FROM
WHERE I SIT
by Bob Aitken
Managing Editor
Rotary Down Under |
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Rotary International’s Centenary
Convention in Chicago from June 19 to 22 will be a unique Rotary experience – indeed, an experience NOT to be missed!
At the time of writing, more than 30,000 people have registered for this one-off, exciting event. These figures are on target to top the coveted 50,000 mark and set a new record for Rotary International Convention attendance – 45,381 at Japan’s Osaka Dome last June.
Early enthusiasm for what will surely be Rotary’s most colourful and enjoyable celebration ever, encouraged many senior leaders to predict that the
Chicago Convention could break all Convention attendance records, and perhaps even reach the lofty numbers of 70,000 to 80,000!
With 30,000 registrants by February 8, a more realistic prediction is around 50,000 attendees, which will please many Rotarians and partners who have expressed concerns about coping with huge crowds. As one who has
personally inspected the impressive and huge McCormack Convention Centre in Chicago, please allow me to reassure everyone that the facilities will comfortably cope with such numbers. In fact, the complex would comfortably cope with 70,000.
Figures for Australia (600 plus) and New Zealand (almost 100) are slightly disappointing, but there is still time to take advantage of discounts and secure good accommodation.
So, the clear message this month is, if you are among those who changed their minds about attending the historic Chicago Convention because of a concern about the expected huge crowd, please reconsider . . . Remember, you have only until the end of this month, March, to take
advantage of the special discounted registration fee. Don’t miss the chance to Celebrate Rotary at the most
spectacular event of our Centenary year!
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District Governors Martin Chappell (9980), Beryl Robinson (9920), Ken Linkhorn (9910) and Barbara Williams (9940), Governor-Elect Kelvin Cordes (9970) and District Governor Bruce Scott (9930) attended a media training day in Auckland, New Zealand.
NZ media training day: A special Media Training Day for New Zealand-based senior leaders was arranged under the direction of the R.I. Public Relations Department. The program, organised and conducted by New Zealand PR consultant, District 9920 Past Governor Rob Crabtree, was attended by five current District
governors and one governor-elect. |
Rotary at a glance
Rotarians, 1,219,532; clubs, 31,936; Districts: 529; countries: 166. Rotaractors, 177,238; clubs, 7,706; countries,159. Interactors, 224,802; clubs, 9,774; countries: 117. Rotary Fellowships: 84. Rotary Community Corps,129,375; number of corps, 5,625; countries, 71. Down Under: 1,193 clubs and 35,272 Rotarians in Australia and Papua New Guinea and 251 clubs and 10,.335 Rotarians in New Zealand and the Pacific Nations. |
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Content included basic rules in
dealing with the media, what is news, preparation for an interview with
journalists in press, radio and
television (including on camera role playing and critique), talkback radio techniques, telephone interview
techniques and various other skills. All participants were interviewed three times during the day and agreed on the success of the course. They strongly recommended such a course be part of mandatory training for all District governors. Welcome French Polynesia: Exciting news for March is the announcement by Rotary International that Rotary clubs in French Polynesia have joined the already very
international District 9920. It takes in part of the North Island of New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands. District 9920 Governor Beryl Robinson will travel to French Polynesia in April to meet Rotarians of the Rotary clubs of Papeeta and Raiatea-Tahaa and extend a warm
welcome on behalf of the District. She will meet with the provisional Rotary clubs of Taraveo and Moreea.
Several Rotarians from French
Polynesia have indicated that they will attend the unique Tri-District Conference in Rotorua, N.Z., in late April.
Great Rotary publicity:
In another triumph for Rotary’s Native Nestbox Project (ROBIN), Chairman Barry Barratt and committee member Rob Morrison produced a 10-minute video which the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) added to a Nexus program screened to 200 million people in Asia. |
Chicago’s Centennial Parade: In response to several enquiries, the Chicago Convention Host Committee advises that the time for the
Centennial Parade is 10.00a.m. to 12.30p.m. on Saturday, June 18. The route is Columbus Drive, between Monroe Street and Balboa Drive.
Organisers emphasise that the parade will go ahead regardless of weather conditions. |
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ROBIN, a unique environmental project developed by Past President Barry and
introduced extensively throughout
Districts 9500 and 9520, involves
construction of nesting boxes for
various Australian birds and wildlife. The video showed members of the Rotary Club of Hindmarsh, S.A., including District 9500 Past
Governors Don Sarah and Geoff Schahinger, busy on a production line to build nesting boxes. The 14 types of boxes were displayed and the video also showed boxes being placed in the Australian bush. |
