I was born Marjorie Ann McInnes, 2nd of 6 children of Don & Dorothy McInnes, and lived my early life on the family dairy farm at Radford, outside Harrisville.  I attended Harrisville State School and later at Ipswich State High School at Brassall. 

Upon leaving school I commenced work as a Clerk-Typist for Moreton Shire Council (long before amalgamation with Ipswich City Council) in what is now the Yamanto Police Station, where I worked until my marriage in September 1969.

Over the next 50 years, Graham and I have lived in a variety of places, and I have undertaken a number of jobs, as and when family commitments allowed.

1969 – 1970    Lived at North Sydney.  Worked at Burroughs Limited

1970 – 1982    Canberra ACT TAB - Computer Operator

                        Canberra College of Advanced Education – Computer Operator

Our 3 daughters – Natalie, Deirdre and Anita - were born in Canberra

1982 – 1983    Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast

1983 – 1987    Cleveland.

Our son Cameron was born in Cleveland.

1987 – 2004    Mackay

After various part time jobs when the children were young, in 1991 I commenced work at Department of Social Security (later Centrelink) where I maintained employment for 20 years.

Our first real contact with Rotary was after we moved to Mackay in 1987.  Graham had secured employment in a State Government position, and later he started his is own Town Planning practice.  Soon after he joined the Mackay Rotary Club.  I was involved in various activities with ‘Rotary Anns’.  Our daughter Natalie was selected by another of the local Clubs as an Exchange Student and spent 1991 in Rendsburg, a city in northern Germany.  At the time, much of our communication with her was by fax, a great improvement on previous families who waited weeks for mail to arrive.

For the next 10 years, as well as working full time, I was heavily involved in the children’s activities – Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Youth Orchestra, Big Band, as well as various sporting commitments.

By 2004, the girls were all married and living away from Mackay, and Cameron was a Cadet at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.  With little prospect of any of them returning to Mackay, Graham and I moved to Palmwoods at the Sunshine Coast where I was able to transfer with Centrelink (Caboolture), and Graham took up employment with a firm at Maroochydore. 

Two years later found us living in Harrisville, Graham had joined a Surveying/Town Planning practice in Ipswich and I was able to transfer again with Centrelink, until my retirement some five years later. 

Life in Harrisville has been mostly good for us, and for much of the time we have been within easy reach of our children and grandchildren, as well as extended family.  Cameron has been posted back to Canberra, where we hope to visit as soon as possible.

Graham joined Boonah Rotary in 2006, then in 2010, after much groundwork, the Rotary Club of Fassifern Valley was chartered with him as Charter President.

Although our involvement has decreased in the last couple of years, Rotary remains an integral part of our lives and we hope it will continue to do so.