As the Membership month of August draws to a close we will soon enter September which is New Generations month. It is very pleasing to note the work being done on membership in our Clubs. Most Clubs are working on membership development. One Club has changed some of the traditional elements of its meeting format to make it more attractive to younger people.
Some Clubs have sought assistance from our District Membership team led by Jerry Pilcher. Jerry and his team have thrown themselves into the challenge and are working hard with Clubs to help them grow their membership.
Extension efforts are being led by PDG Bill Benbow. His efforts are bearing fruit as we move closer to the chartering of a new Club at Mindarie; we expect to celebrate the Charter at a meeting in October. Bill is also pursuing interest in a New Generations Club in Perth and there are further opportunities in country areas. We need to keep up the good work with membership development and extension.
On the weekend of 21st and 22nd August a few of us will be in Canberra to participate in the Australian Rotary Conference which has the theme: "Towards a Stronger Rotary in Australia". The Conference follows a successful membership conference held in Canberra two years ago but the scope of this Conference has been broadened and we will enjoy the presence of RI President Ray Klinginsmith.
In September we will celebrate the many youth and young adult programmes that fall into the "New Generations" avenue of service. Participation in the Rotary Youth Exchange programme continues to grow in District 9455 under the leadership of Peter Durrant. It is wonderful to see the renewed interest in this flagship youth programme.
The Youth Driver Awareness programme, RYDA, will enjoy its first event in District 9455 this month on 23 August; the event is already oversubscribed. Our District Coordinators Lindsey Francis (RC of Matilda Bay) and Peter Perich (RC of Swan Districts) are keen to help Clubs organise and run RYDA events. The RYDA management team visited Perth on 29th July to brief coordinators, presenters and others on the new syllabus for RYDA events; the new syllabus is a big step forward in delivering the safe driving message to youth.
Yours in Rotary service
Ian (& Jan) Hutton
District Governor
Rotary International District 9455
