The Royce Abbey Champion of Change was created back in 2016 in recognition of Rotarians who are creating change moments within their club. It is the team of District Governors who decide on the recipients.The recipients to date are:
Stella Avramopoulos, Susie Cole, Laurie Fisher, Sue Foley, Jenny Foster, Bob Glindemann, Barry Hickman, Kerry Kornhauser OAM, Des O'Shanassy, Janaki Ram, Alan Seale, Lili Teichman, Samantha Turner.
And the latest to join the list of recipients are Heather Watson (Rochester- pictured), Donna Martin (Bacchus Marsh) and Sandi Fulcher (Chadstone/East Malvern)
Three Rotarians were honoured as Royce Abbey Champions of Change at the District 9800 Changeover:
Heather Watson (Rotary Rochester 28-year Rotarian)Heather has been a member of Rotary Rochester for 28 years and is about to undertake her 10th year as President. She has been instrumental in keeping the small club active, promoting Change and has been a lead organiser of many club and community initiatives.
The Rotary club excels at bringing local organisations together through regular Community Breakfasts and promoting links with the Rochester Business Network. They are strong supporters of the Rochester Community House (with Community Garden) and the lead organiser of the annual Farm and Safety Expo, which takes 6 months of planning and preparation.
Heather ensures that new ideas within Rotary are adopted within her Club including joining in on District Zoom and in person meetings.
Heather has been at the forefront of a Change process and is rightly recognised as a Royce Abbey Champion of Change.
Donna Martin (Rotary Bacchus Marsh 4-year Rotarian)Donna’s four years in Rotary has demonstrated her amazing drive and passion for this organisation. Her ability to multitask has enabled her to undertake some amazing projects within her areas of focus being community, the environment and sustainability, and really come into her own, often surprising herself even though she is the one to set an impossibly big goal!
Donna is inspiring, hardworking, humble, and always enthusiastic, encouraging Environmental and Sustainability projects within her Club and across Rotary. She engaged with the local shire to develop a progressive partnership and is proactive in public relations, promoting the Clubs initiatives and new ideas to the community.
She is known as an encouraging Club Leader who works assiduously on new ideas always looking for what could be the next Project to showcase Rotary to the wider community - a true Champion of Change.
Sandi Fulcher (Rotary Chadstone/East Malvern 19-year Rotarian)Sandi is a highly valued member in her own club of Chadstone/East Malvern as well as at the District level, where her can-do attitude has ensured she has undertaken many projects.
She has been Club President, has reimagined the Chaddy Chatter and ensures that meetings, including technology for hybrid meetings, all goes smoothly.
In this Rotary year, Sandi has been both the District Club Service Chair along with District Public Image Chair, ensuring that Rotary’s image is consistent and current. She was editor of the Networker, kept the website current, oversaw communications, organised the District Awards, carried out all the promotion and marketing for the District Conference, and assisted with technology for many events.
Sandi has been Assistant Governor (twice), a club visioning facilitator for many years, previously executive assistant for Stephanie Woollard at Seven Women, and is currently Project Administration Coordinator for the Rotary Australia-wide project EndTrachoma. Some of the work involved with EndTrachoma is the coordination of 3,600 Toiletry Kits made by over 70 Rotary Clubs and associated groups across Australia for students in the NT. She coordinated the donation of secondhand uniforms from Xavier College and after careful sorting, washing, and packing, the items were dispatched to schools in need in the Northern Territory.
Sandi is someone who seizes opportunities and has relished the experiences that Rotary has given her. She is always upbeat, and always willing to assist and use her expertise. She is a true Champion of Change.