By Jed Lanyon
Healesville resident Michael Hardinge may soon take on the role as president of the Rotary Club of Healesville.
“I’m really excited. It’s not something that I was expecting coming into the club, but it’s really refreshing,” he said.
“At this stage, unless anyone else puts their hand up, I’ll go through as next year’s president.”
Mr Hardinge has been involved with Rotary for two years and is currently the youth team leader.
His term as president would begin in July next year at the end of Sam Halim’s term.
“There’s so many years of experience and knowledge in Rotary and for them to have faith in me to bring some fresh ideas to the table and also guide the next generation of Rotary is quite exciting,” Mr Hardinge said.
“I’m very honoured, but I also realise there’s a lot of work to do.”
Mr Hardinge said that Rotary provides him with the opportunity to interact with many people within his community who are undertaking great local projects.
“I feel like a lot of young people are missing that element of community service in their lives.
“A lot of people these days might be very socially minded and may want to make a difference, but they don’t necessarily know how to, other than sharing their thoughts on social media.
“Organisations like Rotary are a great way to give something back to the community and I think that’s what I enjoy most about it.
“A lot of people see Rotary and they think of things like barbecues and selling raffle tickets, but there’s so much we do both in the local community and internationally.
Mr Hardinge shared that Rotary’s Milking Cow and Goat Project is currently helping boost food security in Kenya.
Another project that Healesville Rotary supports is Rotary Oceanic Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) where sick children are flown to Australia to receive medical treatment that may be unavailable to them in their home country.
“That’s one project that I really like, but there’s so many aspects to Rotary and there really is something for everyone.”
For more information about the Rotary Club of Healesville and to join, visit https://www.rotaryhealesville.org
