Rotary club marks 20 years

THE Rotary Club of Endeavour Hills has celebrated its 20th anniversary with past and present members coming together to take a trip down memory lane.
Last month 78 people, including old and present members and their partners, came together for a celebratory lunch at the Sandhurst Club in Skye.
A short slide show of old photos highlighted former and present members and special functions held over the past 20 years.
Event organiser and Rotarian Neville Baxter has been with the Rotary Club of Endeavour Hills since its beginning and said it had been great to take a look back at the past.
“Some of the fellows had more hair back then and a bit more colour then, and were not quite as grey, but everyone enjoyed taking a look back,” he said.
Rotary District 9820 governor Ray Stewart spoke of the Endeavour Hills club’s value to the community and district during the lunchtime celebration and Murray Guille, who formed the club, also gave a speech.
In a special twist, Rotary Club of Endeavour Hills president Harry Hornstra was president for both the 10th and 20th anniversary celebrations.
Commemorative port decanters were made to mark the past 20 years and the first and 20th bottles were auctioned off .
Mr Hornstra snapped up the 20th bottle as a keepsake with the decanters, from Northcote Pottery, raising $1600 for the Rotary Foundation.
Representatives from Narre Warren, Berwick, Dandenong, Dandenong Central, Dandenong East and Lang Lang-Kooweerup Rotary Clubs also attended the celebrations.
Mr Baxter said, looking back at the past 20 years, he had greatly enjoyed building friendships with his fellow Rotarians and forming ties with the community.