WELLINGTON ROTARY

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 287, 2 September 1942, Page 6

WELLINGTON ROTARY

Club’s Twenty-First Annual Meeting PRESENTATION TO FIRST PRESIDENT

The annual meeting of the Wellington Rotary Club was held during the luncheon hour yesterday. There was a large attendance of members, the occasion being the coming-of-age of .the club—its. twentyffirst annual meeting. Mr. A. A. Cramond, president, occupied the chair. ■ The annual report said that the total membership as at May 31 last was 123. Regret was expressed, at the deaths of Messrs. W. Acklaud and A. Longmore, who had rendered valuable service to the club over a long period of years. The average attendance for the year was 78.71, a satisfactory increase over the previous year. The special functions of the year included the Christmas luncheon to children from the orphanages, and the social evening to the District Governor’s assembly. Because of staff difficulties, the usual •husband and wife, father and son, and ■father and daughter luncheons could not be held, but it was hoped to restore these occasions when things became normal again. During the. year the club had distributed £540, many deserving cases having benefited thereby. There was a contribution to the Otaki Children’s Health Camp, and £l2O was donated for a movie outfit for the Wellington Missions to Seamen, through the agency of Mr. Phil Maddock. The income from the J. R. McKenzie Youth Education Trust amounted to £229. Mention was also made of a bequest of £lOO by F. Cooper for boys’ work. The election of officers for the ensuing rear resulted as follows: President, Mr. J.’ P. Phillips; vice-president, Mr. Hope B. Gibbons; sergeant-at-arms, Mr. V. M. Edgar; honorary treasurer, Mr. W. H. Earnshaw; honorary secretary, Mr. D. H. Taylor; executive secretary, Miss F. M. Low; directors, Messrs. Haskell Anderson, R. L. Button, A. R. Christian, W. 11. Preston, G. Russell and J. Walmsley. ■ ' The occasion was taken to present Sir Alexander Roberts, tlie club’s first president, with an office chair, to mark the twenty-first annual meeting. The presentation was made by Mr. C. C. Odlin, the first vice-president, the speaker impressing on members bow very fortunate had been their choice of a- president in launching the club in Wellington. Mr. Odlin was the only person to whom Colonel Layton Ralston bore a letter of introduction when he came from Canada to set the Rotary wheel whirring in New Zealand. Colonel Ralston was now Canada’s Minister of Defence. Sir Alexander thanked Mr. Odlin and members of the club warmly lor their gift, and the thought which had actuated it.