Dear fellow Rotarians,

Welcome to a new Rotary year – the first one in the second 100 years of our Rotary history. It is time to begin writing the first chapter of the new history book of Rotary, and we shall do it through Service Above Self.

During 2005-06, we have two major emphases to concentrate on – literacy, along with water, health, and hunger – and an additional focus on public image.

Resource groups made up of Rotarians with expertise in each of these areas are ready to assist clubs and Districts in planning projects throughout the year.

The month of July is Rotary’s official Literacy Month. In 1985, Eve Malmquist, a member of the Rotary Club of Båstad, Sweden, and an international authority on research and methodology in the field of teaching both children and adults to read, wrote the following:

“The ability to read is an indispensable element in a person’s equipment for living. Anyone who has not been given the opportunity to learn to read and write cannot lead a full human, individual and social life. Why? Because language is a tool of thought. One uses words to think, and the more one learns about words and how to arrange them to express ideas, the better one’s thinking becomes. Mastery and understanding of a language is fundamental to education. It is thus essential for
living.”

How true this statement is, and how fortunate we are to be able to address this issue through Service Above Self.
Literacy is a huge area with many needs. In order to expand our reach on the same penny, I strongly recommend co-operation with other organisations working in the same field. A small example of how this can be done is through the International Save the Children Alliance, a network involving approximately 30 countries around the world with plans to build 300 schools in developing countries.

Although we cannot use The Rotary Foundation grants to erect buildings, we can equip schools. We have met with Save the Children in Evanston, and we will work together on projects of joint interest, focusing on education. I am sure that this effort will result in not just 300 new schools but 600 or maybe even 750 new schools. If 100 children attend each school, then 75,000 more children could learn how to read, write and count – three skills that are essential for an acceptable life.
The years 2003-2012 have been declared the Decade of Literacy by the United Nations. Let us take part together in making this decade a success through Service Above Self, thus continuing to show the world the great leadership of Rotary International.

Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar
President, Rotary International

Photograph: Clas Carlsson.

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL WORLD HEADQUARTERS
One Rotary Centre, 1560 Sherman Ave, Evanston, Illinois, 60201, U.S.
Telephone: 847 866 3000. Fax: 847 328 8554.

General officers of R.I. for 2005-06
President, Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar, Göteborg, Sweden; President-elect, William B. Boyd, Pakuranga, N.Z.; Vice-president, Serge Gouteyron, Denain-Bouchain, France; Treasurer, Jocelyn I. Bolante, Parañaque South, Philippines; Anthony F. de St. Dalmas, Southgate, England; Frank N. Goldberg, Omaha-Suburban, Neb., U.S.A.; Jerry L. Hall, Reno, Nev., U.S.A.; Horst Heiner Hellge, Hamburg-Blankenese, Germany; Sölve Kernell, Kalmar, Sweden; Kwang Tae Kim, Seoul Gwanag, Korea; David Linett, Somerville and Bridgewater, N.J., U.S.A.; Yoshikazu Minamisono, Hofu, Japan; G. Kenneth Morgan, Chapel Hill, N.C., U.S.A.; Noraseth Pathmanand, Bangrak, Thailand; José Antonio Salazar Cruz, Bogotá Occidente, Colombia; Masanobu Shigeta, Takasaki North, Japan; Carlos Enrique Speroni, Temperly, Argentina; Robert A. Stuart Jr., Springfield, Ill., U.S.A.; Rodger W. Wagner, Scottsdale, Ariz., U.S.A. The death on May 29, 2005, of Rodger W. Wagner, who was elected to the board, is noted with sorrow. His replacement is David J. Hossler, Yuma Sunrise, Ariz., U.S.A. General Secretary: Edwin H. Futa, East Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.

R.I. South Pacific – Philippines Office
McNamara Centre, Level 2, 100 George Street, Parramatta, N.S.W., 2150 or P.O. Box 1415, Parramatta, N.S.W., 2124. Telephone: (02) 9635 3537. Fax: (02) 9689 3169. Office hours: Open daily from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except weekends and public holidays. Administration: Manager, John Tucker; Co-ordinator, Leanne MacKenzie; Literature Clerk, Michelle Fuller; Receptionist, Gaye Small. Club and District Administration: Supervisor, Tony Quinn; Co-ordinator, Dele Riley; Correspondent, Sherrine de Silva; Finance Co-ordinators, John Jiang and Wendy Tran; Assistant, Felicity Fong; Junior Finance Assistant, Brooke Sanders. The Rotary Foundation: Supervisor, Terry Davies; TRF Assistant, Amabel Pante. How to e-mail staff: Start with the staff member’s last name (up to seven letters), then add first letter of the first name, except John Jiang (jiangx) and Tony Quinn (quinna) followed by @rotaryintl.org. R.I. Internet address:www.rotary.org

Rotary Down Under – The Council
R.I. Past Director John Thorne, District Governors Bill Benbow (D9450), Peter Brown (D9460), Phil Cordery (D9470), Colin Thorn (D9500), Arthur Manser (D9520), Peter Kaye (D9550), Kevin Hickey (D9570), Charles Guesdon (D9600), Ailsa Hay (D9630), John Tregurtha (D9640), Jane Bradford (D9650), Donald Whatham (D9670), Greg Muldoon (D9680), Bill Little (D9690), David Roberts (D9700), Noel Trevaskis (D9710), Patrick Roberts (D9750), Wayne Barrett (D9780), David Yap (D9790), John Wigley (D9800), Philip Hedley (D9810), Ray Stewart (D9820), Paul Grubb (D9830), Graeme Bellingham (D9910), Colin Nicholas (D9920), Brian Revell (D9930), Rodney Wong (D9940), Kelvin Cordes (D9970), Martyn Jensen (D9980).

The Committee
Past District Governor Peter Williams (chairman), R.I. Past-Director John Thorne, R.I. Director Jocelyn Bolante (co-opted), Past-District-Governors Paul Gillett, Vance Hilton, Colin Thorniley, Terry Edwards, Stuart Heal and Bob Aitken (secretary) and Rotarian Barry Antees (general manager).

The New Zealand Rotary Down Under Promotional Committee
R.I. Past Director Bill Boyd (chairman), R.I. Past Director Grattan O’Connell, Past District Governors Geoff Dainty, Rob Crabtree, Fergus Cumming, Allan Birrell and Stuart Heal and RotarianRex Morris.