Santa Claus Pub Crawl organiser Neil Webster was awarded one of Rotary’s highest honours on Wednesday when he was made a Paul Harris Fellow.
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The Rotary Club of Wollongong surprised Mr Webster at its weekly breakfast meeting fittingly held in the Salvation Army’s Cafe Essay.
“I wasn’t expecting that. I thought I was just going along to breakfast and getting a thank you. I don’t do this for recognition. This is very humbling,” Mr Webster said.
The annual charity event Mr Webster started with his brother Craig and some of his mates from BlueScope has raised closed to $2 million for the Salvo’s First Floor Program run by the Jane Wilson Foundation.
Rotary Club of Wollongong president Dot Hennessy said not many people outside Rotary were recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow. She described Mr Webster as “an absolute legend” for organising a community event that raised so much money for programs that help children.
“It has a beautiful outcome in the lives it touches”.
“Next year when it becomes the three day Santa Fest the support it gives to several charities is going to be over the top”.
They include the Disabled Surfers Association and the Santa Fest Carols last Sunday alone attracted 4500 people who raised thousands of dollars for The Disability Trust.
Mr Webster said 25 years after it all began his brother Craig’s children were old enough to come along to the Pub Crawl now and his own daughter Caitlin West worked at North Gong Hotel last Saturday.
She is the third generation of his family who have worked at the hotel.
“I ran the North Gong back in the early 90’s and my mum worked there in the 80’s,” she said.
Another of the original founders Tony Hall is like Mr Webster in attending every year.
The Rotary Club of Wollongong has itself been involved with Santa Claus Pub Crawl particularly with the barbecue at Gilligan’s Island for many years.
Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
