Hands On Rotary (A District Conference Update)

I’ve just come back from a cracking weekend away with my Rotary District for our annual conference – this year in Eastbourne, where the weather could have been better!

Conference emphases change with the direction set by our District Governor for the year and our DG this year, Terry Kenyon, chose to showcase “Hands On Rotary” – with the programme being designed to show what our District (and others) have been doing in their communities and internationally, with particular emphasis on work in Africa. Rotary International President’s Representative Tom Thorfinnson from Minnesota told movingly of his team’s work bringing clean water to 100,000 people in Haiti (before the earthquake) and how the resources of that remote area unaffected by the recent disaster are being stretched by the influx of more than 30,000 internal refugees from the devastated capital.

Ex GMTV workout “girl”, Lizzie Webb showed us how young offenders in the Thames Valley can be turned round by exercise, and Robin Tatler told us of the Homeless World Cup, where football is being used to improve the self-esteem of homeless people from more than 50 countries.

We heard moving stories of how dignity is being provided to people in Malawi building businesses with microcredit schemes; in Kenya, by caring for HIV/AIDS sufferers or their bereaved dependants, young & old and in Uganda by the practical provision of visiting doctors and nurses to a remote hospital, supplemented by supplies of medical equipment unaffordable there.

It wasn’t all that serious, though! We had loads of great fun, terrific entertainment and most importantly the opportunity to meet up with our fellow Rotarians. The particular highlight we (Joan & I) had was to host one of the speakers at the conference, Lisa Morris (pictured). Lisa’s connection with Rotary came through going to South Africa as a Rotary Ambassadorial scholar in 2004-5. She spoke at our District Conference in 2006, her warm Geordie dialect and effervescent personality captivating the audience. After she spoke my wife Joan (a previous President of our club) talked to her and was amazed to find that no one had asked her to join Rotary, a failing which she promptly rectified! At that time Lisa wasn’t able to join, but we signed her up as a “Friend of Rotary” – she’s helped us with collections, been to our social events and become a personal friend. Critically, Lisa plays netball and up to this year her team has always played on Wednesdays, our meeting night, which has not made it possible for her to join us. However, the team has had an outstanding season and will be promoted and thus playing on a different night. Last Friday we received her application to join our club and, all being well, will officially join us on April 7th. Lisa’s dynamism wowed the conference crowd in 2006 and again in 2010 – she’s just the person we need in Rotary and we’re immensely proud to have her with us.