We present President Andrew Crockett's Welcome to the RI Convention Club Hosting Dinner, on 29th May, 2023.
On behalf of the presidents of your host clubs tonight, President Teresa Liu of Rotary Glenferrie, President Fabienne Nichola of Camberwell, and myself, a very warm welcome to our fellow Rotarians from interstate and overseas, to members and guests of the host clubs, and all other Rotarians and guests present tonight. The City of Boroondara, in which we are situated derives its name from the language of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation who occupied this land for 65,000 years prior to European settlement, and remain its Traditional Owners.
Boroondara means 'where the ground is thickly shaded'.
The first European contact with this area occurred in 1803 when the schooner, Cumberland, sent by the Governor of New South Wales to survey Port Phillip region as a possible site for a settlement, sailed up the Yarra River.
The first European settlers arrived in the area in 1837 and named it the Parish of Boroondara.
There are seven Rotary Clubs in Boroondara and we are part of Rotary District 9800 which has 67 Rotary Clubs.
The first Rotary Club established in Boroondara was the Rotary Club of Hawthorn in 1953. Rotary Hawthorn sponsored Rotary Camberwell in 1956, Rotary Kew in 1967, and Rotary Glenferrie in 1975.
Rotary Camberwell sponsored Rotary Balwyn in 1972, which in turn sponsored Rotary North Balwyn in 1980 and Rotary Canterbury in 1987.
The seven clubs run a variety of fundraising activities each year including community markets, an art show, the sale of Christmas produce, dinners and other fundraising events. The funds raised support local service projects in Rotary’s seven areas of focus, that are run by clubs individually, or jointly with other clubs.
Projects include:
- Scholarships for financially disadvantaged but academically talented young people.
- Personal care packs for mental health inpatients at local hospitals.
- Meal packs for vulnerable individuals and families.
- Promoting awareness and prevention of family abuse through Rotary SAFE Families.
- Support for parents with newborn babies and young children.
- Providing furniture, appliances and homewares for people who have experienced homelessness, domestic violence, incarceration and other crises.
- Improving treatment outcomes for Myeloma patients in regional Victoria.
- Annual literary awards that attract entries from students and adults around Australia.
- A public speaking competition for secondary students, and
- Sponsoring teams of local students to participate in Rotary’s Model United Nations Assembly debates.
In addition, Boroondara clubs provide tens of thousands of dollars to The Rotary Foundation each year, and support Australian Rotary Health one of the largest independent funders of mental health research in Australia.
Our Clubs also fund a variety of international projects, with particular focus on countries to our near north. These include:
- Fresh water and sanitation facilities for schools and local communities in Timor Leste, Cambodia, and Vietnam;
- Scholarships and other educational support for students in those countries, and
- Equipping and maintaining a surgical unit at Kampong Speu Hospital in Cambodia.
Through these and many other projects, the Rotary clubs of Boroondara are helping to realise Rotary’s vision of a better world.
Once again, a very warm welcome to all of you, and please enjoy our hospitality and the fellowship of the evening.