Shelley Stewart was recently named a Paul Harris Fellow at a Rotary Club of Narre Warren.SHELLEY Stewart and her husband Ray were taken by complete surprise at the Rotary Club of Narre Warren’s last meeting of 2005 when she was named a Paul Harris Fellow.
Rotary Club president Ross Chudleigh, in presenting the recognition, said Mrs Stewart, in addition to her community work, had been fully committed to supporting her husband during the important and demanding year.
Mr Stewart is the district governor of Rotary District 9820.
Mr Chudleigh said hundreds of shrubs and plants had been presented to Mrs Stewart as she accompanied her husband on official visits to the 51 Rotary Clubs in District 9820.
He said one of Mrs Stewart’s initiatives had been to organise the planting of the shrubs in the grounds of the new Gippsland Rotary Centenary House, which is now under construction adjacent to the new Cancer Care Centre at the Latrobe Regional Hospital.
Another of Mrs Stewart’s projects was collecting pens, pencils and crayons to donate to Papua New Guinea for the club’s upcoming district conference in Geelong, Mr Chudleigh said.
“Shelley is urging Rotarians across southeast Victoria to donate these items to assist with literacy programs in Papua New Guinea. They will go by container with other donated goods in a few months’ time,” he said.
Rotarians and guests at the presentation warmly congratulated Mrs Stewart on receiving the recognition, which was named after the founder of Rotary International.
Thanking Mr Chudleigh, the board and club members, Mrs Stewart said it was a privilege and a great pleasure to assist her husband with his duties as district governor.
“To be recognised in this way by the members of Ray’s Rotary Club is a very special honour and will be a treasured memory,” she said.
