.
 
The Foundation Service team, extremely well led by Glenda has put in a terrific year with two major projects .The Thailand Dams project was efficiently organized in coordination with David Anderson. The huge project of course is the South Africa Dayspring project initiated and led by Ruth. This is a circa US$110,000 project which is by far the biggest global project we have undertaken. Rotary International and our District 9790 are both supporting the project and our share of the total will be circa $30,000. Achievement of this goal is nearly there and Glenda, Julie and Ruth are to be congratulated on this fabulous achievement.
 
David Anderson was our Art Show Director and led an enthusiastic and energetic team to achieve another successful art show. While the financial result was a little down on previous years it was still our most significant fundraiser. Again nearly every member was involved in putting together and then running the event over the January long weekend. Congratulations to everyone on a terrific effort. As David has noted in his report I think the post review we did of the show was a very mature  and healthy discussion and gave many ideas for the next and subsequent committees to consider in order to further enhance and grow our Art Show.
 
Richard Forde has been our representative on the Racecourse Recreation Committee of Management. This committee has had a very busy year and in order that all members are aware of the works undertaken Richard has provided us with a report covering the year. Apart from the work we did in building the new front entrance under Community Service, all the other projects have been done by the Racecourse Recreation Reserve committee. Congratulations to Richard and his fellow committee members. They are really starting to make the entire facility a significant asset of Yea.
 
Marj Hamilton has been a wonderful secretary and I personally thank Marj for all the work she has done during the course of the year. While Marj was relatively new to the club she jumped into the job with enthusiasm and certainly the learning curve was steep in respect to the Rotary bureaucracy and finding the way through the countless avenues of service, international and local projects and sorting out the never ending stream of mail which lands in the secretary’s mailbox.
 
Ian Lynch took on the task of Treasurer for the first time and has done a marvelous job. His expertise with computers was a decidedly big advantage as he was able to quickly able to understand the various systems and monthly tasks which are invariably the hallmark of a good Treasurer. Well done Ian. When you read the Treasures report you will note that the club has distributed $25,147 during the course of the year. Of these funds 62% went to local causes and 38% to International or Australian projects. In addition $30,3100 was spent with local groups for meals at our weekly meetings plus of course the many Rotarian hours involved in community projects. Based on previous records those hours equate in financial terms to circa $40000-$50000 per annum.
 
There are of course many others who have contributed to making this year a success. Sergeant at Arms John Handsaker has had a stellar year which included some truths and a lot of debatable information. Rodney who must leave home mid afternoon to beat us all there and set up all the regalia prior to the meeting (maybe that is why the speed limit has been reduced from Yarck to Yea). Thank you Rodney. Julie for all her work in assisting with the Global Grant application, the Bowel scan program to name just two of the many things Julie quietly and efficiently undertakes. Ken Foletta became our official photographer and has brought a high standard and quality to what becomes in many ways the historical records of the club. Terrific job Ken.
 
David Roberts undertook the task of program director and I think has done an outstanding job. He has continually found guest speakers who willingly shared their experiences. This was one of the three key changes identified from our beginning of the year survey. These speakers were drawn from many career avenues or business directions and gave the club members an insight into many aspects of the world around us. I feel the interesting range of speakers was a significant factor in the consistently high level of attendance at club meetings during the year. Congratulations on a great job David.
 
John Bett continues to look after our assets as property manager, thank you John, and again this year in coordination with Julie directed the club’s efforts at the Molesworth Bazaar. This is an important fundraiser and also gives Rotary and the Club excellent public exposure. Good work John, Julie and all those who helped on the day.
 
Les Hall, Gary Fitzgerald, Peter Tull and Paul Geeson are always ready to look after the bar at the various functions. Thank you to each of you. Peter also was our attendance officer during the year and did an excellent job although the math’s sometimes had us intrigued but of course, that is the prerogative of the attendance officer.
 
Charles again was our leader in putting together the annual Christmas Carols in Yea which was a success. Also, together with the other three members of the Four Fathers have entertained at many functions across the district and bought many a smile to their audiences. Well done to you all.
To all our new members Sean, Keith, Ian, Patti, Laurie and Paul I have been impressed by your enthusiasm and preparedness to be involved. As with so many things in life you get out what you are prepared to put in and you will find many opportunities within Rotary to become involved and to bring your experience and expertise to which ever avenue of service you desire. Again I say welcome and it’s great to see you in the club and enjoying yourselves.
Most importantly I must say to Ruth….you are an inspiration to us all and to the many clubs and people you come in contact with. Your single minded devotion to the Dayspring project is awe inspiring and we are all looking forward to the first sod being turned and the work commencing on the construction of the facilities. The many miles you have walked boggles the mind of many of us but you just go and do it. Terrific, awe inspiring effort Ruth and this club and its members are the richer for your membership and fellowship.
 
In conclusion I say thank you to all club members and to the Board members for their willing support during the year and I wish Jeannie and her team a wonderful year of achievements through 2015-16.