Rotary International is an organisation of business and
professional people united worldwide to provide humanitarian service,
encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build
goodwill and peace in the world.
Object of Rotary
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a
basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions, the
recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of
each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's
personal, business, and community life;
FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and
peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in
the ideal of service.
ROTARY CLUB OF SAMFORD
VALLEY - About Rotary
More comprehensive descriptions of
"What is Rotary?" can be found on other Rotary sites.
But this overview, although a brief summary, is how
we, in Samford, would tell someone about Rotary.
Rotary started in 1905 in Chicago,
U.S.A. It was founded by a young lawyer, Paul P.Harris,
and three of his friends. Paul Harris wished to recapture the friendly spirit he had felt
among business people in the small town where he had grown up. The four men soon
started to talk about the need for a club, where business and professional
people could meet and get to know and support each other and together work
towards the further development of their community. Their weekly meetings
"rotated" among their offices, providing the new service club with it's name.
There are 1.2 million men and women Rotarians in
30,000 clubs in 187 countries and geographical regions providing community
service in virtually every nation in the world. In Australia and Papua New
Guinea alone there are about 55,000 Rotarians in over 1,400 clubs. Membership in
a Rotary club gives a Rotarian the right to attend meetings
of any other club around the world, where he or she would be welcomed
enthusiastically and offered immediate friendship and assistance. Rotary
provides an opportunity to build lifelong friendships and experience the
personal fulfilment of giving volunteer service to others. The friendships that
develop amongst Rotarians are such that they have to be experienced to be fully
appreciated, particularly in our club in our unique Samford community.
A SERVICE ORGANISATION
Rotary is a service organisation, with
many programs and projects, ranging from huge international initiatives
like 3H and Polio Plus to district and local community fund-raising,
donations and working bees. The large and international programs are
administered through the Rotary Foundation and achieve tremendous
results. However, great emphasis is placed on the development of
friendship, particularly in our small community of Samford Valley.
Friendship among the members and from the members to the community.
Services to humanity through the development of friendships.
We have a motto
in Rotary. It is: SERVICE ABOVE SELF.
We like to think that service is the rent we pay
for the space we occupy on this earth.
THE OBJECT OF ROTARY
All good organisations have an overall objective.
Rotary's objective is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of
worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
1. The development of acquaintance as an
opportunity for service;
2. High ethical standards in business and
professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations;
and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve
society;
3. The application of the ideal of service in
each Rotarian's personal, business and community life;
4. The advancement of international
understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business
and professional people united in the ideal of service.
THE AVENUES OF SERVICE
Rotarians strive to achieve the object of Rotary
through four avenues
of service:
1. Club Service -
providing service to the Rotary club to enable it to run efficiently in the
spirit of fellowship
2. Community Service -
identifying the needs in the Rotary club's community and addressing these
needs with service projects
3. Vocational Service -
putting high standards of conduct into practice in the business and
professional lives of Rotarians
4. International Service
- working for international understanding and peace by promoting goodwill
between all people
NOTE - Vocational, International and Community
Services include extensive programs directed at youth. Samford Rotary has a
separate Youth Service with a very active youth program.
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THE 4 - WAY TEST
The
4-way test
is a simple but profound statement by which all Rotarians live: Of the things we
think, say or do
1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better
friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
MEMBERSHIP
Membership in our club is generally restricted to
one person from any particular occupation or vocation. The idea of this is to
bring into the club business or professional people of good standing from as
many different sections of the community as possible. They bring to Rotary the
knowledge and experience gained in the sphere in which they work and reside, and
take back into that section of the community the experiences and knowledge
gained in Rotary.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for membership, one must be an
adult, of good character and good business and professional standing, engaged as
proprietor, partner, company officer, manager, or one holding an important
position in any business, profession, firm or institution.
MEMBERSHIP OBLIGATIONS
The Rotary Club of Samford Valley meets each
Tuesday
at 6.30 for 7.00 pm start at the The Samford Homestead Restaurant, Main Street, Samford.
Because attendance is indicative of commitment,
Rotarians are expected to maintain a high attendance record. Attendance of at
least 60% of weekly meeting in any six month period is the minimum required.
Where a member is unable to attend his or her own
club's weekly meeting, it is encouraged to attend a meeting of any other club in
order to "make-up" for the meeting missed. Most Rotarians do not find this an
imposition, and enjoy the fellowship of the other club's members.
Rotary is a service organisation. It is expected
and will be necessary, from time to time for each member to give time (
generally on a week-end) in support of club projects. There are usually three or
four week-ends during the year when Rotarians are expected to assist in one of
the many projects undertaken by our club.
Some of the more significant community projects
undertaken by Samford Rotary in the past include the building of the
Kindergarten in Camp Mountain Road, assistance to the Samford Historical Society
Museum and the Rural Bush Fire Brigade buildings, the CWA hall, the Samford
State School and Community Swimming Pool, and of course, the Rotary Station in
John Scott Park. More recently, we've established the Undambi Park at Highvale,
which will be an ongoing project for the club, and also established the Samford
Emergency Relief Fund to assist people in our community following an unforseen
disaster.
COST OF ROTARY
An active member of the Rotary Club of Samford
Valley has the following financial obligations:
* Club Joining Fee - currently $80.00 payable
on acceptance of membership
* Annual Subscription - currently $160.00
payable in advance by half yearly instalments on 1st January and 1st July.
* Weekly Dinner Fee - currently $20.00. A
member may bring dinner guests at $20.00 per guest. Rotaractors are also always welcome to attend: $10.00.
* Fines and Club Raffles - the Sergeant-at-arms
will conduct a light-hearted fines session at each regular meeting - nominal minimum is $1.00 for each fine. If you would
like to learn more about Rotary, and the Samford club in particular, please ask
any of us.
PARTNERS
These days, our Samford club and many others are no
longer single gender. Traditionally, partners (wives) were known as Rotary-annes.
Now it's simply partners. Partners are not affiliated with Rotary nor are they
members of a constituted club but Rotarians encourage their partners to meet
socially to get to know each other.
Partners are also called upon from time to time to
assist Rotarians with one or other community project, if appropriate.
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