The Story of the

Rotary Club of Chatswood Sunrise

1995-2010

 

1995 - 1996        Warwick Medway

The club produced a little booklet outlining the interest and hobbies of members.

Warwick loved to tell jokes at every meeting.

Membership : 18

1996 - 1997        Andre Hariman

Andre is our only remaining Charter Member and he remains very keen and active in the life of the club.

 

A wonderful weekend at the Redleaf Resort at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains was a highlight with more than 20 attending for great fellowship.

 

The club was recognised as the Best Small Club in the District by ^DG Alex Sawyer.

Membership : 24

1997 - 1998        Helen Wallace

Helen had the honour of being the club’s first lady President.  Her vocation came in handy as this was the first of three years the club (and others) worried about the Y2K ‘virus’

Membership : 23

1998 - 1999        Jon Handley

Jon was a florist in Artarmon.  Over successive weekends, members planted flowers in the barren walkways near the Artarmon Shopping Centre.

Membership : 20

1999 - 2000        Rodney Walters

Rodney was Salvation Army Captain in Chatswood, so obviously the members were involved with the Red Shield Appeal.

 

Current members inducted that year: Bob Selinger

Membership : 20

2000 - 2001        Wendy Williams

Wendy, at one time was the ABC lawn bowls commentator and managed to tutor members at an unforgettable day at the Dangar Island Bowling Club.  Some the, and many since found it very difficult to master.

Membership : 15

2001 - 2002        Bob Selinger

The name of the club was changed to Chatswood Sunrise and it began to meet for Breakfast at what is now The Mantra Chatswood Hotel.  That was the first of six venues prior to our current location at Chantilly’s in Chatswood Chase.

 

Bob is many things, especially a lover of trees evidenced by the planting of numerous trees at Bicentennial Park in Willoughby and later at Bingara and Teralba.  Trees at the  latter two RoTree locations are not big enough to hug yet, but those in Bicentennial Park certainly are.

 

Carols by Starlight at Chatswood Oval featured this year – with fireworks; fireworks also featured the following year and then fairy lights took over (for insurance reasons) before the event faded in the club’s life.

 

Current members inducted that year: Eric Cantor, Peter Dobbin, & Les Walsh

Membership : 13

2002 - 2003        Peter Dobbin

 

The last Carols by Candlelight was a great success - organised by member, Greg Harker who was a minister himself) together with the local ministers group and Willoughby City Council.

Bob began the first of his efforts to get the club involved in some youth mentoring/literacy programs using facilities provided by Willoughby Council.

Pam McLeland organised the first of the successful Art Exhibitions/Sale that were held at in the National Bank’s offices and later at the Lane Cove Skiff Club.

A review of the club was undertaken and a “conference” was held in late 2003. Decisions made and a fantastic burst of enthusiasm followed, and a number of great projects were initiated.

Membership : 11

2003 - 2005        Pam McLeland

Two major fundraisers resulted in almost $12,000 for Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC), The Rotary Foundation's Polio Plus, and bed nets for East Timor (Rotarians against Malaria).

The year highlighted the celebrations of Rotary’s first 100 years

The club led Group Study Exchange matters in our zone.

Assisted local community efforts through donations to Community Youth Homes and Streetwork

Local young people benefitted via the Learning Centre sponsored by the Club

Sponsored participants at Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA), Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN)

Membership :13 (2004) 11 (2005)

2005 - 2006        Les Walsh

Public Image

The broader goal of increasing awareness of Rotary and our Rotary Club among the business and other communities in Chatswood, and with the assistance of the combined North Shore Rotary Clubs, especially Chatswood, two major media stories were achieved in the North Shore Times and in the Sydney Weekly Courier.  A press release on Bowelscan was also issued. 

Club Service

As a small Club, it is important for every member to participate in club events.  New member, Philip was instrumental in making our meetings lively.

Club camaraderie and recognition was enhanced by the purchase of Club shirts by members, and Club banners

Social outings included Old Government House at Parramatta, Fort Denison (with Neutral Bay); Parliament House (with the GSE team); an Opera Cruise with Haberfield, and an Indonesian Dinner.

District Conference participation increased, and recognising the wide range of Club Service activities, the Club was recognised in the District’s Annual Awards presentation. 

Vocational Service 

Our first Vocational Awards Presentation evening in recent history was held in November.  Five awards were presented to nominees of local business organisations.

The Club has subsequently held an annual Pride of Workmanship and/or Quiet Achiever Awards evening (some integrated with the Annual Changeover).

Community Service

Four major events: 

1.     A BBQ at Chatswood Primary School- this has become an annual event

2.     The promotion, distribution, and collection of Rotary Bowelscan kits has been an annual project for many years thanks to Bob

3.     The sponsoring of a visit to Chatswood by Australian Rotary Health’s “Rotary Health Safari” – a project born at PEPS in November 2004 that grew with encouragement to become a joint Zone project of the North Shore Rotary Clubs (Chatswood, Chatswood Sunrise, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Lindfield, Northbridge, & Roseville Chase).

4.     A North Shore Rotary Community Mental Health Forum followed.  The topic was “Young People & Mental Illness” and was the first of seven (7) forums in subsequent years.

The Safari visit and the Community Forum were recognised in the District’s Community Service awards presentations.  The events would not have been possible without the overwhelming cooperation, support, and involvement received from our fellows in the North Shore zone clubs, nor the encouragement and support of then AG Dilys Geddes.

International Service 

A new International project was born – the Milch Cow project was the brainchild of Eric and its funding was assisted by the club’s share of the joint Tsunami Appeal in Chatswood.

Youth Service 

Youth has been a major area of Club focus for many years.  This year saw three MUNA teams from Chatswood High School, one student sponsored to Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), support for the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program, and the sponsorship of one year 10 student to the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN).  Members also participated in or encouraged The annual Mock Interviews at Chatswood High School, Youth mentoring programmes, and the Rotaract Club of Middle Harbour.  

Rotary Foundation

Two areas were included in our Club Plan and achieved: 

• To encourage ongoing support for the Rotary Foundation, and
• To participate in Group Study Exchange Program (GSE ) as host and home-stay providers for the inbound team, and as Sponsoring Club for an outbound participant.  The Club and its members actively participated in the inbound teams welcome and program.  Our outbound candidate was not successful.

9.     Particular Achievements 

District Awards - two Certificates of Achievement:

• Club Service – for a good range of Club Service activities
• Community Service – in recognition of our support for the 2005 Rotary Health Safari and coordination of the Young People and Mental Illness Forum

Certificates of Appreciation from the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund

• Promoting Awareness of the Fund through the 2005 Rotary Health Safari Visit
• Significant & Meritorious Service to the Fund in raising community awareness of mental health issues by conducting the joint Community Mental Illness Forum.  The Club’s representatives on the Organising Committee (Philip Smith, Eric Cantor, and Les Walsh) were recognised with special thanks.

These awards are a milestone for the Club and each of us should be justifiably proud of the achievements. 

I know Eric is looking forward to bigger and better achievements next year.

Current members inducted that year: Philip Smith

Membership : 10

2006 - 2007        Eric Cantor

Club Service

Highlights included excellent speakers, an active social program, a Trivia challenge, a dedicated website, and promotion of Rotary to the local community via Rotary Awareness Week in February - in conjunction with other local Rotary Clubs

Vocational Service 

Assisted with simulated job interviews for school students & encouraged vocational excellence in local enterprises with a Quite Achievers’ evening.

Community Service

Features included Carols in the Playground BBQ at Chatswood Public School, the promotion, distribution, and collection of Rotary Bowelscan kits, and a small role in the District’s RotObesity campaign with a walk in the Muogamarra Nature Reserve and a Spit to Manly walk.

The club again chaired the Organising Committee for the North Shore Zone’s Rotary Mental Health Community Forum Program and the 2nd & 3rd community forums were held : Depression and Bipolar Disorders.  A grant of $1,500 was received from the Willoughby City Council towards this program.

International Service 

The Milch Cow project culminated in the Rotary Clubs of Vinukonda, India and Chatswood Sunrise received a matching grant from The Rotary Foundation for US$ 12,370.  As a result, a total of 60 milch cows were given to families in the Peda Kanchikacherla in the Vinukonda region of Guntur, India – within 10 years more than a thousand families can be lifted out of extreme poverty.

Youth Service 

Three student teams sponsored to the Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA), two students were sponsored to Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) and one student to the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN).

Active financial and other support to the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program, including encouragement at school level

 

Current members inducted that year: Eleanor Wu

 

Membership : 12

2007 - 2008        Fieny Reimann-Pijls; Mike Reddy

 

Supported the applications of two year 11 students from Mercy College to attend the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra.

 

Sponsored a young student from Chatswood High to the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment.

 

Financially supported Rotary Youth Driver Awareness in our district, encouraged Year 11 students from Chatswood High to attend, and provided a Day Manager for two days a week so that Year 11 students can learn to take a more responsible attitude to driving.

 

Sponsored a team from Chatswood High to the Model United Nations Assembly

 

Held two Mental Health Forums in conjunction with the North Shore Ryde Mental Health Service and other Rotary Clubs in our Zone.  The topics were  Understanding Adolescent Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol.

 

Embarked on a new venture now known as our RoTree project – planting native trees in rural Australian settings.

 

Continued to sell Christmas Puddings to help our ability to fund the Milch Cow project.

 

Instigated the Community Service Awards for volunteers

 

Promoted awareness in the community of Rotary & our club by regularly appearing on community radio and by developing contacts in the business community.

 

$1,000 was donated to the Rotary Foundation by the Club and its members through the Centurion Plan and ShelterBox Australia was promoted and supported.

Membership : 8

2008 - 2009        Mike Reddy; PP Andre Hariman

 

Sponsored a young student to the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN), financially supported Rotary Youth Driver Awareness in our district through a grant from Chatswood RSL of $8,000, and sponsored a team to the Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA).

 

Held another Mental Health Forum in conjunction with the North Shore Ryde Mental Health Service and other Rotary Clubs in our Zone : Managing the Stress of Anxiety.

 

We continued to support the The Rotary Foundation, and ShelterBox Australia

 

A second Milch Cow project was commenced, selling Christmas Puddings as a fundraiser.

 

The club continued to encourage people to sponsor RoTrees to improve the environment in Bingara and other remote areas.

 

Promoted a Pride of Workmanship evening to enable managers in our society help employees achieve the goal of job satisfaction, and publicly recognise them for their efforts

 

Current members inducted that year: Lynne Rossi & Suzanne Mildren

Membership : 9

2009 - 2010        Eleanor Wu

 

Sponsored a team to the Model United Nations Assembly, instigated Community Service Awards for two students of Chatswood Public School.

 

Another Mental Health Forum in conjunction with the North Shore Ryde Mental Health Service and other Rotary Clubs in our Zone : ‘Depression’.

 

The second Milch Cow project was finalised with 42 milking buffalos presented to villagers of Peda Kancharia Village, Vinukonda Mandal, India. The Rotary Clubs of Lindfield & Epping assisted.  Christmas Puddings continued to raise funds for the project.

By year end, over 450 native trees have been planted in rural Australian settings under the club's RoTrees project as friends and family mark celebrations in a different way, as gifts for guest speakers, and by Rotarians in our District offsetting their carbon footprint.

 

Pride of Workmanship awards with the object of assisting local businesses to commend their staff who have given exemplary service.

 

Rotary's Bowelscan kits were again promoted, distributed, and collected from pharmacies in our area.

 

Supported the application of a year 11 student to attend the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra.

 

$2,400 was raised to replenish Rotary’s ShelterBoxes used to provide housing relief in the wake of the Haiti disaster

 

Over $10,000 was raised to provide eye surgery for a young girl, Matasha from remote Papua New Guinea by working with The Eye Institute, The Eye Foundation and other Rotary clubs.  The project was managed in conjunction with ROMAC - Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children.

 

The high level of our contributions to Rotary’s charity, The Rotary Foundation was recognised by our District at the annual awards presentation.

Membership : 9

2010 - 2011        Philip Smith

 

Already this year has been very active.  A Strategic, Marketing & Promotional Plan was developed with the assistance of District officers and is summarised below.

 

The arrival of Matasha heralded an active schedule for President Philip and a band of family, friends and club members.  Not only did the effort rescue her from sliding into total blindness, we have given Matasha vision to navigate her environment with confidence, and extended her near point vision from a couple of centimetres, to 30 centimetres.  Our great hope is that this will enable her to learn to read.

 

Another student is being sponsored to RYLA in January.

 

Current members inducted that year: Bill Forsyth & Kamil Kazmi

Membership : 11

Strategic, Marketing & Promotional Plan

Club Vision

A convivial, attractive club of 20-25 engaged in the community, with possibly younger members reflecting the ethnicity and vocational mix of Chatswood with projects (both community and international) reflecting that environment and the needs of businesses.

Mission Statement/Theme

The Rotary Club of Chatswood Sunrise will create a sense of belonging to an ethical organisation that complies with the procedures of Rotary International, ensuring that it delivers projects of value to the customers and members as well as the opportunity of personal development to the club’s members.

Marketing Plan

We are like-minded friends working in the community as volunteers to make a difference.

 

We make a difference – will you help us?

 

Projects are a vital means of marketing the Club so there will be a range of projects in each Avenue of Service that will:

 

·         Be attractive and visible to the community

·         Create a sense of belonging for our members (and potential members)

·         Be consistent with the Club’s vision and mission. 

Promotional Plan

Develop an ongoing association with:

 

·         Schools

·         Willoughby Council

·         Businesses

 

Reflect the marketing theme at every opportunity - on our website, in our brochures, in media releases (North Shore Times, Community Radio), during speaking opportunities (P&Cs, churches, etc), and in our fundraising.

 

Improve our education about big picture Rotary.

Read the story of the first 10 years

Our Presidents

Our Paul Harris Fellows