ROTARY INTERNATIONAL THE FIRST FORTY YEARS. A HISTORY OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF BELCONNEN A.C.T. INCORPORATED. Authors: Past President John Sheldrick Past President Peter Oldham 2 Historical Note from the Authors This history of the Rotary Club of Belconnen Inc. was researched and developed in two parts and hence the ‗Forward‘ comprising input from two Presidents and the Charter President. The first part was commissioned by the then President Warren Karle in his Rotary year, 2007-2008, and comprised most of Part One – The Formative Years. The second was commissioned by President Rod Menzies in his Rotary year, 2010-2011 as a means of recognising in some small way the 40th Anniversary of the Club. We hope that this publication will give another strong indication that the impact the Rotary Club of Belconnen has had, not only on the local community, but nationally and indeed internationally. The camaraderie, fellowship and contribution of all members over the years are quite amazing. We trust you find it a good read. John Sheldrick Peter Oldham Past President Past President 3 Foreword John Sheldrick and Peter Oldham have devoted many hours in compiling this history of the Rotary Club of Belconnen. It has required much research into early records, and has resulted in a very readable and comprehensive account of the formation of one of the most successful clubs in the district. We were chartered as ‗Rotary Club of Canberra – Belconnen‘ in 1971. This was a very exciting time in the development of Belconnen. Charter members were mostly new to Canberra, in new jobs, living in new houses in new suburbs. Our children were all becoming used to new schools; while their parents were busy attending meetings to create new church congregations, Cubs, Brownies, Scouts and Guides etc. Creating a new Rotary club was another challenge. At the interest meeting held on 17 November 1970, most of the fellows attending were strangers to each other, although three of us were already members of the sponsoring club, Canberra North. Our ‗mother‘ club was itself new, having received its charter in January 1969. (The Club‘s name was later changed to the Rotary Club of Belconnen Inc. as detailed in the text). It was my privilege to be our Club‘s first President, and to receive our Charter from District Governor Keith Grainger at our presentation night on 17 April 1971. By this time we had adopted our routine of weekly meetings and established the good fellowship which has continued for thirty seven years. The club has an enviable record of achievement, which you will see from the following text. No less than five District Governors have been members of Belconnen Rotary. Belconnen Club has been involved in all aspects of Rotary activity. We were quite early involved in student exchange; also RYLA and later, RYPEN. This latter was indeed the brainchild of one of our members, David Southern, and subsequently adopted by Rotary International. Our Trash-n-Treasure markets on Sunday mornings have become legend, and other Rotary clubs have followed our example after studying our methods. TnT has become the main source of funds to finance the many projects our Club has undertaken. The following history contains details of all of our Club‘s undertakings over the thirty seven years since we began. I take great satisfaction in being a small part of this history. Brian Daniell Charter President July 2008 4 Rotary has been likened to a mighty river. Commencing as a small spring in Chicago over 100 years ago, it has grown into a powerful confluence of over 32,000 clubs throughout the world committed to serving humanity. The Rotary Club of Belconnen is but a small tributary of Rotary, but its growth from a diminutive suburban club chartered in 1971 into an organisation renowned today for its remarkable record of service to the local and international community. The achievements of the Rotary Club of Belconnen have been built on fellowship and service. From its beginnings, our club has valued the contributions of all members, partners, families and friends as part of a broader fellowship of service. Through this fellowship and the insight and dedication of members to serve the community, we have achieved remarkable success that has improved the lives of others. It is with pride that we have asked Past Presidents John Sheldrick and Peter Oldham to write a history of our club from its beginnings to the present. The pages that follow tell a story of ordinary men and women who have strived to make a difference and in so doing, achieved extraordinary things. Our history is the source of much pride but more importantly, it provides our club with strong foundations and the confidence to navigate the unchartered waters of the future and to remain committed to Rotary‘s motto: Service Above Self. Warren Karle President 2007-2008 5 This history shows how the Rotary Club of Belconnen has grown and matured with the community it serves. Comparing the first few years with the last few will show just how much the Club has evolved. By changing and adapting to the needs of those we strive to assist we have been able to remain relevant and effective. Members past, present and future can be justly proud of their achievements. Members are pivotal to our ability to serve our community. Our member profile has also changed over the years and reflects the community‘s expectations and values. The first female member joined the Club in 1995. Now 25% of our members are women and the balance will continue to equalise. Just five years after inducting our first lady we elected our first female President. As we come to celebrate 40 years of service our long standing, but ageing, members are welcoming and encouraging newer and younger Rotarians. This constant renewal and injection of fresh ideas will ensure our relevance for at least another 40 years. On behalf of the Rotary Club of Belconnen I congratulate and thank Past Presidents Peter Oldham and John Sheldrick for producing this thorough and invaluable history. Rod Menzies President 2010 - 2011 6 Contents Historical Note from the Authors 2 Foreword 3 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Preface 9 Acronyms Used 11 Part One – The Formative Years 12 Chapter One – Establishment of the Rotary Club of Canberra – 12 Belconnen Chapter Two – From a Meeting of Interested People to the end of the 18 First Full Rotary Year- 1970/1971 - 1971/1972 Chapter Three – Rotary Year 1972/1973 30 Chapter Four – Expanding and Confirming Fellowship and Rotary 34 Programs – 1973/1974. Chapter Five – – Expanding and Confirming Fellowship and Rotary 49 Programs - 1974/1975 Part Two – The Developing Club -1975/76 – 1980/81 65 Chapter Six – Rotary Years 1975/76 – 1977/78 66 Chapter Seven – Affording Major Projects – 1978/1979 101 Chapter Eight – Rotary Years 1979/80 – 1980/81 118 Part Three – The Maturing Club -1981/2 – 1999/2000 165 Chapter Nine – Two Decades of Maturity 165 Part Four – The New Millennium – 2000/01 – 2010-11 219 Chapter Ten – Rotary Years 2000/01 – 2010-11 219 Chapter Eleven – Quo Vadis? 250 Resources and Source Material 253 ANNEXES A. RC Canberra-Belconnen Charter Members 257 B. RC Belconnen – Past Presidents 258 C. RC Belconnen – Boards & Other Duties 259 D. RC Belconnen – Chronology of Significant Events 273 E. Rotary Exchange Students Hosted/Sponsored by the Rotary Club 275 of Belconnen F. Rotary Foundation/Ambassadorial Scholars hosted/sponsored by 277 the Rotary Club of Belconnen 7 G. Background to Trash and Treasure Project 278 H. Disbursement of Funds Raised through T&T 280 I. District Governors from the Rotary Club of Belconnen 286 J. Paul Harris Fellowships Awarded to members of the Rotary Club 287 of Belconnen K. Snippets of information about some Youth Programs 288 8 Acknowledgements A number of current and previous members of the Club were interviewed by the editors, who are grateful to these Rotarians for providing their time and undoubted knowledge of the Club. It was of great benefit to use this knowledge in cross referring to information obtained elsewhere. The individuals were: Mr John Bischoff – District Governor‘s Representative during the Charter of the Rotary Club of Canberra-Belconnen and known as the ‗Father of the Rotary Club of Canberra-Belconnen‘. Charter President Brian Daniell. Past District Governor Jack Fitzpatrick. Past District Governor Bob Greeney. Past President Alan Anderson. Past President Mal Ferguson. Past President David Southern. Past President John van Waterschoot (who was able to ‗recover‘ some old computerized records which provided income and expenditure details from TnT). And, of course, many members of the Club, past and present, who proved to have long memories and whose memories, for the most part, happened to coincide with the written material that was available. 9 Preface “What you get from Rotary depends on what you put into it” Rotary International Rotary International (RI) is the oldest of the Voluntary Services organisations, having been founded in Chicago, USA, on the 23 February 1905 by lawyer Paul Percival Harris and three young businessmen friends, Silvester Schiele (a coal merchant), Gustavus Loehr (a mining engineer), and Hiram Shorey (a tailor). Rotary is now the world‘s largest association of voluntary service clubs, using the motto “Service Above Self”. The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as the basis of worthy enterprise. Clubs are autonomous but each embraces the Four Avenues of Service, Community Service, Vocational Service, International Service and Club Service. Each individual Rotarian also subscribes to Rotary‘s 4-Way Test – Is it the Truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships? Will it be Beneficial to all concerned? Overview of Rotary International's leadership structure Clubs Rotarians are members of more than 32,000 Rotary clubs, which belong to the global association of RI.