Rotary celebrates Jubilee year

Press, 23 February 1980, Page 4

Rotary celebrates Jubilee year

The South Island Rotary Conference which is in progress this week-end in the city focuses attention on an organisation whose aims of service and understanding have done much to aid both the local community and the world at large. Rotary International is an organisation of business and professional men united world-wide who try to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world. “Service above Self” is the Rotary motto. ■ Rotary clubs meet weekly, combining a luncheon or dinner with a programme of interest to members. Membership in a Rotary club fstby invita--

tion only and is on the basis of one representa-, five of each business, profession or institution. It is a classification system which ensures a wide crosssection of community representation. - ■ The first Rotary club was organised in Chicago-, Illinois, U.S.A., in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, a young Chicago lawyer. The name of the new organisation was derived from the fact that the original members met in rotation at their various places of business. Rotary in Australia was founded by the organisation of .the Rotary Club of Melbourne in 1921, and in New Zealand by the Wellington club, founded the same year.

Rotary District 998 takes in 58 clubs from all over

the South Island. Although each club is autonomous and determines its own projects to meet local needs and conditions, the activities of all the clubs in a district are co-ordinated by a Governor, elected annually. More-than 1200 delegates from all over District 998 have converged on Christchurch for this year’s Annual Conference and the programme provided for them is a challenging one.

The theme of the conference is “New Zealand in the year 2000” and the wide variety of speakers who address the delegates will use this -as their brief. The conference was opened last night by the Prime Minister who spoke about the development of the South Island in the next 20 years. _■ Addressing the confer* ence today are the Very Rev. Dr Martin Sullivan, who. has recently retired from the position of Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, speaking on the role of the church in the year 2000; Margaret Wilson, senior lecturer in Law. at Auckland • University and an ; active feminist, who will speak on the role/of women in 2000; Mr Michael Fowler, the Mayor of Well lingtori; speaking about en-> vironmental aspects of life in New Zealand; and Dr P. R. Sharpies, the Auckland Race Relations Conciliator, who will speak on the nature, effects and influences of cross cultures. The conference ends at midday on< Sunday after, a seminar dealing with the problems facing youth in New Zealand, in which the guest speaker will be Mr Ray Comfort; the Christchurch anti-drugs campaigner.