Watchword, “Service” Secret Of Rotary’s Amazing Growth

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 95, 4 November 1947, Page 5

Watchword, “Service” Secret Of Rotary’s Amazing Growth

Though there were many other organisations whose object was the promotion of friendship between man and man, none of them had made so much progress as had Rotary, said Past District Governor, Blair . Tennant, Palmerston North, on Saturday night in presenting its charter to the Whakatane Rotary Club which, having served its apprenticeship under the Te Aroha wing, is now fully fledged. There was an impressive muster of local Rotarians at the meeting which also included visitors from Otahuhu, Te Awamutu, Gisborne and all parts of the Waikato, with Te Aroha strongly represented.

Mr Tennant claimed that the secret of Rotary’s truly amazing progress was the fact that its watchword is service. The qualification a man needed to enter Rotary, he said, was willingness to serve, and the ideal was of service in personal, business and community life. He was convinced that the Almighty had made man unable to attain his full mental and moral stature without friendship; also that where there was commerce there must be fellowship to make a success of it. As the world tended to “shrink” with modern developments in trade

and transport business men would be compelled more and more to associate with men of other nations. In that regard, he said it was worth noting that in every town and city to which Rotary had come, the result had been that the general atmosphere had been raised to a distinctly higher level. Class Warfare Mr Tennant adjured his hearers to be practical in all things, to let their watchword be, “friendship, cooperation, practicality.” On the score of co-operation, he said that he believed that in this country today there was greater class warfare than ever before.

He believed that was largely due to legislation which, whilst it had improved the lot of the ordinary man, had stirred up greater class prejudice than ever before. He said, however, that he believed the country was alright at heart, and that Rotary could do a lot to break down the existing disharmonies.

Greatest of all enemies to peace was complacency—the attitude of the man who said there had always been wars, there always would be, and we as individuals couldn’t stop them.'That attitude was the enemy that men of goodwill must fight at all costs. Personally, he believed the situation was still manageable, but he urged Rotarians to have a real and burning zeal for peace. Emphasis In Morality

The things that were of greatest importance in the world of today were strength, energy, virility, creative capacity and Christian morality—with the emphasis on that last. President Harry Warren, of the new Whakatane Club, acknowledging the charter and a handsome gong and case, gift of the Te Aroha Club, said he thought the world would be a better place if the ideals of Rotary could be introduced into the dictatorship countries, Germany, Japan, Spain and Russia. . President Dick Lawrence, of the Te Aroha Club presided over the charter meeting, which was held in the Parish Hall, and the Mayor, Mr B. S. Barry, formally welcomed the visitors to the town. Musical items and choruses provided the lighter touch, and, later local and visiting Rotarians were entertained at supper at the Whakatane Club.

Wives of the visitors went to the pictures with wives of Whakatane Rotarians and, in the afternoon, visitors and their wives were shown through the cardboard mill and taken to other places of interest.