I joined the Rotary community as an idealist. I was fresh out of high school, looking for a way to volunteer. Don Kerley, a Rotarian from Glen Waverley RC, helpfully pointed me in the direction of a soon-to-be-chartering Monash Rotaract at the time.
When first joining and in the midst of university, when time was easy to give, and there was a group of young people with similar values for the first time in my life - I thrived. I went from quivering 1-minute speeches at RYLA, to being the MC at a District Conference (knees still shaking at this point), to presenting a breakout at RICON in Melbourne. I went from PD Director, to Club President, to Chair of Rotaract Australia. Rotaract and then Rotary, has grown with me. My involvement has surged when I have more time, and as now, when my priorities lie at home, it has lightened. I’m grateful for the flexibility in that, as my belief in what we do has not changed.
Undoubtedly, there was growth…..
