If the only solution in your toolbox is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. It can be easy for groups to fall into a similar mindset, says Robert Eamer. It can be important to be exposed to different ideas and mindsets, he noted.
Eamer, originally from Cornwall, and now living in Fonthill, served as a member of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) for more then 30 years.
“What I found was that in policing, you're always with police officers and people in the justice system, but Rotary provided me an opportunity to have breakfast and participate in fundraising with people from various backgrounds,” he said. “You really learn an awful lot more about what and how people think, and how things work.”
Now 78, Eamer said he thinks many people retire too soon, noting how people, by the time they are approaching 55, are starting to reach a “point of wisdom.”
That wisdom and diversity of knowledge and experience, he said, is what attracted him most to Rotary, along with the camaraderie that comes with being a member.
Over his 36-year police career, which began in a forensics unit, Eamer served in locations such as Long Sault, Timmins, Belleville, Peterborough, Kingston and Smiths Falls.
His career culminated in the position of Chief Superintendent and Regional Commander of the Eastern Region of the Ontario Provincial Police, where he was responsible for the leadership of 1,100 police officers and support staff.
It was in Belleville that he first became a Rotarian. A detective staff sergeant was a Rotary member and invited him to try it out.
“He invited me to come to a meeting in that and I just took to it,” said Eamer.
In 1997 Eamer provided the executive sponsorship for the development of the Ontario Provincial Police Youth Summer Camp. He was also a founding director of the OPP Youth Foundation. He noted the camps are now coordinated with Tim Hortons.
Eamer said over his career he saw the importance of positive interaction between children and police. The OPP Youth Foundation was established to provide assist in fundraising activities, provide appropriate accountability processes and allow the OPP to explore additional opportunities to assist youth in need of assistance to meet their potential.
Eamer said another thing he enjoyed about the Rotary Club, having been a member of many different chapters, is the way you get introduced to new people.
“Rotary follows,” he joked, explaining how he would often get invitations from Rotary members in new cities.
“It's been a godsend for me,” said Eamer.
That hospitality was even true for the Fonthill Rotary Club, he said.
When Eamer and his wife were looking at housing in the Niagara area – they were moving closer to St. Catharines to be near their daughter – his real estate agent noticed the Rotary pin Eamer was wearing on his lapel.
“The guy said to me: 'You are a Rotarian.' and I said 'Yes,' and he replied 'I’m a Rotarian too,'” he recounted. Eamer had lunch with his new Rotary Club that day.
Eamer has been recognized for his volunteer work, earning a Rotarian of the Year Award for initiating the Rotary Christmas Auction in Cataraqui-Kingston. He has also served as the Cataraqui-Kingston Rotary Club president from 2003 to 2004, and president of the Fonthill Rotary Club in 2012 to 2013.
Eamer was made a Paul Harris Fellow in June 2004, the highest level of recognition that Rotary provides for humanitarian contributions.
He said continues to volunteer because it “Just feels good, it really just feels good.”
Updated to clarify that Eamer's Christmas auction leadership occurred with the Cataraqui-Kingston Rotary Club.
