The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and acknowledged that the meeting was being held on the lands of the traditional custodians, the Wurundjeri-Woiwurrung People of the Kulin Nation, and paid respect to their elders, past, present and emerging. Given that the next day is the 26th of January, John pointed out that while this date is celebrated by many as Australia Day it is also recognised as a day of sorrow and mourning by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders given the tragic consequences of the colonisation of their lands for their people over the last 225 years.
John then handed the microphone on to Julian who welcomed all of those in the room (14) and on the zoom screen (8) to the meeting, and wished everyone a Happy Lunar New Year (Year of the Roabbit).
Further points to note:
· As reported last week, the Rotary Recycle Treasurer needed a laptop. One of our members stepped up and donated laptop to the RR shop and the issue is now resolved. A big thanks go to Stephen Fisher for his generosity there.
· Regarding the Rotary International Conference in May; those who have registered to attend the conference will have received an email from conference committee this week asking if you would like to volunteer during the event. Just a heads up, if you are planning to volunteer the online form will need to fill out will ask you for a current working with children card number and the date of your last vaccination against C19. So have that information handy if you decide to volunteer.
· Regarding the future merger of D9810 and D9820 to form the new D9815. Nominations are now open for anyone who would like to take on the role of DG in 2025/2026. You should have received and email from District secretary, Judith Eadon. If you didn’t see the email and would like more information, please let Julian know. If you are curious about potentially putting your hat in the ring for the position, please contact the current DG Ken Miller.
· Next week, Julian will be Zooming in to our meeting from Byron Bay. Woodards annual Directors’ conference is on from Sunday to Tuesday.
The Chair led the meeting in a collective “Ahhhhh....” in a sympathetic response to Julian’s conference venue.