Dinner at Kingston Heath Golf Club ……..Tales of a Volunteer
Our speaker was Golf Society member Peter Bellion APM, a retired Detective Sergeant with Victorian Police serving many years with the Major Collision Investigative Unit, a golfer for 47 years, and a member of Huntingdale Golf Club.
Peter is, however, most proud of his work as a long-time and dedicated volunteer and is an example of how volunteers play a key role in the success of both professional and community organisations. Peter will share with us his volunteering journey including his experiences at Golf Tournaments and with Life Saving Victoria.
Thanks to John Trevorrow for this report-
The second GSA dinner for the year was held in late June, 50 members and guests heard a moving presentation from Peter Bellion, APM.
Peter is a GSA member and is recently retired from serving many years with Victoria Police as a detective sergeant. Much of his service was in the Major Collision Investigation Unit, where Peter came into contact with the results of road trauma.
Peter has been a golfer for 47 years, and is a former captain and board member at Huntingdale GC, where he plays as often as family duties allow.
His talk was titled ‘Tales of a Volunteer’ and he entertained the audience with anecdotes and reminiscences about his many years of volunteering at Victorian golf tournaments and with Life Saving Victoria. Tales of his years with Victoria Police underscored the shared responsibility we all have to drive as carefully as possible on the roads.
Peter is a member and volunteer at Port Melbourne Lifesaving Club. He revealed that club membership across lifesaving is approximately 50/50 men and women, noted that this is in contrast to private golf clubs, where women membership typically hovers between 20 and 30 per cent.
A major theme of Peter’s talk revolved around the important contribution that volunteers make to our society, in whatever capacity they serve. “Without volunteers and volunteering, a lot of things just wouldn’t happen, and our communities would be the poorer for it,” he said.
And the benefits for the volunteers themselves are just as important, with social engagement being such a vital thing for good mental health and personal wellbeing.
The dinner was held at Kingston Heath GC, and the member and guests once again enjoyed the excellent food and service at this historic club.
Peter Bellion with President Kim Hastie
Peter Bellion with 2018 World Cup of Golf Volunteer Co Chairs Kim Hastie & Vicki Van der Venne – Metropolitan Golf Club
