Leongatha Rotary parties for 70th Birthday

LEONGATHA Rotary Club chose to give the traditional dinner and speeches approach a miss on Saturday, celebrating the club’s 70th Birthday with a music-themed party that included a band and music trivia at Meeniyan Town Hall.

The UpBeats played music from the 50s through to the 90s, with the band consisting mostly of Rotary members, and many attendees dressed to fit the musical theme, representing their favourite bands and performers.

Rock ‘n Roll dancers further brightened the occasion from the moment they took to the floor twirling to 1950s numbers.

Leongatha Rotary Club was chartered on November 23, 1953, being the date it was recognised by Rotary International.

In addition to the music and trivia on Saturday, attendees heard snippets of the club’s history from its current president David Leslie.

He spoke of the 1950s fundraising initiative in which members grew spuds on every piece of vacant land they could find, harvesting a whopping nine tons of potatoes to sell in 1957 alone.

The following decade a courtesy competition was held, with community members voting on who had given them the best service in town, with Harold Loftus who worked at Edney’s declared the winner.
In the 1980s, Leongatha Rotarians were entrusted by then Woorayl Shire Council with the responsible role of being street marshals for floats during parades.

Paddy’s market was another former fundraising approach taken by the club, with local business operators gently persuaded to part with goods to be sold for a cause.

Garden parties and even land speculation were other ways the club generated money needed for local initiatives and those further afield.

Nowadays, Leongatha Rotary’s second-hand furniture and bookstore in the town’s old fire station is proving a tremendous success.

President David outlined the multiple benefits the store is providing.

“It prevents waste, provides inexpensive furnishings and is a good income stream to support charitable causes,” he said.

He expressed the significance to him of belonging to Leongatha Rotary Club.

“I enjoy it and I’m proud to be part of it and also part of Rotary International which is on the verge of eliminating polio from the world,” David said of an organisation that runs many important programs.

Looking back, one of the early community-focused initiatives Leongatha Rotary Club took was the purchase of the old Leongatha hospital site to be turned into accommodation for the elderly, leading to the now Woorayl Lodge.

The Club is still an enthusiastic supporter of the Lodge, with some of the funds raised during the 70th Birthday celebrations going towards the planned Boags Road facility that will enable Woorayl Lodge to care for more people from the region.

Some of the money raised on Saturday is going towards the Meeniyan Community Cupboard that provides non-perishable goods for those in need and is located near the Meeniyan Community Garden.

While there was a fundraising element to the evening, the focus was on everyone in attendance having a great night, an objective that was undoubtedly accomplished.

Each table was given a band name, with rounds of trivia divided into musical eras.

The winning team claimed a trophy created by multi-talented artist Bob Hickman who is the drummer for The UpBeats.