Rotary House Warrnambool
President Cliff asked Jim Sawyer to introduce PDG Andrew Suggett, Chairman of the Rotary House Warrnambool Inc Board of Management.
In his introductory remarks, Jim noted that he had been Treasurer, Ray Welsford Fundraising Chair, and Glen Riddle & Bruce Skilbeck Board Members during the planning and construction stages of RHW. He mentioned that RHW provided emergency accommodation for those attending the hospital and their carers – the building is located in Timor Street opposite the hospital.
Andrew acknowledged the commitment of Jim and Ray to the project, and explained that since the opening of RHW on 23 November 2013, the Board has continued to meet, and finds itself with $200K+ remaining after all obligations were paid. It has now resolved to seek approval from the four Rotary Clubs in Warrnambool to pass this money to SWHC for purchase of capital equipment including especially foetal monitoring equipment valued at $150K.
There were several questions including:-
- is such a move legal under RHW Inc’s rules?
- could the rules be changed to make the move legal?
- who uses RHW?
- might there be a need for expansion of RHW in the future?
As RCWE Rules provide, the matter was referred to our Board for consideration and recommendation to the Club.
Jim thanked Andrew for his presentation.
Hole in One Wrap-Up
Hole-in-1 Chairman Mike Toone:
President Cliff introduce Mike, commenting that this was the “main event”. He offered his thanks to all for a great job, well done, and told us that we need to celebrate our successes. Cliff called on Mike to report on the 2022-2023 Hole-in-1.
Mike commented that all aspects of the Hole-in-1 had exceeded expectations. He made reference to the Committee (see later), with special reference to the new members this year – Paul Atack, Ian Barratt, Roger Cussen & Bruce Skilbeck – and the way in which they had pitched in.
He commented on the fact that while the financial success is wonderful, allowing the club to undertake much good work, the camaraderie and the fun is every bit as important. What might have been a chore became a pleasure as the Rotarians and friends enjoyed each other’s company.
Roster Supervisor Nicole Larter thanked all for embracing the system in place, which had meant that the roster was populated very quickly. She also said how much she appreciated Rotarians arranging their own swaps when problems arose, and their willingness to fill gaps. The following table shows the breakdown of shifts worked:-
No. of Shifts Hours % of total
RCWE .. .. 164 .. .. 656 .. 66
RCPF .. .. 19 .. .. 76 .. 8
RCW .. .. 9 .. .. 36 .. 4
Friends, inc Partners 47 .. .. 188 .. 19
RDA .. .. 7 .. .. 28 .. 3
Athletics .. 2 .. .. 8 .. 1
Nicole drew attention to the fact that 85% of the shifts had been covered by RCWE members & their partners/friends, which was excellent. She also noted the support given by the Rotary Clubs of Warrnambool and Port Fairy.
Chairman Mike returned to the lectern to make awards to Rotarians who had distinguished themselves by doing or saying something of quirky note during the Hole-in-1. The recipients were Noel Kenna, Nicole Larter, Lindsay Miller, Tim McLeod, Peter Reeve & Glen Riddle. Your editor has chosen not to record details in the Bulletin because they were of a “what happens at the Hole-in-1 stays at the Hole-in-1” nature and not of much meaning to those not present at the meeting.
In a clever parody of the Australian Test Cricket Team being selected for its current tour of India, Mike presented the “Baggy Purples” to his committee members in recognition of the work that they had done.
Did you know?
In 1999 Rotary began a major new peace initiative with the decision to establish Peace Centres in various universities across the world. There was a competitive process whereby interested institutions vied for selection. Situated in different parts of the world, the current seven Rotary Peace Centres offer tailor-made curricula to train individuals devoted to peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
At present, the seven Centres are located at:-
# Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
# Duke University/University of North Carolina, Durham and Chapel Hill, North
Carolina, USA
# University of Bradford, Bradford, England
# International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan
# University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
# Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
# Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Centres program develops the capacity of peace and development professionals to become effective catalysts for peace.
