Australia's First Rotary Club

Book excerpt: The Rotary Club of Melbourne was the first of its kind in Australia. Since its inaugural luncheon on 21 April 1921, the club has had an outstanding record of philanthropic endeavour and charity work, as well as service to the cause of Rotary on the international scene. The list of members of the early Melbourne club reads like a Who's Who of Australian businessmen since World War I. In later years, with the increase in the number of Melbourne-based clubs, not to mention the admission of women members in the late 1980s, the range and interests of members was less concentrated, leading to a greater diversity of activities. The Melbourne club is now faced with changing social and economic conditions that are causing the breakdown of community cohesion. The first Rotary Club was born out of a response to the competitive and harsh business environment of Chicago in 1905. The Melbourne club is responding to similar conditions by seeing them as an opportunity to expand the tradition of service.