Today I have reached the conclusion of a most interesting and demanding experience in Rotary.  It was a great honour to be entrusted with the Presidency of this great Club and, after this episode in my life, I am delighted to be handing over the baton to my friend and like-minded colleague Chris Wang.  Our Club lives by the motto "Service Above Self" and Chris, a dedicated Rotarian, is well equipped to continue to give it effect.

During the course of the year I joined the ranks of the gerontocracy, reaching seventy years of age.   In his Scottish Play (Macbeth), William Shakespeare, had "the Old Man" comment:

"Threescore and ten I can remember well:
Within the volume of which time I have seen
Hours dreadful and things strange; but this sore night
Hath trifled former knowings."

I am pleased to be able to report that my seventy years have not been so taxing and the past year has certainly not brought on a dreadful prospect for the Club or for me.  Indeed, when I was given the President's badge exactly a year ago I commented on the positive inertia of Rotary and sure enough we are still proceeding on a safe and sound track.

Many activities and projects have been pursued during the past year and I do not intend to make reference to them seriately today.  I prefer to make more general references to the Year in which we celebrated the Club's 85^th Birthday.  However, for the record and in the interest of continuity, I have prepared an Appendix to this Valedictory Address that catalogues key matters for inclusion in the Annual Report.

The Club program has been a highlight.  Our Speakers Committee has done a great job and we have enjoyed many memorable presentations worthy of our Club's excellent reputation.  The Angus Mitchell Oration 2006, presented by John Kendall, was outstanding and much appreciated by those fortunate enough to be present.  We have also benefited by hearing once every month from a member in the segment entitled, "What's New(s) in My Line".  Key awards made annually by the Club also resulted in us hearing from some great people: the Vocational Service Award presented to Professor Alan Trounson again demonstrated our ability to identify the right person.

Fellowship has been boosted by heightened activity on the part of most Groups, and by opportunity for involvement in the activities of the "Arts", "LetsGo", and "Young At Heart" Committees.  Rotary is about fellowship and participation, the Club is providing exciting opportunities for anyone who wants to take them up.

The Annual District 9800 Conference held in Geelong was a great success.  Our Team was very ably managed by Alan Trumble and that made a great difference.  The associated Joint Meeting with the Rotary Club of Geelong, sponsored by our Club in 1925, was very worthwhile.  We have also undertaken a significant number of Inter-Club Visits and attended anniversary celebrations for several Clubs that our Club sponsored over the years.  A great event was the attendance by our "Team" at the celebration in Shanghai to mark the first chartering of Rotary Clubs in the People's Republic of China since the advent of communism in that country.

Continuing involvement and success in the selection, mentoring and promotion of International Exchange Students, Ambassadorial Scholars, Peace Scholars, and Group Study Exchange Participants clearly demonstrates other strengths resident in our company.

A landmark action has been the launch of The Rotary Club of Melbourne Community Foundation.  This Foundation will be very important to the Club's future success.  It will not, as some have feared, compete with our other Foundation, The Rotary Foundation; the operation of these bodies will be complementary and supportive.

Our Community Service Projects are many and varied and there have been numerous challenges but the contributions made in such difficult places as East Timor, Cambodia, Arnhem Land and, yes, Melbourne have been outstanding.  Our Committees steering these works can only be described as "very dedicated".  In particular, I must thank those members who contribute to the operation of activities that are not always seen to be very glamorous but which are so important to the Club and the communities we serve, I refer to RYLA, MUNA, NYSF, RYPEN, Town & Country Exchange, Lord Somers Camp, International Student Exchange support, and the Library Book Delivery Service.

The Internal Administration of the Club suffers inevitably from some retarding inertia; however, there have been several important steps taken to effect change during the course of this Year.  An Internal Audit Committee has been established as a measure to assist in improvement of Corporate Governance, the recording associated with Membership is being brought back into the Office, steps have been initiated to place more responsibility on committees regarding the financial accounting for their activities, a Risk Management Policy has been published, the Procedure for Operation of the Presidents Nominating Committee has been documented, "philosophies" pertaining to the Club's "Natural Geographic Sphere of Operation" and "Reaction to Disaster Events" have been documented, and steps have been taken to reduce the recording burdens on the Honorary Treasurer.  I must also note that we had a change of Office Manager during the period and were very fortunate to be able to recruit our present incumbent, Carolyn Allen.

It is with satisfaction that I note that our membership numbers have increased marginally since the end of the previous Rotary Year.  This is a great achievement on the part of the Membership Directorate as there was a sizable exodus of members at the beginning of this Year that had to be redressed.  It is also very pleasing to note that many of our new members are making a substantial contribution towards lowering the average age of our membership.  Unfortunately, the recovery of membership numbers occurred too late in the year to permit the Club to qualify for a Presidential Citation.

The messages that I wish to leave with the Club are simple:

• Focus on membership growth and retention; this is the "life-blood" of the Club and the most direct way to ensure provision of adequate funds for our work that must be supported from the Club's Operating Account.

• Ensure that the Club operates as an efficient business but avoid the trap of "analysis paralysis" often associated with over-planning.

• Rotary is about service related outcomes, there are objective risks in many of our activities and projects; however, to borrow a well known motto, "[He] Who Dares Wins".

• Engage with people both within and outside Rotary to most effectively leverage our impact.

• As individual Rotarians, "do your best", this is all that Paul Harris ever asked of members of this great organisation.

I thank everyone who has been a member of our Club during the course of the year, particularly those in positions of leadership at all levels, for the unflagging support provided to me.  Also, I thank my wife Brenda for her forbearance and support during the year, this has been very important to me.  Without all of you nothing would have been possible.

I also record my thanks for the friendly and cooperative association that I have enjoyed with District Governor John Wigley and other District Officers.

And so we move to the future.

It is my great pleasure to introduce your President for Rotary Year 2006/07, Chris Wang.  Chris has a long and distinguished history in our Club having been inducted in 1988 and being named a Paul Harris Fellow in 2001.  He has served on almost every Club committee.  If there has been any function of note to be organised, he has always been one of our "go to" men.

Chris was born in Adelaide and is a proud fourth generation Australian Chinese.  His father was a well known businessman in Melbourne and it is very obvious that he trained his successor well.  Schooled at Melbourne Grammar he was, of course, a natural for acceptance by the membership of this Club.  Chris was awarded a Batchelor of Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne.  He was a Founding Member of the Australia - China Chamber of Commerce & Industry, now known as the Australia China Business Council, of which he was Vice President for eight years.  He was made an Honorary Life Member in 1991.

We are very keen to involve partners in the activities of our Club.  Chris is married to Janet a Queensland lady from the Townsville area, she is a perfect foil to her husband, and they are a delightful couple.  They have a grown up family of three, a daughter and two sons (David and Michael), and I note that their daughter Annabel has seen the benefit of a Celtic association, marrying an Irishman and producing their first grandchild, Emma.

I recently had the very pleasant experience of sharing the company of Janet and Chris for nearly a week in Shanghai.  They are very accommodating and extremely keen to add to the success of The Rotary Club of Melbourne.

It is important for me to note that it was on an initiative suggested by Chris that we moved with determination to commence the operation of the Rotary Club of Melbourne Community Foundation this year.

Chris and I have "made a pact" to work for continuity in the business of operating the Club and I am sure that some interesting results will follow.

Chris is, obviously, a young man, that is, at least by comparison with me.  It is very pleasing to make this observation as our Club should be aspiring to bring more influence into its leadership from younger members.

Chris, you bring to the Club a wonderful depth of Rotary knowledge and experience, a dedication and enthusiasm for the task, and a desire to add to the Club's success.

It gives me great pleasure to pass to you the Presidential Chain of Office, the President's lapel pin, and most importantly the key to the Office.

I know that you will be a great President and we extend to you our congratulations and best wishes for a productive and exciting year ahead.

Melbourne Rotarians and guests I give you our new President Chris Wang.

Melville Connell 

APPENDIX TO THE PRESIDENT'S VALEDICTORY ADDRESS - 2005/06

OPERATION OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF MELBOURNE

CLUB SERVICE

Administrative Matters:

The Club fulfilled its reporting responsibilities by holding its Annual General Meeting in a timely manner and by presenting its Annual Report and Audited Statement of Accounts.

The Club satisfied it responsibilities in relation to its registration under the provisions of The Associations Incorporation Act of the State of Victoria and The Fundraising Appeals Act of the State of Victoria.

The Club's Presidents Nomination Committee met and selected a President Nominee for Rotary Year 2007/08.

Membership:

The Club will conclude Rotary Year 2005/06 with the following membership numbers:

Active members (including Exempt Attendance)       249

Honorary Members                                                 7

Honorary Life Members                                         17

Total Membership                                                      273

Fellowship:

The Club and its Fellowship Groups and Committees conducted numerous functions and events contributing significantly to an excellent year of fellowship.

The Club held a special luncheon to celebrate its Eighty-fifth Birthday and raise funds for its Healthy Hearts Project.

New Committees established to enhance fellowship, these being "LetsGo" and "Young At Heart", have made a great contribution to the spirit of the Club.

Official Inter-Club Visits were made to seven Rotary Clubs (including one to the Rotary Club of Geelong associated with the Annual District 9800 Conference).

Official Inter-Club Visits were received from the Rotary Clubs of Williamstown and North Melbourne.

Significant Anniversary celebratory Meetings of the Rotary Clubs of Bendigo, Geelong and Southbank were attended by the President.

The Club successfully conducted a Golf Tournament and associated fundraiser for its Healthy Hearts Project.

The Club "fielded" a sizable team to attend the Annual District 9800 Conference held in Geelong.  The Conference and associated activities organized by the On To Conference Committee proved to be very successful.

The Club was represented at an event held in Shanghai, The People's Republic of China, to celebrate the re-entry of Rotary into that Country.

The President was the Guest speaker at the 20^th Birthday Celebration of the ProBus Club of Port Phillip, a Club sponsored by The Rotary Club of Melbourne.

Club Meetings:

The required number of meetings was held by the Club during the course of the year.

The Speakers Program was very well managed and the quality of presentations was characteristic of the Club's excellent reputation.

The Angus Mitchell Oration 2006 given by Past President John Kendall was an outstanding event.

Each month throughout the year a member spoke to the subject, "What's New(s) In My Line".

Awards Recognising Achievement:

The Club once again recognised achievement with its following Awards:

·         Apprentices (3).

·         Young Achievers (3).

·         Vocational Service

·         Seniors.

·         Sir John Reid Community Service.

One of the Young Achievers, Ms Elise Klein (the winner of the Sir Albert Coates Award), was subsequently selected to represent Australian Youth at an event to be held at the United Nations General Assembly.

The prestigious Vocational Service Award was presented to Professor Alan Trounson a notable expert in the field of Stem Cell Research.

The Club also nominated two persons to receive "Shine On" Awards.

The following Internal Awards were presented during the course of the year:

• Paul Harris Fellows - The following persons were named by the Club:
  • Keith Brierley, Kevin Sheehan, and Russell Leggo in the Sapphire Division, and
  • Amy Williams, Bill Charlton and Phil Bowley in the Ordinary Division.
• A Royce Abbey Award was presented to Cheryl Lacey.
• The Axle Award was presented to Quin Scalzo.
• The Forth Bridge Award was presented to John Mitchell.

Internal Administration:

Ms Lee O'Grady left the position of Office Manager and the Club was very fortunate to be able to recruit Ms Carolyn Allen to that position.

Several changes have been effected or are in the course of being effected in relation to internal administrative matters:

The Club's Bulletin is now being produced, printed, and published internally at a substantial cost saving.

A Risk Management Policy has been produced and published.

 "Philosophies" pertaining to the Club's Natural Geographic Sphere of Influence and Response to Natural disasters were developed.

A paper defining the responsibilities of clubs and the reporting cycle associated with RI Semi-Annual Returns and Payments was produced.

The Club successfully advanced a proposed change to RI Legislation through the District 9800 Conference.  That proposed change relates to introduction of a new Membership Category referred to as Corporate Representative Membership.

Membership recording is in the course of being brought back into the Office.

An Internal Audit Committee has been established.

Measures are being explored to enable reduction of pressure on the Honorary Treasurer relating to book-keeping tasks.

The Club has implemented action to bring The Rotary Club of Melbourne Community Foundation into operation.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Finalisation of Projects Carried Forward from 2004/05:

Several commitments and donations made to projects at the end of Rotary Year 2004 / 05 required finalisation:

• The Soup Kitchen Van purchased for use by a Street Mission operating in the St Kilda / Frankston corridor was finalised and the vehicle was presented to the Charitable Body with the help of the Bentleigh Bayside Community Health Centre.  A set of "Esky"-type cold storage boxes was also donated by the Club.

• A donation of funds to support ovarian cancer research was processed in conjunction with funds donated by the Rotary Club of Williamstown and achieved for ROCAN a maximum Matching Grant from the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund.

• Funds donated to help the Church of All Nations purchase cold storage facilities to hold fresh foods were processed and the Church's Welfare Centre was visited.

Members from the Club also participated in the operation of the ARHRF Safari Mobile Mental Health Display when it was located at the Melbourne City Square. 

Recurrent Involvements:

The Club has participated in the following activities that are recurrent from year to year:

RYLA, MUNA, PYPEN, Lord Somers Camp, NYSF, and Siemens Science Experience.  

The Club also contributed funds to assist in bringing Timorese students to attend RYLA.

General International Involvements: 

The Club is a significant contributor to The Rotary Foundation; it donated more than $30,000 to the Foundation this year and paid $30,000 as its contribution to a Matching grant associated with a Micro Credit Project in East Timor.

The Foundation Committee has again identified, nominated, and mentored successful applicants for Ambassadorial Scholarships and World Peace Scholarships.

Work has been done to help improve the involvement of members in the Centurion Scheme.

Involvement in the International Student Exchange program has continued with Alex Dahlberg from Sweden having enjoyed a successful year with the Club.  Two students have returned from overseas during the year and the Club has sponsored one student, Morgan Jones, who is presently in Germany.  The Chair of the Club's International Student Exchange Committee has submitted to the Batman Cluster a proposal pertaining to Cluster Hosting of exchange students.

The Club has major international projects continuing in East Timor and Cambodia, they are referred to later in this paper.

The Club has renewed its Sister-Club Agreements with the rotary Clubs of Boston, USA, Seoul, Republic of South Korea, Osaka, Japan, and Bangkok, Thailand.  It has established a new agreement with the Rotary Club of Shanghai, PRC.  The agreement with the rotary club of Colombo, Sri Lanka has not been renewed as there was no activity with that Club during the period of the now expired Agreement.

Projects: 

The Club remains heavily involved in four major project sectors:

·         Major International.

·         Minor International.

·         Major Australian.

·         Minor Australian.

Under the heading "Major International" we are continuing to support a wide range of activities in East Timor and a Leprosy Project in Cambodia.

• While the work in East Timor has been progressing well, very recent political and civil problems are giving cause for concern.  The Club's East Timor Committee and the Limited Company working to organise the construction of an Embassy for Timor Leste in Canberra remain optimistic about the future and have decided to continue their efforts with adjustments being made to timing and methodologies.

The Club's donations to the District 9800 donation-In-kind program for East Timor have been substantial.

• The Cambodia Leprosy Project has been progressing well under the local management and supervision of CIOMAL.  A Matching Grant is being sought from The Rotary Foundation to support a development of this Project: this financial support has not so far eventuated because of administrative short-comings in District 3350 that are in the process of being overcome.   We remain optimistic about the outcome.

Minor International Projects include a donation of $2,000 to Rotarians Against Malaria for provision of Insecticide Treated Bed Nets for a village-scale scheme in Papua New Guinea, and $2,000 for a similar exercise being coordinated by the Rotary Club of Dili, East Timor.  $5,000 was also provided to enable a study to be undertaken in Vanuatu concerning a novel approach to control of AIDS / HIV infection.  Natalino Martens, an agricultural student from East Timor, was hosted on a Livestock Husbandry, Livestock Processing, and Dairy Produce (Cottage Industry) Training Course supported by a grant from the Royce and Jean Abbey Endowment Fund.

The current Major Australian Projects are:

• "Healthy Hearts", which is being conducted in conjunction with the Baker Heart Research Institute, so far almost $120,000 has been donated to this Project.

• "Donydji Homelands" in Arnhem Land: Stage two of this work has just been completed with provision of a training workshop to be used for skilling Yolngu youths.  This is a "landmark" project of great relevance at this time when the issues of social development in aboriginal affairs are causing great concern at all levels of government and in the general community.

Minor Australian Projects include work being undertaken to support refugees through the West Melbourne Refugee Resources Centre, support of disadvantaged children through work with the Sydney Road School, and work with other charitable bodies.  The club has decided to donate $8,147 to "Learning for Life" an educational program for disadvantaged children managed by The Smith Family.

A potential major step taken has been the introduction into effect of the so called P.A.C.E. (Partnerships Advancing Community Engagement) Initiative.  This is a joint initiative with District 9800, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, and the State Government of Victoria.

Small scale activities, such as a Library Book Delivery Service to House-bound Persons Project, are often not perceived to be "glamorous" but they are very important to the community served and they do encourage Rotarians to provide service in accordance with the motto, "Service Above Self".

HORIZONS

The Horizons Committee continues to grapple with the "aftermath" of the Administration Review.  The approach currently being pursued is to identify "Key Result Areas" (KRAs) for the Club and address actions to improve performance in relation to these KRAs.  Continuity of corporate knowledge is also being subjected to scrutiny.

CONCLUSION

The Club is functioning actively and effectively in all areas.  Because of its size and method of operating, the Club is constantly challenged in relation to Maintenance of Membership Numbers and the Sustainability of its Operating Budget.  Involvement in Rotary activities and projects continues effectively 

Melville Connell

President 2005/06