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President Usha's Notes
2 June 2021
Dear fellows,
"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art. . . . . it has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which gives value to survival." 50th anniversary recap It is often said that in ROTARY, people find themselves standing in the right place at the right time doing the right thing with the right people. And so it was on the night of Saturday, the 29th of May, when we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Strathfield with a gathering of 160 Rotarians, partners, friends and guests at the Strathfield Event Centre. Months of diligent work came to fruition in this perfect event that left everyone absolutely glued to their chairs, listening to the speakers in pin drop silence, interspersed with the sweetest of music and the loud hum of conversation whenever a break allowed, thereby creating one great festive atmosphere. I and membership of our club are deeply indebted to the 50th Anniversary Committee Chair PP Roger Vince and his team, PDG David Croft, PP Peter Manenti, PP Rod McDougall, PP Raymond McCluskie, PP Rick Vosila, Dir Alexey Prokopenko, Ying Ho, P-n Andrew Aravanis, P-e Thaya Ponniah and many others. Thinking creatively and working consistently, this mega horsepower team put this event together that in the end exceeded expectations. Special mention for PP Raymond McCluskie for creating long list of names from the past years and diligently following them up almost to the last day, without which we would not have the presence of many members and friends who had moved to other clubs and locations. Never-fail PP Rick Vosila as MC provided the perfect commencement to the evening and instilled a kind of upbeat energy which kept the entire evening full of life while ensuring speakers around the lectern delivering the best. The perfect show was laden with mirth as four great orators (PPs Roger Vince, Raymond McCluskie, Peter Manenti,, and Arie Pappas) from our club reminisced the bygone years, the people (some of 'character') and projects (some 'failed ones') in which the club had been involved. Each relating their quarter of the 50 years with their unique style and excellence that we have come to expect from a Rotarian. These stories had the audience in absolute stitches. PDG Lloyd Roever provided early anecdotes and a warm toast to Rotary Club of Strathfield, and PDG David Croft beautifully summarised the evening and thanked the guests, members, partners, friends and former members, some coming from afar to attend the gala event. Many thanks to our District Governor Warwick Richardson for his wonderful words of praise for the achievements of our club in these 50 years and bringing to us the warm message from RI President Holger Knaack. Thanks also to Ms. Jacqui Thorburn for bringing to us the message of congratulations from Ms Jodi McKay MP, our State representative and presenting the Hansard from the Parliament of NSW. A great highlight of the evening was the entertainment provided by three gorgeous young musicians, our own Music Muse dear Ying Ho (on the keyboard), with vocals from dear Tanisha Ponniah and violin by dear Justine Zhang. These melodious music interludes were accompanied by a delectable entree and dinner provided by our gracious host Forte. But there was more. Every now and then, the screens came alive with stunning effects as the meticulously curated 200 slides rolled on -- thanks to the impeccable collection compiled by Alexey covering the 50 years. Thanks to PP Rod McDougall for putting the program booklet together and Leslie Smallwood of Select Print for producing the attractive printing in a short time frame. And what is a Rotary event without a mega raffle (courtesy Andrew Aravanis) not to mention the delightful spontaneous break-out auction from PP Peter Manenti. With some super prizes, including a diamond ring, the evening generated over $3400 for the Children's Medical Research Institute. And whereto from here -- clearly, MC Rick Vosila had given much thought to the future directions of our club. So thoroughly presented was this futuristic management plan that I was transported back to my University days recapitulating on a missed MBA lecture. If this is the future, the incoming presidents have their work well and truly cut out. P-e Thaya Ponniah, Jan Barrett, Jan Vince, and many members spent hours at the venue (no doubt helping AA!) in setting the memorabilia in those special formations. All this and more from the evening has been captured in-toto by our very professional photographer Bradley Ayres and his new acquired protege Steven Argyris. I heard they even managed to squeeze 25 or so PPs together for a shot! Onya Bradley! Last but not the least, my apology if I have missed anyone, but I can say that seen or not, mentioned or not, all members contributed in spirit if not by their presence. Such events only succeed with the effort and good wishes from all.
The Youth Awards preparations are going great with Ed Dunlop and his team (Peter Smith, Arie Pappas, Steve Argyris, Bradley Ayres) making good progress. The committee met this week to discuss and finalise the distribution of awards. Thank you team for your valuable time and excellence in putting this all together for the awards presentation night on 18th June. Our last Board meeting of the year this month will be a joint one with the existing and incoming Board. Please bring to attention any issues or matters of interest. This week we will have the opportunity to hear from Tracy Burjan & Margaret Coote on the “The importance of music in young people”. Please note that this is a in-person meeting at the Strathfield Event Centre.
Look forward to our meeting
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