Frederick Peter Fawke OAM
25 September 1944 - 11 August 2025
Fred Fawke has been a member of the Rotary Club of Belconnen since 1996 after transferring to us from the Rotary Club of Canberra Weston Creek. A larger than life person he emigrated to Australia with wife Pam many years ago having been a ‘bobby’ in the London Police Force. He became a member of the Commonwealth Police Force from 1966-1979 and was instrumental in designing the first AFP organisational structure in 1979. He retired with the rank of Superintendent in 1979-2000. Fred has noted that when he became a Superintendent, he was nicknamed the “waste control officer”.
He was President of the Rotary Club of Belconnen in 2006-2007; District Chairman of the District 9710 Shelterbox Project in 2007 (and for many years since then); member of the Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) association; District Assets Office; District Coordinator of Probus Clubs; former Board member of our Club; Assistant Director of our Community Services Committee and a current member of our Donations in Kind & Recover, Rehabilitate and Reuse Project(DIK/RRR).
Over the past three months, I have visited about half the clubs across the District. Discussions have focused on the importance of growing our membership and exploring ways to achieve this. There have also been ideas about enhancing our public image. Clubs have been receptive, and I have appreciated the lively discussions. There is no quick fix for growing clubs, and we can’t sit back and wait for others to do it for us. If we want to increase membership, it’s up to us to actively seek new members. The District Team is engaging with clubs to understand how we can support your efforts.
More than half the clubs in the District have gained at least one new member in these three months. Crookwell and Canberra Rotaract have each inducted five new members, and six other clubs have welcomed three new members. I appreciate the Rotarians who are out in the community talking to people about Rotary and inviting them to activities or meetings.
as ever. Norm’s story is deeply personal—he contracted polio at just three years of age. His life has been shaped by the challenges and resilience required to live with the aftereffects
of a disease we now have the tools to eliminate.
