Posted by Peter Flavel and Heather Heggie on Sep 06, 2017
Vale Past President David Attwood PHF
Our highly valued and esteemed member David Attwood passed away on Saturday 26th August 2017 after a long and determined battle with illness.
 
David Attwood joined the Rotary Club of Naracoorte in 1990 and was president in 2000-2001. He was a club stalwart, and his leadership and patience had us all working like willing slaves time and again, especially service and fundraising for all sorts of projects including, hospital, retirement home, schools, Australia Day Breakfasts, bowel scan, raffles, extensive vineyard fundraising work and the Naracoorte Creek walk.
 
David was very involved in many youth projects over the years, with both international and New Zealand exchange students. David's grandson Harrison and grand daughter Sophie both had successful exchanges to New Zealand.
 
David was a committee member and site organizer for early Taste Festivals and supplied entrances and fencing.The entrances designed and made by David are still being used today at the Taste Festivals and also used for the Rotary Fun Run start and finish. David was also the coordinator of the Fun Run for quite a few years.
 
David was the driving force behind the Naracoorte Cat Scan project which saw the local community raise in excess of $800000 for the purchase of a CT Scan unit which is now fully operational and services the mid and upper south east of SA and the western districts of Victoria.
 
Many will remember David’s dunking machine which provided a lot of fun for children all over the SE. It was hired out to other clubs and events which helped raise many hundreds of dollars for their different causes as well as for Rotary community projects.
 
He worked cooperatively with other service clubs and was always supported by his wife Jess who knitted and baked for countless raffles and events. It was often a family effort with David and we will miss him greatly.
 
David was a great role model who, with his cheerful and good natured humour always saw the funny side to a situation and was never short of a story or joke.
 
David was recognized for his services to Rotary in 2002 with the Paul Harris Fellow recognition, this was followed in 2008 with the Paul Harris Fellow Sapphire recognition and in 2014 was awarded the highest award given to an individual Rotarian, the Four Avenues of Service Award for outstanding and exemplary service in Rotary. He was also a well-deserved recipient of Citizen of the Year for Naracoorte in 2008.