The Rotary Club Of Rochester






The Rotary Club of Rochester was formed in 1928 when it was agreed to meet once a week, at lunchtime, on Friday at the Bull Hotel. Although the venue has changed a number of times over the years, Friday lunchtime still prevails. Our Present Venue is at The Masonic Hall, Gundulph Square. Rochester. Kent. Tel: 01634 843028

Current membership is thirty-eight and although the Rotary organisation was originally a male preserve, the Rochester Club started to admit ladies in 1999 and in 2004 the Club elected its first Lady President.

The original criteria for membership was that potential members must be the leading person of a trade or profession within the town. This has now been altered and membership can now be offered to anyone who is like-minded to the ideals of Rotary. These ideals are simply service before self. This service can be either to the local community or on an international basis.

The local community has benefited from schemes such as the provision of a Veterans Club in 1965 - one of our more challenging projects which is still going strong to this day - to sending local under privileged children away on holiday through a local Church group.

Internationally we regularly send disaster boxes to various areas of the world and currently we are helping to provide desks for school children in Kenya (many children are still being taught whilst sitting on dirt floors!).

Although a relatively small Club by international standards, the Rochester Club is renowned throughout our District (Kent and Sussex) as a happy Club and one that gets things done! We have provided three District Governors - 1965, 1981 and 2002 and we are always well represented on the various District Committees.

WHAT IS ROTARY

A  worldwide association of local clubs for people in business or the professions who: provide humanitarian service to the community at local, national and international level; encourage high ethical standards in all vocations; and work for goodwill and peace in the world. The motto of Rotary is "Service above self".

Rotary was founded by Paul Harris in 1905 and now has over 1.2 million members in more than 29,000 clubs in 159 countries and 35 geographical regions. There are 1,800 clubs in Great Britain and Ireland with over 61,000 members.

 

OBJECT OF ROTARY

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of personal 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 worthinessof 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 professional persons united in the ideal of service; 

 

Links to Rotary International,

RIBI, Rotary District 1120

and other sources of information

Rotary International

 

Rotary International represents the worldwide Rotary movement. From their website you can locate

Rotary Foundation and a number of other related web pages.
http://www.rotary.org

 

 

 

RIBI

 

RIBI - Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland
http://www.ribi.org

 

 

 

District 1120

 

The RIBI District which covers Medway and the following areas in South East England:
Kent, East Sussex, Bromley, Bexley . See list of linked Clubs in 1120.
http://www.rotary1120.org

 

 

 

Medway Council

 

Medway Council is a Unitary Authority, covering former areas of Kent including Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester, Strood, the Hoo Peninsula. Medway Council was formed in April 1998.


Our club maintains close links with the local authority, and we have welcomed guest speakers from the Civic Centre including the first Mayor of Medway and the Medway Archivist.