New Rotary district governor promotes collaboration

THE new governor for Rotary’s District 9780 is keen to encourage the clubs across the vast district she represents to work together.

Torquay Rotary Club member Lesley Shedden has been appointed to lead the district – which includes Ballarat – for the 2024-25 financial year.

Mrs Shedden has been a Rotarian since 2014 and had held several positions at the Torquay Rotary Club, as well as at ROMAC (Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children) and secretary at district level.

Her professional background started as a secondary teacher and librarian, followed by marketing, public relations, operating a newsagency and project management.

She is is now representing 50 Rotary clubs and one Rotaract club in a district that includes Swan Hill, Torquay, Ballarat, Geelong, Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton and stretches as far west as Millicent and five other clubs in South Australia.

Mrs Shedden first considered joining the Rotary movement in the 1990s, but was finally inspired to join by a Rotary presentation about 10 years ago.

“The analogy that was used was to imagine one person walking into a dark room with a candle; you create a little bit of light. Now imagine if 100 people into that dark room with candles,” she said.

“Coming to where I am now, this is just me doing my bit – this piece of leadership coaching, mentoring the clubs, it’s just something that I can do, so here I am.”

She said she was keen to volunteer at the district’s many Rotary clubs to not only be practically useful but to also lead by example.

“We’re encouraging clubs to do more together. If Torquay and the Geelong clubs can come up a project or something that will benefit everyone, then let’s do it together.”

Mrs Shedden said the Rotary movement was noted for its large-scale international projects, such as its long efforts to eradicate polio around the world, but there were also many smaller efforts at at the local level.

“There’s lots of things that we do and we don’t talk about it. Most of our clubs will collect milk bottle tops, spectacles, hearing aids… all of those things, one by one, are helping the environment as much as they’re helping the recipients.”

She is also preparing for the District 9780 conference, which will be held on the Surf Coast from March 21 to March 23, 2025, and is expected to attract up to 400 community and business leaders.

The conference will explore a range of topics including the environment and sustainability; disease prevention, especially polio and malaria; health and wellbeing, especially mental health and saying no to family violence.

Mrs Shedden said the environmental theme was typified by the bags that would be presented to each of the attendees, which were now being hand made.