Welcome to the website of the Rotary Club of Lewisham and Penge.

I am Alan Davis and it is my privilege to be the club President for the Rotary year July 2017- June 2018.

At the Change of Presidents’ Dinner, held on 3^rdJuly, I took over presidency from Tony Anaka, a newer member of Rotary, with less experience, who must be congratulated on the way he conducted the office during “his” year, in his own special cheerful manner.

This not exactly a new experience for me, as I joined Rotary in March 1959 and have held this office a few times previously for the Penge Club. 

I am now retired, but my former profession was that of an optometrist, and at the dinner I outlined how this came about, illustrating the turn of events that influenced my life, and the lives of others, including my wife of 58 years, Sheila, who is also the treasurer of our club and who reminds me of what I forget! 

During a much earlier presidency, we obtaining specialist eye equipment for Kings College Hospital Eye Department and we have previously collected thousands of books for a charity which helps people in under developed countries to learn to read and write.  However, this year, due to the sudden ill health of the member who was to be President, I have had little time to come up with a President’s Charity – but watch this space!  Nevertheless, we will all be out collecting at Christmas, and to start the year, on 8^thJuly we will run a bottle stall at the Lewisham Peoples Day event in aid of local charities.

Apart from charitable activities, I am hoping that we will again visit our contact Rotary Club of Riccione in Italy, as we did a couple of years ago, organised by Past President and International Chairman Joe Burchell.   We are looking forward to the tour of Croydon Airport, organised by Past President Chris Pendred.  Our Christmas dinner is also fun, and a highlight of the year, and I know that Secretary Peter Earll will come up with interesting and informative speakers for our club meetings.

What we do in Rotary, particularly how much we put into the movement, will have a direct effect on other people’s lives.  This was the point that I was trying to make at the Presidents Changeover Dinner.  Rotary is an ideal vehicle to make these differences, to attempt to give assistance to people and communities less fortunate than ourselves, both near and far.  Club presidents do not normally come up with a slogan, but if they did, mine might be “Participate to enrich all our lives”.

I am sure that we will have a successful and enjoyable year.  We are a small club, but the great advantage of this is that we all know each other and this association produces lasting friendships. 

We are always pleased to hear from anyone who might be interested to learn more about the Rotary movement.  Our meetings are weekly at Bromley Court Hotel, and contact details are available elsewhere on this web site.  If you are reading this and exploring our web site, and think this could be an outlet for you, do get in touch, we will be pleased to hear from you.

Alan Davis, 5^th July 2017