 Who would have thought we would have to revert to Zoom meetings!  But this virus knows no boundaries, and our government is again very quick to lock the whole state down. However we Camberwell Rotarians are made of sterner stuff, and are not concerned about this change of events. What a resilient team! After an enjoyable 1/2 hour of fellowship and banter, the meeting started promptly at 6:30 with the usual formalities. I then welcomed Member-in-Waiting Michele Bucoy, past Member Ian Feder zooming in from Sydney, enthusiastic club supporters Kieran and Caroline and of course our Speaker PDG Murray Verso. I then covered a range of announcements, the first being our dear Brenda Innes being badly injured in a car accident last Thursday, the result being lots of bruises and a broken sternum - a very painful and debilitating injury. Brenda is now at home with a long period of convalescence ahead of her, but is expected to make a full recovery - and is still fully immersed in the Art Show planning and preparation! We all send our best wishes Brenda. On behalf of the Art Show Committee I updated the members with the state of play with the Art Show - essentially all planning and preparation for the physical show will continue unchanged over the coming week, with a Go/NoGo decision to be made next Wednesday. The decision will be made taking into account the levels of community transmission over the coming week, and the government's predications and plans at as 9 June. The Committee is confident that their COVIDSafe Plan would deliver a safe event if allowed by Swinburne to go ahead, the real limiting factor would be an unrealistic government numbers limit (per day or per m2). The Committee's fall-back position is to run the 2021 Art Show on-line, however this will result in greatly reduced charity funds for the 2021-2022 club year. The Sponsor's Night will be again postponed, possibly to 23 June - watch for announcements. And on the assumption that the physical show will proceed, those who have not yet applied for their Working With Children Check, please apply on line immediately - it's quick, easy, free, and in case you need more incentive, it's a District requirement for our Insurance Cover. Under the Chairmanship of PE Patrick, we were then treated to an excellent presentation by PDG Murray Verso on The Rotary Foundation: the way it is structured and operates, the amazing projects it has funded over the years (both directly and via District Grants), and the impressive position our own Club has with regard to both Foundation-supported projects, and the level of Club and personal contributions. We really are a Club you can be proud of. The night finished off with the usual thanks, a quote from Martin Luther King Jr, and a blast of 70's rock 'n' roll courtesy of Joe Cocker! Thanks everyone for your attendance, support and flexibility in once again adapting to Zoom meetings. That's all from me, have a great week in Rotary. |
At the recent Victorian Multi-District Conference held at the Hyatt Essendon Fields, our own Rotary Outreach Myeloma Project (ROMP), one of the Club's R100 Projects, won a coveted District Recognition Award, one of only two awards in the category Community Service.