Marilyne Jacobs, President Mick Matthews and Snr Sgt Chris Hebblethwaite. Photo: Supplied.
FROM THE ROTARY CLUB OF WYNNUM AND MANLY
The Rotary Club of Wynnum and Manly recently presented its highest award – a Paul Harris Fellowship (PHF)* – to two outstanding local people at a gala dinner recognising the great work of the Rotary International Foundation. President Mick Matthews presented PHFs to Marilyne Jacobs and Senior Sergeant Chris Hebblethwaite in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Wynnum and Manly community.
Marilyne has been the coordinator of Pete’s Pantry since 2020 and achieved recognition of Pete’s Pantry as an outreach provider in 2021, adding several services for the local people in need. Her great community work with Pete’s Pantry and the many volunteers who work with her has provided breakfasts, supplied food and essentials, showers and laundry facilities, as well as haircuts to many needy people in this community, making Pete’s Pantry an essential part of it. The club complimented Marilyne on her tireless dedication to this cause and recognised this contribution with the PHF.
Chris Hebblethwaite is a Senior Sergeant in the Police Service and a crime prevention coordinator based in Wynnum, where he is well known for his passion for community-related policing. He established a local victim response framework and built the Bayside Volunteers in Policing team. He played a substantial role in modifying the role performed by crime prevention coordinators with a focus on a real-life, victim-centric approach and has made a substantial contribution to improving the life of the Wynnum community. The Rotary Club of Wynnum and Manly presented Chris with the PHF in recognition of this great work.
Eradication of Polio from the world also became closer at this function. The Rotary International Foundation has been seeking to eradicate Polio from the world, and it is nearly there – polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 per cent since that first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. This dinner raised $6,665 for this cause through the generosity of the nearly 100 people there. The skill and humour of auctioneer Geoffery Lyons from Inglewood convinced many of the audience to buy the donated goods at good but fair prices. This donation will allow the Foundation to vaccinate 220 children against Polio – a worthwhile contribution to the ongoing battle to rid the world of this scourge.
*The Paul Harris Fellowship is in honour of Rotary’s founder, the late Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer, who started Rotary with three business associates in 1905. It is awarded to a person who has demonstrated a shared purpose with the educational and humanitarian objectives of The Rotary Foundation.
