Last Wednesday we celebrated
Posted by Franz Huber on Feb 24, 2017
We had a grand time! Surfers Sunrise celebrated the 30th Anniversary of its charter, so instead of the usual breakfast, we met for dinner. Lots of guests were there too, and quite a number of our members also brought their partners along. (See photo album in the download section on the right).
Still, there was some "normal" club business, so here are some snippets:
Daryl Sanderson drew the short straw and was at the door, Paul Seymour was Chairman and MC and Andy Bell was Sergeant.
There was no call for apologies. President Simon Brook welcomed all members and their partners, our Honorary Members, Charter President Bill Moir, John Ellemor, who was accompanied by his daughter Lynne Wright and her partner James, George and Natasha Keily, and in particular Jan Lutz, Carole Waller and her friend Lenie Johansen. Clive Edwards (RC of Young, NSW) was accompanied by his charming wife Margaret, and Ray & Valeria Higgs' guests were John & Rosemary Rowe. To save time, members' partners were not individually introduced. He asked all past Presidents of the club to be recognized. Simon briefly summarized (have you noticed? in Surfers Sunrise, speeches are kept short!) a world of 30 years ago: There were no women in Rotary yet (that came in 1988), no internet, Bob Hawke was Prime Minister and Joh Bielke-Petersen was Premier, and Nicky Webster was born, the very first mobile phone was released ("the brick"), fuel was 52 cents a litre, [it is actually about the same today: according to Australian Government's CPI Index, we have had an inflation factor of 2.43 times since 1987, which would make 57 cents equivalent to $1.38 in today's value. Ed.(also known as 'Smart A...')]
Mario Fairlie and Larry Murray reported on the Schools Program: Helensvale High School have a bit of a hold up of $14,000 which will come in shortly. We are looking for volunteers to join the construction team: cost will be approximately $3,000 per person (including air fares and 2 weeks accommodation in Samoa). Helensvale High will also have some of their teachers and students going over to help. Larry emphasized that the pre-assembly of the school will be carried out at The Shed, help is needed.
Later on, the Sergeant let loose on just about every one (see separate article in the bulletin). After dinner, the four remaining Charter Members Bill Moir, Bob Harrison, Peter Morgan and Franz Huber were on a panel, answering some questions. Bill Moir briefly outlined the events leading to the formation of the club, Peter Morgan, Bob Harrison and Franz Huber commented on major goals achieved: naturally the Wheelchair Trust, the various houses and schools we built in Vanuatu, Thailand after the 1986 Tsunami, Samoa and the crowning achievement of the House of Hope in Samoa. But Franz also emphasised that the Bus for the Disabled, which was donated in 1992 would have been one of the greatest achievements. It cost some $32,000, most of which was raised by our (then) Fundraising Director Reg Haines. "What are the major differences between 1987 and 2017? Bill Moir suggested that his hair colour was blacker... Graeme Isaacson, who was our first member to be inducted after charter, outlined the substantial difference in selecting potential members: it was all very formal in those days! The biggest challenge? "Understanding Franz" was Peter Morgan's suggestion. But really, Franz pointed out, the introduction of women into our club took a very long time. Seeing how much work our female members do: what were we waiting for?? The question of where we see Surfers Sunrise to be in another 30 years? This produced some long faces... Franz Huber asked all members below the age of 60 to stand - we had a total of just six! As Franz put it: "In 30 years I expect to be on an extended bushwalk - up the River Styx... ☺ Thus, membership development is ever a hugely important task. The event was concluded by the cutting of two cakes, the candles were blown out by Charter President Bill Moir and current President Simon Brook. As it happened, Bill's candles were more persistent than Simons... ☺
You can view the entire panel discussion on our Facebook page, compliments of Rosie McIntyre who, unbeknownst to us, filmed it all... And on our website, on the Photo Album section on the right, there is a good selection of photos of the evening.