Dear Rotarians and friends,
 
Congratulations President Vangelis on taking up the mantle of President of the Perth Rotary Club and gratitude to Past President Wesley who was always so kind and considered in his approach to any and every task or request made of him during his presidency.  It was a pleasure to organise your Changeover Dinner and it certainly was a great night, full of surprises, celebration, recognition, music, fine wine and dancing. 

 I would particularly like to thank our Exchange Student Chiara for her assistance on Friday during the setup of the Argyle Ballroom.  My little Lexus was full to the brim with lanterns, candles, flowers, candelabras and the red carpet zipping around Perth as we picked up our orders, delivered to the loading dock of the Parmelia Hilton and then transported up to the Events Floor. 
 
Thank you also to the amazing Rotary Singers, John, Don, Ashley, Nigel and Brendan.  It is such a special aspect of our Club that our members give of their time to write lyrics, rehearse and perform even when not feeling 100% well.   Thank you to Marco  and his son Nick who organised our organist for the evening, all done with a minimum of fuss, but added to the evening and certainly set the tone as the Phantom Music was played to start us off and then to finish the evening with a Father/Daughter duet, sung so beautifully even if P/Pres Wes had to be reminded of the words!  Thank you also to Auctioneer John Garland, ably assisted by our MC for the Night - The Ghost Who Walks/aka Larry, in raising much needed funds for the Perkins and Reflections through Reality with the auction of a print and the silver tea pot.   Winning Bidders Phillip Skelton ($800/print) and David Reed ($1350/tea pot) always supporting the club and adding to the fun of the evening.
 
Finally, our MC!  One never knows what tricks Sergeant Larry will have up his sleeve and I certainly didn't anticipate a strip on stage.... So very funny and just set the tone for the evening perfectly.  It was a great Changeover, a lot of fun and a true reflection of the fantastic club we are all privileged to be a member of.  Should anyone have any video footage of the Zorba Dance we would be grateful if you could forward a copy of the same to Kirstin so we can upload it to our social media/website page.   Finally thank you to all the members who purchased a ticket in the Feline Boat Raffle.  These funds went towards paying for our guests and theming of the room, thus enabling to keep the ticket per person at a reasonable $85.  We look to have made a small profit on the event of ~ $1500 which will be directed back to the Club accounts.
 
The 2019/20 Changeover Dinner was my last event as Chair of the Fellowship Committee and over the past five years I have greatly enjoyed working with Past Presidents Ted, Graham, Larry, Stephen and Wes, thinking up ideas and planning enjoyable evenings from Bonfires to Black Tie.  Jonas Edner is taking up Fellowship and I am sure you will all support him as you have done me.  It takes a lot of time and energy to organise events and the most helpful thing you can do is to get on early, rsvp, buy your ticket, commit to coming, support your President and Chair of the Fellowship Committee.  It's easy to have a good time when the room is full and you know you have covered costs. 
 
With thanks,
 
Jill