President’s report, Oct 4 2011
To read this edition of President Judy Rebecca’s report please download the PDF file from this link (356 k)
Vale Major Max Armstrong
Maxwell Thomas Armstrong PHF
17/01/1910 – 24/02/2010
Major Max Armstrong (Retired) was born in Sydney on 17 January 1910 and married Jean Rigby of South Yarra on 23 December 1939, only a few weeks after he enlisted in the Australian army with the number VX108. Max was in artillery and saw service in the Middle East and New Guinea before being discharged on 28 May 1946.
After military service Max became a businessman, first with shoe shops in the City and later Frankston, then investments in property and the stock market. Along the way, Max and Jean had three sons, Ian, Edward (dec.) and Howard.
Max was inducted into the Rotary Club of Frankston on 22 October 1953 and was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship in 1994.
For 22 years Max led the Anzac Parade, riding either his beloved Wilvue or a police horse.
Max and Jean celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last December, and his 100th birthday last month.
Our thoughts are with Ian and Mary, Ian’s mother Jean and his brother Howard and their families.
RI President’s Feb Message
February – World Understanding Month
February Message from RI President John Kenny
Each of us has, at one time or another, been asked the question, what is Rotary? There are many ways to answer, depending on the questioner, the context, and the time available. The shortest and simplest answer is that Rotary is the world’s oldest service club organization. This is, of course, an accurate but necessarily incomplete response, for any true understanding of Rotary must include an explanation of how we in Rotary strive through our service to achieve more than the goal of each individual project. By working together in our clubs, our districts, and internationally, we strive to establish the simple foundations of a better society: friendship, trust, honesty, and hope.
The structure of Rotary, along with our international club projects, helps make friendly connections between Rotarians in different countries. Our emphasis on ethical and honest behavior works to build strong and open relationships between people and nations. Our service projects in water, health and hunger, and literacy help eliminate many of the practical obstacles to peace. And our Rotary Foundation and Rotary Youth Exchange programs go a step beyond by training the leaders of tomorrow to be active builders of a more peaceful world. These programs help shape responsible citizens of better communities – people who will have a broad and nuanced perspective, enhanced by opened eyes and open minds. They will be indelibly marked by their experiences, and throughout their lives — both now and in their later careers — they will not keep the benefits of these experiences to themselves. These are the people who will help build the kind of future that we as Rotarians strive to create through our every action.
What is Rotary? It is a network of people who care — people who are both realists and optimists. We recognize the challenges before us and our own limitations; we also recognize our abilities and our responsibility to use them to the fullest. If we are ever to realize Paul Harris’ vision for Rotary as an organization that promotes goodwill among nations, then, as he wrote, “the hearts of men must be so touched and molded that mutual understanding and goodwill will take the place of fear and hatred.” In this, World Understanding Month, we do well to remember these words — and to remember as well that in all of our service, we reach for the larger goal of fellowship, understanding, and peace.