Adam Koch was our chair and we welcomed our Honorary Members Pam Mott, Lyn Fleet and Judy Innes.

 

Lucy Koszela and Loretta Tigani from the Lithuanian community’s Geelong Lithuanian Dance Group joined us and received a cheque from the funds raised at our Lithuanian dinner.

 

We welcomed back Maxine, Keith and Kris Adam after their time away.

 

We also welcomed guests Julie and Mark Herd and Jan McGowan.

 

Andrew Rofe is back living in Geelong but working long hours in Melbourne and, with his parenting activities, is not able at present to attend our regular meetings.

We look forward to seeing Andrew when he is able.

 

President David presented John Birrell and Ian Cation with gifts and thanks for their service (together with our good friend and past member Roger Pierce) in transporting our Canadian Rotary guests around Geelong.

 

We recognised Past President Graeme’s three decades of service with our Club which, with the wonderful support of wife Lyn, has seen Graeme serve in the whole range of club roles and on the District RYLA and Membership committees and as District Secretary and a FAIM (Fourth Avenue in Motion) participant in 1995.

He was the Bulletin Editor in 1990-1991…the good old days of responsible and accurate reporting!

Graeme has been a leading light in the promotion of the Entertainment Book.

 

 

Julie Herd was the very worthy recipient of this award which our Club gives annually to recognise the work in our community of a person who embodies and practically demonstrates the commitment and dedication to the service of others which was so apparent in our esteemed friend and charter member of our Club, the late R.J. (“Bob”) Vague.

 

Julie Herd has spent her working life as a dedicated primary teacher who encouraged a sense of community and social justice in her students. She recognized the importance of social interaction and fostered this by organizing activities. She ensured this occurred in every school she taught in.

Once she retired, she became involved in the Christ Church Community Meals Program by being part of a group who cooked offsite on a regular basis.

One day she called past to collect meat (not her usual role as she arranged the roster) and discovered the program was short staffed that night. She offered to stay that night and has not left!

After a short time she became the coordinator of the Wednesday evening meal program and has starred in this role for 9 years.

Julie’s manner is an absolute asset to the program – she deals so well with our guests and is particularly adept in encouraging and engaging the groups of school students who come to help.

Her compassion, kindness and understanding of the ethos of the program is clearly demonstrated in the way she deals with guests and particularly latecomers.

She is an active member of the Meals Operations Committee and mostly recently coordinated the Give Where You Live Feed Geelong Lunch held at the end of October.

Before her retirement she was instrumental in setting up the Belmont Toy Library with the assistance of a small group.

For some years she was on the committee of the Alexander Thomson Kindergarten. She willingly took part in many fundraising activities.

Most recently Julie works for Vision Australia reading the newspaper on their radio. She also works through St Luke’s Uniting Church in their program of teaching Conversational English to refugees.

Congratulations, Julie!