Service to Ballarat celebrated

THE Rotary Club of Ballarat has named community members Voi Williams and Nicole Bartlett as Paul Harris Fellows.

The Club has recognised the women for their outstanding and continuous service to Ballarat, and for their support of the Rotary mission.

Ms Williams is a Rotarian, a member Order of St John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller, is a co-founder of the Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields, and an honouree on the Zonta Club of Ballarat’s Great Women roll.

She was “bowled over” to be one of the people celebrated at the presentation ceremony.

“I joined the Rotary Club of Ballarat when I noticed a little advertisement in the paper one Saturday asking for women who might be interested in joining. I spoke to a friend was a long-time Rotarian about it, and the rest is history,” she said.

“Volunteerism in many facets has been important all my life. I was born in the country, and service was just always part of the way one lives.

“People helped each other all the time, and so you just grew up with that being the norm. It’s stayed with me.”

An event management professional, Ms Bartlett supports the club in their organisation and promotion of SpringFest and has coordinated fundraising initiatives for the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute.

“To be acknowledged as someone outside Rotary, it’s really incredible, and humbling,” she said.

“Being able to give back to our community and those in need is really important and warms my heart.”

Paul Harris Fellow recognitions pay tribute to people who share the same educational and humanitarian goals of Rotary International, and are committed to service above self.

It is named after Rotary’s founder, the late Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer who started the organisation with three business associates in 1905.