My journey to this office within the club has been not without its challenges -- and I am not even talking about Covid.
Recalling where I was when I joined this club just under ten years ago from the Rotary Club of Wentworth, I was catching three buses to and from Rotary, studying and working - while balancing Rotary at the age of 18. Now having achieved one of my career goals in becoming a qualified lawyer, and currently serving the club as President, at age 28.
I am told I am the youngest President to lead our club in its now 55-year history, taking this mantle from our charter president, Past President, the late Richard Fereday, who presided in a very different environment to which we are here today.
This club has seen me grow and while that was happening, the club has grown with me.
Due to the changing border restrictions, at our recent changeover, I was unable to have my family in attendance; however, I was able to have some of my closest friends, and, most importantly, I was able to have my Rotary family there. I recognise the importance that family has in our ability to be a part of Rotary. I am keen to see family more involved this Rotary year.
While I may talk about how I will serve as President this year, our club is driven by its members. Rotary is a member-driven organisation, and I see myself simply as a Chair of a Board. Our members have amazing ideas for our service, and I encourage suggestions to be put forward. We need all of our history, creativity, and connections to make our club as impactful as possible. As District Governor Jeff Neale has mentioned to me, the President of our Rotary Club is not like the President of the United States. We are a team and our success over the next year will not be mine alone but ours.
Rotary is not only an organisation to which we belong. We don't say to the public that we are a member of Rotary. When people ask, we name ourselves as a Rotarian. And while this is a minor word change, it is a significant change in how we approach our lives. Being a tennis club member might mean we play a match on a Saturday, and that is where it ends.
Being a Rotarian explains that we have an ethos we believe in. A four-way test we are pleased to hold ourselves to. Our example in our workplaces, in our families, in our neighborhoods, and in our businesses are where Rotary is at work, through us, as Rotarians.
RI President-elect Shekhar Mehta urges us to become more involved in service projects, saying that caring for and serving others is the best way to live because it changes other people's lives and our own. This is the basis for his theme of Serve to Change Lives.
The beauty of Rotary is that service means something different to every person around the world. One element that we can incorporate into all of our service however is empowering girls. Unfortunately, even in this day and age, girls and young women face disproportionate challenges worldwide. Rotary has the power to lead the charge for gender equality. Empowering girls and young women to have greater access to education, better health care, more employment, and equality in all walks of life should be embedded in every Rotary project we conduct. Girls are both current and future leaders, so we must ensure that we help them shape their future.
Stephany Martin
Rotary Campbelltown President 2021-2022
