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.