TESTIMONIAL KEITH McLEOD 60TH ANNIVERSARY
In many volunteer organisations, from time to time, someone emerges who gives years and years of valued service and much more than normally expected. Sometimes such people are shy and require no rewards, recognition or publicity. They prefer to carry out the voluntary activities quietly in the background.
Likewise, it is often the case that such people are extremely busy in their private and work life. Whether it be family and home commitments or farming, business or professional activity they still find time for their volunteer activities. Reminds me of the maxim 'If you want a job done ask a busy person'.
Such a person is our guest of honour Keith Aubrey McLeod. Keith, who whilst in charge of the family business, rose in the dark and returned home around midnight. Yet he found time for his love of pigeon racing and being associated with racehorses. He was also an accomplished sportsman.
Yet this busy man was invited to and did join Rotary. His membership coincided with a vastly different atmosphere than exists today. It is fair to say that in 1966, when our colleague joined this Club, it was elitist and only top men of business, professions, the land, Local Government and the Public Service were eligible. Reminds me of another late Rotarian, John Reid who,
when he joined in the same era, commented he was only a humble electrician among these community leaders. It would be some years before membership requirements and mode of dress became more relaxed and women permitted to join Rotary. And it should be said that, on relaxation of membership requirements and mode of dress, a vastly increased and diverse array of fund raising and projects evolved. Any perusal of the Annual Reports will confirm this.
Time does not permit an exhaustive summary of Keith' service but an extension of a summary of what was said last year on his 59th anniversary should suffice.
Keith joined the Club on 14th June 1966, 60 years ago last Sunday. Keith is now both the oldest and the longest serving Rotarian in our Club. To my knowledge, only one other Rotarian has reached this milestone, the Late Ron Rauert. Keith was President in 1993-4.
Over his very long period of membership, Keith has been a Director of most major Committees several times and chair of numerous sub-committees. He has on a number of occasions acted as Sergeant of Arms, auctioneer and fines master at meetings.
Keith has always taken an interest in Youth and was a Counsellor to incoming Exchange students and on several occasions, and he and his late wife Pat hosted students. He was also involved in Rotary Youth Leadership programmes and Group Study teams. The latter involved five professional business and trades, male or female, spending several weeks in a District
overseas and learning more about their occupation.
Keith was also involved in Finance and Fundraising. Consequently, he was always interested in major fund raising and other projects. Some of these projects, now ceased, included the arduous wastepaper collection from both newsagents and comer stores both in Warrnambool and Port Fairy. Heavy bales of paper were required to be loaded on to the Rotary utility and unloaded in a shed at the Showgrounds. I well remember the working bees when the shed was full and all the paper was loaded onto a semi-trailer to be sent to the paper mill in Gippsland. A particular detail I never thought I'd see was two Rotarian Catholic nuns in jeans and check shirts with sleeve rolled up toiling with rest of us. A past Presidents wife would then arrive with a large bakers basket with hot buttered scones and an urn of tea or coffee. Another labour intensive project was the Annual Dinner Auction which required the participation of virtually all Rotarians as did the Seniors Treat in the Gasper Theatre and Civic Hall where about 300 seniors had to be collected from their homes and after the event, driven home. In earlier years this consisted of Rotarians, in a convoy of cars, taking seniors for a ride to Port Fairy, home via Koroit, then supper in the former Town Hall supper room before return home. In later years, Rotarians provided very amateur acts such as ballet acts or something equally bizarre. Later the concert became far more professional with artists from the city and district. After the concert Rotarians assisted senior guests up to the Civic Hall for a sumptuous supper served by Rotarians and wives.
Keith and his late wife Pat attended three World Conferences in England Japan and Australia. When the District Conference was held in Warrnambool Keith was required to organise all catering for all refreshments for the Conference, the Conference Dinner and for the ladies of Rotary who had a separate programme during the Conference which at that time attracted 1000 registrations. A very significant contribution by Keith was his organisation of the barbecues or sausage sizzles. These went on for years at different venues, unlike today where all barbecues are held at Bunnings with all facilities provided. In earlier years Keith was required to load a heavy barbecue, tables and gas bottles on to his red ute plus endless loaves of bread, sausages, onions, which he chopped himself until buckets became available, and all the sauces etc. At the barbecue Rotarians provided assistance unloading and setting up also at the end of the barbecue, and have assistance in reloading all equipment etc. But Keith was still required to unload everything at home and clean it to be ready for the next barbecue, these being held quite frequently. We can only guess at the exertion required of Keith during these years.
The Club has recognised his contribution by awarding him every Award of which it is capable. Keith was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship in 1990-1 and a Sapphire pin to the Fellowship in 2007. But the highest commendation the Club can confer what was then known as the Four Avenues Of Service
Award and Citation in 2002-3.
Although I have cited these words previously, I believe they are appropriate for our Guest of Honour. I am reminded of snippets of a speech he gave to prospective Rotarians in Chicago in the early 1900's.
"men from all businesses and professions coming together in a spirit of friendship and co-operation...
Human ingenuity could not devise a more effective means for service to the community...
If you have the love of your fellow man in your heart you can be a Rotarian"
How enthusiastically and efficiently has our friend and colleague Keith fulfilled the aspirations of our Founder, Paul Harris. He has been an inspiration to literally hundreds of past Rotarians and our current members. I believe our community and present and past Rotarians owe a debt of gratitude to Keith McLeod. Would you all stand and celebrate the outstanding service by Keith McLeod.
