20th March 2002 Lightning Ridge welcomes Rotarians

Mrs June Barker and Mrs Rose Fernando to greet the delegates and guests on behalf of the Aboriginal Nation

This is a case of one of the smallest clubs in NSW being entrusted with the organising of one of the biggest Conferences in the State.

District governor Brian Prince displayed a great deal of bravery, in the opinion of the small but dedicated band of local Rotarians, when he decided to bypass the usual venues, namely the large centres, and granted the Conference to Lightning Ridge.

It must be pointed out that there were major challenges to be overcome. Distance from even the nearest of the other 54 Rotary Clubs in the District, lack of accommodation to house the hundreds of delegates attending, fund-raising etc.

Conversely, the whole Shire is going to be the beneficiary of the hard work the local Rotary club and the District Committee have put into making this Conference a reality.

The anticipated revenue to be gained by the Shire, including Lightning Ridge, is expected to be in the vicinity of $250,000.

Considering this, the expenditure necessary to stage the Conference, namely $15,000, seems a small outlay. Conversely, the income will be for the whole Shire, while the expenditure is to be borne by the Rotary District Governor and his Committee.

Therefore, the various companies having supported the Conference financially in these difficult times must surely be considered worthy of our support in return. We will be publicising their names locally, and also to the 2000 members of the 55 clubs in our District following the Conference. Walgett Shire Mayor, Peter Waterford, will be performing the actual Opening of the Conference. We have also asked to have another representative of Walgett Shire present at the Opening Ceremony to explain to all the delegates the various other points of interest to visit during their stay here. We will make this list available to all the other clubs after the Conference to ensure ongoing benefits for the whole region.

The Opening Ceremony will be a magnificent affair, and all the locals from Lightning Ridge, Walgett and surrounds are most welcome to attend. Seating will start at 8am Saturday, March 23, with the Conference Opening Ceremony starting at 8.30am sharp. Conference Chairman and Master of Ceremonies, Herman Kreller, has asked Mrs June Barker and Mrs Rose Fernando to greet the delegates and guests on behalf of the Aboriginal Nation, and a short dance by several youngsters will be part of that greeting.

The Public Speaking Finals will take place during the 11am Sunday morning session, with a three week all expenses trip to South Africa being the first prize. Three qualified locals will be the adjudicators for the contest.

The Ecumenical Service will take place at 8.30am Sunday and, like all sessions, will be open to everybody. We have asked Pastor Rick Maude and Sister Anne to be so kind and co-conduct this event.

The other Rotarians, Peter Collison, Danielle Osborne, Noel Lewis and club President Chris McPhan will be on hand from Friday morning onwards in the foyer of the Bowling Club, where the Registrations Desk, as well as the Information and Tour Desk will be set up.

All the various Conference sessions will be open to the public, and the program, and a list of the guest speakers, is available from the above local Rotarians, or phone Herman Kreller on 6829 0333 for further information.