District 9465 Virtual Conference
Over the weekend Esperance Rotarians came together to take part in a virtual conference for District 9465. This is an annual event being held on zoom this year due to covid restrictions.
The Conference enables Rotarians to become aware and acknowledge the vast myriad of projects that Rotary is involved in both in Australia and Internationally.
Just some of the presentations include one given by Liz Connolly from Lifeblood which is part of the Australian Red Cross. Lifeblood is proudly supported by the Rotary WA Health Innovation Centre. This program is providing life changing microbiota for transplant in Perth at the Fiona Stanley Hospital. This project is saving lives.
Dr Corey Dalton gave a presentation on his journey to become a mature age doctor after receiving a Rotary Indigenous Health Scholarship.
Sydney Rotarian Evan Burrell, a digital media consultant in the non profit community volunteer sector, presented on the practical use of social media and how to develop it to brand and market your stories.
An environmental project to save the Gang Gang Cockatoo and protect penguins on Penguin Island off the WA coast is being undertaken by the Rotary Clubs of Rockingham and Palm Beach. An in depth report was presented on the project and its impact.
A lengthy interview with Dr Craig Challen was shown with respect to his involvement in the remarkable rescue of 12 young soccer players and their coach trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. This at the time captured worldwide news.
The conference was entertained by an in depth presentation by media personality Stan Grant who spoke of his life experiences as a young indigenous youth and how his life was fundamentally changed by people who took an interest in him and challenged him to make a success of his life. In closing he spoke of his love for our great country and challenged Australians to face and accept the true reality of our history.
And finally we were privileged to hear the 2 finalists and winner of the Rotary Four Way Test Speech Contest for District 9465. This is a public speaking contest for youth currently in Year 10. The winner then competes against the winner of District 9455 to ultimately determine the WA State winner. The Rotary Four Way Test is central to Rotary Service – it determines how we think, say and do. The Four Questions are:
1. Is it the Truth?
2. Is it Fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
4. Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
We were certainly entertained by some very confident speakers who presented some thought provoking ideas. Our future looks bright with such capable youth on display.
This is just a sample of the wide diversity of areas in which Rotary is involved in.