It is my pleasure to be taking on the role of President of the Rotary Club of Brunswick and I look forward to the challenges the year will bring.

Over the past 3 years our club has developed into a vibrant and active club which is a credit to the leadership of past Presidents Doug Walsh, Adam Ramage and Cheryle Landolina. The members of our club have rallied together to make things happen which has been most exciting. The strength of Brunswick Rotary is the people who are members and I am very lucky to preside over of a club with quality individuals that want to make a difference.

The club will continue to actively seek new members so we can build our membership base to ensure the longevity and success of our club which enables us to carry out our projects and respond to community needs. We will continue to welcome all prospective members and guests and to share our knowledge of Rotary.

The Rotary Theme this year is Make Dreams Real which is what the Brunswick Rotary Club has been doing this for more than 50 years. We will continue to look for solutions to issues and "Make Dreams Real" in 2008 - 2009.

In our international project in Bagong Barrio (Manila, The Philippines), we will be supporting both children in education and the health of families through the health clinic established by our club 14 years ago. A club delegation (5 members) visited Bagong Barrio and Manila in early June 2008 to investigate possible projects for the coming year. A range of exciting initiatives have been identified which will be implemented in the coming year.

A positive aspect of this visit has been the establishment of a sister club relationship with Marikina Rotary Club (Manila). We will be hosting a visit from Marikina to Australia in early October 2008 which will be an exciting and fun time for our club.

We will also be involved in a range of local projects such as the Homeless World Cup, Brunswick Youth Arts Exhibition, Brunswick Industries events, RYLA, National Youth Science Forum, Siemens Science Experience, local school projects and awards. Several sustainability / environmental projects are planned for the coming year.

I encourage all members to contribute to the club in any way you can and support and introduce new members where possible. I congratulate both new and old members who are taking on roles of responsibility for the coming year. I look forward to working with you all in 2008 - 2009.

David Kennedy
President 2007-08