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This week Honorary Member Jim Simpson shares his wonderful memories of our great Club. Jim's extensive recollections will be in both this week's and next week's Bulletin. I was invited to join the Rotary club of Mt Eliza in late 1972 by Secretary Tom Donaldson. My wife Jan was volunteer assistant to Sister Monica Donaldson on Immunisation Day at the Infant Welfare Centre and Jan got to know Monica who was the wife of Tom Donaldson. I did some building work for Monica and Tom at their house in Walkers Road and Monica suggested to Tom "that young man would make a good Rotarian". That young man is now 81. My copy of "Adventure in Service" states that I was admitted on 23 January, 1973 under the classification of "Building Construction". At first I wondered how I could fit in a weekly meeting but it quickly became a way of life. Our first social gathering with the Club was a Progressive Dinner and the pre-dinner drinks were held at the home of Lorna and Wal Cubbin in Charleston road. We have never forgotten the warm welcome extended by all members. One of my first tasks was Bulletin Editor, the Bulletin was taken to the printer in Beach Street, Frankston on Monday morning and collected on Tuesday afternoon for the evening meeting. The printer was a Frankston Rotarian. Community Service was hands on and my first working bee was at the Nepean Special school, then in Watts Parade, where we built an adventure playground. Our member, Stan Spencer, was at that time Principal of the Special School. At the George Vowell Centre we built the jetty on the lake and erected the pipe handrail that goes around the lake. Several thousand native trees were planted to a landscape plan on the acreage. Some years later we planted a perfumed garden within the George Vowell Centre in the year that Barry hansen was President. The "Rotary House" was a huge job and venture. We got there in the end with all sorts of assistance, both hands on and financial and with a lot of goodwill. The effort was documented by James Webb in 2007. We also had many working bees, up-grading the walking track down to the old quarry off Station Street. At the Moorooduc Quarry reserve we erected playground equipment and at the lake we completed the planking to the jetty and the handrail. A smaller project was the production of framed "Four Way Tests" for distribution to other Clubs. The farmer were made up at working bees in our garage/ workshop in Seymour Avenue and these were always productive and fun events. For several years we had a stall at the Mt Eliza Village Fair on Melbourne Cup Day run by the local Chamber of Commerce and the service and community Clubs on the Butler Reserve. Rotary ran the popular "Goldfish Stall" which was a test of getting a ping pong ball into a pickle jar. If you were successful you received a goldfish in a plastic bad of water - not so popular with some of the parents if they didn't have a goldfish bowl or pond ... although we also had fish bowls for sale! We ran a Guinness Book of Record Gum Boot throwing competition which was a fun event. The Melbourne Cup was broadcast at twenty minutes to three o'cloc. I can particularly remember the year that "Beldale Ball" won the Cup in 1980. All in all a good, very inclusive family community day and fund-raiser. Fellowship was a great part of Club activities. There were many young families and where possible children were included. One of the earlier events was a visit to Graham and Gwen Reid's farm at Corinella - foot races, hay and boat rides. As time progressed we camped as a group on a Labour Day weekend and at ester at Wilsons Promontory. Later camps were at Walkerville and Porepunkah, with lots of fun, hikes and camp fires. Pool parties were held at the home of Gwen and Graham Reid, Reg and Elaine smith and Julie & Ron Ford's home. Rotary became a large part of our life and as our children with their varied lives have found it has been useful to have a knowledge of the workings of Rotary worldwide. Part two of Jim's memories will be in the next Bulletin.
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