Testimonials of Past and Present Members

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.

More Testimonials on the work and benefits can be found on the Rotary International Site.

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. 

Testimonials of Past and Present Members 

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. 

Arthur Garthon is now retired and no longer living in the Hurstville area.

BARRY PEARSON
Rotary was known to me very early in my life as my father was a Rotarian in Parkes. Later, after leaving the RAAF at the end of WWII, I returned to Sydney University and completed my Medical training. I started in a Medical Practice in 1952 and have remained there since, though only part time now. My eldest son is also a Rotarian first in Tennant Creek and now in Bendigo.

Medical practice, apart from being a way of earning a living, is a very satisfying occupation, helping a mix of people, delivering babies, becoming almost a part of the family, creating long term friendships while, at the same time, it is a big responsibility.

I was delighted when in 1960, Dr John Crawford (still a member of Hurstville Club), invited me to a Rotary Club meeting in Hurstville. This I accepted with glee as I could see it as a means of serving the community outside my field of work and in a different capacity, as a volunteer.

After a few years in Hurstville Club I was entrusted with the responsibility of President of the Club and saw this as an opportunity to get the Club interested in commencing a Meals on Wheels Service in the Hurstville area. Council required me to survey the area and prove a need. This was readily done and Hurstville Rotary supported the idea. After sufficient funds were raised, with the help of a Rotarian architect and a Rotarian builder, the building of the kitchen was commenced.

The first 4 meals were served from Hurstville Community Hospital kitchen on 4th July 1967 and shortly afterwards from our own kitchen rising to 150 per day for quite a while. Our 1 millionth meal was served by our President at the time, Dorothy Dixon, 30 years later. Hurstville Council has been very supportive financially, with services and with supply of kitchen sites as we grew and moved to bigger premises. I have continued to maintain an active interest in the service, have been Patron for many years. In the last 3-4 years, and with more time available, first with my late wife Jan and now by myself, I found being a volunteer an enjoyable experience. A great band of dedicated and cheerful volunteers deliver the meals on a roster basis.

Many other factors continue to make my involvement with Rotary, and particularly Hurstville Club, an enjoyable part of my life. Fellowship and friendships are high in the pleasures of being in Rotary as well as the feeling of satisfaction in being able to help others. Rotary helps the local community as well as overseas aid. A check on our website elsewhere will give a lot more detail. As a Rotarian I know I am welcome at any Rotary Club meeting in the world. I have made many friends as a result of joining Rotary. 

Signed Barry Pearson, Past President x2, Paul Harris Fellow x2

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

Ferdie Dominelli is now retired and no longer living in the Hurstville area.

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. 

Phil Paul is now retired and no longer living in the Hurstville area.

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 needed 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. 

DOROTHY DIXON
I am the first female member in The Rotary Club of Hurstville and I later became their first female President in 1998\99.

My membership designation is Primary Producer because of the farming business owned jointly with my former husband Harvey, who had been a member of the club since 1986. It was a great honour to be asked to join this club as I had assisted the Club with many fundraising events and projects including the:

• creation of a park on the cnr. Henry Lawson Drive and Hymen Street, Peakhurst. 
• Bandaged Bear Carnival in Penshurst Park 
• establishment of Life Education Caravan for the St.George Area 
• Christmas Stocking in Westfield Hursville 
• Red Shield Appeal for the Salvation Army

I was asked to join The Rotary Club of Hurstville in 1996 after my husband passed away and the club constitution was modified to approve women members.

Shortly after this a proposal was put forward by President John Groom to Hurstville Council to recognize the work done by my husband for the community, to rename the park he helped create, “Harvey Dixon Park.”

It was a great honour for myself and family  and I am eternally grateful to him. Since then I have continued to work on many fundraising projects including the Antiques and Collectibles Fair, The Kogarah Bed race for the St George Hospital, the Book Fairs project and many others in conjunction with the Rotary Club and the Hurstville Council. I fully support the Rotary theme, “Service above Self” and have gained great personal pleasure in contributing to the benefit of our local community. Rotary is open to men and women of all denominations and nationalities, and I urge more women to become members of this wonderful organization, Our club has 4 women members and we would like to see more attending our meetings.

Signed,
Dorothy Dixon, Past President, Paul Harris Fellow x2.

DAVID HORTON
Why I joined Rotary.

I realise that, at my age, I will never match the achievements of my fellow Rotarians in the Rotary Club of Hurstville, but as long as I am able, I will give it my best shot.

Fortuitously, shortly after I stopped work, I was invited to speak to the Rotary Club of Hurstville about heart surgery and also about the Knights of St George Heart Association, which raises funds for and provides community support for the Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit at St George.

On the evening of my talk, I found myself among a group of people who had made a staggering contribution to community service. I was inspired to join Rotary to join these amazing Rotarians in the hope that I might be able to support them in their good work, including fundraising for their many needy beneficiaries.

After retiring from a forty year career in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, I felt that I must continue making a contribution to the community.

Signed,
David A'Court Horton, F.R.A.C.S.

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