An Informal Guide to the Rotary Club of Hythe and District
This booklet is not intended to be a complete description of the aims and administration of Rotary. It should be read in association with "Welcome to Rotary" published by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI).
It is written with the Rotary Club of Hythe and District in mind.
If you attend meetings of other Rotary Clubs you may well find that the details of the meeting and the organisation of the Club may differ in some ways from the Hythe Club.
Of necessity this booklet is a brief, basic outline. During the first few months the sponsor of a new member will be expected to act as guide and mentor. As a new member makes friends within Rotary they will, through normal conversation and questioning, add pieces of information to their knowledge until it can be seen as a whole. Often a year or two will elapse before the new member feels comfortable with the aims and practices of Rotary.
Hythe and District Rotary Club welcomes you as a new member.
We hope that you will find Fellowship here and that you will enjoy taking a full part in the activities of the Club.
To encourage and foster the ideal of service as a 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; therecognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations and the dignifying by all Rotarians of their occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
Third: The application of the ideal of service by all Rotarians to their 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.
Paul Percival Harris was born in Racine, Wisconsin, USA in 1868.
He graduated in law in Iowa in 1891. Rather than practice at once he alloted himself a five year period when he undertook a succession of different jobs in the USA and Europe. In 1895 he arrived in Chicago and set up in legal practice. The first meeting of what was to become the Rotary Club of Chicago took place in 1905. The club was to consist of men from different lines of business, Paul Harris believing that it would be relatively simple for those not in direct competition with each other to become friends. For the first few months the club was called the Booster Club but as the meetings were held in rotation in each others offices or places of business Paul Harris’s own suggestion of "Rotary" was found to be more acceptable.
The Rotary Club of Chicago was alone in its field until 1908 when a second club was formed in San Francisco. The first club outside America was formed in Winnipeg, Canada in 1910. In 1911 the Rotary Club of Dublin was established, followed in the same year by clubs formed in Belfast, London and Manchester.
In 1998 there are 28,000 clubs around the world with 1,200,000 members who represent every known business and profession.
In Great Britain and Ireland there are 1,800 clubs and 61,000 individual Rotarians.
The Rotary Club of Hythe and District
The club was founded on 21st November 1969 with 26 members.
John Towndrow was the club’s Founder President.
The Charter Dinner was held at Brockenhurst and twentyfive years later the Anniversary Charter Dinner took place at Beaulieu.
In 1998 club membership of 41 includes eight founder members.
The outstanding achievement of the Rotary Club of Hythe and District has been the building and management of sheltered accommodation for the elderly at Muir House and Priest Croft.
The two members most involved with these projects were honoured as Paul Harris Fellows.
Hythe and District Rotary Club is part of District 1110 which consists of parts of South Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands. It is one of 29 Districts in RIBI and 891 Districts worldwide in RI. Rotary International is based in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland is based at Kinwarton Road, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 6BP.
The District is led by a District Governor, elected each year, who is also Chairman of the District Council. Most of the Club Service Committees have an equivalent on the District Council. Their function is to help, guide and advise clubs - not to dictate policies or programmes.
Each Club sends two representatives to the District Council which meets three times a year.
The District is subdivided into nine groups. The Rotary Club of Hythe and District Is in Group 3. The other clubs in Group3 are Bransgore, Fordingbridge, Highcliffe-on-Sea, Lymington, New Forest, New Milton, Ringwood, and Verwood.
District Events
The District Assembly takes place in May and is the opportunity for the incoming District Council to outline its aims and ambitions for the year ahead. Club officers and Committee Chairmen are encouraged to make every effort to attend this Assembly.
The District Conference occurs in October and affords the opportunity for all Rotarians from District 1110 and their ladies to assemble together for a programme of speakers and social events, including the District Governor's Ball.
The Club meets on each Monday (excluding Bank Holidays) at the Fountain Court Hotel, Frost Lane, Hythe.
Members meet at 7.15pm for a prompt start at 7.30pm.
Apologies for non-attendance must be given to the Club Attendance Officer by 9.00am Monday.
Fountain Court Hotel Telephone 01703 846310 Fax 01703 847295
Members are encouraged to invite guests to meetings of the Club.
It may be that the Business meetings of the Club are not the most appropriate for guests who are not Rotarians.
The essence of Rotary is fellowship and this can only be achieved if you attend meetings, committees and other functions.
The following rules are essential to maintain your membership:
In any 6 month period (ending 31 December and 30 June) you must attend 60 % of the Club meetings, or within 6 days of the Club meeting attend the meeting of another Rotary Club.
Every attendance should be for not less than 60 % of the meeting - say one hour at least. If it is necessary to leave a meeting early a courtesy would be to inform the President and speaker before the meeting starts.
These are the minimum requirements; many members achieve a 90 % to 100 % attendance record.
Visits to other Rotary Clubs are actively encouraged. If possible the Secretary or Attendance Officer of the Club you intend to visit should be contacted well before the meeting.
The Club Secretary has the directories for RI and RIBI.
The custom of host Secretaries providing attendance cards is no longer universal but it is a good idea to ask for one.
Visitors, as distinct from guests, are expected to pay for their meal.
If a member misses four or more consecutive meetings his membership is automatically terminated unless Council is satisfied with an offered reason. (See Leave of Absence below).
Apologies for absence from a Club meeting should be made to the Attendance Officer by 9am on Monday morning at the latest. If apologies are not received by this time it is likely that the meal will have to be paid for by the member. It is recognised that unforseen last minute events will prevent attendance. As a courtesy late apologies should be presented to the President via the Attendance Officer or Secretary. As a last resort the Fountain Court Hotel may be contacted.
Members intending to bring a guest are requested to notify the Attendance Officer. Rotarians visiting the locality are entitled to attend without warning.
The Fountain Court Hotel will provide alternative meals to members and guests with dietary preferences. Please give as much notice as possible.
If a member expects to miss four or more meetings consecutively he can protect his membership by applying for leave of absence. This is done by writing in advance to the Club Secretary giving the dates and the reasons for absence. The Club Council will then, if satisfied, approve the application.
The club is run by a council consisting of : President, Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President, Six elected members.
Council meets most months.
The Business Meetings of the Club follow, usually during the following week.
There are seven Club committees. The Club service Committee is chaired by the senior Vice President; each of the other six committees is chaired by one of the elected members.
Committee meetings are held on the third Monday of each month.
This committee monitors the organisation and smooth functioning of Club affairs and administration. Speakers at club meetings, sports events and social gatherings are all organised by this committee. They are also responsible for assessing attendance, Rotanotes ( the Club’s bulletin ) and public relations.
Sub committees involved with club service include
- the Membership Committee which is concerned with appraisal of the qualifications of proposed members
- the Information Committee providing information on Rotary to candidates proposed for membership.
This committee is concerned with projects large and small offering support to the local community, the Waterside in particular.
The title is self explanatory. The club lends much support to overseas ventures and supports visits by local young people to events abroad. The committee is responsible for liaison with our twinned club of Cherbourg Val-de-Saire.
This committee is responsible for promoting the relationship between individual members’ businesses and professions and Rotary principles. This is done in several ways. Visits are arranged to local workplaces. Young people starting to develop work skills are helped by arranging "Youth Speaks" a District wide public speaking competition. Members’individual business skills are channelled through career advice and mock interviews are arranged.
The Rotary Foundation is the charitable trust fund of Rotary International and its objective is to achieve world understanding and peace through international charitable and educational programmes. Foundation’s prime function is to grant scholarships " for international understanding" to those who are suitably qualified and who wish to study in another country.
Group Study Exchange (GSE) teams consist of young executives who spend up to six weeks in another country staying in the homes of Rotarians and studying the social and business life of the area they visit.
A major part of the work of this committee is to liaise with District 1110 and RIBI in suggesting names of suitable local people for these scholarships and to arrange hospitality for visiting overseas scholarship holders and members of visiting GSE teams.
In some clubs the individual service committees raise the necessary funds for their donations. The Rotary Club of Hythe and District has chosen to lift this responsibility from the service committees and place it with a dedicated Fund Raising Committee.
Rotaract, a contraction of Rotary action, is a service organisation for men and women between 18 and 30 years of age who not only want to enjoy themselves, but also want to show responsibility and understanding for their communities and the wider world. It was established in 1968 and is organised in a similar way to Rotary.
Interact, a combination of the words international and action, is a Rotary sponsored organisation for all young people between 14 and 18.
Rotaract and Interact Clubs manage their own affairs with counselling and guidance by a Rotary committee or individual club members.
Youth Exchange is designed for people between 14 and 22 years of age. Activities, arranged by the Club’s Youth Exchange Officer, include holiday exchanges, camps, group exchanges, school year exchanges and hospitality for visiting students.
Club members are allocated to one of the seven committees which meet regularly. Additional meetings may be held at members’homes or at other locations. Committee work enables members to get to know their fellow Rotarians and improve their knowledge of Rotary. The committees are appointed annually and requests to sit on a particular committee can be addressed to an incoming President. The final allocation is made by the Club Council.
A few months after joining the Club, at one of the weekly meetings, members are invited to give a "My Job" talk and answer questions.
Rotary
The Club Assembly takes place in June when the business for the forthcoming year is discussed.
The Club Annual General Meeting takes place in April and is the occasion on which the work of the current year is reviewed and service committee chairmen give an account of their committee's work for the year.
Fundraising events are held throughout the year and although involvement is not compulsory the support of as many members as possible is obviously highly desirable.
It is not intended that the money raised by these events should come in its entirety from Rotarians ( if at all ) therefore your active recruitment of family and friends and neighbours to attend these events is sought.
An annual meeting is organised by the Foundation Committee when in addition to a guest speaker talks may be given by returned Scholars, Students or members of GSE teams. This meeting usually raises the voluntary per capita contribution to Rotary Foundation.
About four times per year (decided by the Club Service Committee) members wives are invited to Club meetings.
The speakers’topics at these meetings are usually chosen to appeal to both men and women.
Ladies Night is the social event of the year when wives and guests are welcomed at a formal dinner dance.
The President’s night occurs towards the end of the Rotary year (June 30) when the Club fetes the outgoing President.
An Annual Christmas Dinner has been held for many years at the Village Hall, Beaulieu.
The President may host Club members and wives for drinks over the Christmas holiday period.
An entrance fee is payable which covers initial expenses and a contribution to RIBI.
An annual subscription is raised which includes a per capita payment to RIBI part of which goes to RI and a per capita payment to District 1110. Other components include the President’s honorarium, meals for guests and general running costs including printing and regalia.
A monthly payment is made by standing order which covers the costs of your meals and those of your guests at meetings, hire of rooms etc.
An adjustment is made half yearly and any deficit is settled by an additional payment. Small credits are carried forward. Large credits are settled by cheque in favour of the member.
The Club is expected to make a voluntary per capita payment to Rotary Foundation. In the Hythe Club this is usually raised at the annual Foundation Evening.
A raffle is drawn at Club meetings, the prize being a bottle of wine. The proceeds of this draw are placed in a fund which provides hospitality when we are visited by our twin club, Cherbourg Val-de-Saire
The member active in a business or profession which he has been elected to represent.
An Active Member can propose an Additional Active Member (usually a colleague) to represent the same classification.
A Rotarian transferring from one employment location to another may be considered for membership of a club in the vicinity of his new job.
If his classification is already filled by an Active Member and an Additional Active Member he may be admitted as a Second Additional Active Member.
An Active Member automatically graduates to Senior Active :
- after 15 years of service, or
- is at least 60 years old with 10 years service, or
- is at least 65 and has served for 5 years.
On transferring to Senior Active his classification is vacant and is open to the admission of a new member.
An Active Member who retires from active business life, has served 3 years and is at least 55 may be elected to Past Service Membership.
It could be regarded as a temporary position until he qualifies as Senior Active.
A Rotarian or local citizen who has given meritorious service to Rotary Ideals may be elected by the Club as an Honorary Member. They are elected from year to year and do not enjoy privileges in any other Rotary Club.
The Club Council may wave compliance with attendance rules upon written application by :
- a member physically unable to attend through a protracted indisposition
- a Senior Active Member who is at least 65 with 20 years service
- a Senior Active Member who is at least 70 with 15 years service.
The 4-Way Test was adopted in 1943 by RI as part of its vocational service ideal. It was conceived by Herbert J. Taylor, RI President 1954-55.
The test is a simple but profound series of questions.