From the President
Dear EO Melbourne,
Reflecting on what I most want to share with everyone this month, an idea my mind turns back to is that of service. From the contribution I have witnessed Member-to-Member as we collectively lean on each other (“we are stronger together”), to being witness to our Board ideate, plan and execute our 90-day Member Support Plan and thinking beyond, to watching our Chapter management team learn how to navigate the technologies of webinars and think outside-the-box, to Past Presidents and tenured Members appearing out of the woodwork to support, guide and lead, one word that encapsulates the entirety of the above is “service”.
It is heartening to see that our Resident Psychologist (Chapter-supported and funded) has been timely and valuable to Members, which we have rallied around the idea that if a Member wishes to engage with EO next year EO will find a way to make that happen, that we come to the end of our 12-week webinar series on navigating COVID-19 and preparing for the world post-COVID-19, and that we dedicate time and energy to the preparation of our incoming Board to continue and elevate the good work of our current Board.
And so it is with immense pride and joy, as I consider the coming end of my tenure as President, that the Board and I will leave this Chapter stronger and more connected than how we found it. I firmly believe that as a leader, no higher compliment can be given than the knowledge that you are no longer needed and that your contribution has been both vital and mattered. As such, in the words of Walter Gropius, “If your contribution has been vital there will always be somebody to pick up where you left off, and that will be your claim to immortality.”
With that, I look forward to seeing everyone online on 19 June for our Virtual End-of-Year Gala and Board Handover as we celebrate our individual and collective efforts in making us stronger and more connected with each other. Similarly, let us show our support to the incoming Board as they usher to a new era for our chapter.
As we close this month’s update, I invite you to join me in reflecting on how we can make this year ”Our Best Year Yet!” As we enter into a world post-COVID-19 and find our feet again, I encourage everyone to think of that one thing that if you achieve it, will make you want to jump up on the table, pop open a bottle of champagne, and start dancing. So that when the end of June comes, we can look forward to carrying forward our greatest learnings so that this year, in spite of its challenges and heartache, will be one that was “Our Best Year Yet!”
With warmth and gratitude,
Kym Huynh
President 2019/2020