Rotary International Convention

Those of us attending the RI Convention are experiencing many memorable and inspiring moments, starting with the traditional Flag Ceremony at the opening plenary session at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. This spectacular and moving ceremony featured flags of many of the 200 or so nations that are host to Rotary clubs. Groups of delegates cheered as their flag bearer came on stage, and the delegation from Ukraine received a standing ovation. 

Delegates were welcomed by Francesco Arezzo, Chair of the 2023 International Convention Committee; the Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, The Honourable Steve Dimopoulos, and Melbourne Lord Mayor, Sally Capp. 

Hugh Evans, 2003 Young Victorian of the Year and Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen, spoke about the importance of transcending nationalities to think and act as global citizens, and Rotary International’s first female President, Jennifer Jones, spoke passionately about Rotary’s mission and our part in achieving it. 

The theme of the second plenary session on Monday was ‘Imagine our Dreams’. The session featured some outstanding speakers. RI General Secretary and CEO, John Hewko, spoke about the many ways in which Rotarians can promote peace. A remarkable 10-year-old girl, Nakeeyat Dramani Sam, a poet and climate ambassador from Ghana, delivered in free verse an impassioned plea for humans to stop treating the earth as a treasure to be plundered and to start treating it as vulnerable Mother Earth, our home to be nurtured and protected.

The standout speaker for me was 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate and peace activist Dr Leymah  Gbowee who spoke of the horrors and violence her family and many others had experienced during Liberia’s civil war in the 1990s. She led the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace which brought together Christian and Muslim women in a nonviolent movement that played a pivotal role in ending the civil war. After winning the Nobel Peace Prize for this work she established the Gbowee Peace Foundation which promotes education for young people and women as a path from a life of poverty and violence to empowerment, peace, and reconciliation.

House of Friendship invitation

Don’t forget, that if you haven’t registered as a delegate you can still get a taste of the Convention by taking up the offer of a free pass to the House of Friendship at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. 

If you are visiting the House of Friendship on Wednesday morning, come to The Rotary Foundation booth at 10.30 am when Foundation Director Charlotte and I will present the Club’s ‘Big Cheque’ for $4,300.

Joint Hosting Dinner

What a splendid night we enjoyed at the Joint Hosting Dinner for interstate ad overseas Convention delegates at Kooyong last night.  The Kooyong Room was full, with 200 Rotarians and their guests present.

I had the privilege of welcoming guests on behalf of the presidents of the three host clubs and in doing so gave a brief history of Rotary in Boroondara, and mentioned some of the projects our clubs are running locally and overseas. A copy of the welcome is below.

Humorous tennis anecdotes and sundry reminisces by the evening’s MC, The Hon. Ted Baillieu AO, set a relaxed and friendly tone for the evening. Guest speaker, The Hon. Josh Frydenberg, gave an insight into his life as a tennis player, and his political career as the former Member for Kooyong and spoke of the importance of Rotary’s role in the community.

Each table had a mix of local club members, their guests, and interstate and overseas guests. This generated many interesting conversations about clubs in different parts of the world. It was a very successful evening that did credit to the host clubs and event organisers.

I‘d like to especially thank Terry Kitchen and the other members of the organising committee, for the time and effort they put into ensuring the success of the evening. My thanks also to the Hawthorn members who volunteered for various roles on the night – Bus Host Doug McLean, Anne Scott on the Welcome Desk, and Room Stewards Kim D’Arcy and Terry Kitchen.

Enterprise Forum 27 June

The Vocational Service Committee presents the next in its series of Enterprise Forums via Zoom on Tuesday 27 June. The speaker will be Commodore (Ret) Peter Scott, who served in 10 submarines during his 34-year career in the Submarine Arm of the Royal Australian Navy. Commodore Scott will speak about life as a submariner.

It’s sure to be an informative talk so don’t miss it, and please invite interested family members and friends to register too.

Next Club meeting

Another Club event not to be missed is next Tuesday’s Changeover Dinner. Please join us in acknowledging those who made notable contributions to the Club and Rotary during the year, and welcoming incoming President Doug McLean and the members of the Board for 2023/24. 

If you haven’t booked yet, please assist the Social Committee by doing so no later than Friday.

I hope to see you next week.  In the meantime, stay safe and well and enjoy the last day of the Convention.

Thought for the Week

This week I continue the series on Rotary’s Four-way Test, the ethical principles that underpin it, and how practical it is as a decision-making tool.  

In Part 2 this week I summarise four mainstream ethical theories – consequentialism, Kantian ethics, virtue ethics, and ethics of care. See Part 2 below.