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:
“I am thrilled. Thanks Keith. I will serve you, the fellow Rotarians and Rotary International and make everyone proud of our achievements during my time as President. That is my promise.”
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.
