Toms Rotary Club History
A brief history of the club.
The Rotary Club of Taree on Manning (known locally as TOM's Rotary Club) was chartered in 1990. The club was one of the few clubs which has been a mixed club - open to both male and female members - since its inception.
Like all Rotary Clubs, the club has a weekly meeting. TOM's Rotary Club is a lunch time club which means that meetings are short - from 12.45 pm to 2 pm each Wednesday at the Waterfront Room of the Exchange Hotel in Manning St Taree. Meetings are a social gathering of members at an affordable price (currently $17) and include a fine session by the Sgt at Arms and generally also a guest speaker on some topic of interest.
Members support a number of local and international programs which currently include:
Locally
- Manning River Discovery Day - jazz bands etc and barbeques at different destination on the Manning River each year. Admission free. People encouraged to travel by boat whether it be an expensive yacht or a small tinny. A day of community fun to discover the wonderful destinations available on the 150 kms of navigable Manning River system.
- Gambling Night - an annual fund raiser for local charities.
- Business House Relay - local business houses contesting their swimming ability in (self) handicapped relay teams of four
- Australia Day Breakfast
- Bowel Scan project
- Red Shield Appeal
Internationally
- We are sponsoring Trent Newman who has been awarded a Rotary International Peace Scholarship and is currently studying at University in Berkely in the USA.
- We are sponsoring a project to build a medical centre on the island of Nias Indonesia following the Tsunami and subsequent earthquake at a cost of A$150,000 - The money has been raised and the building is well under way.
- We are proposing to support Shelterbox by raising funds for a shelterbax to provide shelter for 10 people following a natural disaster.
- We are proposing to donate A$100 per member to the Rotary Foundation which supports a great deal of international relief, including the funding for our own Peace Scholar.
In 2007/2008 the club has adopted a "Club Within a Club" proposal aimed at encouraging a substantial number of new members during the year – either people from the business sector or people who have a background or an interest in community activities – to join as a group. Because the club meets on at lunch time (other Taree clubs meet in the evening) it is particularly attracted to those working in the Taree CBD, who would like to join a Rotary Club but have difficulty managing a regular night away from home.
Anyone interested in joining the club should contact Maurie Stack on 6592 6511 or Geoff Fuller on 6592 9227
