Our Speaker was Harry Fittler, Operations Manager at Kenway & Clark Ag Machinery dealership (Nemingha).
Bulletin summary - Harry Fittler: “A Career of Service”
Harry traced an unconventional journey through several public service roles before landing in agricultural machinery:
Corrective Services (from ~2015) - Started as a prison officer, later moved into the industrial/trades side overseeing building and grounds maintenance at Tamworth Correctional Centre. Ran community work crews of inmates on projects with Landcare, Jewry Street, and the mountain bike park. Gave evidence at the Tane Chatfield coronial inquest in his mid-20s - a formative, high-pressure experience.
NSW Sheriff’s Office - Officer in charge covering a ~200,000 km² patch from Manilla to Narrabri, Moree, Boggabilla and Gunnedah. Court security, prisoner escorts, jury administration, and field enforcement (evictions, debt recovery). Recounted a tense eviction involving a “sovereign citizen” who tried to run officers over, and a case involving an elderly woman with mental health issues that required a half-day, multi-agency welfare response rather than a straight eviction.
RSPCA - Animal welfare inspector; described confronting hoarding cases (208 guinea pigs seized from a small house, 80 cats in another).
Kenway & Clark - Now Operations Manager at the Ag machinery dealership (Case IH tractors, construction equipment) since early last year, drawing on a family farming background near Armidale.
Thread through it all: leadership isn’t the uniform, it’s how you treat people - earning respect, showing dignity even in hard enforcement situations, and using rehabilitation/community work as genuine investment rather than lip service.
Q&A afterward covered corrective services philosophy (industrial/trade programs vs pure custodial), jury duty administration, the shelved plan for a new Tamworth jail near the airport, and more war stories from his sheriff days.
Thanks to Steve Searl and Pete Dillon for the notes
DUTY ROSTER MONDAY 27th JULY
Room Set Up: Col Quast, Henry Melssen
Door: Jim Bannigan, Scott Edwards
Toast & Welcome: Phil Lyne
Intro Speaker: Scott Edwards
Thanks: Steve Searl
Sergeant: Jim Booth
Captain Jim Booth’s Duty Team for August
Patrick O'Halloran, Graeme Mills, Mal MacPherson,
John Bamford. Ken Douglas, Brian Cox, Noel Bennet
Sergeants: Frank Henry, Jim Booth.
PRESIDENTS REPORT
Thanks to Bede Burke for finding our guest speaker, Harry Fitler, for Monday night. A very interesting young fellow with a diverse vocational background all before the age of 30. Please see the notes contributed by Steve Searle and Dillo's offsider, AI Genius.
We heard from Jim Booth about the walk he is doing called the "Hume to Hovell Track", one of historical significance and one that has family ties for Jim. The walk is a fund raiser for Shelter Box and is co-ordinated by the Rotary Club of Yass. At the last Board meeting it was decided that our annual contribution to Shelter Box will be done this year through the Rotary Club of Yass, which shows support for what they are doing, support for Jim and our contribution lands in the right spot. The New England Showcase for District 9660 will be held in Armidale on August 29th at the Armidale City Bowling Club, commencing at 9am, and the cost is $55 per person. The booking link is www.trybooking.com/DNXKW Additional information from James Reilly at jamesreilly@gmail.com A reminder from our Treasurer that subs are due by the end of the month 31/7, either in full or as a split payment, half by 31/7 and the balance by 31/12. Last but not least, reach out to those members who are having health challenges at present so they remain connected other than just via the bulletin.
YIR Gav
Jim Booth has managed to combine Shelterbox fundraising with retracing
his families convict history by trekking 75km from Yass to Wee Jasper .
You can help him achieve his goal by clicking the link below:
