It’s worthwhile stopping every now and then to thank the people who spend their days making a real difference in communities like Maitland.
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The Rotary Club of East Maitland is just one of the organisations we are lucky to benefit from in the Hunter.
On Tuesday, the Mercury reported on the work that these commendable citizens have done to help two Maitlanders.
The group raised $10,000 to buy a vital piece of medical equipment from Canada to help Tahlia Smith in her battle against Lyme disease – a fight that the federal and state governments have been criticised for not funding.
The machine will give Tahlia a fighting chance against the regular seizures she suffers.
Then there is William Cullen. The 31-year-old suffered severe violence as a child and was assaulted multiple times in the family home.
He decided to join the club after he stumbled upon a Rotary sausage sizzle in Maitland recently and his connection with the group has changed his life for the better.
His life is on track and he was recently awarded the Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary’s highest honour.
It’s believed he is the only recipient to be given the award on the same day of his formal induction into the Rotary ranks.
But the point is, Mr Cullen said the club made him feel like people genuinely cared about him.
After the start to life that he had, it would be hard for many of us to imagine the profound impact that realisation had on him.
There are countless other ways that organisations like the Rotary Club of East Maitland help people across this community and there are also plenty of other groups that spend their days doing good deeds.
As a community, we should make sure that they don’t go unnoticed.
