During the charter of the Global Nurses & Midwives Rotary Club (GNMRC) on December 22, 2020, Charter President Wendy McIntosh was delighted to hear special guest, RI President Holger Knaack, state; “The world has never before seen a Rotary club of nurses and midwives. A totally innovative idea”.
His words were a fantastic endorsement of the tremendous work the club leadership team and members have put in since September 2020 to enable the club to be chartered before the end of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
“For our members, the GNMRC is a bridge between the passion they have for their professions and their wish to provide volunteer service to the community,” Wendy said.
Based in District 9630 (Queensland), GNMRC chartered with 34 members from around the world. To date, members hail from Australia, Spain, Montenegro, South Africa, Liberia and Canada.
“We envisage that, as our colleagues become aware of our club, our membership will grow significantly, making us a truly global Rotary club,” Wendy said.
The cause of this cause-based club is self-explanatory: global nurses and midwives.
“We aim to support, mentor, lead and sponsor our colleagues globally in the best way we can as Rotarians. In the words of charter member Salamaniah Moloko-Phir from South Africa: ‘Assisting each other, assisting our nations’.”
The club’s first aim was to make it accessible to colleagues across the globe, who previously may never have had the opportunity to join a Rotary club.
“As such, we have developed a membership fee structure using the global incomes and geographic location as defined by the World Bank Atlas Method,” Wendy said.
Its second aim is to have a line-up of international nurse leaders and midwives who will present to members at regular club meetings.
“This enables our global colleagues access to inspirational leaders they may never otherwise have an opportunity to meet and learn from.
“Our focus as a club will be less on fundraising and more on service. The doing, the being, the action. Our members will be encouraged to develop relationships with local Rotary clubs to inform them of our presence and our wish to be involved in projects how and where we can,” Wendy said.
“We envisage that GNMRC can make significant contributions in the world and in our local communities. We thank RI President Holger and Rotary International for embracing and welcoming our club into a truly wonderful global organisation.”
For more information on the Global Nurses & Midwives Rotary Club, visit gnmrotaryclub.com. GNMRC meets via Zoom on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm and the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7pm Queensland time. Contact President Wendy McIntosh via President.GNMRotaryClub@gmail.com or Secretary Sue Walker via Secretary.GNMRotaryClub@gmail.com.