Another good meeting was held last Tuesday with members continuing to socially distance and being very cautious about how we conduct ourselves in spite of the good news that it seems we have eliminated Covid 19 for now. We just hope it stays that way so we can enjoy our Christmas celebrations and the warm weather and holiday period to come.
​
Before our meeting we were met by Sandi and James from the Warrandyte Diary who videod us wishing the community “Happy Christmas” to be shown in conjunction with other groups, in the online Christmas Carols this year. Amazingly they only had to do one take and since we wore our Rotary polos it should be a good look for Rotary.

On that note I urge members to visit the 2nd floor of Eastlands above Coles supermarket to see the Maroondah Club’s shop front and buy a ticket in their Chistmas trailer raffle. It looks fabulous and very eye catching as you step off the travelator – a wonderful advertisement for Rotary.

I was very happy to announce that the defibrillator donated by the Warrandyte Community Bank has arrived and has, at the time of writing, been installed outside the Op Shop so will be available to all and sundry in the vacinity. It will be our responibility to ensure everyone knows what to do with it if it is to be called into use and to advertise it’s existence and position so the local community is aware. Ads will be placed in the Warrandyte diary, and posts on various Facebook pages. We are very grateful to the Community Bank Warrandtye for funding this defibrillator and Liz Guiver for her great work preparing grant applications.

Strategic Plan: Now that a few weeks have elapsed it was time to ask the members to accept the strategic plan – we held a show of hands and it was accepted which is very gratifying. Many thanks again to the committee who put the plan together. We now need to work through all the initiatives that have been identified. Some of them have already been put into practice – such as the new Club Administration Committee headed up by Ian Thomlinson with Bob Fry. Next week the Plan will be ratified by the Board.
I reminded members about the Mental Health seminar that was held today (Friday). Both Kevin and I attended - four very good guest speaker who discussed various aspects of mental health from issues around ageing, supporting youth throught the SALT (sport and Life Training) program, how Covid 19 has affected people working from home, and the use of person centred approach in the clinical setting. It was recorded so the seminar will be on the District 9810 UTube channel which is easy to find so you can watch it yourselves if interested.

Youth: Steve Ennor reported that he is in the process of contacting the local schools to disburse our End of Year Awards to the six schools. This is always well appreciated by all the schools – especiall this year which has been so demanding for staff and students. A few awards will be well received.

Our guest speaker was Barry Minster OAM who opened our eyes to the issue of electric cars, and how they will be the future of transport in a near future. Barry said that European countries have established policies phasing out the manufacturing of petrol and diesel vehicles, so countries like Australia which do not manufacture cars will be forced into importing electric vehicles.

At present the main sticking point is the limited battery power but manufacturers are also on board with battery technology, which is the key to successful electric vehicle operation. Currently Australia is way behind the rest of the world in usage of electric cars and charging stations compared to other countries. Electric cars need very little mainteneance due to their simplicity. Cost is a prohibiting factor at present but as battery technology improves the cost will come down.

​This newly formed market is run by the Rotary Club of Doncaster. Entrance is by gold coin donation.

Last Tuesday it was a pleasure to welcome our Past District Governor Shia Smart and her husband Duncan. As it was a partners and guests night we also welcomed Lianne Liao, Yvonne McKenzie, Terry Edwards and Marianne Mooney. It was great to say hello to our friends at long last – and Natalie’s as usual accommodated us very well in the larger space to give us room to socially distance and obey our Covid19 rules.

I mentioned that I had been in contact with the RC Commonwealth Quezon City who Zoomed with us recently – to give them our best wishes following the recent typhoons and terrible flooding in Manila and other parts of the Philippines.

I reminded members that we will be holding a board meeting on 1st December and reports should be in to Secretary David along with any issues members wish to raise for discussion.

Our Foundation Chair Kevin Hall had the pleasant task of presenting our latest club Centurion Stephen Ennor with his Certificate and Badge.

Chair Gavin introduced PDG Shia who had several awards for our club – firstly a District Citation which was presented to PP Gavin Birch and P VP David George for completing the required number of goals in Rotary Club Central.

Shia also presented the club, through our Foundation Chair Kevin Hall, with a Certificate of Appreciation for our financial contribution to The Rotary Foundation for End Polio Now.

Shia then went on to give a summary of how the District has coped with covid 19 restrictions and it was encouraging to hear that so many clubs have used their imaginations to find different ways to fundraise.

It was a pleasure to see Shia and her ever smiling face at our meeting and we are grateful to her for giving up her time.

Yet another award was made to cap off the evening – (see below) President Judy read out a letter from DG Alma.
​
It was an award winning night and for our small club we pack a mighty punch and should be proud of our efforts.

​It was wonderful to be back at Natalie's face to face albeit with the the masks on, so it was a bit of a chore, but something we have to get used to. I was very pleased to see everyone socially distancing and wearing masks, and not moving around the room. Sadly these restrictions will be in place until we can be sure that we are out of the danger zone. I think we are all still in the mode to expect another outbreak – but it sure is reassuring to see the continuation of zero cases in Melbourne and the ability to venture out of Melbourne. I have it on good authority that some of our members who were busting to get out have gone bush this weekend. Hope we see them again soon!

We welcomed one guest Leanne Liao – it was lovely to welcome her face to face as she has attended a few of our zoom meetings. We had apologies from Kevin Hall and Steve Ennor who were zooming into the Foundation Seminar, Bob Fry down at the beach, the Latimers, sadly were both unwell, hope you are now recovered, Marg George who is still in recovery from her back operation and Judith Lightfoot who is working extremely hard with her volunteers at the Op Shop.

A big thankyou to Bob McKenzie who organized the printing and distribution of the Annual Report which is now in the hands of all members.
​
I gave some brief explanation about the Australia Day grant which is in progress. More on this as news comes to hand. We have offered to assist Templestowe with a function next Australia Day.
The Strategic Plan has now been finalized after many weeks in draft and opportunities for members to discuss with us. There was very little feedback from individual members. Without a guest speaker it was an opportunity to go through the plan to explain the few minor changes and to ensure everyone is aware of its’ contents. We will have a show of hands on 24th November so it can go to the board on 1st Dec.

REPORTS:

Treasurer: reports that funds are now going into the bank and we are meeting our commitments. Kevin wishes to thank the Op Shop staff for their dedication to keeping the OP Shop going via phone and collect through the lock down and their speedy reopening.

OP Shop: trading is brisk with takings above what they were pre covid19. Drop offs of donations are now by appointment only so they can manage the numbers in and around the shop.

Tunstall Square Market: Bob McKenzie reports that emails have been received from Manningham Council who have requested various documentation before the market can reopen. Bob and his committee will be working on this to get the market up and running as soon as practicable.

Warrandyte Riverside Market: - will reopen on 5th December.

Community: Rob Edwards gave a brief explaination about Warrandyte Houseing Support Services which is in the process of becoming a legal entity and hope to establish an base shortly in Warrandyte – along with a Food Bank. More about this very soon. Exciting news!

Discussion: Strategic Plan – some initiatives that have been completed:

- Establishment of an Administration Committee lead by Ian Thomlinson with Bob Fry – this committee will oversee all club compliance and governance.
- Establishment of Public Relations and Marketing committee chair- Gavin Birch
Many thanks to all who attended our first face to face meeting.
We look forward to next week when we will have partners and guests (no more than 40 people) attend in the larger restaurant area. It will be important to let Rob Edwards know if you are bring a guest or if you are an apology so he can keep his eye on the numbers.

Have a good week in Rotary
President Judy

The District AGM was held and all motions were carried. Kenneth Miller of the Emerald and District Club was confirmed as the District Governor Nominee for the year 2022/23.

Our Assistant Governor for 2021/22 2 will be Olive Aumann from the RC Box Hill Central. All other AGs have been publicised in the Open Doors Newsletter which came out last week.

Mental Health Forum – 27th November at 7.30am – see Open Doors for details, great guest speakers.

Membership: this year the District membership fell to below 1100 to 1098, which is precarious. It is now back up to just over 1100. To this end District 9810 has launched a new membership initiative with suggestions on how to attract members and grow clubs:

Satellite Clubs – are an extension of an existing club (their members count as members of the sponsoring club) – but it can be more flexible and have a different culture to the sponsoring club, can make their own arrangements re meeting day, time, format. Likely to be more involved with project work rather than meetings.

Masterclass – a training event over 4 sessions for all clubs to participate (they would like to have 3 people from every club in the district attend – via Zoom of course) – the aim of the masterclass will be to enhance participation, enhance adaption, enable and assist clubs to evaluate their activities projects and to assist clubs expand their reach. More on this later.

Passport Clubs - clubs which can be flexible & different. (unlike satellite clubs they will be their own Rotary entity).

Rotary Community Corps - Non- Rotarians who may like to be a group who are involved in projects and activities.

District Conference: 1-2nd May 2021 – will be completely on line. More details coming soon.

President Elects Training – Pre PETS next Saturday.

Next Meeting – 4th December.

How long in Rotary? 31 years

What positions have you held? President x 3,
Treasurer, District Treasurer, Board Member of Project Funds (District), Vocational

Who was your sponsor? David Curry

Current or last job? Accountant currently working

Family? 2 Daughters Lynne and Cath, 3 lovely grandchildren (2 girls, 1 boy)

Pets? Not any more

Pastimes? Rotary, grandchildren,

Do you enjoy playing or watching sport? Yes – AFL (go the Hawks), cricket, rugby, golf.

Favorites:
• Type of music – No I have broad tastes
• Singer/band/orchestra - 60 music (Elvis, Rolling Stones – 60s music) ,
• Movie – All the James Bond movies
• Book – crime books – no favorites
• Piece of Art (if relevant) no
• Restaurant – anything Thai
• Place(s) to go to relax – Noosa or Port Douglas
• Food- curry

Guilty pleasures (if you’re brave enough to share !) red, red wine

Any words of wisdom, (or ignorance) you wish to share with your fellow Rotarians? We get a lot of satisfaction out of serving the community.

It’s been a quiet week in Rotary with no meeting on Tuesday due to the Melbourne Cup, a sad affair with no crowds, and the death of another horse on the track. However it doesn’t mean things are not happening behind the scenes and from Bob McKenzie’s reports the Op Shop is continuing to boom. Don’t forget they not only sell second hand goods but recycle batteries, bottle tops and bread tags, a few less plastic things in our environment. That’s true sustainability.

We are all waiting to hear what is said by Daniel Andrews this weekend to see if there might be a way we can start our markets. The reports this week of no new cases or deaths is such a relief and we are looking forward to some months relative normalcy hoping that people are sensible and keep the situation under control. We are excited to be able to meet again face to face next Tuesday at Natalies – there will be no guest speaker as we catch up on the latest from everyone and of course full Covid 19 safety mesures will be in place. We will be no more than 20 people.

I have also been advised there will be no serving of alcohol this Tuesday as Natalie’s new liquor licence does not come into affect until they day after. So it will be soft drinks for all.

Good news to hear Marg George is now home after her operation and she is recovering with no rehab needed. A relief for Marg and her family and all of her friends.

During the week there were frantic emails going between District and clubs about the availablity of grant money made available to Rotary at the last minute by the National Australia Day Council to be used for functions on Australia Day – a considerable amount. However there was a time limit and restrictions attached making it difficult for individual clubs to access. The upshot of it is that Templestowe Club have put in for a grant to run a function on Australia Day next year (Tuesday 26th January) – either a BBQ or afternoon tea at the Manningham council chambers precinct – all Covid Safe. Templestowe were looking for support from the Rotary Cluster and we agreed to assist with this. There is little detail at present but since it will not clash with any other activities we thought it would be a beneficial thing to be involved with. More about this soon.

Our planning commiteee met for the last time on Thursday by Zoom to complete the Strategic Plan which will be sent out to members again shortly. It is expected that it will be presented formally to the club on 17th November for a show of hands then the club has a blueprint to work towards. It has been a most worthwhile experience and I thank all the people involved – Gavin Birch, Bob Fry, Ian Thomlinson and Kevin Hall for their unfailing support, ideas and motivation to get the job done. It is expected that strategic planning will become part of club culture in the future.

Not much else to report other than Bob McKenzie’s tomatoes are very advanced compared with ours! Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Tuesday.
​
President Judy

How long in Rotary? 22 years; 3 clubs
Doncaster Sunrise, Donvale and Warrandyte Donvale

What positions have you held?
President (twice)
Treasurer
Secretary
Director: Club Service, Youth, Community, International and Vocational
District: NYSF; Save Water, Save Lives (Kiribati)

Who was your sponsor? John Boylett, RC of Doncaster Sunrise

Current or last job? Manager Buildings and Facilities Management

Family? Wife Liz, three married sons, 2 grand children

Pets? Samoyed dog

Pastimes? Music; Voluntary/Community work

If you’re consuming food or drink and seated at your table you can take off your mask. The rest of the time it should be on. If you go to take a call, want to use the bathroom or are paying for the meal, your mask should be on.

• All Victorians have to wear a fitted face mask when leaving home unless they have an exemption. Remember to avoid touching your face whilst wearing a mask, wash reusable cloth masks after every use and replace your mask if it begins to fray or gets dirty. Will restaurants clean the table after every customer?

• All venues are required to clean tables after every service. This is on top of the frequent cleaning and disinfection of regularly-touched surfaces, shared spaces and toilets and bathrooms. What about shared condiments, communal water bottle or drum of cutlery?

• The government's guidelines encourage restaurants and cafes to replace high-touch communal items with single-use options where possible, but this isn’t compulsory.

​• Restaurants may swap out shared condiments for single sachets and communal water bottles for individual-use glasses, depending on whether they take on this advice. If reusable bottles and cutlery are used, they should be removed and washed after each seating.

Policy Brief & Purpose
The Rotary Club of Warrandyte Donvale (Inc) (further to be known in this document as the “Club”) policy includes the measures we are actively taking to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. All Members, Partners, Volunteers and Guests are kindly requested to follow all these rules diligently, to sustain a healthy and safe Club Environment in this exceptional time. It’s important that we all respond responsibly and transparently to these health precautions.

We assure you that we will always treat your private health and personal data with high confidentiality and sensitivity.
This Coronavirus (COVID-19) Club policy is susceptible to changes with the introduction of additional Governmental guidelines. If so, we will update you as soon as possible by email and by posting notices on the Staff Notice Board.

Scope

This Coronavirus (COVID-19) Club policy applies to all of our Members, Partners, Volunteers and Visitors who physically attend our Club Meetings and activities. We strongly recommend to other Rotary Clubs Members to read through this action plan as well, to ensure we collectively and uniformly respond to this challenge.

This Coronavirus (COVID-19) Club policy applies to all of the Club activities but is not limited to:

• Club Meetings
• Conducting Business at the Warrandyte Rotary Op Shop
• Conducting Business at the Tunstall Square Market
• Conducting Business at the Riverside Market
• Conducting Business at other venues or events as approved by the Club Board

Policy Elements

Here, we outline the required actions that should take place to protect our Members, Partners, Volunteers and Visitors themselves and their Families from a potential coronavirus infection.

General Recommendation

It is highly recommended that ALL Members, Partners, Volunteers and Club Visitors have the COVIDSafe App installed on their Mobile Phone.

At all times Members, Partners, Volunteers and Club Visitors are reminded of the importance of maintaining a physical distance, and keeping at least 1.5 meters away from others.

At all times Members, Partners, Volunteers and Club Visitors are reminded of the importance of practicing good hygiene.

Government Requirements

The Club will strictly comply to all Federal, State and Local requirements regarding Club Meetings, Retail Shop regulations and all Public Events held in the name of The Rotary Club of Warrandyte Donvale.

Sick leave arrangements:
If you have cold symptoms, such as cough/sneezing/fever, or feel poorly, request and apology from the Club activity and stay at home.

If you have a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, you can return to the Club activities only after you’ve fully recovered, with a doctor’s note confirming your recovery.

General Hygiene Rules:
Wash your hands after using the toilet, before eating, and if you cough/sneeze into your hands (follow the 20-second hand-washing rule). You can also use the sanitizers you’ll find around the Club or activity.

Cough/sneeze into your sleeve, preferably into your elbow. If you use a tissue, discard it properly and clean/sanitize your hands immediately. Avoid touching your face, particularly eyes, nose, and mouth with your hands to prevent from getting infected.
If you find yourself coughing/sneezing on a regular basis, avoid close physical contact with your Co-members and Co-volunteers and take extra precautionary measures (such as requesting leave of absence).

Rotary Club Activities Arrangements:

If you are feeling ill, please stay at home.

If you have recently returned from areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases (based on CDC announcements), we’ll ask you remain at home for 14 calendar days, and return to the Rotary Event or activity only if you are fully asymptomatic with a doctor’s note confirming your status. You will also be asked not to come into physical contact with any colleagues during this time.

If you’ve been in close contact with someone infected by COVID-19, with high chances of being infected yourself, you are to stay at home and can return to the Rotary Event or activity only if you are fully asymptomatic with a doctor’s note confirming your status. You will also be asked not to come into physical contact with any colleagues during this time.

If you’re a parent and you have to stay at home with your children, please stay at home. Follow up with your Manager to make arrangements and set expectations.

If you need to provide care to a family member infected by COVID-19, stay at home. You’ll only be permitted to return to the office 14 calendar days after your family member has fully recovered, provided that you’re asymptomatic or you have a doctor’s note confirming your status. You will also be asked not to come into physical contact with any colleagues during this time.

Traveling/Commuting Measures:

All Club Meetings or events – as decided by the Board – can be cancelled/postponed/changed until further notice.

If you normally commute to the Rotary Event by public transportation, and do not have any other alternatives, you must wear a mask as a precaution.

If you are planning to travel voluntarily to a high-risk area or country with increased COVID-19 cases, you will be asked to stay at home for 14 calendar days on your return, and can return to the Rotary Event or Activity only if you are fully asymptomatic with a doctor’s note confirming your status. You will also be asked not to come into physical contact with any colleagues during this time.

Club Meeting Arrangements

The following arrangements will be undertaken for Club Meetings:

• Club Meetings will be held at Natalie’s Restaurant, 669 Maroondah Hwy Mitcham or as the Club Board directs.
• Attendance will be limited to Club Members only, and officially invited Guests until the Board decides otherwise.
• Attendance numbers will be regulated to the room size (as designated by the Management of Natalie’s), and the allowable number of Diners, as set by Federal, State or Local Governments from time to time.
• Social distancing rules will apply to all in attendance, when not sitting at the dining tables.
• Husband and wife Members can sit together without Social distancing rules applying.
• Four tables to be provided for the following as a minimum:
Table 1 Hand Sanitizer Bottle and attendance sheet
Table 2 Meal selection and ordering
Table 3 Payment of Meal by EFTPOS Machine
Table 4 Dinner Badge Box.
• Dining tables to be spaced according to Federal, State or Local Government Laws.
• Members must use their own pens when signing in.
• Members will not to share cutlery, plates or glasses.

We’re all much happier this week with the news from our Premier last Sunday. Our next meeting on 10 November should be back at Natalie's if all continues as it has been this week. We know from June that we can do that safely with all Covid 19 protocols in place. This time around it will be more stringent as we will be mask wearing when not eating or drinking. Our Covid 19 plan for meetings is further in this bulletin for those unsure of what to expect.

It might be wise to consider a few Zoom meetings ongoing to include people from out of town and enable us to have guest speakers who cannot attend in person. Some people may not be comfortable attending a face to face meeting as yet. We can discuss this at our next meeting as it will be an informal night of catching up with no guest speaker.

Marg George is back in hospital - Knox Private in the hope that she will get the specialist advice and attention she needs. We wish her well, send lots of love and best wishes from everyone in the club. Marg is posting on her Facebook page so if you want more details go and visit her page.

You will all know the Op Shop is up and running again with terrific results, and a huge thanks to all the dedicated staff down there who have done and are doing a wonderful job. It’s been a tough few months for them all especially those who helped to do the phone and collect. We hope you all enjoy getting back together doing what you enjoy doing – serving the community!

Bob McKenzie is waiting to hear more after the 8th November about markets so we hope the numbers stay down and we can venture back again with our Covid19 plan in place.
I spoke to Sandy Pennicott last week and she is doing well but missing her friends and family and looking forward to being able to go further than 25 Km from home, as we all are. We hope to see her at a meeting or two in the future.

I noted that the Open Doors is out again and urge members to have a look as there is plenty of interesting information and resources in it if you wish to participate.

At our last meeting we were very lucky to have Mara Latimer talk to us about internet fraud “Bad Things on the Internet”. Mara was extremely eloquent and gave a really good power point presentation to illustrate her talk. Mara works full time for a smaller bank – not one of the Big Four. Interestingly she said the smaller the bank it seems the stronger the security – she has had experience in larger banks and speaks with experience. Banks today have phenomenal security systems in place to track and flag uncommon or extraordinary transactions which means they are able to contact their customers quickly to inform them and advise what to do. This is reassuring in a time when so many people are taken in by ruthless gangs. Many thanks to Mara for coming along and enlightening us and we hope to be more vigilant and not be taken in by unscrupulous scammer!

Mara talked about “free trials’ which bind you to contracts that can be difficult to cancel, with the cost of the particular item continuing to go up after the free trial period, so you end up paying a lot more than you bargained for. These are often advertised on Facebook and should be treated with great caution.

A huge thank you to everyone who has made the reopening of the Op Shop such a success. The club is indebted to the op shop volunteers and Rotarians who help when needed.

The shop is open 7 days a week and is operating under full Covid-19 regulations so access to the store may be staggered. All people must wear a mask and there is plenty of sanitiser around the shop to use.

They not only sell second- hand goods but collect batteries, coloured lids and bread tags for recycling. The resourcefulness of the Op shop staff is amazing in that they make the most of every opportunity to recycle and reuse rather than throw out.

Thanks to the customers for their support and once again in a huge thank you to all involved.

The organizing committee under the chairmanship of Brian Negus is meeting regularly to put together some great functions next year to celebrate 100 years of Rotary in Melbourne. Everything is still very much on the drawing board and fully dependent on how we go with Covid19 into next year. Just to give you some idea as to what is proposed – at the last meeting on Thursday the following items were discussed:

Road Signage: -(Gavin Birch in charge) - reported he had spoken to the council who will need to provide us with their requirements and regulations around signage, VicRoads also. The four Cluster clubs will sponsor several signs on main roads in their localities – the signs to include logos of other organizations within each clubs’ area. All the signs will be the same dimensions – the Rotary logo will predominate, with different organizations contributing depending on which ones are selected by each club.

Baton Relay: (Keith Anderson in charge) - to take place on Sunday 28th March – starting at Tunstall Square (at our market hopefully dependent on covid19). It will proceed to Ruffey Lake Park where there will be some activities and Rotary displays. It’s envisioned teams of two people at a time to hold the baton – will need lots of Rotarians and Rotaractors to assist.

Cluster Rotary Meeting (Russell Gurney and Gavin Birch) – Manningham Council contacted and discussions to take place with them as to when, how, and logistics, again dependent on Covid19.

Long Lunch (Judy Hall, Janis McFarland & Milo McKay) – the idea of having 100 for long lunch outside at MC2 in March or April was too difficult due to uncertainty around weather, Covid-19 and costs at a time when funds are low, and who to select as “disadvantaged” – could be seen as patronising. It was suggested it be held later and involve businesses and individuals who have sponsored or helped clubs, and community “champions”. Discussions to take place with Manningham Council as to use of venue and facilities.

If you’re consuming food or drink and seated at your table you can take off your mask. The rest of the time it should be on. If you go to take a call, want to use the bathroom or are paying for the meal, your mask should be on.

• All Victorians have to wear a fitted face mask when leaving home unless they have an exemption. Remember to avoid touching your face whilst wearing a mask, wash reusable cloth masks after every use and replace your mask if it begins to fray or gets dirty. Will restaurants clean the table after every customer?
• All venues are required to clean tables after every service. This is on top of the frequent cleaning and disinfection of regularly-touched surfaces, shared spaces and toilets and bathrooms. What about shared condiments, communal water bottle or drum of cutlery?
• The government's guidelines encourage restaurants and cafes to replace high-touch communal items with single-use options where possible, but this isn’t compulsory.
• Restaurants may swap out shared condiments for single sachets and communal water bottles for individual-use glasses, depending on whether they take on this advice. If reusable bottles and cutlery are used, they should be removed and washed after each seating.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Club Policy

Policy brief & purpose

The Rotary Club of Warrandyte Donvale (Inc) (further to be known in this document as the “Club”) policy includes the measures we are actively taking to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. All Members, Partners, Volunteers and Guests are kindly requested to follow all these rules diligently, to sustain a healthy and safe Club Environment in this exceptional time. It’s important that we all respond responsibly and transparently to these health precautions.

We assure you that we will always treat your private health and personal data with high confidentiality and sensitivity.

This Coronavirus (COVID-19) Club policy is susceptible to changes with the introduction of additional Governmental guidelines. If so, we will update you as soon as possible by email and by posting notices on the Staff Notice Board.

Scope

This Coronavirus (COVID-19) Club policy applies to all of our Members, Partners, Volunteers and Visitors who physically attend our Club Meetings and activities. We strongly recommend to other Rotary Clubs Members to read through this action plan as well, to ensure we collectively and uniformly respond to this challenge.

This Coronavirus (COVID-19) Club policy applies to all of the Club activities but is not limited to:

• Club Meetings
• Conducting Business at the Warrandyte Rotary Op Shop
• Conducting Business at the Tunstall Square Market
• Conducting Business at the Riverside Market
• Conducting Business at other venues or events as approved by the Club Board

Policy elements

Here, we outline the required actions that should take place to protect our Members, Partners, Volunteers and Visitors themselves and their Families from a potential coronavirus infection.

General Recommendation

It is highly recommended that ALL Members, Partners, Volunteers and Club Visitors have the COVIDSafe App installed on their Mobile Phone.

At all times Members, Partners, Volunteers and Club Visitors are reminded of the importance of maintaining a physical distance, and keeping at least 1.5 metres away from others.

At all times Members, Partners, Volunteers and Club Visitors are reminded of the importance of practicing good hygiene.

Government Requirements

The Club will strictly comply to all Federal, State and Local requirements regarding Club Meetings, Retail Shop regulations and all Public Events held in the name of The Rotary Club of Warrandyte Donvale.

Sick leave arrangements:

If you have cold symptoms, such as cough/sneezing/fever, or feel poorly, request and apology from the Club activity and stay at home.

If you have a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, you can return to the Club activities only after you’ve fully recovered, with a doctor’s note confirming your recovery.

General hygiene rules:

Wash your hands after using the toilet, before eating, and if you cough/sneeze into your hands (follow the 20-second hand-washing rule). You can also use the sanitizers you’ll find around the Club or activity.

Cough/sneeze into your sleeve, preferably into your elbow. If you use a tissue, discard it properly and clean/sanitize your hands immediately. Avoid touching your face, particularly eyes, nose, and mouth with your hands to prevent from getting infected.

If you find yourself coughing/sneezing on a regular basis, avoid close physical contact with your Co-members and Co-volunteers and take extra precautionary measures (such as requesting leave of absence).

Rotary Club Activities Arrangements:

If you are feeling ill, please stay at home.

If you have recently returned from areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases (based on CDC announcements), we’ll ask you remain at home for 14 calendar days, and return to the Rotary Event or activity only if you are fully asymptomatic with a doctor’s note confirming your status. You will also be asked not to come into physical contact with any colleagues during this time.

If you’ve been in close contact with someone infected by COVID-19, with high chances of being infected yourself, you are to stay at home and can return to the Rotary Event or activity only if you are fully asymptomatic with a doctor’s note confirming your status. You will also be asked not to come into physical contact with any colleagues during this time.
If you’re a parent and you have to stay at home with your children, please stay at home. Follow up with your Manager to make arrangements and set expectations.

If you need to provide care to a family member infected by COVID-19, stay at home. You’ll only be permitted to return to the office 14 calendar days after your family member has fully recovered, provided that you’re asymptomatic or you have a doctor’s note confirming your status. You will also be asked not to come into physical contact with any colleagues during this time.

Traveling/commuting measures:

All Club Meetings or events – as decided by the Board – can be cancelled/postponed/changed until further notice.

If you normally commute to the Rotary Event by public transportation, and do not have any other alternatives, you must wear a mask as a precaution.

If you are planning to travel voluntarily to a high-risk area or country with increased COVID-19 cases, you will be asked to stay at home for 14 calendar days on your return, and can return to the Rotary Event or Activity only if you are fully asymptomatic with a doctor’s note confirming your status. You will also be asked not to come into physical contact with any colleagues during this time.

General hygiene rules:

Masks must be worn at all times except when eating or drinking.

Wash your hands after using the toilet, before eating, and if you cough/sneeze into your hands (follow the 20-second hand-washing rule). You can also use the sanitizers you’ll find around the office.

Cough/sneeze into your sleeve, preferably into your elbow. If you use a tissue, discard it properly and clean/sanitize your hands immediately.
Open the windows regularly to ensure open ventilation.

Avoid touching your face, particularly eyes, nose, and mouth with your hands to prevent from getting infected.

If you find yourself coughing/sneezing on a regular basis, avoid close physical contact with your co-workers and take extra precautionary measures (such as requesting sick leave).

Club Meeting Arrangements

The following arrangements will be undertaken for Club Meetings:

• Club Meetings will be held at Natalie’s Restaurant, 669 Maroondah Hwy Mitcham or as the Club Board directs.
• Attendance will be limited to Club Members only, and officially invited Guests until the Board decides otherwise.
• Attendance numbers will be regulated to the room size (as designated by the Management of Natalie’s), and the allowable number of Diners, as set by Federal, State or Local Governments from time to time.
• Social distancing rules will apply to all in attendance, when not sitting at the dining tables.
• Husband and wife Members can sit together without Social distancing rules applying.
• Four tables to be provided for the following as a minimum:
Table 1 Hand Sanitizer Bottle and attendance sheet
Table 2 Meal selection and ordering
Table 3 Payment of Meal by EFTPos Machine
Table 4 Dinner Badge Box.
• Dining tables to be spaced according to Federal, State or Local Government Laws.
• Members must use their own pens when signing in.
• Members will not to share cutlery, plates or glasses.

A generous grant from the Warrandyte community Bank to help us help the Warrandyte High School establish their Makerspace – in 2017. Bob Fry was our Youth Chair and did a wonderful job establishing this project.

As I type it’s another very strange day, Grand Final on 24 October, held in Queensland at night time. What a travesty! Or maybe it will be something to think about for the future (well, not Queensland as a venue but a night game maybe?). This is another example how we have all undergone adaption this year to new ideas and concepts that would have been impossible until Covod 19 came around. Covid has forced us to do things differently and strangely we have all coped to some degree. However that’s not to ignore the high levels of stress and mental health breakdown by many in the community.

Once again, it is Rotary’s opportunity to show it’s colours by adapting to the current situation and getting in there to help the community to recover. A big shout out to the Op Shop staff who are busting to get the shop open and see some money coming in.congratulations on their efforts to do phone and collect to at least keep the public in touch with the Op shop. Of course we are all busting to get our markets going again but we don’t know when we will be able to run them safely so that is still very much up in the air.

We had another reasonable attendence at last week’s Zoom meeting with an apology from Frank Molinaro. There were the inevitable technical issues at the beginning. Might be a good idea for those who don’t know the meeting ID and password to write it down as soon as you get the email and keep it with the computer you will be using. Also check your emails for updates from the organizer as sometimes there are glitches with the zoom invitation – that’s what happened last week and a second invitation had to be sent. It will be so good when we don’t have to worry about that any more.

Reports:
Treasurer and Foundation – Kevin Hall reported that the Centurion Towers are on order and will distributed free to any Rotarian. Some clubs have requested one for every member – that means every member has pledged to join the Centurion Club - $100 per year every year. Thus more funds to return to the District for grants in three year’s time. It will be more important than ever this year as club funds are lower than usual and the need in the community for help is higher. I urge our members to consider joining this group – as I said last week it’s less than the cost of one take away coffee per week.
Op Shop – the committee are working on a Covid Safe policy for the Op shop prior to it opening. This will be submitted to the District Insurance Officer Marcus Robertson. Also Bob McKenzie reported he has been invited by another club to talk about the Op shop and it’s operation, as this club is thinking about establishing an Op Shop. Good luck all round. Now is probably as good a time as any to establish an Op Shop as there are sadly so many empty premises in what were thriving retail strips.
Judith Lightfoot reported that a stalwart from the Lions Op Shop, Brian, has recently died – she will get details so we can send some flowers to his wife.
Annual Report: Bob McKenzie reported that he report is almost ready for printing and distributing prior to the AGM in November.
We had some constructive discussion about the Strategic Plan which has been circulated to all members for consideration.
The issue of Social Media was raised and the importance of us establishing good social media presence for all of our activities. To this end we need to garner some help from a younger cohort – maybe Rotaractors and or some of our younger family members as our club does not have the expertise to take full advantage.

Another issue discussed was the need for a good mentoring program for new members – Louise said as a relatively new member there are still a lot of things about Rotary that are a bit of a mystery. It was decided to ask Liz and George Guiver if they would like to put together a check list of all things new members need to be informed about – this can be used as a template for new members and the person undertaking their Mentoring. I can report that Liz has agreed to do this.

Thanks to all the club members who contributed to the discussion – it will not be the last of it – there is a lot of material to digest and ideas to follow up on so I look forward to more thoughts being aired and people coming up with solutions.

Very little else to report this week as it has been an unusually quiet week on the District Rotary front.
​
Wishing you all a very good weekend and hopefully some better news from our fearless State Leader Daniel Andrews on Sunday.

The following link is for a WorkSafe page regarding industry recommendations regarding workplace safety in relation to COVID. You may want to save this page and review once restrictions ease as it could provide you with further guidance when considering reopening any of your op-shops, markets and even with respect to Club sanctioned gatherings:
www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-information-your-industry

The following link is for a WorkSafe page regarding industry recommendations regarding workplace safety in relation to COVID. You may want to save this page and review once restrictions ease as it could provide you with further guidance when considering reopening any of your op-shops, markets and even with respect to Club sanctioned gatherings:
www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-information-your-industry

Marg had a steroid injection in her back a few days ago. She will go to rehab after a few more days in Knox Private. These are the flowers sent to Marg by the club. She is Facebooking regularly with updates and has many well wishers including all of our club members!

Last Friday evening was a zoom district president’s meeting. The following items were discussed:
Tony Monley elaborated on several items to do with the Council on Resolution.

Ken Miller – talked about the R100 Baton Relay – currently 34 clubs will participate over March, April and May 2021- with the finale being a Picnic In the Park at Jells Park – the day will involve static displays, kites, gnomes and fairies, a huge cake, a golf day, hopefully Puffing Billy – and more. The Whitehorse cluster aims to walk the length of Whitehorse with a baton.


David Alexander – District Foundation Chair – November is Foundation month - he urged clubs to honour their Foundation goals – because there is a risk of reduced funds for grants in three years when that money comes back into use. Since people are saving on petrol, food and bar costs by not attending meetings it has been suggested that more people join the Centurion Club - $100 every year for every Rotarian.

Ian Donald – Centurion Club – Ian talked about the new Centurion towers to be circulated free to any member. The idea is to collect spare change in the tower and when it reaches $100 you have enough to join the Centurion Club. It is hoped that 50% of District 9810 will become members. Kevin Hall is in charge of distributing the centurion towers.

YouWorld Polio Day is a time for Rotarians and Rotaractors across the globe to raise awareness about our work to eradicate polio for good. If we stay committed to making progress, polio will be the second human disease ever to be eradicated.

Join the effort to vaccinate children and end polio by organizing a World Polio Day event for your community. In 2019, Rotary members held more than 5,900 events in 136 countries. This year, online events and activities will allow us to expand our reach even more and inspire others to join us. Not sure how to take action for World Polio Day? From virtual event ideas to social media posts and photos, the World Polio Day Toolkit can help you start planning and promoting your activities now. https://www.endpolio.org/world-polio-day?cid=com_wpd20_20200909_eml_na_mem_tkt_adt_en

Greg King – talked about the Paul Harris Society – Rotarians who donate US$1000 per year. They will hold a virtual lunch on 1st November – free, 12 midday for 1 hour. See advertisement next page for details.

Kehala Vandenberg – talked about Alumni – being people who have been involved in Rotary programs or Rotary sponsorships, and the benefits of re establishing and or maintaining contact with them as potential members.
Daryl Moran – District President Elect - talked about Interact. He urged clubs to select their President Elects and let him know so they can participate in any forthcoming training sessions.

Ken Miller – told us that District 9810 now has a YouTube Channel. It can be accessed on the District Web Site by clicking on Links for Members. This will be very useful for clubs to access interesting videos to show at meetings.

Active and energetic Rotarian Ron Brooks of RC Forest Hill wants to start a Friends of the Camino Rotary Fellowship.

Ron is starting by gauging the level of interest in Australia and New Zealand. If this is part of your experience or an item on your bucket list, please contact Ron and be part of this new Rotary group. Ronbrooks1942@gmail.com

Once again a good number of members joined our last Zoom meeting and it was great to see you all after a weeks’ break. What a strange world we are living in when our big thrill for the week is going to the supermarket and seeing ourselves on a screen with our friends! The novelty of isolation is definitely wearing off!

It was a pleasure to welcome our guests AG Kehela and Leanne Liao again, and our guest speaker Shino Yu at our last meeting.
There was a bit of confusion for some who didn’t realize Shino had screen control because she wanted to control her presentation. A gentle reminder to members that Zooming presents some challenges for the operators, the screen will not always look as familiar as you are used to when there are presentations, and it is incumbent on us to be polite to our guest speakers and wait for instructions or information. Even if not everyone is seen on screen we can all be heard. I also would like to ask that members use the MUTE button on their screens when the guest speaker is talking to prevent background noises coming through. If you don’t know how to do this please ask and we will tell you.

Shino gave a most interesting talk about Change Management. She talked about the dynamics of change – that people facing change within a system/ organization/group can go through four stages shown in the diagram below. She talked about what the different stages mean and how people react. The key is for good clear communication all the way through the process and to involve the participants so they come on board rather than be alienated.

👆👆👆​(This is why we need good photographs!)👆👆👆

Today I attended the Energising Rotary seminar. It was one of the best and constructive sessions about strengthening Rotary that I have attended, and I’m sorry not more of you joined as it was well worth it.

Guest speakers were Evan Burrell and Jessie Harmon. Evan is a young passionate Rotarian from the only Coffee Club which meets every second Sunday of the month for coffee ( in NSW). He is a graphic designer and public speaker and you can see on the front page some of his designs, he is constantly developing and sharing jazzy graphics which really get the message across. And once again the message about engaging in social media came across LOUD AND CLEAR!! We need to get with it and we need more members to take up the challenge of getting educated about Facebook. I know we will need help with this.

As always, Jessie’s presentation was great – she gave some really useful tips on membership retention:
• Create a good first impression
• Have meaningful roles for everyone in the club and volunteers
• Have varied service projects
• Have good two-way communication between all members and volunteers and stake holders
• Make it fun and inclusive
• Recognize and appreciate volunteers (Some people track volunteer hours)
• Advertise what has been achieved
• Make sure members know they are part of something really big!
• “Fit your club to it’s members don’t fit your members to your club”.

Some if not most of these ideas and themes came out in our club survey so you are all on the right track. We just need to put them into practice.

Last Friday night I attended a Cluster President’s meeting -you will be interested to hear that National Youth Science Forum is going ahead with a hybrid online program so we hope our candidate Zoe is still on board with this.

We were encouraged to ensure our Foundation giving goes ahead so the district has funds to disburse in three years.
When fundraising resumes we must have a Covid 19 Safe OHS plan for each of our activities these need to be kept and attendance records. WorkSafe and Chamber of commerce all have resources for this.

We talked again about interesting ways to hold meetings – Doncaster club had a recent meeting with the Rotary Club of Doncaster in the UK – they are about to turn 100! They did a combined zoom meeting and it was a huge success. Some clubs have had very successful trivia nights and murder mystery nights. The cluster clubs are holding their footy tipping final night next week – they would love to have us join them. All proceeds to REAL – an organization for people with intellectual difficulties.

We held a board meeting last Tuesday night, and members will be sent a report of this meeting in due course with the opportunity to ask questions about any issues from the meeting.

Until then everyone have a safe and productive weekend and will see you on Tuesday night when we have a talk from Shino Yu, her biography is below. It may be a little challenging for some because the theme is “Change” but I’m looking forward to hearing what she has to say.

​As I type I am waiting to go to the Foundation and International Seminar as the rain pelts down and the cold weather creeps back in. How wonderful to be able to stay in front of the fire and be involved with a Rotary Seminar!

​Last week we had an apology from Bob McKenzie, otherwise it was great again to see most of you on screen. Our regards go to Liz and George whom we haven’t seen since the lock down and hope it’s not too long before we can say a proper hello. I sense we are becoming more comfortable with zoom meetings, even if it is just a compromise, as we had plenty of laughs and a light-hearted atmosphere. Hoping this Sunday we can get some relaxation of the rules but it will still be some weeks away before we can get together as a group.

We had an interesting and different talk from Gavin’s friend Peter Julier who is a racing Steward. He talked about the racing industry in general – it was fascinating to hear about how many staff there are involved in a big race meeting – for example at a Melbourne Cup there would be upward of 600 staff on the course: track walkers who check the track and replace grass sods, Stewards, vets, farriers, ambulance officers, clerks of sales, bookmakers, security staff, bar and café workers, plumbers, carpenters, firemen and telecom engineers just to mention a few.

Behind each race come four cars – with vets and various staff to deal with any accidents which may happen. There is always a camera car which carries a vet and a doctor. If a horse has to be put down it must be dealt with swiftly for the sake of the horse and everyone concerned.

On the side of the course are cameras at various points so the judges can call for video from different places around the course if they are in doubt about something that happened.

Peter’s job is to look after the Bookmakers – to ensure everyone is abiding by the regulations: - he told us some stories of things that can go wrong – if a bookie puts 20 to 1 instead of 2-1 by mistake he must wear that mistake if the horse wins – resulting a big loss for him if it was a large bet! At one time there were people called “emus” who pick up all betting slips left on the ground to see if there were any unclaimed wins. They are now banned. Sounded like a sensible idea!
He regaled us with stories of hairy small plane trips to and from venues in Victoria as it takes too long to drive to the country meetings. It is certainly an interesting and entertaining job and no doubt Peter has plenty of stories in his repertoire and many thanks to Peter for giving up his time to talk to us.

The Strategic Planning Committee has been meeting weekly and poring over the survey responses. They are doing some good work drilling down and should have something tangible very soon to take to the board and the club. It has been an interesting experience and I value the input and the effort the committee has gone to in developing a workable strategic plan for the club. 
Next week is a board meeting so a holiday for the rest of you but I’m hoping by then you might be able to socialize a little more so maybe you can have a visitor or two!

Keep well, warm, safe and in good spirits till next meeting which will be about “Change” to give us all something to think about.

President Judy

In 2014/15, District 9810 partnered with UNICEF to collect foreign coins and notes. Since then the district has sent of 480kg of coins and eight large parcels of notes which were valued at $14,500.
It is a no cost project for Rotary as security pouches are transported to us and returned, paid for by ChangeGlobalExchange, the major collectors from banks around Australia.
They also accept coins and notes which are not longer in circulation, including Australian ones. One Rotary club encourages the collection of 5 cent coins to add to their collections.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries for the rights and welfare of all children. It supports childrens’ health needs, clean water, sanitation, quality basic education and protection from violence, exploitation and HIV. It has the same ideals as Rotary.
There are 28 clubs in the district who have contributed to date along with some churches, branches of Bendigo Bank, a local Sikh temple, and friends of Rotary. Foreign Coin Collection Coordinator is Ron Brooks – Forest Hill.
Our Clubs’ collector is Bob McKenzie: so if you come across foreign currency save it and give to Bob when we are next together.

Rotary District 9820 is supporting Lift the Lid on Mental Illness on October 10 – World Mental Health Day.

Lift the Lid Afternoon Tea with Prof Felice Jacka (Zoom)

You’re invited to join their webinar with Professor Felice Jacka, who will talk about diet and mental health.

If you wish to register go to the District Web Site Home Page.