THANK YOU: past president Kevin McDonnell was presented with a “thank you” certificate from another past president, Donna McDonald, for his years of work on the Rockingham Beach Cup Committee.
SPONSORS of the 2022 Rockingham Beach Cup were thanked at a recent Palm Beach Rotary club meeting.
And the event’s two main beneficiaries – the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation and Variety, the children's charity – were presented with $10,000 cheques.
Beach Cup committee chairwoman Donna McDonald and club president John Simmons presented Barbara Holland — chairwoman of the Bendigo Bank Rockingham Community Bank — with a set of framed jockey’s silks.
Another set of silks was presented to Duncan Kee, general manager of Rockingham Jeep. Mrs. Holland said the silks would be "proudly displayed in our branch at secret harbour".
CAPTION: Brad Dean received a certificate of appreciation for his work on the Rockingham Beach Cup Committee. He also took home a $10,000 cheque for Variety WA, the charity helping disabled and disadvantaged young people.
Donna remarked that the Community Bank’s sponsorship was hugely appreciated because a previous sponsor had dropped out at the last moment. Mrs. Holland said she found it a pleasure to support “the iconic Rockingham Beach Cup” and she paid credit to Palm Beach Rotary “for initiating such an event on our beautiful Rockingham beach”. She added: “I grew up on this beach and have been involved with racehorses all my life so feel a deep connection to this event.
“Good luck in the future and I hope this event is here to stay for many years to come.” She expected the bank’s Beach Cup sponsorship would continue.
Duncan McKee was thanked, not only for his company's cash sponsorship but also providing vehicles for display and work on the sand over the weekend. He also said he wanted to continue involvement in this amazing event.
Donna mentioned she had received apologies from beach cup committee members Courtney Pink and Lauren Barbera. Courtney and she had been on a huge learning curve this year in regard to marketing the event, she said. This was a necessity, because of Genevieve Bailey’s resignation from the committee, due to the pressure of work. Courtney had contributed hugely in another area as well – running the Palm Beach Oasis bars. “Police commented that they were amazed at how well it was run," Donna said.
She also paid tribute to the amazing work done by Lauren Barbera and the rest of the Street Hassle team, which made the event run so smoothly this year.
She also intended finding and thanking Rob McGavin for his huge effort organising the horses and everything else connected with the racing side of this huge weekend, she said.
Brad Dean was wearing two hats at the Rotary meeting on Wednesday – one as a member of the beach cup committee and the other as chairman of Variety WA, the charity that supports children and families facing challenges through sickness, disadvantage, or living with a disability.
He was presented with a certificate of appreciation for his work on the committee and a $10,000 cheque to help Variety’s work.
Another $10,000 cheque was presented to Caren Wilson, the Australian Alzheimer's Research Foundation WA community engagement manager.
Caren and her mother Jean had staffed the foundation’s information tent throughout the beach cup weekend. Kevin McDonnell was also presented with a certificate of appreciation for his huge contribution in four years on the committee. He remarked there had been some struggle times but the support that Donna gave him and everyone else on that committee was what made the difference. Without that support, people may have thrown up their hands and given up.
He also thanked all of the club members for their work on the cup. Many people had double and triple jobs but “nobody ever said no”, he said.
