The Rotary Club of Parramatta City held a meeting where the District Governor spoke about this year's theme of "Peace Through Service" and encouraged fundraising for polio eradication. Rotarians in Texas held successful fundraising events for polio eradication, raising over $40,000. This included an event featuring Afghanistan's UN ambassador where they learned about the global effort and another at a Texas Rangers baseball game attended by 1200 people.

1. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
COMMUNITY NETWORKER
ROTARY CLUB OF PARRAMATTA CITY
AMBASSADORIAL
PRESIDENT MESSAGE SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarship/Grant availability depends
on your district's contributions to The
Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting District Governor, Keith Rotary Foundation and which programs
Roffey and his lovely wife, Margaret. your district leadership chooses to
support with available funds. Under the
Margaret advised everyone that she will not have a specific project SHARE system, all district contributions
to the Annual Programs Fund are totalled
for the year and wants to raise funds for Polio Eradication. Her at the
challenge to the club is to raise funds for Polio Eradication and she end of the year and then divided into 2
presented the club with a cute teddy bear. She asked the club to dress funds, with 50 percent being credited to
up the teddy bear and present our “dressed up” teddy bear at the the District Designated Fund and 50
percent to the World Fund. The World
District Conference. Fund is used by The Rotary
Foundation to underwrite many of its
District Governor Keith then spoke to us about this year’s theme for programs, such as Matching Grants and
Group Study Exchange, while the District
Rotary International – “Peace Thru Service”. He stressed that the theme
Designated Fund may be used at the
is reflective of what Rotarians do every day and address the issue every district's discretion to participate in other
day. He hope that our district would be able to sponsor future leaders Foundation programs such as
to one of the Peace Forums scheduled for this Rotary year. Ambassadorial Scholarships, Rotary
Peace Fellows and Matching Grants. In
order to sponsor a scholar for a given
Another topic the District Governor touched on was the re-districting year, the district must allocate the
of the three clubs in Sydney. As you all know, three districts will be appropriate amount to Educational
amalgamated to create two new districts; District 9685 and 9675. The Programs for the program year during
which the scholar will go abroad. The
re-districting was needed to keep the Rotary machine well-oiled and amount required to sponsor Academic-
reposition Rotary for the future. Steering committees have been Year Ambassadorial Scholarships is
established to lay the foundation for the new districts. Our club is well US$26,000.
represented in the steering committees with PP Barry Antees on the GROUP STUDY
governance committee for District 9675 while yours truly is on the
finance sub-committee for both new districts. EXCHANGE
The Group Study Exchange Program of
The Rotary Foundation of Rotary
Rotary is also embarking on the way funds from the Foundation are
International is a unique cultural and
granted for each district. This is called the Future Vision wherein each vocational exchange opportunity for
district will have an opportunity to direct funds for the use in each young business and professional
district. With this comes greater responsibility and governance for each men and women between the ages of 25
and 40 in the initial years of their
district and clubs. As such, there will be a training program for each professional life. The program provides
Club President and Treasurer starting February 2013. travel grants for teams of participants to
exchange visits between paired areas in
Membership growth and retention is a core issue for each service different countries. For four to six weeks,
team members study the host country’s
organization. Our District Governor represented Australia in the institutions and ways of life, observe their
membership program in the recent District Governor’s Institute. He is own vocations as practiced abroad,
also requesting for funds from Rotary International to assist in promoting develop personal and professional
Rotary membership. DG Keith stressed that we need to grow relationships, and exchange ideas.
Teams are composed of 4-6 non-
membership and that plans are being drawn up to assist each club in Rotarian team members, usually of
this area. We should be able to create networking opportunities for various business and professional
younger members to help them in their business. DG Keith also backgrounds, and one Rotarian leader.
The GSE experience spans 4-6 weeks.
reminded our club to look at our own backyard and rejuvenate the
During the exchange, teams will visit
Rotary signs around our community. local businesses, government offices,
and community organizations in the host
Lastly, District Governor Keith spoke to us about the Legacy project district, tour historical and cultural sites,
stay with Rotarian host families,
for District 9690. This project is to raise $200,000 to upgrade the Rotary and make presentations about their
Wing of the Children’s Hospital. DG Keith reminded us that the Rotary home countries and professions. Team
members receive orientation and cultural
preparation from the sponsor Rotary
district before their departure.
The host country is determined before a

2. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
wing was a project of District 9690 and that PDG Ray Reed, one of our esteemed member, had the honour of
opening the Rotary Wing of the Children Hospital. The upgrade will provide for new carpets, a courtyard, two
room upgrades and technology. The Rotary Wing was built for the future and need to be maintained. He noted
that the Rotary Wheel on the wall need to be relocated.
Remember that our next meeting will be on the 8 October as today (1st October) is a public holiday. For our
next meeting, we have our roaming member, Mark Hancock, who will tell us all about his exploits in Africa. Do we
hear Jane and Cheetah calling?
Also, the meeting scheduled for the 15 October is a transfer meeting in support of the Rotary Foundation
Alumni Dinner. I hope that all members can join us in a wonderful dinner at the Epping Club.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
October
8 Mark Hancock-The wilds of Africa
15 Transfer meeting- Epping Club Foundation Dinner
22 Club Assembly
29 Club meeting
November
3 Transfer meeting-Epping Club-ARH Christmas Dinner
OPENING OF THE DISTRICT FUND RAISER-WESTMEAD CHILDREN’S
HOSPITAL
As outlined by District Governor Keith Roffey, Thursday 27 September was the official launch of the District’s Fund
raiser for the Refurbishment of the Rotary Wing at the Westmead Children’s Hospital. At the launch was PDG Alan
Grady who opened the Rotary Wing over twenty years ago when Rotary raised over $2Million for the building. Alan
spoke of the great pride for many Rotarians and their supporters who had toiled away for the two years leading up to
the opening. Our own PDG Ray Reed was
mentioned several times as one of the main
organiser’s from those days and in fact it was
during his year as the Governor who started
the whole thing off. After a walk through the
Rotary Wing it is apparent time has taken a
toll on the building as it has not kept up with
todays need. Rotary Club of Liverpool kicked
started the fund raising with a cheque for
$2,500 as their initial gift with a promise of
more to come.
As Ray Reed was so instrumental in the
building of the Rotary Wing at the hospital I
hope our club can get behind this project as
an acknowledgment to Ray, that his efforts
are not forgotten.
Barry Antees

3. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
TEXAS ROTARIANS TALLY BIG WIN AGAINST POLIO
Bottom: Zahir Tanin, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United Nations, at the
End Polio Now event at the Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington, Texas,
USA. Photo courtesy of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club Top: A group of
Texas Rotarians and guests at the Texas Rangers ballpark: Dub Hirst,
president of the Rotary Club of Arlington Sunrise; Rozelle Gilman; Past District
5810 Governor Richard Gilman; Ambassador Tanin; Zarghoona Sediq Tanin; Virginia Lackey; District 5790 Governor
Hollis Lackey, Highland Village Rotarian Reyna Castillo, and McLucas. Photo courtesy of Christopher McLucas
Rotarians in districts 5790 and 5810 (Texas, USA) took a “think globally, act locally” approach to raising funds
for polio eradication and public awareness of the disease last month.
Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United Nations, Zahir Tanin, spoke at an
End Polio Now dinner in Arlington on 24 August. Vice Consul Jagdeep
Kapoor, of the Consulate General of India in Houston, also attended the
event, which featured a presentation on the Global Polio Eradication
Initiative and drew 82 Rotarians and guests, raising $26,500 for PolioPlus.
“Polio knows no national boundaries and neither should our work to
eradicate it,” said Tanin. “The consequences of eradicating polio will
extend far beyond the immediate health benefits. The procedures and tactics
used can be a model for combating many other public health issues, ranging
from cholera to malaria and even HIV/AIDS. The end of polio will also
mark the beginning of a new era in public health.”
The following night, the Rotarians sponsored an End Polio Now event at a Texas Rangers baseball game with
the Minnesota Twins. The event began with a pregame party outside the ballpark, which netted $2,350 through
the sales of food and beverages donated by local businesses.
Twelve hundred Rotarians and guests purchased tickets to the game itself, with $10 per ticket earmarked for
PolioPlus, which raised another $12,000. Ambassador Tanin threw out the ceremonial first pitch and remained
on the mound as the game’s announcer gave highlights of the polio eradication initiative, noting the role being
played by Rotarians around the world.
All told, the weekend’s events, along with subsequent contributions, raised $42,400 for PolioPlus. As an
incentive to contribute, each Rotarian who gave at least $100 received matching Rotary Foundation recognition
points.
District 5790 Assistant Governor Christopher McLucas, who helped organize the events, has participated in
National Immunization Days in the world’s remaining polio-endemic countries -- Afghanistan, Pakistan, and
Nigeria -- as well as in India.

4. Rotary Club of Parramatta City
“One of the key things that I learned was that the fight to eradicate polio has not ended. And although we are
fighting a good fight, we need to renew our sense of purpose in the eradication of the disease,” said McLucas.
“The people, including Rotarians, that I met are committed to the eradication of polio in their respective
countries and need the support of the Rotarians in the world.”
FACEBOOK
We have now available for the club a new facebook page the shortcut is
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotary-Club-of-Parramatta-City/108769975845097