Since the last report Narrandera Rotary Club has held a successful national fund-raising campaign of “Lifting the Lid” on mental illness by holding hat day.

Rotarians and partners on the day wore many weird and wonderful creations on their heads.

Our fundraising took place in East Street with members walking the length of East Street with buckets collecting donations.

One hundred per cent of money raised nationally goes into research helping the one in five affected by depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and many other illnesses.

Australian Rotary Health is one of the largest independent funders of mental health research.

Narrandera Rotary would like to thank the general public and council staff members for their generous donations for “Lifting the Lid” on mental illness. A sum of in excess of $1200 was raised.

Rotary also provides funding into a broad range of general health areas, providing scholarships for rural medical and nursing students as well as indigenous health scholars that goes a long way to closing the gap.

Also, during the month of October, World Polio Day is held – a time for Rotarians and Rotaractors across the globe to raise awareness about our work to eradicate polio for good.

If we stay committed to making progress, polio will be the second human disease ever to be eradicated.

In our fight to end polio, we have used our collective strength to defeat this devastating disease in almost every part of the world.

This year, the World Health Organization’s African region was certified free of wild poliovirus – showing eradication is possible even in difficult circumstances.

Wild poliovirus still paralyses children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and as long as polio exists anywhere, it remains a threat everywhere.

Back on July 1 two Rotary Districts 9700 and 9710 merged to become the new District 9705.

With 83 Rotary Clubs and approximately 2300 Rotarians, the new district runs from Narromine to Hay through Tumbarumba to Eden and up to Berry.

The merger aims not only to reduce administrative costs but also to allow Rotarians to tap into a larger network of diverse talents and resources in other Rotary Clubs to further their local and international projects.

The inaugural District Governor for District 9705 in 2020/21 is Dr Michael Moore AM from Canberra.

Now however, modern communications and the use of six “Area Governors” supporting the District Governor and each working with not more than 15 Rotary Clubs, should facilitate the development of regional, as well as local and international projects.

Congratulations go to our Rotarian Joan Graham for being elected one of the Area Governors area 2 taking in clubs from Griffith to Boorowa to Grenfell.

– Jenny Clarke, Public Image