Dear members and friends of the Rotary Club of Sydney Darling Harbour,

First of all, a big thank you to everyone that sent in event ideas last week! We now have ideas up to our eye balls, which will help our Club remain vibrant and hard at work for the year ahead. We’ll be announcing more details as time goes on, but I’m confident that we will continue to be an active Club that is diligent in its mission of making the world a better place.

In other news, I’m now the happy recipient of my first shot of vaccination. Given my type one diabetes, I qualified for the Pfizer shot and took it at the Homebush Vaccination Hub. If you’re able to do, I would really recommend you discussing your vaccination options with your doctor, as I think we’d all be happy to see the back of this pandemic.

Finally, membership fees are coming due. Look out for a message from our Treasurer Lynne Gibson with details on how to pay your yearly fees. These fees cover things like insurance and website/zoom hosting and help support the Club’s work. We always really appreciate prompt payment of dues, but please don’t hesitate to reach out if you do need support in this area.

Upcoming Events

Digital Evening Meeting – 5/8/2021: Youth Homelessness
August 5, 2021 at 6:30 pm

Homelessness is an issue that our Club has been involved in for years, as the homeless are often the most vulnerable members of our society. When it impacts our youth, the ramifications can be even more significant and can trap individuals in lives plagued by mental illness, food insecurity and decreased opportunities to pull themselves out of this difficult situation. In this evening meeting, we will be discussing how the Darlings can best get involved in the important area of Youth Homelessness, and what support we can provide to existing organisations to help them deliver better outcomes for their residents.

For more information, or to get involved, visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/evening-meeting-5-8-2021/

Digital Club Meeting – 11/8/2021: Jeremy Wright AM
August 11, 2021 at 7:30 am

This week, District Governor Jeremy Wright AM will be joining us to share the District’s plan and priorities for the year ahead, as well to discuss what the Darlings have on our own road map. This meeting is open to everyone, and we all hope to see you there. To join, simply visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/zoom

For more information, or to get involved, visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/club-meeting-11-8-2021/

Board Meeting – 18/08/2021
August 18, 2021 at 6:30 pm

The Rotary Club of Sydney Darling Harbour is engaged in several different projects. Whether it’s working within our local community, advancing international understanding and providing humanitarian aid, providing for the development and advancement of our members or fostering new friendships, our Club strives to always put its hands to something useful. Board meetings allow for attendees to decide on upcoming events and help direct ongoing projects.

For more information, or to get involved, visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/board-meeting-18-08-2021/

Digital Club Meeting – 25/8/2021: Kerrie Guillaume
August 25, 2021 at 7:30 am

Kerrie Guilluame from the Rotary Club of Fairy Meadow will be speaking to us about Interact, Rotary’s service club for young people aged 12 to 18. Our digital club meetings are a great opportunity to discuss our upcoming events, ongoing projects and recent news from the comfort of your home office. To join, simply visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/zoom

News

Departing Members

Last week, I noted the departure of four members of our Club. Unfortunately, I missed one – after several years of hard work and dedication, Andrew Kelly has concluded his time with the Darlings. As with all departing members, Andrew will be dearly missed, with his pragmatism, practicality and wry sense of humour representing very large shoes for the Club to fill. We wish Andrew all the best, and we hope to see him again if time and circumstance allow.

Kiva Loans
The Darlings have made a number of micro-finance loans through Kiva tonight to provide a “hand up” to women in a number of countries including Ecuador, Fiji, Indonesia, Kenya, Moldova, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tonga and Vanuatu. Two examples of the loans we have made recently include:

Philomene, a 41 year old mother of three in Vanuatu who will use the loan to purchase goods so she can stock up her small kitchen shop that will better provide for her customers and with the earned revenue, she will invest in her children’s education.

Vilma, a mother of three children in the Philippines who will use the loan to build a sanitary toilet in her home. Vilma is aware that by using the sanitary toilet she is not only saving money, she is also helping the environment and reducing health and hazard risks to her family.

To see more of The Darlings Kiva loans, please visit https://www.kiva.org/lender/rotarydarlingharbour

Working With Children Check

To help protect the young people are Club supports, all members need to complete a Working With Children check. The Club is required to maintain these records to ensure that member working with children has been cleared to do so.

To help support process, please send your WWC number, Expiry Date and Date of Birth to Club Secretary Sue Hayward by emailing secretary@rotarydarlingharbour.org.au

If you don’t have a WWC number, you can register via the link below. It only takes a few minutes and is free for non-commercial purposes (which we are).
https://www.ocg.nsw.gov.au/child-safe-organisations/working-with-children-check

Final Thoughts

The first song sung by a computer was Daisy Bell in 1961. The computer was the IBM 7094. The 1968 film, 2001 a space odyssey, had the HAL 9000 computer sing the same song as a tribute.

Well, that’s it from me. Don’t forget that our next meeting is scheduled for 6.30PM on Wednesday the 5th of August, taking place online. For more information, including how to access the meeting remotely, please visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/evening-meeting-5-8-2021/

Until next week,
Drew Sturgiss
President
Rotary Club of Sydney Darling Harbour