As some of you may have realized, I was somewhat reluctant to succumb to the Presidency but the persuasive skills of Graeme Whitmore, honed in the rugby scrums in New Zealand, and Keith Watts , master deal maker, finally prevailed. I look back, however, on a very interesting and enjoyable year in which I have met many good people with valuable ideas and life experiences whose paths I would otherwise never have crossed as well as learning  a lot more about Rotary and, I hope, having vacated the position with the club in a reasonably healthy state.

 

The Club’s strategic 3 year plan, initiated by Daniel Vankov, provided a framework of evolution which prompted a number of changes, the value of which remains to be fully assessed. To encourage members to contribute to the direction and activities of the club we have instituted a club assembly, on the third Monday of the month, at which directors reports can be discussed before they are presented to the board meeting, and a number of these have witnessed some spirited discussion while others have been non-controversial.

 

 

Stan is a legend to me in his time and one of the most loyal supporters I have had the pleasure to number among my many business supporters, Associates and friends.

 

Stan joined me at Wallace Bishop when I advertised for Watchmakers.  He and Pauline moved from Charleville with 3 very young boys to help with the Workshop overload.

 

My first shop outside the Brisbane CBD was in Toowoomba and Stan moved there as Manager for the shop.  Joining Stan was Len Clyde, a member of Rotary Club of Toowoomba who soon got Stan involved in Rotary.

 

From there Stan and Pauline moved to Brisbane to Manage our shop on the corner of Queen and Edward Streets and Stan moved his Rotary Membership to Rotary Club of Brisbane where he became involved in and interested in Rotary’s International activities with the exchange student programmes.

 

Stan helped so much with the growth of Wallace Bishop and assumed the role of General Manager which he fulfilled very well for many years until his retirement.

 

I missed his help very much and although Wallace Bishop went on to grow from strength to strength, Stan’s legacy and natural understanding for business were of immense value to me personally and the business.

 

I thank Stan and Pauline for their support, loyalty and friendship over the many years of our wonderful association.

 

Wallace Bishop and Rotary are the better for Stanley James Francis being involved.

 

Thank you Stan – may you Rest In Peace.

An important principle of the governance of Rotary is an orderly and planned succession of Presidents. Being president of a Rotary club is a demanding and at times nearly full-time commitment. Secretaries and treasurers may serve for several years in a row, but it is not fair to expect presidents to do the same. At some point they need to step back to repair their social and professional lives. In addition to this, it is generally considered a good thing within Rotary to have a new club president each year if at all possible. On the other hand, a 1-year term is a short time for a President to bring their visions and plans to fruition through the operation of the club. They need to hit the ground running. Rotary governance provides for this through the succession of presidents. A President is ideally elected about 18 months before taking office, at which point they become President Nominee. One year before taking office they become President Elect, an officer and director of the club. At the end of their term of President, they become Immediate Past President and remain an officer and director of the club. This ensures that Presidents have adequate time as officers of the club to plan for their term of presidency and that the club can benefit from their experience and knowledge for some time after their term ends.

 

In Chinese culture it is considered particularly auspicious to have 5 generations of a family under one roof. In a Rotary club it is considered wonderful to have an elected President Nominee, a President Elect, a President, an Immediate Past President and one or more other past presidents all as active members of the club. With the election of Dan Adler as President Nominee at the December AGM, The Rotary Club of Brisbane once again finds itself in this fortunate position. 

 

Dan will now serve as President Nominee until 1 July 2019 and then serve as President-elect and an officer of the club for 2019-20 prior to serving as president in 2020-21, succeeding Michael Stephens, our current President Elect.  Dan was nominated by PP Keith watts and is Head Honcho at Next Thursday, a Brisbane-based advertising company.  Dan’s election was announced on FaceBook and already one of his clients wants to come and look us over.  Dan looks forward to his year with great enthusiasm.  Here’s what he said on being told the election results:

 

 

Continuing officers and directors for 2019-20 are President PE Michael Stephens, Secretary Mark Williams, Ryan Muller and John Smerdon.  New officers and directors elected are Treasurer Warren Walker, directors PP Keith Watts, Jaqueline de Lacy, Denise Schellbach and Jillanne Myers and Sergeant-at-arms Tony Pilkington.

Kits 4 Kids is a collaboration between the Rotary Club of Townsville and the Veterans Care Association based in Brisbane. Old Army buddies Bruce Scott from Rotary in Townsville and Gary Stone from Veterans Care Association arranged for the participants in the Timor Awakening rehabilitation programme to pack and deliver, in person to each child, a small education kit . The kits themselves are organised by the Rotary Club of Townsville and the costs are covered by various sponsors. The Rotary Club of Brisbane is proud to be the sponsor of a delivery of 2000 kits in September 2018.