Exemplifying Service above Self - Stories from the Heart of Orange

Here at Orange City Life we strive to do our little bit to make Orange a better place each week and love recognising the many hardworking volunteers that go above and beyond for our community.

When we heard that longstanding local Rotarians Len Banks and John Templeman had been given one of Rotary’s highest honours, we had to offer our own hearty congratulations.

Len and John have been appointed Paul Harris Fellows, honours bestowed to Rotarians around the world for meritorious service and for exemplifying the ideals of Rotary.

Both members of the Rotary Club of Orange for over a decade, Len and John are active members of the Rotary Community. They are both quick to roll up their sleeves, whether it is getting the barbecue going, coordinating the Club’s quarterly markets, or designing and building the chook tractor the Club raffles each year to raise funds for Sustainable Living Week.

For their fellow club members, they are a source of camaraderie and bring an infectious cheerful attitude to their Club’s weekly meetings.

Notably, Len Banks was also the founder and lead organiser of the Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Festival, which continues to grow and has become a cornerstone event in the Orange calendar. The Rotary Club of Orange continue to be a part of the festival each year.

Immediate Past President of the Club, Clivia Frieden, said the fellowship is fitting recognition for all Len and John do for our community through their Rotary work.

“John and Len make a tremendous contribution to our club and club activities each and every year,” Ms Frieden said.

“They both exemplify the ideals of Rotary — ‘Service above Self’ — as well as the Rotary International theme during my year as president, ‘Be the Inspiration’; and it is my pleasure to give them both this prestigious international recognition of their service.”

In recognising our two local Rotarians, Rotary International stated, “A world of peace and goodwill comes closer to reality today as Len and John become Paul Harris Fellows for the second and third time respectively. It is because of members like them that The Rotary Foundation is able to carry out an array of programs that achieve beneficial changes in our world: improved living conditions, increased food production, better education, wider availability of treatment and rehabilitation for the sick and disabled, new channels for the flow of international understanding, and brighter hopes for peace.”

Imagine what we could achieve with more volunteers like Len and John