WITH the impending 70th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Raymond Terrace, members of the club have been reflecting on their commitment to their local community.

One of the enduring connections between Rotary and the local community are the Australia Day celebrations held at Riverside Park, Raymond Terrace.

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For the past 25 years, Rotary, in conjunction with the Lions, have been part of this Council funded celebration.

Over the years Rotary’s role has increased to the point where, under the guidance of Steve Frith, Rotary became the event organisers of everything from traffic control to entertainment and the delivery of the ‘Community Big Breakfast’.

Ernie Elbourne, the Rotary Club’s Service Director told News Of The Area, “Little does the community know the amount of compliance paperwork and organisation that goes on behind the scenes to deliver everything from the timing of the Citizenship Day ceremony to the speed boat racing, street closures and the various forms of entertainment, planning for which takes several months in the lead up to the event.”

Australia Day at Raymond Terrace kicks off each year with a free breakfast served by the combined resources of Rotary and the Lions, funded by the Raymond Terrace Bowling Club.

The free bacon and egg sandwich or sausage sizzle, free fruit and drinks makes a great way to start a day long carnival punctuated by a Citizenship Ceremony and RAAF fly by.

“With the perfect play on words, Rotary can joke that we do the ‘Lion’s share of the work on Australia Day’ when in fact, Australia Day is just one of many situations when our community organisations come together to deliver for our community.

“This teamwork between the likes of Lions, the Salvation Army, Council, the Men’s Shed and the Bowling Club is a feature of the way in which our club continues to help deliver for the community in so many different areas,” Ernie said.

The Rotary Club of Raymond Terrace is celebrating its 70th Anniversary on 8 September with dinner at the Raymond Terrace Bowling Club.

The community is invited to attend and learn more about the exciting activities and opportunities that come with membership of Rotary.

Contact President Adam Nicholas on 0432 187 010 for more information.

By Marian SAMPSON