This has been a busy Rotary week. It was wonderful to welcome New member George McKenzie, who I am sure will be a great asset to our Club. I am looking forward to his Who Am I.

Next Tuesday we will induct Paul and Sally Willoughby into our Club.  They are both hard working and long serving Rotarians. I am sad that they felt they had to leave Mobilong but both Mobilong President Sadie Podger and myself are glad they are finding a home with us.

Wednesday of this week was the High School’s Music Mania. It was a wonderful evening with some very talented musicians performing. The High School’s Music Department and the students are to be congratulated for all their hard work getting this organised.  The performers got applause but the students behind the scenes moving music stands etc, organising the sound and lighting are amazing too. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Music Bursary to not just one student but two students.  Simon and I were not able to rate one of these students higher than the other so Board decided to give the Bursary of $1,000 each to James-Noah Peterson and Aleisha Spurling. Both students are very focussed on achieving their dream jobs in the music industry.  James-Noah as a Music Producer and Aleisha as an orchestral musician.

Thursday evening Rob and I attended the RYLA Graduation in Adelaide. It was wonderful to hear about the experiences of these enthusiastic young adults who are wanting to achieve so much in there lives and how RYLA is going to help them. They were so grateful to the Rotary clubs who. sponsored them. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Katherine Thiele and Clay Burgess.

I have been busy cooking for the Calperum camp.  They leave on Monday morning, minus a very disappointed Marg Whitehead who is unwell. I am sure they are going to have a wonderful experience. Again I’m looking forward to their presentation to the Club.

Thought for the week:

Sir Edmund Hillary: "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." - Connects with the challenges Rotary members willingly take on for personal growth and societal benefit.

• The name of Rotary is highly respected in our community
• The local hospital would miss our continued support with $$$ raised for their projects and much needed equipment (SOZO)
• Murray Bridge Food Bank would not exist in Murray Bridge to support those in need - especially in today’s current economic climate
• The local Arts Community would miss our support with the Rotary Art Show and the Rotary Youth Art Shows - wider community and tourists/visitors would not experience excellent Art collections
• Many local and regional Charity and Sports Clubs would miss the financial support our club offers them through the sales of our calendars
• Murraylands residents would be less safe without our ‘flags on gophers’ and AEDs installed in a range of community places
• Monarto Zoological Park would miss our support with the fireproofing of transportable buildings, tree planting, environmental programs to save the Fairy wrens, construct fences and aviary exhibits
• Older community members and their carers would miss the information shared by community organisations through our Aged Care Expo
• Local individuals fleeing domestic violence would miss out on our emergency bags filled with items to see them through the initial days (DVINA)
• Local homeless individuals would not have our support through Shelter Bags and the accommodation created through partnerships with AC Care and Studio Purpose housing
• Youth would not have supported Skate Park activities through BBQ’s, free food and the opportunity to build relationships with our regional (often marginalised) youth
• Local school students and those across the Murraylands would miss opportunities for support - Music Scholarships; Robotics Club; Going Bush; Calperum Youth Camp; International student exchanges (to and from Murray Bridge); training programs like RYLA, RYPEN and ‘One and All Sailing’ experiences
• Those suffering Dementia, would miss the sounds of their favourite music through the Headphones for Dementia Project
• Community members with Mental Health issues would miss the support of local community health programs which our Rotary Club supports financially (Headspace)
• Environmental Waste would increase local landfill without our recycling programs - Bread Tags for Wheelchairs; Plastic bottle tops recycled through Murray Bridge High School curriculum programs; Ring-pull tags (shared with another Rotary Club) and medicinal blister pack recycling
• Important relationships would be lost; eg with Local Council to support their community occasions from Australia Day celebrations to caring for Mrs Edwards Grave (founding family) , Murraylands Migrant Resource Centre and their Multicultural Festivals, Murraylands Job and Skills Showcase, Youth Projects  with Schools to invest in Peace Pole installations to make our town more centred on achieving Peace in our currently troubled world
• Many local, regional, and interstate individuals would miss the trading opportunities offered through our yearly Swap Meet
• Local Businesses would miss our Hospitality opportunities as we attend their venues for weekly dinners, Hand-Over dinners and other dates of celebrations
• The town would miss having many opportunities to receive $$$ to assist their projects
• On average I believe we contribute to 1 project each week affecting all corners of our community- who else does that?
• All these activities gives out a ‘feel good’ image across the community and highlight our value to our community

• I would miss the contact with other like-minded people to be informed and inspired through our activities and guest speakers
• I would miss the camaraderie and fellowship between the different age groups our club is trying to achieve
• I would miss the social contact, feel lost at ‘not being involved’ in community - I would need to check out other Service Clubs
• I would miss the name ‘Rotary’ and what it means throughout the world
• To be honest, I believe it would affect the Rotarians and their fellowship but, I am not sure the community would notice

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

• FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
• SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
• THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
• FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.