14 May 2018-Stuart Diggins-A Tale Of Two Families and a Career Well Spent
I'm a West Australian, born and bred and sixty two years (62) young this year.
I was invited to come along to Rotary by Charter Member, Dale Deeks, in August 1996. Our daughters, Melanie and Fiona were both at Winthrop Primary School at the time and Dale and Sue, Lannah and I all attended Saturday morning netball at Gibson Park to support our respective daughters.
I was inducted into the membership of the Rotary Club of Willetton on 23rd September, 1996. Our President that year was Graham Kierath.
On conservative calculations I have attended just under 800 club meetings and undertaken market duty at Canning Vale Markets more than 120 times.
My first club Board role was as Treasurer – taking over part way through 1997-98. I have been a member of the Board each year since 1998-99, other than a break of one year.
The years have gone very quickly … with a number in the room being fellow-members all of that time.
… The Fremantle Dockers have still not won a Premiership … and I hate to think how many dollars my support of the Dockers has cost me via successive Sergeants’ fines over the years.
I have been married to Lannah for thirty six (36) years. Lannah was originally a South Australian and you heard a little of her life story when she was our guest speaker earlier in the year. Our two daughters, who were twelve (12) and nine (9) on my induction are now thirty three (33) and thirty (30). The elder is Robyn, an architect, who was fortunate to obtain work experience, when in Year 10 at school, with Erwin in his practice. This confirmed Robyn’s desire to pursue architecture as a career. Robyn is married to Tristan, also an architect, whom she met in the first week of study at UWA. They are the parents of our only grandchild, Remy, who is nineteen (19) months old. Remy started Day Care three days a week last week, as Robyn has returned to work.
Our younger daughter, Fiona, is an Editor for a WA/Irish-based publisher of primary school learning materials, known as RIC Publications. Outside of work, she is passionate about the welfare of animals and from a teenager became vegetarian and more recently vegan. Fiona is known for her rescue work with abused or neglected budgies – and at one stage we were housing more than 20 at our home in Booragoon. Fiona’s partner, Ant, is a Security and Risk Analyst in IT Operations for the Bunnings Group … which means he is at the forefront of protecting Bunnings extensive computer networks in Australia and the UK from cyber-attack. He tells me it is a pretty stressful role as the foes are many and their attempted incursions unending.
Career wise, I have now been in the full-time workforce for 41 years, though started work part time when I was 12. My career has taken me in several directions:
- Five years (5) in federal politics – as research officer to a Western Australian member of the House of Representatives;
- Fifteen (15) years in the IT and related technology industries, both here in Perth and on the east coast for 7 years – working with Australian and multinational companies
- Nineteen (19) years in technology management and public health system governance with the Department of Health Western Australia
- Two (2) years as an equity Partner in Australia’s leading mid-market consulting firm as a lead Partner in the Medical Health and Pharmaceuticals cluster – but also working with business owners across a number of other industries to help them achieve their goals faster than they could otherwise.
A thumb-nail sketch should be just that …I can do the detail on other aspects of what has been a fortunate and interesting life another time.
I hope this sketch has been of some small interest – particularly to our newer members who may not have heard it before!
Thank you!
13 August 2018-Bernard Crooks-From New Zealand To Perth and Beyond
I was born and grew up in New Zealand and after completing my carpentry & Joinery apprenticeship, I immediately started my own house building business At age twenty one (21) I was the youngest member of the NZ Master Builders, but nine years later at age thirty (30) I was forced to leave industry due to chronic back problems. Whereupon I joined the Guardian Royal Exchange (GRE) Super and Life Insurance Company and won a holiday to Australia for recruiting, training and managing sales representatives.