Last Wednesday, our newest members Paul Jaffar and Johnny Bueti introduced themselves to our members and guests.
First was Paul Jaffar: Paul grew up on the Gold Coast. He holds a degree in Pharmacy and, for the past 11 years, has been a partner in the Chempro Chemists business. And if that wouldn't keep him active enough: Paul is also a board member of the Australian College of Pharmacy, Vice President of the Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce, a Committee Member of the Queensland Branch of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia. But it’s not all business. His version of relaxation is… to run Marathons! And not just the local one, as massive as it is: he recently ran New York! And if you think that would just about take up all his time: wrong! Paul got married to Bella in December 2018...
Johnny Bueti: Born and raised in Mount Gambier, South Australia (the region of the famous Blue Lake), Johnny’s connection to Rotary goes all the way back to his grandfather Giovanni Bueti, PHF, OAM. Giovanni was the archetypal Australian Immigrant who came with very little and became, as his Order of Australia Medal would attest, a highly respected member of the community. He even wrote a book about it: 'A suitcase full of dreams', a copy of which Johnny donated to the club. “Granddad would take me down the street and introduce me to absolutely everyone”, Johnny enthused. And that, other than the naturally exuberant personality he shares with a lot of people with an Italian background, is probably one of the principal reasons why Johnny has no problem getting along with people whom he has never met before… ☺ His family owned a Caravan Park in Mt Gambier, but Johnny’s aims were entirely directed towards... Soccer! And he wasn’t a wall flower: Starting with representing South Australia in the 14-19 years division, he made it all the way up to A-League. But then he made the decision to embark on a business career. Today, he is the General Manager of Go Transit Media Group (they do the ‘wrap around’ advertising on the Gold Coast trams and buses).Paul and Johnny both transferred from the Burleigh Heads Rotary Club to be closer to their place of work. Johnny immersed himself extensively in fund raising, among other events organising the ‘Long Lunch’ multiple times to raise money for Polio Plus. from which they transferred to be closer to their work place. Welcome to Surfers Sunrise!