Banksiadale State school was the source of my primary schooling and Pinjarra Junior High School (a bus trip of 20 miles each way) the base for my secondary schooling.

 

In 1964 I joined the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac) at Pinjarra on six months probation. It was here that I met my partner of almost 48 years - Christine came to town as a first year teacher in 1965 and we married in January 1969.

After serving at a couple of Perth suburban branches I was transferred to the WA State Manage's Office and placed on a special training program. Next came a two year stint in the country at Morawa where Christine became pregnant with a difficult pregnancy and limited medical facilities we were transferred back to Perth. Ben was born in December 1972 and our second son Chris was born four years later.

 

My career continued to move forward interchanging between branch and administrative roles and during this period I completed a diploma in Banking & Finance part time. My first management appointment came in 1979 and in 1980 took 3 months leave and the family traveled to UK and Europe for the first time.

In 1980 I accepted an appointment at head office and we moved across the country to Sydney where we spent 4 years before moving to South Australia as State Manager Marketing in 1985, Then followed a two year term as Regional Manager Adelaide South before moving to Darwin as Chief Manager Northern Territory in December 1989. It was here that a long friendship with Bob & Denise Jordan began. Almost two years to the day and we were headed back to Sydney for a stint in the NSW State Administration.

During this role I was fortunate to undertake an Executive course at The Darden Business School at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville Virginia with fifty three other business people from around the world. On return to Australia I was seconded to work on the Bank's recovery program following its near death experience. With the bank well on the road to recovery I was moved to Melbourne as Regional General Manager for Victoria Country. In 1995 I was moved to Adelaide as Chief State Manager for SA & NT in expectation that Westpac would be successful in its bid to takeover the SA State Bank which was in serious trouble. When this did not eventuate I was appointed to Regional General Manager Queensland Country in 1996. I subsequently headed Commercial Banking in Queensland and then became Chief State Manager for Queensland. 

Another restructure would see this role eliminated and although offered another role back in Sydney, we decided after 37 years in the Bank to accept an early retirement opportunity and retired to the Gold Coast where we settled in our existing home in July 2001.

 

My banking career provided many opportunities and wonderful experiences too numerous to cover here but suffice to say we have no regrets.

Since retiring we have traveled extensively and this continues as our son Ben and family (3 granddaughters) live in London and Chris and family (two Grandsons) live in Sydney. We will all be meeting up in Orlando Florida in mid October and we are looking forward to having our entire immediate family together for the first time since the birth of our second grandson.

 

I did undertake some consultancy work at Bank of Queensland over an eighteen month period and more recently have had an  involvement in a family investment in a gold milling venture in Kalgoorlie which occasioned some regular trips back to my home State.

 

Having been involved for almost 25 years in four clubs in different states,  Rotary continues to consume much of my time both at club and district level. I am currently in my fifth and final year as District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair but will continue to be actively involved in the Malaria Vaccine project at the Griffith University Institute for Glycomics.

Rotary has provided us with many wonderful experiences through Youth Exchange, GSE, Friendship Exchange, attendance at District and International Conferences to mention just a few and not to overlook the fifteen years at Broadbeach which have been an everlasting source of fun, fellowship and friendship through service. Thank you all for your part in that.

 

 

Was Paul Harris the first president of a Rotary club? No. Was Paul Harris the first president of Rotary International? Yes.

 

There is an easy explanation to this apparent contradiction. Although Paul Harris was the founder and organizer of the first Rotary club in Chicago in 1905, the man selected to be the first president was one of the other founding members, Silvester Schiele. By the year 1910 there were 16 Rotary clubs, which linked up as an organization called the National Association of Rotary Clubs. A couple of years later the name was changed to International Association of Rotary Clubs as Rotary was organized in Winnipeg, Canada, and then in England, Ireland and Scotland. In 1922 the name was shortened to Rotary International. When the first organization of Rotary clubs was created in 1910, Paul Harris was selected as the first president. He served in this position for two years from 1910 until 1912. Thus, the founder of the Rotary idea, who declined to be president of the first club, became the first president of the worldwide organization, Rotary International.

 

 

(Scribe: Kevin O'Brien)

 

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A woman was getting swamped with calls from strangers. A billing service had launched an 800 number that was identical to hers.
When she called to complain, she was told to get a new number. "I've had mine for twenty years," she pleaded. "Couldn't you change yours?"
The company refused, so she said, "Fine. From now on, I'm going to tell everyone who calls that their bill is paid in full."
The company got a new number the next day.
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While visiting Annapolis, a lady tourist noticed several students on their hands and knees assessing the courtyard with pencils and clipboards in hand.
"What are they doing?" she asked the tour guide.
"Each year," he replied with a grin, "the upperclassmen ask the freshmen how many bricks it took to finish paving this courtyard."
When they were out of earshot of the freshmen, the curious lady asked the guide: "So, what's the answer?"
The guide replied: "One."
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The rain was pouring down. And there standing in front of a big puddle outside the pub, was an old Irishman, drenched, holding a stick with a piece of string dangling in the water.A passer-by stopped and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Fishing" replied the old man....
Feeling sorry for the old man, the gent said, "Come in out of the rain and have a drink with me."
In the warmth of the pub, as they sip their whiskeys, the gentleman cannot resist asking, "So how many have you caught today?"
"You're the eighth" said the old man.
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I'm not the easiest guy in the world to get along with. So when our anniversary rolled around, I wanted my wife to know how much I appreciated her tolerating me for the past 20 years. I ordered flowers and told the florist to enclose a card that read, 'Thanks for putting up with me so long.'
When my wife got the delivery, she called me at work.
"Just where do you think you going?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" I said.
She read the card aloud as the florist had written it: "Thanks for putting up with me. So long."
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In California over the weekend, a woman gave birth in a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Apparently she did this in the New Releases section.
I thought you were going to say she gave birth in the C-section.
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Q: Why did the Pope cross the road?
A: He crosses everything.

Q: What's gray, has four legs and a trunk?
A: A mouse on vacation.

Q: What do you call a cow spying on another cow?
A: A steak out.

Q: What happened when the owl lost his voice?
A: He didn't give a hoot.