A SPECIAL lunch is planned for this month to celebrate the centenary of the Rotary Club of Durban, one of South Africa’s oldest such institutions, which has been serving the people of Durban for 100 years.
Rotarians from around KwaZulu-Natal are expected to gather in the city on January 25 to help the Durban club commemorate the milestone.
Among the founding members of the club were the then mayor, Walter Gilbert, and others who would go on to establish what is today the Durban University of Technology, the Durban YMCA and many other important landmarks.
The club was officially chartered on 25 January, 1925 and went to have significant influence in the city's affairs, including establishing the Durban Chamber of Commerce, the Community Chest, Tafta (The Association for the Aged) Lifeline and Sanca’s (SA National Council in Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) Laluma Treatment Centre.
“Above all was the comradeship which brought together leaders from every walk of life within our community, the glue which bound us all together was to get judges and missionaries, heart surgeons, electricians, accountants, politicians and every other diverse calling that one can imagine, all working together on projects usually far beyond their own individual skills levels. It was an amazing chapter in all of our lives, and I know every one of us grew immensely out of the experience!” said former club president Richard Cluver.
While the club is still an integral part of Durban’s civic society, meets regularly and is behind many community projects, it is planning for the future by mentoring community engagement youth organisations with its Interact club held at several Durban schools.
The Independent on Saturday