First and foremost, I must offer my sincerest apologies for not being able to attend our most recent meeting. An untimely calf tear, courtesy of a particularly ambitious game of pickleball, had me sidelined. A word of caution: while pickleball may seem like a light-hearted pastime, it can quickly turn into a dangerous sport if you're not careful (or, in my case, even if you are)!
Despite my absence, I was heartened to hear how well the meeting went. I’ve received such positive feedback from several members. I understand that Nick Hansen, fresh from his experience at RYLA, gave a fantastic and thoughtful presentation. His insights on the power of maintaining a positive inner dialogue and his call to “leave a legacy” clearly struck a chord. It’s always inspiring to hear how the next generation of leaders are thinking about their place in the world and their impact on it.
We also had the pleasure of hosting Zashua Hall and Ebony McNaughton from Paddington Rotaract, who brought incredible energy and passion as they spoke about their ambitious Project RISE in the Solomon Islands. I was particularly interested to hear about their guiding philosophy: “solve the big stuff, and the little stuff takes care of itself.” It’s a bold approach and one that resonates deeply with Rotary’s ethos of service above self.
I am pleased to report that Grace Sauer successfully completed her 175km fundraising walk to raise awareness and funds for the Women's Crisis Support Service Inc Ipswich. It was an incredibly difficult walk for her as the blisters started at the 30km mark and she had to overcome some real inner demons to complete the walk. The power of the human mind to overcome adversity is really inspiring. Grace has asked me to thank all Rotarians who very kindly donated to her fundraising efforts.
I’m now looking forward to our next meeting on 1 July, which promises to be a special occasion. We’ll have the opportunity to formally recognise and celebrate the contributions of several longstanding members of our club who have given so much over the years. It will be a fitting way to begin closing out the 2024-2025 Rotary year.
Thank you all for your continued commitment, enthusiasm, and good humour. I look forward to seeing you soon with hopefully a renewed sense of balance on two fully functional calves!
Yours in service,
Dave Patmore
President
