Meeting 16 27th January - 10th February

Self explanatory

Governance Team <governance@rotarygbi.org>
4 Feb 2020, 12:15 (1 day ago)
to

BCC: Club Secretaries in D1060

For Information this email has also been BCC’d to Club Presidents



Sent on the request of Rotary GB&I President Donna Wallbank





Dear Club Secretary,



You will have received an email from IPDG Gary Dancer that I am sure leaves you wondering “what on earth is going on in this District”!



In context an AG made a complaint directly to me about your District Governor and District Secretary seeking suspension from their duties pending investigation. The complaint had not been raised at any relevant District meeting nor with the DG or DS themselves.



Following due process, I referred the matter to a panel of 3 Rotary GB&I Past Presidents, who in a written report concluded that there was no substance to the complaint.



The manner in which the complaint was raised alerted concerns as to division within the District Team as well as a lack of trust and poor communication. The decision was to deal with issues head on and an extraordinary Executive meeting was held on Friday 31st January.



Past Rotary International Director Peter Offer was asked to chair the Executive meeting and incoming Director Elect Nicki Scott facilitated. It is my understanding that it was a very positive meeting, which established a secure basis for mutual respect and co-operation to advance the effectiveness of the District during the rest of this year and into the next. The D1060 Continuity and Executive teams agreed to find a way forward and to work collectively to ensure that the District members and your Clubs received the full and proper support.



Following the report from the panel, I had shared with the District Governor and with the General Secretary my thoughts as to a possible way forward. My email was not for general distribution but unfortunately the District Governor put an edited version into circulation with the Executive, an action for which she has since apologised, recognising this was an error of judgement. It was not a forgery, as has been suggested, as it reflected the matters which I had raised with DG Bala. Contrary to the suggestion made of secrecy there has been transparency in this matter as I gave to each member of the Executive attending the meeting on Friday a written statement concerning the email, which is now the substance of the email from IPDG Gary.



It is a matter of deep regret for me that IPDG Gary circulated his communication to you and that he has made the sad decision to tender his resignation. I know first-hand that Rotary comes under robust scrutiny for its practices and procedures, particularly in dealing with complaints and disputes. I do not believe there has been a cover up and I further believe we have been transparent in this situation.



I have every confidence in the leadership qualities of your Continuity team and I am confident that, with good will, the District will have a strong Continuity and Executive team, as they each had the opportunity to address openly any concerns and then identified a way forward on Friday.



The support you receive and give as Club President is also very important to ensure you enjoy your Rotary friendships and service delivery with your fellow members, and that Rotary continues to make the differences we do locally, nationally and internationally.



I trust this answers any concerns you may have and that collectively we move forward in Rotary service.



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Donna Wallbank

Rotary GB&I President 2019/20