Boonah Rotary President Peter Truer with Paddington Rotary Club members, from left, Jennifer Cadena, Nicci and Denise Spencer-Scarr, Dani and Jeff Conn and Shane Bullock.
Garry and Joyce Rathgeber added an international flavour to the rally on Sunday. The couple live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and are visiting Queensland. Joyce said they thought the rally would be a great way to see the countryside - and she declared “it was!”. Garry and Joyce are pictured with fellow rally entrants Sue and Albert Jarmer and Jan and Ken Kluck.
Flavours Cafe was the greeting point for the introduction of Mayor Greg Christensen by Boonah Rotary to Paddington Rotary President, David Frost. Pictured from left are Flavours’ Mark O’Shaughnessy, Felix Grayson and Peter Truer from Boonah Rotary, Mayor Christensen and David Frost.
Former Brisbane City Councillor, member of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and the Southbank Corporation and Kenmore Rotary Club member, Margaret de Wit with husband Hank and John Brent chatted about the benefits of the Drought Drive Rally.
An impressive line-up of high end cars were parked in Boonah during the rally.
Almost 100 cars and up to 250 people joined the Paddington Rotary Club’s drought relief rally to Boonah and Warwick on Sunday.
Billed as Paddington Rotary and friends, the rally was joined by a couple of high-end car clubs.
The Porsches alone attracted a lot of attention from locals and visitors while the Rotarians and their friends spent money in the town’s cafes.
Originally, the Club asked the Boonah Rotary Club to stage a barbeque for the visitors, which would be paid for by each entrant.
But Boonah President, Peter Truer, said the Club suggested that the visitors buy their morning tea from cafes in the town to inject money directly into the local economy.
“Our role became one of welcoming them to Boonah and they were very welcome as all money raised by the rally will go into this Rotary region’s drought relief drive,” Peter said.
The owner of each vehicle in the rally paid a $20 entry fee and money was raised through other activities.
“We had a questionnaire to fill out,” explained one group, “we had to answer questions like ‘how tall is the Blumbergville clock’ and ‘how many animal signs were beside the road’ between our starting point a Jindalee Homebase and Warwick’.”
There was also a winner’s opportunity for the person who spent the most money in the town - all the visitors had to do was keep their receipts.
Secretary of the Paddington Club, Dani Conn explained that it had been proven that 98 percent of the money raised by Rotary clubs went to people in need.
“Everyone here today has joined the rally to help support areas where the drought has had a real impact,” she said.
“And while it is wonderful to drive through a lush green countryside, we know that while the rain will help solve some problems, the recovery from the drought will take much longer.”
