Centenary year begins

Welcome to the 2020/2021 Rotary year.

It has been a challenging start to the year and we have been adaptable and responsive and looked for opportunities to be of service. We will continue to be of service and impact as needed. It is an exciting year ahead celebrating Rotary's Centennial year in Australia and New Zealand.

Below are some examples of our recent impact:

• Together, we recently collaborated with the Rotary Club of North Melbourne and raised much needed funds for residents of the high-rises who experienced an immediate lock-down.
• The face-mask making workshop we ran in April 2020 is more relevant than ever with the soon to be mandatory face-mask wearing in Victoria. If you are keen to help us make some please email: president@southbank.org.au, as Launch Housing has been in contact and are keen for us to donate some additional masks to them.
• Our millennial satellite club is an inspirational and innovative think-tank that we can leverage to connect to more young people in these hard times and currently they are trialling new collaborative digital tools.
• We are launching a Wellness Webinar this week, hosted by member Dale Cosgrave, to help our community learn tools to stay calm and centred during these uncertain and challenging times.Together, we recently collaborated with the Rotary Club of North Melbourne and raised much needed funds for residents of the high-rises who experienced an immediate lock-down.

We are well placed to be of impact and to open more opportunities for Rotary and our community and have an exciting few weeks ahead, including:

• workshop on Hackathons to help us digitally and collaboratively find solutions to 'wicked' community issues  (4/8/2020);
• presentation on a potential Centennial project the 'Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief Network' presented by Susie Cole on 28/7/2020, and a workshop on video presentations by our PE Jaqui O'Donohoe ( Public Image and Communications Director, Rotary Club of Southbank);
• presentation on international projects in Vanuatu and Fiji (21/07/2020);
• presentation by Mark Balla, toilet warrior who is creating more opportunities for girls in India to remain in schooling; and
• club projects and fellowship on 18/8/2020.

Let's stay ready, open, optimistic and focussed on creating more opportunities for those in our orbit.