Looking back and remembering our heritage and history is important especially in this the penultimate year before we celebrate our centenary. Although 100 is just another number it is a significant one. What we need to ensure though is that we can celebrate a vibrant and active club. It is a time to look back but we also need to ensure the Club has a strong future to look forward to. 

To continue to survive we need active members and unfortunately as I start my year we have lost a number of active members from the Club. On a positive note we have recently attracted some more active and younger new members and we welcome these and hope they will find the opportunities Rotary can give them engaging enough to stay for the longer term and contribute both as ordinary members and in due course officers of the Club. 

By far the greatest challenge is to unite the Club and get as many Rotarians as possible participating – coming to dinners, business meetings and events and contributing. We have to be able to accept and work with each other under the common aims of Rotary and be able to accept and celebrate differences. If we can do this we will be attractive to new and importantly more diverse members who will want to participate and in this way we will ensure the future of the Club. 

Looking forward I would like my year to have a focus on the environment at a local as well as global level. We have the ongoing work at Les Mielles which is really starting to show benefits working with the Jersey Scout jamboree group and Jersey National Parks. There is potential here for a real long-term collaboration. We have also reinstated an International Team under Edyta and this team has already put a proposal forward to develop sand dams in Africa.  

Finally, I am hoping to develop a far stronger level of collaboration amongst the Service Clubs – Rotary de la Manche, the Lions Club and Round Table – we are already having regular joint meetings on the Christmas Appeal but at this time when all Service Clubs are facing headwinds we need to stand together to be stronger.  

So, there is a lot to do and it is a challenge but we can do it together – we cannot do so working alone and in isolation. 

Yours in Rotary, Peace and Fellowship 

Richard