Venue:                       Castello's Cucina, Living Choice 

 

 

Guests:                      Rob's assistants Eucabeth Mokaya and Jeza Bucog

 

Attendance:              24 members and 2 guests

President John welcomed the good attendance. There was a Mitre 10 BBQ on Saturday and the Thrift Shop receipts for last week were $1565. Last Sunday a BBQ was provided for the Down Syndrome Association at Orphanage Park which went well thanks to Jerry, Ken and Greg.

President John presented a video of the framework of the Zone 8 Regionalisation Pilot Program. Decisions now need to be made on what type of Rotary Community Group (RCG) best suits our club [with perhaps an opportunity for a secondary grouping relationship], and the election of the Leadership Team. The next step will be election of Community Leaders by each of the Groups scheduled for February 2024, with the Groups to be operational by July 2024. Appointment of Rotary Specialists will ensue. The expected size of the groups is 15 - 25 clubs.

After some discussion there was a unanimous vote that Unley be Geographically aligned. And this is consistent with the wishes of nearby clubs that John has had contact with. Secondary associations can be considered at a later date.....Nepal was mentioned as having potential. 

 

The profiles of each of the candidates for the Leadership positions were presented and the results of the club's preferences for the contested positions were, in preferential order:

 

Strengthening Club Membership is the number 1 priority of the club. President John emphasised the need to diversify the cultural composition of the club.

A range of ideas were put forward including smarter utilisation of club projects and interactions with the public, an updated club brochure, letterbox drop (everyone keen to go for a stroll) with eg the Missing Link pamphlet, use of Unley Shopping Centre for hands-on displays, members' personal invites, and a considered profile about whom we would wish to join the club and focus our efforts accordingly eg over 40 and from a range of backgrounds.

Stephen was thanked for preparing the document.

It was decided to continue with strategic planning in 2 weeks' time.  

John emphasised that as well as membership, the other immediate need is to increase our fundraising effort given the fragility of the Bunnings situation and declining profit from the Thrift Shop due to increased rental costs. Opportunities for defraying project costs through fundraising components needs to be examined.

 

Nathan White, making a cameo appearance in trackie daks, announced that he is exhausting himself in a 35km walk in aid of Mitochondrial sufferers next Sunday.....please sponsor. 

 

Jerry Casburn expressed his pleasure at what had been achieved last week at Calperum in that there are now 6 "bedded" rooms and plenty of furniture at Rotary House. Another trip is planned for 25 - 28 November when it is intended to give the laundry a makeover. For those who have not yet been there it is a not to be missed opportunity to experience the marvelous environment. Graham Beckett also sang the praises of the 100 X 190 square kilometre property.

 

Patsy Beckett urged members to sign up for the fabulous car trial [the very last of this world-renowned event] on Sunday 5 November. A brilliant day is guaranteed....rain, hail or shine. Currently 7 cars are registered. We need to lift this number to 10...even better with more. 

 

Paul Duke explained that the ROMAC quiz luncheon scheduled for next Sunday has been deferred until next April/May due to insufficient registrations, despite the untiring efforts of the organising committee (including Brendan and Paul). The silent auction and wine donations have been prolific. 

 

Vivienne Wood snared Paul Duke in the morning and Rachel Randall the afternoon for Thrift Shop vacancies on Saturday 4 November.

Dennis needs to apologise to the club for drawing the Prez's raffle ticket for the filthy lucre, while Paul has chokkies to lift his body weight.  

The Unley Community Garden is holding an open day next Sunday. There will be a Board meeting at Jerry's place next Thursday. 

 

The meeting finished a tad late at 8.13pm....discussion nights invariably head this way.

For the 15th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating – four stars – from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.

The Foundation earned the recognition for adhering to sector best practices and executing its mission in a financially efficient way, demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency.

“We are delighted to provide the Rotary Foundation with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that Rotary is able to accomplish in the years ahead.”

Charity Navigator assesses nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, including the impact of the charity’s program relative to cost; the organization’s governance and financial health including its transparency, efficiency, and sustainability; a charity’s leadership capacity, strategic development, and ability to adapt to internal and external changes; and its overall culture and connectedness to its constituents and the communities they serve.

– Oct 2023

Upcoming Meetings

Mitre 10 and Bunnings Barbeques 

The Tale End.....