Rotary Hermanus honours those who help make a difference

- Hedda Mittner

The weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Hermanus turned into an especially joyous occasion last Thursday evening when the club’s President, Ann Wright handed over a number of special awards.

First up were the ‘unsung heroes’ of the club, whose dedication and hard work behind the scenes are often overlooked, but without which the club would not be able to function. The recipients were Carl van Heerden, Frank Matthee and Lorraine Cain.

The Rotary Hermanus Civic Award went to Mark Robson, Estelle van Graan and Lynne Powers of Cuckoo Tree, who was again responsible for the delicious dinner that was served. The prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award went to Past President Ian Wallace and Carolyn Martin of Creation for the extraordinary contribution they have made to humanitarian and educational programmes in Hermanus. And finally, the District 9350 Public Image Award was bestowed on The Village NEWS and Hermanus Times for their promotion of the various community services provided by the Rotary Club of Hermanus.

At the awards ceremony, Carolyn thanked Ann and Past President, Ian Wallace for “immediately coming on board” and enabling her vision to become a reality through the support of a Global Grant from the Rotary Foundation. Thanks to the expertise of architect Andrew Finlayson, structural engineer Eward Grobler and the builder, Barry Coombe, the historical value of the derelict barn was preserved while turning it into three modern ECD classrooms. The building also houses a bathroom and an office, with a fully-equipped playground outside.

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