By Jane Drury, Rotary Hawthorn
I’ve long admired Rotary’s work and loved helping husband Henry in many varied projects and events during his 30 years of Rotary Hawthorn membership, particularly when he was District Chairman of Youth Exchange for three years and District Secretary during Past District Governor Dennis Shore’s year.
We’ve hosted ten (mainly wonderful) Rotary Youth Exchange Students, led several of their extraordinary under-canvas outback safaris (fabulous fun but with about 40 teenagers they had their moments) and are still Mum and Dad to most of them. We’ve been live-in Auntie and Uncle at the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum for Year 12 students – a privilege to be with such outstanding youngsters.
I’ve been delighted to sometimes use my 40-plus-year career as a book editor (mainly with Penguin) to help with Rotary publications, including Rotary Hawthorn’s history, lots of District Conference material and the two very successful fundraiser Relish cookery books for St Kilda Rotary.
I was very honoured to be recognised with a one-sapphire Paul Harris Fellow and now am very honoured to be a Rotarian.
Our daughter, Mandy, was also deeply involved in Rotary, from Exchange Student to Belgium, heading Rotex (Rotary Youth Exchange Alumni) for a couple of years, helping Exchange Students when she worked in Japan, being a keynote speaker at Past District Governor Jim Studebaker’s District Conference in Launceston and MC at Past District Governor Peter Frueh’s District Conference in Warrnambool.
The passion for travel (sigh) Henry and I share – the more different and exotic the better – has taken us to many countries. It has also made us very aware of how lucky most of us are in Australia and how much Rotary’s invaluable work is needed throughout the world as well as here. I’m excited about contributing to that work whenever possible, and adding to the many greatly valued friendships we’ve made with fascinating and inspiring Rotarians.