7th December 2010
Notice for the meeting at the Ocean Grove Hotel, Tuesday 14th December, 6.00 for 6.30
Subject 'Fitness for the Aging' Speaker Karan Dawson Chairman John Wynn
Assistant Cashier & Thanker Peter Hawthorne Greeter & Assistant Sergeant James Richini
Bithdays [Announcement deferred from last meeting] 7th Ann Hodgkinson 11th Kerry Richini
14th Trevor McArdle
Birthdays & Anniversaries [This week] 15th Judy Eyles. 17th Ian Bent 20th Peter & Annette Cullen.
Notice for the meeting at Club Grove, Tuesday 21st December, 6.00 for 6.30 [NOTE NEW VENUE.]
Subject Our annual Xmas party, including partners [remember that both of you are expected to attend, unless apologies are lodged in the book or on 0457 315 900 by noon Monday.
Chairman Judy Greer Assistant Cashier Ann Hodgkinson Assistant Sergeant Heather Wallace
Birthdays 24th Geoff Brentnall 25th Jesus of Nazareth 26th Jennifer Bent
Please note, This is an experimental bulletin
I have always enjoyed writing, and I have very much enjoyed writing the Rotary bulletin, but Tuesday 28th June 2011 will be my last, after six consecutive years. It has only ever been a problem on Tuesdays at the meeting, as failing hearing has made it difficult for me to filter out the constant chatter from the announcements. You may have noticed!
Hopefully, President Noel's excellent e-mail to members of 3rd December might help ease that problem. I freely admit that my loud outburst was unacceptable, but I hope it will help to bring to the attention of the Board, an endemic problem of bad behaviour in our club which has continued for all 15 years of my membership. I apologise for the unseemly loudness of the rebuke, but not for the rebuke itself.
Another disadvantage for the editor is the necessity to take notes at every meeting. There are many times when I have wanted to give it a miss, and about a third of our members probably feel the same. So that brings me to the point of this segment!
DO WE REALLY NEED A BULLETIN? Or simply a notice of the meeting duties for the next two weeks? Or even that, as the President announces duties at the conclusion of each meeting?
Realistically, the only people who are interested in what the speaker had to say, were probably there, the birthdays and anniversaries are only important to the celebrants, the announcements were made direct to most of the members present, and all of the rest is simply 'padding'.
I am saying these things with no malice or regret, but I think my style has become stale, self-serving, and possibly, not widely read! I wonder how many of my fellow Rotarians would claim, however reluctantly, that I am mainly on an ego trip with my bulletins. The weekly extracts from RI or district publications can be easily downloaded from the Internet, other publications or e-mail.
I would like to receive your e-mailed views on this, and the results will be summarized next week, assuming that the silent members do not care, one way or the other.
I gave Noel an undertaking to be his bulletin editor, and I will keep my word [provided I survive to 28/6/11].
Yours in Rotary, warts and all.
JOHN FOX, 7th Dec, 2010
