The Rotary Foundation gives recognition for a $ US 1,000 donation to the Foundation through a Paul Harris Fellowship (PHF). This club, like most clubs in Australia, choose to transfer the credits the club earns through its contributions to recognition of worthy members of our club and community. It is the highest recognition this club chooses to give.
President David Proposch recognised the contributions of three Rotarians at this year's Handover Dinner.
Ian Bennett
Local boy, done good! That is both in the giving and the receiving. Father of Mark & Lauren and grandfather to five. Never accused of making his stories short, Ian has never been short in contributing to his community.
Ian has been a Scout leader for eight years, a coach at the Drouin Basketball Club and a volunteer at Drouin West Fire Brigade. In 1987 he joined APEX club of Drouin and after many year’s service and leadership, he was awarded Life Membership.
Ian joined Drouin Rotary on 4th October 2005 and served as President ten years later.
Jan tells us that Ian “loves to have old fashioned, unsafe fun with the "grandies"…lighting fires, mowing lawns and stick fights.” Well, we rather knew that Jan. One word: MOTORFEST
Ian, and his mate and fellow petrol head Leigh, were the key initiators of our adventures in the world of noise, smoke, black dust, huge workloads, tattooed younger persons and….let’s acknowledge it…truly rewarding experiences on so many levels. Ian, in Rotary and Gippsland Tuff Streeters hats, was also marshall, spruiker, announcer and even ruckus apologist.
Thanks Ian your significant contribution to the $453 thousand we gave away to worthy causes and the nearly $800 thousand we injected into the district’s economy. Thank you Mark and Lauren for joining us.. CONGRATULATIONS Ian
Ian Haughton
To quote close, personal acquaintance Jeannie: “Good man, good son, good father to three sons, good husband. Never underestimate the word good. Our whole society relies on good people who do good work. Main flaw - loves footy - North Melbourne member of long standing.”
Ian & Jeannie have been local residents for almost 45 years, moving to the Drouin when Ian started as a Maths teacher at Drouin High, finishing his career in education with GMH, working in several different capacities.Early love of bushwalking and canoeing led to a love of travelling and camping around Australia. He is the very proud owner of an off-road campervan, a caravan, two trailers, two four wheel drives and a spare car. As you know he spends part of each year travelling to far flung, isolated places, and camping with friends and posting Facebook photos of his latest culinary delight...beauty of course is in the eye of the beholder!
Ian has contributed to the community in many ways through his adult years. He has always been a hard-working member of committees, willing to put his efforts into both the administrative and physical side of organisations. He has considerable involvement with the West Gippsland Hockey association, working in particular on the undercover shelter for spectators. Ian also spent lots of Saturday mornings organising VicKick at the Drouin Football oval.
When the Haughton lads were at Kindergarten, the Sinclair St/Adam Crt kinder was run by Rotarian Pauline Maunder, and Ian was a committee member, staying on as President to steer the building of the new centre in Adam Crt. To quote Pauline “Ian guided, negotiated & directed with me as the Director of the Kinder with the Shire to build & relocate the Kinder from Sinclair St to Adam Court. His logical & clear sightedness was greatly appreciated in the negotiations with the Shire over the grounds & buildings.”
But for Drouin Rotary, which Ian joined on 14th September 2010, it is his eye for detail, determination for order and organisation ….. and his preparedness, if not enthusiasm, to grizzle and gripe when things are not going fully to script, that have significantly contributed to the successful operation Lardner Park Motorfest, over most its years, through his volunteer rosters and general management.
Ian now loves his lawn bowls and volunteers on the Board of Management, the Match Committee and is pleased to tell everyone he is currently a published author (the Drouin Bowling Club Match Fixtures booklet). He has also improved his bowling skills and I’m told, by Ian, he is becoming quite an asset to teams in which he plays.
A good bloke, loves to be with his mates and telling stories, and, he is known to be partial to a drop of red. Thank you Russell and Tim for joining us. CONGRATULATIONS Ian
John Tricarico
Well, we do not know quite as much about Trickie as the Ian’s. We do know, however, that a lot of members of this club cannot pronounce his name…which is surprising because “John” should not be that hard!
One thing we do know about people of Italian ancestry, because we have all seen ‘The Godfather’ is that life is about “family”. And, as John’s wife and partner Deb told me, his life has been family, family, family…..and business, which is of course, more family.
John & Deb moved to Drouin and into a house sold by Peter Williams, who suggested John might like to join Rotary. Many months later, on 15th November 2011 he did just that. And from day 1 he has been fully engaged with the club and its members.
We all know how proud John is of Silvan and how he takes every opportunity to advise potential clients where they should look for best products. He often disappears at Farm World for the hospitality of the Silvan marquee. Those able to attend thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the Silvan factory in Dandenong earlier this year.
We know of the tragic loss experienced by the Tricarico family and of the ongoing issues with troublesome backs, but that is where the Rotary family has rallied, where invited. And John & Deb have reciprocated.
But there is one activity that John has almost made his own …. neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds….or in John’s case, from running the monthly Drouin Craft & Produce Market, first as Bill Petschack’s right-hand-man and then as The Boss, a with Roger Playdon of late.
For the time being, John and Deb have decided not to move away from Drouin … that is our gain and the Peninsula’s loss. Thank you Shane for coming to join us. CONGRATULATIONS John