Recognition At An Unusual And Auspicious Occasion

Four New Paul Harris Fellows

The Paul Harris Fellowship was established over 60 years ago in 1957 – its purpose being to identify, engage, and thank Members who have the ability and desire to help communities around the world in the best traditions of Rotary.  All Paul Harris Fellows join an illustrious group including past U.S. Presidents and UN Secretary-Generals, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk.

At the Club’s final Business Meeting of the Rotary year on Zoom, marking a happy end to the year, outgoing President Ben Clarke and President-Elect Peter Greene had the very pleasant duty to announce the honouring of four Members with Paul Harris Fellowship awards for outstanding service and contributions to our Club and our Community.  These members are:

• Treasurer Michael Ginn
• Community Service Chairman Keith Wood
• Safeguarding Officer Reverend Margaret Fowler and
  
• Immediate Past President, and incoming Secretary AND Vice-President, Les Sheppard.

All Social Distancing Rules were obeyed.  All photos created through the marvels of Photoshop.

Not be limited by Covid-19, all four new Fellows met for a celebration lunch on the patio of the Bakers Arms in Stock a week later with President Ben and President-Elect Peter, a limit of six people to meet Locxkdown Rules.  All four are now proud possessors of their Certificates and new Lapel Pins.

So Much Service

The contributions of these club members are inspiring!

Club Offices - including:

• President,

• Treasurer,

• Community Service Chairman,

• Safeguarding Officer and

• Vice-President and
  

• Secretary

Outside Rotary:

Church - Roles undertaken include:

• Associate Priest,
• Two very active church Treasurers,
• Churchwarden,
• Member of the Diocesan Synod (nine years),
• Member of the Parish and District Church Councils.
• IT Officer.

In the local community - Roles undertaken include:

• Former Chairman of the Reading Rooms,
• Current Reading Rooms Management Committee Member and Trustee,
• Current School Governor,
• Former School Governor,
• Member of the Billericay Educational Trust,
• Schools Ministry of the Church working with both Buttsbury Primary Schools and Brightside School, influential in setting up the second RotaKids Club in Buttsbury Junior School,
• Joint Leader in the Broken Reed prison fellowship charity providing support not only to prisoners in jail, but also to their families,
• Founder of the innovative Billericay Twins Club, helping mothers of multiple births in Billericay and ALL the surrounding towns.  Elected Honorary President at the end of term

Internationally - Roles undertaken include:

• Aquabox Ambassador - Moved by the plight of many countries lack of water and poor quality water, especially from his own personal experience of this in Asia,
• Implementing our Rotary Club’s Ciamanda Borehole Well project - actively liaising with the local schools, Embu Rotary Club, and Church officials to ensure that our first well was built on time and on budget. 
• Personally carrying a Community Aquabox Water filter to Kenya at the end of 2019 and ensured its most welcome delivery to Katama to provide them with clean water.
• 10 years work in the Embu region of Kenya funding many vital facilities in the area,
• Leading Church support to enable Magaca in Kenya to build a church AND new toilets

District Governor 2019/20 Pauline Dean writes:
An example of the presentations of Paul Harris Fellow Awards is Billericay Rotary who in their 60th year have presented four PHF awards to four members of their club - Michael Ginn, Keith Wood, Margaret Fowler and Les Sheppard for their work in Rotary and the wider community both internationally and locally. Congratulations to all!