Independent People Tom Murphy

'Service before self' is the motto behind the Rotary Club, and the Athlone man who was elected District Governor of Rotary Ireland, certainly personifies that lofty ambition. Tom Murphy said a large part of his role as District Governor this year was to motivate all of Ireland's clubs in the midst of the recession while improving and promoting the work they do. Indeed Rotary's theme for this year is "The future of Rotary is in your hands". "We have to remember that 99.9% of the people we help didn't benefit from the Celtic Tiger. We've got to keep our funding growing." The "Service before Self" motto is something Tom thinks is vital now for both Rotary members and the community in general, as we try to find our way out of the recession. "We should serve the community. There is so much work to be done and even more now because it's harder to get money. But there's no point in playing the blame game about the politicians, or developers or bankers... When I was young, people looked after their neighbours and we should remember that now." Born in Manchester to Irish parents, Tom and his two siblings had a traditional Irish upbringing, even taking part in Irish Dancing competitions and speaking Irish. They returned home to visit his grandparents every summer to Kilreekil, a small village between Ballinasloe and Loughrea. He has vivid memories of bringing in the turf as a youngster. "My parents emigrated in the '30s and had three kids," said Tom. "My mother was the eldest of 11. She used to send stuff back in the summer and I'd come back to work the land. I love the bog and I still cut turf. When I was a kid, it was like being out in the Wild West up on a donkey and cart and I remember the turf used to take ages to dry." He knew Athlone well from when on their long journey from Manchester to Kilreekil, his family would get the train as far as Athlone, meet Johnny the bus driver at the station where he'd strap their luggage onto the roof of the bus and take them the rest of the journey. "Johnny always had a packet of Silvermints in his pocket," remembers Tom. Tom still has an aunt of 96 living in Mayo and tries to see her as often as he can. Bucking the trend at the time, the self-employed mechanical engineer "came home" to Ireland in the late 1970s and started working in the ESB power stations. When Ringsend power station shut down in the 1980s, Tom moved to Athlone and has been here ever since. He was involved in Rotary in both Manchester and Dublin, so it was only natural that he continued that on here. He also has a political background, having served on a city council for over 17 years. His commitment to public service is obvious. As District Governor, Tom has to officially visit all of the 72 Irish Rotary Clubs by next February, not to mention attend functions, women's nights and other extra meetings as well. "Rotary is my hobby, it takes up all my spare time, but I love it. You can see what you're doing. I hate the expression 'do-gooders', but that's what it is to a certain extent... We have projects to help disadvantaged kids, some people might argue that's patronising, but I disagree. I'd like to think it gives them hope." Tom was elected District Governor on July 1 in Santiago, at a large annual gathering "like a boot-camp", of all the DGs in the world. They hold meetings and discussions over five days, talking about the various charities, fund-raising events and other local initiatives. They swop ideas and inspiration. He met Bill Gates who has donated 3.5 million dollars to Rotary for its polio eradication scheme. "I asked him why he donated the money and he said that he trusts Rotary to spend his money on the cause. What you donate to us, there is no admin cost involved. We raise that ourselves. All are money is invested, everything is done on a three year basis. We're not profit-making so we can guarantee that every single penny is spent on the good cause." Rotary has five avenues of service; internship, community and communications, youth opportunities, foundation (charity) and membership. "A few years ago in Athlone we raised €100,000 for an eye clinic in Belarus. One of the members suggested it so that's what we did. And we get half from the Foundation, we always provide a matching grant for what we raise. We're now helping in the eradication of polio. Why? Because it's only a flight away - look at swine flu. Children are still being immunised, but it's near eradication," he said. To raise money Rotary members "beg, steal or borrow" and carry out simple fundraising ideas. "Thanks for Life is our big project this year. We're asking school children to give €1 each and that will save two lives. We're hoping to raise €2 million." Another local project was the foundation of the Athlone Community Taskforce which focuses on creating local employment. They also have raised money for the South Westmeath Hospice and the local Women's Refuge Centre. Last year, they organised a breakfast morning in the Radisson in aid of Console and raised €18,000. A breakfast event is a great way to beat the recession said Tom. "There's no wine, no expensive dress, no special hairdos needed. You just buy the ticket and turn up." Apart from charity work, Rotary is a big supporter of education. "We offer scholarships to further people's careers. We give funding for Masters' courses. People apply from different backgrounds and these people can end up working in the UN or for governments. We have 12 scholars now studying in Irish universities at the moment." They are also involved in education projects with local schools and Athlone IT. "We're starting a mentoring programme with students there. We're very happy to get involved. Members will share their experience with students on careers and job interviews," he said. There's also a Youth Programme which allows for teens to stay with Rotary families around the world on an exchange basis and a Youth Leadership programme, where a group of Irish teenagers travel to Strasbourg to visit the EU parliament, where they interrogate politicians and debate issues such as the environment, in open parliament against other countries. "For the last number of years, the Irish have wiped the floor," enthused Tom. "If we've any doubts about the future of this country, you should go see these kids debate." He mentioned a memorable time when the Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche got an intense grilling by the teenagers for trying to avoid answering the question. Tom said that the members get very attached to these budding politicians and policy-makers. "We take them for a week and we train them and study and when their parents come to meet us at the airport, we're all crying. Sometimes they keep in touch and tell us what they end up doing." There are also other competitions such as Young Chef and Young Photographer, and although there hasn't been an Irish winner yet, we're apparently coming close. All of these programmes and competitions are about breaking down barriers and "getting people together". And that's the core message you get while talking to Tom; Rotary is about inclusion, betterment and community involvement, on both a local and global scale. It's just a matter said Tom, for each of the local clubs to "get off their butts and publicise what we offer".