Rotary Australia World Community Service

Rotary Australia World Community Service, Eastern Region, has been a very active organisation supporting developing countries in our region in the fields of Health, Hunger, Education and other Humanitarian aid programmes. Projects within Australia dealing with poverty, sickness, suffering, distress, misfortune, disability and helplessness are also supported.

Since the inception of FAIM by PDG Keith Hopper in 1964 the programme has evolved to what is now known as RAWCS. During 1989 various Australia wide Rotary activities were incorporated under the NSW Companies Act as Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd, (a company limited by guarantee), which since has been regulated by the National Australian Companies and Investments Commission, to ensure that those activities were acceptable to the Australian Taxation Office and the Department of Foreign Affairs. It also provided the umbrella of protection to individual Rotarians, Clubs and Districts in regard to trading, litigation and insurance.

Various regulations, guidelines and training programmes have been developed to assist Rotarians, Clubs and Districts to participate in this programme and so promoting International Understanding, Goodwill and Peace.

Eastern Region is comprised of 7 Eastern Australian Rotary Districts (D9650, D9670, D9680, D9690, D9700, D9710, D9750) forming a Multidistrict organisation administering the various divisional programmes of Eastern Region RAWCS, including Project Volunteers participating in projects initiated by clubs and districts, (over 400 volunteers in over 80 teams per year), Donations in Kind run from our DIK premises in Minchinbury (over 20 containers per year),and Rotarians Against Malaria, supporting programmes to abolish Malaria (Mosquito nets, reducing mosquito breeding areas and supporting research). A regular news letter is produced and distributed to clubs RAWCS Rover) and a Website is maintained and regularly updated.

General committee meetings are held 4 times a year, rotated around districts, with training sessions for district and club RAWCS Chairmen and for any other interested Rotarian. These are followed up by Management executive meetings to follow through the recommendations of the General meeting.

Eastern Region RAWCS allows individual Rotarians, Clubs and Districts in our region to become "Builders of International Goodwill". Always bear in mind that international understanding is a two way street, sometimes fraught with complexities, but most of all, capable of excitement, enjoyment and fulfilment.

PDG John Glass
Chair, Eastern Region, 2008-2009