Rotary welcomes new team

Rotary board members 2024-25

18th Jun 2024

The Rotary Club of Guyra held its annual changeover on Saturday evening, 15th June, at the Guyra Bowling and Recreation Club. Outgoing President David Kanaley handed over the Club Charter to incoming President Hans Hietbrink.
Hans stated that the focus of the Rotary Club of Guyra over the next year will be twofold.
Firstly, the Club’s emphasis will be on refurbishing the old Scout Hall in Nincoola Street. The Rotary Club has been appointed as Crown Land Manager for this building and with a grant from the NSW Government’s Crown Lands Improvement Fund, the Club will employ local tradespeople to undertake repairs and renovations to make the hall fit for purpose so that it can be used by the club and other community groups.
This will be a major project that will improve the Crown reserve asset and will also benefit the community and boost the local economy.
Secondly, the Club’s aim is to increase membership numbers by inviting more members of the community to join Rotary. Rotary is a worldwide community service organisation.
In Guyra the Club’s primary focus is on serving the local community. People who have a desire to contribute to the benefit of the community are encouraged to become involved in Rotary.

President’s report
It’s my pleasure to report on the Club’s activities in 2023/24.
The Bookfair was again held in conjunction with TroutFest in October 2023. This was the Bookfair’s 2nd year. It is a growing event as evidenced by the increase in the amount of funds it raised and the days it operated.
The Christmas Carnival was for the first time in 2023 a shared event with Armidale Regional Council. The 2023 Christmas Carnival was bigger and better than ever. The choirs that entertained the public were particularly noteworthy, especially the large Pacific Islander Choir. The live reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh were also a highlight.
Late in 2023 the Club became the Crown Land Manager for the old Scout Hall in Guyra. The Club’s application for a Crown Lands Improvement Fund’s grant was successful. The Grant will enable the Club to begin works on the foundations, drainage, windows, electrical, plumbing, asbestos removal, painting and a disability access ramp so that the Hall can again become fit for purpose meeting modern building, health, and safety standards for the Club’s and community use.
On Remembrance Day, 11th November 2023, the Rotary BBQ in APEX Park, Bradley Street Guyra was opened to the public. This project involved $12,000 of Rotary funds comprising two Rotary District grants of $4,000 each supplemented by $4,000 from Club funds. This was another shared project with the Armidale Regional Council, which provided additional funding, absorbed staff costs, and carried out all the work in respect to the construction of the BBQ including a cement slab, electricity connection and impressive shelter area extending over the BBQ and picnic tables.
Club Service under the direction of Martha Weiderman has had a very successful year in organising our ongoing calendar of events, fortnightly dinner meetings, this Change-over dinner, guest speakers, a joint lunch with the Rotary Club of Glen Innes at the Red Lion Tavern at Glencoe, a shared lunch with the Rotary Clubs of Dorrigo and Armidale AM at Fusspots Café, Ebor and the like.
Community Service under the direction of Patricia Tims was equally active with multiple wood raffles, Christmas raffle, a Father’s Day raffle, and the bookfair. A special thank you to both the Rotary Clubs of Armidale Central and Dorrigo and to the Guyra community for their support of our bookfair by the collection and donation of books.
Our Club’s International Service under the direction of Wendy Mulligan, saw the Club distribute 35 sanitary kits to adolescent students in grades 6-8 at Mikwen Primary School, Eldoret, Kenya.
Wendy also began another project aimed at providing 20-50 baby bundles to a yet to be decided Pacific Islander community. This project recognises the fact that the Guyra community is now closely linked with Pacific Islander communities through many hundreds of islanders working in Guyra’s tomato farms.
The Club saw local student Ingrid Geere return from Mexico in December after a successful international student exchange program placement. The Club has also supported Izzy Dick to attend RYLA – the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards in Stuarts Point in June this year. This was a combined initiative with the Armidale Central Rotary Club.
A new Club member, Garren Beattie, was welcomed into the position of Vocational Service and Public Image. The Public Image component was a new addition to the Club’s list of service areas. Garren, being computer literate and well versed in social media, has completely upgraded our community profile and public image through social media channels.
The Club has donated $4,000 to the BBQ project and $500 to support our Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) candidate. The Club also provided financial support for the End of Year Presentation Prizes in our local schools with $70 going to each of Bald Blair, Ben Lomond and Black Mountain Primary Schools, $100 to St. Mary of the Angels Primary School and $200 to the Guyra Central School.
In addition, the Club managed the Edith Doyle Memorial bequest through its accounts and transferred $3,956 to the Ben Lomond school.
The Club has 12 members of whom 9 are particularly active. The remaining three must balance other life and work commitments but participate as they are able. Over the year the Club had one member resign and another two came on board.
In conclusion, none of the Club’s achievements this year would have been possible without the hard work and commitment of the Board, especially our Secretary, Hans Hietbrink OAM and Treasurer, Jenny Cumming, other members, their partners, and friends of the Club. I’d like to record my appreciation of their efforts and support for me as President.
Another highlight is the cooperation and partnership with Armidale Regional Council on two projects – the BBQ installation and Christmas Carnival. I hope this cooperative and partnership arrangement can continue and extended to other clubs and organisations.
The Rotary Club is now using, the services of Armidale Community Correction Services to help Council mow the grass around the recently completed BBQ and, if necessary, the Rotary Hall. The Armidale Community Correction Services has also expressed its interest in helping with the Rotary Hall restoration project. The cooperative partnership established with the Armidale Central Rotary Club and the Dorrigo Rotary Club in respect to our October bookfair is also very pleasing.
David Kanaley,
President 2023/24

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