Valedictory Address By 2004/2004 President Bob Glindemann

Rotarians and Guests,

Today brings to an end the most satisfying, exciting yet demanding year I have spent in my 30 years as a member of a Rotary Club.  One year ago I was honoured to be entrusted by you with the Presidency of this Club and be presented with the Club President's badge by Past President Tony.  Today I am both delighted, yet quite sad, to be passing that badge to our next President Anne Jacques as our organisation begins its Centenary Year in Rotary service.  This Rotary Club - The Rotary Club of Melbourne is an amazing body of people who in the past year have given real meaning and life to RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe's theme of "Lend a Hand".

Many of you were present last week when our two Vice-Presidents Pauline Burren and Ian Ross detailed the incredible number of activities and projects across each of the Rotary Avenues of Service that catalogued this past year of our Rotary experience.  I do not intend to repeat them again save to say to each of you - thank you for your individual and collective contributions to another magnificent year in The Rotary Club of Melbourne's rich history.

It is not until you have the privilege to be the President of this Club that you have a real appreciation of the remarkable array of activities we undertake.  It is also very apparent that we are moving into an era of larger and more complex projects where considerable innovative thought is necessary to raise the funds needed.   We continue to do that great array of small projects that have just as profound an impact on the lives of our fellow citizens.  These also include those RI and District programs we all know and love and that list is a long one.

It is also pleasing to report that we will finish the year with seven more members than we had at the start of the Rotary year.  This is particularly important for us as membership that grows is vital to the continuing success of our Club and I am sure Anne will look to continue this growth in our Centenary year.

In thanking you for your efforts, might I also thank your "Family in Rotary" - your wives, husbands, partners, children and organisations for the part they have played in supporting your Rotary activities and making it such a an enjoyable year for both Heather and I.

Just 12 months ago I spoke about the four themes that President Jonathan asked us to consider in planning our year's activities:-

1.      The alleviation of poverty through sustainable economic development and vocational training.

2.      The attack on literacy.

3.      The eradication of disease; and

4.      The Family of Rotary to involve all members of our Rotary family.

We addressed all of these themes very well in our many project and group activities throughout the year.  We can confidently report that Jonathan's challenges to us did not go unanswered over this past 12 months.

In considering our activities for 2003/04 I suggested that they might be summed up in the word "FOCUS":-

Fellowship and fun, Organisation, Communication- I hope that the many three minute spots have greatly improved your knowledge of the Club's activities, although some of you must have a very different watch to mine!!  United in Service  - as we proceeded to "Lend a Hand".  From my perspective we delivered very well against this criteria.  

This incredible range of activities did not take place without enthusiastic and effective support from many other people - let me mention them here.

·         Our DG Don Jago and Marjorie - Don it's been a great year in District 9800.  Congratulations on your leadership and achievements - your support for our Club has been strong and unwavering.

·         Our DG Elect Judy Nettleton and John - congratulations.  I know that you will have our support for your programs this coming year.

·         Our AG John Mollison and Anthea - your support too has been great - I will miss those early morning breakfast meetings on the other side of town!

·         To my Board of Directors - a very busy and satisfying year - thank you for your collective wisdom and the effective steward-ship of your Committees.  Thanks also to the many Committee Chairs for your enthusiasm and effective contributions.

·         To the other office bearers  - our Treasurer Ted Garland who is putting away his ledger after this year but passing to Bill Charlton, a club in sound financial health.

·         Our office Manager Lee O'Grady.  Lee - you are a gem!  Effective, efficient dedicated and so often a mind reader - thank you for a job well done.

·         And our Secretary Murray "Muzza" Campbell - I could not have had a better one - organised, disruptive, thorough, responsive, totally supportive and a lot of fun to be around.  Anne, thank you for allowing him to do it.

·         Heather - the last function this Rotary year!  Thank you for your understanding, unwavering support and assistance and yes  - I will now get rid of that big stack of paper in the study!

In closing, can I again thank each and every member of this club for your frequent words of encouragement and advice, your support and the privilege of serving as you President this past year.  It is an experience that I doubt will ever be repeated.

And so to the RI Centenary Year and the pleasure it is for me to introduce our President for 2004/2005 - Anne Jacques.  Anne joined our Club on the 27th June 1990.  She was the tenth lady to be inducted and almost to the day 14 years later she will be the first lady member to lead our Club.  Anne was born on the 29th December just a few years ago in Grappenhall, Cheshire, England and after her education in Cheshire, North Wales and Dublin, playing lacrosse, tennis and cricket (she was the wicket keeper) she married and headed to Australia via New Zealand on a cargo ship - a six week trip.

After a short time in Sydney, Anne moved to Melbourne in 1964 where for the next 32 years she worked in quite a number of areas of social and community welfare.  These included appointments at Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Social Welfare, Doncaster Community Care and Counselling Centre, as Community Development Officer for City of Doncaster and Templestowe and then a 13-year term as Executive Director for Victorian Council of the Ageing.

Throughout much of this time she supported Gordon in his Rotary membership at the Rotary Club of Donvale and subsequently The Rotary Club of Sorrento where they have lived since 1995.

Since her induction, Anne has been actively involved in every facet of the Club with membership of many Committee's including Chair of Welfare of Elderly, Horizons and Information Committees, Vice-Chair of House of Friendship Committee for the RI Convention in 1993, Group Captain of Mornington Peninsula and Doncaster - Templestowe Groups, a Board Director and Vice President.  In 2000 we named her a Paul Harris Fellow.

Anne's move to Sorrento did not herald any slowing down in activity as she was then Convenor of the Friends of the Quarantine Museum and VP of the Nepean Historical Society. She currently chairs Peninsula Health Southern Sites Community Advisory Committee and is a Board Member of Royal Freemasons Homes of Victoria.

Anne has two grown children by her first marriage - a son Mark and a daughter Sandi who is a member of The Rotary Club of Heathrow so the dynasty continues.  Whilst Anne enjoys Gordon's four grandchildren, she was over the moon when Mark and Jaine's identical twin daughters were born in January last year.

In her small amount of spare time, Anne enjoys the arts, every opportunity to travel, try's to master the game of golf, cooking and in keeping with a recently established tradition, like me and Tony Kosky before me, supports that great footy team - "The Blues"

Anne, you bring to this club a wonderful depth of Rotary knowledge and experience, abounding enthusiasm for the task and a firm resolve to lead our Club to great things in this RI Centenary year.  It now gives me much pleasure to pass to you a much lighter Presidential Chain of Office, the President's lapel pin and very importantly the key to the Rotary office.

I know that you will be a great President and we extend to you our congratulations and best wishes for an exciting Centenary year ahead in The Rotary Club of Melbourne.

Melbourne Rotarians and guests - our new President Anne Jacques.