ROARY CLUB STARTS ITS NEW YEAR

Chronicle (Levin), 4 February 1947, Page 4

ROARY CLUB STARTS ITS NEW YEAR

REFERENCE MADE TO PASSING OF FOUNDER The Levin Rotary Club held its first weekly luncheon yesterday afte. the holiday recess. There was a good attendance of members and one visitor, Mr. R* H, Taylor, of the Pahiatua Club. The gathering •marking- the -'commencement of another year's activities, a certain amount of time was devoted to routine business, but before this commenced the president, Mr. E. R. Winkler,- made fitting reference to the loss Rotary and the world generally had suffered recently in the death of the movement's founder and Rotary International's first President Emeritus, Mr. Paul Harris. • Mr. Winkler said the news of his passing had been read with regret and sorrow by Rotarians the world over. He had founded Rotary in 1905 at Chicago, and from that one club had grown a great international organisation with over •250,000 members, and one which last year had taken in an average of one new club per day. Looking back in his later days, continued Mr. Winkler, the late Mr. Harris must have felt that the ability and foresigh'; had been given to few men to institute such a movement. Mention had been made of a memorial to perpetuate his memory. That was an excellent idea, added the speaker, but Rotary would always be a striking memorial to Mr. Harris. The meeting stood in silenc.e for a few minutes as a mark of respect to the memory of Mr. Harris. The gathering conc'luded' with an interesting and entertaining talk by the club's padre, Rev. H. S. Kings, on humour, its different kinds and examples- of it, for which he received a very hearty vote of thanks.