Every now and then our Club needs to have a ‘housekeeping’ meeting in the form of a Club Forum, and our last meeting was just that. Sixteen of our Members were able to attend, and the discussions included a variety of pertinent topics. Amongst these were the question of succession planning and the need for all Members to contribute to the administrative function from time to time; relationships with relevant community groups such as Councils; and what our membership profile should look like and how we can go about expanding interest in our group amongst the wider community. As with many clubs the average age of our membership is advancing, and so it is necessary to target new, younger people who will be better placed to undertake some of the more physical projects such as fund-raising fetes etc. It was suggested that people approaching retirement might well fit the bill, as many are energetic and will be looking for ways to spend their new-found leisure time. We should also seek ways of making it financially viable for couples to become members, as many older people are necessarily sensitive to costs. The content of our regular meetings was explored, particularly at times when we have a number of visitors, and it was agreed that we need to be pro-active in promoting our activities and projects so that outsiders gain an idea of what Rotary is all about. All in all it was a very positive and constructive session which will assist us in finding better ways to achieve Rotary goals in the future.
