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40th Anniversary Celebration 24th April 2001
Then President of Drouin Bill Zeldenryk; Pakenham Terry Williams; Bunyip/Garfield Peter Nadenbousch
The Rotary Club of Pakenham celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a dinner at the Pakenham Racecourse dining room last Tuesday night.
Although anniversary celebrations came early for the club, which was granted charter on 30th June 1961, it did not deter 129 people from attending the celebration - two of whom received prestigious Paul Harris Fellowships.
An ensemble of noted guests arrived for the dinner party, including 21 Past Pakenham Rotarian Presidents,four neighbouring Rotary Club presidents and incoming World President of Inner Wheel International Carol Buchanan.
Past Presidents Eugene Drossaert and Peter Durkin were represented by their widows Nellie and Loris respectively.
The Rotary Club of Pakenham was founded by the Rotary Club of Drouin in 1961.
In 1983 the Rotary Club of Pakenham founded the Rotary Club of Bunyip/Garfield. Special presentations were made to Pakenham President Terry Williams by the President of Drouin Bill Zeldenryk and the Rotary Club of Bunyip/Garfield's President Peter Nadenbousch in recognition of these historic occurrences. All three presidents also combined to cut a 40th anniversary cake.
The evening organised by Pakenham Rotarian Past President Kevin Sheean featured a Powerpoint presentation put together by Rotarian Darren Spargo. The presentation recognised each of the 40 years major projects and the key people involved with the club in those years.
The Club also received a congratulatory letter from Rotary Internat ional President Frank Devlyn, who is based in Illinois. USA. Giving praise to the club for its 40 years service, he wrote:
"The achievements of your club over the last 40 years exemplify the very essence of Rotary service as we strive to advance international understanding, goodwill and peace."
"The Rotary Club of Pakenham has a fine record of service, with a variety of projects over the years that were designed to improve the quality of life in your community and in other parts of the world."
"I encourage you to continue your proactive service approach, with a special emphasis this year on membership development and retention, world population concerns and avoidable blindness. I know that a dedicated club such as yours is up to the challenge."
Paul Harris Fellowships, Rotary's highest award, were received by 1997 Club President Laurie Hudgson and Pakenham's current President Terry Williams for their service to Rotary.
Laurie has been a member of the club since 1992 and Terry since 1990. Both have been important active members of the club and have given invaluable service. Immediate Past District Graeme Begg presented the two men with their Paul Harris Fellowships.
They were congratulated on on their achievements by friends and family. as well as visiting Rotarians from the Rotary Clubs of Kooweerup/Lang Lang, Bunyip/Garfield, Berwick and Drouin.
The Rotary Club of Pakenham has been a proactive club in the district and boasts many activities over its 40 years.
It has also been a key player in helping to establish many services in the district. These include:
The Pakenham Ambulance Service,
The Berwick-Pakenham Historical Society,
The Senior Citizens Club,
The Pakenham High School,
The Pakenham Little Athletics Club,
Meals on Wheels,
The Herb Thomas Memorial Trust,
The P.B.Ronald Memorial Trust as well as others.
Each year the club holds a White Elephant/ Clearing Sale Auction which enables many local residents to have an annual clear-out of unwanted items. It has also held a debutante ball for many years. The money raised from these two major projects ends up in the community as a donation or as part of a project.
Rotary International was founded by Chicago solicitor Paul Harris in 1905, and now boasts about 30,000 clubs worldwide, with more than one million club members.
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