President's Report
Vale PDG Lawrence Atley AOM (8th December 1938 – 21 September 2022)
The passing of Lawrence Atley is another sad milestone for our club. Lawrence was a dedicated and passionate Rotarian who enjoyed and valued his time in Rotary and the friends he made there.
Lawrence died on Wednesday 21st September around 8:00pm with Margaret at his side.
At the recent Changeover night John Granger organised a video tribute to Lawrence to celebrate his 50 years of service. Fortunately Lawrence was well enough to attend in person, was in good spirits enjoying catching up with people he hadn’t seen for quite a while.
The tribute at Changeover was special for Lawrence and Margaret as their daughter Celia Morgan and grandson were both in attendance. Lawrence’s contribution to Footscray Rotary and to District 9800 was significant, serving as a Club President and as a District Governor. His positive impact extended to individuals within the club as shown in tributes from John Granger, Carol Castano and Frank Brown.
I have spoken to Margaret and passed on condolences from our club. I encourage all members if possible, to attend the funeral at 11am on Wednesday 5th October at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, 30 Fitzgerald St, South Yarra.
Regionalisation Vote
Thank you to all club members who let me know how they wished the club to use its one vote. Everyone who responded wanted a vote of Yes to the Regionalisation proposal. There were some reservations but overall it was seen as a positive move.
Rotary International Convention Melbourne May 2023
If you are thinking of attending the conference in May be aware that prices increase by $100 on 16th December. See details later in Bulletin. Ticket sales are now in local dollars and you can purchase tickets at convention.rotary.org/en/melbourne
The Rotary Club of Flemington has nominated to hold a Club Hosting evening of Monday 29th May 2023. If successful it will be held at the Clocktower in Moonee Ponds and will be a great opportunity for us to be involved and meet Rotarians from all over the world. There will be opportunities to assist at the event and also to attend the event which will be music by Silvie Palladino with food and drinks.
Congratulations to Fred Maddern and his team of Rotarians, students from Footscray City Secondary School and Maribyrnong Council for the very successful tree planting day at Doug Mills Reserve.
Khushal Khan one of our newest Rotary members was a wonderful speaker on the 1st September. He gave us much to think about when he spoke on “Energy Transition – An Engineer’s Perspective.” Khushal has family in Pakistan that are being affected by the floods, so this was a very timely talk in a world becoming more affected by climate change.
Terry McGarity was a perfect speaker leading up to the AFL Grand Final. He helped to add to the excitement and enthusiasm felt when a grand final is in the air. Terry is a former VFL/VFA player, a District League coach, umpire and a coach to aspiring umpires.