THE MAGIC OF SYDNEY - ROTARY INTERNATIONAL'S ANNUAL MEETING

Club Treasurer Gary Wong provided an inspiring overview of his experience at the 105^th annual Rotary International Convention in Sydney, Australia this past May.

Rotary came to Australia in 1921 and today there are 34,000 Rotarians throughout the country.  Gary represented Orinda among the 18,000 Rotarians who attended from around the world -- all participating in what has become a "mini-United Nations" of people committed to making the world a better place.

From start to finish, it was an intense, fun, educational, inspirational and cultural experience.  Gary particularly enjoyed the seminars -- of which  90 were offered each day, ranging in topics from Clean Water Projects to Club Leadership. Workshops on Membership appealed to him especially, since they offered many ideas on recruitment and retention. 

Gary was one of 340 individuals who participated in the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb, setting a new world record for the number of people on the bridge at once, as well as the number of flags from around the world displayed from the bridge at one time.  Each participant gave $75 to participate in the climb and all of the funds raised went to the Polio Plus campaign.

A special highlight of the convention, was the presentation made by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who pledged $100 million toward the Polio Plus eradication effort - a huge investment to end this dreaded disease.  The challenge remains in conquering the disease in the few countries where it remains --Pakistan and Nigeria, for example, where the hurdles are political and cultural as much as medical.