Helen's Headlines - Monday 2 April 2012

Hello everyone and Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends. We spent our day feasting on a lovely Sunday lunch however, our Easter isn't on until next Sunday so we have to do it all over again.

Last week we had an interesting speaker on Cerebral Palsy. Peter was born with this dreadful disease but he didn't let it stop him from pursuing the activities he wanted to do in his life. As a result, he has been an excellent role model and letting people understand what living and dealing with this disease on a daily basis is like. It certainly opened my eyes to this disease. (Interestingly, I saw on television the next evening that research scientists have received some positive results regarding understanding how this disease comes about - and they linked it to the lack of oxygen when the mother is pregnant. Of course there still needs to be further research but I do hope they find something soon).

After our meeting, we had a board meeting to discuss the dire situation of our club. Despite our club achieving great steps for contribution to Rotary Foundation, assistance with various international projects and even being put up for a Citation - our club is not sustainable in the long term.

With 21 members on our books, only 8-10 are active at any one time who have been assisting in committees or projects or fundraising through our golf events and in particularly, the Bentleigh Market. Given that we have had many members away on extended absences, the committments are too great for those who are left.

For me, personally, I have found the workload too great while juggling a full-time job and personal committments. So much so, that I will not be able to undertake another year as Club President despite initially thinking I could do so. I have not taken this decision lightly, in fact, I have been deliberating it for a long while and I'm also considering an extended absence from this club once my year is completed.

Also, PDG Philip has advised that he will be transferring from our club and chartering our District's first e-club with his wife, Carol - the Rotary e-Club of Greater Melbourne. It promises to be an exciting time and initiative that inspires a new way to attract new members into Rotary and I wish Philip and Carol, all the very best in this endeavour and know that it will be a great success.

So I have called a Club Forum to consider our choices: do we close the club or do we continue where members can commit to certain duties and we also reduce our committments to projects to ensure that the club can continue? In order to do so, we will be seeking someone who can act in the role of Club President for 2012-2013 and to plan what can be done with reduced circumstances.

I would encourage everyone to come along to this club forum and support the club.

See you next week and until then, have a good week,

Regards

Helen