Greetings Rotarians

 

Welcome to Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution month.  As you may be aware The Rotary Foundation's mission to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace, was proclaimed more than 100 years ago, in 1917.

 

Rotary's goal of worldwide peace and tolerance has resulted in Rotary conducting global forums, hosting international peace symposiums, advancing peace through its 60-year collaboration with the UN, as well as grassroots initiatives such as the Rotarian Action Group for Peace.

 

But Rotary's most significant effort to wage peace is the Rotary Peace Centers program, established in 2002. Each year, the program trains some of the world's most dedicated and brightest professionals, preparing them to promote national and international cooperation and to resolve conflict. They include graduates of a two-year master's degree program and a three-month professional certificate program at Rotary's partner universities.

 

Today, more than 900 peace fellows are applying their expertise in various fields. They're settling border conflicts in West Africa, developing aid programs at the World Bank, drafting legislation to protect exploited children in Brazil, providing security for U.S. diplomats, and many other career paths devoted to peace.

 

So what can you do?

 

Think about supporting a Peace Scholar nomination; or getting your Club involved in a project that promotes peace; or learning more about the Rotarian Action Group for Peace or the Rotary Peace Centres.  You could also attend District Conference in Swan Hill as we will have a couple of amazing speakers on this subject.

 

Don’t forget to register for Conference in Swan Hill.  You need to book before 13 March so please get organised and don’t miss out. 

 

The Conference Speakers are booked and raring to go.  The Conference Dinner will be amazing and will now be kicked off by an aerobatics  display over Lake Boga before we explore the Catalina Flying Boat Museum over canapes and then dine on the shores of Lake Boga to the 40’s beat of the Pacific Belles. 

 

On my Club Visits (see collage of some recent visits below) I have asked every Club to identify one thing they could do better to make their Club more family friendly.  I will be asking Presidents to report back over the next couple of weeks and I look forward to presenting some of the best ideas at Conference.

 

Don’t forget the DG’s project to provide Purple House (a dialysis service to remote indigenous communities in central Australia) with items to pass on to remote communities. If you have any toiletries etc to donate please make sure they reach your Assistant Governor before this Saturday or bring them  to Conference.  The very dynamic and entertaining Sarah Brown, CEO of Purple House is a Keynote Speaker at Conference, is one session you won’t want to miss!

 

Keep connecting to each other and the world!

 

DG Rosanne has been spending time with Clubs around the District, getting involved and learning more about their projects.  

 

From a before dawn start at the Australia Day Breakfast in Swan Hill, to  catching up with Ballarat Club Presidents and members, to checking out the Ballarat DIK  site where all the books are stored for the Ballarat East Book Fair and visiting the Torquay Motor Show, sharing in their Board Meeting, it has been a very busy few weeks for our District Governor.

 

If you  love a round or two of Golf then don't miss this fantastic opportunity to enjoy the amazing 13th Beach Golf Course and help raise funds for Australian Rotary Health Mental Health Research.  Check out the website www.gagfr.org.au, where you can register online, download the golfing program and check out the great non golfer tours that have been put together.  Come along and join DG Rosanne on the golf course, and hear PDG Greg Ross OAM as our guest speaker at the Presentation Dinner.