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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-30 Daily Xml
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Motions

Rotary Club of Adelaide

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.B. Martin:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges that 24 August 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the inaugural meeting to form the Rotary Club of Adelaide;

2. Recognises the Rotary Club of Adelaide's proud history of service to the South Australian, Australian and international communities; and

3. Congratulates the Rotary Club of Adelaide on its centenary.

(Continued from 18 October 2023.)

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (16:45): I rise to support the Hon. Reggie Martin's motion and thank him for moving the motion to acknowledge that Thursday 24 August marked the 100th anniversary of the inaugural meeting leading to the formation of the Rotary Club of Adelaide.

Rotary Adelaide is the oldest club in South Australia, with its first meeting held at the old Grand Central Hotel located on the corner of Rundle and Pulteney streets. Since its formation, the club has accomplished a lot of outstanding work in the past 100 years. Some of its accomplishments include sponsoring more than 100 Rotary, Rotaract and Interact clubs, growing its membership from 23 in 1923 to 166 members in 2022-23. It has successfully raised funds and donated over $5 million to a number of Rotary and community programs such as Rotary Health and the Rotary Foundation, which administers the polio eradication program.

It also sponsors youth programs such as the Youth Exchange youth leadership programs and it supported the formation of important community representation groups such as the Council on the Ageing (COTA) and Novita. It also ran the Nurture Kids campaign for healthcare workers. The Rotary Club have volunteered at the Hutt Street Centre and fundraised for so many homeless community members. They are just some of their achievements, to name a few.

As part of the centenary celebrations, Rotary Adelaide has commenced two community projects, staying true to its Rotary spirit amidst the celebratory milestone. The first project is the Aboriginal Chronic Disease Prevention Project with the aim of upskilling the Aboriginal healthcare workforce in chronic disease prevention.

The other project is the 100 Peace poles for 100 years of Rotary in South Australia, which involves the distribution of 100 poles across South Australia, symbolising peace in our hearts, our homes and our communities, a gesture and reminder that is all the more important with recent events and conflicts around the world.

Throughout my life, I have had the privilege of being involved across many Rotary Clubs in South Australia, particularly with the Rotary Club of Adelaide Central, about which I have made remarks and commentaries before. I have seen the immense contributions by Rotarians in South Australia, who devoted their time and energy selflessly to create lasting positive change in our local communities and across the world.

Rotarians are resourceful and have the uncanny ability to draw people towards them, working together for the betterment of people's lives, no matter their age, no matter their gender, no matter what social and cultural or economic background they come from. I have also had the pleasure of attending the Rotary Club of Gawler village fairs on a number of occasions, which allowed me to witness exceptional community organisations and locals coming together, volunteering to raise funds to support local projects for their community.

In recent times, in June 2023, I have also had the privilege to attend the inauguration of the charter of the newest Rotary club, which is the Rotary Club of Lightsview. Whether a Rotary club is 100 years old, like Rotary Adelaide, or in its infancy, like the Rotary Club of Lightsview, the dedication of individuals that spread the spirit of Rotary cannot be underestimated. Today, it is my pleasure to convey my sincere congratulations to the current President of Rotary Adelaide, Cam Pearce, as well as past presidents, founders, and current and past committees and volunteers of Adelaide Rotary for achieving an amazing 100 years of legacy.

Once again, I want to thank the honourable member for moving this important motion. A very happy centenary celebration to Rotary Adelaide. May there be another hundred and 200, and more hundreds of years to come. I commend the motion.

The Hon. S.L. GAME (16:50): I rise briefly to support the honourable member Reggie Martin's motion regarding the Rotary Club of Adelaide. I have long been aware of the outstanding work of Rotary, including in Australia, as my late dad was a member for many years. Earlier this year, I was fortunate to attend the Discover Rotary event at Adelaide Oval where I learned that the Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities, for 14 consecutive years, putting it in the top 1 per cent of all charities.

Worldwide, it has raised an incredible $4 billion for worthwhile and often life-saving projects. Also, since becoming a member, I have been fortunate to travel to many rural and country areas across South Australia, and be made aware of the outstanding work these local Rotary clubs do in their local communities. With that in mind, I support the honourable member's three points regarding the Rotary Club of Adelaide, concluding with congratulating the club on its centenary.

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (16:51): I will start by thanking the Hon. Jing Lee and the Hon. Sarah Game for their contributions and support for this motion. The work that Rotary does throughout the world is fantastic. Their guiding principles of doing good and helping people are good and generous and something that we all should be supportive of. I thank the members for their support of this motion, and I congratulate the Rotary Club of Adelaide for their 100 years of service to the community.

Motion carried.

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