Chairperson's Welcome ......................................................................... 2

PR Director's Desk ................................................................................. 2

ARC2015 Wrap Up ................................................................................ 3

ARC Survey ........................................................................................... 3

Australian Rotaract Awards .................................................................... 3

Australian Rotaract Conference 2016 ..................................................... 5

2016 Australian Rotaract Conference ..................................................... 5

National Project: .................................................................................... 6

Rotaractors Against Malaria ................................................................... 6

Tab for a Cause ..................................................................................... 7

Rotaract Movember ............................................................................... 9

Rotaract Census .................................................................................. 10

5 Things to Experience in Rotaract ....................................................... 10

Charity with a Difference ...................................................................... 11

Launch of the Rotaract Australia YouTube Channel ............................. 12

World Polio Day Pool Party to End Polio Now ...................................... 12

Swiss Round Trip ................................................................................. 12

Rotaract is Exploding in D9600 ............................................................ 13

Shoalhaven Rotaract Charter ............................................................... 14

Asia Pacific Regional Rotaract Conference 2015.................................. 14

Rotary Scholarship for Pre-Service Teacher Kahli ................................ 15

Upcoming Events ................................................................................. 15

Australian Rotaract Games 2016 ......................................................... 15

Australian Rotaract Games .................................................................. 15

Chairperson's Welcome

Hello friends,

Wow, wasn’t ARC Hobart was amazing! From sailing on the Derwent to

Blinky Bill a.k.a., Robyn Moore, the highlights were endless.

Congratulations to Rotaractors from Sandy Bay & Rotaract Australia for

making it a huge success. We look forward to ARC Brisbane in 2016!

At ARC we announced our 2015 Australian Rotaract Award Winners. I’m

always impressed by the calibre of Rotaract projects, people and events

we have around the country. A special ‘well done’ to Australian

Rotaractor of the Year Dani Fogarty (check out the video here), who is

an outstanding and committed individual.

In case you’re longing for more Rotaract goodness, we have Movember,

a Rotaract Grant, and the Australian Rotaract Games all just around

the corner. Help us build on the $18K that we’ve raised for men’s health

initiatives in the last two Movembers; apply for a $1000 Rotaract Grant;

or book your tickets to ARG in Sydney for the summer.

In the mean time, we’d love to hear your thoughts on ARC – whether you

attended or not – by completing a quick survey here.

Cheers,

Jake

-Jake Weragoda, Rotaract Australia Chairperson 2015-2016, Rotaractor

of the Year 2014, Paul Harris Fellow

PR Director's Desk Even though it's nearly summer, I am loving my Rotaract Australia

hoodie. Since ARC2015, I've been wearing it everywhere and as a result,

fielding many questions about Rotaract. It's been a good chance to use

"the power of the word" (as taught by our phenomenal keynote speaker

Robyn Moore) to promote our organisation's unique blend of community

service and professional development. Spending a full weekend with 150

other enthusiastic Rotaractors was the boost that I needed to remind me

why I love volunteering for our lovely community.

Collectively, we are making a big impact in a wide range of issues, as

recognised by the Australia Rotaract Awards, which received a record

number of nominations this year. Looking ahead, I am most excited about

the Rotaractors Against Malaria campaign and can't wait to see what

kinds of initiatives you all bring to the table over the next few months. To

maintain our high levels of energy and excellence, keep up the

connections forged at ARC2015 - use our social media channels and

groups to stay in touch and share inspirational experiences. If you want

to find out more about a project featured in our magazine, please feel

free to reach out to us here at Rotaract Australia or to the club directly.

Thank you also to the PR & Marketing Committee for their work over the

past few months, and to Gus (Sydney City Rotaract) for pulling this

edition together. If you have ideas and content to contribute, please get in

touch!

-Holstein Wong, Rotaract Australia PR & Marketing Director 2014-2016

Check out the ARC Photo Galleries here!

ARC2015 Wrap Up INSPIRE | CONNECT | EXPERIENCE

Ben Hill, a first-time ARC attendee, tells us about his experience:

We began our weekend, meeting up with the other Rotaractors at the

Royal Yacht Club of Hobart. We registered and started meeting many of

the Rotaractors from across Australia. It was brilliant to hear the amazing

stories and projects our fellow Rotaractors have been doing. An amazing

thing was how instantly and so well we connected, we’re all here

because we want to help, we care, and it’s such a great thing to have so

many like-minded people in the same room.

We then took to the Derwent River preparing for the Des Cooper

Memorial yacht race; before we knew it, we were off! Switching from side

to side in the yacht, we admired the beautiful hills and mountains around

Hobart. We got to get to know the crew, and on my boat was the Rotaract

legend known as Michael Shields (past Chairperson), and in the end we

won!

Saturday morning we awoke to a fantastic day, DAY 1 of the actual

conference. I participated in the President’s and Vice-President’s

session, the public speaking session, and the CEO session. We also

enjoyed the speakers Robyn Moore (a.k.a. Blinky Bill), Seb Terry 100

Things and Jo Parker from HeartSparks.

Saturday night we also had our conference dinner, which was fantastic,

we danced, we had a great meal, got to know many more Rotaractors

and Local Rotarians.

The conference finished on Sunday. It was a fantastic day, filled with lots

networking. We had the Rotaract Australia awards, congratulations to

Rotaractor of the Year – Dani Fogarty, and the other award winners.

The weekend was amazing, truly connecting, inspiring and experiential. I

learnt a great deal about leadership, about improving ourselves and how

we approach things through life.

It was a phenomenal experience, and I’m so glad we had so many

awesome inspiring Rotaractors. I definitely recommend it, so see you at

the next conference in Brisbane!

To find out more about ARC 2016 in Brisbane, see our feature article on

the following pages. You can also visit conference.rotaract.org.au find

us on Facebook and follow our tweets @RotaractAU #RotaractAustralia

ARC Survey Got some feedback about ARC 2015? How about suggestions for ARC

2016? Please fill out this short survey, it will only take you 5-10 minutes

and give us some really useful information to make your Brisbane

experience even better.

Australian Rotaract Awards

Winner of the Most Outstanding Community Project was Diamond

Valley Rotaract, who coordinated a Battle of the Bands to showcase

local musical acts at the Eltham festival last summer. They have been

invited to run the project again in 2015. They directly reached out to

schools and the community to source participants and had 12

Rotaractors involved in the project.

Most Outstanding Community Project nominees:

Diamond Valley – Eltham Festival Southport – Carousel Project Southport – Assist-a-Sista Home refurbishment project Southport – Friends of Federation Walk Tree Planting Macquarie – Swap Parties Mount Lawley – Starkick Program Unnamed club – Movie Night for Heart Kids Salisbury City –Christmas lunch Lower North Shore – KYDS Rossmoyne – John Curtin Weekend (JCW) 2015 – Koorda Central Coast – "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (GRG) Christmas Dinner"

Winner of the Most Outstanding International Project was

Rockingham Kwinana Rotaract for their ‘hope for kids’ project in

Indonesia. The aim was to renovate and repair the school in order to

provide a safe environment conducive to learning for the local students.

They raised over $10,000 and had four Rotaractors on the ground with

local Rotaract, Rotary and Interact Clubs to renovate the school as well

as donate laptops and a projector.

Most Outstanding International Project nominees:

Sunnybank –Soccer Tournament Adelaide City – World Youth International Sponsorship Rockingham / Kwinana –“Hope for Kids” in Indonesia Southport – Muravah Foundation Trivia Night Macquarie University, Sydney Uni, UNSW & UTS Rotaract - The Rotaract Pirate Pub Crawl Salisbury City – raffle for the Nepal earthquake crisis Brindabella – Nets for Nets project Unnamed club – The East Meru Community School and Mr. Siphaeli Appeal Perth – Back2School Quiz night Subiaco – Murder Mystery Night

The winner of the Most Outstanding Professional Development

project was the Rotaract Club of Sunnybank. The Club brought

together a group of young, eager-to-learn Rotaractors, along with a group

of Rotarians who offered wisdom, guidance, and leadership to create

new friendships, and better knowledge and skills about networking and

mentoring. Congratulations to Sunnybank!

The nominees for the Most Outstanding Professional Development Project were:

• Sunnybank – Professional Development Networking Event • Salisbury City – Strategic Planning night • Adelaide City – Speakers at meetings

The winner of the Most Outstanding Public Relations Activity was

The Rotaract Club of Mount Lawley, who collaborated with the Rotary

Club of Mount Lawley to have a stall at the Beaufort Street Festival last

November. The Beaufort Street Festival, is a street fair 1000 attendees,

focusing on food, music and arts. The stall showcased Rotary and

Rotaract and even had a prize wheel, whilst they handed out many

pamphlets about our organisation.

The winner of the Rotary Rotaract Interact Involvement Award was

District 9675 for their Interact Conference. The team collaborated with

the Rotary District and numerous Rotaract, Interact and Rotary Clubs to

run the first ever ‘Connect’ conference for Interactors.

The conference provided 100 Interactors with a chance to develop their

leadership potential, engage with each other and, have fun doing so.

Congratulations to the Rotaractors from District 9675 including the clubs

UNSW, USyd, UTS, UOW, Sydney City and Burwood.

Rotary Rotaract Interact involvement award nominations: • Hunter Rotaract Club/Rotary Club of Newcastle and D9670–

LUNAR Walk • Diamond Valley Rotaract/Rotary Club of Eltham – Eltham Festival • Southport Rotaract/Rotary Club of Southport – Carousel Project • Multiple Rotary, Rotaract & Interact Clubs – District 9675 Interact

Conference • Peninsula Rotaract/Frankston North Rotary – new Interact Club

The winner of the Significant Achievement Award was The Rotaract

Club of Southport for their Carousel Project. The club regularly helps

with the running and operation of the Broadbeach Carousel, located at a

shopping centre. Over the last 12 months, the club has raised over

$11,000 which has gone to charities such as Assist-a-Sista, Gold Coast

Hospital Foundation, and surf life saving clubs just to name a few.

The nominees for the Significant Achievement Award were: • Hunter – Membership Achievement • Southport – Assist-a-Sista Home refurbishment project • Southport – Carousel Project • District 9800 – ‘Our Space’ • Salisbury City – Daffodil Day • Mount Lawley – Charter The winner of the Partners in Service Award was Janine Linklater from

the Rotary Club of Hall in District 9710 Canberra.

• Janine has a lifelong passion for youth development. She was an

integral support in the formation of the Rotaract Club of the

University of Canberra (RCUC), chartering in 2013.

• Janine has been involved in Rotaract at District level in 9710,

serving on the District Rotaract Committee since 2014.

• To integrate RCUC into their sponsor club, Janine initiated a

scheme whereby two RCUC Rotaractors attend Rotary Club of Hall

meetings once a month, with a different two Rotaractors each time.

This ensures that there are networking opportunities for both sides

created, and levels of sharing and mutual trust established.

• In the words of DRR Rebecca Bamford, Janine’s surname may be

Linklater – but she is linking Rotaract and Rotary NOW.

Some very worthy nominees for the Partners in Service (Rotarian) Award: • John Birrell, Rotary Club of Geelong East – nominated by Rotaract

Club of Barwon • Michael (Mike) Nella – nominated by Rockingham / Kwinana

Rotaract Club • David Wright – nominated by Burwood Rotaract • Rick Henke – nominated by Salisbury City Rotaract • Janine Linklater – nominated by District 9710 & University of

Canberra Rotaract • Ross Bird – nominated by Peninsula Rotaract Club • Janet (Jan) Moore – nominated by Rossmoyne Rotaract

Congratulations to the Rotaract Club of Canberra on receiving the Westpac Malaria Award, a $1000 cash award.

For 2 years Rotaractors Against Malaria has been our national project.

We are increasing our collaboration with Rotarians Against Malaria, and

have lots of other initiatives. Over the last 12 months, we’ve raised over

$10,000, of which $5000 has come from the Rotaract club of Canberra.

Rotaractor of the Year

Dani Fogarty, a past District Rotaract Representative of 9685 and

Eastern Region Rotaract Representative for Rotaract Australia, as well

as Paul Harris Fellow, is the 2015 Australian Rotaractor of the Year.

Dani was heavily involved in the hugely successful Harbour Cruise in

Sydney a few years back, coordinated Rotaract training for the Eastern

region, and is a valued member of Lower North Shore Rotaract. See

Dani’s video link at www.rotaract.org.au/roty

The nominees for the 2015 Australian Rotaractor of the Year were: • Peter Park – UNSW Rotaract • John Warren – Whitehorse Rotaract • Kim Dawes – Rockingham / Kwinana Rotaract • PDRR & Regional Rep Dani Fogarty PHF – Lower North Shore

Rotaract • PDRR & RA Chair Michael Shields PHF – Diamond Valley Rotaract Most Conference Attendees

The award for the Most Conference Attendees at ARC2015 was awarded

to the Rotaract Club of Central Coast.

Congratulations to all our award winners and nominees!

Australian Rotaract Conference 2016

Rotaract Australia is pleased to announce that Rotary Districts 9600 and

9630 will co-host the 2016 Australian Rotaract Conference in Brisbane,

Queensland.

In an address to the G20 in 2014, US President Barack Obama summed

up the Queensland capital as “beautiful one day, perfect the next”. With

the gorgeous, mighty Brisbane River flowing through it, Brisbane is a

modern, energetic and delightful city – the perfect host for our annual

gathering of enthusiastic Rotaractors!

ARC 2016 co-chairs David Brand and Brooke Gibson are keen to

greet Rotaractors from across the country:

"We welcome the opportunity to showcase what Brisbane has to offer as

a destination to visit, and the amazing conference program that our

dedicated committee has prepared."

ARC also offers a chance to involve both new and established Rotaract

Clubs in and around Brisbane. Rotaract in District 9600 has recently been

revitalised with the charter of the district’s first clubs in over 5 years

(Rotaract Club of Brisbane CBD and Rotaract Club of Brisbane Rivercity).

South of the Brisbane River, District 9630 comprises 7 well established

Rotaract Clubs.

For these districts, hosting ARC will energise and inspire local clubs,

whilst strengthening ties and bridging the gap between the districts.

Guest speakers so far include Mac Millar, Kay Danes, Orange Sky

Laundry. ARC Brisbane will be held on October 15 and 16, 2016.

National Project: Rotaractors Against Malaria

At ARC, we launched new branding for Rotaractors Against Malaria. According to Rotaract Australia PR & Marketing Director Holstein Wong, “the new

branding increases our professionalism and shows our focus on the national project that is RAM. The logo style brings us closer to the new Rotary

International Style Guidelines.”

In 2015, Rotaractors around the country raised $11,000 for RAM which was donated to Rotarians Against Malaria at their annual conference in Brisbane in

August. Over the coming months, the

Rotaractors Against Malaria project

will be developing further.

We are currently exploring

merchandise, further education

through an increased online

presence, international volunteering

trips, and a huge awareness

campaign centred around World

Malaria Day in April 2016.

The new branding and logos are

available at

www.rotaract.org.au/resources.

Stay tuned for all the details and

keep those fundraisers happening!

Tab for a Cause The Rotaract Club of Macquarie University (D9685) has recently started a Tab For A Cause group, which is a fabulous Add on App for Chrome and Firefox

that allows you to collect hearts by the display of tiny sponsored ads in the bottom (NOTHING like the compulsory adds that you cannot click away on

YouTube or other media - on Tab For A Cause, you practically won't see them.

How it works

Every time you open 1 tab you collect 1 heart. You can save all those hearts collectively in a group and donate to one charity or each individual can donate

their hearts to any given charity that is provided by Tab For A Cause. The impact then is measured depending on what the charity is saving for.

Organisation & Set Up

Individuals need to install the add on app and then join groups. The Rotaract Club of Macquarie University and Sydney City Rotaract have already set up their

groups. Damien and I suggest that Rotaract Australia sets up a RA group too and invites others to join. An individual can join multiple groups, which allows for

each club to keep track and perhaps have a collective Rotaract Australia effort visible too. Groups from Tumblr and Reddit are also using Tab For A Cause

Rotaract Movember As I scroll down the page for the Movember Foundation I'm looking at

facts and figures for the number of men that die every year due to mental

health, 3/4 of suicides are men. Scary stuff.

It gets scarier.

48% of Australian men will have some sort of mental health issue in their

lifetime. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer but did

you know testicular cancer is the most common cancer affecting men

aged 18-39? How about that inactivity isn't helping the chances of

avoiding cancer?

Movember.

Right. I'm a girl, how on earth this is relevant to me?!

I didn't have to look too far to figure it out, just within my family I have a

much loved member dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have

another battling depression. I was shocked to the core earlier in the year

when he confided in me, and told me of his suicidal thoughts. I've lost

one grandfather to cancer and have another that survived but deals with

the threat of it coming out of remission.

I have been affected by these things just as much as these men in my

life. Me, a girl dealing with men’s health. These men are strong willed,

independent...and guarded, for no other reason than they feel they have

to be.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing help...

"I'm not coping"

"Work is too full on"

"I don't know what I'm doing"

"This family stuff is too much"

Little phrases.

When that little phrase is weighing on you it feels like the weight of the

world is on your shoulders...Your friends are there for you, your family is

there for you...lighten the load, ask for help.

The Movember Foundation funds 1000+ projects, they have 20 partners

in health in 21 countries. There are countless organisations that are here

FOR YOU. Guys if you need to talk, about anything, find someone and

have a chat. If you're feeling off or notice something different, go see a

doctor, when it comes to mental health and these cancers, early

detection is key!

In order to help the foundation continue their good work, I can help,

WE can help!

Rotaract Australia has run Movember for the last couple of years and

we're doing it again! Girls and Guys register under our team and start your

fundraising! Not a mo-grower, donate to some who is! Consider the new

MOVE initiative, get active every day in November.

There are 85+ Rotaract clubs in Australia, if 5 people from each club

register and raise $100 each we can raise a phenomenal amount of

money. That's extra funding for services that are supporting our men,

helping with their mental state, research and treatment for

cancers...come on Australian Rotaractors lets shine a light on the

foundations vision: To Have An Everlasting Impact On The Face Of

Men's Health.

The link to our team for your registration is http://moteam.co/rotaract-

australia. For further information on the facts above visit the Movember

Foundation page https://au.movember.com

I'll be baking cookies, donating to my friends moving and growing their

mo's. I'm also going to check-in on my guy friends...what will you do this

Movember?

Happy Fundraising Friends!

-Amanda Firkins, 1st year Mo-Sista, DRR D9685

Rotaract Census Help Rotary keep up to date with Rotaractors and Rotaract Clubs around

the world.

If you're a president, update your club's information by March 2016 at

this link.

Individuals can also add their participation in Rotaract to their profiles in

My Rotary. Find information on how to edit your profile here.

5 Things to Experience in

Rotaract

Michael Shields, Rotaract Australia's Immediate Past Chairperson, lists

his top 5 Rotaract experiences:

1 Rotary International Convention/Pre Convention

Held every Rotary year the Rotary International Convention and Pre

Convention is a world class experience. I still remember going to my first

one in Bangkok Thailand where over 30,000 Rotarians attended. It’s a

must do. The next RI Convention will be held in Seoul Korea. For more

details go to http://www.riconvention.org/

2 Australian Rotaract Conference

I have just returned from my 5th Australian Rotaract Conference in

Hobart. For any Australian Rotaractor who hasn’t gone what are you

waiting for!!!! Inspiring speakers, great people and one of the best social

weekends of the year. Check out Brisbane 2016 promo video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z_yGAcmKsU

3 Australian Rotaract Games

Here is your chance to prove yourself as the most intelligent, athletic and

creative Rotaractor. A weekend of fun, excitement, challenges and

meeting new Rotaractors. Make sure you go to the next Rotaract Games

in Sydney. http://games.rotaract.org.au/

4 Interota

Held every three years Interota is a worldwide Rotaract Conference. I got

to experience Interota in 2014 in Canada. With over 200 Rotaractors from

over 40 countries it truly is an International event. The week long

conference started in Toronto and ended up in Montreal. As part of the

conference we got to visit Niagara Falls. The next Interota will be held in

Taiwan in 2017. https://www.facebook.com/taipeiforinterota2017

5 Asia Pacific Regional Rotaract Conference

Asia Pacific Regional Rotaract Conference(APRRC) is one of the largest

rotaract events, organized every year and engaging Rotaractors from the

Asia Pacific region.

Through these events, participants are encouraged to discuss and share

views and ideas on the issues affecting Rotaract Clubs across the region.

The next APRRC will be held in Kyoto Japan. For more details go to

http://aprrc2016.com/en/

Charity with a Difference

Sally, a past Australian Rotaractor in D9675, writes:

I am 29 years old and in around a year I will be out of a job. Not because

technology will replace me, but because a group of hard working,

passionate Cambodians will.

We all work at Human and Hope Association in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

We are a grassroots organization that was founded by locals to address

a lack of education in our commune. We have developed so much more

since our early days, and now not only do we focus on education, we

also provide vocational training and community support opportunities to

locals. This is because if we expect children to come and learn, we need

to make sure their parents have the chance to earn. Hence, a holistic

approach to development is needed so we can empower whole families

to break the poverty cycle.

Take for example, Chomrong. A mother of three children, Chomrong was

only able to study until grade seven due to poverty in her family. As a

teenager she worked as a builder for four years, earning 88 cents a day.

She later got married and moved to Siem Reap, staying on a piece of

small land with her husband who was also a builder. Their salaries were

not enough to properly feed their family, so their children would often fall

sick and have to spend weeks at the hospital, pushing them further into

poverty. In 2014 Chomrong was approached to study in our sewing

program. She studied with us for a full year, learning the basics of sewing

right through to elaborate ceremony dresses. She also partook in our life

skills training, learning about topics such as domestic violence so she

could understand her rights at home. One of her sons began studying in

our preschool program, learning Khmer [the official language of

Cambodia], hygiene and good habits. Her other son started studying in

our English language program, learning a language that is required for

any well paying job in Siem Reap. Chomrong borrowed a sewing

machine through our microfinance program, and now earns a stable

income making clothes for her neighbours and producing products for

HHA at her home, enabling her to take care of her children at the same

time. She is steadily moving herself up the poverty bracket, and one day

soon she will move out of it completely.

Stories like this are possible due to the commitment of our team. Since

2012 I have been working closely with our local team to build HHA from

the ground up. We have had lots of challenges and setbacks, but we

have also grown a lot, too. We are committed to having Khmers operate

our organization, as this is the most sustainable way for our community to

develop. We do not accept foreign volunteers, instead focusing on locals

training locals so that our team will unlock their potential by having

positive Khmer role models and mentors.

Of course, by not accepting foreign volunteers we forgo potential funding.

Luckily we have the support of Rotaract clubs who believe in our mission

of empowerment of locals such as Crosslands Rotaract, who recently

donated $1,000 towards our staff salaries. We also do what we can to

generate income ourselves, and have a small farm and sewing business,

amongst other methods, that ensure we aren’t entirely reliant on the

generosity of others.

Our land rental contract is until 2029, when we will then disband. This is

because we know that if we are truly being effective in our approach to

development, our community will no longer require our projects by that

time.

We are essentially working ourselves out of a job, and are proud of it.

-Sally Hetherington, Operations Manager at Human and Hope

Association, Rotary e-Club of Southern Cross (District 9685), Charter

President of Eastern Suburbs Rotaract 2010-2011

To learn more about how your club can help us,

visit www.humanandhopeassociation.org, or contact me

at sally@humanandhopeassociation.org

Launch of the Rotaract Australia YouTube Channel

After much anticipation, Rotaract Australia has launched its very own

YouTube Channel! Subscribe to our channel to stay up to date with all

that Rotaract and Rotary is up to, in Australia and internationally. Check

out our channel via this link.

World Polio Day

Pool Party to End

Polio Now

On October 24th Sydney City Rotaract met at Redleaf Beach in Double

Bay to mark this year's World Polio Day for a Pool Party to End Polio

Now. Excellent weather and attitudes saw over twenty keen members

enjoy picnic food and the sun while we chatted to onlookers about Rotary

and the significance of our cause.

According to UNICEF, there have been 51 cases of wild polio virus

globally since the beginning of 2015, compared with 242 wild polio cases

for 2014. Nigeria was removed from the list of polio endemic countries

last month, having successfully interrupted transmission of wild

poliovirus. Such an achievement has encouraged countries in the African

region to get closer to being certified polio-free. UNICEF delivered 1.7

billion doses of vaccine last year to support the training of the frontline

workers and help to build trust in the vaccine among parents and

communities in some Nigeria and Pakistan.

A special thank you to the Social Committee at Sydney City Rotaract who

put in a huge effort to make the day the success that it was. It is not too

late to be get involved. You can still make an impact by contributing to

PolioPlus. Remember that your contribution will receive full recognition

points and it will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation. Take a moment to look at http://www.endpolio.org for full

details. Rotary are 99% of the way to a polio-free world – “this close” to

eradicating polio forever. Help get closer by spreading the word about our

fight to End Polio Now with our communities and the world. The power is

yours!

Swiss Round Trip

There are many ways to see a country but Rotaract Round Trips are

second to none. Travelling on a Rotaract Round Trip means being shown

around by the locals and sharing experiences with people with whom you

already have a common bond through membership of Rotaract.

Therefore, I was very grateful and excited to be chosen to participate in

the 2015 Swiss Rotaract Round Trip along with Muge from Turkey, Trim

from Kosovo, Thomas from Canada and Antonis from Cyprus. Vivianne

of the Limattel club, Johannes of the Zurich club and the entire committee

did a wonderful job of organising a week jam-packed with unique Swiss

experiences and sightseeing opportunities.

The nine-day trip began in Switzerland’s most populated city,

Zurich. Daniela welcomed the group into her home for alpen macaroni,

which is pasta with cheese, potato and apple sauce. Afterwards we went

with our Rotaract hosts to a popular open-air bar near the river and

enjoyed the laidback atmosphere.

During the trip I learned that bircher muesli is a Swiss invention. Uncle

Toby’s long lost brother Maximilian Bircher-Benner invented muesli in the

late 19th century. He encouraged people to eat fruit, vegetables and

nuts and exercise more, so I think Max would have been very impressed

that the trip involved plenty of hiking up mountains and swimming in

rivers.

The biggest hike we did was from Zermatt to Flualp. After fuelling up on

Italian food, we hiked through the forest, across meadows, over rivers,

through Helm’s Deep and past glaciers to flualp. The spectacular

Matterhorn (aka Toblerone Mountain) served as not only a beautiful

backdrop but also a powerful reminder that there are much more difficult

hikes we could have been doing!

Our accommodation during the trip was generally with host Rotaractors

but one night’s accommodation was particularly memorable. In Lucerne

the Blue Balls festival meant that there was literally no room at the inn, so

we slept in a barn at Mierscappel. While we were taken aback at first,

Vivianne assured us it was a Swiss tradition and it ended up being one of

the best night’s sleep I’ve had.

Another highlight of the trip was the castle Chateaux Chillon near

Lausanne as it is like nothing I have seen before. I felt like I had either

stepped back in time or into a Disney movie. That evening we enjoyed

dinner at Cafe Bellini with local Rotaractors, followed by salsa dancing.

To escape the heat in Neuchâtel we took pedalboats out onto the lake.

There is now dead kangaroo at the bottom of Lac du Neuchâtel as I

shared around some kangaroo jerky and it did not taste nice at all, so

some people spat it out. I guess I should have tried kangaroo jerky before

I gave it to people, but I like kangaroo and I like jerky so I figured it would

be ok. To any Australian Rotaractors who go on a round trip in the future,

don’t take kangaroo jerky!

The biggest surprise of the trip was when a generous Rotarian and pilot,

Rolph, unexpectedly took us for joy flights over Grenchen. We flew 500

feet above the mountain ridge and could see where people do traditional

Swiss wrestling, the factory where BMC bikes are made for Cadell Evans

and the Swatch factory whose workers are always on time. It was an

amazing and unforgettable experience.

During our stay we tried many foods including raclette, brezels, bratwurst,

fondue and lots of cheese, bread and ham. For our last dinner in

Switzerland we had a barbecue in an absolutely magical setting by the

river in Basel. The Rotaract club was kind enough to organise a Patrouille

Suisse fly-by as a finale to our trip.

The end of a round trip is bitter-sweet as you have made new friends but

you don’t know when you’ll see them again. I am hopeful that in the

future we can organise another round trip in Australia (Perth hosted one

five years ago) and share our country with international Rotaractors. If

anyone wants to find out more about Rotaract trips, go

to https://www.facebook.com/RACtrips. They offer once-in-a-lifetime

experiences and are a great way to extend your Rotaract network.

–Melissa Pilkington , Formerly of the Rotaract Clubs of Mount Lawley and

Subiaco,

Past DRR, past club Secretary, past club President

Rotaract is Exploding in D9600

Prior to March 2015, District 9600 was lacking any Rotaract clubs. It may

be surprising that any Australian districts would not have Rotaract clubs,

given the recent expansion and enthusiasm of Rotaract around the

country. Even more surprising then, this district includes the Brisbane

CBD.

That has all suddenly changed. In March this year, the Rotaract Club of

Brisbane CBD chartered under the leadership of Melanie Packer,

bringing Rotaract to Brisbane city.

Just down the road, at the Queensland University of Technology, Riley

Thornton was hatching a Rotaract Club of her own. This became the

Rotaract Club of Brisbane Rivercity on July 30th. Excitingly, this club has

more than 20 excited charter members.

Meanwhile, Ashley Broad, 2015-16 Rotaract Chair of District 9600, had

been pushing for a club north of Brisbane in the area of Redcliffe and

North Lakes.

It was Chris Poole who put his hand up and has taken the initiative to pull

together a group of eager young people and he will charter the Rotaract

Club of North Lakes on 23rd October.

Not to be outdone, uni student Ada Gain will be holding an information

night on the 27th August for a new club on the Sunshine Coast,

supported by the Rotary Club of Maroochydore.

With so much excitement for Rotaract around the district, momentum is

building and there are rumours of interest west of Brisbane as well as in

Papua New Guinea (which also falls under District 9600).

The next year is going to be very exciting!

Shoalhaven Rotaract Charter

L-R): Anna Roose, Tom Roose, Adam Lachlan, Nathan Eastgate, Nicole

Roby, Miranda Lee, Wes Dowling (Wes front row). Missing: Dave Sinclair

On Saturday, 12 September 2015, Shoalhaven Rotaract celebrated it’s

Charter by holding a two part event. Chartering signifies a Rotaract club

has become an official club as recognised by Rotary International. It also

allows the club to reflect on it's achievements to date, share it's outlook

and vision, and welcome the charter members. District 9710 has strong

relationships with Rotaractors, with the chartering of Shoalhaven being

the sixth club in our district! The chartering event aimed to bring together

members of the district to represent the cohesiveness, camaraderie and

fellowship of Rotary and Rotaract.

The celebrations began at Crooked Winery, Gerringong for tastings and

socialising, followed by Charter formalities and trivia hosted by the club at

Shoalhaven Ex-Servicemen’s Club, Nowra. The evening itself opened

with DG Monica Garrett welcoming Shoalhaven into District 9710 and

apart of Rotary International. Charter President, Adam Lachlan, was

officially appointed as President and he followed suit by recounting the

origins of the club, introduced the board and an expected outlook for

2015-2016. After the formalities, trivia began with the HoneyJumblers

taking out first place.

The event was attended by over 70 people including Rotarians from our

four sponsor clubs, Rotary Clubs of Berry, Bomaderry, Nowra and South

Nowra and representatives from nearby Rotary clubs; Rotaractors from

Canberra and Sydney; and importantly, family, friends and guests from

the local community. A generous donation from the four sponsor clubs

was presented and further, a donation from Rotary Hall and RYLA D9710

2015.

Shoalhaven Rotaract expects to further strengthen the relationship with

Rotary and Rotaract within District 9710 for the following year by working

together on joint projects and activities, as well as developing networks,

providing mutual professional development services and importantly,

having fun doing so. If you know of young adults within the Shoalhaven

region, or the South Coast, or you yourself are in this area interested in

being involved in Rotaract, then come along to one of our meetings. Our

meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 5:30 pm

at the Shoalhaven Ex-Servicemen’s Club (157 Junction St, Nowra, 2540).

Meetings generally go for an hour and guests are always welcomed!

Asia Pacific Regional Rotaract Conference 2015

The annual Asia Pacific Regional Rotaract Conference was held this year

in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. With participants from all over the Asia and the

world it was a Rotary experience like no other.

The conference consisted of incredible keynote Speakers, cultural

performances, sightseeing and tours around Indonesia all including

fellowship in the spirit of Rotary.

Jason Burns Immediate Past President of the Rotaract Club of Flinders

described the APRRC as “Eye opening and how awesome Rotary is, and

how crazy it is in Asia. I can’t put into words how highly I recommend this

conference. There were only 7 Aussies this year and we were heavily

outnumbered, hopefully this will change in years to come. It is a must for

any Rotaractor, and you will be sure to have plenty of new friends!”

The APPRC will be held in Japan 2016 and Thailand 2017 so get ready

for a contingent of Australian Rotaractors to attend!

Rotary Scholarship for Pre-Service Teacher Kahli

The 2015 Rotary Club of Berrima

District Tara.Ed Ambassador is

Rotaractor Kahli Dawkings from the

University of Queensland and the

Provisional Rotaract Club of North

Lakes.

Tara.Ed is an NGO that promotes

quality education in rural and

remote areas of India and

Bangladesh through teacher

training and capacity building.

Since 2009, Tara.Ed has impacted

23 schools and trained over 300

teachers; lifting more than 8000 children out of poverty.

The Rotary Club of Berrima District is a founding partner of Tara.Ed, and

provides an annual Ambassadorship to the value of 2000 to allow an

exceptional Australian teacher to travel to India to contribute to Tara.Ed

projects.

Kahli is in her final year of a double Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of

Education, and hopes to graduate as a Geography/French teacher in

November 2015.

Kahli believes that “Education unlocks the door to many opportunities,

but teachers are the key…As a teacher, one must strive to give every

individual student, regardless of their ability, background or

characteristics as a learner, a chance to access and engage with a

holistic and enriching education.”

She applied for the Tara.Ed Teacher Tour both to contribute to the

development of under-privileged schools in India, as well as develop her

skills as a teacher, so she can return to Australia to work in the

Indigenous Education space.

As a member of the Provisional Rotaract Club of North Lakes (RID 9600),

Kahli has been actively involved in Rotary since 2009, where she

travelled to France as a Rotary Youth Exchange student.

Since her return from exchange, Kahli has volunteered as a committee

member of the District 9640 Rotary Youth Program Of Enrichment, a

youth camp which aims to build the confidence, communication,

teamwork and leadership skills of 14-16 year olds.

As an indigenous person, and a future educator, Kahli is passionate

about improving the educational outcomes of Indigenous Australians and

has been extensively involved in school-based indigenous programs

such as ARTIE Tutoring, Indigenous Pathways programs and Indigenous

homework club.

Kahli currently holds the Brisbane Catholic Education’s Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Pre-Service Teacher Scholarship, and as such will

be working in one of this diocese’s schools following her graduation.

Upcoming Events Australian Rotaract Games 2016 After the success of Adelaide Games in 2015, Australian Rotaract Games will be in Sydney from February 5th-8th. Tickets are now available for sale $80 http://games.rotaract.org.au/

APRRC 2016

http://aprrc2016.com/en/aprrc/about_aprrc/

18th – 21st March 2016 in Japan

Rotaract in Great Britain & Ireland Conference

https://www.rotaract.org.uk/news-story/rotaract-in-great-britain-

ireland-conference-is-back/

2nd April 2016 in England

MEDICON

http://med-mdio.org/medicon/

19th – 22nd May 2016 in Lebanon

Rotaract PreConvention and Rotary International Convention

28 May - 1 June 2016 - Rotary International Convention in Seoul, South Korea https://www.facebook.com/groups/ricon16/

Australian Rotaract Conference 2016

Conference.rotaract.org.au

14th – 16th October 2016 in Brisbane