Castello's Cucina, 123 Fisher Street, Fullarton SA
President John Peacham 0431 618 359
Next week we are Sailing and Volunteering Overseas
Last Meeting
Venue: Castello's Cucina
Event: John Smith
Guests: Phil Andrews, Marie Rothe, Rob's assistants Eucabeth Mokaya and Caroline Palacios
Attendance: 28members and 5 guests
Welcome
President John, in the invocation, applied the Rotary 4-way test to the joy of seeing kids returning to school...it was a bit of a stretch JP!
He welcomed our guests and a little later in the meeting also thanked Mavis Martin and Reno Elms for attending.....great to see them!
We need more members to attend the Rotary Women's Breakfast at the Arkaba on 6 March.
During the Board meeting tomorrow night, there will be a discussion about the next steps in the regionalisation process. There are 3 unfilled vacancies on the Community Group management team and nominations close on 30 January - anyone interested to contact John.
The celebration of a century of Rotary in Australia is 12.30pm - 3pm on February 4 at the Adelaide Oval. Any further interest in attending?
Guest Speaker: John Smith - Hardware Wars and Cyber Security
Wendy Andrews introduced John who arrived in Adelaide from London as a 7yo. He studied software engineering at Adelaide Uni and is currently pursuing a medical science degree.
John briefly described the role of the CPU (Central Processing Unit), the hardware providers and the major protagonists in the 'war' to increase market share, namely Windows, Apple and Android.
In relation to Cyber Security John explained how it is an issue wherever money is involved and cited the case of a scammer operating as a pseudo car fixer. While he does not recommend how people should protect themselves from scammers, he personally applies a stringent set of rules for his money management. In a nutshell he operates 7 accounts through his Credit Union, namely a secure savings account which 'feeds' other accounts like rent, health insurance, My Aged Care, insurance, incidental living expenses (transacted through a debit card) and internet purchases (also with a debit card). Money is automatically transferred from the savings account to cover expected incoming bills.....gettting the timing and amount right prevents rip-offs. Changes are made to the amounts transferred to the designated accounts (from which the providers withdraw through direct debit), often on an annual basis.....variable bills like electricity require closer attention. Direct debits can often save money due to the greater certainty for providers. It is recommended that an account holder talks with bank staff to set up the system properly and to institute changes in delegations. John also does most of his transfers on a Saturday by which time the deposits have been credited into the savings account.
When making payments it is best done in the home environment and with a phone. Avoid public places.
Protection of emails is important. Bulk emails should be sent with only individual identification eg by BCC rather that directly or via CC. Hackers love large lists of names and emails as it expands their own data bases. Cybercrime is estimated to account for over $3b in fraud each year. Passwords should also be protected. It is far better to maintain a hard copy of passwords used, hidden in a safe place, than hold them on the computer or your phone. He has found Firefox the safest search engine..........others like Google and Microsoft Edge collect massive amounts of personal information.
John was warmly thanked for his contribution.
SPOTS
Ken Haines needs volunteers for the Bunnings BBQ next Monday......there was a display of enthusiasm, lusting for a free cremated snag or two.
Jerry Casburn reminded that the District Conference is being held on March 15-17 at Loxton. Accommodation is scarce but Jerry has secured Rotary House at Calperum which has 6 double rooms, of which only 3 have been booked.....excellent savings to be had. Car shuttles can easily operate into Loxton.
McLaren Vale Hospital is closing down and there is a vast amount of hospital and medical equipment intended for RARE (formerly Donations in Kind). JC will be calling on members to assist with the shift.
Vivienne Wood snared Ken to replace Vera-Ann on the Saturday afternoon shift at the Thrift Shop. Vivienne will shortly be away on KI for a week....any roster issues to be pursued with Margaret or Ken. What do we do with old Rotary shirts....in the bin? There are shower chairs and other medical equipment at the Thrift Shop to be collected by Jerry.
Rhonda Hoare needs 4 more members to attend the Women in Rotary Breakfast to complete a table of 10 from our club. Donations for the Fabulous Quiz Night on 29 June will be gratefully received.....hand them to Ross.
Finale
Valerie won the wine while serial offender Christina nabbed the chockies, and Eucabeth snared the black jellybeans. It is becoming a habit for our women members to feature highly in the raffle and that requires forensic examination...........maybe some of the blokes need to release the moths?
President John revealed that revenue from the Thrift Shop in the first 2 weeks of trading this year was a commendable $3800.
The meeting closed at 8.09pm and pleased to report that it was not due to any fault of the Prez. Need to sort out meal delivery time.
By Tom Gump, Aide to the 2024-25 Rotary International President
Since the 2024 Rotary International Assembly in early January, participants at Rotary’s annual learning event for incoming leaders have been talking a lot about making our Rotary clubs “simply irresistible.” This term was used as the title of a 1988 song and a 1999 movie. In terms of Rotary, it was first used by Past District Governor Louisa Horn and recently championed by Stephanie Urchick, 2024-25 Rotary International president.
So what does “simply irresistible” mean in terms of an organization? According to Deloitte’s description of “The Simply Irresistible Organization,”TM an irresistible organization has five elements: (i) meaningful work, (ii) supportive management, (iii) a positive work environment, (iv) growth opportunities, and (v) trust in leadership. I truly believe that together, we can make Rotary an irresistible organization if our clubs provide these elements to our members.
Meaningful Work – No one joins a club to do nothing. Our members join for various reasons, but they all join to do something meaningful. This is true whether it be a traditional or virtual club and whether it focuses on local and/or international projects. We need to give our members purposeful opportunities, and we should change up these opportunities somewhat regularly so our members don’t get bored doing the same thing. How do you know which opportunities to provide? Give your members what they want by conducting a member satisfaction survey.
Supportive Management – Rotary International is improving in this area, with the Board of Directors just recently implementing three-year goals for its various paired zones. Goal setting and accountability are also happening at the district and club levels.
Rotary also invests in its leaders through various learning opportunities. Our zone coordinators receive these opportunities at the Global Support/Global Philanthropy Seminars. District governors-elect receive them at the International Assembly. Club presidents-elect receive them at Presidents-elect Training Seminars. Members receive them at district seminars and in Rotary’s Learning Center.
Positive Work Environment – Our organization’s Vision Statement starts with the words “Together, we.” Most people want to serve, but they want to serve with like-minded people with the same values. Of course, we have to ensure our members feel that they belong and that their opinions matter to other club members and leadership. Again, surveys would help here. If you implement some of the suggestions your surveys generate, people will feel that they’re being heard.
Rotary International does a good job of recognizing its members and other participants with awards of many types. But recognition also needs to happen at the club level. This recognition should not only be for financial giving, but also for things such as being a new member sponsor.
Growth Opportunities – Our members want to be part of something that allows them to grow. Rotary’s Vision Statement reads: “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” These last three words are important. People want to be part of something that fosters self-improvement. Working with others to serve makes this happen, and studies show that the act of serving others makes us happy. Why? Because when we focus on others, we aren’t thinking about ourselves. To quote Louisa Horne: “It’s not about me, it’s about M.E. – the Membership Experience.” Read more about Horne’s Rotary Club of Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia
Trust in Leadership– I’ve spent the last decade getting to know our organization’s leaders from the club level (serving on the Presidents-elect Training Seminar Alliance) up to our International Presidents’ level (through serving as a president’s aide, learning facilitator, and president’s representative). These roles have taught me that our Rotary leaders are purpose-driven and inspiring – not only through their words, but also (and more importantly) through their actions. If we continue to have strong leaders, we will have strong clubs and a strong Rotary.
If we focus on helping our clubs improve these five areas, Rotary will become “simply irresistible!”
Coffee Chat at Impressa, Unley Shopping Centre
10.30 am on the first Friday of the month is good for a chat with Rotary friends and a caffeine fix - Next one is Friday 2 February 2024
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 30 January 2024 6 for 6.30pm Castello's Cucina
Guest Speakers: Ethan Ross Youth Sailing Challenge and Paul Duke Volunteering
Greetings Team: Brendan Kenny & Leonie Kewen
Tuesday 6 February 2024 6 for 6.30pm Castello's Cucina
Guest Speaker: Dean Jamieson Memoirs of a Cowboy
Greetings Team: Brendan Kenny & Leonie Kewen
Apologies and Meeting Enquiries to: Secretary Greg McLeod on 0417 811 838 or email to secretary@unleyrotary.org.au
Venue Set-up Enquiries to: Bulletin Editor Stephen Baker on 0403 687 015
Saturday Thrift Shop Roster
Early Shift: 10.00am to 1.00pm Late Shift: 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Vera Holt & Rhonda Hoare
Week 4: 27 January 2024
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Jason Booth & Ken Haines (Vera-Ann Stacy)
Week 5:
Early: Bob Mullins & Wendy Andrews | Late: Virginia Cossid & Paul Duke
Rotarians, who are unable to attend as rostered, please arrange a swap or as a very last resort contact: Vivienne Wood 0408 819 630; e-mail: vwood@ozemail.com.au
Mitre 10 and Bunnings Barbeques
The Mitre 10 BBQs are the first and third Saturdays of each month. Morning shift 8.30am - 12 noon; afternoon shift 12.00 - 3.30pm, then clean-up.....next one is on 3 February.
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm