Margie Oldfield of the WDJCC spoke about the development of her organisation as a community one and the valuable role played by Rotary in this.
Margie Oldfield, President of the Wembley Districts Junior Cricket Club (WDJCC), was the club's guest speaker on 13 May. she was welcomed and introduced by President-Elect, Jeremy Wood, and what an interesting talk it turned out to be! The WDJCC is the biggest junior cricket club in WA and possibly in the whole of Australia, and Margie has been a volunteer there for about 10 years. The aim of the WDJCC is to help create good people rather than just good cricketers, and so the emphasis is on whole-family involvement and getting them to join in as a community. The children learn to play, umpire, coach and volunteer, and Friday evenings when Rotary Cambridge sizzles sausages, have become an important social event. The WDJCC also likes to develop relationships with other organisations such as Rotary, the Town of Cambridge, Inclusion Solutions and the Autism Association of WA. The aim is for the WDJCC to be a responsible, contributing community organisation. The Autism link is particularly apt as it gives children who suffer from the disorder an opportunity to join with others in a non-threatening environment. Margie received a Cricket Volunteer of the Year award at the MCG in 2017 - obviously well deserved! It has been a real privilege for Rotary Cambridge to be involved with the WDJCC.