(President Keith Millington with speaker Rotarian Ro Forgan.)

 

Wow!  Sometimes a Rotarian has done SO much with their life and has such a resume that it is almost impossible for this poor editor to keep up and do them justice.  I might have to revert to dot points to get it all in.

 

Ro was born in 1946.  Her father was a teacher at Nuri High which meant the family moved a lot.  At the age of two the family made their first move to Port Augusta where they lived with Ro's grandparents.  Ro attributes her resilience to her grandmother's influence.  In fact, by the time Ro was 16 she had lived in 10 houses and attended seven schools.  After graduating at the age of 16, Ro attended Adelaide University as part of the architecture cohort, the only girl no less. 

 

After graduating from university Ro worked in many varied fields (considering she trained as an architect!):

 

*  Draftsperson with Bechtel Pacific translating surveyor's notes onto aerial photos of the Moomba-Adelaide gas pipeline

*  Won a full-time full-salary scholarship to study group work at SAIT

*  Set up the first after school program in the State at Mansfield Park

*  Worked at Youth Project Centre with troubled youth.  It was here she met Brian

*  Worked at Crisis Care Unit from 1981-1991 which was a 24 hour mobile service and included intervening in domestic violence situations and child protection

*  In 1992 Ro moved to Kangaroo Island to set up a suicide prevention program to assist with the high rate of suicides on the island.  She had to return to the mainland when she contracted  lung disease.  During Ro's year there, there was not a single suicide, she says due to the community being so motivated.

*  Worked in the Education Department developing staff counselling and rehabilitation

* Developed staff counselling and debriefing policy after critical incidents in prisons.  In Ro's first year they saved $2 million in workers compensation claims

*  Ro then moved to the non-government sector but retired on her 55th birthday

*  Worked at Relationships Australia

 

Phew!

 

In her free time Ro had two children, Emma and Andy.  She and Brian are now grandparents.  They both love to travel and have visited places such as Spice Islands, Vanuartu, Macquarie Island, Komodo and have done the Overland Track twice.  Her resilience came to the fore as she battled and beat lung disease and had brain surgery due to a large left occipital meningioma.

 

Ro's Rotary history includes time in the Kangaroo Island, Mitcham and Barossa Districts clubs but we are all pleased she decided to land finally in our club!

 

 

                         A most worthy recipient.

 

(R-L President Keith Millington, recipient Rotarian Peter Sich and the Most Marvellous Mignon.)

 

Last night President Keith Millington awarded Rotarian Peter Sich the Sapphire award for service above and beyond his Paul Harris Fellow. 

 

President Keith outlined Peter Sich's many accomplishments especially in the diverse catering requirements of the club, noting especially how famous he's become due to his skill in cooking salmon at the Soiree, a fact many a Rotarian can attest to.

 

Peter, a grateful club congratulates and salutes you.

                                     Announcements 

 

A report from Sandie Simons re Tour Down Under Family Picnic at Bethany Wines, Tuesday 21st January 2020

Attended by 21, including Barossa & Districts Combined Probus Club members.

Thanks Geoff Schrapel for the use of your venue and your very generous assistance with making the event comfortable for everyone, ie wine and food platters and very importantly a portaloo!

Thanks to Club members who assisted with provision of shade etc, and to John Semmler for bringing the Rotary trailer and helping with set up and to all who helped with packing up.

A message of thanks was received from Malcolm and Joylene Seppelt, from Probus Club: “Thank you for your invitation to join your fellow Rotarians at Bethany today. It was a lovely venue and with excellent company. Congratulations on this initiative and thanks to Geoff Schrapel for their support. Kind regards Malcolm and Joylene Seppelt.”

 

I thought last night's Rotary information was especially interesting and relevant so have decided to include some of it for those who didn't attend.

 

"Rotary is one of the world's leading humanitarian organisations so it's no surprise how a report from academics in America details the scale of its impact globally.  According to a new study released by Johns Hopkins Centre of Civil Society Studies in Baltimore USA, Rotary International annually:"

 

*  Volunteer hours equivalent to 27,000 full-time workers.

*  Volunteers save communities approximately US$850 million    annually.

*  Rotary does 47 million volunteer hours per year.  Although, we as a club are deplorable at keeping records of same and, assuming other clubs are as deficient, this figure is most likely much higher.

*  Rotarians aged 56 and over represent over half of these volunteer hours whilst those aged 25-55 represent one third.

*  98% of Rotarians said delivering community service was important to them joining Rotary.

 

Thanks, Terry.