New Members

Community & Vocational Awards

New Members

Prospective Member Information

Paul Harris wrote:-

Helen Clarke
Helen Clarke was inducted on April 23 2008. She is head of the departments of Community Work and
Social Justice at Knox Grammar School and is housemistress of one of its houses.
She has previously worked in many diverse educational settings – as a workplace trainer, and
communications teacher, and in education at Coca-Cola Amatil.
Her role at Knox is to develop and implement the school’s plans for community service and social
justice projects, local regional and national.
She has two adult daughters, one studying Medicine at UNSW, the other Education at Macquarie
University.
She loves travelling, the theatre, bush walking, and working with people from diverse backgrounds and
ideas.

Richard Jackson
Richard Jackson was inducted on May 7 2008. We had already met him through his
connection with Allan Waldon and the Nepal school project Allan conducts.
Richard is married to Louise and they have three high-school aged children. They live in
North Wahroonga.
Richard’s initial grounding in financial services was with Westpac Banking Corporation
where he worked for around nine years, including three years in London. Richard left
Westpac in 1993 to join the family furniture manufacturing business, which provided
hands-on business experience in a very competitive market.
He entered the financial planning industry in 1999 and specialises in investment advice
and financial planning for self-funded retirees and self managed superannuation funds.
Richard holds a Bachelor of Economics from Sydney University and has had extensive
formal training in relevant financial disciplines including a Diploma of Financial Planning
from the Financial Planning Association. Richard is an ASX Accredited Listed Product
Adviser and an Affiliate (Practitioner) Member of the FPA.

Marlene Carty
Marlene Carty, manager of Huon Park, the over-55s retirement estate apartments at
North Turramurra, was inducted on June 11 2008.
Marlene says she was “born in AFL Port Power territory in Adelaide, which explains the
accent.” She came to Sydney in December 2005 to manager Huon Park, with
qualifications in “Strata Management, Grief Management, HR, OH&S, Real Estate and
listener of many problems, solver of some”.
She is the proud mother of three children, Elizabeth and Adam (Albury) (grandchildren
Rhys 4, Luke 2), and Lachlan, Melbourne.
Her hobbies include golf, (she has just returned from cycling in south-east China), and
says she is a lover of Chinese food and chocolate, reading, gardening, dancing and
travelling.

Leisa O’Connor
Leisa was inducted on May 14 2008. Leisa is corporate communications manager at
The San. She is married to David Crowe, and they have two children, daughter Kaitlyn,
11, and Liam, 10. They live at Castle Hill.
Before joining The San, Leisa raised her children, then before that worked as a lobbyist
with a national organisation representing private hospitals, and before that was chief of
staff in the office Dr Bob Woods, MP for Lowe. Leisa has been assigned to the
Partnerships Committee, and given the classification of Marketing, PR.

Micheal Schwarcz
Micheal Schwarcz became a member of the club on May 28 2008, although he is not
new to Rotary. Micheal was a member of the Rotary Club of Beecroft for 21 years
before deciding to move to us – he has lived in Lucinda Avenue, Wahroonga, for 10
years.
Micheal was born in Melbourne, but educated at South Sydney High School.
He did accountancy at TAFE, eventually running his own carpet business. He switched
tracks then, to become bursar of Dunmore Lang College at Macquarie University for 10
years. He is now retired.
Micheal has been deeply involved in Rotary. He was president of Beecroft in 1994-5.
Since then he has held a number of District positions including Secretary for three
terms, Governor’s aide (to Harold Sharp) and Governor’s mentor (to Barry Philps), and
chairman of the District Administration Committee. He holds a Paul Harris Fellowship
with sapphire pin. Micheal’s Classification is Bursar.
He plays bowls at West Pennant Hills, and is president of Zone 10 clubs in the Royal
NSW Bowls Association. Micheal is married to Judith and they have two daughters and
a son and four grandchildren.