RCPV 1991 history and achievements
HISTORY and ACHIEVEMENTS of the ROTARY CLUB OF PASCOE VALE
Compiled in 1991
In 1921 the Rotary Club of Melbourne was organised by Rotarian Commissioner Jim Davidson of the Rotary club of Calgary, Canada, and J. Layton Ralston of the Rotary Club of Halifax, Canada.
In 1935 the Rotary Club of Melbourne sponsored the Rotary Club of Essendon.
In 1952 the Rotary Club of Essendon sponsored the Rotary Club of Brunswick/Coburg.
In 1956 the Rotary Club of Brunswick sponsored the Rotary Club of Coburg.
In 1976 the Rotary Club of Coburg sponsored the Rotary Club of Pascoe Vale.
In May 1976, District Governor Frank Ruler appointed Rotarian Carl Verey as his SpecialRepresentative to form the Rotary Club of Pascoe Vale.
The initial meetings were held in March/April 1976 and on the 31 st May Pascoe Vale was admitted into the family of Rotary International.
On Monday 2nd August, 1976, the Rotary Club of Pascoe Vale was presented with its Charter by District Governor Keppel Turnour, at a function held at the Northern Golf Club, in the presence of 24 Charter Members.
Under its first President, Sam Gandolfo, the Club established the Jim Esselmont Award in memory of one of Coburg’s most community minded citizens. A former Councillor and Mayor of Coburg, Jim was to have been Charter President of the Rotary Club of Pascoe Vale. The award has been an on-going highlight down the years.
Permanent links were established with the Northern District Spastic Centre.
Our Club, in conjunction with the Apex Club of Coburg, purchased a mini bus which was presented to the Coburg City Council for use by the citizens of Coburg.
Under the guidance of successive presidents, the Club undertook many projects. The most significant being the Edith Bendall Retirement village, consisting of 14 occupied Units and a 38 bed Hostel which is just on completion and will provide accommodation for our elderly citizens. This project was achieved in conjunction with the Lions Club of Strathmore.
The Club has organised Exchange Student programs, both inbound and outbound; has sponsored a very successful debating team from the Pascoe Vale Girls High School, which won the Ian Murphy Memorial Debate at District Conference two years in succession.
The Club was instrumental in the establishment of a District Disaster Fund to provide relief to the victims of the horrendous 1983 bushfires.
We also assisted in hosting the members of the United Kingdom Group Study Exchange team during their stay in District 970, also a group from the Rotary Club of Berlin/ Tiergarten as they passed through Melbourne.
In 1985 Past President of Pascoe Vale Rotary Club, Mike Reiner, became District Governor of District 979, while former member, Neil Strongman, who upon retirement. had moved to New South Wales and joined the Rotary Club of Tuncurry/Forster, became District Governor of District 965. The Club experienced its first hosting of a district conference in March 1986, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Coburg.
Some of the other projects include: continued Nerve Deafness testing for children 3 ½ to 5 ½ years; an annual luncheon for the senior citizens of our local district; support for the Milparinka Centre; eye camps in India; F.A.I.M. (now Rotary Australia World Community Service) teams to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands; Western Autistic Centre; Yooralla Special School, Glenroy; Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal; support for the Poiio Plus program where our club achieved 200% recognition for its contributions; support for the Lautoka Hospital in Fiji; support for Interplast in Supplying surgical equipment for reconstructive surgery to assist severely disfigured children.
The club has been supportive of Work Experience programs nationally and internationally; Rotary Youth Leadership Award programs, National Summer Science Schools, Mock Job Interviews for secondary School
Students, Support for Ilma Lever Gardens for the Handicapped; Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association (Cotton Wool Babies).
There have been great fundraising and fellowship days at market and garage sales.
Support has been given to the Salvation Army orphanage in Indonesia, the well organised Art Shows; installation of a BBQ at Coburg Lake; Formation of Gavin Park, Pascoe Vale, along with the erection of playground equipment, and the Spastic Centre Christmas parties.
The foregoing gives an indication of some of the projects carried out by the club.
On 24 May, 1986 we saw the Certificate of Registration presented to the Charter President, Craig Naylor, of the Rotaract Club of Pascoe Vale.
Recently we saw the formation of the Probus Club of Pascoe Vale.
The Club proudly boasts recognition of 17 recipients of Paul Harris Certificates of recognition.
As at August 1991 the Club has a membership of 45.