“It is a good time to step down,” he said.

“The Illawarra Connection is going from strength to strength, is financially stable and doing good things.” 

Mr Summerill made the decision prior to the last board meeting where Graham Lancaster, of Lancaster Law and Mediation, was elected president and Peter Buckley, of Peoplecare, vice president. “I’m leaving it in good hands. Being President of TIC has been one of the most privileged and enjoyable  roles I have held. However, I feel this is an opportune time for a leadership change”.

There have only been two presidents of TIC in the last 25 years. Mr Summerill was elected president in 2005.

That was when founding president Peter Kell decided it was time for him to hand over the baton to someone else.

Mr Summerill said during this time he had enjoyed working with a great board and three outstanding executive directors in Barry Wood, Sharon Wingate and Yvonne Walker.

Mr Summerill said he planned to keep attending TIC dinners.

Kell honoured for 12 years with The Illawarra Connection – Feb 2006

THE board of Illawarra's peak networking body this week paid tribute to its founding president by presenting him with life membership of The Illawarra Connection.

Peter Kell was presented the honour by new president Roger Summerill in recognition of his 12 years at the helm of one of the region's most consistently strong business organisations.

Mr Summerill said this week's first Connection dinner of the year provided an opportunity to formally recognise that commitment.

He said Mr Kell was one of a small group of business leaders responsible for establishing The Illawarra Connection (TIC) in 1993 to promote the region for the benefit of all regional businesses and the community.

He said the group was successful in establishing an ideal forum for communication between regional business and community leaders on a wide range of topical interests

"Peter Kell's leadership of the Connection is something that really just can't be measured," he said.

"He has been dedicated to the Connection as a body and, more importantly, Peter has had a real commitment to the values of the Connection and the Illawarra community."

Mr Kell said the networking body had become very much a part of he and his wife Faye's life. He said he had spent a lot of time with many Connection members growing the organisation to its existing position.

"It was with regret that other circumstances in my life led me to the point of thinking it was time to stand down," he said.

"But I don't think that was a bad thing because after all that time I think it was time for a change.

"I'm delighted to, as the Mercury Enterprise magazine said, pass the baton to Roger Summerill who is an old friend and someone I know will be a wonderful president and leader."

Radio stalwart to sign off from ABC – June 2007

HE has toured Australia with Skippy the Kangaroo, worked with some of the biggest names in radio and television, established a film and television school and been honoured with an Order of Australia Medal.

Now Roger Summerill has decided to turn the "on air" signal off after a 41-year career in the media. His full-time career will end on July 13 when he steps down as ABC's NSW Local Radio manager.

Despite no longer travelling daily to Sydney from his Shell Cove home, Mr Summerill won't have time to take up lawn bowls or line dancing just yet.

He intends to spend more time with his wife Anne and children Matthew and Roger and their families.

He will also channel his energy into consultancy and community roles, including as a lay preacher at St Paul's Anglican Church Shellharbour, chairman of The Illawarra Grammar School and president of The Illawarra Connection (TIC).

Tuesday's TIC dinner with guest speaker ABC managing director Mark Scott just happens to coincide with Mr Summerill's 41st anniversary in the broadcast game.

In the days before television, he was a self-confessed radio groupie. He loved to watch stars such as Jack Davey record their programs live.

Mr Summerill won a Sydney eisteddfod radio announcing competition in 1965, but came to radio as a career via a circuitous route because his father did not consider radio a real job.

From 1966, he juggled work in a bank Monday to Friday with the midnight-to-dawn shift on radio 2UE on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

He moved to 2UW and read news on Channel Nine before a series of on-air and media management roles.

A highlight was being upstaged by a kangaroo when he toured Australia with Skippy to promote crockery featuring the popular television star.

"We took the kangaroo to the Gold Coast once and we had every school between Tweed Heads and Southport bring the kids out onto the road to wave to Skippy as it went past in an open car," he said.

Mr Summerill was also the head of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in Sydney for four years.

He presented the Saturday breakfast show on ABCradio in Wollongong before making the sea change to Nowra in 1985 to manage 2ST.

He became involved in the community, chairing the Shoalhaven Tourism Board for 12 years and was later awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to tourism.

Another career highlight was launching the region's first commercial FM radio station, Power FM. He moved to Wollongong in 1997 to manage Wave FM, but two years later joined the ABC in Sydney.

TIC speakers during Roger Summerill’s time as president