Community
5 July, 2024
Major milestone for C’down Rotary
THE Rotary Club of Camperdown has marked a significant milestone with a special dinner on Saturday.
The club marked its 75th anniversary on Saturday night, holding a dinner at the Camperdown Golf Club while looking back on the previous year’s work.
The guest list included members of Rotary clubs from Terang, Colac and Cobden, as well as Rotary district governor Ian MacKay, members of Camperdown’s Lions Club, and Corangamite Shire Council deputy mayor Laurie Hickey.
Former president James Carter said he was proud of the club’s history and the work it has done over its 75-year history.
“Like many clubs, the documents containing our history reflect the contribution the club has made to this community, south west Victoria, Australia, and the world at large,” he said.
“Our markets are one of the major activities of the club on the first Sunday of the month, combined with the opening of the clocktower have been a cornerstone to the community for many years and the shop front of many home-based businesses across the region.
“As well a supporting many community fundraising endeavours, it also allows us to have a good drop-off point for our recycling stamps hearing aids and glasses.
“Over the last two years with a very active agenda, Graeme Fischer, supported by all club members, has developed the market from a handful of stalls to a good number of regular stalls and a destination for the greater community of the southwest.”
The dinner included a toast to Rotary International, and the presentation of awards.
This included the club receiving a bronze level award for the Rotary District 9780 EnviroClub Awards, and the recognition of two Camperdown stalwarts through the Paul Harris Fellow Recognition.
Mr Carter said the EnviroClub award was owed to the success of Camperdown Rotary Club’s annual environmental activities.
“Our annual environmental activities Keep Australia Beautiful and Adopt-A-Highway were very successful, with Norm and Jan MacDonald finding road construction signs lying in the grass shoulder that were luckily not found by the Vic Roads slasher and hurled into oncoming traffic,” he said.
A cake was cut for the occasion, which followed a soup and main meal put together by the Camperdown Golf Club kitchen volunteers.
In addition to looking back over the club’s 75-year history, Mr Carter welcomed new member Toby Latcham to the club on the night.
The club also made a $20,000 donation to the Merindah Lodge fundraising appeal to celebrate their milestone.
Mr Carter said the monthly markets were not the only success the club has had this year.
“From this success we were approached to support a bi-monthly produce market, which is still in its early stages,” he said.
“The stall holders report that it is a venture that they are still keen to support and they are encouraging others to join them.
“There have been a number of special markets to support community events: two stand-outs to me are the Christmas Light Up Camperdown and the Robert Burns Celtic Festival, and our new members Jan and Norm played a large part in this event.
“Pat Robertson has driven the youth program, with the club sponsoring Taylor Bernaldo attending the Defying the Drift program, and Jack McKee to the National Youth Science Forum in Brisbane, who both presented to the club and provided interesting programs for the members.”
Rotary will be starting the 2024-2025 year with a new president at the helm, with Jan MacDonald inducted by Mr MacKay on the night.
Mr Carter expressed his gratitude to all those who helped him through his term as club president.
“As many Rotary presidents across the world at this time of year draw a close to their term as club president, I would like to thank the whole club for their support and their hard work throughout the two years I have had the privilege of serving the club as the president of the Rotary Club of Camperdown,” he said.
“To the executive team, thank you for your hard work and guidance throughout the term, to be available to sound things in confidence before presenting them to the club is invaluable assistance to any president.
“As I hand the club to president elect Jan, I know the club is in a better place than it was when I was inducted as president, and that was my personal goal and it has been achieved with the assistance of all members.”
The night concluded with a raffle and fellowship, with many attendees taking home prizes donated by the stall holders of the monthly markets.
