Helen Hartnett, who was joined by family members and several former Club members, provided us with background history on her husband Ralph who was awarded a posthumous Paul Harris Fellow award at the Club Meeting on 28 October 2019.
Ralph was the second President of our club after its charter in 1987. At that time Rotary was a men's club and the members had young families which lead to family friendly activities with BBQs, picnics and cricket matches. Other activities included fund raising with cake stalls, fashion parades (using wives as models) and 2nd hand bookstall sales.
Community involvement included working bees to assist the elderly with gardening, maintenance and painting. Meetings at the time were a little more formal with an elevated head table and monthly ladies nights with "appropriate speakers".
International service saw the first of many exchange students, Bettina Laursen from Denmark, who were hosted by the Club.
Helen thanked the Club for giving them the opportunity to serve and also for the support they received in return.