New president Caroline Springs Rotary club Vijay Susarla said when he was a young man, it was seeing first-hand Rotary International’s work to immunise people against polio that got him interested in the organisation.
He said that with Rotary’s help, two million people were given polio drops in two days.
In 1984 Mr Susarla migrated to Australia, and in 1996 this experience from his youth inspired him to join his local Rotary Club.
He has been a part of a variety of clubs in the 27 years since. His proudest achievement was visiting Samoa to help rebuild following the 2009 earthquake and tsunami.
He said he didn’t feel like it was much, but the thanks he got from locals proved the meaning of the effort.
“[The work was] a small drop in the ocean, for the devastation that happened, but they said ‘you helped us’. That means for me that drop in the ocean has value as well,” he said.
Rotary Caroline Springs held a changeover event on July 21 where Ronald Moss handed the title over to Mr Susarla.
The theme for Rotary’s coming year is “Create Hope in the World”.
Mr Susarla said he has a range of ideas to help his local community around this theme including addressing men’s mental health, creating more opportunities for youth and promoting peace.
Mr Susarla said he loves Rotary and is excited for the responsibility of being president.
“Rotary is a platform where you can divulge your passion and make it happen,” he said.
“We always look for more volunteers and welcome any new people considering coming in and joining us.”
Liam McNally
