ABOUT US
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Overview of Rotary International’s Beginnings
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Rotary was founded by Paul Harris in 1905. A lawyer in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Harris was raised in a rural village in Vermont. He envisaged a new kind of club for professionals that would rekindle the fellowship he had known in his youth. After meeting with three friends - a coal dealer, a merchant tailor and a mining engineer - it was decided that business leaders should meet periodically to enjoy camaraderie and to enlarge their circle of business and professional acquaintances. Meetings were rotated among their places of business and so the name “Rotary” emerged and so too did the commitment to improve the lives of the less fortunate.
When this first Rotary Club of Chicago donated a horse to a preacher in 1907, the Rotary commitment to service was born and Rotary became the world’s first service club organisation. By 1910, the International Association of Rotary Clubs was established (later renamed Rotary International).
In 1916, witnessing the growing popularity of the clubs in various regions worldwide, Rotary set up a district system. The organisation became truly global — transcending national boundaries, race, language, and religion — as clubs mushroomed throughout Europe, South and Central America, Australia, Africa, and Asia. Rotary was represented on six continents by 1921. To reflect this worldwide presence, the name Rotary International was adopted one year later.
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Rotary in Australia and District 9800
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In February 1921 the Board of the International Association of Rotary Clubs authorised the establishment of Rotary clubs in Australia and New Zealand. Melbourne became the first club in Australia to be chartered and Sydney soon followed. Brisbane and Adelaide were formed in 1923, Hobart a year later and Perth in 1926. Meanwhile, Rotary was being extended to provincial cities and large towns and by 1928 there were 17 clubs in Australia.
For the purposes of administration, Rotary clubs throughout the world are allocated into districts. A Rotary district covers a number of clubs within a defined geographical area. Australia became District 65 in 1928. By the 75th anniversary of Rotary’s arrival in Australia, there were 23 districts with 1178 clubs and some 42,000 members. District 9800 was defined in 1990.
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Click here for more information on the History of Rotary International
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Rotary International Theme for 2008-09
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Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee
Rotary International President
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2008-2009: Make Dreams Real
| A theme encouraging inspiration and action
| In explaining the meaning of the new Rotary 08-09 theme "Make Dreams Real", Rotary International President Dong Kurn Lee has reminded Rotarians of the many things we take for granted in developed countries that still remain dreams, albeit achievable ones, in developing countries.
Addressing incoming District Governors at the 2008 International Assembly, President Lee urged Rotarians to use their resources to help curb child mortality.
Lee said he was in disbelief when he learned that 30,000 children under the age of five die every day from preventable diseases such as pneumonia, measles, and malaria.
"Once I understood the issues behind that terrible number, I knew what I needed to do," Lee said. He told the incoming governors that Rotary will keep the service emphases of recent years -- water, health and hunger, and literacy -- but asked them to focus their efforts in each of these areas on children.
"In 2008-09, I will ask you all to Make Dreams Real for the world's children," he said. "This will be our theme, and my challenge to all of you."
"Children are killed by illnesses that become deadly in combination with poor sanitation and malnutrition," Lee said. In addition, families stricken by extreme poverty are trapped in a cycle that only leads to more unnecessary deaths. "It's a cycle that is not interrupted because there is no access to education."
He challenged the audience to do their part to give children "hope and a chance at a future" by reducing the rate of child mortality in the world.
"We will bring clean water to their communities and create sanitation projects that keep children healthy," Lee said.
In his speech, Lee reminded the incoming District Governors of Rotary's power and encouraged them to use their resources efficiently to maximize the good done around the world.
District Governor Geoffrey Mathis, of District 9930 in New Zealand, thinks the upcoming RI theme allows Rotary to dream big. "Make Dreams Real will be an easy theme to sell around the world. We all like challenges; Lee has allowed us to put our dreams to practice."
Rotarians can improve children's health, Lee said, even in small ways, such as delivering mosquito nets, rehydration salts, vitamins, and vaccines. "So much more can be done with just a little more: a trained birth attendant, a simple clinic, a school feeding program, a visiting nurse," he continued. "These are simple and direct ways to save children's lives."
In 2008-09, Rotarians will be asked to open their eyes to the needs of children in communities near and far, Lee said.
"Children die not because nobody can help them, but because too often, nobody does. But you and I, here in this room, are Rotarians, and helping is what we do best," he said, adding that "our job is to Make Dreams Real for children. If every one of us does this, at the end of our year, we will all have achieved something wonderful."
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 Click here to visit the Rotary International website for more information.
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Email
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If you would like to know more about Rotary or have an enquiry, please email enquiries@rotarydistrict9800.org
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