This week, apologies were received from Karen Armstrong, G.P, Jenny Sanderson, Ben Hill and Brian Fitzpatrick.

We were saddened to pass on the news that Mary Haugh, wife of past member John Haugh and the mother and mother-in-law of past members Seamus and Robert, had passed away last weekend.  Mary’s funeral will be held at St Liborius church on Wednesday, 18th March at midday.  We pass on our deepest condolences to Seamus, Robert and Cathrine.

Our guest speaker, John Brewin, was introduced by John Pearce as an entrepreneur and an adventurer.  John’s life story is remarkable, with experiences spanning continents and industries.  He began by sharing insights from his early childhood, which was marked by frequent moves between schools.  At just 14 years old, his family relocated to the highlands of Papua New Guinea when his stepfather was posted there as a schoolteacher.

 

Upon arriving at their new village, the family discovered there was no school, asking where the school was, they were told they had to build it themselves. It was in this environment that John first learnt about marketing; he would purchase sweet potatoes from locals for 3 cents a pound and sell them on for 6 cents.  After returning to Melbourne, John attempted a career in primary school teaching, completing two years at teachers’ college.  He worked as a cleaner on Great Keppel Island before his mother forged his signature on an enrolment form for Coburg College, which was accepted.  At 22, John became a youth worker, living in a house with eight homeless kids. This led him to start selling sleeping bags from his car boot, turning a tidy profit.

In Melbourne, John met Cate Roberts.  They married and had three children: Sam, Mia and Tommy.  The family moved to Bendigo in 1989.  Over the years, John has established several successful businesses.  Tommy, John and Cate’s youngest, trained as a teacher and worked in remote outback schools.  While most teachers in those areas last only a few months, Tommy thrived, enjoying both the work and the community.  After four years, he decided to embark on a bike ride adventure.  A year ago, he used his savings to travel to Mexico, bought a reliable bike and began riding south. So far, he has passed through Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Columbia.

 

At Christmas, John and Cate travelled to Costa Rica to spend the Christmas with Tommy. John highly recommended Costa Rica as a travel destination, noting that the country invests little in military defence and instead focuses on environmental sustainability.  He described Costa Rica as a truly beautiful place.  Tommy is currently halfway through his journey and expects to reach the southernmost tip of South America within the next 12 months.  By the end of his trip, he anticipates having travelled between 20,000 and 25,000 kilometres.

It is often said that everyone has a book inside them. If that is the case, both John and Tommy Brewin’s stories would make fantastic reads.  Their journeys and achievements are inspiring.

 

 

Geoff and Mick.

Co-Presidents