Rotarians meet in Chch for S.I. conference

Press, 23 February 1980, Page 6

Rotarians meet in Chch for S.I. conference

“Let service light the way” is the theme for Rotary in 1980. It is a theme that Mr Charles H. Miller, of Knoxville, Tennessee, considers particularly appropriate as the international organisation celebrates its seventy-fifth' anniversary today, which is the first .full day of the South Island annual conference. Mr Miller is in Christchurch representating Rotary’s international president. He is a professor of law at the University of Tenn< :see, his special interest being the teaching of law in iclinical settings. He has been a member of Rotary since 1943 and is a former officer of Rotary International. He was district governor from 1960 to 1961. “We have a tremendous history,” Mr Miller said. “We were the first service organisation of business and professional people. Since then we have spread to 154 countries.”

The future, he said, looked excellent, both for growth and the types of programmes that were developing. For 75 years, members and clubs had been contributing to medical clinics, hospitals, and had instituted teaching and health programmes throughout the world.

Much of the success of Rotary ventures depended on their voluntary workers, he said. “Fellowship” was a basic principle. " At a recent conference in

Korea, 14,000 members had gathered. Many came from countries unfriendly to each other, yet they had met to help develop understanding and good will. This was the ultimate goal of Rotary, Mr Miller said. No Communist countries had applied to join Rotary. They were not barred from so doing, but the fellowship and freedom of sharing mutual problems was foreign to them, he said. Mr Miller said he believed that more work had been done by Rotary clubs in such areas as India, Africa and South America towards alleviating poverty and helping with their unique problems, than by their individual governments. As an example, he cited the work done in the Philippines, resulting in the near eradication of polio. Rotary helped train technicians, nurses and others through education awards. Teams of volunteer doctors would soon go to Kampuchea. Today, more than ever before, Rotary groups were participating in combined programmes, but each group retained its autonomy, Mr Miller said. The South Island conference will end on Sunday. Speakers include the Prime Minister Mr Muldoon and the Very Rev. Dr Martin Sullivan, and Mr Ray Comfort. The emphasis in the discussions will be on looking at New Zealand, and particularly the South Island, in the. year 2000.