I wanted to capture the essence of what was celebrated on Saturday 3rd July 2021 at our first ever District 9560 Changeover to share with all who were lucky enough to attend and all who were unable to be with us on the night.

Chantelle Pedersen

Saturday 3 July 2021

The 2021–22 Rotary District Changeover from Districts 9550 and 9570 was historic, as District Governors Merewyn Wright and Adele Hughes hung up their respective collars and incoming District Governor Martti Kankkunen picked up the reins with a brand-new District 9560 one. Covid-19 restrictions threatened District Governor Changeover Dinner proceedings in Townsville and the plan pivoted to become the Virtual Zoom District Changeover.

In Townsville, Rotarians had a surprise for Martti and Karen. Despite not being able to make the meeting there happen, Trevor Hyatt performed IT magic to connect those on Zoom with a few others. District Governor Elect John Hall kicked things off by greeting everyone logged in online and introduced Past District Governor Ron Degenhart to give the Welcome to Country.

District 9550 Governor Merewyn Wright stepped up to the mic to give the report for her year, reflecting on meaningful past Rotary International themes — Reach Out, Man Reach Out, Mankind is our Business, Building Communities, Bridging Continents and of course, 2021 theme Rotary Opens Opportunities. She described her year as an incredible opportunity, being the last in existence for District 9550. She asked Rotary Clubs to Open Opportunities by making M&Ms — Membership Memorable, Meetings Meaningful. Merewyn reminded us that Service Above Self remains core Rotary business and Mankind Matters. She invited us to make Messages Momentous and tell everyone about the good we do in our communities. Many M&Ms were shared in this pursuit. The D9550 newsletter was centred around M&Ms, celebrating club successes and sharing stories. Merewyn congratulated those clubs who made membership meaningful, with D9550 attaining the second highest growth in Zone 8 in every month bar April. In particular she noted the Rotary clubs of Katherine and Bowen, who increased by 180% and 100%. Sadly, after 63 years of service to its community, the Rotary Club of Mount Isa resigned. Many clubs changed their meeting formats and increased vocational visits. Frustration early in the year that the pandemic was curtailing efforts was relieved when restrictions eased and clubs were able to resume signature service projects and fundraisers. Timor Leste was affected not only by Covid-19 but also the severe flooding in April. Rotarians went above and beyond with donations of goods and emergency supplies. Merewyn commended the $12,000 US raised to End Polio, Stan’s partner charity, translating to $60,000 US with the Gates’ contribution. She applauded clubs for using social media to share momentous messaging with standout examples the Mareeba and Atherton Far North Queensland Field Days, the Cairns area World’s Greatest Meal promotion, the Darwin Meet a Local campaign and the various Rotary markets. Other M&Ms included the Australia Day grant funded celebrations and Centenary celebrations. The Townsville District Conference saw fantastic speakers and People of Action hands-on sessions and, best of all, the opportunity to gather together for the first time in two years. Merewyn thanked the district for their support, especially those in District roles, PDGs, Assistant Governors, Committee Chairs and program coordinators and described working with dedicated Rotarians as ‘humbling’ and ‘an honour’. ‘Rotary Heroes’ were awarded to Paul Ryan, David Kirchner, Ray Fauntleroy, Trevor Hyatt and Glen Gough. Merewyn acknowledged the achievements of D9570 under the leadership of DG Adele and with the support of Wade.

Past District Governor Ron Degenhart expressed thanks to Merewyn for seeing the organisation through fair weather and foul. While it was a disappointment not being able to visit clubs in Timor Leste, Merewyn retained a steady hand at the wheel, with ‘God’ on her side. Stan was integral part of the leadership and a worthy Paul Harris Fellow. Ron described Merewyn as the penultimate diplomatic and congratulated her on her hugely successful District Conference. Although D9550, which began as District 31 in 1956, has seen it’s significant final chapter through, Ron knows Merewyn’s commitment to rotary will continue with the same enthusiasm and congratulated her on achieving the exalted status of Past District Governor.

For District 9570 Governor Adele Hughes, her year spent as DG was the most rewarding thing. Support for the role commenced immediately, with total commitment and dedication exemplified by the D9570 board. She loved the association with the college of Governors who gave herself and Wade 110% support. Adele was thrilled to visit most clubs at least twice and some of them three or four times. She was proud to see three new clubs chartered, including a satellite club and Barcaldine reuniting with 23 new members — bringing district membership up to 939. Adele is a firm believer that Rotary as an organisation must continue to grow and retain members and was proud that 9570 was one of only five districts in Zone 8 to report new membership. Another significant achievement for the district was 44 of 45 clubs contributing to the Rotary Foundation, well surpassing Wade’s initial partner charity goal of $100,000. Adele wished Karen and Martti well for the year ahead, saying ‘I hope your year is every bit as enjoyable as Wade and mine.’ Adele awarded PHFs to Chris Doring for services to Rotaract and the Rotary Youth Leader Awards (RYLA), Daniel Roussianis for his Group Three mentor and Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment roles, Stevie Tucker, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Chair, youngest ever Rotary President of Rockhampton Fitzroy Kate Edwards, Marilyn Rayment and Rachel Sampson. Terry Daley was awarded his PHF for his instrumental work to induct 23 members into the newly chartered Rotary Club of Barcaldine, initiating the Rotary Foundation Road Show and helping Wade achieve his goal. Finally, Adele made a special presentation to Merewyn and Stan, inviting them to become members of the very exclusive 9570 Mickey Mouse club.

Past District Governor Michael Buckeridge conveyed a formal vote of thanks to Adele and Wade, saying that the ‘Rotary light burns bright like a candle in Adele’ and praising her strength of character. Rotary International gives a scorecard for District Governors and Michael said that Adele ticked all the boxes — organising new clubs, working with district and leaders, furthering the object of Rotary by providing leadership and supervision, supporting the Rotary Foundation and planning, and presiding at the district conference. The successes of Adele’s operational plan could be seen within the triumph of the Baton Relay, which saw the batons auctioned off at the unforgettable District Conference for over $4,000.

Martti and Karen made a special and heart-warming presentation to outgoing DGs Adele and Merewyn, with Spratti expertly capturing Adele’s likeness in caricature. We will all have to stay tuned for the unveiling of Merewyn’s gift. 

Past District Governor Greg Marlow presented on the Emerging District Team formed three years ago. This team was tasked with guiding the two districts into one. Monthly meetings were mostly by Zoom but also in person in Townsville, Hobart and Christchurch. Through three years of meetings and changes in member make up, there were some robust and frank discussions, with trust created in the exchange of knowledge and documentation. Hard decisions were made, resulting in the best legal structure, a multitude of documentation and a vast resource base of experienced Rotarians to lead us into the future, with in-built flexibility to accommodate change. Greg paid tribtributePDG Craig Edmonstone, PDG John McLaren and all the members involved in the three-year journey. PDG Greg Marlow was acknowledged for his pledge of $250,000 and becoming the first Arch Klumph society member in D9550. What a wonderful accomplishment!

Past District Governor Allan Church performed the official induction of D9560 Governor for 2021–22, Martti Kankkunen, saying he had full confidence Martti would uphold the standards of the role and lead by example and welcomed him in to the hallowed office. District Secretary Ernie Landy had the privilege of adorning the newly inducted D9560 Governor with his collar while Adele presented Martti with a badge and a pin.

DG Martti reflected on the huge honour of the position, thanking everyone for their trust and promising to do his best while at the helm. Recognising the challenge of supporting 85 clubs scattered across around 28% of Australia’s land surface, Martti said getting across the new systems and processes would require patience and tweaking. He introduced his goals which included becoming one team with one goal, making a difference locally and internationally, learning more about Foundation activities, each one, bring one and adopting a guiding philosophy — ‘Service is the rent we pay for taking space on this earth’. Martti then introduced his board of directors.

Rotarian Karen Kankkunen introduced the District Governor’s partner’s charity — the Centenary Water Project of Manatuto, saying the project was a passion shared by herself and Martti after their 2019 Timor Leste Rotary Experience Tour. To celebrate the new district 9560, she asked for assistance to give the Timor Leste people a hand up, not a hand out and support a project that would enable the development of future ambassadors and leaders for their country. The project was also guided by Rotary International President Shekhar who asked Rotarians as leaders to mitigate the disadvantage of girls. One resource Timor Leste does have is access to Rotarians — we can provide them with access to decent water and sanitation and support educational outcomes in Manatuto Technical School.

PDG Ron presented name badges for everybody and in conclusion, MC and DGE John Hall wrapped things up.