Rotary Club of Pittwater Pride of Workmanship Awards and 51st Changeover Dinner, 2011
Members and guests of the Rotary Club of Pittwater had a wonderful evening on Wednesday at the annual Changeover and Pride of Workmanship Awards at the Royal Motor Yacht Club at Newport. The food was superb, great music was provided by musicians from Pittwater Uniting Church and the eloquence of invited speakers, Hon. Bronwyn Bishop, Robert Stokes MP and Mayor Harvey Rose was matched by the fluency of the hosting Rotarians. Pittwater Rotarian Bob Moran was introduced by President Larraine Hall to give the Toast and spoke of the Rotary credo ‘Service above Self’.
The evening’s focus was on presenting awards to recognise outstanding work ethics and exceptional dedication to their work in various fields. Employees from Pittwater RSL, the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Pittwater Uniting Church and the Northern Beaches Palliative Care and other members in our community, who have contributed much to all and for all during the last year, were recognised and acknowledged.
The Paul Harris Fellowship Award was awarded this year to Doug Elliot. In speaking of this Larraine Hall prefaced her presentation by explaining “This award is one of the most meaningful ways that Rotary honours fellow Rotarians who provide exemplary support to the community and the world around us.”
Larraine: Doug’s quiet enthusiasm coupled with his desire and passion to support the community makes him a perfect choice for this prestigious award. We are thrilled to bestow this award on such a wonderful individual. This award gives us an opportunity to recognise Doug who truly represents the maxim ‘Service above Self’. As a Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Pittwater since 2006 Doug has been extensively involved in fundraising and community activities.
The Honourable Bronwyn Bishop, past recipient of a sapphire PHF, presented the award to Doug. When asked for a short statement on how it felt to receive this award, Doug replied;
I can only say that I was caught completely off-guard by the award. I don't do the work for the kudos, of course, but it is really nice to be recognised with such an honour, especially when it comes from the people I've worked to closely with.
President for 2011/12 Hans Carlborg introduced Avalon architect Emile Jansen for a special Community Award, announcing this gentleman had contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the Cora Adcock Cottage and regenerated the forward movement of its expansion project. Palliative Care and the annual Spring Concert (Sept.7), which aims this year to provide funds to extend the work of this valuable MVH clinic were another focus of the Changeover evening.
Larraine Hall, President for 2010-11, who had nominated Hans Carlborg to be President for 2011-11 then invited Hans Carlborg to the stage and the Changeover ceremony took place.
Excerpts from those who spoke:
Larraine Hall, President 2010-11, in signing off from a very busy year where she has worked extremely hard;
“I would like to thank my fellow directors for their guidance and sipport throughout my term as President. Pittwater Rotarians I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the trust you placed in me. It has been a privilege to serve as President of this club.
Robert Stokes MP who had been asked by new President to speak on Palliative Care, particularly the Cora Adcock Cottage at Mona Vale Hospital:
There’s a wonderful quote from John Oxenham “Death begins at life’s first breath but life begins at touch of death”. One thing that we often forget is that people who have terminal illnesses are very much alive, have every ability to contribute to society through relationships and love and they need our support. The mark of our society is how we care for those who need our support the most. That is the importance of palliative care.
Now onto the practicality; on the Northern Beaches we have ….
The last time the Liberal Government was in power in NSW in 1995 we stated we’d match the Community dollar for dollar for the construction of a Hospice at MVH. That promise unfortunately was never delivered upon due to the change of Government. While the community had gone to huge lengths to raise a considerable amount, several hundred thousands towards supporting the project, the NSW Government never delivered and the money raised was held up in State Government Bureaucracy for many years, for which they charged a management fee, which was absolutely appalling, but, due to the valiant efforts, particularly of Eileen Gordon, President of the MVH Auxiliary, that money has now been released and the extensions to the Cora Adcock Palliative Care will soon begin. Of course there’s one part of the picture that has not been realised and that’s the original commitment NSW Liberal Government. Hans has asked me in very direct terms to consider that unfinished business and to consider it my duty to get that money from the NSW Government. Now, I’m not in a position to be able to make that commitment this evening, however I am more then happy to be judged on my ability to get that money for us.
(Applause)
Hold your applause for when that occurs. But certainly I stand here tonight very happy to be judged on that because I do think it is a superbly located site and superb service is provided to those with a terminal illness and their families and there is a pressing need for Governments to provide more to this service. When I consider it against some of the other priorities that compete for funding it is very difficult to consider any other application for funding that is more important then this one. So I’m very happy to work with Pittwater Rotary and the Hospital Auxiliary and the general community to ensure that the Cora Adcock Palliative Care and Day Hospital receives the money and funding that our community so richly needs and deserves.
Mayor Harvey Rose who had been asked to speak on Council’s commitment to the Rotary Club of Pittwater:
Our aim is to keep Pittwater the way people want it, not only environmentally, there’s no more beautiful environment, our beaches, our natural environment, our villages, it’s marvellous. But commitment is more then that, it’s also cultural and it’s that we have to keep also; not just our external environment but our internal communal environment. It’s terribly important. That’s where Rotary is important, and that’s where all of our volunteer groups are so important. As I’ve mentioned in the past, it is an essential thing in Pittwater that so many people volunteer; one in four people in Pittwater volunteer in some voluntary organisation. That is something that we have to keep and we have to grow. And that’s why Rotary is so important, it’s all about that ethos, that ethic.
What you give us more then anything else is not just Events but also an ethic caught up with volunteering that says ‘the right thing to do is to help other people and to help community’ and that’s what Rotary does and that’s what our volunteer ethic in Pittwater is about, and that, even more importantly, is something we have to ensure is maintained right down the years. So to Hans, and Rotary and to all people in Voluntary Organisations, thanks for that ethic and let’s continue…
Hon. Bronwyn Bishop
We have come together tonight to recognise those who are seen as making an outstanding contribution to our community. When we talk about our community we are a very inclusive lot, we have a passion and caring for all people in it, it doesn’t matter how young, how old, how ordinary, how outstanding, each and every one of those people are equal contributors to our community. Tonight we have come together to celebrate those who have been just a little bit more outstanding and this is an important thing for us to do because we are honouring someone who is doing just a bit more and giving a bit more and worthy of that recognition so that other people will be inspired by that…
Rob tonight gave a very spirited and passionate description of the need for Palliative Care and I just …thought he was speaking for all of us who care about each other. I, for one, could never ever support euthanasia. I, for one, fully support palliative care. That’s what makes us a civilised society; we care for everybody through every phase of life. We do this because we care about life…being lived… right to the end. Anyone who goes to any of the events that occur at the Palliative Care unit at the Hospital knows there’s a lot of joy there.
On the Paul Harris Fellowship Award:
I remember how humble I felt when the citation was read out for me, and when I heard the citation read out this evening I though, here is a man valued by his community, who is delivering services and hope and inspiration to people within our community.
In Closing
Civilisation is something we earn, it’s not innate, it’s something we have to create, and we do it because we’re intelligent human beings and work together to achieve a set of goals and desirable outcomes that we believe will enhance and make life better for our fellow human beings. To me that is an intrinsic part of public life and the responsibility with which I am charged; to ensure or at least to create an environment in which people flourish. Rotary, with which I am proud to be associated, I believe to be a very very strong force for good. …. When I look around this room this evening I see people who give and give and give and I would like to thank every one of you and to acknowledge the service which has been outstanding. Thank you for letting me share a few thoughts with you and congratulations to everyone present.