Torquay Rotary fires up for another big year under returning president

THE Rotary Club of Torquay has turned the page on another successful year, officially welcoming its new president last month at the club’s annual changeover dinner.

Kelly Binyon, who has been a member of the club for almost nine years, has stepped into the role, taking the reins from outgoing president Bruce Turner.

It marks Binyon’s second time at the helm, one she’s hoping will come with fewer curveballs than her last, after her previous term coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic’s arrival in Australia.

Driven by the ethos that “by helping others, you help yourself”, she says she’s looking forward to following in Turner’s footsteps and celebrated the “power of work” he has achieved over the past 12 months.

“Our Rotary International theme for this year is ‘Unite for good’, and I want to carry that through all our activities and fundraising events this year, and also to collaborate more with other organisations and clubs in our local area because I believe together, we can achieve more.”

 

 

She said the club would continue to champion the broader Rotary district’s campaign against family and domestic violence, as well as its efforts to support the region’s struggling farmers, while also building on the success of the club’s major fundraising events: the annual book fair and motor show.

Internationally, works to redevelop a school in Lese Oalai, a small village in Papua New Guinea, are progressing, with the project now reaching its biggest challenge to date, bringing running water to the village.

Among Binyon’s personal goals for the next year are a greater focus on youth and mental health support, as the cost-of-living forces an increasing number of businesses to close its doors and incidents of violence rise across the region.

“I was brought up in a small country town in the Mallee where everyone pitches in and looks after each other and I want to keep following on in that tradition that my parents showed me, and also be a good role model for my own children,” she said.

 

 

And to anyone interested in joining the Torquay club in its efforts to support communities both at home and abroad, Binyon extends a warm invitation.

“We want to try, in our own small way, to just contribute to the community,” she said. “We’re all volunteers, and everyone has different capacities, but together, if we all chip in, we can achieve great things.

“Rotary is non-political, non-religious, and we welcome anyone who would like to contribute to their local, national and international community.

“Our unofficial tagline is ‘We have fun being serious’… so, if you’re sitting at home and you’re feeling a little bit lost, if people are lacking purpose, Rotary is a great vehicle.

“We’re more than cooking sausages – but we do that pretty darn well.”