ROTARY CLUB

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 56, 21 July 1947, Page 5

ROTARY CLUB

WEDNESDAY’S LUNCHEON .MOVEMENT IN AUSTRALIA In i the absence of President Harry Warren,' vice-president H. Dainton presided at the weekly luncheon gathering of the Whakatane Rotary Club last Wednesday. There was a good attendance of members, and with Mr Herbert Brabant as acting Sergeant-at-Arms * the funds benefited from a general levy of sixpence.

The same happy atmosphere which is the hall-mark of Rotarianism everywhere attended the gathering and members were interested 'in an address on the activities of the -Sydney and Melbourne Rotary Clubs, given by Rotarian C. King-sley-Smith who has recently returned from an Australian trip. The speaker mentioned the wonderful feeling of fellowship which attended the deliberations of both clubs. Everywhere he had been he was made to feel most welcome, and the upshot was that far from feeling as a stranger in a strange land, he was quickly able to adapt himself to Australian conditions and to find dozens of friends in the busy industrial section. Sydney Rotarians presented a fairly cosmopolitan collection of businessmen drawn from i almost every walk of life. The club was in fact an illustration of what the Rotarian movement stood for in its world relationship of brotherRhood amongst the nations, based * upon mutual business and democratic understanding..

In Melbourne, where he had attended three gatherings, he had again been greeted as a friend by every member who attended the ■ Collins 'Street Luncheons. During the Youth Week, prefects from all the public and private schools of : Melbourne attended, and sat • amongst the Rotarians, chatting and -exchanging ideas. Speeches were :made by many of these young .people, and the gathering was later •addressed by the Headmaster of the Melbourne Grammar School, who under the heading of ‘Jack and Jill’ gave one of the most inspiring talks it had been the speaker’s pleasure to hear.

t On another occasion the secretary -of the Combined Free Kindergartens .addressed the gathering. The Rotary • Club was fully behind the citywide appeal for funds for this -worthiest of causes, and following an able address £SOO was subscribed in the room, and this would go towards Rotary’s objective of £IO,OOO. Rotarians everywhere were keen to assist visitors, and in this respect he (the speaker) had been helped personally in obtaining the services of one of the foremost specialists in Melbourne, who in the normal course of events could only be approached by appointments made many months in advance. Rotarian Kingsley-Smith said that ;he had been astounded at the wonderful amount of good which the imovement was doing, and would never cease to praise its-efforts to overcome selfishness and untoler_ance amongst the nations. He paid tribute to its powers .of breaking down the barriers of class and class, in order that a mutual level could be reached by every member upon the friendliest basis of goodwill and comradeship. A hearty vote of thanks was conveyed the speaker by Rotarian Ivan Hubbard who expressed pleasure that a member from Whakatane had been able to put Rotarianism to the test and had foupek it to be everything it claimed represent. I > - '