Passionate Rotarian Mark McCabe has taken the helm as president of Beaudesert Rotary Club for the second time.
He was inducted as president for 2022-23 in front of about 100 people at a tartan-themed changeover banquet dinner on 20 June, with a focus on ‘weaving a strong community’.
His fellow incoming board members are Mark Jackson (vice-president), Lesley Turton (secretary), Greg Weller (treasurer), Doug Lavers-McBain (membership), Trysett le Garde (club administration), Linda Jackson (community service), Estelle McCabe (PR), David Jones (The Rotary Foundation), Tammy Urmston (youth services), Kathy Smith (immediate past president) and Mark Jackson (president elect).
Outgoing president Kathy Smith paid tribute to valued Rotary member, the late Joy Drescher and posthumously awarded her the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow honour.
Joy’s daughters Carmel Geromosch-Sheil and Madonna Guy accepted the award on her behalf, and her husband Doug Drescher and sister Marie Stapleton were also present.
Past president Tamara Urmston was made a Paul Harris Fellow for her voluntary work with youth and Judy Day received the honour for her dedication to local affordable food service Tracey’s Pantry, which she established in honour of her late daughter.
The changeover dinner was also an opportunity to showcase a film of Mununjali significant sites, commissioned by Beaudesert and Jimboomba Rotary Clubs and created by Kenji Lee in collaboration with Traditional Mununjali Elders and Mununjali Men’s Group (Round Mountain Maibin Jahyilah Yahgilah) through a National Australia Day Council grant.
Traditional Mununjali Elders chairperson Aunty Gerry Page, who was part of the project, was at the dinner and also gave the Welcome to Country.
In his first speech as 2022-23 president, Mr McCabe thanked his daughters, their fiancés and his wife Bernadette for their support, thanked outgoing president Kathy Smith for her service and spoke about the role of Beaudesert Rotary in the community over many years.
Mr McCabe’s association with Beaudesert Rotary dates back to 1957, when his grandfather chartered the group.
He said he looked forward to continuing to work with members on initiatives like Rotary Cars, Bikes and Coffee, hiring out Stationmaster House, which Rotary shares with BADCAP, a youth driver education event and the club’s ongoing support of a school in Cambodia.
