PP Julie Avery's Welcome to Changeover
Held at The Royal Brighton Yacht Club Sunday 7 July
"Welcome everyone to the Rotary Club of Brighton Changeover for the
2024/2025 Year. The most important day in our Rotary Year when we say our thanks to our President Arthur Hubbard for the past 12 months and a most challenging 12 months indeed and we welcome our Incoming President Donna Wright.
Just to mention that today the wine on your tables is donated/sponsored by Brighton Travelworld.
So a Big Welcome everyone and of course our Special Guests. Our newly inducted District Governor Michael Lapina and his son Alex,
James Newbury MP - our State Member for Brighton and also a well-respected Member of our Club and Karen Joel - also a big supporter of our Club - Karen will present the Jack Joel Rotarian of the Year Award later this afternoon.
We do have several apologies today. Mostly those that are traveling either overseas or interstate or have family events:
PP Peter Johns, PP Des Thomas, PP Keith Cameron, Jo Kwok, PP David Grodski, Glenys Hitchen, PP Ivan Vojlay, Nicole Chong. Stuart McMillan,
PP Geoff McGeary, Angie Biggin, Kien Teh, Steven Ooi, Paul Laband,
Geoffrey Shaw, Stephanie Hunt, PDG Dale Hoy. Late apologies - Di Allan with the flu and Ian Mence recovering in Holmesglen from tripping over.
It is now my great pleasure to introduce District Governor Michael Lapina to come forward for the Toasts to both Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Brighton. Michael will ask you stand at the appropriate time. (Michael spoke to the gathering and then called on everyone to stand for the toast)."
Highlights of Changeover Sunday 7 June 2024
After some Fellowship Julie asked PP Damien Hellard to present to us
his Year in Review.
Can you believe it? I’ve attended three Rotary meetings in two years and I’ve ended up speaking at all of them. People of Brighton Rotary, we’ve got to find someone else. Don’t get me wrong, I love humiliating Arthur Hubbard as much as the next Rotarian but let’s face it, I’m a bit like Joe Biden … I have really have no idea what’s been happening here in the last twelve months but I’m still rolled out because the alternatives look worse.
To be honest, I am very happy to be here. This time last year I was at the West Brighton Club … I was supposed to be here but as usual I drove down from Charlton vaguely aware of the start time but no idea of the venue. It’s a three hour drive, I did have time call someone but what the hell let’s just wing it … which is a bit like what I’m going to do today. Anyway, let’s get into this before Arthur regrets inviting me … again!
Those who were here last year may recall the entertainment was a singer by the name of Richard Thomas. At one point during his performance he advised that his next song by Frank Sinatra would resonate with the people in the room as it described how he pictured Rotarians. The song was My Way. In case you don’t know … the first line of that song … “and now the end is near.” I mean really … we know that Rotary numbers in Australia are on the decline but I think that was uncalled for, don’t you?
Also uncalled for … I noticed in the Bulletin provided for the Changeover last year that there was a promotion for an event, “A Walk for Polio” … that’s taking the mickey isn’t it? Also at last year’s Changeover, the District Governor Elect, Michael Lapina gave the toast. It turned out to be the longest toast in Rotary history; over ten minutes … There are wheat trains in the Mallee that move faster. Oh … and isn’t it wonderful to see Michael here again today … would have been nice if you’d given me the heads up on that Arthur … thanks for that! Anyway, now that we know he’s here let’s not make that mistake again … keep the microphone well away from him. In reality, as an opera singer he’s got the lungs of a bull elephant so if he wants to be heard …. he’ll be heard. And one thing we know about District Governors … they want to be heard.
Anyway … let’s get into what the year held for us at Brighton (and by us … I really mean you because I didn’t turn up despite the regular promises). The first meeting of the year was held just five days after Changeover. Our newly inducted President Arthur was so overwhelmed by his elevation to the top job, he forgot to book himself in for the meeting. Not a great start.
The last time Arthur was President he regularly declared it was the only place to be on a Thursday night … and it appears he struggled to come up with any new material … because he used the same line all this year too. The other thing that didn’t change, Arthur forgetting to give the guest speaker their gift of a bottle of wine. The first year I put it down to the excitement of the job … this year I’m thinking it was more about just trying to keep the wine for himself.
On the subject of wine … due to budget cuts (apparently caused by the previous administration) there was no free wine on the top table, meaning that getting volunteers to chair the meeting became even harder.
The start of the year got even harder for Arthur when our speaker seeker Tom Buxton headed off to the Kimberly’s for the whole of July because he thought the Rotary year was commencing in August … so no speakers in July.
But Arthur also made it hard on himself. He introduced a session intended to be fun … members telling Dad jokes. The jokes were bad … the deliveries were worse.
I still can’t put my finger on why we can’t attract more females and more young people to Rotary … Maybe some good guest speakers will encourage new members to come along. When Bayside Mayor, Hanna El Mouallem spoke to the Club he gave members a choice - we could listen to the vanilla sanitised speech the Council boffins mandated, or we could just ask him questions about his personal views and get real responses. Unsurprisingly members opted for his personal views. More unsurprisingly we learned that Bayside Council has built a large surplus of over $100 million. And despite this large surplus they wouldn’t consider any of the elected councillors’ ideas. President Arthur thought this approach might work for Brighton Rotary and appointed the financial crocodile, Bill Howley, to bring the Club’s finances into order. At the end of the meeting we learned that Arthur still hadn’t organised the wine for the guest speakers so Hanna just got a hand shake and a pat on the back following his talk at the Club.
At another meeting, senior Club Member and renowned Brighton dentist, Geoff Knight recounted his attempt to ride his self-designed and self-made bike to the South Pole back in the 90s. His expensive South Pole adventure was financed by extracting teeth from his clients’ mouths … and their life savings from their bank accounts when he presented his bill. Oh … and how close did Geoff get to the South Pole? Well … not that close. He barely made it off the Australian Antarctic Base to be honest. But it still remains a much greater effort and adventure most of us will ever attempt. Despite that great effort, no wine for Geoff either.
Gavin Kirkman CEO of the PGA Australia was also a guest speaker. PP Ivan Voljay, founding father of the Brighton Rotary Hackers, was asked to give a five-minute introductory talk about the hackers before our guest was to speak.
Ivan had to be stopped after speaking for twenty minutes despite his talk still being at the figurative first tee. Mulligan? In keeping with the golfing theme, Christine Nicholson ran an Elimination Q & A on all matters pertaining to golf; the rules, history of the game, the major events, you name it. Golf is an important part of the lives of many Brighton Rotarians so the competition should have been hot. Ahhh, not really, the winner of the competition was Geoff Cunningham; a man who has never played golf, doesn’t watch it on TV, has no interest in it and has absolutely no understanding of the rules whatsoever. In my opinion, this sums up the sport of golf. Oh and Arthur … still no wine for the guest speaker. The next meeting … for sure.
The Bayside Art Show was a huge success again this year – with the usual Gala opening being a hit. My guest insisted I buy the painting that was up for auction. Turns out the painting was titled “Intimacy”, a win for everyone really, the Club got the money and I got … well I got to take the painting home. There was no guest speaker at the Art Show so there was no need for Arthur to worry about presenting wine at the meeting. Instead, he engaged in an animated conversation with PDG Dale Hoy during which he knocked Dale’s glass of red wine all over his brand new dress shirt from Raoul’s of Brighton. We tried to sell Dale’s shirt as modern art but potential buyers baulked at the opportunity when they realised that Dale came with shirt.
In other Rotary news, Colleen d’Offay queried the financial accounts as there was a grant from RC Celle (Germany) for $9,000 and a contribution from RC Brighton for $15,000, which Colleen calculated to be a total of $28,000 but the Club accounts only showed $24,000. Hmmnnn, let’s see now … nine and fifteen … 24 or 28? Following this interesting calculation Colleen has recently been headhunted by the Victorian Government to review it’s costing on the North-East Freeway Project, which Dan originally told us would cost $ 10 Billon and Jacinta has recently told us will be $ 26 Billion.
January 26th … it’s swim time. Does anyone remember my Annual Review last year? Let me quote myself this day twelve months ago. “What do you think will be the organisational issue for the Swim next year … I’m guessing the words “Australia Day” might be on the agenda.”Good guess if I say so myself … more on that later. As for the swim itself, we had to deal with high winds, choppy seas, dangerous conditions and changed courses. But none of those were as dangerous as what Keiran Cromie experienced. In true Rotary spirit … Keiran epitomised the true spirit of service above self. A lady swimmer managed to drop her car keys down the tube in the portable toilets. It was Keiran’s job to retrieve them which he did with aplomb … and also with his hand I believe.
Kieran, I’d like to offer you the hand of Rotary Fellowship … but … maybe not … for a year or so.
Back to our regular meetings and in early February our guest speakers were from Yimba Uganda, where our Club has supported many initiatives including the very important project that supports young women attending school. At long last, President Arthur remembered to bring the bottle of wine for the guest speakers … what a shame … they don’t drink alcohol. Arthur had to take the wine home. Our own PP Peter Johns was a guest speaker at the 50th Celebration Lunch. He was allocated twenty minutes for his talk on his barge journeys on the canals of France. As it turns out Peter’s talk ended taking almost the same time it took for him to sail his barge across the English Channel. Another Rotary member, Anne Holland did a presentation for the Club. This time on the topic she has worked on for many years, Cardiac Arrests and the use of defibrillator machines. Her presentation was excellent.
Two female mannequins were used in the demonstration and volunteers were called to see who could cut off their shirts and bras in the shortest time. John Schmoll and Kien Teh volunteered and managed to break the all-time record.
We all thought these two Rotarians must have had plenty of practice removing women’s clothing but their respective spouses seemed to be more surprised than anyone.
Some other interesting and entertaining Club events were held. At the Past Presidents dinner at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club there was much reminiscing about what we had all achieved in our respective years. Each President was asked to provide their three key highlights of their year … Robert Ward was made to stop talking when he got to his sixth highlight.
For some reason, some of the Past Presidents seemed to be far too interested in me when I was pouring cold water over my crotch. I should point out that this is not a typical behaviour of mine it was act of desperation after spilling red wine all over my freshly dry-cleaned pants. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I’m not sure why but I don’t get asked out for dinner much anymore.
At another major Club event, the Grand Final of Bayspeak held at State Parliament, President Arthur had the task of briefing the students on the speaking competition rules. One of the students was talking and not paying attention, so Arthur told him in no uncertain terms to stop talking and listen.
Well it turns out that this student was in fact one of the teachers. Arthur suggested to me that teachers are getting younger … nah, no they’re not getting younger Arthur … we’re getting older.
Now, I believe this will be my last opportunity to honour our legendry Club Member, the Reverend Harlin John Lascelles Butterly, an Anglican minister who became one of the most popular public speakers in Australia. According to the famous Campbell McComas, Harlin was the greatest and funniest orator in Australian history, adding that if Harlin hadn’t existed, he would have to have invented him.
It’s time for the Arch Klumph Award. For those who don’t know about Arch Klumph, he was the Founder of the Rotary Foundation … but at Brighton Rotary, Harlin named an award in his honour. This award is for the guest speaker who brings to public speaking what St Kilda Coach, Ross Lyon brings to clear thinking, brevity and eloquence at a post-match press conference.
This year, the award goes to Michael McGirr, who is the Mission Facilitator and Head of Community Engagement for Caritas Australia. His talk meandered over fifteen separate subjects and two countries, with no one understanding anything he was talking about.
So … I’m pretty sure this is last time I will do this gig. Getting to Brighton on a Thursday for meetings is a three hour drive … each way. When I moved to Charlton, the local Rotary Club handed in its Charter. That wasn’t a good sign either. As I hinted at earlier I’ll leave you with a personal observation on a fantastic event the Club runs and what I think could be a great recruiting tool for the Club for many years. Following the running of the Great Bayside Swim this year there was some email discussion about the change of the name from Great Australia Day Swim. I’ll offer a personal observation in the form of three questions. In Rotary, do we run events to serve ourselves or to help others? Do we want sponsors to give us their money to finance our Club, or so we can assist others in need? Do we want to plan events for ourselves or for the people who we asking to pay and participate? And with that I’m done. I look forward to coming back next year to listen to someone other than myself.
I think we’ll all appreciate that."
Julie thanked Damien and said we all appreciate the time and effort he put into this wonderful Review each year and also his work each year at the Swim.
Award presentations Highlights
Pictured above (from left to right) are the Awards presented by Pres Arthur. David Smyth was awarded a PHF Sapphire for his wonderful work on the History book. Next Roger Fairlam was awarded his first PHF Sapphire. Geoff Cunningham was also awarded a PHF Sapphire. Then Bulletin Editor Max Martin was awarded a PHF Sapphire. Finally PP Norm Thomas was awarded The Jack Joel Memorial Rotarian of the Year Award for 2023-2024 which was presented to him by Karen Joel.
Pres Arthur Hubbard's final speech as President of our Club
"Last Sunday, I had the honour of attending the District Changeover. This was a strong reminder that presentations, especially from outgoing Presidents, should be short and relevant. And this will be.
First and foremost, I would like to honour the memory of our members, including past members, who passed away during this Rotary year. They are:
- Wayne Sullivan
- Jim Hay
- Trevor Martin OAM
- Past District Governor John King OAM, and his beloved wife Elaine
Their presence is deeply missed.
Now for the year in Review:
My reflection of the year includes being incredibly proud of the Board. They epitomized the qualities I wanted: strong-minded, collaborative, open to being challenged and having robust discussions, but being respectful of diverse ideas and opinions. They reinforced the importance of:
- strong governance and compliance in all our activities which has been lacking, including reinforcing our Club’s policies and protocols.
- ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting, with special, which again had been lacking - with special thanks to Bill Howley
So, to my Board comprising:
- Secretary: Nicole Chong
- Treasurer: PP Bill Howley
- Membership: PP Anthony Langley
- Community: Stuart McMillan
- International: Colleen d’Offay
- Youth and Vocational: Jo Kwok
- Fellowship: Geoff Cunningham
- Fundraising: Rob Pinchbeck
- Club Service: Wendy Davis
- Media and Communications: Narina Amvazas
- Special Advisor & Councillor: Stephanie Hubbard
Thank you all for your dedication and hard work and service to the Brighton Rotary Club. Other thanks are due to the back-office crew – there is a huge effort that happens behind the scenes of our weekly meetings – the likes of Wendy Davis, Glenys Hitchens and Keiran Cromie to name a few.
Highlights of the Year:
While it is customary to summarize the year, I will instead highlight five activities that stand out for me:
- 50th Birthday Celebration:
Our 50th Birthday Celebration at the Sandringham Yacht Club was a remarkable event and enjoyed by all who attended.
2. Support for Remote Indigenous School:
The second was the container sent to one of the remotest primary schools in Australia – a small Indigenous school situated 650K's SW of Alice Springs. The project commenced after an SOS was heard by Colleen and after consultation on the school’s needs, she was able to deliver what they asked for - a container of goods sourced from DIK and Team Sports4all, including shoes, T-shirts, material, musical instruments, footy boots, basket balls, cricket bats, caps, socks, thongs, and the like. The acknowledgement from the school was really special.
3. The Public Defibrillator
The Public Defibrillator Initiative was led by Anne Holland, in collaboration with the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club, Brighton Rotary’s Charitable Trust, and Rotary Foundation, we are installing a public defibrillator at the new Surf Life Saving Club at Brighton Beach. This initiative has the potential to expand beyond Bayside and eventually across Australia.
4. Support for Papua New Guinea:
The fourth initiative was the three shipping containers sent to the remote Sepic region of Papua New Guinea and a model of how an International project should be undertaken, and at only a small cost to the Club through leveraging contacts.
The containers were filled with essential hospital and school equipment, clothing, and sports gear. This was an exceptionally well-thought through initiative, involving local engagement, detailed planning and excellent execution.
5. Science and Engineering Challenge:
We launched the inaugural Science and Engineering Challenge at Deakin University. While this initiative has been successful in other cities in Australia, this was the first time it was held in the Melbourne area, with promising prospects for growth.
There were many other community initiatives, these are detailed in the written summary that I hope you will all take the time to read.
Moving on to the wind-up, I would like to extend special thanks to Julie and Keiran for their professional organisation of today's Changeover and for their unwavering support throughout the year.
Congratulations again to Donna for stepping up with such short notice and limited time to prepare. You are highly capable, and I know you have the full support of our members.
And so members and friends, as we wrap up this Rotary year, let's take a moment to appreciate the journey we've had together - the funds we have raised, the people we have assisted, and the fun we have had. In the spirit of Service Above Self," let’s look forward to another year of camaraderie, and community service.
Finally, thank you to everyone who supported me this year. It has been quite a journey – certainly another few stitches in the rich tapestry of life."
PP Arthur Hubbard
Pres Arthur hands over to incoming President Donna Wright
Outgoing Pres Arthur Hubbard presented the traditional Presidential induction ceremony and then handed over the chains of office to Donna Wright.
President Donna then spoke to her Club Members and partners saying she felt an obligation to give back to the Club that she had enjoyed being a member of for the past two years. She said she wouldn't be able to start immediately because of work pressures which will see her overseas a lot of the time in the next 3 months. She will instead start in October and Vice President PP Ian Stacy will cover for her in her absence. Donna is committed to bringing our Club back to where it should be and will need the help and support of all Members in this cause. She looks forward to being our President in 2024-2025 Rotary year. Donna then introduced her board:
Vice Presidents: PP Ian Stacy & Colleen d'Offay
President Elect: Colleen d'Offay
Secretary: Anthony Langley
Treasurer: PP Bill Howley
Club Service: David Finney
Speaker Seeker: PP Tom Buxton & advisory board
Fellowship: Wendy Davis
Community: Stuart McIntyre
Fundraising - Major Events: PP Norm Thomas
International: Colleen d'Offay
Membership: PP Pat Kearns
Vocational: Rob Pinchbeck
Youth: Jo Kwok
(see photo in Meeting Highlights).
Special Presentation to PP Julie Avery
Max Martin who was on a special mission for Wayne Styles presented Julie with a trophy that Wayne had put together to acknowledge her support for his plan when she was Pres Elect to create the Brighton Classic Car Show as an iconic Club event. Julie didn't hesitate to support the event and said it would help promote our club in the community which it has done for the past 3 years. The trophy has two badges on it - one designed for the event by Max based on the original and the second the original Firbank Classic Car Show badge of 25 years ago.This was a big surprise to Julie and she said she loved it. Julie thanked Wayne for the trophy and wished him well in his recovery from a serious illness.
