Rotary Reflection & Thanks
Good afternoon Rotarians & Guests present and online today.
When reading this weeks Bulletin I was somewhat surprised to read under Member Anniversaries that it is 38 years this week since I joined our great Club.
To that end I thought I would be a little indulgent and reflect in a small way on my most enjoyable tenure to date with Melbourne Rotary.
The camaraderie and friendships with current Members and sadly those who are no longer with us, developed in so many ways including weekly luncheons, community projects and group meetings which I have always found to be integral to Club life.
My older Brother Ian supported my membership into the Club and I was inducted by President John Urbahns who passed away in 2012 aged 85 years.
John was a terrific fellow and a Civil Engineer who commenced his career with the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electricity Authority and held Director roles with Civil & Civic, Fluor, Lend Lease and Chaired the Victorian Railways Construction Board. I am sure his expertise and wisdom would be greatly valued overseeing some of the major projects that have “gone off the rails “.
Clearly my highlight was the honour to be elected as President in 2000 – 2001 and with the wonderful assistance of Past President, David Wittner and Secretary, John Mitchell amongst others, celebrating our 80TH Anniversary at Parliament House with 400 guests in attendance including State Governor, John Landy and Professor Geoffrey Blainey. The lowlight was the torrential rain on the day that resulted in chairs under the marquee sinking into the soggy lawn. John Landy commented “this is the only time guests have been under the table prior to my address”.
One of my other special memories was establishing our East Timor Roofing Project Committee and raising $50.000.00 in conjunction with The Rotary Club of Albert Park at a breakfast to help fund the project, which has proven to be a highly successful venture for the people of East Timor.
We can be so proud as a Club of the ongoing commitment and dedication of some of our Members initiating and being involved with a range of East Timor projects,.
It is timely that we are welcoming Emeritus Professor Ian Harper AO as our Guest Speaker today with rising interest rates impacting so many people.
I noted that Ian was National Australia Bank, Professor of Monetary & Financial Economics from July1988 – Feb 1993.
Unfortunately our Home Loan from NAB, like many customers, climbed 10% to around 17% at the time but I am sure this decision was outside Ian’s remit!
Thankyou for the friendships and I look forward to the ongoing success of our Club.
Thank you to Peter Dakin for last week's reflection, on Wednesday 30 September 2026.
