“The way I see it, I’ve had a fairly blessed life and not everybody is that lucky,” he said.

On Thursday night, the decade- long member of the Rotary Club of South Ballarat was made president at the changeover dinner at the Ballarat Gold Club, attended by 160 members and residents. 

It is a fitting move for Mr McKinnon who is also on the board of Centacare Ballarat and a member of the Ballarat Cornerstone community. 

“My passion in life has always been legacy work,” he said. “I hope to continue the great tradition of the Rotary club which is well known for its vast community projects. It’s not just the work you do and seeing the positive outcomes of that work, but the wonderful lifelong connections you make with people along the way.”

Mr McKinnon said he would be aiming high during his year-long term as president with his sights set on creating an alternative schoolies program for young people which could involve taking year 12 students on a post-exam trip to a Third World country.

“It’s in the preliminary stages at the moment but the hope is that we can create a trip which is different to your typical end of school trip to the Gold Coast,” he said. “We want to create an alternative that that is worthwhile and meaningful for young people, where they can see the world and hopefully give something back to the communities they visit.” 

Mr McKinnon said he also wanted to expand on a school breakfast program which involved supplying breakfast for students and children attending schools in Ballarat. 

He said he would ensure Rotary continued long-standing traditions including holding the Ballarat Market every Sunday and supporting schools including St Patrick’s College and Phoenix P-12 Community College.