10 October 1945 – 13 June 2021
Written by John Ilott – Rotary Central Melbourne
How does one do justice to a life of service with a few words? Words cannot adequately describe the impact Bernie Gerlinger has had on the lives of so many people in the Rotary world and beyond.
Bernie began his life of Rotary service 30 years ago in January 1991 when he joined the Rotary Club of Central Melbourne. From that time he worked tirelessly with Marjorie at both club and district level until they retired to Queensland in July 2019. He and Marjorie remained honorary members of Rotary Central Melbourne until his all-too-early death in June 2021.
As with everything he did, Bernie commenced his Rotary life with energy. Within a year of his joining our club, he led the “Paint Your Heart Out” project (1991-92). He became club Treasurer in 1992-93, the first of five Treasurer appointments. In 1993-94 President Lou Butterfield introduced the President’s Rotarian of the Year Award and selected Bernie as the inaugural recipient.
The following list of his important contributions to Central Melbourne demonstrates the high esteem in which he was held by many Rotarians.
- President 1999-2000
- Treasurer on five occasions, first in 1992-93 and the fifth in 2018-19.
- Vice President twice
- Rotarian of the Year Award 1993-94
- Rotary International Four Avenues of Service Award 2002-03 for consistently demonstrating support for the Objects of Rotary through participation in each avenue of service.
- Paul Harris Fellow Recognition in 1995, followed by four Sapphires and three Rubies. Bernie and Marjorie subsequently became Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation.
In his president’s year, our club won the District Vocational Service Trophy and a Rotary International Presidential Citation. The club introduced support kits for street kids, provided support for Kosovar refugees and provided a foetal heart monitor to a hospital in Mongolia. Weekly attendance increased by 12% over the year.
As though his Central Melbourne Rotary life wasn’t busy enough, Bernie was also an active contributor at District 9800 level.
- Assistant Governor on two occasions
- Treasurer on seven occasions
- Served on three District committees
- Received the District 9800 Special Service Award in 2009-10 and again in 2012-13
The list of his official positions and his many awards provides an impressive Rotary history, but it is truly gratifying to understand the sort of man Bernie was. We who knew him well have enjoyed putting together a few thoughts to appreciate our friendship with Bernie and to assist newer members who knew him less well.
Bernie indeed cast a long shadow across Central Melbourne and District 9800. He worked with a minimum of fuss and usually preferred to work diligently in the background, eschewing public recognition for his significant contributions. One can clearly recall his comments such as, “no crap, just give me the facts”.
While he could sometimes appear a little gruff, he was warm and generous in everything, including his time and patience. He would frequently prefer to listen to people and guide them, particularly if they were new to their roles.
Bernie’s technical strength was in the financial field and he used his financial skills to strengthen both Central Melbourne and District 9800. He brought a level of discipline that ensured new proposals needed viable business cases before they saw the light of day. Notwithstanding that, he was a positive thinker and would generally find a way to make projects happen, frequently working with the proposers to turn them into viable projects.
If his considerable financial skills were his technical strength, it was his wicked sense of humour, his generosity and welcoming nature that drew people to him. And once drawn to him, it wasn’t long before one truly appreciated the depth of Bernie’s character. He loved talking about his vast collection of model electric trains. He knew every detail about his trains as well as those he still didn’t own. He sometimes joked about maybe having to set up a private post office box “so Marj can’t see what I’m buying”.
Apart from his trains, Bernie had an eclectic interest in books, music, coins, wine and Australian Rules football. He and Marjorie had a large collection of books and he often boasted that he had read every one of them. His close friends recall many hilarious occasions over dinner and red wine, sharing several bottles of Bernie’s favourite wine, the Jones of Rutherglen ‘LJ Red’.
No social occasion was complete without Bernie’s favourite music – Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson and indeed, this was what he requested Marjorie to play at his funeral. Past District Governor, Keith Ryall recalled, “anyone who likes Johnny Cash and red wine is a person of true taste!” That was Bernie.
If electric trains, books, red wine, the Bombers and Rotary were important factors in Bernie’s life, Marjorie was the true love of his life. The strength of their relationship was obvious to everyone who knew them. They were a partnership in life and a partnership in Rotary. So many of us who have been the beneficiaries of Bernie’s and Marjorie’s friendship understand that if you seek the help of one you get double the benefit from both.
Diligent and selfless, Bernie and Marjorie were the consummate team. They were welcoming and genial hosts, ready to help anyone who asked. Their generosity is widely known, though both shunned the publicity. Christmas every year marked Central Melbourne’s collection of food hampers for the Lentara Asylum Seekers project and Steps Ministry, a division of Concern Australia. The food hampers were always enhanced with generous financial donations by Bernie and Marjorie – always without fuss or the need for recognition.
Bernie and Marjorie were happy to be involved in everything from roles as president and treasurer to participating in hands-on projects. Everything in Rotary was important to them. Indeed, one of our members commented, “without people like them willing to do the grunt work, many voluntary organisations would falter”. They were our “go-to” couple.
It is impossible here to record in detail the list of club and district projects in which Bernie and Marjorie have been involved. But to me, their stand-out contributions have been in Victoria Police mentoring and their work over decades in mentoring young people.
Bernie was a member of the Victoria Police Leadership Mentoring Program Steering Committee for several years. In that role he contributed to the strength and longevity of the program while both he and Marjorie acted as mentors to VicPol senior leaders. Mentees benefitted from meaningful interaction from both Bernie and Marjorie, regardless of who was the designated mentor. Mentees and steering committee members have fond memories of both Bernie and Marjorie from this important Rotary program. Bernie then went on to serve on the Steering Committee for the Ambulance Victoria Leaders Mentoring Program when that program was established.
Many of us fondly remember Bernie’s and Marjorie’s contribution to the development of young people, both within Rotary and as part of Rotary’s projects. International Youth Exchange was for many years a signature year-long project supported by Rotary International. Central Melbourne was an active participant in the program and Bernie and Marjorie hosted from memory, every international student. Each hosting was a minimum of three months and young people have returned to their home countries having enjoyed a rich experience underwritten by Bernie and Marjorie. After so many years, many of these now young adults remain in contact with them.
Bernie and Marjorie took an active interest in the development of young people in Rotary and there are many examples of their successes. The demands of Rotary life and pressure on young, growing families often mean that young people have not remained in Rotary. However I have witnessed the impact on those young people’s lives and they remain infused with the Objects of Rotary. I am confident that the leadership and friendship they have experienced with Bernie and Marjorie have created business and community leaders of the future. Bernie and Marjorie have indeed formed lifelong friendships with many young adults.
A Tuc Tuc ride during visit to our sister club Rotary Club of Rabindra Sarobar, India in 2019 |
Bernie’s life in Rotary has been an inspiration. His generosity of spirit, his sense of humour, his talent and the principles he lived by drew people to him as friends. But his enduring love for Marjorie helped to create a quality team whose humility sought nothing more than to serve others.
District Governor Philip Archer, after hearing that Bernie had passed away said, “Both Bernie and Marjorie have countless friends within Rotary and their tireless contribution to D9800 (and Rotary Central Melbourne) over decades has been extraordinary”.
Rest in peace, Bernie. You have left a wonderful legacy.
Acknowledgement:
This article has been written with the assistance of many contributions from members of Rotary Central Melbourne. While not every contribution could be used, I have tried to include the themes from people’s thoughts and anecdotes, with some in more detail than others.