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 2003-04
President, Jonathan Majiyagbe, Nigeria; President-elect, Glenn E. Estess Sr., U.S.A.; Vice President, Frank C. Collins Jr., U.S.A.; Treasurer, Gennaro M. Cardinale, Italy; Ronald L. Beaubien, U.S.A.; John J. Eberhard, Canada; John F. Germ, U.S.A.; Sushil Gupta, India; Michael D. McCullough, U.S.A.; David D. Morgan,Wales; Samuel A. Okudzeto, Ghana; Luiz Coelho de Oliveira, Brazil; John M. Pinson, U.S.A.; J. David Roper, U.S.A.; Ómar Steindórsson, Iceland; Kozo Sugo, Japan; Sakuji Tanaka, Japan; Constant A.G.M. Tempelaars, The Netherlands; John G. Thorne, Australia.
General Secretary: Edwin H. Futa, U.S.A.

R.I. South Pacific and 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, Harley Tarrant; Co-ordinator, Leanne Mackenzie; Literature Clerk, Michelle Fuller; Receptionist, Barbara Stuart. Club and District Administration (formerly service): Supervisor, Tony Quinn; Correspondent, Nicole Raymond: Co-ordinator, Graham Pretty. Finance: Supervisor, Brian Carroll; Co-ordinators, John Jiang and Wendy Tran; Assistant, Rebecca Tucke; Junior finance assistant, Cecille Costello; 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) followed by @rotaryintl.org Example: smithj@rotaryintl.org for John Smith.
R.I. Internet address:www.rotary.org

Rotary Down Under — The Council
R. I. Director John Thorne, District Governors Doug Pascoe (9450), John Simmons (9460), Ron Geary (9470), David Moore (9500), Graeme Dodsworth (9520), Michael Rennie (9550), Hector Garrick (9570), Tony Holmes (9600), Ray Brand (9630), Max Wortman (9640), John Burkey (9650), Cheryl Bentley-Howard (9670), Danny Low (9680), Warwick Tester (9690), Peter Chivers (9700), Anne Louttit (9710), Elaine Lytle (9750), Robert Furner (9780), Bill Holman (9790), Donald Jago (9800), Jenny Coburn (9810), Ray Martin (9820), Kevin Shadbolt (9830), Charles Wilson (9910), John Rennie (9920), Trish O’Reilly (9930), Allan Birrell (9940), Lyn Holmes (9970), John Henderson (9980).

The Committee:
R.I. Past Director Bill Boyd (chairman), R.I. Director John Thorne, Past District Governors Paul Gillett (treasurer), Colin Martin (vice-chairman), Keith Mitchell, Terry Edwards, Peter Williams, Bob Aitken (Secretary) and Rotarian Barry Antees (business manager).
Advisory Committee New Zealand, Pacific Islands:
R.I. Past Director Bill Boyd (chairman), R.I. Past Director Grattan O’Connell, Past District Governors Geoff Dainty, Mark Tregidga, Fergus Cumming, Lindsay Knowles, Bruce Knowles and Stuart Heal.

Dear fellow Rotarians, March is the month in which Rotarians and their partners in service celebrate Rotaract, and this year we observe the 36th anniversary of this vital, Rotary-sponsored service club program for young men and women ages 18 to 30. With clubs in more than 150 countries, Rotaract is preparing some 170,000 young leaders to better serve their communities.

This month, I’m wearing a shirt style first popularised in northern and north-eastern Thailand, a country that is home to 54 Rotaract clubs. Such shirts, called sua parajathan, are designed for mobility and comfort. The formal white version that I’m wearing was traditionally reserved for temple, but more recently, it has also been worn for local festivals and celebrations. Casual variations are seen today throughout south-east Asia.

More than 125-years-old, the functional sua parajathan has adapted over time to remain an essential aspect of Thai culture.

As Rotarians, we are always looking for ways we can ensure the continued relevance of our organisation. One of the most effective ways to keep in step with the times and prepare for the future is by supporting R.I.’s programs for youths and young adults. Through programs such as Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), Youth Exchange, and Rotaract, we have a unique opportunity to ready tomorrow’s leaders and expand our efforts to promote goodwill on a global level.

Rotarians play an important role in the Rotaract program, serving as leaders and mentors for an enthusiastic group of young men and women. In turn, Rotarians reap rewards from their participation. Rotaract members share their youthful energy and enthusiasm with their sponsoring clubs, provide valuable support for existing projects, and contribute fresh ideas for service.

Equipped with the skills and inspiration necessary to become leaders in their communities, some Rotaractors become Rotarians. Others go on to lead and contribute to their communities in different ways. Whatever their futures hold, the experiences these young adults derive as members of local Rotaract clubs prepare them to carry on our tradition of service.
In addition to celebrating World Rotaract Week this month, Districts everywhere will be holding presidents-elect training seminars (PETS). These training sessions, whether single-District or multi-District events, are designed to prepare club presidents for the coming Rotary year and are critical to the on-going success of clubs and Districts.

Strong leaders possess a natural ability to set goals, strategise and communicate. But even the most dynamic natural leaders can falter if they are not prepared for the task at hand. When we support training opportunities such as PETS and youth programs such as Rotaract, we help guarantee a steady flow of confident, educated, and prepared Rotary leaders.

It has often been said that luck favours those who are prepared. This month and every month, I encourage you to prepare for the future by supporting R.I.’s up-and-coming leaders, so that we can continue to Lend a Hand in service for years to come

Jonathan Majiyagbe
President, Rotary International.