Chairman ’ s Report
Chairman ’ s Report
Meetings
Thank you to all concerned with the D9700 Orange quarterly meeting . All the visitors enjoyed the hospitality of Orange and the visit to the winery on the Friday night .
The Management Committee agreed that meeting dinners need to be a fair cost and that while we want the sponsoring Club to return a small profit they need to be aware that all the visitors are spending their personal resources on motels , meals and other functions that are offered to attend the weekend . The dinner should not be seen as fund raising for the sponsoring Club . I am sure that future weekends will be planned accordingly .
Future of RAWCS
It has become apparent that a number of our large donors have now gained registration for DGR status in their own right and RAWCS will no longer benefit from the service fees we had been receiving .
The RAWCS Secretariat has become a necessary addition to our operation . They provide the accountability , foreign exchange facility , the website where you can see your balances and an office for the Company . It comes at a cost that needs to be applied fairly to all users . Perhaps we will need to consider a service fee on all donations at lower than the fee currently charged and with fewer exemptions from the payment . RAWCS is providing a service for all Projects and many are paying nothing at present .
Dick Smith Donation to RABS Projects
The RAWCS Board has announced that Dick Smith and his wife Pip have donated $ 1 million to be utilised on RABS projects that benefit Australian people in need and communities . There are specific criteria , a separate website with an online application process that will be fully announced in early February so we should have the full story by the meeting in Canberra .
We should extend our appreciation to Dick and Pip for their generosity and their commitment to philanthropy within Australia .
This is a great promotion of RAWCS and Rotary activities in the Australian community .
RAWCS Policies
Please note and make yourself aware of the recent policies adopted by the Board at the links below :
Distribution of Donated Goods Policy Volunteer Travel and Accommodation Costs Policy Project Overseas Bank Accounts Policy
Projects for Eastern Region
PP Lloyd Chatfield is doing a great job with the volunteers but I believe he needs to start training a Deputy to carry on the job in future years . Please talk to Lloyd or myself if you are interested in assisting .
PP Sue O ’ Neill is now capably advising new overseas projects how to make their application and forwarding them to RAWCS National when they are ready to be registered .
PP Alan Chesworth is available to assist all who want to register a RABS project . He will forward your application to RAWCS National for registration .
Please note that the RAWCS Board has approved the move to an online registration form for all projects so expect some change during this year .
Volunteer - Team Leaders
Can I please ask that Team Leaders make sure that they upload at least 2 photos for publicity purposes and tell a story or put in dot points about their achievements so that RDU can publicize your trip .
RAWCS Rover
Congratulations to Sue on the new format and the very professional publication . Please make sure you forward it to all your Clubs .
Eastern Region Website
A huge thank you to Joan Redmond who has transferred our website to the National site and is now maintaining the site in that location . Well done Joan !
If you haven ’ t had a look lately click on this link : http :// rawcs . org . au / rawcs-eastern-region / Next Meeting
The next quarterly meeting will be held in Canberra on the weekend of 25 th and 26 th February hosted by the D9710 RAWCS Committee chaired by Brian Goldstraw .
PP John Roberson
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