Dear members and friends of the Rotary Club of Sydney Darling Harbour,
Freedom. I won’t let you down. Freedom. I will not give you up. Freedom. GOTTA HAVE SOME FAITH IN THE SOUND!
George Michael said it best all those years ago, it is absolutely wonderful to have a much larger chunk of the world that I can presently visit. I have such a large list to catch up on, I have hikes to walk, friends to catch up and family members to hug! These past 100+ days in lock-down have been rough, but it’s now almost over. Thanks for sticking with me through them, the Club was definitely a bright spot during an otherwise bleak and dreary time.
Also, as yesterday was World Mental Health Day, the Darlings will be celebrating Hat Day at our next meeting. I want to see Akubras! I want to see fedoras! I want to see those big hats with the fruit in them! This is all to bring attention and funding to Australian Rotary Health ongoing efforts to Lift the Lid on Mental Illness, and we’ll be taking a photo during the meeting to mark the occasion. I can’t wait to see you there.
Upcoming Events
 |
Digital Club Meeting – 13/10/2021: Healthy Men, Masculinities & Communities October 13, 2021 at 7:30 am https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/zoom |
Our regular club meetings are used to discuss our upcoming events, ongoing projects and recent news. This week, David Pointon will be presenting to the Club about his work with The Men’s Table. If you are looking to give something back to the community, to develop professionally, to help steer exciting projects, or are just interested in making new friends, you are very welcome to attend our meeting.
This is a Hat Day event, so don’t forget to wear a hat!
For more information, or to get involved, visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/club-meeting-13-10-2021/
Our friends at the Rotary Club of Sydney are holding a Rotary Youth Talk, hosted by their Youth Committee. Rotary Youth Talk’s allow for us to see incredible young people doing amazing thing, and this talk will be no exception! Georgia Stirton, manager of South Sydney PCYC, will be talking about her basketball career, her work in the Special Needs field and her current work of using her education background to provide real service to at-risk youth.
For more information, or to get involved, visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/sydney-rotarys-rotary-youth-talk-the-redfern-story-our-journey-georgia-stirton-manager-pcyc-south-sydney/
 |
Board Meeting – 20/10/2021 October 20, 2021 at 6:30 pm https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/zoom |
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 the Club’s leadership to discuss plans, co-ordinate on strategies and address Club issues. They allow the Club’s leadership a chance to discuss the our upcoming events and projects, and help ensure that we remain vibrant and cohesive. If you would like to sink your teeth into the administration behind our Club, you are very welcome to attend our board meetings.
For more information, or to get involved, visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/board-meeting-20-10-2021/
 |
Evening Meeting – 21/10/2021 October 21, 2021 at 6:30 pm| https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/zoom |
Our evening meetings are used to discuss both our upcoming events and broader world issues. They have a focus on work-shops and project discussion, and are geared to be enjoyed after a hard day of work. If you are passionate about improving your world and local community, making new friends and developing new skills and are excited to attack new challenges, then this is the meeting for you.
For more information, or to get involved, visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/evening-meeting-21-10-2021/
 |
Digital Club Meeting – 27/10/2021: Vimla Hayman & Interplast October 27, 2021 at 7:30 am https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/zoom |
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. This week, we’ll be joined by Rotarian Vimla Hayman to speak about Interplast, a Rotary program that sends surgeons and health professionals overseas to carry out surgery on some of the world’s poorest people. Interplast also supports doctors from developing countries to come to Australia to complete part of their training so that they learn latest skills so they can work efficiently in their own countries. If you are looking to give something back to the community, to develop professionally, to help steer exciting projects, or are just interested in making new friends, you are very welcome to attend our meeting.
For more information, or to get involved, visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/digital-club-meeting-27-10-2021/
Recent News
 |
The Clem Renouf End Polio Now Club October 9 |
PDG Bob Aitken has started the Clem Renouf End Polio Now Club, which is striving to see Clubs have EVERY member donate just $10 to Rotary’s Polio fund to mark World Polio Day in 2021/22. We’d love to have you involved.
 |
Darlings Projects Page Refresh October 9 |
The Rotary Club of Sydney Darling Harbour has 15 projects underway at the moment, which have all had a long-lasting and significant impact on the world around us. We’ve used Kiva to empower entrepreneurs in other nations, provided books to nearby schools, helped provide clean drink water in Nepal, scrubbed graffiti off of buildings and supported the development of young people into the best versions of themselves. It’s an inspiring and encouraging list, which was first documented by Mel Lane.
The project page has been given a bit of a face lift recently, to make it more engaging and easier to find out how to get involved. Check it out at https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/projects/
Final Thoughts
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she 18, during a ghost story competition while staying in Switzerland with writers Percy Shelley and Lord Byron.
Well, that’s it from me. Don’t forget that our next meeting is scheduled for 7.30AM on Wednesday the 13th of October, taking place online. For more information, including how to access the meeting remotely, please visit https://rotarydarlingharbour.org.au/events/club-meeting-13-10-2021/. And don’t forget to wear your favourite hat.
Until next week,
Drew Sturgiss
President
Rotary Club of Sydney Darling Harbour
Polio has gone from a rampant and destructive just a few decades ago, to a virus that is 99.9% eliminated, with just two cases being reported in the past year. However, though we’re almost finished, until Polio is entirely eliminated it can come back, squandering all the progress we’ve made thus far.