Last Tuesday, April 30, evening the 2024 Dr. John Birrell Road Safety Practitioner of the Year Award Dinner, was held at the Leopold Sportsman’s Club.
The Annual event, now in its fourth year, was hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Bayside Geelong and Bellarine North in conjunction with Victoria Police Western Region Division One
It was a wonderful night and well supported by Rotarians and friends from both clubs.
We were honored to have our District 9780 Governor, Ian McKay, join us, with Ian proposing the Toast to Rotary International and Victoria Police.
Ian demonstrated that both Rotary and the Police are similar in that they are there to support the community.
The night was honoring a Champion of Road Safety, Dr. John Birrell, a Police Surgeon for 20 years, who was instrumental in bringing the road toll down in the 1970s, with the introduction of a number of initiatives including compulsory wearing of seatbelts and random .05 breathalyser testing of drivers. Senior Constable Johan Wisewould from the Geelong Highway Patrol was awarded this year’s recipient of the Award. Johan’s proactive efforts and impactful work in the community in pursuit of keeping our roads safe, embody the spirit of this prestigious award.
It was a night of recognition and learning, with valuable and interesting presentations from Detective Sergeant Stephen Hill, from the Major Collisions Unit, and Margaret Markovic OAM, CEO of the Raw2Roar Program, who was the recipient of last year’s $3,000. We also heard from the Acting Superintendent, Michael Reid, Victoria Police, Western Region Division 1, who spoke on current Policing in the Geelong region.
A heartfelt congratulations to this year’s recipient of the monetary award, AMBER Community, nominated by Senior Constable Johan Wisewould, as a community organization, making a significant contribution in road incident support, counselling, and education of the community in road safety. Bayside Geelong Rotary Club Vice-President, Jo White, presented the cheque for $3,000, donated by the two rotary clubs, to Luke Elliot, South Western Regional Coordinator.
AMBER Community is close to our President Ian’s heart, and it was a shame he couldn’t attend the evening to perform the presentation himself.
The Auction and Mystery Raffle was well supported and a wonderful $630.00 was raised on the night in support of the Salvation Army, to purchase sleeping bags and blankets for the homeless in the Geelong and Bellarine community.
Thank you to all who attended from Bayside Geelong. Let’s all drive carefully and stay safe on our roads.
Judy Beasley
