Club meeting

Please bring along any toiletries or cleaning equipment to the meeting for David & Joyce to take to the Womens Refuge.

I didn't know anything about Rotary when I joined other than it did “good things.” I’ve since learned that every club has its own complexion in terms of what it does and how it does it. It's the fact that clubs are so diverse from one another that makes it interesting wherever you go.

When asked what Rotary does, I always say that Rotary has nearly eradicated polio. I also explain that clubs do lots of different things in their own community, nationally or internationally. Currently, I talk about the help that Rotary has given to Ukraine. I mention that if there's a disaster anywhere in the world, Rotary is right at the front of the queue, coming up with either money, equipment or even the personnel to help.

At the moment, Rotary generally doesn't necessarily cater for everybody, and everybody has a different idea of how they might want to do it. One of my concerns is that Rotary Clubs generally fit a standard model where they hold regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly meetings usually with food and drink. Now, I personally like that, but for lots of people that might want to join Rotary, that's not an option for them.

My long-term view is that the future growth of Rotary is through new and different clubs. And once they get up and running, it's up to the individuals to decide how they're going to do it.

Rotary International’s theme this year is “Imagine Rotary.” My interpretation of that is for clubs to go out and do Rotary your own way. I want people to know that Rotary is for you, whoever you are. Every club is different, each with their own personality–and if there isn’t a club that suits you, let us help you start a new one.