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Celebrating our 50th anniversary
Tree planting day
In support of the Kiribati Islands
Another Bunnings BBQ
The Barking Dogs in action
A fun football night
Exchanging club banners
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A group of dedicated Rotarians, together with many friends of Rotary and community members, joined forces on Sunday 19th May to plant 1200 trees in Rosslare Reserve, Hoppers Crossing.
The weather was perfect for the occasion and the group worked diligently and quickly to get the job done within 3 hours. It was pleasing to see some local residents joining in as they responded to the call for assistance.
Special thanks go to staff from Wyndham City Council for providing equipment and services to make the job easier. Thanks also to Geoff Smith for his tireless efforts in organising the event, despite the fact that he was noticeable by his absence on the day.
After the work was completed, we all celebrated our efforts with a sausage sizzle. Thanks everyone for making it a successful and fun day.
Click here to see some photos of the day.
Click here to see a small video of the people hard at work.
Our Royce and Jean Abbey Scholarship awardee, Chris Ochaya, is due to fly back to his home country, Uganda, in the next few days to continue his good work in developing the Tamarind community farm. Before his return, he made another visit to our club. But, to his surprise, he was the guest of honour and was duly inducted into the club by President Graham as an honorary member.
His proposer, Brian Ahmed, was glowing in his praise of Chris and the wonderful humanitarian work he is doing for his fellow countrymen. Because of this, Brian said, it was only fitting that Chris be recognised as a Rotarian.
It was so hot you could fry an egg on the putting green. But that didn't stop a big group of die-hard golfers including our President Graham Roper (pictured above) from playing in the hot afternoon sun to support the annual Werribee Rotary Golf Day.
Despite the gruelling day, most golfers got through unscathed, thanks to the efforts of the drink crews who continually ventured around the course to quench the thirst of parched players.
At the end of the day, we sat down in air-conditioned comfort for dinner and the presentation of prizes. Congratulations to Marty Vaina and his team for winning first prize.
We have realised a profit of $29,000 which is a fantastic result thanks to the generosity of the players and numerous sponsors. Most of the proceeds will go towards the refurbishment of the Dementia Unit at Manor Court Aged Care.
Everyone was extremely grateful for the hard work of chief organiser Ross Conley and his team for making this event our biggest fund-raiser.
Click here to see photos of the day.
One of the club's most respected and longest serving members, Peter Ross, was the recipient of the Order of Australia award (OAM) in the 2019 Australia Day Honours list. The award was a recognition for his service to the Wyndham community over many years.
Some of the major achievements during his life include:
- Wyndham City Council:
- Mayor 2004-05
- Councillor 1997-2008
- Inaugural chair, Committee for Werribee, 1998-2002
- President, Werribee Chamber of Commerce, 1980
- Werribee Theatre Company:
- Founding Member 1968
- President 1972-74
- Treasurer 20 years
- Life member, Wyndham Theatre Company
- Founder, Community Arts Alliance and the Community Cultural Foundation
- President, Rotary Club of Werribee 1986-87; Active member since 1977
- Board member, Manor Court Aged Care, 1982-2000
President Graham congratulated Peter on behalf of all members and partners of the club. Peter said he was honoured by the recognition and thanked everyone for their well wishes. He also paid tribute to his lovely wife Elizabeth for her support over the years.
Congratulations Peter. Well deserved.
Werribee Rotary member Michael Redding recently completed a visit to Uganda to catch up with Chris Ochaya and his family. Chris was the 2018 Royce and Jean Abbey Scholarship recipient. He was in Australia in 2018 to learn good farming techniques that he could use on his return to his country.
Michael said it was fantastic experience to see how Chris has utilised his new-found skills and knowledge and has started to transform the Tamarind community farm into a first-class sustainable agricultural showpiece that will support the local population.
Click here to read Michael's story.