As a child of the eighties, I was fascinated by the film Star Wars. Wishing I could have a lightsaber (if only for the cool noise it made) as well as having the ability of the Jedi for mindreading, I note that the original Star Wars film was named – A New Hope. The plan to create a new life and possibilities for a better universe in the film also resonates with the new Rotary theme.

As we begin another year in Rotary – Create Hope in the World – membership shall remain a focus. The new year provides an opportunity to do new things, new beginnings and further develop new and more flexible clubs. Listening to speeches at various changeovers, there is a strong desire to continue to build and grow membership. A new board brings new people and new ideas to the way the club shall function and is often a way to refresh the club dynamics. It also provides club committees with the ability to review previous projects and make new plans – do not be afraid to try something different. Why not simply ask the question at your first committee meeting – what is it that you want to do and achieve during the year? A new year also means a new opportunity for service and renewed engagement and experiences.

Here is an idea to create a new membership experience at your club meeting. If you are meeting in person, when you go to pay for your attendance/meal tell the person at the desk that “ I am paying for the person behind me “. When the next member approaches the person at the desk they can say “ the person before you has already paid for you – would you like to do the same for the person behind you “. It is an unexpected gesture, but the hope is that there is a ripple effect from one person to the next. The message is that a simple act of kindness brings an affirmation to others and that good people exist in your club and in the world – despite what is often seen on the news! There is also the realisation that the one who benefits the most from a simple act of goodwill is not them but you. I challenge you to give it a go!

We are and shall always remain, a member organisation – creating new hope in your club, your community, your district and your zone is the beginning to creating hope in the wider world.

Happy New Year, Happy New Hope by pixabay.com

Down Memory Lane

How nice to have Tamara Cannon giving us an update on her Lille Fro Project today. Tamara is certainly a talented and capable young woman.

She brought a string of memories for we members, not only of the early days of Lille Fro, but of her mother, our Past President Ngaire Cannon. Ngaire’s enthusiasm was contagious: she shook us up and into shape, every time we needed it. 

Ngaire was such a loss to Hawthorn Rotary and to her community: her passing during the early Covid lock-down deprived her of a fitting funeral, and ourselves of an opportunity to express the high regard which we  had for her. She truly was one of a kind.

Thanks for the memories, Ngaire. 

- Gordon Cheyne