Rotarians mark 70 years of charitable community service
"There are around 1.2 million Rotarians in the world and we are in a position to improve society," Venter noted.
The Rotary Club of Dundee celebrated 70 years of charitable services to the community by providing some R25,000 worth of food to the SPCA; non-perishable food items to ABH, SAVF, Eventide and Siphuthando Care Centre for children; planting 40 citrus trees; and holding a light-lunch function.
“The club has expanded and now sponsors an Interact Club at Dundee High School and an EarlyAct club at Dundee Junior School. The international student exchange programme is legendary and continues to this day. Members of the public are aware of our ongoing fund-raisers and service programmes,” said current club president Bev Garner. Jacques Venter (Rotary district governor from Aliwal North), who attended the celebrations, said the creed was for ‘everyone to perform one act of random kindness a day and just this simple gesture will improve the world’. “There are around 1.2 million Rotarians in the world and we are in a position to improve society,” Venter noted.
At the lunch held at Dundee Junior, past Rotary president Waldo Thöle said that the local club had pioneered the Rotary exchange student programme in the 1960s, which sees students being selected to attend schools around the world for a year to undergo a life-changing experience.
“We have hosted 49 inbound students (at Dundee High) and 64 outbound students who go to schools around the world and are hosted by families in those countries.” One student, Luisa Layton from Germany, was at Dundee High some years ago and subsequently fell in love – and later married here. Completing a full circle, Luisa is now a teacher at Dundee High.
“As we said, the exchange programme is a life-changing experience,” said Bev. The Dundee club also was one of the first to fully ‘integrate’ ladies as fully fledged members into what was once ‘an all men’s club’.
She concluded by reminding Rotarians of the four-way test, established 120 years ago:
Of the things we think, say and 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?
GALLERY:
