DEAR News Of The Area,

AT the end of each year, Rotary clubs throughout the world hold their Changeover ceremonies. Traditionally this celebrates each Club’s achievements of the past year and a new leadership team is elected to carry on the Club’s projects for the upcoming year.

The Rotary Club of Woolgoolga will hold its 34th Annual Changeover dinner on Monday 20 June. However, instead of being an occasion for celebration, this year’s function could be a sad occasion.

The Club faces an extremely shaky and uncertain future.

The problem is membership.

After remaining relatively stable over the Club’s 34 year history, membership has now fallen to twelve.

Those twelve dedicated members have a combined membership in the Woolgoolga Club of over 200 years, and are committed to continuing the Club’s past record.

However, they need help to strengthen their numbers and to provide fresh ideas for the future.

Since its inception in 1988 the club has initiated and provided substantial funding for many of the community’s current facilities.

It has raised in excess of $1 million, and those funds have been applied to the following community projects:
● Approximately $90,000 was donated to the establishment of the Woolgoolga Retirement Village.
● Assistance of $18,000 was provided to build the Woolgoolga netball courts.
● Club members provided the labour to construct the bus shelter on Solitary Islands Way in 1994, and paid $3,000 towards the cost.
● The Woolgoolga Seniors Centre was initiated and brought to fruition by the Woolgoolga Rotary Club.
The Club sourced all funding, including a $90,000 Club contribution, providing the building coordinator as well as the site manager, who supervised the entire construction.
● In 2012 the Woolgoolga Rotary Club initiated the proposal to establish the Woolgoolga Heritage Walk, a significant tourist attraction, which tells the story of Woolgoolga’s first 125 years of history with a series of plaques placed throughout the town.
The project was completed in 2013 after the Club had contributed more than $10,000 towards the design and development of the concept
● A total of $45,000 was provided towards the establishment of the High Street sporting fields.

In addition to the projects listed above, the Club throughout its history has been a strong supporter of local youth and education programs, including annual student prizes for all local schools, small individual student scholarships, as well as conducting yearly youth leadership courses.

The Woolgoolga Rotary Club has a community service record that would compare more than favourably with any similar sized club in the country, and its demise would be a tragedy for Woolgoolga.

Personally, as a passionate Rotarian for the past 47 years, I would be disappointed and saddened if the Rotary Club of Woolgoolga had to “fold up”.

However, I see this as the inevitable outcome unless prospective new members come forth and volunteer to join the Club.

I write this letter with an appeal that there may be persons in the community who will put their hands up and help us save the Rotary Club of Woolgoolga.

Regards,
Dick MATTHEWS,
Woolgoolga.