On 6th July, our club held it's annual changeover dinner. While it was a low-key affair, there was some formality including the hand over of the chain of presidential office from our outgoing leader, Michael Redding, to his successor, Graham Roper.
In his final speech as President, Michael expressed his sincere thanks to all members of the club who have supported him throughout the 2020-21 Rotary year. He highlighted a number of significant achievements during his year including:
- Introducing the concept of having project leaders instead of directors
- The celebration of the Centenary of Rotary in Australia
- The Rotary Golf Day that raised $24,000 for Very Special Kids
- The inductions of two new members, Vasileios Samaltanos and Jerestene Saher, and two members who have been issued with honorary status, Geoff Smith and Lou Dowling.
Michael also presented two hard-working Rotary partners, Barbara Purdy and Elizabeth Ross, with the ultimate recognition of a Paul Harris Fellow. They were very surprised to receive the award but accepted it with gratitude and pride.
Graham is taking the reins as President for the third time. In his inaugural speech, he said he would like the club to focus on the following activities during his year:
- Homelessness in the Wyndham Community
- Forming a Family Violence partnership with Victoria Police
- Raising awareness of Youth Mental Health. The plan is to hold an under-18 football game between two local sides who would be playing for the Beyond Blue Cup
- Provide support to the Karen and Sudanese communities
- Continue supporting to our Interact Club with their projects
Graham's other goal is to increase our membership. He believes we need to be more proactive with the way we promote our club. It is everybody’s responsibility to try and recruit new members to our club.