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Testimonials
ARTHUR
GARTHON
I
was asked to join the Rotary Club of Hurstville in July
1963. My sponsors were Mr Jack McCall, a baker and
Mr. Norm Macpherson, a manager and at that time the Mayor of the
Municipality of Hurstville. My classification was Garage
Services.
Having commenced my
own motor repair business in 1953 and being granted the Rover and Land
Rover car franchise in 1960 I was pleased to accept the Rotary Club
membership as it offered me the opportunity to meet with other business
people in Hurstville and become involved with community affairs.
I was impressed by
the Four Way Test and have always tried to apply it to my business and
private life. Fellowship with new friends developed and my
confidence increased. Public speaking was new to me and
Rotary certainly improved my ability in this field.
Business confidence
improved, both with customers and staff, my attitude towards all things
in general changed, especially as the business grew and family joined
to help make it the success it became.
As it was stated at
the induction, some of my fellow Rotarians have become my closest
friends over the years.
In 1964 I was asked
to join the Board of Directors at the Hurstville Community Cooperative
Hospital, a private surgical hospital in Gloucester Road. The
Rotary Club of Hurstville assisted this hospital in it's early stages
by providing new beds, cupboards, lockers, etc. for the wards and
continued to do this over many years. My election as Chairman
of the Hospital Board in 1973 ( an honorary position) brought more
responsibility and large extension of a Birthing Centre was built in
1990 followed by further extensions with Orthopaedic and Doctors Suites
later. Once again Rotary helped in no small way.
Retiring from both
my business and the hospital in 1998, I felt pleased to have been able
to carry out my role as Chairman for so many years. I felt as
though I was serving the Community of Hurstville and repaying for the
successful years in business.
After 38 years of
service in Rotary I am still happy to help wherever possible and am
still proud to be a Rotarian.
FERDIE DOMINELLI
To
whom it may concern...
I'd just like to say
that I believe the experiences I gained through membership of the
Rotary Club of Hurstville enabled me to develop my personal skill and
built the network relationships throughout the community to get where I
am today.
The Four-way test of
Rotary is a perfect example of what life, in and out of Rotary, is
about. Rotary is the perfect vehicle to be able to give back
to the community in some small way. God gave us the talents to use for
the benefit of all in the community. The greatest reward that
you can get in an organisation is the motivation to do things that will
bring benefits to all, and improve the quality of life for
all. Rotary is a great vehicle for sharing and expressing
this attitude. God rewards those who pass on to
others.
The way Rotary
functions, with people from different vocations in life, broadens your
outlook and enables you to touch in lifestyle and experiences.
It has been a
rewarding experience contributing to the development of Hurstville and
St. George Community. Giving back to the community is a rich
and rewarding experience that should be shared by all. I
strongly recommend it to young people who want to develop themselves
and their business and life experiences.
Signed
Ferdie Dominelli
Dominelli Group of Companies
PHIL PAUL
It has
been my privilege to be to a member of the Rotary Club of Hurstville
since 1968, when I was
nominated by one of my then partners in our Real Estate Agency.
I had
been familiar with ideals and objectives of Rotary for many years prior
to this, because, for
almost twenty years preceding, I had been a member of the Apex Club of
Hurstville, which was formed in 1948 as a project of the Rotary Club of
Hurstville, and Apex and Rotary worked closely together on many
community projects.
My experiences in
Service Clubs over the past 53 years have contributed greatly to my
personal development, I have learnt much from listening to many
interesting guest speakers and I have made many friends in working
together on a wide range of community projects.
One should not join
any Service Club or organisation with the intend or expectation of
increasing one's business, as this is the wrong approach, but it has
been my pleasure to help friends and business associates with their
Real Estate matters if requested.
I can assure
prospective members that membership of a Service Club offers many
opportunities to put something back in the community, both with "hands
on" physical work such as operating the Rotary barbecue trailer,
erecting "Shade Houses" for tree propagation in schools, collecting for
such organisations such as Salvation Army, and Red Cross, serving on
committees to assist handicapped children and on many other
organisations.
It is an experience
which should not be missed, if the opportunity comes your way.
Signed,
Phil Paul, Past President, Paul Harris Fellow.
Director Nationwide Realty
Schoeffel & Paul Real Estate Agents & Valuers
– Hurstville Established 1904.
JAMES FORRESTER
Why I
joined Rotary.
I was nominated by a member of the club that I knew through work.
In
1995 my daughter was doing her year 11 of the HSC and applied for a
Summer Science School position through Rotary, and this was passed to
the Rotary Club of Hurstville. She was subsequently interviewed and
given a place in the Summer Science School program. She gained a great
deal from this experience and went on to do very well in her HSC exams.
In March 1996 I was
talking with a member
of the Rotary Club of Hurstville whom I met through work and he invited
me to attend a meeting, which I did. After attending a couple of times
to meet members and find out more about what Rotary does I decided to
join and have been a member ever since. I have made good friends with
many of these members and have followed their example to make our local
community a better place.
I can only commend
the work done by Rotary for the benefit of not just individuals and
organizations in the local community, but also for the work done to
promote international friendship and understanding. This small
community group has achieved amazing things since it began in 1939 and
the club still has members working for the benefit of others after
forty and fifty years membership. Group Study Exhanges for local
business people with other countries, a wide variety of Youth programs
to develop leadership and foster self improvement, the Polio Plus
program aimed at eradicating polio globally, support for international
aid and health programmes, are only a sample of what Rotary does. You
can find out more about these activities by looking at the pages on our
Club site and that of other clubs in our district and Rotary
International.
Since I joined I
have played an active role in a number of projects but particularly the
Magic Show which has benefited many families with intellectually or
physically disabled children. A side benefit is the surplus funds
raised, after covering costs, have provided much need equipment for St
George Hospital and other local community groups supporting children
with special needs.
I am proud to be
associated with this group of people with high ideals, and who are
prepared to work to achieve the betterment of society from the local
community to the international community. I can only recommend that
others investigate Rotary International and the Rotary Club of
Hurstville for themselves, and join it so that the long history of
service to the Hurstville community continues.
There are over 32000
clubs in 200 countries with a total membership of just over 1.2 million
people but collectively what these people have achieved is staggering.
Each club participates in the overall organization from the local to
the international level. The motto of "Service above Self" is very
applicable. Serving others is an experience which should not be missed.
It provides great personal satisfaction that is not obtainable any
other way.
Signed,
James Forrester, Past President, Paul Harris Fellow.
Retired from the position of
Head of Studies, Business Services, St George College of TAFE.
More Testimonials
can be found on the Rotary International Site.
Introduction to
Rotary
Wisdom
Reflections on Service
The Fruit of Love is Service.
What special
qualities does Rotary have that persuade businessmen and professional
leaders to work voluntarily and with endless dedication, motivated only
by the desire to help their fellowmen? What attraction does Rotary hold
for these over a million men and women who, while asking nothing in
return, offer their time, their talents, their efforts, their
intelligence and their resources to this cause? How is it that Rotary
manages to unite men and women from all parts of the globe as though
they were members of a single family, independent of their occupations,
their faiths, and their nationalities? What is this ideal that so
grasps the imagination of Rotarians, and what is this powerful calling
that moves their hearts so deeply? How can we describe this Rotary, and
the charisma that makes it seem to have a soul of its own? What is the
magic that Rotary possesses?
All of these fascinating questions, condensed into just one-"Why am I a
Rotarian?"- were put to the past and present officers of Rotary
International. We wanted to capture the living and vivid testimony of
these dedicated individuals who have offered such a great part of their
lives to Rotary. We wanted to record-to immortalize, as it were-the
sincere and profound words of those who have lived rotary with such
intensity, and found their joy in the ideal of Service. We wanted to
leave a legacy of faith and enthusiasm for the Rotarians of today,
tomorrow and beyond.
Among the testimonies presented here, we will not find mention of the
request for fame, for riches or power. Rather, these writers speak from
the heart. They speak of their commitment to serving mankind. They
speak of love, understanding, friendship and peace. These are simple
messages, singular and sincere that passionately express the great
wonders that Rotary has to offer. Rotary doctrine- Rotary
philosophy-Rotary service-Rotary unity-ROTARY INTERNATIONAL!
This is a book to be read in silence, perhaps even with reverence,
mindful of these words of Mother Theresa:
The fruit of silence is Prayer. The fruit of
prayer is Faith.
The fruit of faith is Love. The fruit of love is Service.
As President of Rotary International, I am extremely pleased to be able
to provide this rare and unique opportunity-to collect, in a single
volume, these wonderful essays that bring such honor to Rotary. I am
intensely grateful to all who have accepted my invitation, and so have
made their contribution to this genuine treasure trove of Rotary
experience.
Of course, there are myriad Rotarians who did not record their thoughts
in this book. For them, the testimony of their lives and their great
dedication to Rotary is itself a book-a book of hope, faith, love and
service. They, too, are part of this book.
Paulo V.C. Costa
R.I. President, 1990-91
This
book was donated to the Rotary Club of Hurstville in February 2002 from
the Estate of Ted Harrington, Past President 1972-73 and Paul Harris
Fellow, 1985. It is kept in the Club Archives.
This
page last updated 18th December 2009
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