The Centre Beaudesert - Theme Tartan weaving stronger communities
Mark McCabe incoming President of the Rotary Club of Beaudesert - Changeover Speech – given Monday 20 June 2022 at “The Centre” Brisbane Street Beaudesert.
Mark asks Mr technician to play video the Jennifer Jones Rotary International President Elect – 2022-2023 Theme Video.
Jennifer Jones a women with Vision and an ear for a song.
Karen Thomas District Governor Elect, Cara Champion Assistant District Governor, Other Rotarian Club Presidents and soon to be installed Club Presidents, Probus president Judy Day and now a newly minted Paul Harris Fellow, my fellow Rotarians and invited guests. Thank you all very much for attending my 2nd coming as President of Beaudesert Rotary Club why my fellow Rotarians wanted me back I don’t know the reasoning because I never did say “I’ll be back”
I would like to thank outgoing President Kathy for all her work done in her year just gone. It was an experience serving on your board in Covid Times.
Thank you also to all the hard-working Rotarians and our backroom people doing all the heavy lifting in the kitchen preparing the lovely food that was eaten here tonight.
Thank you, Ian for all the work in designing the Tartan Theme along with added “Haggis” tartan game for tonight’s Changeover I do like Tartan as you can see. The continuous slide show of our fun time Rotary activities was excellent Ian.
A big thank you to our Amy who stepped in tonight at short notice to replace Annabelle who was unwell but will be back at Rotary’s Cars Bikes N Coffee on Sunday 3 July.
Thank to my Daughters and fiancées, grandchildren and my wife and partner in life, who are here tonight ….. just remember only 52 more weeks to go. A big thank you to my daughter Frances for baking and icing the Beaudesert Rotary Biscuits you see or have seen on the tables – most likely you have eaten and enjoyed – if you haven’t eaten, please take them home with you.
The last time I was president of our Club was 2014 -2015 and I had an idea that we return to a place where our Rotary Club had been 20 years prior. We did some of our best work from 1958 through to the early 1990s then we stopped why I don’t know. Jubilee Park would not be the place we see today without the Beaudesert Rotary Clubs involvement over the years. My project that year was the Healthy Pathways where we would install exercise equipment. Through a skilful grant application by then Beaudesert Rotarian Stephen G we were successful in receiving $34,000 from the gambling grant and with funds raised from a Art Union we were able to have the exercise equipment installed in May and opened in June 2015 in conjunction with the first Beaudesert Rotary Country Music Muster – It was a busy and hectic year for our club – A few years later when Lesley T was President we again obtain a grant to install an all abilities set of equipment alongside the existing setup. All have stood up well and are still very well used by our community members. The Club members will be pleased to know I won’t be returning to Jubilee Park this time for I have moved on to other things.
Jingari Aunty Gerry and thank you for your “Welcome to Country”. Our Rotary Club would like to work with you and your community more closely on future events. It was a few months ago that I sat down with a few of our Aunties right here in this place to discuss my Rotary “Imagine” Idea that I had about a “Dreaming Path” in the new Park Development off Helen Street, that could connect for the women’s yarning circles to the back of our Rotary Home of Stationmaster House and return down into the park. This pathway would snake through the existing tall Pine trees and greenery – maybe we could plant some bush tucker along the snake fellow dreaming path. It is an idea worth further investigation - our rotary Club will do this in the coming financial year with all the stakeholders.
A couple of years ago under the leadership of past Beaudesert Rotarian Brad K we ventured into a new realm of events providing a space at “Stationmaster House” for Car & Bike Enthusiasts to show off their pride and joy - we supply breakfast and coffee and a shady place to sit down have breakfast and yarn. It has been very successful in bring many vehicles and people from far and wide into our Scenic Rim community. I would like to thank the members of the Jimboomba Heritage Vehicle Club Inc for their continuing support of our event.
Our Rotary Club will continue to hold our first Sunday of the month “Cars Bikes N Coffee” events, very early on the first Sunday of each month weather permitting on the “Back Streets” of Beaudesert town. Coffee Bikes n Coffee will be lead in 2022 23 by Beaudesert Rotarians Geoff S – Logistics. Warren E & Raelene B -Co Providores, Mark & Linda J, Tamara, and Oscar Breakfast coordinators, Trysset & Typhon front Desk, Greg W and Happy Yen Parking coordinators – all our members are committed to assisting and improving our future events.
I would like to see our Beaudesert Town Home of Stationmaster House become a venue for community and commercial groups to hold meetings, events, workshops, birthdays, anniversaries and suchlike – the venue is for hire and our Rotary Club can supply all the catering needs. We have reasonable rates for all types of hirers, please tell all your friends.
We will be continuing to hold Rotary catered Paint n Sip Friday evenings around 6 times a year at Stationmaster House under the watchful eye of our artist in residence Erin G these have been very successful. Please consider joining us and let your inner artist out.
In my year we will be running a Driver education event for our youth of our Local Community. We can do this because of a successful grant application by Lesley T. Watch our Social Media events pages for all the details and get in early because places will be limited.
We will continue to support our Cambodian School and it’s Teachers as we have been doing for many years under the supervision of John M Educating Cambodia » Helping This Way – Hopefully we will be giving thoughts to organising an escorted visit to the Cambodia and the School in Prey Veng province next year – if the traveling is permitted.
Australia day 2023 we again hope to run a lunchtime dinner for all our community members and leaders in a similar format as to the very successful one this year all done in co-operation with our first nations people – we all saw the excellent video that has been produced.
An event that will be happening here in Beaudesert is the Heritage Truck Show that previously held at Rocklea but will be moving to our part of the world. Our Rotary Club has been asked to do the catering over the 2day weekend. Further details to come.
What the Beaudesert Rotary Club would like is to introduce more people to Service Above Self. All of us have the potential to serving our local community as well as the international community – To that extent we will be running an information event for those interested in finding out what Rotary is all about.
That’s it from me ….. before I leave, I would like to introduce my board members who will be helping bring the Rotary Club of Beaudesert to the forefront of everyone’s mind in the coming 12 months.