Hello Fellow Rotarians and friends,

 

Welcome to this fortnight’s newsletter.

 

During mid-March, I was away on work related travel. Thank you to Mandy and Peter and Bernie for helping run the meetings while I was away.

 

The website for  North Ryde eFun Run is up and running and a number of our club members have already registered. It is going to be held from Sunday 30 April to 7 May. We need all our members to participate in the event and tap into their networks to make the event successful. It is for a great cause – Youth Mental Health. I encourage every member to commit to a goal, small or large, and make it successful.  Please take photos of you walking or running and make it a celebration. It can be done at your pace and when you want, so there’s something for everybody!

 

The organizing committee is also planning for some walking events to take place over the said period and it would be great if family and friends could join us for these events. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.

 

We are looking forward to the IT Tour for Country Students which is being held after a 3-year hiatus. A number of organisations are on board and it will be a fun and experiential week for students coming from country NSW. A dinner will be held for the students on Thursday 18 May at the Riding for Disabled facility in Marsfield; please save the date in your diaries. David and Garry will send out more details closer to the time.

 

Bernie and Peter Mason represented our club at the District Conference at Cowra. From all accounts, it was a great event. The Hiking Stick Challenge was successful in raising a lot of funds for Australian Rotary Health. It was announced that the Rotary District 9685 Conference 2024 will be held at Terrigal on 15 and 16 March 2024.

 

A number of our club members attended the Police Officer of the Year Awards organized by the Rotary Club of Ryde. Held at North Ryde RSL, it was a great night enjoyed by all present. It is such a worthy acknowledgement of the people who help keep our communities safe. PDGs Susan and John Wakefield regaled the audience with stories from their police careers.

 

Northern Sydney MUNA (Model United Nations Assembly) is going to be held on 20-21 May 2023. MUNA is an annual, two-day weekend event that is part of an International Rotary project to educate senior high school students (years 10 - 12) on the United Nations organisation and its vital commitment to world peace, in addition to health, education and living standards around the world.  The event provides an excellent forum for students to develop and practice their public speaking skills whilst debating on topical world issues. MUNA is held in many Rotary Districts around Australia.  The team that places first in MUNA in our district will be invited to compete at the Australian National MUNA at the Old Parliament House in Canberra (with financial support from Rotary).  Our club has supported MUNA participation by high schools in our area and we will be looking to do the same this year.

 

I thank everyone in the Club for their commitment, energy and contribution towards making a difference.