Continuing our series of My Rotary Stories, meet PDG Michael Buckeridge and discover his legacy project.

PDG Michael Buckeridge describes his most rewarding Rotary experience as his role as Project Manager of the Rotary Foundation Global Grant to bring a Timor-Leste Vocational Training Team (VTT) to Mackay Central Queensland University. 

"The VTT was made up of 13 nurses and midwives and the project involved hundreds of Rotarians from Timor-Leste, Darwin, Townsville and the Mackay region," he said

"The team from Timor-Leste received among the best clinical training and professional education available anywhere in Australia and this project will save the lives of mothers and babies in Timor-Leste." 

District Governor John Hall said Michael's local and international connections, established through many years in Rotary, were critical to the success of the project.

"Michael's work has been outstanding and this project will change lives in Timor-Leste," he said.

Michael joined the Rotary Club of Mackay in 2004 and has held the positions of D9570 Rotary Australia World Community Service Chair; Northern Region Rotary Australia Benevolent Society Chair (D9550, D9570, D9600, D9630, D9640); and D9570 Group 1 Assistant Governor.

As District Governor 2019-2020 of District 9570, he worked to improve the governance and procedures of the district.

Michael is a Board Member of Australian Rotary Health and was made a Paul Harris Fellow in 2009. 

He received his second Paul Harris Fellow and wife Karen was made a Paul Harris Fellow in 2010. Michael received his third Paul Harris Fellow from District 9570 in 2010 and his fourth from the Rotary Club of Mackay in 2022. 

Michael's other great passion is family.

He met Karen in Mackay and they were married in 1978. They have three sons, Adam, Carl and Ryan, who are married to Sunny, Victoria and Amy respectively. Karen and Michael are blessed with three grandsons Arthur, Henry and Caleb.

Michael worked in the electricity industry for 41 years, where he was responsible for the safe commissioning of large high-voltage substation projects and fault investigations. He has qualifications and extensive experience as an engineering officer, and in management and project management.

Karen and Michael have travelled to the Solomon Islands twice, Cambodia once and Vanuatu nine times on Rotary projects and have attended Rotary International Conventions in Bangkok, Lisbon, Sydney, Seoul, Atlanta, Toronto and Hamburg.

Michael said Covid had a huge effect on the world in 2020 when he was District Governor. 

"It resulted in the cancellation of the Mackay District Conference and a lot of my time as District Governor in 2020 was spent moving clubs online and assisting members to use Zoom," he said. 

Michael said he believed Rotary was a 'great enabler'.

"I also believe that you get out of Rotary what you put into it," he said.

"While I'm very proud of my PHFs and other acknowledgements, I'm most proud of what I've been able to do to help others."