Long-Serving Rotarians Barbara & John Rafter - A Strong Partnership
Type: Story
Published: Mar 21, 2021
John and Barbara have run the Rotary organisational gauntlet, calling for persistence and dedication.In 1969, John was told by Rotary he did not qualify as a member because he was a tradesman and only business owners, managers and professional people could join. Seven years later he bought a newsagency and joined Rotary St Albans. Over the following fifteen years, John completed a number of FAIM (now Rotary Australia World Community Service) school projects in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Western Samoa where he met a Bishop, Arch Bishop and a Cardinal. He was hoping to do a similar project in Rome where he might have had afternoon tea with the Pope! Rotary St Albans was very active, albeit a small club, and big achievements included funding a local hydrotherapy pool for the disabled and a bicycle traffic education centre at Green Gully, each costing $100,000.John became Club President in 1993/94 and recruited 11 new members, including his
RAWCS
Type: Site Page Story
Published: May 29, 2019
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Thank you District 9800
Type: Story
Published: Jul 04, 2022
Many people ask me “What was the highlight of your year”? There have been many highlights and personal achievements but for both Maureen and I working with Rotarians and Rotary Clubs and witnessing the quality of projects and their impact on the community has been the most rewarding. Here is a snapshot of our year. A review of the 2021/22 Rotary year cannot ignore the impact of COVID. Having said that over the last twelve months, and despite COVID, so much has been achieved by Rotarians in the 64 clubs in District 9800. At District level highlights include the development of a scalable Rotary International student mentoring platform. I was humbled to receive an award from Zondwa Mandela on behalf of the Mandela Foundation at the launch of Mentor Match and I look forward to continuing to support and grow this initiative. Rotary Central Melbourne, supported by District 9800 and Mentor Match were successful against 65 other applications for a Victorian G
Past President Robert Edgar Promoting Drought Relief, Agricultual Projects and Scholarships
Type: Story
Published: May 09, 2021
By Danielle KutchellHe may have come to Rotary late, but Robert Edgar has wasted no time since joining in getting straight to work on a number of community projects.Robert originally joined the Frankston North club in 1993, serving as president in 2002.It was never his plan to join Rotary; school council friends had often invited him, but Robert felt that his job at the time, which involved a lot of travel, would inhibit his ability to give his time to the club.Eventually, he gave in – and he hasn’t looked back. A major focus of Robert’s presidency was on International Service, developing projects in Tonga over approximately ten years. He recalls working on restoring a farm machinery training building for Tongans during 1999 and 2004. Then, after receiving a Foundation Discovery Grant in 2004, he travelled to Tonga himself to work on constructing gardens in the village of Popua.The project captured the attention of Rotary in New Zealand, which contribu
Garry Gunnell reveals how life-changing Rotary is:
Type: Story
Published: Jul 24, 2020
Celebrating New and Long Term MembersEngineering my way into Rotary As a civil engineer in 1981, jobs were limited so I took on the Assistant Manager role with Hospital Benefits Association. My manager suggested I join Rotary because it would help me build a business network. I joined Rotary Club of Bendigo as a 27-year-old and went on to become Club President, Treasurer for Rotary Australia World Community Service, and helped establish the Rotary Australia Benevolent Society. The wilds of PNG A presentation to Rotary Bendigo in 1990 changed my life. A Rotarian from Melbourne South said a school in Popondetta in Papua New Guinea needed help with construction. My father was a builder, and I had previously acquired a range of relevant skills working with him on his projects. So a fellow club member and I headed to PNG to join the Rotary team. PNG, being one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world was a totally different, fabulous experienc
Paul Kirkpatrick, RC Bendigo Sandhurst, Giving Back to the Community in Spades!
Type: Story
Published: Dec 05, 2020
By Rowan McClean, D9800 Chair Club ServiceAs if Rotary was not enough, Paul has also been a long-serving Board member of Bendigo Volunteer Resource Centre and a Friendly Society Pharmacy. After ‘retirement’ he was Executive Officer for a community legal centre, was involved with religious charity organisations, and even worked for a time for the Lost Dogs Home in North Melbourne!He thinks his commitment to community involvement came from the example set by his grandmother, who worked tirelessly for Red Cross during the first influenza epidemic. He laughingly recalls the handouts at “old people’s homes”, which consisted of four packets of unfiltered Turf cigarettes and an orange. Raised in Bendigo, Paul joined Rotary Sandhurst as a Charter member in 1988 along with young colleagues when invited by his Rotarian boss. Paul had been involved in hospitals and community service organisations, work that progressed into CEO roles.The new Rotary Sandhurst Club