Incoming President - Maria Silber
I have been a member of the Rotary Club of Footscray since October 2004. That makes it 18 years this coming October. It doesn’t feel that long and if asked I would have said maybe 12 or 13 years. During this time I have held a number of roles within the club – Treasurer, Chair of the Youth Committee and President. Carol Castano encouraged me to become a member of the club and I thank her for this.
Rotary has provided me with many opportunities. As a member of the District Youth Exchange Committee I accompanied the incoming Youth Exchange Students on their Safari to Central Australia and beyond. In the role of a chaperone with the aim of keeping the students safe and well I was kept on my toes during the three weeks but it was a wonderful experience and I saw some parts of Australia that I may never have had the chance to visit. I have also been given the opportunity of taking part in a Teacher Education Trip to Cambodia, where I worked as part of a team with Australian and Cambodian teachers. We were able to share with the Cambodian teachers some of the most recent research and learning and teaching strategies from the Victorian Education System. We worked with The Cambodian teachers to see how these could be adapted to fit into their day to day teaching and to extend their understanding of the way student’s learn. A further two visits to Cambodia with Teachers across Borders followed.
Within the District ,my roles have been Assistant Governor to the Chirnside Cluster, Chair of Youth Services and I am currently Secretary of the Youth Exchange Committee. This role will finish with the end of the Rotary Year and then my role on the Committee will be Coordinator for Norway and Denmark. Club Vision is another area that I am currently involved in.
In my spare time I try to get to the gym once or twice a week and am a member of the Ramblers Bushwalking Club. We do a walk every Sunday usually between 12 to 15kms in length and usually within 200kms of the CBD. The one drawback with the club is that everyone has to contribute to the Walks Program and lead a walk. As my sense of direction is not great this is a challenge. The club has enabled me to visit areas of Victoria that I would never have gone to. I may have driven through but that would have been it. Bushwalking is a wonderful way to spend a Sunday.
Another hobby is learning German. I take two classes a week. My progress is very slow but each time I visit my sister in Germany, I can understand a bit more of what is being said.
I am looking forward to my year as President and thank the club for their nomination.