Jon Snow remembers the days when journalists filed their stories through telex and were in the pub by lunch time.

Things have changed, he says. 

"These days, where we used to drink, we now tweet," Snow said.

Snow now rises at 6am every morning to file his blog for Channel Four's news site and has almost 180,000 twitter followers.

He believes that, "the Golden Age of journalism is nigh." 

The Rotary Sydney Group Study Exchange Team were fortunate to be able to catch up with Snow during a visit to Channel Four and ITN's offices and studios today.

GSE Sydney team members Louise Schwarzkoff, Julia Holman, Steven Spierings, Claire Thompson and Team Leader Mike Wallace were joined by Amersham Rotarians Dieter Shaw, Chalmers Cursley, Nick Crabtree, Mike Mason and Diney Crabtree for the vocational visit in London which was a major highlight of the four-week exchange program.

Share my passion for Rotary at the District Conference in Jersey in 2013. We're delighted to invite you all to come and be inspired by the stories of fellow passionate Rotarians and invited speakers as they bring our theme of 'Peace through Service' to life.

If you're like me and have enjoyed being part of Rotary fundraising activities such as Lend a Hand Day, collecting for Shelter Box, welcoming Group Study Exchange Teams and painting 'pinkies purple' in the slums of Delhi, you'll love hearing how others have contributed to such an important worldwide movement.

See you in Jersey! 

Debbie 

Click on the Spud for Conference Documents.

Keep up to date with Jersey 2013 Conference News by finding us on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/Conference.1260.News

You can also follow Jersey 2013 Conference News on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Conference1260

Dear District Conference Guests and Fellow Rotarians, Binota and I are pleased to extend our greetings and very best wishes to you as you participate in this  2011 - 2012 District Conference. 

We wish we could share in each of the more than 500 conferences around the world this year, but that is just not possible.  However, with the able leadership of your Governor and the District Conference Committee, we are confident that this will be a very special and memorable experience for you. 

The District Conference is a wonderful tradition and a great opportunity to share information and learn about the projects and activities of other Rotarians in your District and around the world.  While our clubs are the heart of Rotary, it is at the District Conferences where club members can become even more aware of the ways in which Rotary is making the world a better place.

Poverty and hunger were the targets of the second plenary session of the 2012 RI Convention, as a variety of award-winning speakers encouraged Rotarians to use their ingenuity to solve these global challenges. 

Microcredit pioneer Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, commended Rotarians for their work in developing microcredit loans for the poor. The founder of Grameen Bank also encouraged Rotarians to pursue social business enterprises that would work with microcredit-funded businesses not just to produce revenue but also to return profits to the communities where they operate.

As an example, Yunus highlighted a joint venture between Grameen Bank and Danone, a European food company, to produce high-nutrition yogurt for children in Bangladesh. The goal is to reduce malnutrition while creating manufacturing and distribution jobs.

Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Walailak Akra Rajakumari will represent His Majesty the King at the convention opening ceremony (10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 6) in the Challenger 1 and 2 halls.  Flags of the 200 countries and regions where Rotary clubs serve their communities will be presented on stage, followed by a performance of the National Anthem of Thailand by pop star Tata Young. A plenary address by Rotary International president Kalyan Banerjee will follow at 12 Noon.

The convention gives members of the volunteer service group the opportunity to share success stories, exchange ideas, and renew acquaintances. The IMPACT Center will be transformed into a kaleidoscope of energy, color and excitement as Rotary members participate in a broad agenda of plenary sessions, workshops and other activities focused on how Rotary clubs help improve communities worldwide through volunteer service. Displays showcasing hundreds of Rotary's humanitarian and education projects and programs will be open daily to convention registrants at the aptly named ‘House of Friendship' exhibition area from May 5-9 in Challenger 3 Hall.

More than 35,000 Rotarians have registered for the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, 6-9 May.

Click the link below for news, photos, and video coverage starting Thursday, including a live webcast on Tuesday, 8 May.

You can also follow the convention on Twitter at hashtag #ricon12.

http://bit.ly/XHAjf 

Our District Conference in Torquay is next week: 11th - 13th May. The excitement is building..... We have over 350 people registered, with most also attending the black tie Gala Dinner on Saturday evening.

The conference is being held at The Riviera International Centre, Chestnut Avenue, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 5LZ

Venue will be open from 14.00 - 16.00 on Friday 11th May for registration and collection of information packs - and again from 8.30 on Saturday.

First session starts at 9.15 on Saturday with the final session closing at 12.45 on Sunday. A ploughman's lunch will be provided on Saturday.

For further details download the May Conference Newsletter by clicking the link below:

 Torquay Newsletter - May 2012 298.52 Kb 

Ever since the announcement of the hose-pipe ban the heavens seemed to have opened and it has rained - I suspect this is an example of the well-known law that we all refer to from time to time!  I hope that you all had a great break over the Easter period and that only a minimum of chocolate was consumed.  With reference to sweet things it seems my choice of Diabetes UK as the chosen charity has been very timely with a big report on the subject having been published during the last week.  I look forward to hearing the President of Diabetes UK - Richard Lane expand on the report at Conference next month.

April was also the month for the RIBI Conference - this year held at the BIC in Bournemouth.  The number of attendees was slightly down on previous excursions to Bournemouth, but the content was very much up to the usual excellent standard.  Amongst the speakers was Sir Terry Wogan talking about Children - in - Need (CIN).  He came over very well and I feel certain that Rotary will figure in all future CIN events. He was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by RIBI President Ray Burman.  He was looked after at the Conference by our very own Past District Governor Amanda and she managed to recruit him to be an Honorary Rotarian during the brief period that he was in Bournemouth.

The Young Musician finals were held during the weekend and our own vocalist entry - Louisa Haggerty did a sterling job and was only just piped to the winner's post.  Many, many congratulations to her and I am sure we can wish her the best of luck when she takes up her place at The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester.