District 9640  Australia

Rotary Service by Brian Knowles

Brian Knowles at Government House, Brisbane

Past Rotary International Director/Treasurer and member of Parkwood Rotary Club, Brian Knowles,was honoured with the announcement on Australia Day 2000 of  the award to him of an AM (Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia).

 Brian has been a Rotarian since 1960, served as Club President 1963/64, District  Governor (D9600) 1969/70 and Director of Rotary International 1986/88, serving also  as R.I. Treasurer in 1987/88. In 2008/09 he was recipient of Rotary's Service Above Self Award.

 He was vice-chairman of the 1990 Portland R.I. Convention Committee, chairman of the  1993 Melbourne Convention Committee, vice-chairman of the Council on Legislation in Caracas, Venezuela in 1995 and parliamentarian to the 1998 Council in Delhi.

Brian served on the nominating committee for the President of R.I. on six occasions, including twice as Chairman. He has represented Presidents at some forty (40) District Conferences over the years in twelve (12) countries.

He served as chairman, Western Pacific Polio Plus Committee from 1991 until the region was certified polio free in 2001.During that time he attended World Health meetings in countries throughout the region, and served as Chairman of World Health 's Regional Interagency Co-ordinating Committee throughout the period. From 1990 on behalf of the Rotary Foundation and in conjunction with the World Bank he supervised Rotary's US$15 million contribution towards a new polio vaccine facility in Kunming, China. Brian is currently Rotary's national advocacy adviser for Polio-Plus in Australia, a position he has held since 1991.

 He served for eight years on the  Management Committee of Rotary Down Under as well as six years as a  Director of  Australian Rotary Health. He currently serves as a Trustee of the Australian Rotary Foundation Trust.

In 2004/05, served as Chairman of District 9640's Centenary Committee, and was instrumental in the establishment of a sensory garden at the Gold Coast Botanical Gardens in Rosser Park as a District centennial project.

The above summary is only part of  the remarkable service given to Rotary by Brian Knowles AM over a period of fifty (50) years. The members of the Parkwood Rotary Club are proud to have Brian as a member of the Club and extend congratulations on the well deserved national recognition he has received. Brian has set an outstanding example of Rotary service as his efforts have brought beneficial results for people worldwide - an achievement of tremendous proportions in the life of any person.

March, 2011

 

Report of visits to Japan - October 2000

Brian Knowles visits China - October 2001

Sensory Garden Centennial Project

Biography