Response By Incoming 2004/2005 President Anne Jacques

Past President Bob, fellow Rotarians and guests, my sincere thanks Bob for your 'words of wisdom'.  I am deeply honoured to be the first woman President, of the Rotary Club of Melbourne in its 84th year as well as in this Centenary Year of Rotary International. I learned last Sunday from David Wittner at the Past Presidents' lunch that in fact I am the 88th President due to four midstream changes.

Bob, it is my great pleasure, on behalf of every member of this Club, to congratulate you and your team on yet another great year in the history of the Rotary Club of Melbourne. You have achieved many important milestones, in particular, the amendments to our Articles & Rules of Association, for which I am most grateful; the restoration of the President's Collar into two sections through the perseverance of Jens Holstein - a timely move; very much in my interest your quarterly Newsletter; the appointment of our current Office Manager, Lee O'Grady, who is not only a diligent and expert operator, but has endeared herself to all with whom she comes into contact  - to mention only a few.

As well as being President for the last twelve months Bob, you continued to personally commit yourself to the Shell Livewire project throughout Victoria, as well as play a significant role in projects associated with the redevelopment of East Timor.  I thank you for assuming the position of Chairperson of the East Timor Committee for the next 12 months.

Last week we heard the detailed reports from your two Vice-Presidents, Ian Ross and Pauline Burren on the enormous range of activities, projects and new initiatives carried out by your numerous and very active Committees. Their reports concluded with the announcement of the winner of the newly created 'Axle' Award, to John Tozer as the most outstanding committee member of the year.  My congratulations are extended to John. This initiative is one that we will certainly follow, along with many others that occurred throughout your year.

Congratulations and sincere thanks for all the amazing work that you and your team have put into making 2003/04 a memorable one in the long history of the Rotary Club of Melbourne. I have observed you 'like a hawk', and as a result, learned a great deal from your superb leadership.  You will be a hard act to follow, but I look forward to the challenge!

Heather, as the saying goes 'behind every successful man is a strong woman', you have been supportive, patient and a charming participant alongside Bob throughout the year. (Bob would you please escort Heather to the podium.)  Heather we thank you for the important role you have played this last year and please accept this plant with our sincere appreciation.

Bob, you have led this Club over the last 12 months in a professional manner, and at the same time your drive, humour and spontaneity has added a truly different approach. The events of your year are recorded in this bound copy of the Club's Bulletins, which I am pleased to present to you now.

In addition, I am delighted to present you with your Past President's lapel badge which I know you will wear with pride. Your guidance and counsel over the last twelve months has been greatly appreciated, and knowing that you will be there and looking over my shoulder in the year ahead, is a great encouragement.  Unfortunately your comments leading up to today are not repeatable!

I would also like to express my appreciation to so many of you for your encouragement and support over the last 20 months following the totally unexpected phone call I received from Tony Kosky in August 2002 whilst on holiday in Noosa, asking me to consider taking on the position of President in 2004/05.  At that time, it seemed a long way ahead. How time flies!

Before moving on to the year ahead, I want to mention one very special Rotarian, Royce Abbey, who way back in the late 1980's at a private function at the home of mutual friends - Doug and Blanche Fox Lane - suggested that I should consider joining Rotary, as Rotary International had decreed that it would include female members.  At that time I had been Gordon's partner at his Rotary Club in Donvale for several years, and wasn't too sure about being a 'second class' member! Not too long after, I received a telephone call from Frank Thorogood, the then CEO of Victorian Red Cross & now a past Member, saying that he wished to nominate me to join the Rotary Club of Melbourne.  I recalled Royce's encouragement.  The rest is history.

Last Saturday, after an excellent year, DG Don Jago and Margery handed over District 9800 to DGE Judy Nettleton & John Nairn at the District Changeover attended by over 460 Rotarians and partners.  Don & Margery, members of this Club congratulate you on your year's achievements, including a stimulating and enjoyable District Conference in Adelaide last March.

Judy, to you and John, we wish you a very successful and rewarding Centenary Year. With 73 Clubs in District 9800 ranging from Echuca to Brighton Beach, you have a vast territory to cover.  We look forward to welcoming you both on the 4th August on the occasion of your Official Visit to this Club, as well as supporting District in its many endeavours, during this memorable year.  We will 'Celebrate Rotary' on 23 February 2005 at the District Gala Function being organised by this Club, as well as participate in and recognise the many other events and projects planned for the Centenary Year.

Several of our members continue to be involved in District committees and projects. Judy, my Board and I will give you and your team whatever assistance we can during your challenging year. I understand that the District Directory will be made available to every member.  For those not familiar with it from previous years, I commend it for your reading. Only a few days ago, Bob pointed out information included that I wasn't aware of!  It is a mine of information.

I also look forward to working with the Batman Cluster to be led for the next two years by Assistant Governor Dennis Shore, a member of the Rotary Club of Hawthorn. For the information of newer Members, the Batman Cluster consists of seven Clubs: Albert Park, Central Melbourne Sunrise, Melbourne LaTrobe, Melbourne South, Southbank, St Kilda and Melbourne, I particularly welcome all the Incoming Presidents and three other representatives from the Rotary Club of Southbank here today.

We hold monthly meetings commencing at 7.30am in South Melbourne.  We have made a good start getting to know each other, and I already feel the real benefits to be gained by this relatively new level of liaison. We will be providing opportunities for members of this Club to support and participate in 'hands on' projects within the Batman Cluster, as I know the other Clubs will support the Rotary Club of Melbourne. There will also be opportunities to be involved in activities organised by our own Events Committee.  Dennis we look forward to your Official Visit to the Club and Board on 21 July.

I now come to the year ahead, and wish to emphasise the importance of every member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne. You are 'the Club', and are the source of all our activities and service as Rotarians.  Our current membership goes back as far as the 1960's, so taking in the interim period, there are many members with a wealth of experience and no doubt many stories to tell!  We have a high participation rate, which has been demonstrated by the excellent response to my invitation to select the committees you have chosen to join or continue to be a member of during the year ahead.

There are 45 committees (plus 13) Groups that involve the vast majority of our members - a total of 267 in June this year. Every committee is different and involves from one to 29 members.  The larger committees, such as East Timor, International, Reception, Vocational Services, Welfare of the Young and Welfare of the Elderly have 20 or more members. The challenge in these larger committees is to ensure that every member has an integral role to play. This year we are encouraging the introduction of 'Committee Mentors' to assist the integration of new members, including those who will be joining us during this Rotary year.

We have one new Committee this year, an Arts Committee, to be chaired by Arnold Mayfield.  You will learn about their exciting plans in the near future.

The Sponsorship Committee has been renamed the Fund Raising Co-Ordination Committee with Jan Cochrane-Harry as Chairperson.  This committee will have a wider focus being responsible for the coordination of Grant and Sponsorship applications as well as fundraising projects initiated by committees or the Fund Raising Co-ordination Committee themselves.  As previously, Club funds for our projects are limited, and committees have to look at raising their own funds. Timing of such activities is important in order to keep a balance over the year.

In future all Grant and Sponsorship Applications will go under the Honorary Secretary's signature, and I ask all Chairpersons to please make note of this.

During our planning stage I asked all Committees to appoint a Deputy Chairperson in order to avoid changes in meeting dates, due to the Chairperson's absence through business, illness or vacation.  In addition, this provides the opportunity to train successors.  The response has been excellent and I thank all concerned.

'The Family of Rotary' is a relatively new concept introduced by Rotary International, however the Rotary Club of Melbourne can be proud of its long history of Club Groups that meet on a monthly basis in the home of a member. The Groups provide fellowship opportunities for Members and their partners to relate in a manner that is not possible at our weekly meetings, and is particularly beneficial for new members and their partners. Gordon and I look forward to visiting the Groups over the next 12 months.

Peter Clark will be Captain of Groups, ably assisted by his Deputy John Urbahns.                                              

I now come to the year ahead, and wish to recognise the strong support that I have already received from my team.  There is so much talent and potential in a club like Melbourne with a membership of over 260.  Selecting the key personnel to operate in this, the Centenary Year, was a great challenge with so many possibilities within our Club.  It is most important that each and every member feels they are making a contribution through membership of a committee or by filling one of the numerous appointed positions.

Leading the Club this year is your Board of whom five members are continuing from Bob's year, so they continue with excellent experience under Bob's leadership.  This also includes our Honorary Secretary, Murray Campbell.  I believe that this year we have a 'first' with Mev Connell not only being a Vice-President, but also President-Elect. Mev is certainly a very committed Rotarian.                                            

I would also like to express my personal appreciation to Murray Campbell as Honorary Secretary, for agreeing to continue in this position for another year. He tried very hard to 'pass it on', but to no avail!  The position of Honorary Secretary in a Club the size of Melbourne is of enormous importance. He not only keeps a tight reign on procedures, but also keeps the President in check, as Bob well knows!  He also enables Board meetings to be held at Australian Unity and we are extremely grateful to you, Murray and Australian Unity. Rod Armitage will be the Club's Assistant Secretary.

After five years, Bill Charlton agreed to follow in the footsteps of Ted Garland as Honorary Treasurer.  The position is a demanding and challenging one and Bill's first major task is to receive your support in the forwarding your membership fees by July 31. The invoices will be mailed tomorrow, and am pleased to announce that subscriptions have only been increased by 3%.  Bill will be supported by the Club's Assistant Treasurer, Richard Fowler.

On payment of your subscription each member and their partner, where appropriate, will receive a new Name Badge reflecting the Centenary Year theme.

Phil Bowley, as Vice-President of Administration, has already achieved a major goal with the production of the annual document entitled 'Club Structure, Plans and Objectives' for 2004 -2005. It contains the Club's Strategy Plan; Committee Structure, Membership, Plans and Budgets; Group Membership; Member Classification and the Club's Budgets. This will be addressed in detail at the next Board Meeting on 21 July, after which Committee Chairpersons will be officially advised of the outcomes of their bids.  A copy will be displayed on the Notice Board for your perusal.

The Club's recently appointed Protection Officer, Stewart Stribling, will attend Board Meetings as well as meetings of the Welfare of the Young and Student Exchange Committees, to ensure that we adhere strictly to District's Protection Policy. After the initial 'learning' period, I am sure that the requirements of the Policy will become an integral element of our operations relating to young people.

Your Sergeant-at-Arms will be Phil Endersbee ably assisted by Vik Scheludko.  Vic will in fact be 'performing' at our July 7 meeting whilst Phil is overseas on business.  Whilst 'fines' at our meetings are very selective, I am introducing a voluntary fine system for members who do not have with them their lapel or name badge.  There will be a Fine Box on the Reception Desk for gold coins!

Apart from plans to celebrate the Centenary of Rotary International, which I will come to shortly; and as well as our strong involvement in major and other Club service projects, our first and most important challenge will be in the Membership Development area. David Richards, in addition to his position as a Director, is taking on the role as Chairperson of Membership Development.

Maintaining our membership numbers due to natural attrition has to be a major goal, as well as increasing our overall numbers in order to maintain an economically viable Club. These are the hard facts of life, in order that membership fees will not have to be significantly increased next year.

We are seeking new members between the age of 40 - 59, who work in the City and can attend meetings regularly; are at the top or on the way to the top of their organisation, and will be committed to 'service above self'.

I ask each and every one of you to give serious thought to nominating a new member.  I will be asking Groups Captains to make this a point of discussion early in the year.  I know that if this does not occur David will be contacting you. It is also intended to streamline the process of assessment and acceptance so that there is a maximum of two months between submitting 'expressions of interest' and inductions.  August is 'Membership Month', so please join with me in addressing this important issue.

The Rotary Club of Melbourne's Centenary Year Directory will be available shortly. Stephen Lake has worked tirelessly at it over the last few weeks incorporating late changes to entries as well as finalising the advertising.  Peter Jones has assisted Stephen with the latter as well as provided gratis the skills of a Graphic Artist.  I am sure you will all be delighted with this very special edition. 

Alistair Urquhart has agreed to continue as Editor of the Club Bulletin.  As previously it will be e-mailed to the majority of members, and those that are about to 'go on line', please advise the Office accordingly.  Others will continue to receive it by 'snail mail'.

Much discussion has taken place as to the Bulletin's content and layout, particularly regarding the listing of guest speakers, which now appears at the front, along with a synopsis on the forthcoming speaker. The Program Committee encourages you to invite as a guest a business / professional associate or friend who may be interested to hear the topic. This is also a way to introduce potential new members to the Club, as well as swell our numbers at the weekly meetings.

A valuable way of keeping up-to-date with Board, Committee, Project, 'Muzza's Musings' & Reminder details - to mention only a few - is to read the Bulletin from cover to cover!  During the year we will have speakers of interest, also to our partners, so please make sure that they have an opportunity to read it!

Time does not permit doing justice to the plans of all our various Committees. There will be opportunities throughout the year for this through '3 minute' presentations at regular meetings as well as coverage in the Bulletins.

Five important project / activities planned for the Centenary Year are: 

1. The Australian East Timor Embassy.  Members will be aware that behind the scenes a few of our colleagues have been working to bring this major project - perhaps the most ambitious Club project in Rotary in Australia to date - from dream to reality.  PP Neville Barwick with PP David Jones and last year's East Timor Committee Chairperson, Phil Endersbee, have formed a company with Leadership Victoria to build an Embassy for East Timor in Canberra as a national gift from the people of Australia.  Planning is well advanced and it is hoped that a much-needed approval from the Australian Government will allow the public phase of this exciting project to begin very soon. I am considering with the Board how the Club may more directly 'lend a hand' in this outstanding effort.

2.  The Batman Cluster project - 'The Melbourne Landing', to be located in

Freshwater Place on the Yarra, and opposite Crown Casino. Cost is estimated to be approximately $350,000 with sponsorships being sought from businesses located in the vicinity, and not companies that would be approached to support our community service projects.

3. The District Centenary Gala Function to be held on 23 February 2005, and organised

by this Club. It will be a memorable event, and one not to be missed. Plans are currently being finalised with a report being put to the Board on July 21.  Chris Wang and his Deputy David Wittner are heading the planning for this.  Promotion and ticket sales will commence in September.  On this occasion the Baker Institute 'Healthy Hearts Project' will be launched for which $350,000 in sponsorship will be raised.

4. The Centenary District Conference to be held in Hobart from 17th to 20 March 2005.  Peter Manger, the Club's On-to-Conference Chairperson, will be assisted by Neil Alpin.  A number of berths have been reserved already for members on the overnight ferry for Monday 14 March.  There will be a two night pre-conference gathering at the Frecinet Lodge at Coles Bay for those interested.  I know Judy Nettleton looks forward to a strong contingent from our Club at the Conference, so please start planning now to join Gordon and myself at this Centenary event.  Further details will be available from Peter Manger in the very near future.
5. Last but not least by far is the Centenary Rotary International Convention to be held in Chicago from 18th to 22nd June 2005.  Having had the opportunity to attend five RI Conventions, including the Melbourne one in 1993, I encourage any of you to plan to be there. This one will be very special being held where Rotary International first started in 1905.

In conclusion, may I say how honoured I am to be your President for the next 12 months. This wouldn't be possible without the solid support of my husband, Gordon.  My heartfelt thanks.

Let us make this a very special year, by each Member taking part in at least one Centenary event.  I am asking every relevant Committee and all Groups to hold a Centenary event that will be recorded in the Centenary Annual Report of the Rotary Club of Melbourne.

Please join with me in celebrating Rotary International President, Glen Estess' theme for the year - 'Celebrate Rotary', and my theme for our Club for the Centenary Year: 'Participate, Serve and Enjoy Rotary'.