Colin Dodds was a readymade Rotarian

A charter member of the Rotary Club of Concord, N.S.W., in 1956, Colin Dodds (1926-2005) was an immediate enthusiast for Rotary.

Colin Dodds’s vocational service was an inspiration to all Rotarians.

He served his club as secretary, director, vice president and president.

After several District appointments, including chairmanship of the membership development and Interact committees in the same year, he was elected governor of District 969 (0) in 1980-81. He then accepted several Australian Rotary Institute appointments, serving on the agenda committee, the training committee and the resolutions committee as member and chairman.

Outstanding R.I. appointments included chairmanship of the recreational and vocational fellowships committee (1998/99) and several high-ranking offices in the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians.

He was a Paul Harris Fellow, a The Rotary Foundation benefactor and recipient of the Rotary Down Under Meritorious Service Award.

His boat, Contessa, was always generously available for the service of Rotary and a legion of friends.

A member of the Agenda Committee of the Australian Rotary Regional Institute in 1992, he was also a member of the Training Committee for District Governors Nominee Designate at the Australian Regional Institute in 1992 and at the ANZO Institute in 1994. He was Resolutions Chairman at Australian Regional Institutes in 1994 and 1995, and a member of Nominating Committee for R.I. Director – Zone 8A – 1996.

In 1986 Colin Dodds was elected to the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund (ARHRF) Board of directors. He retired from the board in 1994. He was a gold companion and a life member of the Fund. He was also a close friend and long-time staunch supporter of Rotary Down Under.

Educated at Sydney Grammar School he undertook further studies at Sydney and Melbourne Institutes of Technology to graduate as an industrial chemist employed in the paint and leather industries.

During 26 years in the leather industry, he served as N.S.W. president of the Master Tanners Association, vice-president of the Federated Tanners Association of Australia and as divisional operations manager of Australia’s largest leather manufacturing group. In 1973 he resigned and invested in, and operated, a motor inn in Strathfield, Sydney, which he sold in 1988. In recent years, PDG Colin operated his own investment company.

In the hospitality industry, he served from 1978-1986 as director, vice-president and president of Flag Inns International.
He is survived by his wife Athalie, his three children and eight grandchildren.

Peter Haines left treasure trove of special memories Peter Haines who served District 9980 as governor in 1996-97 was a true professional, being quiet, unassuming and knowledgeable. He was a super-organised administrator, an expert facilitator and probably the best chairperson that many people worked with.

A great strength was his ability to assess situations and get the best from all involved, keeping them on track to reach conclusions. He was an excellent communicator.

Just a few really know what a huge contribution Peter and wife Claire made to District 9980 and its clubs over the past decade. They were the quiet ones who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, leaving nothing to chance. Hundreds of hours of work were spent on Rotary, while quietly encouraging president-elects and guiding those in the training team.

The Haines were the backbone of the training team and the intellectual guide for District 9980.

Joining the Rotary Club of Dunedin, N.Z., in 1976, Peter Haines served as District governor in 1996-97 and later instigated the District Strategic Plan. It was introduced with District Governor Stuart Heal in 1999/2000. With the District 9980 Manual, Peter Haines was the instigator and on-going developer.

He attended 16 President Elects Training Seminar (PETS) as the administrator and guiding hand, 10 District Assemblies where he had various roles and also was a guiding hand and mentor to the Rotary clubs of Dunedin and Timaru North.

Peter Haines was a Paul Harris Fellow with three sapphire pins and a Benefactor to The Rotary Foundation.

He was the loved husband of Claire, and father of seven. They had 16 grandchildren and one great grandchild. – PDG Jim Rayner.

Bill Thornton reached out to the world
A few days after District 9450 Past Governor Bill Thornton died his family received a letter from Canada. It was from a senior Probus official who pointed out that PDG Bill had helped initiate Probus in that country which last year had 168 clubs and 22,000 members.

PDG Bill was a Rotarian for 52 years and to the fore in the beginnings of PolioPlus and Probus in Australia. He was regarded by his peers as an outstanding Rotarian and by the communities he served as dedicated and enthusiastic.

Born in 1920, he was the son of a farm labourer who had migrated from England.

Bill Thornton was so keen to learn that he went to school on his first day by himself. He later was placed in advance classes in mathematics and his interest in the subject saw him become a chartered accountant.

He first served as a messenger and a junior clerk in a government department.

In WW2 he was manpowered out of the R.A.A.F. in 1940 to resume work in the department which had become understaffed.
He re-enlisted in the RAAF radar section in 1942 and continued a long-distance romance with Shirley who he had met at a dance in Victoria. They married in 1946.

In 1952 he bought into an accountancy business in Geraldton, W.A., and in 1960 set up his own business in Cunderdin. He served as an accountant until 1992.

Both Bill and Shirley Thornton gave much voluntary service to the communities. In 2002 Bill Thornton was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to local and international communities. A man of great ideals he put many people on the right road in life. He had few indulgences but later in life treated himself to a bright red Jaguar car in which to travel across Australia.

Jack Woodward tireless
worker for the North
Past District Governor Jack Woodward, who lived from 1916 to 2005, was one of nature’s true gentlemen and a tireless worker for Rotary and the North Queensland community. He served as District governor in 1975/1976 when the District was named 255. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Cairns West, Qld.

Born in Cairns, he undertook various jobs before obtaining an accountancy degree at the outbreak of WW2. Joining the R.A.A.F. he saw action in Asia, crash-landing in Java and then making his way to Melbourne, Vic., via Colombo in Sri Lanka. He stayed with the R.A.A.F. until 1946, flying Catalinas from Cairns, upon transfer to Victoria as a navigation instructor he again crashed into the sea.

After WW2 he took over the family farm and joined the family real estate firm. With wife Vera, he had a family of two sons and a daughter, one son becoming president of the Rotary Club of Cairns West, following in Jack Woodward’s footsteps. PDG Jack had terms as an alderman and with the Cairns Show Association and Legacy.

The Woodwards were busy entertaining throughout their life, at times holding Rotary meetings at their house. Later in life the family donated land to Masonic Care to build a retirement village, where Jack Woodward resided until his death.