News & Events

Tonight we had our first Roll-over Dinner to mark the incoming Rotary Year. It was different from previous years “Change-over” presentations when we introduced a new president & board members- this time the current board decided to continue each of their positions into 2021-22! Please check out our club’s board membership profiles.

President Dean Bartley Report:

This last year has been a different type of Rotary Year, impacted by Covid, and forcing changes to the ways that we do things.  We however have continued with our support programs to schools across our catchment, and this year have taken on the sponsorship of the Pedal Prix team at the Heights school.  We look forward to ongoing contact with this school.  We have sponsored end of year awards across 4 senior schools.  No exchange students at this stage until travel is opened up. NYSF for year 11 students was a localised hybrid arrangement as it will be for next year.  Each of the awardees from the schools attended our club and made a presentation, it was great to hear from them.

Christmas hampers were provided by our club to the Salvation Army to assist those in need, and due to Covid 19, that was done differently to the way did it in the past.

Clean-up Australia – involved again.  Rotary International has adopted the environment as the 7^th avenue of service.  The club is a member of Anstey Hill Support as are several of our members, and we include that as part of our service.

Bunnings BBQs are back on again, and we also helped with a couple of other BBQs as fund raisers, joining with 2 other clubs to cook sausages to celebrate the end of Ramadan at the Salisbury campus Uni SA.

We inducted 2 new members into the club this year and we hope to continue a long relationship with them.  Our international president has challenged each of us to invite a new member along and expand our numbers to enable a greater contribution to the community.

As we move forward into our next Rotary year we look forward to continue with our existing programs and plan for more community involvement including working with local government on local issues. As we serve to change lives.

Thank You to all our special guests who attended tonight and we would like to acknowledge the presence of two local MPs, Dr Richard Harvey and Blair Boyer. The Keynote Speaker, Ardys Bartley (amazing wife of Dean) a Regional Manager with Schools Ministry Group (SMG), which manage pastoral care workers in 280 schools across the state, spoke about the role of these people in our schools.

Ardys showed parallels between the new Rotary 21-22 Theme – ‘Serve to change lives’ and the mission of the SMG – bringing purpose and hope to students, staff and school communities. They are celebrating 30 years of partnering with local churches, schools, like minded mission organisations.

SMG offers Education Services – online, livestream and face to face courses for Professional Development and lessons; Chaplaincy Services suite – value-based seminars, general practical chaplaincy, wellbeing services. Someone who is well learns better and engages better with the community around them; Disaster & Recovery Ministry – in times of natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, bushfires etc.; and Critical incident funding – to provide additional support to a school community during time of crisis.

The “BRAVE” Kimochi came in handy for Ardys during her presentation. She explained how they are used in The Wellbeing Classroom – to increase student engagement.

Thank You Ardys Bartley for sharing with us tonight and educating us about the SMG.

to US for making another Year! We also celebrate the original clubs service that combined to make RCMGG: 30 years of the Golden Grove Club & 39 years for Modbury Club.

Lesley Purdom

Our member of long-standing, Lesley Purdom, passed away peacefully on the 24^th of April 2021, aged 84.

She worked tirelessly throughout her adult life for the community of Tea Tree Gully.

From 1970 until 2006 she served on the Council of Tea Tree Gully, with two terms as Mayor.

In 1991 she was the first Female Mayor elected for our city, and served until 1997.

Her second term was from 2000 to 2006 and in the year between she served as Councillor.

In 1995 she also joined the Rotary Club of Modbury (later to become Modbury Golden Grove in 2018).

She was awarded her Paul Harris Fellowship in 2002 for outstanding service to Rotary.

2011- 2012 she served as President of our Rotary Club (Modbury) with great distinction.

She was also patron of many community organisations, especially the Modbury Hospital Support Group, and also served as volunteer Justice of the Peace.

She lived a beautiful life and was a great inspiration. We will miss her.

Wayne Stevens JP was born in 1947 here in Adelaide and grew up in the Kilburn area. After leaving school he started work at the Royal Insurance Company, where the “Black Stump”  is now in 1963. At the same time as was common he applied for several other positions including the Commonwealth Bank Australia (CBA).

Starting working in the Motor Insurance Endorsement section of the Royal was particularly boring, however I found two work mates who enjoyed beating me at billiards which saw my income disappear regularly.

Later in 1963 he received a call from the CBA staff department wondering whether he would consider an interview to commence work with them at the Hindmarsh Branch.

He went to the Bordertown Branch as “Teller One” in 1966 and that’s where he became a Jaycees (Junior Chamber International) member and did various volunteer activities over the next few years. From 1969 to 1983 he worked numerous positions at CBA, including the Branch Inspection Team and the Personal Department recruiting for SA, NT and PNG.

In 1996 Wayne saw the restructure of CBA and most National Banks. Area mangers were established and over time these teams grew to encompass business banking, retail lending and financial service staff. In his new expanded role he headed up the region in Eastern Adelaide; then by the year 2000 he was based at the Salisbury Branch and was covering an area that went from Modbury to Broken Hill to Port Lincoln.

During that 10 year period out at Salisbury Wayne won at least 3 Top National Awards.

I was recognised by the Managing Director on three occasions for National Awards, one was several weeks before I commenced chemo at the Central District Hospital in 2001 & 2002.

It was important for Wayne to mention that the North Region also achieved Top Area on 4 occasions over that same period.

After retiring from CBA in 2010 he commenced as the CEO of the SA Bookmakers League. Wayne has casually worked for the bookmakers over the course of 40 years on Saturdays and Public Holidays. But this only lasted 18 months as managing Bookmakers was very taxing, so then he moved on to other endeavors to keep busy.

Wayne actually obtained a chauffeurs licence but he then secured a casual position as a General Inspector (parking) for Port Adelaide, Gawler and the Marion Council.

A best friend of mine from CBA days was now CEO of Homestart Finance. He suggested I get a “proper job” and I assisted the setting up their Hardship Assessment Program and endeavoring to reduce arrears at that time (this job reduced to filling staff gaps etc.) Later they offered me a more secure role but I was getting too old by then. The enjoyment of being a casual had spoilt me. I finish up there in 2017.

Wayne Stevens joined Rotary in 2013 and is a very active and valued member of the MGG club and we appreciate him sharing his history tonight.

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Because #VaccinesWork, @Rotary & partners have reduced polio cases by 99.9% worldwide since 1988. @EndPolioNow won’t stop until we end the disease for good. Donate to support #EndPolio

Join with Rotary in reminding everyone that our progress in the fight to end polio is proof that vaccines work.