Henley- on-todd - Rotary Down Under

Editor’s mailbox
A shoe says it well
I am the organiser of the Women In Rotary’s Women’s International Day
Breakfast held in Melbourne on March 8, 2013.
The event Is It in the Genes was a huge success with over 1000 men and
women all listening attentively to our panel (see www.rotarywomen.org.au).
An event like this needs a big build-up, which we achieved by social
media and print media. I would like to thank you so much for dedicating
RDU in March to the issue of Women in Rotary. With only 17 per cent of all
members being women, we need to address this issue now. The stats reflect
that women are increasing in volunteerism and men declining, so why not
attract an eager market?
The front cover was similar to a cover the Bulletin ran a while ago. They,
like RDU, felt the importance to reflect the strength of women, and a shoe
does it just so well!
Congratulations on your March edition.
Kerry Kornhauser
Founder, Women In Rotary
Rotary Club of Albert Park, Vic
(Ed: See page 12 for report on Inspirational Women’s Awards in Sydney)
Winning attitude
winning over youth
I would like to thank Rotary Down
Under for supporting the “A for
Attitude” Books Project, which
launched in 2010.
At the time, your magazine
published an article that highlighted
this initiative to bring greater
awareness of the power of attitude
to all Year 3 students.
We are most grateful to all Rotary
clubs who have joined in, and I
would like to make special mention
of the excellent collaboration
demonstrated by three clubs in
Armidale, NSW. In September 2011
Armidale North, Armidale and
Armidale Central Rotarians worked
together and generously provided
A for Attitude books to all Year 3
children in the entire District.
Armidale North Rotarians kindly
hosted during our promotion of
the project. It was a great campaign
with lots of positive support from
local schools and media.
This project offers a win/win
for all. Surely entire communities
benefit when young people are
provided with proven, effective tools
and techniques that can help them
work toward reaching their
full potential.
Clubs who invest in this campaign
can promote their great work by
including a permanent message in
each book. The Rotary club name
and mission statement then stays
with that book and reflects upon
the generosity of the organisation
for the life of the book – and we
happen to know that many children
who have received a personal copy
of A for Attitude over the past 14
years have kept it close and refer
to it often. Sometimes their parents
even read it!
Thanks again RDU for your
support of this project. Any clubs
wishing to join in can find more
about our “2020 vision” at www.
aforattitude.com.au/our-2020-vision.
Julie Davey
Author, Speaker
A for Attitude Productions
Surely we’ve
come further
than that?
Women have been members
of Rotary since 1989. That’s for
34 years. And you still think
it’s appropriate to celebrate
International Women’s Day with a
pink stiletto on the cover of Rotary
Down Under? Really? That’s how far
Rotary has come?
Lesley Hewitt
Rotary Club of Daylesford, Vic
Well worth
the read
Congratulations, Mark, not only on
your excellent editorial on page
five (March RDU, issue 548), but
also for the many comments by
other Rotary women on various
pages. It’s hard to believe that
there are still clubs, even in
Australia (one in my own District
9800), that are strictly male.
I had the good fortune when I
was DG in 1992/93 that the first
female members in Australia had
been recently inducted, including
two in D9800.
Issue 548 was, as usual, well
worth reading.
Gordon McKern OAM
Past Governor D9800
Correction
Wendy Gaborit is Governor Elect
of District 9520, not Governor, as
stated in the March edition of
Rotary Down Under.
10 Issue 549. April 2013