June is Fellowship Month in Rotary
Getting to know others who have common interests is one of life’s greatest pleasures. By Anne Matthews d9560 Passport Club
And finding fellowship with people from all walks of live and from every part of the world, is such a rewarding experience. As British physiologist, Archibald Hill, said ‘kindliness and sympathy, fellowship and understanding are always good, but best when they come from a distant corner of the world.’
Rotary is often referred to as the first social networking club, because our members are united and share the wish to do good in the world. Rotarians also enjoy getting together to build friendships and lifelong connections and many have found that they have common interests – that is why we have Rotary Fellowships.
Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, enhance your Rotary experience and promote Rotary’s public image. Fellowships are open to Rotarians, their family members, as well as participants and alumni of all Rotary and Foundation programs. Fellowships act as an incentive for joining Rotary and for maintaining an interesting and active membership.
These Fellowships are international groups that share a common interest and there are 101 Fellowships listed on the Rotary International Website. Interests range from amateur radio to marathon running, from quilting to rowing, skiing and surfing, yoga to yachting and from cricket, curling and cycling to chess, music, photography and travel and hosting.
There are groups for doctors, lawyers, police, educators, genealogists, graphic designers, healthcare professionals, magicians, doll lovers, scouts, shooters, singles and LGBTs. There is a Fellowship for 4x4 vehicles, recreational vehicles, antique automobiles, camping, caravanning, hiking, hunting, fishing, cruising, scuba diving, tennis, table tennis and horseback riding..
As for food and drink there are whiskey, beer, wine, gin, rum, palmwine and gourmet cooking groups. Cultural study groups include Latin, Italian, European philosophy, Esperanto and Magna Graecia - for Rotarians interested in Greek, Roman and Italian roots of modern culture. For those interested in music there is a music group as well as one for jazz and metalheads .
All the Fellowship groups function independently of Rotary International by establishing their own rules, dues requirements, and administrative structure. The 101 groups include:
· The Wine Appreciation Fellowship, whose objective is to learn more about wine, wine and food pairings and any other topics related to wine appreciation. The group have a very informative website. We all know that wine can help in times of stress - in moderation of course!
Martti and Karen are members of this Fellowship and attended the wine degustation dinners at the Rotary conventions in Sao Paulo, Seoul and Hamburg. Through this group Karen’s friend Kathryn Hester, from Logan Rotary, met PDG Jane Little from Homer Alaska. Jane told Kathryn she was organising a Health Education and Wellness Rotary Action Group (HEWRAG) trip to the far remote Rakhine region of Myanmar. Karen and Kathryn joined the trip and then joined HEWRAG and have been on other missions to places such as far Western China.
As Karen said this was an amazing opportunity and experience that would never have happened if they had not been members of the Wine Appreciation Fellowship.
· The Recreational Vehicle (RV) Fellowship are a group of like-minded Rotarians who enjoy participating in recreational pursuits including caravanning and four-wheel driving. The Australian group meet socially several times a year at local "zone" gatherings, or sometimes interstate. They have an annual national gathering which includes their Annual General Meeting. Like many of the Fellowships, the RV hold pre and post meetings at the Rotary International Conventions.
As well as Martti and Karen’s membership of the Wine Fellowship, Pam Gregory is the Vice President of the International Travel and Hosting Fellowship;
Col Lawson of Cairns Sunrise is the Secretary/Treasurer on the Australian Board of the International Cricket Fellowship; and Greg Marlow is a member of the Whisk(e)y Fellowship.
https://mailchi.mp/e4d8cac3d7aa/winter-2020-whiskey-dram-newsletter-6565307
From tipples to tents – music to magic – ethics to environment, Fellowships cover pin and stamp collectors, bird watchers, badminton, bathhouses, bees and beard and moustache lovers. The groups mentioned are just some of the Fellowship groups available to all Rotarians. From these interest groups you can see that Rotary truely does connect the world and make it a better place.
The following link is to the list of Rotary Fellowships. Just click on one that interests you and that will open the Fellowship website.