Newsletter for the Rotary Club of Greater Geraldton - Issue No.: 782 Issue Date: 29 Apr, 2024

Introduced by Paul Pirrottina, Maureen Betts, Extension Chairman District A40 Inner Wheel gave us an update on Inner Wheel in Geraldton!

Below is a summary of what Inner Wheel is all about!

INNER WHEEL

• FOUNDED IN 1924 BY MARGARETTE GOLDING, WIFE OF THEN PRESIDENT OF MANCHESTER ROTARY CLUB IN UK

• REPUTEDLY ONE OF THE LARGEST WOMEN’S GROUPS IN THE WORLD WITH 103,000+ MEMBERS IN 3745 CLUBS IN 103 COUNTRIES

• INITIALLY MEMBERS HAD TO BE WIVES OF ROTARIANS – NOW ONLY HAVE TO BE OVER 18 AND FEMALE

• CLUBS MEET MONTHLY AT A VENUE, DAY, AND TIME TO SUIT MEMBERS

• CLUBS COME TOGETHER THREE TIMES A YEAR FOR A DISTRICT MEETING

• NATIONALLY THERE IS A CONFERENCE EVERY YEAR – THIS YEAR WARRNAMBOOL, NEXT YEAR SYDNEY. WA HAS HOSTED THREE

• INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION EVERY THREE YEARS – THIS YEAR COPENHAGEN, MELBOURNE WILL HOST THE NEXT ONE IN 2018. AUSTRALIA HAS HOSTED TWO PREVIOUSLY.

• CLUBS ARE AUTONOMOUS – HELPING THOSE IN NEED BOTH LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.WA’s INTERNATIONAL PROJECT THIS YEAR IS DAYS FOR GIRLS AND SOME CLUBS ARE SUPPORTING THIS AS WELL. CLUBS ALSO DO HAND’S ON HELP WHERE POSSIBLE.

• OUR MAIN CLAIM TO FAME IS OUR “COIN FOR CORD”.THIS IS RESEARCH INTO THE USE OF UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD. IT WAS SUGGESTED BY INNER WHEEL AUSTRALIA IN 1998 AS A THREE YEAR PROJECT.IT PROVED SO SUCCESSFUL THAT IT HAS CARRIED ON AS A PERMANENT PROJECT.TO DATE WE HAVE RAISED $2.2million AND WE HAVE GIVEN 40 RESEARCH GRANTS.

WA is a single Inner Wheel District, A40, and until yesterday had 14 clubs, but we now have 15, with the chartering of a new one in Geraldton!! The new club had its inaugural meeting last night. As Maureen pointed out, gaining a new member is hard enough, but a whole new club is quite an achievement!

Around Australia, Ballarat was the first IW club charted in Australia and Kalamunda has recently celebrated 50 years. The next International Convention is planned for Melbourne in 2018! The fastest growing region for IW is India!

The objects of IW are similar to Rotary and a member of Rotary can be a member of IW so long as they are female and over 18!! The Margarette Golding Award is similar to our PHF, but is reserved for people who do outstanding work in the community. In Australia,Inner Wheel's main project is the support of the Cord Blood Bank.

Maureen was thanked by Bruce Ralph.