ROTARY district governor John Clue, who represents clubs in north west Victoria and south east SA, made the journey to Swan Hill last week to observe the hard work of the township’s two clubs.
Swan Hill has two clubs, Swan Hill Rotary and Swan Hill Sunrise Rotary, which are working together on the 2021 Rotary area of focus, the environment.
“The environment is something which helps Rotary connect with a younger demographic, who are just so passionate about it,” Mr Clue said.
“And for our clubs, it’s really at the forefront of many of our projects.”
Mr Clue lives in Port Fairy, however he is familiar with the area, having previously managed the Gunbower General Store in the late 1980s.
“The last time I was in Swan Hill I was in the Murray to Moyne Cycle Relay,” he said.
“I was also in Kerang last week – it’s great to be back in this part of the world.”
As a governor, Mr Clue oversees 55 clubs and 15,000 Rotarians, and serves a 12 month term.
“In the role I visit the clubs and oversee what they are doing, undertake a compliance check, and give a presentation on what Rotary’s goals are for that year,” Mr Clue said.
“As you can imagine with COVID and border closures it’s been somewhat difficult, and many of my meetings have been on Zoom.
“At least with restrictions easing it’s easier to get around and be really involved with the clubs, to get some insights into the work members have been doing.”
Mr Clue has particularly been impressed with the work the Swan Hill clubs have been doing to take a stand against domestic violence.
“I fully support the commitment and action these clubs have taken, and look forward to seeing their projects come to fruition,” he said.
“Next year’s district conference will be in Port Fairy in March 2022, and our guest speaker will be anti-domestic violence campaigner Simone O’Brien.”
It is a three year process to be the governor in Rotary, with the a member being the nominee, then the elect, and then the governor.
Mr Clue is one of 24 district governors in the Australia, New Zealand and Oceania Rotary region, which encompasses 1200 clubs and 30,000 members.
